Meet the Maker – Oliver from Serigrafica7585
Serigrafica7585’s products take inspiration from popular culture with a particular focus on music and sound. All of our items are designed and hand screen printed in-house in our East London studio space. We do not out source our production to any external suppliers or use any consignment fulfilment partners, therefore guaranteeing a quality handmade product. Each item is created with meticulous care and attention providing a refreshing alternative to what can be found on the high street.
Hi Oliver, what did you do before starting your business?
I was and still am a freelance graphic designer. Though I’d like it to be a full time job Serigrafica7585 is a side project at the moment.
Why did you create your business, and what’s the inspiration behind your brand?
Serigrafica7585 was originally a partnership with a fellow graphic designer friend. As a commercial designer you’re always answering a brief and essentially giving a client what they want, despite knowing that there is a better solution out there. Nowadays graphic design seems to be more and more client led. We wanted a graphic outlet to express our own interests, tastes and ideas without being dictated to by someone else, screen printing seemed like the ideal way to do this. The fact that it’s a hands-on printing process also appealed as it’s something that was missing from our day jobs.
The name ‘Serigrafica7585’ derives from Serigrafia which is Spanish for screenprinting.
My printing partner at the time was Argentinian and was born in 1975, I was born in 1985. Hence the Spanish sounding name with the numbers. An essential element of what I do is that everything is hand-made, from lower priced items to the more expensive large prints. This is a core value of the brand.
What is your Design process and what are your essential tools?
It varies. I’m a musician and self-confessed gear nerd, which has informed the album sound wave prints I’ve done. I’ve always had a keen interest in the gear and personnel involved in my favourite albums, so I decided to try to capture this in a graphic print. Almost like an info graphic data sheet. These were all designed digitally in Adobe illustrator.
I’m often motivated by a phrase or saying I might hear from a friend, on the radio or even eavesdropping while walking on the streets. From there I’ll do some rough sketches and then move onto a computer and play around with finding the most pleasing visual aesthetic for that phrase or idea. There’s normally a few options for each piece which I narrow down to develop further. More recently the prints have become a direct response to what’s going on in the world.
My working process so far is still routed to the way I work as a freelance designer, but this is something I want to change. I want the computer to be less involved in the process and start creating work with more of a hand rendered aesthetic. Somehow, I really want to combine drawing, painting and screen printing together in my own way. Watch this space for that!
What have been the biggest challenges/achievements, or your favourite story so far?
With my day job it can be difficult finding the time to really develop my products and art to a satisfactory level. Time management is probably something I need to work on. Getting stuff one during Covid was a challenge!
How would you describe your business in 3 words?
Creative, varied, unique
What do you like listening to while working?
I tend to listen to the radio when working in my studio. Mainly 6 music and sometimes the ‘Do You show’ with Charlie Bones. When I’m not listening to the radio, I listen to a variety of music on a well-known streaming service but tend to veer towards post punk stuff. I occasionally listen to ‘The Adam Buxton Podcast’ and ‘Wolf and Owl’.
Do you have any advice for someone just starting out? Things you have learnt along the way?
I have found that the most successful work often comes from acting quickly on an idea and not overthinking it. I am beginning to learn that procrastination is the artist’s enemy and kills creativity and productivity.
A piece of art or creation may not be your best or fail to sell or make money or any kind of impression but failing is all part of the route to success. The faster you fail the faster you can succeed. I’m learning that inspiration is underrated. Hard work, determination and staying the course is key to success.
What do you do to relax?
Play my guitar, read, stream a boxset series.
What’s next / any exciting plans?
As mentioned earlier, I’d like to create more hand rendered imagery using traditional techniques like painting and lino printing. As ever I think the content of the work will be based on music and the world at large.
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