BRANDING

MASTERCLASS
ISSUE

222

JANUARY 2014
DIGITAL EDITION
PRODUCED
IN UK

How Radim Malinic created

a brand for an innovative
new MasterCard service
PLUS Leslie David on luxury brands

BE MORE PRODUCTIVE
Make the most of your studio downtime,
and stay inspired and motivated all year

ILLUSTRATE A COMPLEX THEME

How to distill a detailed trend forecast for
intogeometricartworkforWired

EXCLUSIVE
VIDEO
How AKQA broke
exciting new ground
for Nike and WWF

CREATE IMMERSIVE VISUALS

Go behind the scenes on an ambitious
interactive installation for Nissan

How an entrepreneurial spirit can boost

yourcreative prole and your cashow
also Featuring...
TheIndependentredesigncritiqued<chbYkXYg][bhfYbXg5`UbDYW_c`]W_Ug_g]ZhmdY]gXYUX8Yg][bYX:cf@]ZYgdYW]U`
JU``Y8i\UaY`@cb[Yj]hmUh8Yg][bAUbW\YghYf7cm7caaib]WUh]cbgAUf_8YbhcbcbhU_]b[Wcbhfc`5bXacfY

WEL CO M E

JANUARY 2014

EDITORS LETTER
Welcometotheaward-winningComputerArts!AsIwrite
thisthewholeteamsjustreturnedalilebleary-eyedit
mustbesaidfromtheDigitalMagazineAwardswhereour
bespokeiPadeditionscoopedVisualArtsMagazineofthe
Year Massivethankstoeveryonewhosworkedonitand
docheckitoutifyouhaventalreadyseepage

CAisnttheonlyproductwevebeenworkingonthismonth
eitherHotothepressisthelatestiterationofComputerArts
CollectiontotallyrebornunderthestewardshipofCAdeped
JuliaastheGraphicDesignAnnual
aluxuriousshowcase
oftheverybestworkfromthepast months
Wellalsobemakingafewsmallimprovementstoyour
magazineoverthenextfewissuesFlicktopageandyoull
ndanexpandedProjectReviewstoryintheShowcasesection
critiquingthemonthsbigtalking-pointproject
FinallyourSpecialReportthismonthcelebratesthe
liberatingentrepreneurialspiritthatsdrivingmanydesigners
todiversifytheircreativepracticeintoexcitingnewareasfrom
one-oproductstofull-blownbusinessventuresInasimilarvein
wevealsotreatedyoutoaDesignedforLifeseasonalspecialWe
hopeyouhaveagreatChristmasseeyouinthenewyear!

KEEPIN
TOUCHWITH

TWITTERCOM/
COMPUTERARTS

FACEBOOKCOM/
COMPUTERARTS

NICKCARSON
EDITOR
nick.carson@futurenet.com

FEATURING

CRISPINFINN

JOEWALDRON

LESLIEDAVID

London-based duo
Anna Fidalgo and
Roger Kelly
aka Crispin
Finn
own an online
shop selling stationery

printsandhomeware
in adistinctive palee
of red
white and blue
Thepair are reponsible
forthe We Accept Cash
tote bag on the cover
wwwcrispinnncom

Joe is a freelance illustrator

living and working in
Bristol Since graduating
with rst class honours
from UWE
he has worked
for a variety of clients as
well as spending time on
personal projects His work
can be found illustrating
the Industry Issues article

starting on page 
www.joewaldron.co.uk

Paris-based graphic
designer and illustrator
Leslie specialises in design
for fashion and culture
brands Turn to page 
tond out why shes drawn
to the world of high-end
fashion
what prompted
herto drop out of art
school and how she nds
time to just be creative
wwwleslie-davidcom

MARIE-LAURE
CRUSCHI
Illustrator Marie-laure
founded Cruschiform
studio in 
and her
clients now range from
book publishers to luxury
brands This issue
we went
behind the scenes to nd
out howshe created a
complex
kaleidoscopic set
of illustrations for Wired
cruschiform.blogspot.co.uk

COMPUTERARTSCREATIVEBLOQCOM

-
-

ROBERTFARKAS
Based in Budapest

Hungary
Robert is an
illustrator
designer and
animator with a special
interest in the dierent
visuals that can be created
using animation tools and
programming languages
On page 
he shows
us around the creative
hotspots in his hometown
www.astronaut.co.uk

M EET T H E T E AM

JANUARY 2014

MEET THE TEAM

FUTUREPUBLISHINGLTDMONMOUTHSTREETBATHBA BW
PHONE     FAX  ! 
EMAIL hello@computerarts.co.uk
WEBcomputerarts.creativebloq.com

EDITORIAL

MARKETING

NICK CARSONEDITOR
nick.carson@futurenet.com

PHILIPPANEWMAN
Group marketing manager
philippa.newman@futurenet.com

JULIA SAGARDEPUTY EDITOR

julia.sagar@futurenet.com
JO GULLIVER ART EDITOR
jo.gulliver@futurenet.com
RUTH HAMILTON
PRODUCTION ASSISTANT
ruth.hamilton@futurenet.com
JIM MCCAULEY & KERRIE HUGHES
CREATIVE BLOQ CHANNEL EDITORS
jim.mccauley@futurenet.com
kerrie.hughes@futurenet.com

CONTRIBUTORS
Zaneta Antosik, Joshua Checkley,
TomDennis, Simon Duhamel, Elizabeth
Ellio, Ian Evenden, FranklinTill, Justin
Gabbard, Dan Gray, Cat How, Fred
Lachache, Angharad Lewis, KarenLewis,
Vector Meldrew, Alan Peckolick, Ed
Rickes, Gordon Tait, Joe Waldron,
Garrick Webster, Anne Wollenberg

ADVERTISING

ALEXANDRAGEARY Marketing executive

alexandra.geary@futurenet.com

CIRCULATION
JAMESRYAN Direct marketing executive
james.ryan@futurenet.com
DANIELFOLEY Trade marketing manager
daniel.foley@futurenet.com

Seymour Distribution Ltd, East

Poultry Avenue, London ECA PT
Tel:    

JOGULLIVER
ART EDITOR
JovisitedhertwininRoerdamwhereshesampled
oliebollenoilballsandlearntaboutDutchChristmas
traditionsApparentlySantaspageboyPietcollects
naughtychildreninasackandbeatsthemwithastick

RICHARDJEFFERIES
International account manager
richard.jeeries@futurenet.com

LICENSING
REGINAERAK Licensing director
regina.erak@futurenet.com

DECLANGOUGH Head of Creative and Design

NIALFERGUSON Managing director,
Technology, Film and Games
DANOLIVER Editor-in-chief
STEVEGOTOBED Group art director
ROBINABBOTT Creative director
JIMDOUGLAS Editorial director

DISTRIBUTED BY

DEPUTY EDITOR
Juliadidasterlingjoborganisingandeditingthe
new-lookCACollectionannualbutspoiltitabitby
eatingallthegoodbiscuitsfromtheChristmastin
bothlayersbeforeanyoneelsehadachance

MARKCONSTANCE Production manager

VIVTURNER Production co-ordinator
NOLACOKELY Ad production manager

FUTURE PUBLISHING LTD

VICTORIASANDERS Senior sales exec

victoria.sanders@futurenet.com

JULIASAGAR

PRINT & PRODUCTION

CHARLIESAID Ad sales director

charlie.said@futurenet.com

SUZANNESMITH Account manager

suzanne.smith@futurenet.com

EDITOR
Despitehavinganextensivespeechpreparedfor
themomentComputerArtswonitsrstDMA
Nickcameoverallshywhenthetimearrivedtotake
themicFortherecordhedliketothankhismum

SAMANTHABOOKMarketing manager
samantha.book@futurenet.com

 



JASRAI Ad sales manager

jas.rai@futurenet.com

NICKCARSON

RUTHHAMILTON
PRODUCTION ASSISTANT
Self-appointedbringerofChristmasRuthhasthe
ocetreepoisedreadyforDecemberwhenithas
beenagreedthefestivitiescandescendThemonth
shedidherrstdesignerinterviewseepage

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PRODUCTION NOTES
PRINTERS

PAPER

COVER
Philtone Litho Ltd

COVER
Precision SpecialGloss FSC gsm

TEXT
William Gibbons

P-Galerie Fine FSC gsm

CFREDFOILEMBOSSAND
SOFT-TOUCHVARNISH
Celloglas Ltd

COMPUTERARTSCREATIVEBLOQCOM

--

P -
Solarispress gsm

TYPEFACES
Trump Gothic West
Neutraface
Text & Display
Calluna

JANUARY 2014

ISSUE 2 2 2
J A NUA R Y 20 1 4

CULTURE


TRENDS Introducing the wearable objects

algorithmically determined by chance



DESIGNEDFORLIFE Our seasonal special

showcases the years best designer wares

IND US T RY IS S U ES

PEOPLE Meet the NYC studio in a Greco-Roman

temple
talk skulls with Colin Moore
and hear why
designer Louisa Phillips moved into account handling

TURN UP YOUR
DOWNTIME

PLACES Illustrator Robert Farkas shares his insights

into Budapests coolest creative hotspots

How to make your free hours

as creatively productive as
your day job 

EVENTS We report from Design Manchester and pay

a visit to Typographic Circles second Student Session

ODETOANANTI-HELVETICAWORLDGraphic
designer Alan Peckolick on why leerforms are for
much more than just spelling words

SCREENPRINTINGISITWORTHIT? Howkapows
Cat How explores the merits of producing and selling
limited-edition screenprints of your work
compared
with their more economical digital counterparts

OLDBRANDNEWTRICKSGordon Tait explains

what prompted much-loved comic The Beano to hand
its precious style guide over to Jon Burgerman

MINTLETCARDBRANDING How Radim Malinic

created a colourful identity for a new pre-payment
card with lile more thananame to work with



AWORLDOFBIGIDEAS Cruschiform explains

how she tackled a complex illustration brief for a
special edition of Wired UK



INSIGHT

PROJECTS

NISSANLEAFINSTALLATION Behind the scenes

on Projection Advertisings ambitious interactive
installation for the Nissan Leaf electric car

SHOWCASE
Our selection of the worlds best new graphic design

illustration and motion graphics work 

COMPUTERARTSCREATIVEBLOQCOM

-  -

C O N TE N TS

JANUARY 2014

EXCLUSIVE VIDEO:
THE DESIGNER SERIES
In our latest video documentary, AKQA
reveals why it pays to blend technology
seamlessly with creativity 

Ben Moody discusses AKQAs WWF app

S PECI A L R EP OR T

ENTERPRISING ILLUSTRATORS
Meet the exciting new breed of creatives that arebusy diversifying
their practice not only to survive
but to thrive


TRY THE
iPAD EDITION
FOR FREE!
TURN TO PAGE 47
FOR MORE

Founder James Hilton predicts whats next

SUBSCRIBE TO
COMPUTER ARTS
I?fYUXYfgGUjYidhc 
IGfYUXYfgGUjYidhc 
AcfYcomputerarts creativebloq com

S T U DI O LI FE

IN C O NV E RS AT IO N

VALLE DUHAMEL

LESLIE DAVID

With their eclectic sense of humour

designers Julien Valle and Eve Duhamel
might just beMontreals next big thing 

How
against the odds
Leslie David found
graphic design and went on to work with the
brightest lights of the fashion world 

COMPUTERARTSCREATIVEBLOQCOM

-  -

VIDEO INSIGHT

JANUARY 2014

EXCLUSIVE VIDEO

THE DESIGNER SERIES

PART 10: AKQA
Watch the 10th instalment in our exclusive series exploring the ideas
andcreative processes of the worlds most exciting studios. Available
nowonourprivate YouTubechannel: http://bit.ly/ca222-akqa

ABOUT THE STUDIO

Describing itself as a new kind of agency, AKQA deals
in ideas and innovation and prides itself in allowing the
changing media landscape and evolving technologies to
guideits development. As a result, it has scooped numerous
awards, including Adweeks digital agency of the year in
2012, and worked with clients including Nike, MTV, Tommy
Hilger, Audi, Visa, Volkswagen and Warner Brothers.
www.akqa.com

COMPUTERARTSCREATIVEBLOQCOM

-10-

VIDEO INSIGHT

JANUARY 2014

BONUS
CONTENT!
GETEVENMOREEXCLUSIVE
VIDEOANDIMAGERYIN
OURiPADEDITION
see p

PART 1
AG EN CY I N T R O #
CR E ATIVIT Y M EE TS TEC H

PART 2
W WF i PAD APP#
EN DAN G ER ED AN I MAL O R I GAM I

AKQAs co-founder James Hilton reveals how the

agencys uncompromising aention to detail and
passion for innovation have paid dividends

Chief technology ocer Ben Jones explains how

AKQAs beautifully cra$ed interactive experience
forthe World Wildlife Fund took shape

PART 3
W WF i PAD APP#
I NTER ACTI O N MA STERCL A S S

PART 4
N I KE" KI N ECT#
A VI RTUAL PER SO NAL TR AI N ER

Exclusive insights into how the WWF project made

full use of iPad functionality to bring the experience
to life from chopping bamboo to seeing like a tiger

Executive creative director Duan Evans and group

account director Brian Snyder discuss how AKQAs
latest Nike project pushed the Xbox to its limits

PART 5
N I KE" KI N ECT#
FITN ES S O N TH E M OVE

PART 6
CR E ATIVE E XPAN S I O N #
N E X T STEP
TH E WO R LD

Our second walkthrough explores how the team

translated the slick UI design seamlessly from Xbox
tomobile
so your personal trainer stays by your side

With a new oce in Portland to service Nike

and
theParis and Tokyo agencies expanding exponentially

James Hilton looks to the future of AKQA

COMPUTERARTSCREATIVEBLOQCOM

-11-

T R E NDS CULTURE

German visual artist Maiko

Gubler uses !Dprinting tools to
create wearable designs that are
algorithmically determined by chance

WE LOVE...

making
digital
tangible
Visual artist Maiko Gublers
designs turn digital concepts
into physical forms
ervingasplayfultestament
totherapidlychangingdigital
landscape anascentdesire
tovisualiseourevolvingdigitalsociety
canbeseenTechnologieslikeD
printingnowenabledigitaldesignersto
freeze-frametheirartworkandquickly
buildatangiblerepresentationofthe
digitalform
MaikoGublerisaBerlin-basedvisual
artistusingdigitalmodellingtoolsto
createimageryandsculpturewiththe
aimofblurringtheintersectionbetween
sculpturalstilllifesvirtualmodelsand
physicalobjectsandtoinviteobservers
toexpandtheirnotionsofspatialityand
objectsHerrecentGradientBangles
EndlessEditioncollectionfeaturesa
seriesofwearableobjectsalgorithmically
determinedbychanceresultinginan
innitequantityofuniquepermutations

EachmonthourTrendssectioniscurated
byexperiencedcreativeconsultancy
FranklinTillwwwfranklintillcom

CULTUR E TR EN D S

JANUARY 2014

D E S I G NED FOR LI FE

DESIGNED
FOR LIFE
SEASONAL
SPECIAL
If socks and perfume are
no longer cuing it, fear
not. Weve rounded up
someofthebestnew
oerings from designers
this festive season

CONTOUR SILICONE TIE

WRAPPING PAPER

LIGHTBULB BROOCH

ANIMAL A-Z PRINTS

Ties might be a Christmas clich

butthese silicone versions are
far frommundane They could
be just the thing to shake up
your occasionwear

Even if the gi$ hidden inside

isnt all that
cool paper from
the likes ofMicah Lidberg and
Ben Newman willgive presents
adesigner edge

Feeling short of inspiration?

