D-Fuse: Escape from Stasis
Is there a graphic artist on the planet who hasn’t gazed at a static layout and wondered: What if I could make this move? For Mike Faulkner of the London design collective D-Fuse, that daydream has become part and parcel of his everyday life — and launched this former print designer’s career on a unique trajectory.
Today, D-Fuse’s work embraces motion design projects for an uncommon array of clients and collaborators: A music-driven DVD to accompany Beck’s recent hit album “Guero.” A laser show on a Swiss lake for the luxury carmaker BMW. Cutting-edge “veejay” explorations with the electronica musicians of London and Tokyo. And culture-melding partnerships with audiovisual artists in mainland China.
The common denominator? “Everything we do is cross-media and collaborative,” says Faulkner. “And everything we make is conceived and accomplished on a Mac.”
Swimming Lessons
It’s been an unexpected journey for Faulkner, who started in print design “when ‘cutting and pasting’ meant using scissors and glue,” he says. “I was always fascinated by the design potential of computers, but the technology was completely off-putting. Then the Mac came along, and it was so easy to use, so logical — well, I’ve never looked back.”
From early desktop publishing to sophisticated multilayer DVD design, “the Mac made it a completely natural progression,” says Faulkner. “It’s like learning to swim — once you realize you can keep your head above water, you’re thrilled and inspired to just keep paddling. At every step in the evolution of the Mac, it’s given us that sense of empowerment. Why not muck around with motion? Why not experiment beyond your realms of expertise?”
Imaginations Unleashed
“With Mac technology, there’s nothing to constrain you,” he adds. “It connects you with all the primal instincts that led you to design — your imagination, your playfulness — and sets you free to pursue them.”
These days, D-Fuse uses Final Cut Pro as its “staple software — it’s just so fast and easy,” says Faulkner. But they’re just as likely to dabble in Adobe Photoshop, After Effects, Motion, Logic or Pro Tools. “There’s a core group of about four of us, and then there’s another four or five folks who flit around the edges. Some are motion artists, some are musicians, one’s a university lecturer three days a week. He pops in on his free days and kicks ideas around with us.”
Asked to define the collective’s creative process, Faulkner hesitates. “It’s difficult to describe what we do and how we do it,” he says. “But when we’re actually in the same room working together, there’s no need for explanation. It’s almost like musicians jamming. It’s a subconscious sort of collective thought.
“You need to free yourself up, to become like an expressionist painter, where you’re just working on the fly and working with sound as much as image,” Faulkner continues. “Music is quite an important factor in our work. Without the sound, we wouldn’t be flowing as a group or creating this work so easily. It’s our common love for music that’s actually brought us to this position.”
