Celebrating a milestone with Megan #TeamTala
It’s that time again for some insight into our amazing team at Tala Studios. With the rapid growth we’ve endured over the last year we've chosen this #teamtala interview to be with Megan, our Graphic designer. We spoke about design and adapting to the needs of a fast moving, innovative brand. Psst.. we’re also celebrating her one year milestone at Tala.. let’s all say congratulations!
Hey Megan, fellow member of the Marketing Team! How are you?
Great thanks!
What’s your role at Tala and how long have you been working here?
I am the in-house Graphic Designer, and have been here just over a year, which has flown by! I have been taking the creative lead on refining and developing our visual identity. That’s all the essential elements that people associate with a brand, such as logos, colours and style. And then figuring out how to bring those elements together across a wide range of touch points such as packaging, catalogues, events promotion, business cards...to name a few!
At what point in your life did you realise you wanted to be a graphic designer? Was there a specific turning point you remember?
I don’t know if it is just down to my Irish roots but a key moment was visiting the Guinness Factory in Dublin; they had this amazing archive of advertisements from the 1920s until now. I remember being so inspired by the volume of great, witty, and at times game-changing ideas, and how it helped the brand became such an icon. Shortly after I completed an art foundation course in Swansea, which is where I learnt about Graphic design, how it was about problem solving and how powerful a good idea could be. I wanted to be a part of that! 
What has been your most enjoyable project at Tala so far? And what would your dream project be?
The most rewarding (and challenging) part has been the ongoing project of successfully representing a fast-growing company, from the small startup it was when I started to the global, high-end lighting brand we are today, and how graphic design has been able to play a role in that. I am really excited about the work we are doing to restore forests and I have some ideas up my sleeve of ways to really celebrate that.
You sit on our internal sustainability committee. If you had the power to change one thing about the way we live on the planet, what would it be and why?
One simple thing that I think would have a huge positive effect would be incorporating sustainability as a requirement on design briefs. ‘Waste is a design flaw’! That and my pet peeve; bottled water. We are so lucky to have clean available water and to me it is a symbol of all that is wrong with our throwaway culture.
Is there a specific designer or photographer you admire? I bet you have a few!
Yes true, so many! To mention one, I have always loved the photographer Steve McCurry and his amazing storytelling ability; you learn so much about humanity through his photos.
If you could have dinner with anyone dead or alive who would it be and why?
Corita Kent, a nun-turned-activist who used design as a tool to speak out about topics such as race, war and democracy. She was radical for her time, especially being a woman and a nun which upset a lot of people (which usually means you are doing something right), and is only now getting appreciation for her work which mostly consists of bold typographic screen prints. I would love to put the world to rights with her over dinner!
And finally, when you’re not a graphic designer, what do you do instead?
I am a bit of a sea baby so I escape the city often to stay sane. There isn’t much surf in London, so whilst I’m here I try and make the most of all the great things it has to offer; the parks, the exhibitions, the climbing walls and lidos.
Written by Issey, Community Manager
Photos: From Megan's archive and credit to Steve McCurry.
