Actual Source on career-defining projects, a multifaceted practice, the importance of collaboration – and more

Closing of July’s event was Actual Source, AKA Davis Ngarupe and JP Haynie, a graphic design studio based out in Utah with worldwide repute. Designing across the spectrum of visual communication – from identities to typography to exhibitions – the pair has become as well known in recent years for their publishing practice and online shop, as they are for their graphic design work.

We spoke to David and JP in a Q&A format to hear more about their practice and what they’re working on at the moment. They gave us a potted history of how they met and began working together – which was via a roommate who not only introduced to each other, but to graphic design. They kept in contact despite going to different art schools, building their interests and skills in tangent so that, eventually, they decided to team up in 2013. “We’ve never not worked together,” they remarked when reflecting on this progression. The conversation then strayed to an exhibition which marked a defining moment in their career, where their studio name came from, how they created such a multifaceted practice, how they make time for personal projects, and the importance of collaboration to their work. Be sure to give the full talk a watch in order to hear all fo this and much more!