Superdry Logo

Just bought a new Superdry coat and I love the logo, kind of reminds me of the design studio 'Build' with the big use of Helvetica font. Also I've got this passion for Japanese writing at the moment and in this case it works really well with Helvetica.

Kev Speck Illustration

This is just amazing. Love it! real honesty behind the illustration, thats not to say there isn't alot of this kind of work coming out at the moment but thats not a bad thing in my eyes.

Also it was interesting talking about what is illustration? today in are crit. It was interesting to hear that some people think that illustration is a form of response were as just doing a piece of art for yourself or if it has no use is actually 'fine art'. Interesting discussion, but I still think im going to reefer to it as Illustration.

latest issue of IDN Magazine 2

I was very pleased to see one of my favorite illustrators in IDN Magazine this month. His work is really inspiring to me and guides me through creating a style for my illustrations. Also after reading IDN I have realised that editorial illustration is actually a style category, and something im interested in getting more involved in ( I will have to see how my illustrations progress ).

Mydeadpony

Latest issue of IDN Magazine

I recently bought the latest issue of IDN magazine, in my oppinion the best one of all the creative magazines. This issue was all about Editorial Design, featuring the likes of 'The Church of London' which is a london based design studio. They do all the art direction for a magazine called 'Little White Lies'. The Art director of 'TCOL' is the founder of the magazine and in the magazine it tells you how he came up with the idea during his degree (ambitious guy).

Not only did the design in the 'Little White Lies' magazine interest me but also the illustration on the front of every issue. This is done by a illustrator called Paul Willoughby his work is amazing really up to date and fresh.

This is some information about him and some of his clients:

'I graduated from Loughborough in 2001 with a 2:2 in Illustration. After an impressive run on job seekers allowance I began illustrating for Adrenalin magazine, a client I had first met at our end of course London show on Brick Lane. On the strength of that work they gave me some commissions for their sister magazine, a golf magazine called Bogey. Then on the strength of that work I got to illustrate some covers for the Guardian’s review section. It all grew from there.

Other projects away from editorial illustration have included illustrating an ad campaign and website for Nike and working as a guest illustrator for Italian fashion label Softcore on a range of clothes for the Japanese market. I also co-art direct an independent movie magazine called Little White Lies and work as a part of a design consultancy called The Church Of London.

My illustrations are generally mixed media and change to suit the kind of work I’m doing. I like experimenting with different techniques and then combining them digitally. Working digitally also helps when the FT tells you to change half a picture because you’ve stupidly drawn the wrong Chinese prime minister.

Inspiration and influences include Polish poster design, early Milton Glaser drawings, Saul Bass, Cuban poster art, Henri Cartier-Bresson, Diane Arbus, Roger Ballen, Geoff McFetridge, David Hughes, Japanese woodblock prints, Hokusai, old photographs, Paper textures, Seymor Chwast, William Eggleston, Robert Crumb, Egon Schiele, David Hockney, Alan Cober, Eduardo Paolozzi, Kew Gardens, Terence Malick, knackered old craft books, Kurosawa, Manga, cake, Lomo’s, etc.

Selected client list: Nike, Adrenalin Magazine, The Guardian, The FT Magazine, The Independent, GQ, Flaunt (US), Penguin Books, Esquire, Time Out and The Fader (NYC).'

Paul Willoughby

Little White Lies

The Church of London

KK OUTLET

During my visit to London last week I wanted to see the new KK Outlet. I thought this would be good first hand research for my new book project. KK better known as KesselsKramer a Dutch design agency. I had a look at the books desplayed in very professional and elegent way on white shelves (as shown above). After looking through the various books I looked around the studio and exhibition area, typical london style studio, minimal furniture and white walls.

I spoke to a guy working in the studio, it turned out that he was a intern at the agency, he had just graduated from Camberwell University. I asked him who to get in touch with for possible a internship with KK. He was very helpful and gave me an email address to send my work and a contact number. I also asked him if there were any other agencies or studios in the area. Apparently 'Eye Magazine' worked over the road, which I had a little peak of from the road (looked really good) maybe one day.

