Resham Sidhhu Skive www.skive.co.uk Skive is one of the UK’s hottest interactive agencies. we cornered art director Resham SidHu to find out what makes it so special Where do you find your ideas and inspiration? My ideas and inspiration come for many things, from my surroundings to my experiences in life and even my childhood. I like to surround myself with toys and gadgets that keep my creative mind ticking! The studio space is very inspirational – we have work all over the walls of graphics and designs that inspire great things. As I child I grew up playing the classic console games, from Sinclair Spectrum to the Commodore 64, those games captivated my attention and encouraged a desire to be creative and have fun. What’s the atmosphere like at Skive? Most people get the misconception that we are a bunch of Skivers but that couldn’t be further from the truth. Although there is a great spirit and vibe in the studio we balance the fun and games with solid hard work. Working at Skive is like being adopted by a huge family – we all look after each other and when there are late nights they often turn into pizza-eating events! What has been your favourite project so far? I have been exceptionally lucky at Skive as I have had the chance to work and pitch for some awesome projects, all of which push me to extreme creative levels. However a recent pitch for a major Sports Brand really pushed my creative thinking forward, the entire design team was obsessed with the project and we began thinking of some fantastic online concepts that really broke the mould from conventional websites. What was so fantastic about this project is the hard work, passion and energy that went into presenting to the client and demonstrating that we understood the brand and could really take it to another level. Being a designer is not only about creating great ideas, it’s about expressing them with a passion that makes the client believe in the concept. What kind of trends do you see emerging? I certainly think Flash video will be more widely used in the next few months, with software becoming so advanced that designers are finding it easier to achieve the creative effects and styles without taking years to develop and costing a fortune. Most clients don’t demand specific technologies, however they do look to you to know what’s happening on the web. You’ve got a job ad for designers on the site: what are you looking for in new blood? We are constantly searching for new people. We’re looking for people who are excellent at what they do, but who have a great passion and energy for their work. Nothing about Skive is like a normal job, so we seek quirky individuals who can bring something great to the table. How could someone really stand out? A designer’s portfolio is the most important piece of work they will put together and it surprises me that some designers don’t put much effort into presenting with flair and some energy. The best way to get your portfolio to stand out is to make yours different, you’re creative so think of a different way to present it; it doesn’t have to be a CV with some links on it. Is there a campaign you’d really love to get involved with? I’ve always enjoyed the classic Star Wars films and have been a huge fan of directors like George Lucas and Steven Spielberg. It would be fantastic to work on their next film. Can you imagine bringing their film styles alive on a website? That would be surreal! Skive off at www.skive.co.uk