New ‘Local Legends’ talks by Plymouth Design Forum

1 Dec

The end of last month saw the inaugural ‘Local Legend’ event, the first for Plymouth Design Forum (PDF) in a new series of evenings to celebrate the work of local creatives. PDF has always enjoyed welcoming designers, illustrators and artists from further afield to share their work with our fledgling community, however this new series of events will showcase the work, life and careers of local talented creatives based right here in the South West. As well as it being an opportunity to share valuable insights and perspectives, these type of events can help raise the profile of individual speakers and to continue growing the community in Plymouth and the South West.

The first speakers to kick-off this new series was illustrator Pete Clayton, PDF co-founder Darren Foley and Christina Wilkins, founder of Brand Biscuit Studio.

Pete Clayton started the night by sharing the stories behind his bold and positive illustration work. Pete was the perfect speaker for the local legends event, as he’s successfully made the transition from working for Bluestone 360 – one of Plymouth’s most established design agencies – to becoming a full-time freelance illustrator. What made Pete’s talk so valuable was his honesty and openness about his process and motivations – something that is particularly reflected in his personal work that he often shares on his social media channels. This coupled with a beautiful simplicity in mark making and a clear and obvious graphic wit all combine to create a unique and engaging style.

The final speaker of the night was Christina Wilkins, founder of Brand Biscuit Studio. Christina moved to Plymouth during the COVID19 pandemic and establish Brand Biscuit Studio, so is relatively new to the Plymouth design circle, but she has already become a vital voice within the local design community. Christina shared her story from university years, to finding your place in design and finding out what you love. Crucially, Christina also shared her experiences of being a woman in an often male-dominated industry and overcoming those challenges. This inspiring success story hopefully inspires others, but is also a vital conversation starter for all people in the industry to have and helping to overcome. Christina’s love of people shone through and how personality plays a part in her design thinking. This has lead to collaboration with other talented people, which has been a cornerstone in the early success of Brand Biscuit. Christina’s talk was uplifting, motivational and left the room in no doubt that there’ll be many more stories to be told by Brand Biscuit in the future, and cemented why as a local community we are lucky to have Christina’s energy in the city.