Hecker Guthrie on Instagram

Hamish Guthrie of Melbourne interior design practice Hecker Guthrie shares the initial apprehension and subsequent enjoyment of the one social media channel the team have found an affinity for.

We had been hearing those two words “Social Media” being bandied around for quite a while – and for the most part, we didn’t quite know what social media encompassed – and how it would improve our lives or in fact integrate into studio life. Being somewhat technological luddites; there was a reluctance or level of trepidation to engage in social media in the first instance.

We questioned if we were sharing too much or giving away too many ideas.

It is fair to say we were dragged kicking and screaming into this modern method of communication.

After careful evaluation – we decided that it wasn’t about taking on social media through every platform that is out there – but rather, doing one thing and doing it well. As designers – we are inherently visual and often find joy in the beautiful, unusual or even the mundane. As a consequence – we had an immediate affinity with instagram and have made a pact to publish one thing every day that inspires us. Our posts have ranged from an outfit a colleague has put together, a material in the studio or a project in progress. We find it fascinating that rather than revealing an entire project, we can distil the essence of that project and its big ideas into one small vignette.

We have embraced the immediacy of this medium and enjoy tapping into the two-way feed of information, allowing us to regularly engage with our followers/ peers and to celebrate their visual journeys also.

For us, instagram has also become quite self-referential – allowing us to document or diarise our personal design journey which is a great way of referencing a point in time – be it during a project, the year or in our careers.

These are some of our recent favourites…

by Hamish Guthrie
Co-founder, Hecker Guthrie
www.heckerguthrie.com