Coaxthatelusive light bulb
moment with this gliery brooch
from London-based jewellery
designer Rosa E Pietsch

Educational and inspirational

Builds charming animal alphabet
project hit abump at U and
X umbrellabird and X-ray sh

ifyouwere wondering



vesheets



each

byBlangkforSay
www.fromsay.com

byvariousdesignersforNobrow
www.nobrow.net

byRosaPietsch
www.howkapow.com

COMPUTERARTSCREATIVEBLOQCOM

-16-

byBuild
www.wearebuild.com

T R E NDS CULTURE

JANUARY 2014

Stay one step

ahead with
ourbarometer
of visual cool

CUTTING EDGE
Surrealliqueed
landscapesdrip
withglutinousforms
andcolourscreating
mouthwatering
Dtextures
andpa erns

STILL FRESH

BATHING GIRLS TEACUPS

DESK CLOCK

2014 DELUXE YEAR PLANNER

Cra$ed in ne porcelain

eachofthese delicate teacups
featuresa naked lady
who
willjoin you for a dip as you
takeyourtea break

This clock comes with a

twist one of the hands has
disappeared Instead
negative
space and a pop of uoro colour
indicates the time

The latest in Crispin Finns

trademark year planners
is abold
screenprinted
design withstickers to ag
upimportantdays

 setoffour





byEstherHrchner
www.howkapow.com

byTaraAsheatBlock
www.howkapow.com

byCrispinFinn
www.crispinnn.com

COMPUTERARTSCREATIVEBLOQCOM

-17-

MAINSTREAM
Hand-inked
illustrationsexplore
thenaturalworld
takingtheirlead
fromearlymedical
andbotanical
drawings

ILLUSTRATION: Joshua Checkley, www.joshuacheckley.co.uk

Collagescreated
spontaneouslyusing
clipartrandom
brushstrokes
andphotosare
typicaloftabletart
experimentation

CULTUR E P EO PL E

JANUARY 2014

MY STYLE IS...
Louisa Phillips trained
and practiced as a
graphic designer
before making the
switch to account
handling and she
hasnt looked back

AT LEAST ONE
SKULLAT ANY TIME

Designer Colin Moores

style is laid-back, with
just a hint of thedark
undertones found in
hisillustration work.
illustratemoore.com

LULULEMON
SKULLMETAL
VENTTEE
Thiswascustommadefor
measagionafactory
visitinSriLankaIdrew
theskull anditisknied
seamlesslyintothefabric

ILLUSTRATION : Justin Gabbard, www.justingabbard.com

PAINTING
JEANS
Itryandkeep
newjeansoutofmystudio
foraslongaspossible but
assoonasIgetpainton
themtheyrefairgame

RINGFROM
MYPP
Thishasnt
lemyngersincemy
grandfatherremovedit
fromhispinkyandput
itonmymiddlenger
whenIturnedAllhis
grandsonsgetone

N E W VE N TURE S

By all accounts...
Creative training brings skills that can make
you shine in other roles, as designer-turnedaccount handler Louisa Phillips explains

neagleeyefordetail in-depth
understandingofthedesign
processandakeengraspof
whatmakesgreatbranding allgleaned
fromherbackgroundasadesigner made
LouisaPhillipsidealforhernewroleas
accountdirectoratHandsomeHere 
sheexplainswhatshesbeenuptoat
thebrandingagency andwhyaccount
handlingwasthenaturalprogression
toexpandherskillsetasacreative

Whatsyournewjobtitle and
whatdoestheroleentail?
ImaccountdirectoratHandsomes
LondonstudioMyjobistomake
sureeverythingthatssupposedto
behappeningishappeningthatour
projectsaredeliveredonbriefonbudget
andontimeIalsomakesureourclients
arehappyandwerehelpingtobuildtheir
businessesthrougheectivedesign
Tellusalileaboutyourcareersofar
InitiallyIworkedasagraphicdesigner
butthendecidedtomoveintoaccount
handlingandIhaventlookedbacksince
Formeitstheperfectcombinationof
workinginacreativeenvironmentand
developingmyskillsImeetclientstravel
andgetinvolvedwithworkshopsalong
withawholehostofotherthings
Whydidyoudecidetogoforthisjob?
Idbeenthinkingaboutanewchallenge
andthepositionwithHandsomecameup
COMPUTERARTSCREATIVEBLOQCOM
-18-

Itsoundedliketheperfectopportunityto
getinvolvedinauniquebusinesswithlots
ofpotentialsoIwentforitHandsome
worksasacollectiveofover senior
designprofessionalswithoveryears
ofdesignexperiencesoitsanexcellent
opportunitytolearnfromahugely
experiencedandaward-winningdesign
teamItsstillarelativelysmallbusiness
andIlovedtheideaofbeingabletoshape
thingsandmakearealdierence
Whathaveyoubroughttothisrolefrom
yourtrainingasagraphicdesigner?
IwouldsayIhaveaneagleeyewhen
itcomestodetailIdliketothinkthat
notmuchgetspastmeStudyingfora
BAHonsingraphicdesignandworking
asadesignerhavebothenabledmeto
reallyappreciategooddesignaswellas
providingmewithaclearunderstanding
oftheprocessandanabilitytoaccurately
gaugehowlonggreatdesignwork
realisticallytakestoproduce
Whathavebeenthebiggestchallenges
ofthisnewposition?
AerworkingatLondon-basedagency
PurposeforveyearsIneededtochange
mymindsetslightlyitseasytobecome
conditionedtodoingthingsinacertain
wayItsbeenagoodchallengetoshake
thingsupalileandstepoutofmy
comfortzone
Whatdoesatypicaldayinyour
newroleentail?
Itcanbeanythingfrommeetingwith
clientsresearchingtheirbusinessand
currentchallengesoraendingtheAGI
conferencetomanagingthestudio
freelancersandaccountsThegoodthing
aboutworkinginasmallagencyisthat
eachdayisalwaysvariedandthework
isreallyhands-on
wwwhandsomebrandscouk

MY D E SI G N SPA CE I S...

A MODERN IMAGINARIUM
In the heart of New York, housed in a tower building topped with a Greco-Roman temple,
QNY Creatives studio comes blessed with the cosmic energies of Parnassus
erched atop a tower building
incentral New York sits a small
Greco-Roman temple, famously
referred to as a lile Parnassus in the
sky. The metaphorical home of poetry,
literature and learning, Parnassus
captured the qualities that QNY
Creative founders Ezio Burani and
AnnaUrban hoped for in their studio.
Assoonaswesawthebuildingwe
knewithadtobeourhomewherewe
coulddreamandcreatesaysUrban
Thecosmicenergywasimmediately
presentNofengshuiexpertneeded
Theduosmodernimaginariumhas
beensituatedthereeversince
Forguidanceinamoretangible
formthestudioturnstomasterItalian

typographerGiambaistaBodoniwhose
ManualeTipogracotakesprideofplace
Bodonisaidthatgooddesignhingeson
fourprinciplesuniformitysharpnessand
neatnessgoodtasteandcharmexplains
BuraniOurstudiolivesbythosestandards
inourworkandinourspace
Thespaceitselfisatreasuretroveof
objectscollectedovertheyearsthat
thathintatthedesignersownquirksand

THE COSMIC ENERGY

WAS PRESENT. NO FENG
SHUI EXPERT NEEDED

interestsBuranissSculpturaDonut
phonetraveledovertoNewYorkwith
himfromhisnativeItalyandhasbeen
ringinginhisocesince 
Regularvisitstolocaleamarkets
havefedBuranispersonalobsessionwith
vintagevinylWithacollectionestimated
atover easytherecordshave
aspecialplaceinhisheartEveryoneis
anadventureastoryamemoryafeeling
andaninspirationhesays
Veeringtothekitschierendofthe
spectrumareUrbansactiongurestoys
andmangaincludinganoddlileplush
toyfromherchildhoodthatactsasthe
studiosmascotHewasdiscoveredasa
happyaccidentshesmilesHereminds
ustostaycuriouslikekids

COMPUTERARTSCREATIVEBLOQCOM

-19-

Senior strategist
Anna Urban (seated)
and creative director
Ezio Burani in QNY
Creatives NY home,
packed with eamarket gems and
personal keepsakes

CULTUR E P L A C E S

JANUARY 2014

C R E AT I VE QU A R TER S

BUDAPEST, HUNGARY
From burger bars that evoke New York memories to hip-hop
clothing shops and inspiring galleries,illustrator Robert Farkas
shares his favourite haunts in Hungarys capital city
W35 BURGER

ILLUSTRATION: Dan Gray, www.danielhgray.com

Wesselnyiutca
bit.ly/w35burger
Thisisoneofmyfavouritefastfood
restaurantsTheburgertasteslikeareal
AmericanFiveGuyssandwichfromth
AvenueinNewYorkTheyreopenuntil
pmsoitsnevertoolatetogetyour
perfecttakeawaydinner

SHOP
BP
Wesselnyiutca

www.bpshop.hu/a_shop
IfyourewanderingaroundWesselnyi
StreetyoushouldvisitBudapestsfamous
undergroundhip-hoptrademarktheBP
ShopItsellsT-shirtsbaseballcapsand
hoodiestooThisistheperfectplaceto
buysouvenirsforyourfriends

GALLERY
 TELEP
MadchImreutca




www.facebook.com/TelepGaleria
Thisiswhereeverybodymeetsandgets
readyforanightoutItsapubonthe
edgeofthecityspartyzonethathosts
contemporaryartexhibitionsYoucan
easilyreachallthegreatplacesfromhere
Bewareofthebagelstheyreaddictive

PRINTA
RumbachSebestynutca

www.printa.hu
Ifyoudliketorefreshwithacoeein
aninspiringenvironmentthenheadhere
Sitdownandfeastyoureyesonsome
ofthelatestworksbythemosttalented
Hungarianillustratorsatthisuniquespace
inthecentreofBudapest

KERT
 ELLT
Kazinczyutca
www.ellatokert.blogspot.com
Theseventhdistrictisfullofpubsandthis
ismyfavouriteDuringthesummeritsa
realoasisandinthewintertheresaroofto
keepyouwarmEverybodyisfriendlyand
thebeerischeapmakinggeingdrunk
alwaysanoption!
Illustrator, designer and %D animator Robert Farkas has always loved drawing. He also likes the dierent
visuals that can be created using animation tools and programming languages. www.astronaut.co.hu
COMPUTERARTSCREATIVEBLOQCOM
-20-

CULTUR E EV E N TS

JANUARY 2014

PHOTOGRAPHY: Sebastian Mahes, www.manox.net

DM! graced Manchester Town Hall on ! October

Malcolm Garre hopes it will become an annual xture

E V E NT R EP OR T: DESI G N MAN CHE STE R

THE SECRETS OF
TIMELESS DESIGN
The inaugural Design Manchester explored longevity in its many
forms, from music design to public art. Nick Carson caught up
with some of the key speakers to nd out more
KEY INFO
LOCATION
Manchester
Town Hall
wwwdesign
mcrcom
WHEN
! October
!
ATTENDEES

