The Graduates 2011: Doug Stewart

Originally from Glastonbury where he did his foundation, Doug Stewart studied graphic design at Kingston University and left with a healthy appreciation for collaboration and broad skill set that far outweighs his graduate status. A fascinating exploratory type project, Regausser, uses the disruptive qualities of magnets, controlled and applied creatively to television sets to create new forms and emphasising Doug’s love of all things multi-disciplinary and multi-media.

This “pick & mix approach that can be used to create something fresh and new” is just one way he challenges himself. The aforementioned collaborative facet that Kingston thrives on, led him into video works with fellow graduate, Scott Taylor. While a personal piece, Night Tracks, integrates music, design, and illustration into a public environment. Inspired by nocturnal suburbia, “tracks are temporarily illustrated within the night-time environments that influenced them.”

If your portfolio was on fire, and you could only save one piece/project, which would you choose, and why?

Wow, well this year I’ve worked on so many different projects of which I’m proud that it’s hard to choose just one. But A3 re-prints come pretty cheap, so I’d probably try and save the box – it took a long while to apply my vinyl name sticker to it.

If you could collaborate with another artist/designer (or a number of artists/designers) to make a piece of work, who would you work with and what would you make?

I’m lucky to be in a situation where I have come from a course that is heavily structured around collaboration, and from that, have developed strong working relationships with many fellow course members. It would be exciting to be able to collaborate with some of my Kingston course mates again in the future. But if they’re not available, then working with Heston Blumenthal would be cool. I’ve come up with a concept for a new food product that we might be able to collaborate on. It’s half way between a Pasty and a Quiche and I’m branding it a ‘Pastiche.’ If you’re reading this Heston, I’m happy to pay your travel costs.

What was your finest moment at art school?

Our team winning the pub quiz on our year 2 Graphics & Illustration field trip to San Francisco ranks up there pretty highly. Besides that, ‘Step Trip Step,’ our recent degree show that we put on ourselves in London was a massively proud moment. And also having my degree show wall piece featured in D&AD’s New Blood in July. That’s a top 3; I cheated.

We believe it was the Jonas brothers who once said “we’re the kids of the future.” How, if at all, do you relate to that?

I rarely agree with the Jonas Brothers’ wildly outspoken opinions, but I think in this case, I can relate to what they’re trying to say. It’s exciting to think that alongside other graduates, we are now in a position where we can start to contribute to the kind of work that will define, shape and change the creative industry from this point onwards.

Can you give us ONE prediction about you and your work for the next year?

Ideally, I’ll be working or interning in a situation where I can continue to create work that makes me happy, alongside developing my skills. (As well as making enough money to live off the back of it.) This is not so much a prediction, but more of a pipe dream! I guess the fact that I don’t know where I’ll be in 12 months time is what makes this post-university stage so exciting right now.