Thursday 30 January 2014

All about me

For my last Uni module we were focused around ourselves, self promotion. Having a brief to sort of 'sell yourself' might sound more straight forward than it actually is, mainly because when you look in the cold light of day, or rather crisp white studio light, you don't have a clue what you're really about, you just sort of... are. 

After a few days of basically having no clue what I was going to hook into to promote myself, or skills I decided the best way was to make this a sort of 'personal project', rather than a fronted set of pretty business cards. I started to think about what as a designer, or typographic designer which I've now decided is a round about name for me now. There's this thing about language which interests me, so I decided to do something on that. 

Looking I found all this kinda data about words, with some being more 'current' than others, the most being that of the 'word of the year' in 2013. I decided to look at how these became 'words of the moment' as such, and created a piece of work that's a somewhat lighthearted approach to how we communicate. Showing the links, process and idiosyncrasies. 












Sunday 26 January 2014

Keen on green

Deviating a little from my usual design view on things, I thought i'd bring in the 'life' part, thought maybe I named my blog wrong? Hmm. So, anyway! Let me tell you about a certain product which has at least for me, due to its results has prompted my blogs inaugural review.

The product I would like to introduce is Herbalism by Lush. It's a cleanser, well I'm not really sure what it is, but it works! This has worked for my in two ways I feel, one: it leaves your skin soft and revived (I like to scrub it on before I shower to wake me up), and two: its probably most sensitive exfoliator I've ever had. I do tend to get a sore face, sadly. Another plus is it's a green colour too, which should help to combat any redness, say spots and things. Talking about blackheads, oh yes... those. Some how, it seems to dissolve them (over time). Well maybe not that dramatic, but they are certainly less prominent.

Now, for some downsides if any. It does smell a little off: the 'rice vinegar' I think is the reason, but honestly it's not offensive. Perhaps a little more offensive is the price? Retailing at £6.35 per 100g tub. I can say it has lasted be a long while, and well: I'm no where near done yet. You do get a free pot after five though. Oh and, of course you get the usual Lush benefits, cruelty free and guaranteed good for vegans.




I'll keep you all posted with anything new? Here's to hoping this is useful.




Friday 3 January 2014

The end of print is nigh?

This is somewhat a self-indulgent investigation more than just another blog post. Though I have little idea where to categorise myself as of late in the design world, I still go forward with an interest in type, and more to the point of this investigation, printed type. So, recently I visited the old print works of the London College of Printing, now London College of Communication. They had some letterpresses, which had been around since the 1800’s, surely an argument for the archetypal medium of print, right? No. They still work, and I am reliably informed still used, by more than just students. A dying art, which I cant help think is being pushed out for this whole ‘e-book’ revolution, though some would say an ‘e-book scandal’. A scandalous bid to overtake printed books that is.



An article in the Guardian outlines another approach to this.Are books dead, and can authors survive?’ (2011). This looks at the fact that an author being the sole publisher of this book, their work is scripted, printed and bound into a fixed physical item. A book. It goes on to comment on the fact that the a contribution to the demise of the printed book would be the fact of communal books, ones that many people can edit, teams, collaborations and what you could call, an endless regeneration book.

 

‘Ebooks, in the future, will be written by first-timers, by teams, by speciality subject enthusiasts and by those who were already established in the era of the paper book.’ 



So, looking at the broad conscious on ‘the end of print’, it’s not too clear whether the end is nigh, or not. There is however no doubt a rise in electronic books, and as ever they come with their advocates and critics. Even so, there is a sort of grounding in print that is not just books, its more than that, it’s a medium of communication and such established ways cannot be just simply discontinued, that as a practice doesn’t make sense, no matter how ‘cutting edge’ we designers might be, or like to think we are.

Sort of blending into one another is the question of interaction design. This method has more and more created a bridge for the print world, and the need for fast updating digital hubs of information.

So, as argued by so many, the end of print is nigh. But, say it isn’t. I see the fact that really, there are many layers to design, to communication, and to that the business of communicating. Digital and electronic records of information are another layer, another access point for the user. Albeit to flex and change the information whenever and how they need.

This brings me onto the sense of print as a craft, ignorant of the side of mass-market consumerism, and to that of purpose in print. Tactile, useable, physical. This may all sounds quite the romantic episode, and perhaps a little over the top for describing the processes of ink to paper. However, the argument is that, maybe there is an end to mass-market print? Maybe people will no longer want to walk down to the shop for a newspaper, or bare witness to a torn poster on an ad board at the end of the road. Maybe those are the sorts of people who want their information beamed to their brain. Design is cleverer than that.









Monday 16 December 2013

Catch up, tidy up, round up.

With some spare time between finishing the term at Uni, and starting up the increasingly heavy 'Christmas break workload', I made the decision to take some time out and focus on tidying up a few things, sort my Behance page and files too. . Anyway, another task on this tidying list was this years Christmas cards. 

I'll say I had a few ideas floating around my head, which in the cold reality of a sketchbook page and illustrator either didn't work or looked frankly pathetically amateur. After dedicating the afternoon I came up with the following designs, which I'd say I'm pretty happy with. 

Gills Sans regular, with the * in Helvetica Neue condensed bold. No serif's this Christmas. Colours are the everlasting 100% Cyan and a less than full version of red. Green will not be found! 

So, I'll leave you with the photos. Any thoughts?












Sunday 10 November 2013

some words about new words.

I'm currently, as we speak and have been playing about with words. As a foundation for my self promotion work I basically was amazed by how the Oxford English Dictionary (OED) select and 'confirm' new words. You might remember the mini scandalous news flash that words such as 'twerk' and 'selfie' had made into the dictionary. Well, this is because they are as it turns out, real. This is kind of brought about because we use them, and the more we as a society use words, the realer they become, surely. Thats the way the OED see it, and not (much to my surprise) as a snooty exclusive club for the 'proper english'. Seen as after all if we, the English use them... then they are destined to become a part of the language.

Here are some experiments i've been doing, jumbling up all these new found words and seeing what I make of it, early stages but playful all the same. The new words I selected purely by chance were, selfie, twerk, apols and srsly. BTW.

I'll keep you posted on any revelations, or progress either way. 




























Saturday 9 November 2013

Blog about blogs

Recently I undertook a little branding exercise for a few friends who needed some web stationary for their up and coming course related blogs, I make no claims to being a web designer because as we know I do like to print things off. Anyway, they didn't turn out so bad for a quick task, the blogs aren't unworthy of a read themselves actually. 


First up is 'taking on Teesside', which explores a young southern mans tales and tribulations up North here in Middlesbrough. (Kardashian's inspired name right there)







Next is 'Preppy Couture', which details how to shop the high street with success!






Available at: takingonteesside.wordpress.com/preppycouture.wordpress.com