My project

Working Hard or Hardly Working offers a platform to uncover what real creative labour entails. 

Who am I?

Hi I'm Scout 👋  and I've been studying Graphic Design here in Kingston. Whilst being here at Kingston I have understood who I am as a designer and what I want make and give out. Driven by research, the process manifests itself by taking the subject matter, extracting seemingly mundane or overlooked elements and framing them by putting them on a plinth. In this case the plinth takes form in labour. 

my story

Throughout my years, I have noticed and commended the crazy amount of time and work that goes into creative practice. My project encapsulates this feeling, highlights the meticulous process that is often under-appreciated, and celebrates aspects of our laborious process that are beautiful stand alone.

According to Gavin Williamson (Secretary of State for Education under Boris Johnson from 2019 to 2021) creative degrees are “dead-end courses that leave young people with nothing but debt”.

In retaliation to this statement, the issues have been written through the lens of graphic design history. It mentions the challenges we face against these outside perspectives and adapting to emerging technologies. It presents a critical argument for culture, creativity, and education against those who concern themselves with a one-dimensional market-orientated understanding of humans. 

So far, this project has only laid the foundations. By donating, I will be able to continue celebrating the laborious process that will manifest itself in different contexts. I can expose these beautiful aspects to areas that might not acknowledge them for what they are. It would be amazing to continue gathering and designing this platform.  

Where will the money go?

Of course being a hand made process, printer issues and lack of funds to buy enough paper or prints has meant with the 5 issues I have already designed I was only able to print 5 good copies of each. In the nature of this project, which is micro-publishing and outsourcing to as many people as possible, I would have loved to make at least 30 of each. With this, I could place in galleries, libraries, open spaces and even plant in the hands of like minded Gavin Williamson. There have also been people who have been interested in buying poster-zines, but I have had to limit my giving them away because of this. I would also love to make high-quality posters out of my designs so they can be shown framed on a wall as well as on a bookshelf!

I also aimed to research, gather, and design another 5 issues before the end of the year to apply my knowledge and understanding to other forms of labour I will experience. I would love to have the grounds to get in touch, whether that means travelling or gathering deeper research, if that may be paying for facilities. This will allow me to collaborate with other creatives and open up the projects entirely. 

A rough breakdown of the costs would be:

- Printing: £900

- Paper: £600

- Means for research: £150

Find us here

To find out a bit more about the project and some of the other bits I've worked on please click here: www.scoutcurlewis.com

Help us succeed!

Thank you so much for taking the time to get to know a little more about my project ☺️.