Studio 8

I have been harping on about this company since reading their interview in Grafik. I really enjoy the work that they produce. I advise you all to have a look at their website:

http://www.studio8design.co.uk/index.htm

I emailed them to get a portfolio viewing while I was in London but they are a very small company (only 3 people I think :S) and are very busy at the moment which I totally understand because their name keeps popping up everywhere so I didn't get to see them :(

Friday, 13 March 2009

True North

I have e-mailed Ady Bibby at True North to answer some more questions for me about the industry. I am still waiting to hear from him.

Glorious

I have e-mailed Tom Shaughnessy from Glorious for a portfolio viewing. Hopefully he will get back in touch and will want to see me!

Tilleke Schwarz

Here are some pieces by Schwarz who is a textile artist based in the Netherlands. I really like the quality of her work and the detail that goes into it. 

"My work is a mixture of graphic quality, content and fooling around...My work can be understood as a kind of visual poetry. It is a mixture of contemporary influences, graffiti, icons, texts and traditional images from samplers. The embroidery contains narrative elements. Not really complete stories, with a beginning, a storyline, and an end. On the contrary, the narrative structures are used as a form of communication with the viewer."

http://www.tillekeschwarz.com/index.html

Thursday, 12 March 2009

Advert

Green Banner for Who..
Watch the ad...

I like how simple this advert is with mainly just using typography. I like how it looks organic and natural which relates to the subject matter.

http://www.visit4info.com/advert/Green-Banner-for-Whole-Grain-Nestle-Cereals-Nestle-Products-Range/68785?autoplay=true

Wednesday, 11 March 2009

Posters

Two very clever posters produced by Studio 8 based in London for the Rainforest Action Network (RAN) to raise awareness of the destruction of the Amazon rainforest.

http://www.studio8design.co.uk/client22.htm

Making contact

I emailed Ady Bibby who is one of the creative directors from True North design agency in Manchester. I asked him six questions that would help me with my journal and my designs in general. I interviewed Bibby over the telephone on the 25^th November 08.

 These are the questions I asked:

1. Can you give me a definition of what ideas means to you?
2. Why do you think ideas are important in design?
3. Do you have a process in coming up with ideas?
4. What do you think of design with out ideas?
5. How would you define aesthetics?
6. How do you over come mental blocks?

 Bibby gave me some really interesting answers that have help me understand why ideas are important in design. These are his answers:

1. Everything is an idea whether it is good, bad or indifferent. In stretching the definition it is a relevant clever way of communicating a message and answering a clients brief in one single way.
2. Designs can be ideas based or red-hot surface graphics and the thin line between these two blurs. Red-hot surface graphics are mainly style or trend based and these come and go and do not stick around. When a design has a clever idea it helps to communicate to the viewer and it is one way of making your work stand out and stick around which means it can work again and again.
3. No and most design agencies are the same. All designers soak up reference from all around them using their brain like a sponge. Some people lock themselves away, listen to music or brainstorm in a group. It is each to their own.
4. Design without ideas is surface graphics. Some of it is really stunning but I am an ideas based person so I like to have an idea within my work.
5. Aesthetics to me is the look, feel and the style of the design. It is back to how pleasing it is to the eye, how it engages to you and how it feels to you. If something is printed on good quality paper then you are more likely to keep it because it feels nice to hold.
6. Take a break from the project, get out of the studio, go for a walk, to a museum, turn the brief on its head and attack it from a different angle.