Passport Colour Photo Tests: Auckland, Tokyo, London, LA, 1997—ongoing
Practise is a Tāmaki Makaurau (Auckland) design studio working with international clients on creative direction, design, and branding projects at the highest level within the cultural sphere, with a particular specialisation in the contemporary art field. We have previously been based in the US, the Netherlands, and the UK.
The studio produces meaningful design solutions for organisations and institutions that strategically, intelligently, and engagingly articulate who they are and what they do: their history, mission, people, programme, contexts, and principles. Within our practice, colour and its use—culturally, artistically, historically, and commercially—is a particular area of interest and expertise, in concert with typographic voice, language, and form.
Through listening, fostering honest critique, and recognising the intellect and experience that each participant brings to any assignment, we avoid a uniform “house style” and instead strive to subjectively distill and shape content and context into accessible, original designs that are entirely appropriate for each project.
Practise is a verb, but sounds like a noun (in British spelling, at least). Our name deliberately plays with this duality, suggesting that a graphic design studio might operate equally as a useful service (noun: a professional practice) and as a space for research, speculation, contemplation, and experimentation
(verb: repeatedly performing activities and learning from them, e.g. “practise makes perfect”).
Works by Practise are included in the permanent collections of the Art Institute of Chicago, the AIGA Collection at Columbia University’s Rare Book and Manuscript Library (RBML), Bayerische Staatsbibliothek (Bavarian State Library, Munich), the Chicago Design Archive, the Design Museum of Chicago, and the Victoria & Albert Museum, London.
A number of our projects have been recognised and awarded by AIGA (American Institute of Graphic Arts), ADC (Art Directors Club of New York), AGDA (Australian Graphic Design Association), DINZ (Designers Institute of New Zealand), STA (Society of Typographic Arts), TDC (Type Directors Club New York), and Tokyo TDC.
James Goggin is a graphic designer from London via Sydney, Stockholm, Copenhagen, Arnhem, Chicago, Providence, and Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland. He received a masters from the Royal College of Art in London and founded Practise with Shan James upon graduation in 1999.
Alongside Practise, James has worked as a consultant to Tate Modern and Tate Britain, art director of British experimental music magazine The Wire, and Director of Design and Publishing at the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago. He also designs type for various projects and clients, with a number of fonts available from Swiss foundry Lineto.
James has taught at RISD (Rhode Island School of Design), ÉCAL (École cantonale d’art de Lausanne), and Werkplaats Typografie, and regularly lectures and writes on art, architecture, design, and music. Alliance Graphique Internationale elected James as an AGI member in 2010.
Shan James is a designer from London via Hong Kong, Arnhem, Chicago, Providence, and Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland. She has been a key participant within Practise since its founding, with full-time design and management roles in the studio since 2016.
She is instrumental in nurturing the sympathetic and productive relationships with long-term clients that Practise is known for, collaboratively formulating clear project schedules and ensuring that communication, content, and design deliverables flow smoothly between relevant project partners.
Shan has a particular focus on publication design, and her background in fashion, textiles, and trend forecasting adds an important dimension to our consideration of colour and materials.
