You’ve seen identities makelike has designed for Masu, the Portland Institute for Contemporary Art (PICA), Entermodal, and now STRUT, but did you know that this Portland-based design studio has also done work for Missoni/Valentino, BabyPhat, Iceberg, and W Hotels? Mary Kysar and Topher Sinkinson (see also: Swallow Press (x2) art collaborative) founded makelike at the turn of the century having met at Johnson Wolverton. The first makelike project was major—art direction, design and production for Richard Christiansen’s flagship magazine, MILK, completed in four weeks. They went on to design both Suede and Radar.
Their work has been featured in iDn, Surface, British iD, Communication Arts 2005 Design Annual and a new DGV book, Tres Logos. Having just moved the studio into the Skylab Building at 12th + Alder, makelike recently took a minute to answer the questions of the ultra Q.
Suede magazine cover. design: makelike
Qualities you most admire in design:
ML: complex-simplicity
Qualities you most despise in design:
ML: under-produced over-production
Suede magazine spread. design: makelike
Suede magazine spread. design: makelike
Reading:
ML: samantha fox lyrics
Listening to:
ML: panda bear, gang of four, fleetwood mac, the glove, junior boys, unrest, brian eno
Dream project:
ML: baking-day at the studio
Favorite virtue:
ML: collaborative problem solving
Favorite vice:
ML: the snack cabinet
design: makelike
for Italian sportswear company, Iceberg. design: makelike
Tragic flaw:
ML: technologic dependance
Secret superhero power:
ML: we hover roughly 14 feet above street level for 8 - 10 hours a day
design: makelike
That which keeps your afterburners firing:
ML: the “mouse mover”
6x fuji apples (seeded leave skins on)
1x english cucumber
1/2x red beet
1/2″ x ginger root
15x carrots
makes 2 large glasses or 4 small glasses
What you’d like to be when you grow up:
ML: louder, faster
for Missoni. design: makelike
Portland’s best kept secret:
ML: our sunny fortress-like location
Portland heroes (sung or un-):
Interesting on the horizon:
ML: The makelike Summer Friday Project (this summer we are attempting to make time for each of us to work on somewhat makelike-related personal design projects : wallpaper, art posters, magazines)
WHAT TO DO NOW?