OUGD502 - Berlin Trip - Patrick Thomas Studio

Patrick Thomas is a graphic artist and printmaker, born in Liverpool but now lives and works in Berlin, working on both self-initiated briefs and briefs for clients as well as teaching at the State Academy of Art and Design Stuttgart (ABK-Stuttgart). Although now working mainly in printmaking, it was found through Patrick Thomas' talk that he has not always been in this specific industry, originally working for clients such as Desigual for things such as branding. It was interesting to see his journey through design in this way, showing how his experiences and influences have helped him end up where he is now.

One thing I learnt from this studio visit and talk was that Patrick Thomas, born in the UK, also worked in Barcelona before eventually moving to Berlin where he is now. It was interesting to hear about such experiences and has taught me the importance of finding a specific scene within the design world to situate your work within. When the design scene in Barcelona started to die down and he no longer felt motivated there, this is when he decided to move to Berlin. Potentially this is something I need to think about, developing a unique sense of style which eventually people would be able to recognise and connect to myself as a designer.

Overall, it was really inspiring to visit this studio, Patrick Thomas is someone who's work I have followed for a long time with a big interest in his work and design process. I aspire to work in the printmaking industry at some point in my future career, therefore visiting this studio gave me a huge insight into the industry and what it's like to own a screen-printing studio.