KEY SPEAKERS
Mark Farrow

Kate Moross

Nat Hunter

Andrew Shoben

sanambassadortoManchester
SchoolofArt MalcolmGarre
wasappointedtohelpplana
newdesignconferencetocelebratethe
expansionofthe-year-oldinstitution
Ichosethethemelongevitypartly
torecognisetheanniversarybutalsoto
invitespeakerswhowouldconsiderthe
realchallengesthatsocietyfacesandhow
designcanaddressissuesbeyondthe
decorativeorthefrivolousheexplains
UprstwasGreyworldsAndrew
Shobenexploringthethemeinrelation
topublicartForcenturiesthedefault
stateofpublicartwasmonolithicstone
constructionsbronzemenonhorsesa
highlypolishedrockmaybehebegins
Thankfullyweliveininterestingtimes
wherenormsarebeingchallengedIt
doesntmeananendtopermanent
workbuttherearebeerapproachesto
successfulpublicinstallationscontinues
ShobenInvolvingthepublicisagood
startephemeralworkisagreatapproach
Butbydenitionitcantbetimeless
OneDesignManchesterhighlight
camefromcityalumnusMarkFarrow
whoiscurrentlyworkingonanultra-

limited-editionvinylversionofPetShop
BoysalbumElectricforeach
Asfarasmusicdesignbeingcollectable
goesinmanyrespectsitappliesmore
thaneverhearguesPeopleeitherwant
musicfornothingortheyrewillingtopay
apremiumforsomethingspecial
AlthoughFarrowDesignhasastrong
heritageinmusicdesignhehasworked
hardoverthelastfewyearstodiversify
intonewareasandmusicisnow
responsibleforjustpercentofthe
studiosoutputIttookalotofhardwork
headmitsIthinkthatswherelongevity
comesintoplay
ForFarrowtruelongevitymeans
steeringawayfromeetingfashions

WEVE NEVER HAD A

PERIOD WHERE WHAT WE
DO HAS BEEN ON TREND
MARK FARROW, FARROW DESIGN

COMPUTERARTSCREATIVEBLOQCOM

-22-

Weveneverhadaperiodwherewhat
wedohasbeenontrendGodforbid
hesaysOurworkiscleanandmodern
thesolutionsaregoodThatsit
KateMorosswasanotherhighlight
Herclarityofvisionirrepressibleenergy
andaboveallhercandourtotallytook
theaudiencebysurpriserecallsGarre
andFarrowagreesForwhateverreason
therearentmanystrongfemalevoices
ingraphicdesignandhertalkwasreally
inspiringhesays
Garreiskeenforthefestivalto
becomeanannualeventbringing
togetherthecitysdesignandmedia
industriesdatingbacktoVictoriantimes
whentheSchoolofArtwasestablished
Hispartingadviceforachieving
longevity?KeepitsimpleKeepit
focusedKeepitfreeofinappropriate
ornamentorsuperuousdetailAnd
keepitpurposefulhereelso
Avoidbeingmerelyfashionablebut
recognisetheculturalframeworkinwhich
weliveandworkDorespondtocurrent
requirementsyetanticipatethechanging
needsoftheaudienceGooddesignisfor
todayandtomorrowGarreconcludes

E V E NT S CULTURE

JANUARY 2014

Ad guru Mark
Denton of Coy!
Communications
discussed image
at the second-
ever TypoCircle
student session

ON THE GROUND
THE HOST AND SPEAKERS
DISCUSS LONGEVITY
MALCOLM GARRETT,
AMBASSADORDESIGN
MANCHESTER

Eachpresentationwas
itsownhighlightButthe
RSAsNatHunterand
MarkShaylercertainly
shockedusallwithsome
shamefultruthsabout
thesustainabilityofglobal
industrialproduction

ANDREW SHOBEN,
GREYWORLD

Thereissuchathingas
timelessness butitsnot
alwaysbasedonquality
TheCoca-Colabole
andtheredtelephone
boxareclassicdesigns 
butIdontndeither
particularlyspecial
Theirqualitywas
theirubiquity

E V E N T R E P O R T: T Y P O C I R C L E S T U D E N T S E S S I O N S

Your biggest campaign

Ruth Hamilton reports from Mark Dentons Typo Circle talk,
where the ad pro told students to get back in the drivers seat
osucceedasacreativeinthe
currentclimate youneedto
takechargeofyourprojects 
ofyourcareerandofyourimageThis
wasthemessagefromMarkDenton 
speakingatTypographicCircles
second-everstudentsessionAnd asit
becameabundantlyclear theadvertising
legendpracticeswhathepreaches
Therststepistogetoutandstart
exploringyourownideasInDentons
careerpersonalprojectsbeginning
moreoenthannotinthepubarethe
normratherthantheexceptionAlongside
advertisingDentonsCValsotakesinthe
launchofhisownmagazinefeaturingina
yoghurtcommercialandbeingthefaceof
Penhaligonsmoustachewax
Havingalternativeoutletsofexpression
isespeciallyimportantinaeldwhere
itisbecomingincreasinglydiculttobe
creativelyfullledthroughcommissioned
workheexplainedYoudosomething
reallygreatandthenyougetamillion
ngersinitmakingitbadWithpersonal
projectsyourenotatthemercyofthe
whimsofothersYoudonthavetowait
andndoutiftheclientswifelikesit

MARK FARROW,
FARROWDESIGN

Iliketothinkourwork
hasacertaintimelessness
Buttheresnogreatsecret
tosustainedsuccess 
otherthanworkingreally
fuckinghardtomake
everyprojectasgood
asitcanpossiblybe

COMPUTERARTSCREATIVEBLOQCOM

-23-

Havingadistinctivecreativesignature
alsohelpsDentonsowntrademarkhe
describeshisworkasaschoolboyjoke
withahigh-endnishhasbeenhugely
successfulTheapproachisperhaps
bestcapturedinhispromoprojectfor
calligrapherAlisonCarmichaelforwhich
Dentonconceivedalimited-edition
screenprintedcardbearinginbeautifully
scriptedleersthewordCuntandthe
sloganWordslookmuchnicerwhen
theyrehandleeredTheprojectwent
ontowinBestDirectMailatthe
DesignWeekawards
Howevertheoverwhelmingmessage
ofhistalkwasoneoftakingcontrolofyour
ownimageThemostimportantcampaign
youlleverworkonisthecampaigntosell
yourselfDentonstressedCreativesneed
totakeresponsibilityfortheirpublicity
AndfromtheminutehearrivedatBETC
Londonsocesitwasclearhisown
self-promocampaignhasbeenthorough
Verymuchthefaceofhisownbrand
Dentonpresentedhisspeechdressed
inamustard-colouredbespoketracksuit
bearinghispersonallogoasign
inspiredbynoneotherthanRichieRich

CULTUR E EV E N TS

JANUARY 2014

W H AT S ON

dates for your diary

From London to Melbourne, the new year heralds a host of
inspiring events. And with a period of seasonal downtime to
play with, dont miss the deadline for ADCs awards schemes

CMYK: COME MEET YOUR KIND

6-8PM, 14 JAN 2014
Variouslocations
wwwbitly/IDt
AIGAwillberunningitsCMYK
networkingeventacrossanumber
ofUScitiesinJanuaryYoucan
meetlike-mindedcreativefolk
andtalkshopoversomefoodand
drinkAswegotopresslocation
informationhasntbeenreleased
socheckthewebsitefordetails

ADCS AWARDS SEASON:

CALL FOR ENTRIES DEADLINE
17 JAN 2014
wwwadcawardsorg
Doyoudeserveanesteemed
ADCCube?Thejudgesatthe
rdAnnualAwardsofArt

CrainAdvertisingandDesign
arelookingforthemostbeautiful
workinexistencesodontmiss
thedeadlineforsubmiingyour
bestdesignmotionphotography
orillustrationwork January
Winnerswillbeawardedduring
thisyearsADCfestivalinApril

THE ART OF ART DIRECTION

17 JAN 2014
D&ADBritanniaHouse
-HanburyStLondon
bitly/dandadartdirection
InAlexandraTaylorsD&AD
sessionTheArtofArtDirection
shellberevealingherinvaluable
goldenrulesgainedduringstints
atthelikesofSaatchi&Saatchi
andWiedenKennedy

TYPO CIRCLE STUDENT

SESSIONS: THE PARTNERS
7PM, 21 JAN 2014
ThePartnersAlbionCourtyard
GreenhillRentsLondon
wwwtypocirclecom
ThethirdinTheTypographic
Circlesnewstudent-focused
seriesofeventstakesplacein
JanuaryatThePartnersLondon
oceDesignedspecicallyforthe
nextgenerationofcreativesthese
aresmallermoreintimateevents
thantheorganisationsregular
talksoeringthechancetoask
questionsinteractandlearnfrom
theindustrysbestoverabeer

DESIGN LECTURE SERIES:

DAVID CARSON
6PM, 24 JAN 2014
MicrosoAuditorium
PublicLibrarySeale
wwwdesignlectures/
events/david-carson
CreativeagencyCivilization
continuesitsDesignLecture
SeriesinJanuarywithafree
talkbyinternationallyacclaimed
designerDavidCarsontickets
willbeavailableonthedoorthe
restcanbereservedinadvance


DESIGN OF UNDERSTANDING
24 JAN 2014
BridewellHallStBride
LibraryFleetStLondon
thedesignofunderstandingcom
ItsNiceThatsWillHudsonis
amongthespeakersatthisonedayconferencelookingathow
ideasaredesignedtobemore
understandableTalkswillbe
minuteswithspeakersdiscussing
whatworkswhatdoesntandwhy

TOMORROW AWARDS:
CALL FOR ENTRIES DEADLINE
3 FEB 2014
wwwadcawardsorg
Recognisingthatnotallwork
producedbythecreative
COMPUTERARTSCREATIVEBLOQCOM
-24-

industriescanbeneatlylabelled
TomorrowAwardscelebrates
thegrowingsubsetofwork
thatshardertocategorise
Maybeaprojectharnesseda
newtechnologyorinvolvedan
ideathatsaheadofitstimeThe
deadlineforsubmiingyourentry
isFebdontmissit

VISUALIZED
6-7 FEB 2014
TheTimesCenter!!West"st
StreetManhaanNewYork
wwwvisualizedcom/!"
Visualizedistakingoverthe
TimesCentreinNYCagainfor
twodaysofdatastorytellingand
designwith-plusindustry
innovatorssettotaketothestage
fordiscussionsondatastories
thatmaerSpeakersinclude
AlexanderChenGoogleand
JuliaLaubGenerativeDesign

SUPERGRAPH
14-16 FEB 2014
TheRoyalExhibitionBuilding
#NicholsonStreetMelbourne
wwwsupergraphcomau
Australiascontemporarygraphic
artfaircelebratesdesignprintand
illustrationduringathree-dayesta
ofcreativityWithworkshops
artist-ledmasterclassesandfamilyorientatedeventsexpecttobe
bothinspiredandmotivated

TYPE CAMP INDIA

22-28 FEB 2014
TaraBookHeadquarters
ThiruvanmiyurChennai
wwwtypecamporg
Focusingontypography
anddesignculturethiscamp
providesanalternativeeducational
experienceandtheopportunityto
understandtheculturalcontexts
oftypographywhileexperiencing
oneofthemostancientcultures
intheworld


  
   
 
 


 


  


 



 

      



 



 
 
 

 



 
 
 

  

  

  
  





 
     
  
 

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JANUARY 2014

Strong opinion and

analysis from across the
global design industry
THIS MONTH
ALANPECKOLICK
GRAPHICDESIGNER
bit.ly/teachingtype

CATHOW
FOUNDER HOWKAPOW
www.howkapow.com

GORDONTAIT
NEWPRODUCTDEVELOPMENTMANAGER 
DCTHOMSON&COLTD
www.dcthomson.co.uk

REGULAR WRITERS
NATHUNTER
DIRECTOROF
DESIGN RSA

CATHOW
FOUNDER 
HOWKAPOW

LAWRENCEZEEGEN
HOSSGIFFORD
DIGITALSTRATEGIST DEANOFDESIGN 
LCC
ANDANIMATOR
COREYHOLMS
FREELANCE
DESIGNER

DEANJOHNSON
VICEPRESIDENT 
BRANDWIDTH

ODE TO AN
ANTI-HELVETICA
WORLD
One of the true founding fathers of
expressive typography, AlanPeckolick,
believes designers should op letting
the same old fonts do the talking

AL AN P E C KOLI C K INSIGHT

JANUARY 2014

ABOUTTHEWRITER
AmericandesignerAlanPeckolick
heraldedaconceptualmovementin
graphicdesignknownasexpressive
typographyHisrecentbookTeaching
TypetoTalkPointedLeafPressis
therstevercompendiumtospan
thetypographerscareer
bitly/teachingtype

have spent my 40-year-long career in

designpurposely avoiding Helvetica.
Thecleanliness and neutrality of the
letterforms has always made me uncomfortable, as
ifthe typeface was conspiring to take over the world
with conformity. The need for compatibility between
dierent digital platforms has created a trend of
sterile, uniform design the Helvetica aesthetic
thatrules anything from signs to labels to logos
today. There is almost a reverse movement to
makethe type become invisible or mute.
I always had more faith in type. Letterforms
canhandle a lot more than just spelling out words.
They can actually express rage, joy, impatience; they
can show movement, exibility and plumpness; they
can be critical or praiseworthy. A letterform is at its
best when the reader can really feel what the word
means, not just read it.
Fresh out of design school, I started working with
Herb Lubalin, the father of American graphic design,
who later became my partner before I set o on my
own. As partners in crime, we strived to make type
talk, make people laugh, dance, or move, depending
on the needs of the project. Others called this style
expressive typography. Through my work creating
countless book covers, movie posters, corporate logos
I worked to show the power of the letterform by
making it the medium for the message.
Let me be clear that expressive typography does not
equate to an ornate style. It is less about stylistic tricks
than conveying a meaning through movements in the
design of the letter. The Revlon logo, for example, does
not create a literal reference to beauty or femininity.
Instead, the joining of the L and the O is a subtle
suggestion of the Revlon lifestyle identied at the
intersection of glamour, excitement and innovation.
Nowadays, when I collaborate with young
designers, at the beginning of any project I grab
mypen and pad and start drawing new letterforms.
Ioften hear the same surprised question: Are you
drawing a letter? When hundreds of fonts are at your
ngertips to play with, how do you isolate the real
communication problem? How do you not pigeonhole
your design challenges into general ideas that can be
solved by easily selecting from whats available on
thecomputer? How do you make your work stand
outand not be predictable?
Creative type, with all its twists and turns, is not
incompatible with todays world. It is more a limitation
designers impose upon themselves. Most designers

