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To experience the energy of this company and to be able to contribute to a creative and leading edge design firm is amazing, almost disarming. I have always been one to appreciate an unorthodox way of achieving results. It is far easier to notice what stands out in an environment when you are an outsider. You are more prone to notice the differences, and for me to accept it.

The first time I stood outside Studio Dumbar waiting to go through the door was a magical experience. It was as though my design life flashed past me. Now I have a connection with the Holland Dance Festival posters, PTT post, the Dutch Police Force corporate identity and all the innovative Dumbar work that has inspired me to enjoy and love design. I paused and peered through the door realising this would be something that would change my life, and it has.

To understand Studio Dumbar, one must understand Gert Dumbar himself. To understand him, you have to understand Dutch culture especially its sense of humour. Gert is a childlike man with a mischievous face and a sparkle in his eye. He is well articulated, has a pocket full of charm and he understands what it is all about: "happiness through humour." He is always saying to me: "we need to inject a little more humour into it." I guess one can afford to do so when you are a leading edge graphic design company in a nation that is so visually literate.

In the communal lunch room of Studio Dumbar, there is always laughter and a story to tell over the family like midday meal. I noticed this wonder when I had a visitor joint us for lunch one day. He sat with amazement as the lunch unfolded. It was as though a theatrical play was taking place. There was pushing and shoving, giggling, pranks and even the studio dog jumped on my lap. I cannot remember eating this healthily in my entire life. My visitor said "I bet you never felt healthier creatively?" The energy, the casualness and the spontaneous environment creates this intangible wonder called Studio Dumbar.

In my opinion, the design culture is Australia is at a different stage of growth to the Netherlands. The Netherlands has a long tradition of arts and design which Australia does not; however this means that Australia has no historical baggage or preset directions for design which is a positive aspect. It is an exciting time to be an Australian designer as we are blooming in a period where we are capable of achieving world recognition and in most cases, we are already. We now have the skills and experience to come of age. Paul Rand once said: "I don't try to create new design, I try to create good design." I think by focussing on producing good design rather than finding out what Australian Design is, our identity will eventuate naturally. I believe there is no pre-existing history from which one can measure the local designers performances.

Due to this, we are conscious about how we measure up to our American and European contemporaries. In some ways this has led to an evolution of our design approach. With the advancement of technology, the world has become smaller and design and communication as a result, has become global. For instance, I found when I started my first project at Dumbar that although there was a language difference, we shared the same design problems and sometimes the same solutions. Things that are intangible like aesthetics, design sensibilities, and taste transcend all cultures.

I feel I am at my sharpest and most conscious state of "design mind." Surprisingly my experiences to discover another way of working by living in a foreign country has revealed more about myself, my way of working and what my true design sensibility is. I think this is partly to do with the dramatic shift of environment. It is also about the Studio being a laboratory or classroom where your personal discovery and journey creates its own path. The path or process you take is sometimes more important then the destination itself.

There is for me a constant struggle to balance the two driving forces as being a designer. One is the knowledge and skill to be commercial and employable. The other is the strive for personal expression. I am hoping to achieve both.

Alvin Chan

"I am so glad to found this page, althought it might be abit late to reply. Later is better than nothing! Pardon my grammer, as English is not my primary language...but that doesn't stop my heart -keep believing on what i am/about doing!

This page and the responds had been encouraging, as I am planning to go back to OZ for job hunting. I might found one... or might not, but I better! For this reason, it has been always a BIG DREAM for me to achieve for years. I have alway wonder how it's like to work in different culture like Alvin, as I love to meet different people, cultures and their languages! Not to forget to mention Mark's experience in UK. I alway believed that having different explorations will definitely drive oneself to learn and be a better self. I am envy about you guys' experience! I am afraid to face it but on the other hand, I also can't wait to experience it too! As you know, it's not easy to quit everything you having here and pack you go.

Wish me luck as I need heaps of them as I am going to make my dreams into reality:)

I close with a favourite quotation from T.S.Eliot, who said,"Only those who risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go.""

"I must say it is great to hear from you Alvin. An adventurous tale and a remarkable observation into one hell of a design studio. What makes your Dutch experience so interesting to me is that I was born in the Netherlands but left too soon for Australia, however one gets a whiff of an asethetic sensibility and, perhaps to a small degree, sensitivity that is alien to the Aussie environment.

The challenges I faced in Australia is not with the audience or the clients, but with my own convictions and believes aka understanding, there comes a point that I cannot continue to rely on some sort of local historical conduit to justify my future professional existance. The more I dig, the more I dig. It can be an inescapable journey.

Your journey is perhaps for me and for most designers, a delight, a similar trek of self discovery over laid with metaphors and experiences.

I'd imagined that the casual and playful approach to design in Holland in general, is that everything had been said and promoted, anything after that is not that important as the visual language is just part of the overall cultural landscape. It is well understood by all.

Further to Mark's comments on Australia, it is a land of contradictions, a cultural desert as well as a land of visual opprtunities but one cannot rely only on the welltrodden paths. As one finds out it is the new and completely different ones one must seek and there is plenty of room here for that.

Journey on
Karel Wöhlnick

ps Ray Leeves sends his best wishes. Thanks for the letter and work, it was great."

"I enjoyed your letter on working as a designer in a foreign country. It is difficult to settle into a rhythm when you are still understanding a new culture and language.

I recently returned from working in London, where I freelanced at a number of different design firms. Although the language was very similar I found the design culture very educational and rewarding. Having displaced myself in a new environment unlike anything I had experienced before, I slowly began to discover what my identity as a designer was.

I also began to look at my Australian background as not being a handicap or as a form of insecurity but something that has created an identity within me. After working in London for nine months I discovered that Australia was not behind or backward in its design community, if we are guilty of anything then it is of being slightly naive or having the courage to strive for good design in this young country of ours.

In my experience design in London has come to a fork in the road, where a lot of firms are being lured down one path of 'Brand Strategy' where market trends and analysis are the 'safe' road to take where the personal road of the designer creating individual, functional and intitive design solutions is two steep and windy and much too 'risky'.

I hope as a designer now working back in Australia that we don't take the easy road, and continue to explore who we are by working in other countries or studying other designers, in the likes of Paul Rand or Alan Fletcher and striving to carve our own path with the knowledge that there is still a lot of great things to be achieved in design here.

I hope you continue to grow just as I have on your personal journey as a designer and I am too a great believer of good design over 'trend' design and also a believer in the process of learning more about our industry from both outside and within. The more recourceful we become the more we learn and thus ever increasing the professionalism, diversification and sophistication of Australian design.

Kind regards

Mark Lynch

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