Menjelang abad baru (new millennium) kantor Conqueror Paper perwakilan Asia Pacific yang berkedudukan di Hong Kong mempunyai gagasan untuk menerbitkan sebuah buku mengenai desainer grafis Asia Tenggara “25 Graphic Designers from Southeast Asia”. Untuk itu seorang desainer grafis Malaysia (saya lupa namanya) telah ditunjuk untuk mewawancarai 5 desainer grafis wakil dari masing-masing negara (Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapura, Filipina dan Thailand) dan sekaligus merancang desain bukunya. Seingat saya, kelima desainer dari Indonesia itu adalah: Wagiono Sunarto, Tjahjono Abdi, Hermawan Tansil, Irvan A Noe’man dan saya sendiri. Setelah itu, melalui email, kami diminta untuk memeriksa hasil wawancara yang sudah di layout bersama karya kami masing-masing, dengan target penerbitan tepat pada saat pergantian abad (tahun 2001). Tetapi sesudah itu kami tidak pernah dihubungi lagi dan hingga saat ini tidak pernah melihat peredaran buku itu.
Berikut di bawah ini saya kutipkan hasil wawancaranya dengan saya sebagaimana yang ditampilkan dalam buku itu:
Hanny Kardinata
My basic philosophy in design is to transform every project I undertake into works of art. What guides me most when I design is structure, psychological effect and simplicity. All these elements are inherent in my design decisions. I worked as a graphic designer and art director with Citra Indonesia for 15 years until I began to work from home in 1995. From time to time, I assist Citra Indonesia with design projects, but my main focus is currently acting as a design consultant for Laras, Indonesia’s leading magazine for architecture and interior design. Lately, I have been concentrating more on editorial design projects, mostly designing books.
Q: What led you to graphic design?
A: When I graduated from high school, I had three choices for further studies: architecture, psychology or graphic design. I opted for graphic design, which I personally cannot explain. But after a period of time, I realized that even in graphic design, there exists principles of architecture and psychological factors that do play a part in graphic design’s communicative role.
Q: What are your objectives as a graphic designer, and what factors influence or define your work ?
A: My main objective is to use my profession to either inform or motivate my audience. This means that all the elements of design become the language for constructing an idea for effective communication . I believe in the ideals of minimalism where objectives are achieved through limited resources. The maxim of less is more characterises my work. I am only influenced by cultural elements in my work when a project is linked to the subject and whenever it is appropriate.
Q: How would you characterise the graphic design industry in your country?
A: In economic terms, the standard of the graphic design industry in Indonesia has improved over the past decade. An increased acceptance of the graphic design profession, has encouraged more people to study it.
Q: Do you think that the context of practising design in Southeast Asia differs from other regions such as the Americas or Europe ?
A: By using the same technology, we have achieved a giant leap in creating similarities in how design is produced.
Q: In your opinion, what would be the most effective way for graphic designers in the region to establish a dialogue or critique with each other and with other regions ?
A: It would be truly rewarding if graphic designers from the region are able to collaborate in a workshop that could create and produce works in response to what is happening in the world today. This collaboration could start with a professional association from every country. At the end of the workshop, a culminating exhibition could take place in each participating country and travel to other parts of the world as a regional design showcase. If this could be done periodically, the result would be beneficial to designers throughout the region. This type of forum could also foster camaraderie and exchange of ideas. The management of this endeavour could be done in turn amongst the respective countries.
"In Quotes" 