Design Week Magazine - Jan 1997
Rising by Degrees - Liz Farrelly
A year out between BA and MA provided Lawrence Zeegen with a
'whole heap of clients' before he hit the RCA. 'So I knew that
when I graduated I didn't want to do what every other illustrator
does, and end up working in my bedroom or garden shed at home'.
Before the dreaded day, and with the aim of providing mutual support,
the idea of Big Orange was hatched between a group of like-minded
graduates. 'We simply uprooted part of the department and moved
it to a studio in EC2, to deaden the blow of leaving college.
Then we put together a collective portfolio and sent out joint
publicity.'
Working part-time as a graphic designer at Lamb and Shirley and
teaching at Camberwell School of Arts, Zeegen was busy. 'I came
out of college with preconceptions about how a career would map
out. I thought I'd be an illustrator for life. But when you've
done one book jacket or poster, you've got to do more and the
pressure on a freelancer to invoice every month is pretty daunting'.
Looking to reduce his dependence on commissions, and building
on Big Orange's informal structure of cooperation, Zeegen moved
onto setting up Heart in 1994. Together with fellow illustrator
Darrel Rees he represents a select peer group. In an industry
which trades on 'signature styles', Heart is unusual. Having seen
the industry stifled by safe commissioning, Zeegen and Rees encourage
their illustrators to experiment using new technology, especially
computers and photography. Their aim is to reeducate a generation
of art directors who 'think illustration is a filthy word'.
While all this was going on, Zeegen was running the part-time
graphic design course at Camberwell College of Art, and after
a stint as acting head, became course director of graphic design
at the start of the last academic year. With his knowledge of
industry attitudes, Zeegen intends to steer the Camberwell course
towards the cutting edge. 'The boundaries between graphics and
illustration are blurring, and illustration is splitting two ways,
either towards design work and on to the Mac, or towards painting
for exhibition'.
With studio visits and guest speakers drawn from across the visual
arts, and live projects set by outside organisations, Zeegen's
students 'are served up with a slice of reality'. Being made aware
of the various possibilities means students won't be graduating
with unrealistic job expectations, or subsequently despair if
they're forced to compromise. With the course gaining a reputation,
by winning competitions and sending a high percentage of students
to the RCA, job offers and commissions are rolling in.
For Zeegen it's a project. 'After five years I'll do something
else. I won't stay in education until I retire. But for the first
time in my life I've got a salary,' he says. And with Rees and
his wife Lesley running Heart Zeegen is keeping his options open.
Liz Farrelly
Design Week 31 January 1997
Since this article was published, Zeegen has handed over Heart
to partner Darrel Rees to concentrate on his illustration work
and the role of Academic Programme Leader for BA (Hons) Graphic
Design and BA (Hons) Illustration at The University of Brighton.
© www.zeegen.com
