Brodsley and Heiman, principals of the San Francisco firm Volume, were inspired by the Solutions name to go beyond the expected samples and printing techniques found in a paper promo. I asked the two how they moved from a name and a notion to an entertaining fait accompli.
Brodsley: One aspect of this project was that Mohawk was combining three different lines of paper into one line called Solutions. We asked ourselves, “Wouldn’t it be interesting if our project did the same thing? What if we told three different stories?” Then we hit on the idea of using the same images to go with the three narratives — a short story, a play and a six-word memoir.
The Solutions name was important because we know designers work on projects where they don’t have budgets for big photo shoots, and they’re looking for original solutions with material that’s often mundane. So we used stock photography, but added a layer of creativity to engage people and make them want to hang on to the piece.
Heiman: We know a lot of writers from various fields, and we approached them for different forms of writing. I have a friend, Larry Smith, who’s popularizing this thing called a six-word memoir. The form supposedly came about when someone challenged Hemingway to tell a story in six words, and he responded, “Baby shoes for sale, never worn.” Larry contributed his six-word story: “The exits were entrances in disguise.”
We do some work with the McSweeney’s people, so I enlisted two of the guys we work with to write a short play. Adam had this other friend who is a really great prose writer, and we gave him the same image sequence, saying, “Write to this; do whatever you want.”
I really love literature and writing and feel that, like a rounded liberal arts education, it can really add something to the world. It was very important to us that, rather than this project be a business-y, methodical, instructional thing, it would also have this aspirational, inspirational dimension that comes from our love of culture.
Brodsley: The premise was to speak to designers and say, “Hey, we know how you feel. We’ve been in this position where we have limited imagery or a limited budget or a lot of constraints. We sympathize with that, and here are some ways to use what seems mundane or limiting and expand on it.”
Heiman: What was really interesting about the process is that we went through some of the same struggles that people go through in design problems when they have limits or certain directives they have to incorporate into the work. It’s not always about “my personal expression.”
Editor’s comment: But then again, sometimes it is about personal expression — in this case from three unique perspectives, courtesy of two unique designers (thanks to Adam & Eric for the Groundhog Day metaphor). Order a copy of Your Solutions Here here … or request a copy from your local Mohawk rep. Get a swatchbook, too.
