An Interview with Ding Ding Design
1. How & when did you first start Ding Ding?
I started Ding Ding about 5 years ago after taking a screen printing class. I studied Decorative Arts at Nottingham Trent many years ago but my focus had been ceramics. After university I set up a vintage and handmade clothing shop and fell in love with mid-century pattern, it wasn't until I closed the shop that I thought about creating my own patterns.
2. Could you describe your work process for us? Does everything start off with collages first?
All my work begins with collage, playing with paper and mark making is my favourite part of the process. I try not to have anything final in mind and just start with simple motifs. I'll then scan them and play with the scale and repeats in Photoshop. I try to use my computer as little as possible, especially since I've moved away from screen printing and now have to prepare the patterns for digital printing.
3. We love the modernist influences in your collections. How do you come up with the ideas for each collection?
I’ve collected and admired mid-century design for the past 20 years. Most of my patterns are from mid-century architecture books and traveling. The product design comes from a love of playing with a particular material; in the past that has been cotton and birch plywood but I'd like to play with clay, concrete and paper next.
4. Are there any key mid century designers/designs that you find particularly inspirational to your work?
My 2017 collection was heavily influenced by Lygia Pape, John Piper and Lucienne Day. The current, Formation collection is inspired by the architectural details of a number of mid-century structures. These are places I've visited recently such as Liverpool and Coventry Cathedrals and the Post Office headquarters in Skopje, Macedonia. I've also found inspiration in the Soviet bus stops featured in Christoper Herwig’s books and the Keralan cinemas photographed by Haubitz + Zoche . In the case of the cinemas I've taken details directly from the buildings, which is not usually the case. These can be seen on the range of greetings cards Forest are stocking.
5. Can you give us any details on upcoming collections?
I'm travelling to Kerala in a couple of weeks so I'd like to visit the cinemas and churches I've discovered through Haubitz + Zoche and expand on my original collages. I'm also going to Georgia this year, there are some incredible brutalist buildings there, the Bank of Georgia HQ and the Palace of Weddings are high on my list. I think my next textiles range will be based on those.
