Peter Jupp

Interactive creative in the marketing group at Apple, California.

Before that I spent 4.5 years as Design Director of R/GA London, where I worked with brands such as Beats by Dre, Nike and Google to bring together design, technology, storytelling and system design.

Questions for Peter Jupp:

• What did you do before becoming a designer?

  I went to art college in the South West of England, a beautiful, and creative part of the UK. Alongside this I started to photograph and make websites for some pretty decent bands. Someone in London liked those and gave me my first job as a designer.

• Where do you turn for inspiration?

  Everywhere! Interactive design gives us the opportunity to pull together influences from all over; film, photography, music, animation, signage....I just try to be immersed in all of this as much as possible. Having recently relocated, I’m also reminded how important travel is to helping us see things with a fresh perspective.

• Which are your favorite studios, designers or agencies?

  Collaboration is one of the best parts of working in this industry, the UK is bursting with extraordinarily talented people and Studios

• Is your city a good place for designers?

  San Francisco and the valley are of course exciting areas for both tech and creative industries. There is lots of opportunity to innovate, and a real sense that anything is possible, reflected with the influx of talent from all around the world. The bay feels like a giant sandbox. Year round sunshine helps too.

• Which technologies are you excited about in 2015?

  The launch of the Apple Watch means self tracking will continue to be a hot topic. It's going to be incredibly empowering over time to have this information right at our fingertips. I’m excited to see what part brands will play in helping to connect all of this data.

• Do you listen to music while you work? Describe your playlist.

  Yes. What exactly depends on mood, and where in the process I am. During my time working with Beats by Dre, it was important to stay immersed in the culture in every way, we would often crank up the speakers in the studio. Left alone though, I’m only ever 1 track away from Pearl Jam.

• What are you cultural influences? (Music, books, films, ideologies, etc.)

  You’ll find me somewhere between the Endless Summer and Spinal Tap.

• Have you got an academic background or are you self taught?

  I have a design degree, but my education only started there. Design studios have provided a great environment to continue learning. Our world moves at a rapid pace, so constant dialogue between teams and exchanging of ideas is the key to producing innovative work.

• What do you do in your free time?

  Explore my new home with the family, or find some big hills to try and ride over.

• Where do you see the industry in 5 years?

  It makes a lot of sense to me that more creatives are going in house. The value of design is much better understood by clients, so there is a bigger opportunity to drive change and make an impact directly for the brand. Facebook's acquisition of Teehan Lax is a recent example of this. Of course it’s not the end for agencies, R/GA, Ammunition and Method are great examples of how product innovation and partnering with brands can bridge that gap.

• Are you working on any personal projects?

  Wedding invites for some very special friends.

• If you could give one piece of advice to newbie designers, what would it be?

  Perfect your craft, stay curious, and take your headphones off now and again. I realize that’s three...