Iencounter today think they are only as creative as

thenumber of fonts available on their computers.
Considering new forms and expressions beyond whats
immediately available to them seems to be out of their
realm of possibilities. To that end, technology and the
wealth of design software around can hinder creativity
rather than augment it. This paradox may not be
obvious to the inexperienced designer.
A new type approach can present the much-coveted
solution to a communication problem, be it in a logo,
movie poster, corporate brochure or an eBook cover.
More importantly, it can make a solution stand out
intodays design world so plagued by groupthink.
With imaging technology so advanced, creating new
expressions can actually be a much more efficient
process than it was before.
Drawing sheet after sheet of studies by hand,
though still my favourite way of brainstorming for
asolution, is not how I propose everyone spend their
time. I nd the important trick is to be able to step
away and to nd any appropriate tools, be it a pen and

MOST DESIGNERS IENCOUNTER

TODAYTHINKTHEY ARE ONLY AS
CREATIVEASTHENUMBER OF FONTS
AVAILABLE ON THEIRCOMPUTERS

paper or an iPad, to give ones mind the freedom to

delve into the problem until you identify a solution.
For the cover of my recent book, Teaching Type to
Talk, I designed over 50 covers until we chose the one
that worked perfectly. Instead of discarding the
studies this time, we decided to pay homage to all of
the solutions that were not chosen for the cover by
displaying them in the opening and closing spreads.
Sometimes the process of searching is as satisfying
asnding the solution, and a designer should be
driven by that search.
Is it possible to stay expressive and still remain adaptable?
Tweet @ComputerArts using #DesignMatters

COMPUTERARTSCREATIVEBLOQCOM

-29-

INSIGHT D E SI G N M AT TER S

JANUARY 2014

WHAT ARE YOUR DESIGNRELATED NEW YEARS

RESOLUTIONS FOR 2014?
Six creatives share their views

REJANEDALBELLO
SENIOR GRAPHIC DESIGNER

WOLFF OLINS
www.rejanedalbello.com

KENLO
FOUNDER
BLOW
wwwblowhk

The last 12 months have

beenparticularly busy for me.
There were also a lot offestive
promotional projects and all
theschedules were very rushed.
Looking forward, I hope that I can
reduce the quantity of promotional
projects in 2014 and hopefully free
up more time to focus on some
interesting branding projects.
Inaddition of course
Iwouldalso like to take two
orthree trips to gain some
designinspiration.

COMPUTERARTSCREATIVEBLOQCOM

-30-

I hope to put my how to prevent

long-term homelessness project into
practice as a test-run. Ive been in
contact with the council in Islington,
London and weve made progress.
Were trying to reach out as quickly
as possible to newly homeless people,
so they have the right access to
information before they become
used to street life. Its harder to help
long-term homeless people o the
street. Id also like to learn Cinema
4D and publish a childrens book.

DIANABELTRAN
HERRERA
ARTIST AND DESIGNER
www.dianabeltranherrera.com
My resolutions are to work hard, achieve
newgoals and take my art todierent
countries. Im planning abig installation
inBerlin in May as part of the Pictoplasma
conference, and some secret projects will
berevealed. Paper will remain my material
but my subject will change. Ill explore new
forms and animals orangutans have
caught my attention. I cant wait.

DESIG N M AT T E R S INSIGHT

JANUARY 2014

MRBINGO
FREELANCE ILLUSTRATOR
AND ANIMATOR
www.mr-bingo.org.uk
For 2014, my new years
resolutions areto make more
stu that I want to make and
less stu that companies want
me to make, to decorate things
and sell bad products.

BONNIESIEGLER
FOUNDER
EIGHT AND A HALF
www.8point5.com

One: trust my instincts.

Two: dont be afraid of the
unknown. Three: make more
money. Four: dont check email
constantly. Five: remember,
clients are people too. Six: nish
writing my book. Seven: get o
the computer and sketch with
pencils. Eight: have more fun.
Eight-and-a-half: make
morelists.

YOURVIEWS
Comment on Facebook,
ortweet @ComputerArts
with your thoughts using
#DesignMatters

SIMONMANCHIPP
@MANCHIPP
dpiBoom
Dadjokesrock.
www.someone
inlondon.com

DAVIDAIREY
GRAPHIC DESIGNER
www.davidairey.com

Its simple for me keep

things going as they were in
2013. My rst child was born
a few days ago and thats a
big change. If I can continue
work without too much
disruption, Ill be happy.

DAVIDMAHONEY
Saying no! Being
productive is great, but
applying myself thinly
doesnt help me action
ideas quickly or to the
best of my ability.
www.idmahoney.com

COMPUTERARTSCREATIVEBLOQCOM

-31-

TIGZRICE@TIGZY
I shall be creating my
very rst app for my
photographystudio
in"#$Research
done%timetobuild.
www.tigzrice.com

JONATHANMAK
Be more succinct with
my words, but learn that
sometimes more is more
in visual communication.
Also, get beer at
replying to emails.
www.jonmak.com

I N SI GH T C AT H O W

JANUARY 2014

ABOUTTHEWRITER
CatHowstudiedEnglish
literatureatBristol
Universityandthen
communicationdesign
atCentralSaintMartins
In CatandRoger
HowsetupHowkapow
acolourfuldesignshop
promotingtheworkof
independentcreatives
wwwhowkapowcom

Screenprinting: is it worth it?

Howkapows Cat How explores the merits of producing and
sellinglimited-edition screenprints of your work, compared
withtheir more economical digital counterparts

n our physical shop, a common question

customers ask quizzically, brows furrowed,
holding up a print in either hand is, Why
is this print double the price, when both are the same
size? We explain that one is a screenprint handpulled in a limited run of just 10 while the other
isastandard digital gicle print, pumped outin
alimitless run on an industrial printer.
Some customers understand this distinction,
opting for the screenprint as an investment piece.
Others will shrug, think the price gap ludicrous and
gofor the value option, preferring the image itself
overthe exclusivity of the other.
Each decision is a valid one from the point of view
of the customer, but as the creator its important to
understand this distinction if you want your work
tosell. The key is knowing your market: who do you
want to sell to? Can they aord the prices you want to
charge, and do they understand why you are charging
those prices in the rst place? Once you know this, it
can help you decide where to sell.
With a screenprint handmade, signed, titled
anddated by you in a small run you can, and should,
charge a premium price. But this only makes sense if
its sold somewhere people can understand the quality
and skill required to create it. Galleries and design
shops are ideal, as people can really see and feel the
quality, and expect it to be that price because of
theenvironment. In the past we sold a lot of
screenprintsin Howkapows physical shop.

In contrast, weve found digital prints sell better

online attracting an audience who are less fussy
about provenance and skill, and more interested in
anice image for their wall at an aordable price.
Market stalls are good selling grounds too, as lower
value products tend to sell best here.
Artist markets are also an ideal testing ground
toask your customers face-to-face what they want.
Dothey mind paying more for a screenprint or are
theyless fussed about this and just after a good
price?Explain to them the process and it could be
thatyouchange their minds.
Some might consider digital printing a sell-out,
butits a great way of expanding your work onto
otherproducts, such as homewares and ceramics,
andreaching a dierent audience. Hand-printing,
onthe other hand, elevates work to art status.
Quality versus quantity comes into question here.
With digital, you can sell your work at a lower, more
competitive price by printing large runs, but you lose
the uniqueness a screenprint has, as well as control
over stock and colour matching. Saying that, Ive
seensome superb digital prints that walk all over
screenprinted eorts.
Ultimately its the customer who decides and who
buys. Figure out which process works best for youas a
designer, and youre already halfway there.
Would you happily pay more for a limited-edition, handmade print? Tweet @ComputerArts with #DesignMatters

COMPUTERARTSCREATIVEBLOQCOM

-32-

I N SI GH T G O RD O N TA I T

JANUARY 2014

ABOUTTHEWRITER
GordonTaitisnewproduct
developmentmanagerat
DCThomson&CoLtd
Heisresponsibleamongst
otherthingsforensuring
brandconsistencywithin
aportfoliothatincludes
TheBeanoDennisthe
MenaceandGnasherThe
BroonsandBananaman
wwwdcthomsoncouk

Old brand, new tricks

Allowing anexternalillurator to play with your brand could prove
risky.Gordon Tait explains whatprompted much-loved comic
TheBeanotohand its precious yle guide over to Jon Burgerman

hile sitting at home watching footage of

JonBurgerman on YouTube, I saw a promo
about snowboard apparel that featured
theillustrators distinctive character art. My rst
thought was, Wow, I really like this. Itwould be
great if we could create similar patterns featuring
The Beano chums to concept up for our agent to
present. Then it hit me. Could we interest this
artist,who had no previous professional connection
to The Beano, to give us histake on our brand?
When I joined the Consumer Products department
at publishers DC Thomson, allof our creative was
developed in-house, working with our wider family of
long-term freelance illustrators. We have a mainstay
of comic artists who have worked with us for many
years, and who know all the characters inside-out.
However, over the past year, my team has engaged
with design studios and individuals like Burgerman to
freshen things up. Ina ercely competitive industry,
the real challenge is to becreative and innovative with
the brands potential a few bold steps and some
experimentation can only be a good thing.
Bringing in an outside artist to work on a product
with 75 years worth of heritage to protect comes with
certain responsibilities. As new product development
manager, I need to ensure that the products have a
consistent, on-brand look and feel. The assets are
delivered in the form of a style guide PDF, consisting
ofrules and visual references for all the character art,
packaging and design options.

So how does bringing in these new contributors

sitwith the role of looking after the brand? First, there
is always a brief we never hand over total control.
Consistency can still be upheld by adhering to the
brand values. In TheBeanos case, these are quite
straightforward: mischievous, funny, kid-centric,
smart, adventurous, imaginative and energetic.
Working with third parties on projects should be
approached as a collaboration, and not be viewed as
anopportunity to offload work. The point of engaging
other creative teams is to have them bring a variety
ofideas to the table. Jon was already a big Beano fan
when we got him on board in fact, when he came
back with his original designs, I had to encourage
himto go even more Burgerman on them.
Jons a true original, and thats howI feel about the
talented artists who have provided artwork over the
years for The Beano. Jon is a more obvious choice than
he might seem look at the work of David Law (the
original Dennis the Menace artist) and imagine how
that must have rst appeared. I can see the same
innovative, energetic approach in Jons artwork.
In my opinion, the success of The Beano both
interms of the illustration, and the writing is based
onthe fact that its the product of highly original and
imaginative minds; game-changers who, like Jon,
enjoy throwing out the rulebook.
Would you let Burgerman get his hands on your brands
style guide? Tweet @ComputerArts using #DesignMatters

COMPUTERARTSCREATIVEBLOQCOM

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Computer Arts selects the hoest

newdesign, illustration and motion
work from the global design scene

INDEPENDENTLYMINDED
THEINDEPENDENTREDESIGN
November
byMaWilleyandThe
Independentsin-houseteam
www
mattwilley
co
uk

TheIndependenthasunveiledaradicalredesign
completedbytheBritishpapersin-houseteamand
MaWilleynotablycelebratedforhisworkon
magazinesincludingPortandElephantaswellas
therecentlyredesignedRIBAJournal
Therevampincludesacleanbespokefontsetby
A /SW/HKsHenrikKubelfewervariancesinstory
lengthprominentwhitespaceandaninnovative
verticallyrunmastheadonthefrontpageItsa
boldnewdirectioninplacesmoreakintoamonthly
literarymagazinethannationalnewspaperbut
doesitdelivernewsstandcut-throughandwillit
beenoughtoreversedramaticallyfallingsales?
Thepapersnewdesignitsthirdsince


tookthreemonthsandWilleyworkedclosely
withheadofcreativeDanBarberandStephen
PetchartdirectoroftheSundayNewReview
AccordingtoeditorAmolRajantheaimwasto
recreatetheclassicwithatwistdesignofits
 launchandradiatethefeelingofa
broadsheetincompactform
Startingfromthetypeanddesigningupwards
thepaperhasbeenentirelyrestructuredand
simpliedthroughoutWilleycommissionedKubel
toproduceabespokenewfontfamilycomprising
IndySansIndySerifIndyCondensedandIndy
Hairlinesetseachcarryinglightmediumand
boldweightsKubelhadntworkedonanewspaper
projectbeforeandcouldbringamorehardworking
approachtoafontfamilyintendedtoworkacross
multiplemediumsinvaryingpointsizesfromweb
listingstofront-pageheadlines

