POV: How valuable is the obscure creative reference?

“References are extremely important to use as a starting point to communicate an idea. Once that idea has been communicated, and you’re past the first design sketch or ideation, ditch all of these references and never bring them up in the project again. You aren’t trying to remake the reference... you are trying to make a new reference.”

One thing that can be said is that the “hoarder” of niche references sits in an unusually favoured position in today’s creative society – perhaps for good reason. As reference gathering becomes easier, true nerdism – the fervour for cataloguing stamps or colour-graded toilet seats, feels rarer. But equally, and in graphic design particularly, our b... See more

Perhaps the value of the reference, and our collective heritage-obsessed mindset, is also about our desire to make sense of meanings and changes. To hold onto things and prune them.

Brent’s defense of gatekeeping is a defence of something larger: your toil. “The labour that goes into organising and maintaining a reference library is not to be discounted... it is work that you – as a designer – have done and you shouldn’t be giving that away.”

However, we’re entering potentially dangerous territory here, where the reference is overemphasised in determining the final work. Surely, a good tree does not maketh a good landscape painting?

“I think references and research are truly – as a designer – one of your most valuable possessions,” says Brent. “In a world where finding something you have never seen before is becoming harder and harder, this collection illustrates your perspective as a designer.”

This collective interest in research-driven work could be read in many ways. It could mean appreciation is on the up for behind-the-scenes effort and dedicated research (only a good thing). Or, more cynically, it could be a reflection of a moodboard mindset. Branding, communication and in turn design as a whole, is a market that finds value in obsc... See more

Not long ago, I saw a case study for a 40-year-old Spanish cured meat brand, Purlom, on Instagram. The lead image displayed not the logo, but a rotating selection of shots from Purlom’s archive, including an old supermarket sign. I clicked on it without question. This, for my brain, functioned as “proof”: this rebrand is good. I thought: “Look at t... See more