Andrew Clapham / AMCD Studio

AMCD Studio is a communication and graphic design practice based in Naarm/Melbourne (AUS), founded by Andrew Clapham. Focusing on creative direction, identity development, exhibition, and strategic design for all types of projects, their practice has developed a special interest in exploring the idea of communication design for political, craft, and community projects.

Andrew comes from a Fine-Art background majoring in Printmaking. He completed his honours in 2015 at RMIT in Melbourne, and at the same time worked on a few small design projects that included designing posters for friends bands, t-shirts, and logo design. Once he had finished his undergrad, Andrew wished to continue his studies and research, thus decided to shift over to doing a Master’s in Communication Design at RMIT. “My intention was never to be a designer, but I thought making the switch would improve my image-making practice. During this, I worked as a commercial artist. I was represented by a gallery and exhibiting every once and a while” describes Andrew. When he finished his Master’s, he started to pick up freelance work up as a custom printmaker and designer, and in 2018, Andrew set up a small collaborative design and print studio practice; AMCD Studio, specialising in public art, exhibition design, branding, creative direction, and print/digital design.

“The project I work on varies depending on whether it’s a personal art project, design brief, or custom printmaking job. The ideal task is finding a sweet spot that allows all three of these to occur, whether designing a series of graphic treatments, screen printing the work and then doing the physical install.”

Andrew also works in a former school that heavily engages with community projects for education, experimentation, and public space exhibitions. “Therefore, I am a somewhat urban hippie, the ideal projects for the arts and craft sectors, social enterprises, and educational institutes” says the designer. Alongside this, he works as a lecturer teaching screen printing at RMIT, and is a committee member at a Sunshine Print Studio in Melbourne’s West.

“My working process varies depending on the deadline, but it mainly involves lots of coffee in the morning, cheesy 80’s metal, country, and punk music” states Andrew. If it’s a large project for an exhibition, he tries to take the research side of things a little more seriously, starting by looking at the site or what the topic of the brief and project is about. He does this via state libraries’ image pools, university archives, and his book collection in the studio. Once debriefed, Andrew typically goes through the research findings and fleshes out the concept to determine whether the job can be manufactured locally or done in house. Development is where he evaluates and refines the experience, creating tangible solutions that bring the design concepts, brand or project positioning together.

Many things influence Andrew’s practice; the first and most important simply being screen printing; “this allows for experimentation with colour, typography, photography, and different materials”. The work of Sol Le Witt has always been a key influence on his practice, as well as that of Emily Floyd and John Nixon, who are both Melbourne-based painters that explore minimalism and Constructivism.

“I would like to continue what I’m doing now, but help facilitate others and provide a platform for craft-based practitioners. I have always felt lucky to have a hybrid practice that allows me to be in print studio screen printing and doing design work from the computer, and working on fun public art projects.”

www.andrewclapham.com.au
@andrew_clapham

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