PROJECT
REVIEW

WhileTheIndependentretainsitscompactformat
afresheditorialstrategyinformedtheredesignWilley
saysthatstoriesarenowmainlyshortnews-in-briefs
orlongerfeatureswithlessmid-lengthcontentThis
enabledtheteamtocontrastthestorylengths
creatingmorecleanspaceoneachpage
Nowhereisthismoreprominentthanonthe
frontpagewherethenewmastheadplacement
isintendedtoallowtheleadimageandheadline
roomforimpactHoweverthenewlayoutpresents
acommoneditorialdesignchallengebypositioning
thepicturestorydirectlyabovetheleadstorythere
isadangerthetwocouldbeperceivedasconnected
placingincreasedpressureonthemainheadlineto
createthenecessaryvisualhierarchy
Overallthoughthenewdesignisacondent
movethatwhileaddingtothemagazinefeel
providesthesophisticationdemandedbythebrief
CruciallyitsucceedsinseingTheIndependent
apartfromitscompetitorsonthebusyUKnewsstand
Thenewdesignisalsopracticalintendedtomake
theproductionprocessassmoothaspossiblefor
sub-editingteamsontightdeadlinesCaptionshave
moreexiblewordcountsforexamplemakingpage
ingeasierAsWilleypointsoutthebriefwasfor
boldsophisticationbutthechallengeofcreatinga
sustainableproductwascoretohisinterpretation
Itfeltimportanttodosomethingcondentclean
andsophisticatedheexplainsButitalsohadtobe
somethingthatcouldbebuiltbeermoreeasilyput
togetherandwithmoreunderstandingsomething
thatcouldbesustained

S HO W C AS E

JANUARY 2014


Thefrontpageofsection HenrikKubels
elegantcustomdisplayfontIndyHairline
neatlylinksthesectiontotherestofthe
newspaper
 
TheIndependentsverticalmastheaddevice
featuresonWilleysnewcovertemplatesfor
theRadarandTravellersectionsaswellas
thefrontpagecreatingcoherenceand
continuityacrossthenewidentity
 
ThisspreadfromtheVoicessectionofthe
Saturdayeditionfeaturesanillustration
ofJeKoonsbyLaurenCrow
  
WalterMoltenifromMilan-basedmedia
studioLaTigreredrewtheIndependents
iconicEagleemblem
   
WhileeachofKubelsbespokefontsdiers
instyleandweighttheunderlyingframework
remainsthesameasthistypefacesample
demonstratesTheresultisanelegant
hardworkingfamilyabletodelivereverything
fromheadlinestolistings

COMPUTERARTSCREATIVEBLOQCOM

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TH E VERY B E ST NE W DE SI G N

JANUARY 2014

THE REST OF THE

INDUSTRY SAYS
AREMDUPLESSIS
Design director, The New
York Times Magazine
www.nyti.ms/b14ACJ

The Independent redesign hits

every high note imaginable. The
masthead, set in a beautiful serif,
placed vertically along the le side
of the page, is an eective, elegant
solution. It puts the content at
centre stage while maintaining a
strong brand presence. Very few
newspapers would dare to be so
intrepid with their identity. And for
that very reason the revised version
really makes a statement. Another
standout moment is the Section 2
opener. Simple, yet bold, it gives the
reader a moment to breath before
jumping into the next portion of
content. Lastly, I really admire the
consistency of the brand as a whole.
The vertical masthead makes its
way onto the covers of Radar and
Traveller in a way thats seamlessly
integrated with the identity of the
paper. Overall, its really well done.

SUZANNELEMON
Art director, the Guardian
www.theguardian.com/uk

The Independent has had several

redesigns over the last few years,
andI think it has nally hit the right
note. It feels more intelligent and
mature now, with nice use of white
space and creative typography.
Ditching the bright red masthead
wasdenitely a good move, and
thenew Indy font set is great.
COMPUTERARTSCREATIVEBLOQCOM
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S HO W C AS E

JANUARY 2014

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TH E VERY B E ST NE W DE SI G N

JANUARY 2014

TURNITUP
VOLUMESPRINTSERIES
by Fieldwork
www.madebyfieldwork.com

MANINTHEMIRROR

Manchester-baseddesignanddigitalagency
Fieldworkhaslaunchedanewlimited-edition
printseriesentitledVolumesPitchedasan
openplatformforcollaborativeexploration
Volumewentliveon Novemberwitha
collectionofvibrantprintsillustratedby
SpanishstudioHeyonGFSmithpaper
Anythinggoesaslongaswecantit
intotheAfolderssaysdigitaldirector
AndyGoWevetalkedaboutallkinds
ofpotentialcollaborationswoodwork
papercratextileselectronicsandcode
Keepitsimpledoitwellisakeymantra
behindtheprojectwhichismadewithfriends
fellowmakersandindustrypunditsinmind
andtheprojecthasadigitalcomponent
tooOneofourbigthingsatFieldworkis
exploringthespacebetweenprintanddigital
howandwhypeoplemovebetweenthem
andhowthetwocanbelinkedGoadds

CLASHMAGAZINEILLUSTRATIONS
by Mat Maitland
www.matmaitland.com

To celebratetherecent -year
anniversaryofthemakingofMichael
Jacksons lmMoonwalker
illustratorMatMaitlandcreatedtwo
collage-basedimagesforanarticle
inClashmagazinesNovember issue.
It was about looking back to his
golden period, so I wanted to echo
this in the images which is why I
used mirrors, explains Maitland, who
is also creative director at Big Active
Design. I love mirrors and it was a
new device for me to use in my work.
While one image is based on the
Palace of Versaille, an older-seeming
Bubbles features in the other. Its
almost like Michael is forever young
but Bubbles has aged. I wanted to
get some sadness in there.

COMPUTERARTSCREATIVEBLOQCOM

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PAPERINSPIRATIONS
AFFINIAMANHATTANHOTELARTWORK
by Eiko Ojala
www.ploom.tv

I wanted to make my life really hard with this project, laughs Estonian
illustrator Eiko Ojala, in reference to his new papercut-inspired artwork
forthe Ania Manhaan hotel lobby. Their interior design company
contacted me with a totally open brief, he recalls. It just had to represent
New York so I decided to do something detailed and time-consuming.
Starting with black-and-white hand-drawn sketches, Ojala digitally built
up the detail of the ribbons. I like the base of this work three ribbons
where the city stands, he says.

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TH E VERY B E ST NE W DE SI G N

JANUARY 2014

LONDONCALLING
COFFEEHOUSELONDONIDENTITY
by Reynolds and Reyner
www.reynoldsandreyner.com

Reynolds and Reyner recently transported a

lilepiece ofLondon to the centre of Kiev. Tasked
tovisualise Coee House Londons pride in its
coeeand evoke asense of loyalty in the cafes
consumers, the Ukraine studio embellished a
classicaesthetic with modern ourishes to create
astylish, comprehensive identity, which references
Londonculture throughout.
Combining classic and modern, plus themes of
London culture and the process of drinking coee
was challenging, admits Reynolds and Reyner
partner Alexander Andreyev. I like how it appears
tobe modern, even with a coat of arms in the logo.

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S HO W C AS E

JANUARY 2014

MOTION
HIGHLIGHT

AMINIATUREHISTORY
AMICROCOSMOFLONDONANIMATION
by Persistent Peril
www.persistentperil.com

Nine months of work came to fruition this November

when the Barbican launched an animated isometric
lm of its history. Briefed to compress the entire
history of Europes largest arts centre into a short,
engaging lm, Brighton studio Persistent Peril based
its animation on the article A Microcosm of London
by Peter Ackroyd, and opted for a video-game
aesthetic, using colour to show the passing of time.
The lm is about an area of land and its history,
soa large tile that elements could build in and play
out on seemed ideal, explains creative director and
Persistent Peril co-owner Garth Jones.
The storyboard and animatic stage were quite
challenging in terms of establishing rules and making
sure every piece placed on our isometric eld served
a narrative purpose, recalls director Jonny Clapham.
As Jones explains, each member of the Persistent
Peril team took on dierent elements of the design
during the project: Collaborating and exploring a
new style together was a really fun experience.

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TH E VERY B E ST NE W DE SI G N

JANUARY 2014

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S HO W C AS E

JANUARY 2014

FEATURED
SHOWREEL

ALTERNATIVEREALITIES
SHOWREEL
by Neon
www.neon.tv

Neonisaboutiquecreativestudiothatspecialises
invisualstorytellingItsrecentlyreleasedshowreel
providesanupbeattasteroftherangeanddiversity
oftheteamsworkseamlesslycuingbetween
animationvisualeectsandliveactionprojects
Itsmostlycommercial-basedbutwevealso
includedworkwevedonefortitlesequencesandour
ownR&Dprojectswherewegetthechancetobe
alilemorecreativeexplainsTomBridgeswho
highlightsboththestudiosskatelmMacroand
itsColliderconferencetitlesamonghisfavourites
SowareusedincludedMayaMariCinemaD
NukeAerEectsPhotoshopPFTrackTopogun
RealowFinalCutthelistislonghelaughs

COMPUTERARTSCREATIVEBLOQCOM

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TAILORED FOR TABLET.

Experience additional multimedia content
in our fully interactive iPad edition
TRY IT
FOR FREE
TODAY!

ComputerArtsreaders know design maers Thats why weve completely

reinvented our digital edition as a fully interactive iPad experience with
impeccable usability Theres also additional interactive content

such as image galleries and bonus videos
which bring the
motion content featured in the magazine to life

TRY IT FOR FREE TODAY WITH

OUR NO-OBLIGATION !-DAY TRIAL AT
hp#//googl/sMcPj *UK+ or hp#//googl/aib! *US+

Digital replicas also available on Google Play, Nook and Zinio

AUTHOR
AngharadLewisisanindependent
writerandeditorspecialisingin
designandcultureShehasedited
andauthoredseveralbooks
herlatest%publishedbyLaurence
King%istitledThePurpleBook
ShewaseditorofGrakmagazine
between""*and"##and
isfounderofUpSideUp%anew
ventureworkingwithgraphic
designerstodevelopproducts

IMAGE:
Tote bag byCrispin Finn
wwwcrispinnncom

ENTERPRI SI NG I LLUST R AT OR S

SPECIAL REPORT

enterprising
illustrators
With the economic downturn promoting an entrepreneurial spirit,
Angharad Lewis identies an exciting new breed of designers and
illustrators who are busy diversifying not only to survive, butthrive

hances are that if you create

illustrations for a living, you also
have to be a pretty enterprising
character to survive. Unless
youre regularly commissioned to
sketch front-row at Paris Fashion
Week or the phone is ringing o the hook
with oers ofSony record sleeves, you have
patches ofbeing a bit hard-up.
The good news is that, while there
areever more people in the eld, the doors
are open foryou to create your own chances,
rather than wait for that call from your
agent. Your horizons as an illustrator are
nowglitteringly broad.
The meteoric success of the Pick Me
Up exhibition at Somerset House over the
past four years shows what a multifarious
beast the pursuit of illustration can be:
fromselling products to running workshops.
Being an illustrator can, if you choose to
embrace it, present far more freedom than
responding to client briefs. But how easy is it
to make all that energy spent away from
actually illustrating things pay? You probably
need more than an Etsy shop and the odd
exhibition to reap nancial rewards from
self-initiated work.

Nonetheless, theres a shift in the

landscape of illustration that is partly down
to the enterprising and entrepreneurial
spirit of its practitioners making things
tosell, setting up printing presses and
publishers, exhibiting, staging events and

PERHAPSBEING
ENTREPRENEURIALIS
LESSSCARYTHANIT
WASBEFOREBECAUSE
BIGBUSINESSES
SEEMSOFRAGILE
ALEXSPIRONOBROW
opening shops illustrators are creating
their own markets.
Alex Spiro of indie publisher Nobrow
also makes a connection between economic
recession and new technology a perfect
storm for entrepreneurs. I think people
aremore critical of who they work for these

COMPUTERARTSCREATIVEBLOQCOM

-49-

days, he says, and perhaps more people feel

as though being entrepreneurial is less scary
than it was before, because big businesses
seem so fragile. Advances in technology have
served to lessen the gaps between producers
and consumers. I think this has also
contributed a lot to the trend.
The move away from homogenised
consumption means consumers dont want
the high streets identikit oerings, but a
more engaging experience of shopping
thethrill of nding something unusual,
limited-edition or with an interesting story
is more gratifying than quick-x spending.
The internet and social media have liberated
enterprising people in every eld to access
audiences, but the can-do attitude and DIY
spirit of illustrators seems to have them
particularly well placed to take advantage
ofthese new opportunities.

CHANNELLING YOUR INNER SUIT

Groups like the Association ofIllustrators
run business masterclasses advising on the
nitty-gritty of nances and self-promotion.
Its sensible to be au fait withthe tax system
and have a grasp of bookkeeping, but can
you actually learn business air?

SP ECI AL R E P OR T

JANUARY 2014

AisforApplePrintby
illustratorEmilyForgot

Self-initiated work keeps the creative

res lit, so if you can make it pay hard cash
too, thats a win-win situation. Further to
this, being forced to think in a commercial
way about your own work can help keep
your feeton the ground.
Illustrator Emily Forgot has
alwaysmade things to sell alongside her
commissioned work, and reckons business
acumen is something that comes with time.
The longer Im working in the eld of
design and illustration, she says, the
moreinterested I am in the business side
ofthings. I suppose it makes me feel more
grown up when most of the time my work
feels like play.
George Wu of pop-up design
retailerPoundshop also thinks illustrators
can benet from some hands-on business
perspective. Since the recession there is
ahuge entrepreneurial spirit growing from
designers taking business into their own
hands, she says. Understanding the
commercial side of design makes you more
receptive to your market and opens your
eyes to what actually sells, rather than
whatyou think should sell.
Neal Whittington of stationery and
printed ephemera retailer Present & Correct

echoes the whole follow your gut school of

decision-making. I know what I like and am
decisive in what I stock, but not necessarily
in my own work, he says. It does help to be
ableto see things in a monetary sense. That
sounds terrible, but its your living and it
helps you edit things out and say no.

isquick to point out). The design for Present

&Correct, from the shops branding to its
beautifully art-directed shoots, help keep
Whittingtons design muscles exed.
I miss it a little, he admits of his
years spent working on design full-time.
Idlove to get my teeth into a fun little
branding project. I make and illustrate
things for the shop when I can.

