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Job no:81378-5 Title : RP_All Access (New PB Verdions) Client : Pro-vision

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175 Size : 203.2(w)254(h)mm Co : M6 (mac J)

Dept : DTP D/O : 22.10.05 (Job no:000000 D/O : 00.00.04 Co: CM0)

p200

5th Black

VIVA LA VECTOR proclaims one of Rinzen’s promotional

stickers, and it is clear that the Australian design collective

has internalized the motto. Following the success of RMX,

the project that brought them together, the five partners

are spreading their optimistically stylish line art far beyond

their Australian base.

RINZEN

2002

29

R

inzen is an obscure Japanese word meaning “sudden awakening, commanding,

or awe-inspiring.” As such it serves both as mission statement for this group of

Australian artists and as a friendly jab at the occasional self-importance of the design

scene. The group comprises five members: Steve Alexander and his wife Rilla, Adrian

Clifford, Karl Maier, and Craig Redman. Born between 1973 and 1978, they all entered

the profession at different times and worked for different employers, but during the early

to mid-’90s, all of them attended the Queensland College of Art in Brisbane.

E

VOLVING DESIGNS The five partners first collaborated as an escape from the

drudgery of their day jobs. Inspired by music remixing and the Surrealists’ “Exquisite

Corpse” concept, they adapted the technique for graphic design, reworking each

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Job no:81378-5 Title : RP_All Access (New PB Verdions) Client : Pro-vision

Scn :

#

175 Size : 203.2(w)254(h)mm Co : M6 (mac J)

Dept : DTP D/O : 22.10.05 (Job no:000000 D/O : 00.00.04 Co: CM0)

5th Black

p201

Chimera Luxe, mural

Tapped to design a 23’

(7m) mural for the Tokyo

fashion store Chimera

Luxe, Rinzen engaged

in world building, creating

“a genetic melting-pot

theme courtesy of that

mixed-up mythological

fella, the chimera.”

2001

RMX Extended

Mix, book RMX

Extended Mix

documents Rinzen’s

second foray into

graphic remixing.

other’s pieces, then handing them to another member of the group to be augmented

again. They collected the results and dubbed the project RMX. Adrian Clifford

remembers: “At the time of the first RMX project, we were all deep in corporate design

projects for various clients and employers and felt the need to do a collaborative

project outside these restrictions—something spontaneous, free, fun, and tax-deduct-

ible. Each of us produced an initial piece for one of eight themes. The files were

then passed progressively to each designer, being remixed each step of the way—

modified, augmented, and erased—and no one saw the work before it was his

or her turn to remix it.”

“Remixes were handed over at the drunken weekly project meetings,

and at the end of the eight-week process the resulting 64 pieces

were compiled,” recalls Clifford. “The collection is a chaotic merging

of vector, pixel, and hand-drawn work filled with colorful and

repetitive design elements—some themes evolve gracefully while

others chop and change awkwardly.”

The pieces formed the basis of shows in Brisbane and Berlin and were later published

as a book. “It didn’t take long to see that what we had created together outside of

the world of monolithic corporate design was the direction we should pursue. People

responded to the genuine spontaneity and energy in the project and were happy

to see us apply that to more projects—both commercial and personal,” says Clifford.

Rinzen’s decidedly contemporary ideas, as well as their refined use of color and

vector art, unites their body of work and gives it its modern presence. “Our work

is a response to design and culture,” says Clifford, “We see an opportunity to build

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