This week, Graphic Design students at the Vilnius Academy of Arts welcomed back acclaimed artist and designer Sarah Boris for an intensive workshop centered around an unexpected but revealing object: the clock. Sarah, who previously visited the academy during last year’s 6pt conference, returned to guide students through a process-driven exploration of time, craft, and creative boundaries.
About the workshop “A New Clock for Vilnius”
The workshop invited students to imagine and design a new clock for the city of Vilnius. Participants explored how time had been visualised by designers such as Bruno Munari, Félix González-Torres, and Massimo Vignelli. The process began with a collective walk around the Academy to photograph or sketch existing clocks in the surrounding area. Each student then designed a complete set of clock numbers (1–12) and arrows/handles, working first by hand and later digitally. Students developed a concept for their clock, created paper or cardboard prototypes using their typographic numbers, and contributed to a collective exhibition. The workshop encouraged observation, experimentation, creativity, and play.
Designing With Care: Process, Communication, and the Power of Making
The designer brings a rich professional background, having worked in-house at the Barbican Centre, the Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA), and Phaidon Press. Her experience across cultural institutions and publishing continues to shape her thoughtful, pragmatic approach to design - an approach she shared generously during Thursday’s lecture.
Throughout her public talk, Boris emphasized the importance of documenting one’s work, not only as a professional habit but as a way of understanding and valuing one’s own process. She encouraged students to photograph each step of their making: “Clients will appreciate your work more when they see how it’s built,” she noted.
Another key message was knowing when to quit, recognizing the point where pushing further no longer improves the idea. Equally important, she stressed, is setting boundaries with clients, particularly around time and expectations. Clear communication, including the forgotten art of calling instead of emailing when stuck on a project, can prevent misunderstandings and protect a designer’s energy. And, as she reminded students and her clients with a smile, “Emergency services cost extra but often there is no big emergency.”
Perhaps the strongest theme of the lecture was reconnecting with hands-on making. For Sarah, working physically, sketching, cutting, experimenting with materials often leads to more distinctive and unexpected results than jumping straight to the computer. This philosophy underpins the workshop’s challenge: creating a clock entirely from crafted forms and analog processes.
The lecture served as both a practical guide and an inspiring reminder of why design matters. Sarah Boris’s insights are rooted in experience, clarity, and a deep respect for crafts, encouraging students to slow down, observe their process, and trust the value of making with their hands. Her words set the tone for the workshop ahead, inviting participants to approach their clock designs with curiosity, intention, and a renewed appreciation for the tactile side of creative work.
The workshop is funded by Vilnius Academy of Arts Graphic Design Department.
