Interview by: Jarrett Kertesz

Ryan Shelton, organizer of all things BD4D, takes some time to fill us in on what he is doing and hopes to do with his and Ryan Carson’s global media showcases.

Let me just preface this by saying I feel guilty as hell for missing the BD4D NYC show. I’ve been buried in freelance for over a month now and etc., etc.

Guilty, so you should be. You missed a great night :)

Ok. Can you give us some background on BD4D? Where are you based? Who are the people that make up BD4D?

BD4D was started by myself and Ryan Carson in May 2001. We both had, and still have, a passion for design and wanted to unite the community in a real, physical way. So much was happening online with designer forums etc. but, no real contact in the flesh. It just seemed like the right time to get people together, especially at such a bleak time economically. We both knew designers who had lost their jobs and wanted them to see that they weren’t alone but that they were one of many struggling designers—Ryan being one of the unemployed at the time. BD4D got designers together to show off their work to people who appreciated it—other designers.

We are both based in London, Ryan Carson is from Colorado Springs and I’m from Bulawayo in Zimbabwe. Not sure why we endure the bad English weather when we are both from sunnier climes.

What’s been your biggest success so far with the BD4D series?

Probably our first foray into the States. The LA and NYC gatherings were so much fun. Great atmosphere with inspiring work being shown. MediaTemple helped immensely to get the LA event rolling and Karen Ingram and Adam Wills basically organized the NYC event without our help! Without help from amazing people like these, BD4D would be seriously crippled. It takes loads of work to set up a BD4D gathering—too much for just Ryan and I to do ourselves. It’s amazing how well BD4D is taking off. The last 6 months have seen it explode from being a London only event to at present being in 6 cities worldwide, with more cities in the pipeline. Proves how tight knit the design community is, people crave getting together with like-minded people to get recognition for their work. Designers must be some of the most passionate people in the world. How many other occupations do ‘employees’ work until insane hours of the morning and, still come back into work with a smile?

Do you think that you may want to tackle social issues with future events?

Personally, coming from a third world country that is supposedly democratic, which in fact has a dictator as president, I’m all for tackling social issues. We’ve all got to remember how fortunate we are and why we are doing what we are doing. If we can make a change lets go for it!

How have you been at avoiding the disaster that sometimes comes with live events?

Avoiding disaster. Ha-ha, we have minor disasters at most events. They usually tend to be techie problems but, to be honest it adds to the raw grassrootsness of BD4D. Since BD4D is free I think we can get away with it somewhat…

Did you (or any of you) have experience with other live shows—art, photography, music, etc.?

Like so many other designers, I was a DJ—while at Art College and during my early working years. I suppose that might have helped a little bit. Ryan Carson is a natural! Found out recently that he wants to be president of the United States of America. Nothing small about Mr. Carson! Whoo, Ryan for president. Can you imagine?

You’re giving non-designers easy and instant access to a world they may not have known or understood before. Have you had any feedback from people that don’t ‘work in the field’ per se?

Yes, we have had people who are not ‘designers’ come to the events but who are creatively minded. Photographers, illustrators, musicians, 3D animators and people who are sympathetic to the cause. There are so many creative fields of work.

At the LA event one of the three minute madness slots was filled by Homestyle, a west coast hip hop band. Two members of the band performed an acoustic set, which got the crowd interacting more than we’ve had at any other gathering since. Really added to the atmosphere. At one of the recent London events a designer, Stephen Moynihan, showed some of the stenciling he had done around London. He took photos of the walls after he had stenciled them and came back a year later to see how people had interacted with them. Fascinating!

Ok, so I’ve strayed from the topic. Yes, we have had excellent feedback from people who are not in the design field per se. I think BD4D will help to raise the profile of designers to people who don’t understand what it is we all do. The web is essentially a new medium—that needs to mature—and anything that raises the profile in a good way is going to be good for it.

Thanks for the interview Ryan and good luck with future events+

BD4D