Proust Questionnaire: Sawdust on their true identity
Known globally for creating over-the-edge, awe infusing brand identities for numerous premium clients (NYT, The Coca-Cola Company, Hearst, Conde Nast, ESPN, Nike, Audi, Honda, IBM to name a few) Sawdust aka Jonathan Quainton and Rob Gonzalez are the Houdinis of type. Multi-awarded, with an effortless craftsmanship on typography the duo worship the letterform, creating symbols and fonts that are blow up any font-obsessed mind. We don’t want to differ. Sawdust is the creative partnership of Gonzalez and Quaintion and they specialise in “bespoke and innovative typography, brand display typefaces, visual identities and image-creation. At the heart of what we do is a desire to create work that is both explorative and beautifully crafted. Above all else we retain a deeply rooted conviction to not only deliver design that is effective but that exceeds our client’s expectations. We have been published in numerous books and magazines and are frequent contributors to design publications worldwide. We have received awards of excellence for our typography and identity work and have been nominated for the Design Museum’s annual Designs of the Year, 2015. Our work has also been exhibited at the High Museum of Art, Atlanta, Georgia”.That’s who they claim they are.
Following is a thorough investigation of Sawdust’s masters of type true identity filled with insights of what Jonathan Quainton and Rob Gonzalez are made of. Politics included.
Rob Gonzalez:
What is your idea of perfect happiness?
Seeing the people I care most about finding happiness.
What is your greatest fear?
Loneliness.
What is the trait you most deplore in yourself?
Envy.
What is the trait you most deplore in others?
Selfishness.
Which living person do you most admire?
My sister, Monica. She is an incredible person to whom I owe a lot.
What is your greatest extravagance?
If it didn’t kill me, I would probably eat more giant Toblerones than I should. And top notch whiskey.
What is your current state of mind?
Sincerity.
What do you consider the most overrated virtue?
Misplaced patriotism.
On what occasion do you lie?
To avoid hurting people.
What do you most dislike about your appearance?
Whilst growing-up I disliked my nose, I’ve since made peace with it.
Which living person do you most despise?
Currently, Nigel Farage.
What is the quality you most like in a man?
Honesty.
What is the quality you most like in a woman?
Honesty.
Which words or phrases do you most overuse?
I use the word ‘amazing’ far too often. If everything that I proclaimed to be amazing, was in fact amazing, then the world would be an amazing place indeed.
What or who is the greatest love of your life?
My beautiful girlfriend, Rhiannon.
When and where were you happiest?
When she last made me laugh, this morning.
Which talent would you most like to have?
Story telling… I wish I could charm a room of people with my stories, but I never have the courage to tell them.
If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?
My social anxieties.
What do you consider your greatest achievement?
Sawdust — earning the respect of people we admire.
If you were to die and come back as a person or a thing, what would it be?
A piece of art, inspiring people the world over.
Where would you most like to live?
I would love to try living in New York, but for how long I’m not sure.
What is your most treasured possession?
My mind.
What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery?
Sadness in the people I care about most.
What is your favourite occupation?
Creating new things.
What is your most marked characteristic?
I’m not sure, maybe my quietness.
What do you most value in your friends?
I value their trust.
Who are your favourite writers?
Oscar Wilde, J. R. R. Tolkien.
Who is your hero of fiction?
Forrest Gump.
Which historical figure do you most identify with?
Socrates.
Who are your heroes in real life?
Jonathan, for having the courage to go into business with me. My sister, for being utterly heroic in a multitude of ways. My good friend Sean, he’s an inspiration.
As for the design heroes, if I had to pick a few it would be Jon Forss & Kjell Ekhorn (of Non–Format) and Igarashi Takenobu.
What are your favourite names?
Hmmmm, I like the name Jack. Not really sure why.
What is it that you most dislike?
Betrayal of trust.
What is your greatest regret?
No regrets.
What is your motto?
Try. It’s too easy to hide.
Jonathan Quainton
What is your idea of perfect happiness?
Warmth.
What is your greatest fear?
Living in fear.
What is the trait you most deplore in yourself?
Biting nails.
What is the trait you most deplore in others?
Ignorance.
Which living person do you most admire?
My Dad.
What is your greatest extravagance?
My house.
What is your current state of mind?
Mellow.
What do you consider the most overrated virtue?
Sympathy.
On what occasion do you lie?
Never!
What do you most dislike about your appearance?
I’ll keep that between me and the therapist.
Which living person do you most despise?
At the moment Donald Trump has taken top spot.
What is the quality you most like in a man?
Intellect.
What is the quality you most like in a woman?
Loving.
Which words or phrases do you most overuse?
Yes, of course, thanks, fuck!
What or who is the greatest love of your life?
My fiancée Suzi.
When and where were you happiest?
Whenever and wherever I am with Suzi.
Which talent would you most like to have?
Being able to do backflips for all those celebratory moments in life.
If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?
Worrying less.
What do you consider your greatest achievement?
Sawdust.
If you were to die and come back as a person or a thing, what would it be?
A dog.
Where would you most like to live?
Somewhere with sun, sea, great food and wine.
What is your most treasured possession?
My phone, without it life gets real. Also my cuddly ‘Monkey’ I had when I was a baby.
What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery?
Man Flu.
What is your favourite occupation?
Bounty Hunter.
What is your most marked characteristic?
Stubbornness.
What do you most value in your friends?
Generosity.
Who are your favourite writers?
Ian Rankin, Gerald Wiley.
Who is your hero of fiction?
John McClane.
Which historical figure do you most identify with?
Winston Churchill.
Who are your heroes in real life?
Paul Weller, Michael J Fox, Stephen Fry.
What are your favourite names?
A question you should only have to answer on news of a pregnancy.
What is it that you most dislike?
Oysters.
What is your greatest regret?
Attempting to eat an oyster.
What is your motto?
Live young, die fast.
Tags/ graphic design, faces, branding, nyt, nike, sawdust, proust, ibm, proust questionnaire, jonathan quainton, rob gonzalez, bespoke type, the coca-cola company, hearst, conde nast, espn, audi, honda, gonzalez, quaintion
