Doug Johns’ mornings start with coffee, a sunrise walk through the bush with his dog Tahi, and a little time to think before things get going. From there, he heads to Studio Best Wishes, the creative studio he runs with his partner Marta in Te Whanganui-a-Tara.
A graphic designer, brand consultant, former Coffee Supreme-er and dad to 16-year-old Anouk, Doug has spent much of his life at the intersection of coffee and creativity. We caught up with him to talk about his morning rituals, his creative practice with Marta, and life as a dad.
Q: What’s your name, and can you tell us a little bit about yourself?
A: My name is Douglas Johns. I’m a graphic designer and brand consultant. I work and live in Te Whanganui-a-Tara / Wellington. Together with my partner Marta, we operate a creative practice called Studio Best Wishes. Marta is a textile designer and artist, so our skills sit in different spaces, but there's a nice crossover in the Venn diagram. I’m a father to our 16yo daughter Anouk.
Q: Doug, how have your mornings changed since becoming a dad?
A: Since becoming a dad, I’ve definitely had an increased motivation to make a creative life work, have my own practice, and for her to enjoy some of the things that I’ve been fortunate enough to experience and explore.
Q: What role does coffee play in your morning routine?
A: It’s the first thing I do when I get up. I’ll make a Swiss Gold before heading out the door on my drive to the dog park. I love how when I get back to the car, it’s steamed up the window. Often my coffee has gone a little bit cold, but it’s still equally as enjoyable cold as it was hot.
Drinking coffee has lots of little moments throughout my morning and the day. I’ll take any excuse to go for a coffee or make a coffee or meet someone for a coffee.
Q: What are you drinking at the moment?
A: I always love a crisp, washed coffee. I’ve been enjoying the Rwandan from Coffee Supreme.
Q: Has your relationship with coffee changed over the years?
A: My relationship with coffee has been really significant in my life because I spent a long time working in coffee at Coffee Supreme. It’s provided me a world of opportunities, and I’m very grateful for it.
It has provided me with both a social aspect. It’s how I catch up with friends. It’s how I meet clients. It’s taken me to Ethiopia. It’s provided me with a design career. My relationship with coffee has been fruitful and provided me a lot.
My relationship with coffee is also very ritualistic. Like, I love drinking coffee, I enjoy making coffee, I enjoy making coffee for other people. Any opportunity to jump back on an espresso machine, I’ll take it. So I enjoy it as a craft, and I really appreciate good hospitality when I go get a coffee out.”
Q: Tell us about Best Wishes and what excites you about this next chapter.
A: Best Wishes is a creative studio. We work with a range of clients here in New Zealand and offer services in brand consultancy, design and product.
One particular project we’re really excited to be working on is with Paul and Kalda from Rita as they reimagine their restaurant into a daytime grocery store. I’m pretty excited to be working with them again creatively, as they gave me my first job in hospitality as a barista at Nikko Cafe. They also trusted me to design and shoot their cookbook. And so I’m very excited to work with them again. They’re people I admire in the industry and feel lucky to be involved.
Q: How do you and Marta balance creativity, work and home life?
A: I want work to be creative and inspiring, and I’m lucky to be doing something that I enjoy and love. But for that to also play a role at home, I’m very comfortable with that. I want home life to be inspired and creative and for Anouk to be influenced by that too. So I guess home and work crossover very much, and that’s fine.
We’re constantly talking about ideas, projects and pieces of work. But we enjoy it. There are definitely times where we do catch ourselves and have to say it’s time to clock off.
Q: What are the little moments with Anouk that you look forward to the most?
There are lots of little moments that I enjoy with Anouk. As a 16yo it’s harder to get them though, as her friends are life. Not mum and dad. She has just got her learner’s driver’s licence, and so I’m enjoying teaching her how to drive. The other day we went out to the Evans Bay Marina car park and pottered around the car park for an hour.
Anouk is choosing some of her subjects for study next year. So that’s been a big conversation at home. She is very creative, so sometimes I hope she might find graphic design so she could join the family business.
I’ve really enjoyed watching Anouk’s humour develop. It’s very dry, and she has no shame in roasting us with some sly comments.
Q: What makes for a really good morning?
A really good morning for me is getting out for a walk, having a coffee and having some time to think before the day gets going. I like having a bit of space to ponder ideas, take stock of what I’ve got to do, and then heading into the studio with Marta. And, of course, seeing Anouk off to school. Those little rituals make for a good morning.
Cheers for letting us crash your morning, Doug. It's always a pleasure to have a chinwag over a coffee, and we're super excited to see what you and Marta create next.
Keep up to date with Doug & Marta:
@bestwishesstudio
studiobestwishes.com
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