As a graphic designer and image-maker, Rosalyn McLean creatively explores subject matter through material, typesetting, and print. McLean has a particular affinity for the physical object which is represented through their work, whether the outcome be tactile or digital. They pride themselves on maintaining a high attention to detail and, as well as taking on projects individually, McLean often works as part of a team; with printers, photographers, stylists, and illustrators. McLean thrives in changing environments as a confident communicator and an effective collaborator. A great many interests McLean can share ranges from film and music to garish knitwear, but something they have explored creatively outside of their university work is environmentalism and social justice, working closely with a group of creatives and academics to research and debate a breadth of causes and issues.
Q&A with Rosalyn McLean
Can you describe your practice to us?
I work mostly within publishing design with a focus on printed matter and the form of the book. What I’ve been developing more recently are my skills as a zine maker, using my own voice and narrative to explore different social issues from both a personal point of view and an educational one. Physicality and process is important to me and where I had access to fewer resources at home over lockdown I could no longer rely on print finishes and printed final pieces to fulfil a brief. I ended up creating a lot of hand drawn type and doing a lot of my own image making which is something I wouldn’t have explored pre-lockdown and since then it has become a vital part of my practice. I’m now more interested in creating lo-fi, hand rendered works to convey a message championing a lack of grid structure and traditional typesetting, I create a lot of my work without the aid of a computer with initial layouts and type experiments being created using a photocopier and a glue stick.
How has lockdown changed your approach to your practice?
I went to stay with my mum over lockdown and it saw me become much more experimental than I had been with my practice in the past. Music became a big way for me to connect to the history of the counter culture movements I was taking inspiration from and helped form a creative atmosphere despite being sat at the kitchen table. The DIY ethics found in the music I was listening to echoed in the visuals of my work. It no longer adhered to the traditional rules of layout and typesetting and I ended up creating a lot of hand drawn type and doing a lot of my own image making.
Can you explain to us a little bit about your process?
My process for this project was very much archival. When I was originally thinking of what I could do to support Black Lives Matter I considered creating a publication of lesser known civil rights speeches and essays but it was my dad who asked me; “Who is documenting and writing the history of what is happening now?” I spoke to people involved with the Norwich Movement and they gave me written content to use in the publication. I collated images and spoke to photographers that were documenting the marches and protests and it’s very much one aspect of a broader discussion that is happening here in Norwich.
Where do you see the role of design within activism?
I think politics and activist work is very important for the design world. When I think of graphic design, what comes to mind is the way in which it progresses capitalism, particularly when looking at print publications. A book that first exposed me to this rhetoric was Phaidon’s Oh So Pretty: Punk In Print. It introduced me to the grassroots activism of the punk fanzine movement with publications like Temporary Hoarding, a response to the racism of the National Front and xenophobia that was rampant in the 1970’s. I think what is most poignant about the works that were created in this time is that the majority class of the UK very much subscribed to the politics of never questioning and never daring to. In the zine world, there is a lot of fight against that and creators really champion the anti- racist punk movements that brought together music, anti-fascist sentiment and the working class artists that paved the way in its history.
Can you speak about designers and creatives that have influenced you?
Surrealist-inspired movements like Fluxus have had a big influence over the way I approach my practice. They were a collective that allowed for chance and accidents to play a big part in the creation of art, adopting a DIY attitude and emphasising the artistic process over the finished works. This attitude has informed both the content and visual nature of my own work and their use of humour has allowed me to become much more fluid with my practice. With that freedom I’ve let my work develop in ways I never would have previously anticipated.
Where do you see yourself and your creative practice in the future?
For me, I see myself taking a more educational role. I want to pass on what I’ve been lucky enough to learn from a myriad of creatives and professionals and use that knowledge to bring up a new generation of young artists. I’d like for working class kids, who wouldn’t naturally have access to the resources or creative environment required for such thinking and making, to be able to receive the kind of arts education that those in much more privileged positions are afforded. I would like for the arts to no longer be a playground for the white middle classes but rather a tool for the marginalised to make their voices heard.
