Graphic designer Dans Jirgensons has created visual identities for a number of significant cultural events, including the Riga IFF film festival, the Survival Kit art festival, and the Riga Contemporary art fair. He is fascinated by archiving processes and likes to experiment with visual nuances that may seem outdated, anonymous, or forgotten at first. In the Nice Touch section, Dans talks about a very ordinary but effective tool for time management.
«Living in the Netherlands and working on both local and projects in Latvia, my day-to-day tends to be very intense and eventful. I have long since replaced handwritten to-do lists, visualised on forgotten and later discarded pieces of paper, with the standard digital calendar app.
I put absolutely everything in the calendar, even adding weather forecasts for the coming days, and I use several calendars at once to separate work tasks from off-duty activities. Everything takes time — sometimes, looking back on the day, it seems that time has disappeared somewhere, but it turns out that the day has been full, even if it was taken up by phone calls to friends.
I put my to-do list and reminders straight into the calendar. By mapping out the timelines and deadlines for various projects, I have a better understanding of my workload. It also makes it easier to postpone things until tomorrow. In addition, if necessary, it helps to count the working hours for billing.
No matter how much I want to plan everything, there are still days when I forget about my calendar. That’s okay. I’ll get back on track tomorrow.»
Dans Jirgensons is a graduate of the Royal Academy of Art, The Hague (KABK). He creates visual identities, as well as book, print and website designs. Dans’ work combines simplicity and at times almost utilitarian aesthetics with artistic and unexpected details. He is convinced that good work is created through collaboration, so he often works with friends and allies. In tandem with artist and designer Marta Folkmane, he has created several visual identities for the Riga International Film Festival, as well as the visual identity and catalogue for the contemporary art festival Survival Kit 16. Together with architect and designer Pauls Rietums, he has developed the visual identity for the Riga Contemporary art fair.
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