She started all projects with the same enthusiasm no matter the size, space or country it’s in.

To get to know her she introduced us to her family and background, her home which was all about doing and making. Funnily enough she never wanted to create embroidery like her mum but showed us at least three amazing carpets she designed. Obsessed with space and Always questioning where she belongs to, Morag told us that building her own space, her house, her ‘house gallery’, her garden, made her much more confident in saying what she believes in.

The same approach she follows in her signage projects where she collaborates with architects and the people who use the space. Morag tries to put a narrative into the building, it is not about creating a ‘logo’. She laughs and admits that she doesn’t even use all these graphic design terms, which shows again her personal and honest way of presenting her way of working. ‘Things come out of things’ she mentions showing us the temporary summer exhibition signage at LCC. Morag believes it is important to give the people the feeling that they belong there and that they can be local, global and achieve everything they want.  And by feeling proud of this space the people using it will appreciate it even more and therefor look after it with pride.

Taking us to the next project, Morag told us about being asked to convert a train into a cafe, the Deptford Project, quite clearly a dream project for her. She personalised it with her own way of giving something back to the people who use it. The Elvis Shoe Super Loo, the typographic chairs and expressive colourful letters on the outside tells a whole story of the area.
‘Like an actor you have to learn, what you give back to the people.’

Apart from stunning impressions and large scale supergraphics Morag’s work is characterised through colour and typography. ‘Sometimes it is just nice to make large letters’, she tells us with a smile.

‘I absolutely adore to bring colour into the environment’. Even her clothes in the suitcase reflect the importance of colour. It is the same pallet you can see in her work.

The next project in the pipeline are graphics for the extension of Tate Modern in collaboration with Herzog & de Meuron, who she tells us are terrified of her coming in, filling their building with colour. I can’t wait! The world needs more female designers who are not afraid to approach Southwark council to get permission to build a cinema on the Elephant & Castle roundabout and get the whole audience to chant a word riddle for her current exhibition with the TextGallery.

Text: Sandra Zellmer, GraphicBirdWatching