She’s the shining light of today’s graphic design and illustration world having done major design campaigns for Cadbury’s, Nike, Pepsi, Topshop and the list goes on…and on! Although it seems that she is determined to stretch her ideas and creativity in new and even more brain-meltingly cool directions. So, it was a great pleasure for Holy Ghost to be welcomed into the shade of her lovely, London-based office where we got to find out that there's limitless possibilities in the mind of Kate Moross…
HG: So, shall we start from the beginning? When did your interest in art begin?
KM: I think…forever, It’s not something I could say started at a particular time, I guess it’s the same with a musician or any kind of creative thing. It’s in some part genetic…embedded in you from the beginning
HG: Subconscious?
KM: Yeh, definitely, it’s not something that I have to channel or grow out of my depths, it’s natural, it’s how I think, so the creative output is just a way for me to put it all on paper.
HG: What medium did you start creating with and how did you expand on it?
KM: I was always into drawing, but I was also passionate about computers. I was working in Dreamweaver and Flash while I was doing my A-levels, working in the computer suite after school hours and learning how to use applications but, I think it was when I discovered illustrator that I really began to get creative. So now I really like combining the two, I need both, I couldn’t just sit and draw all day and I couldn’t be on a computer all day, I have to be able to go between the two and I like making film and taking pictures…all sorts of things!
HG: We hear you studied Foundation at Wimbledon, a familiar haunt of Holy Ghost, how was your time there?
KM: I loved Wimbledon, it was really good, I didn’t want to go to a really snobby foundation course and Wimbledon has a quietly good reputation, it doesn’t shout about it but it’s just a great school where you can get on with your work, there’s no ego at all and as long as you’re working hard an being independent then it’s cool and that’s what I needed. I didn’t need loads of tutorials and spoon-feeding and I think one of the big problems with Foundation is that people come out of it producing very similar work but with Wimbledon everyone’s work was so different because we had to find our own way of expressing ourselves.
HG: Fast forward a few years and you’re now doing work for some major companies but, what has been your favourite project to work on so far?
KM: I don’t really know. Normally with an illustrative brief you only have one outcome you don’t really get to experiment or push yourself, but with the Nike Dunk exhibition that I did, I had to do 23 drawings, so every one had to be slightly different, slightly unique and I could use as many different colours as I wanted as well as working with photographs, so there was a lot of time for me to develop my types and styles and generally mix it up a little bit. But there’s been a lot of things I’ve enjoyed.
HG: We really like your new video project with Simian Mobile Disco, was that an enjoyable experience?
KM: That was fucking awesome! It was the first time I got to work with film. Before, I never really trusted myself to use film because it wasn’t my ‘area’ but, when I realized that it isn’t really anyone’s area, you do whatever you think will work, I had a bit more confidence to go for it and it wasn’t so intimidating because I knew it didn’t have to go on TV or anything, as it’s a viral, so we could get away with doing something different and less commercial…it’s definitely a medium that I want to do more work with.
HG: How does it feel to collaborate with all these exciting people?
KM: Well when you’re freelancing a lot of the time it’s really refreshing if you’ve got people you can sit and talk to about your ideas, especially problems that are a bit more intangible like maybe a bands style or visual output…sometimes you can’t put a finger on it but if you get it right then you can really succeed.
HG: You’re ventures into music have also spawned a new ‘Art-based’ record label, Isomorphs, could you tell us a bit about that?
KM: Well, it’s kind of a way to integrate and recognize the fact that art and music co-exist, that they aren’t separate entities and they need to be both things considered together. I try and think about the artwork at the same time I think about the music. When I’m working with a band I try to represent them and their vision aesthetically, while trying to carve something on a record that will depict their story or their message. We also make t-shirts with the same idea, developing a unique identity, that's different, while making cool shit for people to wear, rather than ugly merch or an obvious logo, we like to develop our design on the idea that people research their favourite bands and recognize each others knowledge within the clothing that they wear.
HG: Your office is very lovely, what kind of environment do you like to work in?
KM: I have to be able to access everything I need, I have a load of weird equipment; old photocopiers, badge machines, long-arm staplers and weird printers, stuff like that. I feel that if you have to out-source things then an idea can become a bit stale and I like to try stuff quickly. I like having well designed things to look at and to see. I have lots of stuff around me so I don’t have to think about white space all the time.
HG: How do you feel about where your work fits in to the whole crazy world of Art?
KM: Well, it’s funny because commercial art, which is what I do, has a different audience and it’s a lot more accessible. I think fine art is almost put on a higher pedestal, it’s more like you have to get it to enjoy it, not always, but there is an element of that and I like my work to be really accessible so people know what it means and what’s behind it. I still think a lot of the driving force behind my work, from an artist perspective, is to not stick to the traditional ideas of what a designer should be.
HG: In the future what do you hope to achieve, if you haven’t achieved it already?
KM: I’m trying to build my company at the moment, which is this creative direction and art direction for the music industry, so helping labels and bands push their work, in an artistic way, embracing all forms of output, even their marketing campaigns to be interesting and creative and not just generic bullshit. That’s my biggest goal but I really want to carry on expanding what I do aswell, trying everything I possibly can, that’s why moving into film and things is opening more and more avenues for me to realize what my potential is.
HG: One last question, what does your logo mean to you?