BEINGABLETO
SEETHINGSIN
AMONETARYSENSE
HELPSYOUEDITTHINGS
OUTANDSAYNO

NEALWHITTINGTON 
PRESENT&CORRECT

Whittington ran Present & Correct as

an online store for ve years before opening
a shop on Arlington Way in North London
in 2013. Before Present & Correct, he worked
as a designer and illustrator, for Monocle
magazine among others, but these days does
not see himself as just a shopkeeper (not
that theres anything wrong with that, he

COMPUTERARTSCREATIVEBLOQCOM

-50-

FROM DESIGN TO DELIVERY

Despite being of an entrepreneurial bent,
Anna Fidalgo and Roger Kelly of online
stationery and homeware store Crispin Finn
admit its a challenge juggling the creative
stu with the demands of running a
business. Their success is clearly down to
lots of hard work, and they own the whole
supply chain from idea to delivery.
Its a learning curve trying to
maintain both the physical production of
everything and run an online shop alongside
our client-based design work, says Fidalgo.
There are so many practical factors
involved beyond making the work itself
theres a lot of daily admin to be done,
budgeting for new materials, guring out
packaging, postage, customer relations,
keeping the accounts ship-shape, all of

ENTERPRI SI NG I LLUST R AT OR S

JANUARY 2014

I L L U S T R AT I O N
ASBUSINESS
Nobrowopeneditsdoorsin!setupbyanimator
SamArthurandillustratorAlexSpirowhowererecently
shortlistedfortheHospitalClub"Conceivedasan
indiepublishinghouseforillustratedbooksandcomics
todayNobrowoperatesoutofabuildinginShoreditch
Londonwithaprintingpressinthebasementastreet
levelshop-galleryandstudioupstairs
Itmakesbooksandprintswitharosterofillustrators
alwaysusingthedistinctivespot-colourprintingprocess
Spirosseasonedadvicetoillustratorswithabusiness
idea$StandbyitWhateveritisitwillnotbeeasy
Self-beliefiseverything
N O B R OW
wwwnobrownet

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SP ECI AL R E P OR T

JANUARY 2014

Productsby
CrispinFinnin
itsdistinctive
restricted
colourpalee

that. And having an overall view of what

andhow were doing as a business.
Distinctive for its restricted colour
palette of red, white and blue, Crispin Finn
is an example of an extra-curricular passion
that ended up becoming a full-time pursuit.
Couple Fidalgo and Kelly had separate day
jobs as a designer and artist but collaborated
out-of-hours on projects under the Crispin
Finn moniker. When they started the
venture, the aim was never to go full-time
Crispin Finns development was aresult
ofseeing how far they could push things,
and out of sheer enjoyment.
Crispin Finn keeps most of its print
production in-house, thus limiting costs it
would not be unusual to nd the pair toiling
late into the night in the screenprinting
workshop installed in their studio to meet
an order deadline. Proof that you have to be
dedicated, exacting, and a touch bloodyminded to achieve what they do.
With illustration you never know
when the next job is coming and we feel
thatif youre not actively trying to make
things happen, maybe things wont happen,
explains Kelly.

We have a long list of things we want

to make and people wed love to work with,
so were always pushing to try and get those
things out there alongside the commercial
work, adds Fidalgo. The variety is what we

IN!ISOLDSOME
EDITIONSWHICH
FELTGOODIDNEVER
HADTHATMUCH
SATISFACTIONDOING
COMMERCIALWORK

PATRICKTHOMAS GRAPHICARTIST

thrive on. It keeps the daily challenges

exciting, and means there is always
something that needs doing.

RIP UP THE RULE BOOK

It takes guts (and perhaps a touch of
foolhardiness) to leave clients behind and

COMPUTERARTSCREATIVEBLOQCOM

-52-

turn yourself into the main event. What

happens if you decide to chuck your biggest
client, or even all your clients?
Some trained illustrators have
donejust that, operating more like artists,
communicating their own ideas and
swapping clients for collaborators. The
success of graphic artists like Patrick
Thomas, Anthony Burrill and Rob Ryan
isbacked up by years of experience, knowing
what sells and making condent decisions.
For Thomas, the leap came after a key
exhibition. In 2006 I had work in a show at
the V&A and sold some editions, which felt
good. Id never had that much satisfaction
doing commercial work so I decided that
from then on I would concentrate more
ondoing my own thing, he recalls.
Initially, I tried juggling it with
commissions but soon realised that it had to
be one or the other. It was in 2008 when I set
up my rst silkscreen press and decided to
work 100 per cent on my own stu that
things really started to come together.
However, full-on independence is not
the route for everyone, and it can be just as
rewarding to perfect the art of working for

ENTERPRI SI NG I LLUST R AT OR S

JANUARY 2014

I L L U S T R AT I O N
ASART
PatrickThomasfoundhispathasan
artistbyremovinghimselffromhis
comfortzoneasacommissioned
illustratorAergraduatingfromthe
RoyalCollegeofArthebalanced
commissionswithhisownpracticebut
everythingchangedwhenhefound
recognitionandamarketforhisown
workthroughexhibiting
In"##"heuppedsticksandmoved
toBarcelonatohonehisartHenow
worksacrossfourcities%Barcelona
BerlinLondonandStugart'spliing
histimebetweenteachingrunninghis
screenprintingstudiosandexhibiting
Igenerallyhatedbriefssowhen
Idecidedtostoptakingoncommissions
thepressurewasontoproducebeer
workNowtherearenoexcuses$ifit
goeswrongyoucantblameanyoneor
anythingelseThomasexplainsIenjoy
thatpressureIrarelyhaveanideafora
pieceinthestudioIspendalotoftime
travelingFormethestudioiswhere
Iworkwithideasconceivedelsewhere
PATRICKTHOMAS
wwwpatrickthomascom

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SP ECI AL R E P OR T

JANUARY 2014

Arangeofabusive
postcardsfrom
MrBingosHate
Mailservice

clients and doing so in a way that is

creatively satisfying. Illustrator Richard
Hogg has been working almost full-time on
video game Hohokum for a year and a half.
He and collaborator Ricky Hoggart have
never had a client as such for Hohokum, but
Hogg says the collaboration sharing ideas,
work and deadlines is motivating.
I couldnt work totally on my own,
itwouldnt be as satisfying, he says. In
thetime he has been funded to work on
Hohokum hes had little time for other client
briefs, but a few small jobs have kept his
hand in, and he doesnt see himself making
the move entirely to being a game designer.
I like working [for clients]. It makes
me sad when people are down on it because
Ireally like briefs, I really like solving
problems for people. And I quite like the idea
of being a service people pay me and I x
athing, or make a thing theyre happy with
that helps their business.

A DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE
It boggles my mind that there arent more
people like me doing this, says Hogg of his
position as an illustrator designing a video

game. He sees the world of video games as

rich pickings for illustrators and artists, who
can make something special that stands out
in the eld and which they already have the
skills to embrace.

INSOMEWAYSI
SUPPOSEIAMLIVING
THEDREAMITS
CERTAINLYAPRETTY
UNUSUALWAYTO
MAKEALIVING

MRBINGOILLUSTRATOR

Illustrators can also provide a fresh

perspective on the world of gaming. For
instance, Hogg interacts with games in
away that theirmakers didnt necessarily
intend, exploring the environment rather
than justkilling the bad guys. This has
ended upfeeding into Hohokum.

COMPUTERARTSCREATIVEBLOQCOM

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Its not something we set out to do

initially, but we feel there is a lot of scope
formaking games that appeal to people
whodont normally like games, he says.
If Hogg is an example of an illustrator
innovating in a eld not normally signposted
illustration, Mr Bingo is one who has set
uphis very own independent state, with
abenevolent (and rude) dictator as its
gurehead. Bingo has made a brand of
himself, and is in the lucky position of being
commissioned for his ideas and persona as
well as his drawing style. So apparently
lovedis his work that people are prepared
tocommission him, through his unique
Hate Mail service, to insult them. Living
thedream, surely?
In some ways I suppose I am, he
muses. Its certainly a pretty unusual way
tomake a living, and difficult to describe
tonew people you meet.
Bingo, too, still feels the call of
commissioned work. I could turn Hate
Mailinto a full-time occupation, he says,
but Id run out of ideas fairly quickly.
Iwouldnt want to do it every day. Its
denitely the most fun thing Ive ever

ENTERPRI SI NG I LLUST R AT OR S

JANUARY 2014

I L L U S T R AT I O N
A S  I N N O VAT I O N
Hohokumisaradicalvideogameinitsplotand
designnodeathnostressnofailurejustan
enjoyablesensoryexperienceasyoucontrolthe
colourfullong-moverthroughvariousinteresting
environmentswithchallengestocomplete%ornot
asyouwish'andamazingmusiclikelisteningtoan
albumandyouvisitdierentplacestolistentothe
trackssaysthegamesmakerRichardHogg
HeanddeveloperRickyHaggebeganworking
onideasin!*andtooktheirprototypegameto
festivalsandcompetitionseventuallygeingsigned
bySonyin!"!Hohokumwillbereleasedin!"
R IC HA R D HO G G
wwwh##com

COMPUTERARTSCREATIVEBLOQCOM

-55-

SP ECI AL R E P OR T
Windowdisplayby
GeorgeWuandSarah
Goleibfortheir
pop-upPoundshop

done,but doing anything over and over

again always becomes dull after a while.
The agenda for illustrators moving in
and redening an existing eld has been set
by their forays into retail. Is there something
in the water that draws illustrators towards
shopkeeping? The canvas of four walls and
awindow onto thestreet perhaps holds
something of the promise that illustrators
are naturally tunedin to the possibilities
are truly endless.
Operating a rather less conventional
retail business model, the aforementioned
Poundshop, founded by George Wu and
Sarah Gottleib in 2010, is a travelling
emporium stocking work submitted by guest
designers and illustrators, on sale for 1 to
10. It has popped up at venues from disused
shops, toad agency offices, to gallery spaces.
Wu and Gottleib collaborated with
adierent designer eachtime to create
theinterior. A major labour of love, they
tPoundshop in around their day jobs in
teaching and design, but plan to grow it
asaviable business.
Hopefully we can start a mentoring
scheme where we help designers to produce

their items from idea and out onto the shop

oor, says Gottleib of future plans. Also
atthis point we are getting a lot of retailers
asking for the designers products to be

IDONTTHINKWE
HAVETOBECRAZY
ENTREPRENEURSAND
HAVETHESECRAZY
IDEASIFYOUREGOOD
ANDWORKHARD
YOULLMAKEIT

SARAHGOTTLEIB POUNDSHOP

soldin their shops, sothis is something

werehoping to develop.
As a conduit to help self-initiated
designs reach potential customers, Wu
andGottleib have a good perspective on
thevalue of small-scale entrepreneurship

COMPUTERARTSCREATIVEBLOQCOM

-56-

inillustration. Is it an essential quality

tosucceed today?
I guess it depends on what kind of
designer you would like to be, says Gottleib.
I dont think we should feel that we have
tobe these crazy entrepreneurs and have
crazyideas just to make it. If you are
goodand work hard you will make it.

WE ARE FAMILY
You have to be pretty comfortable with
yourown company as an illustrator hours
poring over a drawing or ddly Photoshop
job can mean you dont speak to another
human for entire days. Which is why
illustrators band together for company (and
use a lot of social media). The need for
sanity-saving compadres, collaboration and
teamwork has spawned collectives, shared
studio spaces and collaborative projects.
Nobrow is an amazing example
ofpeople power. Despite being a small
machine, its output is prolic and exquisitely
executed. We have a wonderful team
ofpeople who work very hard to keep
everything running smoothly, says
co-founder Alex Spiro. It sounds very

ENTERPRI SI NG I LLUST R AT OR S

JANUARY 2014

I L L U S T R AT I O N
ASSOCIALENTERPRISE
IllustrationcollectiveNousVouswasinvitedtocollaborateonELMO
%EastLondonMobileWorkshop'bycuratorFionaBoundyaera
collaborationwithBoundyandarchitecturepracticeStudioWeave
calledTheEcologyofColourinDartfordlastyear
Wecameupwiththeideaofamobilestudiotochampionthe
ideaofmakinginvariousformsincludingprintmaking"mmlm
instrumentbuildingceramicsandfurnituresaysJayCloverco-
founderofNousVouswithNicholasBurrowsandWilliamEdmonds
TheELMOBedfordbusiskiedoutwithmodularpeg-board
claddingthatcanbecustomisedforworkshopsandeventsSofar
therehavebeeneventsatWilliamMorrisGalleryinWalthamstow
BethnalGreenLibraryandTimberLodgeintheOlympicPark
NOUSVOUS
wwwnousvouseu

COMPUTERARTSCREATIVEBLOQCOM

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SP ECI AL R E P OR T

JANUARY 2014

NEALWHITTINGTON
banal, but having a good team of motivated
and passionate people who believe in the
company and what it does is crucial.
Making work that you can sell
directly to the punters, as Nobrow does, also
makes you feel more connected. Going from
working in his spare room at home to
opening a shop was a big shift in Present &
Correct founder Whittingtons daily routine.
Its made me a lot more productive
and structured, he says. To go somewhere
every day, with very certain tasks, is good.
Its also nice to chat to people and sit in
aroom full of office supplies that I love.
For band of three Nous Vous Jay
Clover, Nicholas Burrows and William
Edmonds working as a threesome brings
condence as well as cameraderie. Three
people are better than two for making
decisions and resolving any creative
disputes, says Burrows.
There are things that wed never
take on individually that wecan do asa
three-piece, such as our East London Mobile
Workshop (ELMO), but thatdoesnt mean
we share absolutely everything, continues
Edmonds. Its important to retain our own
individual practices, otherwise itd be boring
and wed be the same person. Thats what
makes it exciting the potential and the
energy created between the three of us.
It is also about community in a wider
sense for Nous Vous. A joint venture with
Studio Weave, Fiona Boundy and Hunt
&Gather, ELMO takes them outside the
illustration bubble and literally out on
theroad in a converted Bedford bus.
Being involved in the community
locally, or in a wider sense is part of why
we dowhat we do, concludes Clover. We
enjoy connecting with people on a personal
level, but we wouldnt ever want to give the
impression that were always doing that as a
seless thing away from work. We want to
be part of theworld in general, not part of
aclique orsub-culture, and these things
really help us todothat.

