Who and what is DR.ME?
DR - DR.ME is a creative studio based in Salford Manchester and we work on various types of projects ranging from graphic design, illustration, moving image…
ME - Advertising?
DR – No. Art direction.
Where did the name DR.ME come form?
ME – It’s a miss ordered anagram of both our names, Ryan Doyle and Mark Edwards… We were drunk when we thought of it.
DR – All the best ideas come when you’re drunk
What led you both to become designers, what is your background and where do you come from?
DR – Ever since I was a kid I wanted to be a cartoonist, so the way I thought I could become that was to go to university. I did a foundation course, still wanting to become a cartoonist, but that turned in to my tutor telling me I was better at graphic design, and that’s how it came about for me.
ME – I used to play in bands when I was a kid and I was always a lot more interested in designing the cd covers and band posters than I ever was actually. Playing in the band. So I did an art foundation and found out it was graphic design that I wanted to do.
What were the first jobs you ever had?
ME – I worked as a waiter in the Quaker Tea Rooms in Kendal
DR – I worked in Matalan in Perth.
What about design jobs?
DR – Our first design job was for Umbro, they got us to design a tee shirt for the European cup that was held in Poland and Ukraine. So we did a tee shirt and a football design and that was our first job as a studio.
ME – Yes I suppose that was our first proper big paid job.
DR - But before that we were doing self-initiated jobs, stuff like valentines cards.
Who or what would you say inspires your creative practices?
DR – For me, we are lucky and blessed to have a group of friends in Manchester who are all doing their own thing like; Musicians, artists, illustrators, it may sound cheesy but it helps to be surrounded by other creative…
ME – Rather than just going straight to a design blog, your favourite magazine or book or something like that. Having people around you to talk about your work and bounce ideas with that maybe aren’t from your background to get a different perspective.
DR – I tend to stay away from any kind of design blogs as well sometimes you can be subconsciously influenced by them.
What is the importance of finding you’re individuality with in the design industry?
What were the first jobs you ever had?
ME – I worked as a waiter in the Quaker Tea Rooms in Kendal
DR – I worked in Matalan in Perth.
What about design jobs?
DR – Our first design job was for Umbro, they got us to design a tee shirt for the European cup that was held in Poland and Ukraine. So we did a tee shirt and a football design and that was our first job as a studio.
ME – Yes I suppose that was our first proper big paid job.
DR - But before that we were doing self-initiated jobs, stuff like valentines cards.
Who or what would you say inspires your creative practices?
DR – For me, we are lucky and blessed to have a group of friends in Manchester who are all doing their own thing like; Musicians, artists, illustrators, it may sound cheesy but it helps to be surrounded by other creative…
ME – Rather than just going straight to a design blog, your favourite magazine or book or something like that. Having people around you to talk about your work and bounce ideas with that maybe aren’t from your background to get a different perspective.
DR – I tend to stay away from any kind of design blogs as well sometimes you can be subconsciously influenced by them.
What is the importance of finding you’re individuality with in the design industry?
ME – Huge. It kind of sounds like a joke but it is a massive thing, and I still think we will try and work in different ways going forward. I’d be very sceptical for someone to come and say in 5 years time you will still be working in the same way as you are working today. We tend to think if we finish a project we’ll just be like ‘that is the best shit we’ve ever done, it’s fucking amazing’ and then a year later we think actually its not very good.
Who are some of your biggest clients?
ME – Manchester international festival, young Turks
DR – Sony
ME – yeah Sony, Red bull, the XX.
Did you meet the XX when you designed for them?
ME – We met Jamie once, he was really nice.
DR – Its was cool because we’ve seen a picture of them and they had a cap on that we designed…
ME – The Mexico poster design that we made, Young Turks had hats made. It’s funny working for them because initially when me and Ryan became friends we went to an XX gig at the death institute and it was their second show or something like that.
What is your favourite piece of work that you have created?
DR – We made a music video for a band called Dutch Uncles which was all stop motion, it took us 2 months. The process was very long. We tried to keep it quite traditional, it was cutting paper out and moving it and stuff, but the final product at the end when it became a music video was so satisfying, because you know how much work you put in to it. So that was probably my favourite piece.
ME - I’d agree with that, most intensive, but most rewarding.
What advice would you give in regards to setting up your own studio?
What advice would you give in regards to setting up your own studio?
DR – Have a website, definitely.
ME – Make a list and continue to make a list every year.
DR – Every year we make a list of goals that seem out of reach to us, we’ve done that every year, but by the end of the year we’ve normally ticked most of them off. Over the years they’ve got more and more ambitious which they should do if you want to develop as a studio. This year is the hardest one so far; we haven’t got many of them yet…
ME – We’re going to Miami.
What was the definitive moment you decided to start up your own studio and why?
DR – Every year we make a list of goals that seem out of reach to us, we’ve done that every year, but by the end of the year we’ve normally ticked most of them off. Over the years they’ve got more and more ambitious which they should do if you want to develop as a studio. This year is the hardest one so far; we haven’t got many of them yet…
ME – We’re going to Miami.
What was the definitive moment you decided to start up your own studio and why?
DR – I remember walking home from a night out
ME – I think that’s when we came up with the name as well. So I don’t know if it was the name that came first or the idea of working together. No, I think it was the idea of working together first.
DR – During our course as well we were very like-minded and everyone else had their own thing, they weren’t really interested in starting up their own studio they were more interested in going in to big studios in London, which is fair enough but we both had a common interest in starting our own studio because we both liked the same designers.
ME – And then we got the internship with Mike Perry in New York together, so that was a big thing.
What is your favourite country you’ve visited?
ME – I love New York. It’s a great place to live. I like Barcelona but haven’t visited there for years.
DR – I like Sweden I went to Stockholm once, which was really good.
ME – Dublin is also really nice, we went to Box set which is a design festival there. It’s really good I went about 3 or 4 years ago. It’s a beautiful city, I kind of wish as good to cycle around Manchester as it was in Dublin.
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