talenthouse - ALL CREATIVE

Chances of winning seemed infinitesimal to Adrienne Lim when she started the task to design a t-shirt for the Electric Daisy Carnival, an event that coincided with her interest in dance music. Surviving on two hours of sleep and racing the deadline, Adrienne submitted a t-shirt design that captured the vibrant atmosphere of the festival and became the winning submission.

TH: What caught your eye about the Electric Daisy Carnival Invite?
Adrienne Lim: After hearing about the carnival from various friends who had travelled to the US to attend the festival, I couldn’t help but look it up and wonder what they were raving on about. This happened about a year ago and when I saw the invite to create a t-shirt for the festival, I was at first reluctant because it’s such a huge festival and the chances of winning seemed incredibly small. But I entered the EDC invite because of my growing obsession with dance music.

In your description, you mention feeling rushed while creating your submission. Obviously, this didn’t detract from your overall work in the eyes of the host! Are there any benefits to working under pressure?
Adrienne: A definite surprise to me. I thought that my design (and still do now) wasn’t completely finished but I uploaded what I had because I didn’t want to miss out on entering. There are definite benefits when working under pressure.  And working under pressure for me meant that, in the short space of time I had, I had to focus on getting the design I had visualised into Photoshop as soon as I could. It meant ignoring the minor details (cleaning up messy lines and such), and laying down the necessary foundations then building from there in order to finish the design. The only issue that I faced was only getting 2 hours sleep that night, but you know, all good things come with a price.

Can you tell us any more about the theme or mood of your design?
Adrienne: After watching the trailer countless times (mostly because it’s the most compelling video I’ve watched in a while), I took the electrifying and exhilarating feeling that I got while watching the video and tried to replicate it in terms of the colours and design. The main thing that inspired me was the pure feeling of euphoria you got while watching the video and the vibrant atmosphere of the festival.

Do you have an idea which Insomniac events you would like to attend with your tickets?
Adrienne: Electric Daisy Carnival, without a doubt. No way I’d pass up an opportunity like that. Or, I’d be happy to attend any drum and bass events.

How did you get into the field of graphic design?
Adrienne: I’ve always been interested in graphic design and digital media, but I really only started focusing on graphic design when I entered the Steve Aoki t-shirt competition. I think it’s then I realised that it was time to stop worrying about my ‘style’ and having to develop one when I already had one. Though currently I’m more interested in photography at the moment though, so graphic design is just something on the side that I enjoy.

What advice do you have for aspiring designers/artists?
Adrienne: Advice? Oh wow, well, I’m still an aspiring designer so the advice isn’t the best. But it’s what people tell you over and over again. Keep practicing and developing your skills. Don’t think that your designs aren’t good enough because to somebody, it might not be you, but your designs are. And it’s about working up that ability to adapt your style or ideas to suit the criteria and appeal to a specific audience.

Hundreds of people will have a chance to wear Adrienne’s unique style at the Electric Daisy Carnival. And Adrienne’s hard work – plus a little faith in the Talenthouse magic – has given her the chance to be there partying with them.

Hopefully this win will encourage Adrienne and like-minded artists to try out more submissions in the future. Talenthouse is looking forward to seeing what she and the rest of this community have to offer!