PRESENT&CORRECT

The founder of Present & Correct the online

store that opened itsrst shop earlier this year
shares the secrets of his success
Canyouputintowordsyourfetishforall
thingstodowithstationery?
Itholdssomuchpromiseliketherstdayof
aschooltermBlankpagesforideasarefullof
potentialItcanmakeyoufeelorganisedand
readyAlsoitsaneverydayneedsomething
aordablethatcanlookaceandfeelnicetoo
Formetheloveiscertainlyboostedbythefact
thatImadesignersoIseeprintnishesand
papertypesgraphicoldstampsandenvelopes
formsandsoonTometheyarelikelilebitsof
treasurenotalwaystousebuttoadmire
Youclearlyhavetheentrepreneurialspiritbut
doesthebusinesssideofthingscomenaturally?
ImnotsureIthinkitsgotbeerwithtimeInever
hadabusinessplanImquitecautiousanddidnt
takealoanwhichinturnalmostmadememore
condentknowingthatIwasntspendinganyone
elsesmoneyIletthingshappenastheydidwhich
waso$enfrustrating
IndthetaxandVATsystemimpossibleto
fathomsoIdopayanaccountanttoworkallthat

outItsasmallpricetopayforsanityknowing
thatitisbeingdoneproperlyfreesupalotof
headspacetothinkaboutfunthings
Threetoptipsforcreatingabrilliantbusiness?
Numberone0EmbracesocialmediaItssohelpful
forasmallbusinessbutitsimportanttoshare
thingsyoulikeratherthanjustyourworkPeople
arealreadyfollowingyousoyouknowtheylike
youandwhatyoudoBalanceitout
Numbertwo0Findoutwhoyouareanddo
itonpurposeIstolethisfromDollyPartonbut
itsabrilliantquotewhichringstrueSticktoyour
planwhatyouareandwhatyoulikeSomany
businessesaresimilarbutthepeoplerunning
themarenotandthatshouldshow
Finallynumberthree0Quitesimply
workashardasyoucanIfyoubelievethatyou
getoutwhatyouputinthenthatisaverygood
startingpointWithabitofluckyouwilllove
whatyoudoanywaysoitdoesntreallyfeel
likeajobUltimatelyitsimportanttoremember
thatyoucanonlydoyourbest

Present&Correctstationery0founderNealWhiingtonspersonalobsession

New pioneers of Dutch design Having rued a few feathers in The Netherlands back in   with an opinionated DesignObserverpiece
implyingthecountrysonce-mightydesignscenewasashadeofitsformerselfleadingcriticRickPoynortakesafreshlookatsomeofthe
mostinspiringboundary-pushingstudiosattheforefrontofDutchdesignasformergureheadWimCrouwelturns

COMPUTERARTSCREATIVEBLOQCOM

-58-

EXCLUSIVE UK OFFER!

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WITH COMPUTER ARTS
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A CUT ABOVE
THE REST
Sharing an eclectic sense of humour,
JulienValle and Eve Duhamel have
set up a unique studio that might just
be Montreals next big thing

WORDS: Garrick Webster

PHOTOGRAPHY: Simon Duhamel
wwwsimonduhamelcom

AT A GL ANCE: VALLE DUHAMEL

D A T E F O U N D E D : January%
N U M B E R O F S T A F F : Four
L O C A T I O N : MontrealCanada
D I S C I P L I N E S : Videoandmotiongraphicsgraphicdesigninstallations
F E A T U R E D P R O J E C T S : MisteurValaireSmashPong
U R L : wwwvalleeduhamelcom

Normallyplacidcreatives%whenitcameto
self-promotionJulienVallewasprepared
tobeslappedintheface%whileEveDuhamel
waspeltedwithchunksofwatermelon

orseveraldecadestheMileEndcommunityin
Montrealhasenjoyedareputationforcreativityand
cultureSituatedontheplateaurightnexttoMount
Royalfromwhichthecitygetsitsnameitsin-between
thefrancophoneandanglophonedistrictsandhaslong
beenameltingpotofethnicitiesTheHasidicJewsPoles
andIrishCatholicsthatoriginallyseledinthequarter
todaymixwithartistsactorsdesignersandmusicians
ItsfromMileEndthatthebandArcadeFireblastedo
onitsmeteoricrisesevenoreightyearsago
VenturedownAvenuedeGaspandshueupto
thesecondooratnumber22andyoullndthelaunch
padforanewbutnolesscreativeendeavourStudio3
isthehomeoftherecentlyfoundeddesignouttValle
DuhamelsetupbyJulienValleandEveDuhamelIt
hasalreadybuiltareputationforeclecticvideotrickery
tactilesetslledwithhandmadeobjectsandinventive
photographytoboot
Thedesignershavebeencollaboratingforseveral
yearsbutonlydecidedtoformalisearrangementsand
setupthestudioinJanuary%ItwasntuntilOctober
thatitwasociallyannounced
Wemetsoona$erschoolwhenwedjustboth
graduatedexplainsValleWebothlikedeachothers
workandstartedcommunicatingaboutthepossibilityof
collaboratingTherstprojectweworkedontogetherwas
anexplodedtelevisionforMTVandwehavebeenworking
closelyeversinceWeshareverysimilartastesindesign
andartandeachbringdierentbackgroundstoeachbrief

tohopefullymakesomethinguniqueDuhamelcontinues0
TheideaforthestudiocamenaturallyWeweregeing
moreandmorerequestsforworkinthelineofwhatwehad
beencollaboratingonandlovedworkingtogethersowe
justdiditanditsbeenworkinggreatsince
BothpartnersarefromtheCanadianprovince
ofQuebecandstudiedattheUniversitduQubec
MontralwhichisalsolocatedintheMileEndarea
DuhamelhasadegreeinvisualmediaartswhileValle
studiedgraphicdesignHesfromGatineauwestof
MontrealneartheborderwithOntariowhileDuhamel
hailsfromacornanddairy-farmingregionaboutanhourand-a-halfoutofthecityWhileVallebringshisgraphic
designerseyetoprojectsshehastheartandcra$skills
toputprojectsintomotion
Wealwaysworkonconceptverycloselytogether
andthenJulienmainlytakescareofthecreativedirection
likenalmodicationsontheconceptsandtreatment
Iworkmoreonthenalconstructionandlookofthework
Ialsoworkmorecloselywiththeprojectmanagementside
andJulieniswaybeeratPRSowetrytofocusonour
strengthsbutremainexibleDuhamelsays

BRE AKING THE RULES

ValleandDuhamelhavealreadytackledanabundance
ofprojectseachwithplentyofvisualimpactandusually
aclevertwistorthreeForinstancetheresthevideowork
forAmericancloudaccountancybusinessIntacctand
themusicpackagingandtrailersforQuebecband

COMPUTERARTSCREATIVEBLOQCOM

-62-

Forvideowork%they
lovetolltheirsets
withtactileobjects%
manyofwhichare
handmadeEven
anadforcloud
accountingservice
Intacctbecomesa
captivatingworld

VA LL E DUHA M E L

JANUARY 2014

PROJECT FOCUS
MISTEUR VALAIRE
ThesoundsofQuebecarematched
withValleDuhamelsvisuals
HailingfromSherbrookeQuebecMisteurValaire
isave-pieceelectro-jazzbandwithanincreasing
reputationontheCanadianmusicsceneOneof
ValleDuhamelsmostrecentprojectshasbeento
designvisualsandpackagingforthebandslatest
albumBellevue
Thebandwantedustocreatealltheirvisualsfrom
theCDtotheLPrecordsthemerchandiseandelements
oftheirshowssaysco-founderJulienValleTheyalso
wantedtwosmallvideoteaserstoannouncetheiralbum
TheCDpackagingfeaturesabookletdesignedbythe
studiowhichincludesshapesandformstheyvemade
digitalelementsiceandsnowtypographyandsome
unusualphotographyTheCDcasehasbeenprintedwitha
laser-cutslipcasewithpagesthemedaroundthetracksIts
somethingelegantandeclecticforfansofMisteurValaire
VallecontinuesThisnewalbumwasamajorstepfor
thebandsinceitwasmorematureandsubtlemusicallyso
wedecidedtocreateanentireuniverseforthealbumPart
ofitwasshotinvastemptyspacesinQuebecswinterwe
wenttoEves3Duhamelco-founder4hometownand
someotherbigemptyindustrialspacesinMontrealAllthe
elementscometogethertocreateasumthatismorethan
thepartsandreecttheuniversewecreatedforthem
WereallyliketheoutcomeForthebandandforus
theaestheticsarenewWedontworkwithcontemplative
anddarkimageryalotbutwewereallhappywiththe
nalresultshesays

COMPUTERARTSCREATIVEBLOQCOM

-63-

STU D I O L I F E
Studiowithinastudio5the
ValleDuhamelworkspace
isliterallyaboxwithinthe
Robocutindustrialdesign
studioinMontrealscreative
MileEnddistrict

MisteurValaireThisyearsReasonstobeCreative
conferenceinBrightonopenedtoavideothatValle
Duhamelcreatedtointroducethespeakers
Therstprojectthattheyputtogetherasastudio
wasthepairsSmashPonginteractiveinstallationwhich
wasondisplayattheCincinnatiArtCenterfromMarch
toSeptemberthisyearaspartoftheOn!Handcra$ed
DigitalPlaygroundTheconceptoftheexhibitionwasto
allowthespectatorstoplaytouchandinteractwitheach
pieceWedecidedtocreateaping-pongtablewhere
thegoalwastosmashshapesdowntogetbonuspoints
explainsDuhamel
Vallecontinues0Theopeningnightwasgreat
Allruleswereli$edandpeoplewereallowedtodrinkand
eatandtakeashphotographyItwasabigplayground
whichwasamazingtowitness

EMBR ACING IMPERFECTIONS

Withtheamountofprojectscominginrightnowwere
luckytohavebeenabletointerviewtheduoAtthe
momentwerenishingavideoforanItalianfashion
companyexplainsDuhamelItsreallydierentfrom
whatweusuallydovisuallyandweresuperlooking
forwardtosharingitonline
Thestudioisalsodoingallthevisualsforthe
$hChromaticartfestivalinMontrealcatalogues
visualidentitysignageandmoreFurtheraeldits
helpingdesigntheinteriorsforamallinSouthKorea
Thedesignerspassportsalreadyhavenumerous

stampsinthemtooForsixmonthsin3theypulled
uptheirQubcoisrootsandrelocatedtoBerlin
WerenottoosurewhywewenttoBerlin
saysDuhamelWejustkepthearingthatitwasagreat
timetobeacreativeinBerlinandwerecuriousWewere
justoutofschoolwithnoobligationsWejustwentforit
WesharedourrststudioinBerlinSincethenwehave
beencollaboratingalotonourworkandsharingstudios
backinMontreal
Thepairhaveworkedtogetherlongenoughtotrust
oneanothersdecision-makingandhavelearnttolisten
toeachothersideasThebestonesaretakentothenext
stageforthebenetoftheclientandofthestudioitself
Oneofthethingsthatmakesitworkwellatthe
studioisthatwehaveveryverysimilartastesandagreeon
stylesaysValleWhatisdierentishowweseethings
Ireallyhaveastrongconnectionwithconceptandadda
lotonanaestheticleveltotheconcepts
Thenotionofdrawingcra$ingmakingandbuilding
elementsisstronginValleDuhamelsworkThereisalot
oftextureanddepthinmanyofthestudiosprojectsas
wellWeweredrivenawayfromthecomputerbecause
welikedwhatwashappeningwhenwewereworkingby
handexplainsValleWelikethemistakesorsmall
imperfectionsthatarealwayspresentandhowwhen
youlearntocontrolthemandusethemtheybecomewhat
makestheworkspecialDuhamelcontinues0Maybethats
whatpeoplelikeaboutitthatitsmoreaccessibleMore
humbletoomaybe

COMPUTERARTSCREATIVEBLOQCOM

-64-

Thisstillfroma
strikingpiecefor
MTVHitsAustralia
incorporatedthe
stationspinkbrand
colourwithanew
wayofcreatinga
geometricmatrix
inaliveset