KM: The Triangles? Well for me triangles are interesting because they’re the building block of graphics. I find triangles are the most interesting singular unit to work from, they’re really modular, you can put them together and build a cube and then a cube could build a house, then a house could build a city…it’s like microcosms, you know, it’s the smallest possible unit that could build anything. It’s also really iconic and I can use it to represent myself on my work instead of having to write out my name…and it’s just a cool symbol.
To check out some of Kate's work pay a visit to: www.katemoross.com
Words by William Dove
Portraits by M.R
HG: Subconscious?
KM: Yeh, definitely, it’s not something that I have to channel or grow out of my depths, it’s natural, it’s how I think, so the creative output is just a way for me to put it all on paper.
HG: What medium did you start creating with and how did you expand on it?
KM: I was always into drawing, but I was also passionate about computers. I was working in Dreamweaver and Flash while I was doing my A-levels, working in the computer suite after school hours and learning how to use applications but, I think it was when I discovered illustrator that I really began to get creative. So now I really like combining the two, I need both, I couldn’t just sit and draw all day and I couldn’t be on a computer all day, I have to be able to go between the two and I like making film and taking pictures…all sorts of things!
HG: We hear you studied Foundation at Wimbledon, a familiar haunt of Holy Ghost, how was your time there?
KM: I loved Wimbledon, it was really good, I didn’t want to go to a really snobby foundation course and Wimbledon has a quietly good reputation, it doesn’t shout about it but it’s just a great school where you can get on with your work, there’s no ego at all and as long as you’re working hard an being independent then it’s cool and that’s what I needed. I didn’t need loads of tutorials and spoon-feeding and I think one of the big problems with Foundation is that people come out of it producing very similar work but with Wimbledon everyone’s work was so different because we had to find our own way of expressing ourselves.
HG: Fast forward a few years and you’re now doing work for some major companies but, what has been your favourite project to work on so far?
KM: I don’t really know. Normally with an illustrative brief you only have one outcome you don’t really get to experiment or push yourself, but with the Nike Dunk exhibition that I did, I had to do 23 drawings, so every one had to be slightly different, slightly unique and I could use as many different colours as I wanted as well as working with photographs, so there was a lot of time for me to develop my types and styles and generally mix it up a little bit. But there’s been a lot of things I’ve enjoyed.
HG: We really like your new video project with Simian Mobile Disco, was that an enjoyable experience?
KM: That was fucking awesome! It was the first time I got to work with film. Before, I never really trusted myself to use film because it wasn’t my ‘area’ but, when I realized that it isn’t really anyone’s area, you do whatever you think will work, I had a bit more confidence to go for it and it wasn’t so intimidating because I knew it didn’t have to go on TV or anything, as it’s a viral, so we could get away with doing something different and less commercial…it’s definitely a medium that I want to do more work with.
HG: How does it feel to collaborate with all these exciting people?
KM: Well when you’re freelancing a lot of the time it’s really refreshing if you’ve got people you can sit and talk to about your ideas, especially problems that are a bit more intangible like maybe a bands style or visual output…sometimes you can’t put a finger on it but if you get it right then you can really succeed.
HG: You’re ventures into music have also spawned a new ‘Art-based’ record label, Isomorphs, could you tell us a bit about that?
KM: Well, it’s kind of a way to integrate and recognize the fact that art and music co-exist, that they aren’t separate entities and they need to be both things considered together. I try and think about the artwork at the same time I think about the music. When I’m working with a band I try to represent them and their vision aesthetically, while trying to carve something on a record that will depict their story or their message. We also make t-shirts with the same idea, developing a unique identity, that's different, while making cool shit for people to wear, rather than ugly merch or an obvious logo, we like to develop our design on the idea that people research their favourite bands and recognize each others knowledge within the clothing that they wear.
HG: Your office is very lovely, what kind of environment do you like to work in?
KM: I have to be able to access everything I need, I have a load of weird equipment; old photocopiers, badge machines, long-arm staplers and weird printers, stuff like that. I feel that if you have to out-source things then an idea can become a bit stale and I like to try stuff quickly. I like having well designed things to look at and to see. I have lots of stuff around me so I don’t have to think about white space all the time.
HG: How do you feel about where your work fits in to the whole crazy world of Art?
KM: Well, it’s funny because commercial art, which is what I do, has a different audience and it’s a lot more accessible. I think fine art is almost put on a higher pedestal, it’s more like you have to get it to enjoy it, not always, but there is an element of that and I like my work to be really accessible so people know what it means and what’s behind it. I still think a lot of the driving force behind my work, from an artist perspective, is to not stick to the traditional ideas of what a designer should be.
HG: In the future what do you hope to achieve, if you haven’t achieved it already?
KM: I’m trying to build my company at the moment, which is this creative direction and art direction for the music industry, so helping labels and bands push their work, in an artistic way, embracing all forms of output, even their marketing campaigns to be interesting and creative and not just generic bullshit. That’s my biggest goal but I really want to carry on expanding what I do aswell, trying everything I possibly can, that’s why moving into film and things is opening more and more avenues for me to realize what my potential is.
HG: One last question, what does your logo mean to you?
KM: The Triangles? Well for me triangles are interesting because they’re the building block of graphics. I find triangles are the most interesting singular unit to work from, they’re really modular, you can put them together and build a cube and then a cube could build a house, then a house could build a city…it’s like microcosms, you know, it’s the smallest possible unit that could build anything. It’s also really iconic and I can use it to represent myself on my work instead of having to write out my name…and it’s just a cool symbol.
To check out some of Kate's work pay a visit to: www.katemoross.com
Words by William Dove
Portraits by M.R
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