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Press
ID Pure Magazine – Switzerland, Volume 11 2007 / Cover Image –––––––––––––––––––––––– Selected Excerpts. –––––––––––––––––––––––– Monument Magazine “…At the core of their work is detail. Each element seems to be in its place, their images are layered with sub plots and graphic folly. A vein of their recent output is a reaction to the recent swath of minimalism that took hold of contemporary culture in the mid 1990s (design with pared back imaging, typography, colour, composition and at times the message too!). If the 1970s work of New York designer Milton Glaser comes to mind when you take in Alter’s bold shapes, bright colours and playful image making, both Wallace and Whitford are unabashed in surrendering their influence. Yet if one knows their design history one will appreciate Alter’s distinctive voice…” –––––––––––––––––––––––– Desktop Magazine “…the processes that Alter follows when working on new projects and with new clients, the focus being on communication and research. Wallace is quick to point out that this is simply a matter of approach. “We don’t operate with a philosophy as such, and what the website is attempting to convey is that we believe in communicating with as little fog as possible. I’d say that our ideal would be treating every new brief with an open mind and not allowing experience to limit our thought process to any great extent. I did say ideal, didn’t I? In practice this isn’t always possible and we’re aware of that,” he says. “I think we try to explain our motivation for functional decisions as much as possible, but identify areas of design that are intuitive as just that. Stuff we like. Personally I equate this with things like the push to Plain English in law. Without the added barrier of sophisticated professional language, we can just talk about the way the work works.” This approach certainly seems to be working because Alter’s services are now in demand from all sides. Yet rather than having a particular favourite sphere in which to specialise, the staff at Alter enjoy being taken out of their comfort zone and bringing their talents to bear on new and different endeavours. “We’re enjoying a real range of projects at the moment and that’s exciting in itself,” explains Wallace. “I hope that doesn’t sound insincere, because it is quite cliché, but I think we’re equally happy with a small print job or a series of TVCs. The variety of our work right now is exactly what keeps us motivated and interested. We’re increasingly looking toward managing larger projects, but I think that’s just something that comes with experience. We have a desire to keep being challenged. The MTV Australia Video Music Awards have been a great experience in that sense. We were able to develop and implement ideas across all aspects of the project. We wore many different hats throughout, from the design through to production and direction. Working with so many people, with distinct budgets and briefs, and with a degree of creative freedom that isn’t common to television was a great experience…” –––––––––––––––––––––––– Magazine –––––––––––––––––––––––– Book Melbourne Design Guide –––––––––––––––––––––––– Exhibition / 2010 –––––––––––––––––––––––– Exhibition / 2008 –––––––––––––––––––––––– Festival
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