Interview with Bianca Schurman @ Bhive Design Co
Bianca is the Creative Director at the heart of the Bhive Design Co. Studio
She is hugely talented and hilariously funny. I have been working with B for 12 months now and our time together has been colourful and inspirational. I learn something new every time we speak. Bianca is a born teacher; she finds joy in passing on her knowledge in interesting and tech-savvy ways to uplift and inspire others.
I sat down with B to discuss her passion for design and I was also able to get a few great tips for you business owners out there who want to be able to take and edit effective photos for socials with your smart phones.
1. How did you first get into the design industry?
I have always loved arts and crafts and some of my earliest memories were about me exploring art and stationery stores whilst my mum did her shopping.
I particularly fell in love with art subjects in high school, but never REALLY thought it could be a career path. There was this one project we were asked to do in art class which sticks in my mind. We had to pick an object, I picked a snail! (Random I know and not sure why I picked a snail.) Then we had to draw the same object in several different forms but keeping the essence of it the same. Looking back at it now I realise this is what I do for clients when I am exploring logo concept ideas. It is funny how your life calling can present itself in the form of a snail in high school. You just need to know where to look.
Obviously I didn't know this snail would bring me so much joy then and selected an architecture course at University. As much as I love it still now, I realised then architecture wasn't my life calling. I missed the colours and variety and decided to take Visual Communications instead the following semester and it was the best decision I made.
2. What keeps you in design?
The variety. I struggled with the idea of niching, as I love working with different industries. It took me years but finally realised it isn't so much the idea of the type of client as a niche, it can be your type of style. I would call the design style something along the lines of a metamorphic chameleon. Creating a style that is fitting and relevant to each clients' project. I am also a science girl at heart and enjoy extracting information from my clients to find their business problem then solving it through design. The unknown and discovering new things excite me and not knowing what will come through that door is the greatest thing to look forward too.
3. What advice would you give yourself, just starting out?
I was lucky enough to have a mentor early on and he gave me some solid advice. I was just an intern at the time, but it stuck with me until this day. Not exactly his words, but basically there is no such thing as a "sh!t" project. It is what you make of that project that will define you as a designer. I knew these words were true when I received one of the best compliments on a project ever later in my design career. It was a website design for haemorrhoid cream and the feedback was "only Bianca can make butt cream look sexy!" I have to admit it was a pretty fun project to work on given the awkwardness of it but pretty proud that I was able to hit it out of the park. For myself, to myself, I would encourage to go out more and connect with other designers. Create a tribe to lift each other up. Collaborate and create! It is the most amazing feeling accomplishing things together. And find a creative space where designers can give advice and learn from each other’s work. It will only help grow you as a designer.
4. One tool you use that you cannot live without?
My iPhone. It is a tool but also an addiction. The 3 main reasons I can not live without it:
1. I use it daily for emails, inspiration and collecting ideas on the go. I can get lost on Pinterest looking for inspiration for days (I call this my happy place).
2. Photography - Personal & Creative. “The best camera is the one that you have with you!” - Jarvis
3. Music - Life is incomplete with beats to move your soul. Spotify & Shazam (my music knowledge crutch) are my go-to apps here.
See below an extensive list of tools Bianca loves and uses every day.
5. What do you do to get inspired?
I try to step away, go out and do something new. It is the act of removing oneself from the known to get those creative juices flowing. One of my favourite things to do that help get those juices flowing is to try and learn a new skill or do a random tutorial that I can get inspired by. This helps me find my flow again. If you don't know what I mean by your "flow" (everyone has it, even men :P) you need to check out this great TEDTalk by Josie Lewis explaining what finding flow means. If none of this works, it is time to take a mental health day and just focus on you.
The apps Bianca uses and loves!
Lightroom.
90% of my edits happen here. It has great control on preset and great control on Image colours & curve settings
Plann.
Great app to quickly see your Instagram squares and move them around accordingly to be visually cohesive.
Snapseed
Does some things better than Lightroom. Crop expand tool - Need more of your flatlay background, this will help you do it. Love their dodge and burn (Brush tool). The most important one is the use of their perspective tool to help fix those lens distortions. The portrait feature is also a nice one to just slightly highlight faces
Videoshop.
My go-to app for Video edits and creation.
Colorstory.
I don't use this one as often but if I need to I use it for, some filter styles are really nice and artistic that I can't get to replicate in LR. Also wonderful for adding some light flares and bokeh and you can add filters to VIDEO!!!
Life Lapse.
Ever wondered how people do those unboxing / stop animation product videos / images. This is your app.
3 top tips for taking photos with your smart phone
Clean the lens – This is the number one most important step you can't forget about! Gently wipe it with your shirt or non-damaging cloth to clean off any smudges and dust particles. “The best camera is the one on you with a clean lens!” - Bianca
Portraits - Hold phone up higher, keep subject in middle of the frame to avoid distortions. Most smart phones uses wide angle lenses so be mindful that distortions will happen closer to the edges.
Products – use backgrounds that are non-distracting but complementary to the product colours and textures.
Flatlay Photography – I love shooting with natural light so be mindful of shadows, make sure the light is coming from the right direction and try using a mobile phone tripod.
It is so nice to sit down and chat with my clients about what they are passionate about. If you would like to follow Bhive Design Co on Instagram please do so here.