The guy from KK 'Pedro' told me that all the studios and agencies are very happy to talk to people and welcoming to students which I felt good about and gave me a little more confidence. This is definitely an area that I should get my portfolio to when I have more polished and refined work to show them.

Lovely Graphic Design

I love this!

Interesting Fonts

Something about these fonts stood out for me, can't say exactly but find them very inspiring. Very simple but very effective. I think I seem to over complicate my type, which is not that useful for a practicing graphic designer as generally we are trying to make it simple for people.

I use to think there was a massive database of fonts that people just downloaded and used, but looking at designers work and reading about there process of design, it's shown me that they make alot of there fonts themselves.

Amazing Typography

These are examples of really inspiring graphics and use of typography. They are all very modern, but still have the maturity of older more authentic fonts. These images are also taken from the book 'Type-One' which is really useful because it gives a little paragraph saying what the brief was and the solution they came up with. They also mention the idea behind the type, which I find interesting because they may be able to show me what steps to take in the future when making a typeface.

What stands out to me is the way that they refer to graphic design as a problem and that you have to come up with a solution. I've heard it being describe like this before but never really understood the comparison. Looking at briefs in the simple form, I suppose it makes sense. Need to do more briefs to have a better opinion on it.

In regards to the typefaces they all seem to have a really good flow to them, were as typefaces I'v made in the past have sometimes been to blocky and heavy, which makes people read it uncomfortably. Im going to make another typeface using the things I'v learn from these examples.

Photos of Type

As my interest in typography grows I can't seem to see anything other than type, which is why I took this picture. I had seen these boards before and wished I had my camera with me. So finally got my picture. The dark shadow in it kinda annoys me but I'm no photographer so can't expect to much. There are ten boards which I took individual photos of so that I could blend them into a panoramic shot (I think thats what its called). There's nothing really that special about the type itself but I just like the fact, that its locational and raw.

More Information Graphics

Like the way they have joined lines up to the appropriate information and again used big and small type. Also they have used one of the bits of information as a main article to catch peoples eyes. It may not be as noticable as say magazine articles but there is a clever grid made up from the information which gives it all a sort of order and balance. Very subtle but interesting work.

Layout, Grids, and Type

Came across some more information graphics and a few other things. Im really interested with dividers and grid sections, I'm not a particularly organized person but when it comes to visual communication and graphics there needs to be some order. I'm going to research it more but i've noticed there's a few tricks of the trade to section different bits of information, obviously its even more important in info graphics. Also these designs may have not been as aesthetically pleasing on screen but when printed onto this lovely paper its makes it really visually exciting.

Block Type

This is a type I have come across alot recently, used by the likes of 'Build' and 'Non-Format. Based on square, then taking off the very minimum from the square to represent the letter. The layout always looks very clean cut and edgy because the type is so user friendly and grid orientated. It stands out dramatically with the background being so dark and the type being so bold.

Posters Made up of stars

Amazingly initiative, one of those designs that you think 'I wish I had done it'. They also work really well in series. Its only till you get right up close to the design that you see how much time and effect was put into it, with all the little stars and then stars within stars.

Its only since the introduction of the computers that design can elaborate with such designs make up posters in this way. The speed in which design is made is beginning to worry me.

Information Graphics

Information graphics has something that i've become increasingly interested in. I think it has a very miture quality to it and has a basis to it that is deeper than the aesthetics of it. I really enjoy the grids and big and small scales of type. Also appreciate where they have chosen to use lines to section different bits of information. You have to appreciate that usually information like this is produced in word or powerpoint and is incredibly hard to find interesting and in-gauge with.

Information graphics has a huge amount of applications for use, and obviously is a useful tool. Information graphics will also teach me to handle and structure large amounts of data which is useful to implement with just simple design task such as book layout and posters.