Jesper Bolther -Friction: Idea First, Then Design
Art Director & Motion Designer
by Elizabeth Lavis
|27 Mar 2024
For Jesper Bolther, Designer, Animator, and Director of Friction, there is a clear progression when it comes to putting together an inspired design. "My top advice for aspiring designers is to develop the idea first, then the design," he says. "I was once told that 'during a creative brainstorm, you should never say no to anything.' This proved to be true, and I've seen technically impossible solutions being conquered because no one said 'no' in the process," he says.
Bolther's roots in Copenhagen, Denmark, certainly shaped his design ethos. "I'm heavily influenced in style and taste by the Nordic minimalism that permeates Danish architecture, furniture, and graphic design," he says. "Although I love colors and want to use more, I often find myself dialing down the contrast and removing details rather than adding them."
His first foray into the design world came in the form of street art. "I didn't come from a home that was aesthetically oriented, so my first experience expressing myself through a visual language was graffiti," he says. "I only did it for a short time, but it was extremely intense, and, for a minute, the meaning of my life was painting walls." Bolther credits this experience with igniting his creative flame and propelling him down the road to becoming a designer.
"We Love Graphic Design", Jesper Bolther
His design process is heavily methodical and strategy-based. "Creativity doesn't appear out of thin air," Bolther says. I love thinking strategically; for me, strategy serves to feed the creative process. The real challenge is to steer clear of the obvious and come up with ideas that have a strong connection to the topic on an intuitive level."
He also believes in total transparency and being forthcoming with his clients. "I think it's a designer's obligation to give the client honest advice, even if it goes against their views or wishes." Through openness and honesty, he establishes a healthy rapport with his clients, making Bolther a credible expert in the field.
Bolther tries to have only a few projects at a time to avoid burnout, but when creative droughts do strike, he has a plan. "I turn to my sketch pad," he says. "The natural, organic flow of doing things by hand with all the imperfections that follow tends to loosen things up."
Bolther also loves the challenge of his work, relishing the chance to learn and evolve on a regular basis. He also strives to hit a healthy work/life balance and notes that the design industry is now more accepting of maintaining a good separation between the two. "Maintaining a positive work/life balance is always difficult, but I feel that the industry as a whole has matured a lot, and it's become accepted that people actually have a life outside the job," he says.
He is also optimistic about his design career and looks forward to honing more skills, specifically with Cinema 4D and Calvary. "I'm very curious and open to what the future might bring," Bolther says."
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