๐—ฆ๐—ฎ๐—บ๐—ฝ๐—น๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ด ๐—ฆ๐˜๐˜†๐—น๐—ฒ๐˜€ - ๐—›๐—ถ๐—ฝ ๐—›๐—ผ๐—ฝ ๐—•๐—ฒ๐—ฎ๐˜ ๐— ๐—ฎ๐—ธ๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ด, ๐—–๐—ถ๐—ฟ๐—ฐ๐˜‚๐—น๐—ฎ๐—ฟ๐—ถ๐˜๐˜† & ๐—œ๐—ป๐˜๐—ฒ๐—ฟ๐—ถ๐—ผ๐—ฟ ๐——๐—ฒ๐˜€๐—ถ๐—ด๐—ป ๐ŸŽถ๐ŸŽจ

No ideas original, there's nothing new under the sun. It's never what you do, but how it's done.

- Nas

You might wonder, what does hip-hop sampling have to do with my design approach? ๐Ÿค”

Let me break it down.

Growing up with 90s โ€˜boom-bapโ€™ hip-hop, the โ€˜art of samplingโ€™ was at the heart of the music. ๐ŸŽง ๐Ÿ’ฝ

๐—ฆ๐—ฎ๐—บ๐—ฝ๐—น๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ด ๐—ถ๐˜€ ๐—ฎ ๐—ฐ๐—ถ๐—ฟ๐—ฐ๐˜‚๐—น๐—ฎ๐—ฟ ๐—ฑ๐—ฒ๐˜€๐—ถ๐—ด๐—ป ๐˜€๐˜๐—ฟ๐—ฎ๐˜๐—ฒ๐—ด๐˜†.

Just like DJs and producers take snippets of old music (often from vinyl) to create loops, layering sounds to build something fresh yet rooted in the past, I apply the same mindset to design.

Hereโ€™s how:

1๏ธโƒฃ ๐——๐—ฒ๐˜€๐—ถ๐—ด๐—ป ๐—›๐—ถ๐˜€๐˜๐—ผ๐—ฟ๐˜† ๐—œ๐˜€ ๐—ฌ๐—ผ๐˜‚๐—ฟ ๐—™๐—ฟ๐—ถ๐—ฒ๐—ป๐—ฑ ๐Ÿ“œ

Taking inspiration from iconic past designers allows me to channel timeless styles and reintroduce them into todayโ€™s world. This creates depth, meaning, and familiarity within the spaces we design.

Humans often connect with whatโ€™s familiar, even in subtle ways. Thatโ€™s why historical references evoke a comforting sense of nostalgia in modern design.

2๏ธโƒฃ ๐— ๐—ถ๐˜… ๐—ฆ๐˜๐˜†๐—น๐—ฒ๐˜€ ๐˜๐—ผ ๐—–๐—ฟ๐—ฒ๐—ฎ๐˜๐—ฒ ๐—ฌ๐—ผ๐˜‚๐—ฟ ๐—ข๐˜„๐—ป ๐ŸŒ€

I love blending different styles to craft something fresh and exciting. ๐ŸŽจ  

By curating elements from various eras and aesthetics, I combine them to create harmonious designs. Sometimes, it clicks, and sometimes, it doesn't, but thatโ€™s all part of the creative journey.

This ensures that spaces arenโ€™t 'frozen in time' or stuck in one style. Instead, they become dynamic expressions of diverse influences.

3๏ธโƒฃ ๐—”๐—ฑ๐—ฑ ๐—ฎ ๐—–๐—ผ๐—ป๐˜๐—ฒ๐—บ๐—ฝ๐—ผ๐—ฟ๐—ฎ๐—ฟ๐˜† ๐—ง๐˜„๐—ถ๐˜€๐˜ ๐Ÿ”„

While honouring the past is cool, adding a modern or local touch is crucial to making a design feel relevant and tailored to its environment.

This could involve using local materials, collaborating with artists, or integrating brand-specific elements to create a personalised, unique experience.

Remember:

  • Don't just copy
  • Use past styles to tell your story
  • Always layer in something fresh

In essence, sampling, whether in music or design, is about circularity: paying homage to what came before while creating something entirely new. ๐Ÿ’ก

What past influences inspire your work?

Thanks for reading

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