On Tuesdays, we watch talks or interviews with artists and designers and discuss how to present our work clearly and with confidence. This week we’ll hear from Vincent Rikkers, the graphic designer who created the latest album cover for Headhunterz (a Dutch DJ team).
As you watch this interview, consider these questions: Does the designer speak clearly and with confidence? Does he use gestures and intonation to emphasize his points? Does he smile and look at the camera? Does he use professional vocabulary?
What does Rikkers do well? He speaks clearly, and his speed and volume are good. His posture is comfortable, and he looks at the interviewer when he speaks. He gestures and uses vocal variety to emphasize his points. He avoids filler words and uptalk as well. As a result, this designer speaks with confidence and is easy to understand.
What could he improve? There’s nothing wrong with this interview, but if he wanted to be even more engaging, he could smile occasionally or use even more vocal variety to show his passion for his work. This is a personal preference though since some people are naturally more charismatic than others. He also struggles a little to find the correct word in some of his answers.
What professional vocabulary does he use? He begins by talking about where the inspiration for the design came from – a fantasy video game called Alduin’s Wall. He says that this image was the brief that was given to him by the client – Willem Rebergen from the band Headhunterz. From there, Rikkers suggested creating one image to represent each track from the album.
Next, he describes how they came up with the central concept, or idea, of the album, which was that it had been a difficult journey. Then, he talks about how they had to change the center image near the end of the project because they didn’t feel the picture of the man with the shield looked like victory, or success. He uses the phrase “we were on the same page,” which means two people agree about something. He goes on to describe the process of working with the client to finish the last details of the design.
Finally, he talks about what part of the design he likes most. Rikkers suggested the three-headed dragon to represent the band’s collaboration with two other bands on one of the tracks. The image was drawn by Wim, another person in the group.
Many designers, especially graphic designers have a difficult job because they have to create something that their client wants and likes, while still trying to design something with their own unique style. Finding this balance can be difficult, and as Rikkers mentions in the video, can lead to a lot of “discussions” with the client. Knowing the best vocabulary and phrases to describe your work can help you in these discussions, and a good language coach can help you learn them.
At Artglish, we help artists and designers to speak confidently about their work. We coach you to speak professionally using the best vocabulary and correct pronunciation. If you want to learn more, click here to join The Studio and try some free ways to improve your English, or check out our Lessons page to learn how Artglish can help you succeed.
I’ve chosen 5 words or phrases for you to focus on today. They are in bold. If you don’t know them, look up the meaning, synonyms, antonyms, and other forms of these words. You can find links to Merriam-Webster dictionary sites at the bottom of this page.
To see the original video, posted by Headhunterz on April 20, 2018, click the link below:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7AkdZvLM78U