VA LL E DUHA M E L

JANUARY 2014

PROJECT FOCUS
SMASH PONG
Atabletennisinstallationwith
anoriginalspinsmashingdown
shapestowinbonuspoints
OneoftheprojectsthatValleDuhamel
foundersJulienValleandEveDuhamelare
mostproudofsofarisaninteractiveinstallation
createdforanexhibitioninCincinnatiVisitors
totheOn!HandcraedDigitalPlaygroundshow
hadtheopportunitytoplaytheirreinventionof
tabletennisSmashPong
Theideawastocreateapiecethatpeople
couldtouchplayandinteractwithapiecethat
woulddefythemoreclassicwaysofseeingand
interactingwithartsaysDuhamelTheexhibition
ranfromMarchuntilSeptember andit
oeredthemthechancetoworkonapieceout
thereinthephysicalworldthatpeoplewould
interactwithratherthanlookatinprintoronline
Sincewebothndthatthemostinteresting
partofthatgameisthesmashwedesignedthe
entiretablearoundthatideaWecreateda
ping-pongtablewherepeoplehadtosmash
verticalshapesdowninordertogainextrapoints
Thetablecamealongwithitsownscoreboardand
asetofsixcustompaddlesshesays
Thesimplecolourfulgeometricshapessimply
stickupoutofthetableuntiltheyresmashed
downThepaddlesareunorthodoxtooone
evenhasaholethroughitscentre
DuhamelcontinuesWelovedworkingon
theping-pongtableWehadloadsofideasand
wehopetogetabriefsomedaywhereastoreor
somethinglikethatwouldwantalotofcustom
tablesandsportsaccessoriesThatwouldjust
beamazing

COMPUTERARTSCREATIVEBLOQCOM

-65-

STU D I O L I F E
TheUKconferenceReasonstobe
CreativekickedoinSeptemberwith
ValleDuhamelsintrovideo%which
highlightedthenamesofallthespeakers
intheirowninimitablefashion

Itsnothardforthemtondinspirationbothinthe
studioandthesurroundingneighbourhoodsinMontreal
Thespacetheyworkinissharedwithanindustrialdesign
studiocalledRobocut
Theirstudioisasmallfactorywithalotofmaterials
andmachinerylikelasercuersand%Dprinterssays
ValleWeliterallybuiltourstudioinsideoftheirstudio
Soweworkinacleanlilewhiteboxfullofwindows
surroundedbyallthesemachinesItsaverydynamic
atmosphereandeverybodyisfreetojustdotheirthing
andhavefuntogether

OUT AND ABOUT

AtatimewhenthecitysgreatrivalTorontohasseena
lotofgrowthandaourishingdesignsceneitsstudioslike
thesethathighlightMontrealsownongoingcreativescene
IthaslongbeencalledNorthAmericasEuropeancity
MontrealwastherstNorthAmericancityto
becalledaUNESCOCityofDesignanditshowsadds
ValleTherearealotofbigandsmallstudiosalotof
greatfreelancersspecialisinginalotofeldsandworking
togetherWelovetoworkhereandbepartofwhatsgoing
oninthecity
YoullhearawholeloadofMontrealmusicbeing
playedinthespaceMisteurValaireFannyBloomArcade
FireWeAreWolvesDuchessSaysHandsomeFursHalf
MoonRunTheUnicornsMiracleFortressPlantsand
AnimalsThinkaboutLifeandWolfParadePlusothers
fromfurtheraeldsuchasPoolsideKindnessBombay

BicycleClubMichaelTrentAltJTwoDoorCinema
ClubandATribeCalledQuest
AndoutandaboutthepairenjoyvisitstoClark
andEspacetotheBelgoBuildingwhichhousesmany
smallgalleriesaswellasMontrealsbiggalleries0Muse
dArtContemporainandtheMusedesBeauxArtsThere
aresomegreatrestaurantsnearbyaswellMagpiehas
thebestpizzaeverandthewineisalsogreatSparrowis
asuper-coollilerestaurant-bartogotoanddrinkcheap
wineornicedrinksa$erdinnerLaBuveechezSimone
alsohasthebestfoodAllthreeoftheseplacesareour
favouritesrevealsDuhamel
TherearefourdesignersintotalatValle
Duhamelandtheycollaboratewithawidercircleofabout
2creativesWelovetoworkwithOlivierCharlandwho
isaverygooddesignerjustfreshlyoutofcollegeJulien
alsolikestoco-directwithfellowdirectorKarimZaria
WelovetocollaboratewithPhilippeSavardatRobocut
Healwayscomesupwiththebestandcraziestideas
WerecentlystartedtoworkwithCarolyneDeBellefeuille
whoisagreatartdirector
ThefuturesaysVallelookspreysimpleMore
ofthesame0Ideallywellcontinuewhatweredoingnow
andbeluckyenoughtoworkwithclientsthatgiveustheir
trustandallowustohavealotofcreativefreedomtokeep
onworkingonprojectswelove

COMPUTERARTSCREATIVEBLOQCOM

-66-

Withtheireclectic
tastesandasenseof
humourthatsunique
eveninQuebec%
ValleDuhamelis
thenextbigthingin
Canadiandesign

impact.

Introducing the

Impact Conference
A one day event on how to achieve
excellence and consistency in
branding across all formats and
market sectors.

Exclusive insights from client-side

commissioners at the worlds
biggest brands, including:
Jessica Felby
Head of Design for
Carlsberg Group
James Sommerville
VP Global Design at
The Coca-Cola Company
Sunita Yeomans
Head of Creative at Tesco
Joe Ferry
Head of Global Design
at Mars

06 March 2014
LONDON FILM MUSEUM
SE1 7BP
www.impactconf.com
@Impact_conf

With thanks to our partner

Presented by

M AKE M ORE OF YOUR DOW NT I M E

JANUARY 2014

TURN UP YOUR
DOWNTIME
Downtime doesnt need to be wasted time we spoke to four
creatives who turned their free hours into something equally
asfullling and creatively productive as their day jobs
WORDS:
Ed Rickes
ILLUSTRATION:
Joe Waldron
wwwjoewaldroncouk

orktoliveorlivetowork?Formanydesigners
thisisntarelevantquestioneveniftheywerent
earningalivingfromtheircreativeendeavours 
theydprobablybepursuingthemanywayHavingajob
whichalsohappenstobeyourmainpassioninlifeis of
course ablessing
But if youre not careful
it could turn out to be
something of a curse too
as you might nd yourself lling
every waking hour with work While it can sometimes be
dicult to say no to paid work especially if youre a
freelancer ensuring that you have some time to focus on
your own projects
experiment with new ideas
or just do
nothing at all
is vital for wellbeing and creativity This is
perhaps even more important when the downtime doesnt
come through choice So how do other designers ll their
downtime creatively?

S T E V E  P R I C E
PLAN-BSTUDIO

Steve founded Plan-BStudioin 

asawayofprovidingexibilityinhis
workItsmooisLoveandsupport,
which Steve applies toboth his work
and his private life.
wwwplan-bstudiocom

D A V E Y  S P E N S
B OAT  ST U D I O

Davey is part of Boat Studio,

anoptimistic creative studio in
London,and together with his wife
Erin co-founded Boat Magazine, with
abiannual focus on a specic city.
wwwboat-studiocom

Famously
Stefan Sagmeister took the decision to
close down his studio every seven years and take a year o
on sabbatical I thought it might be helpful to cut o ve
retirement years and intersperse them with working years

he explained in a talk for TED Thats clearly important for
myself
but probably even more important is that the work
that comes out of those years ows back into the company
and into society at large
As an example to prove that downtime or holiday
doesnt necessarily equate to wasted time
he pointed
outthat global corporation !M allows its engineers  per
cent of their paid
working time to pursue projects of their
own It was as a result of just such periods that two of the
companys most successful products Scotch tape and
sticky notes were developed The same is true of
designUltimately
Sagmeister said
everything his studio

E D  W A T T
OSTREET

Creative director at O Street design

studio in Glasgow and a contributor
to FormFi
yFive, Ed also recently
founded MakeMaer to connect
artists with worthy causes.
wwwostreetcouk

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MEMOAKTEN
M A R S H M A L L O W
LASERFEAST
Memo is one third of Marshmallow
Laser Feast, a creative studio that
blends art and technology to
produce interactive installations
andshows for the likes of McLaren.
wwwmarshmallowlaserfeastcom

INDUSTRY ISSUES

JANUARY 2014

Q&A MEMO AKTEN

TheadventurousnatureofMarshmallowLaserFeasts
worknecessitatesalotofresearchduringdowntime
asco-founderMemoAktenexplains
MarshmallowLaserFeastMLFisMemoAkten RobinMcNicholasand
BarneySteelatrioworkingattheintersectionofartandtechnology creating
spectacularshowsandinstallations bothforcommercialclientsandasworks
ofartWespoketoco-founderAktentondouthowstayingmotivatedand
curiousduringdowntimehasledtosomeofthestudiosbestwork
Doyouhaveanyexampleswhereplayingaboutwithtechnologyin
downtimehasdirectlyinuencedacommercialproject?
Our projects such as Body Paint
Gold and Webcam Piano were all personal
andself-initiated Before them
there were countless experiments and demos
which led up to them A lot of that personal experimentation made its way into
commissioned work My experiments with uid simulations and physics made
itsway into an opera My Secret Heart
Whatsyourbestadviceforkeepingfocusedduringyourdowntime?
One of the best pieces of advice Ive found is tokeep yourself inspired
Istarteddoing what Ido before the days of the web In those days you
werentbombarded with inspiration
you hadto work to nd it Also
give
yourselfprojects and deadlines This one is quite hard to stick to Ihave
probablyaboutahundred personal projects Iwant to do right now
Anythingelse?
Dont be lazy Seriously Dont watch crap onTV Dont waste time If you want
todo something
dont look for excuses
just get o your arse and doit

designed in the seven years following his rst sabbatical

originated in that year o
Few people have the luxury of being able to take
oa year at time
of course
but downtime doesnt have
tobe as radical as that One thing that is certain is the
importance of having some in the rst place While that
may seem obvious
theres a certain breed of designer the
freelancer in particular to whom the thought is anathema
You can see it on their blogs and Twier feeds#
almost boasting that they get only ve hours sleep

talkingto international clients in the middle of the night

complaining that they never have a free moment
and so
onOf course
this is understandable Freelancers need
toappear to be busy at all times
if only to prove theyre
successful for their clients but its when this is carried
toextremes that the possibility of burnout and plain old
exhaustion becomes very real

A LABOUR OF LOVE
This is a subject thats very close to the heart of Steve
Priceof Plan-B Studio
who is himself self-employed
andhas taken a stand against increasing workloads for
decreasing money I know freelancers working -hour
days
week-in week-out
he says Theres o$en 4an aitude
of6 put up and shut up
or a fear of not being invited back
The same has o$en happened with clients
and projects of
my own Theres no charm in constantly being too busy It
projects a lack of personal and professional time
management7 the same is true of clients
As a result
Price has consciously done the opposite
of what might be expected Hes put up his day rate and
willnot take on any job he feels asks too much of his time
for too lile reward
or where he thinks the clients might
become too demanding As he admits
its been hard#
Those with whom I would have worked for free before

who did sometimes commission me
no longer call
he
gives asone example
On the other hand
his personal life and productivity
have been massively enriched I work less I live more Im

COMPUTERARTSCREATIVEBLOQCOM

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M AKE M ORE OF YOUR DOW NT I M E

JANUARY 2014

healthier than Ive ever been and my ideas

work and
outlook have never been richer
he enthuses I sketch
more
I write more I think more I earn less Ive goen
usedto saying Ive never been poorer yet spiritually richer

which sounds egotistical
whimsical and vomit-inducing
Apologies
Ihate myself too
Boat Magazine is a perfect example of what can
happen when a project born through downtime grows
intosomething much bigger Boat is a biannual travel and
culture publication that travels to a dierent international
city for each issue and invites writers
photographers and
artists to contribute their ideas on what makes the place
unique So far it has visited the likes of Detroit
London

Athens and Reykjavik
But Boat isnt really a travel magazine its a labour
of love
launched by Davey Spens and his wife Erin
of Boat
Studio Ina slow period in its rst year
thestudio made
thedecision that while its clients were o on their winter
breaks
it would use the free time productively to embark
on aproject
or go on an adventure
as Davey Spens
explains Thepair decided totravel to Sarajevo
At that time
they could nd very lile information
about the city
beyond rather hackneyed images of the
recent war So they hired a house and invited locals to
talkabout their stories
and once back in England
turned
these into a magazine
It certainly wasnt screamingly commercial
says
Spens A biannual publication
with an unhelpful name

very broad content areas focused on avery specic
subject and then theres factoring in the travel costs
andthe time we spend in the eld
when we cant work
onpaying-client projects But the point
he says
was to
dosomething dierent
to create something outside of
thestudios normal work and free from convention
By Boats own reckoning
 per cent of its time
asa studio is spent working on the magazine *indeed
half
the team work on it full-time now+
yet it contributes only
per cent to its turnover So why bother? Its been good
at bringing amazing people across our path
says Spens

MAKE THE MOST OF YOUR DOWNTIME

Howtomakesureyouhaveenough
freetimeandthebestwaytouseit
DONTBEAMARTYR
Make sure you have some downtime to begin with If youre
anemployee
take all the holiday thats available to you Dont
beahero about regularly working  hours a day for a week itll
come back to bite you If youre self-employed
build in periods
for rest or personal projects
HAVEABREAK
A further renement of this idea is to try and ensure that
youhave at least a small period each day when youre not
working even if its only at lunchtime Instead of shovelling
down sandwich at your desk
go out for a walk if possible
Sketch
people-watch
scribble down ideas
go for a run or
togymWhatever works for you
TRYNOTTOPANIC
If youre a freelancer and
for whatever reason
the client work
just isnt coming in
dont despair and dont panic While still
chasing work
use the time to experiment with new styles and
concepts This is your chance to get creative
away from briefs
and deadlines make the most of it

PLANAHEAD
If you run a design studio yourself with employees
consider
scheduling in a day every month when each of them can pursue
personal ideas and experiments
go out to events to network

oreven visit other agencies Then take the time to discuss the
outcomes of these days and see if the results can be used to
progress your own business
TAKEONPERSONALPROJECTS
Consider embarking on a regular personal project
which
youcommit to for a year or perhaps less for example
taking
adierent portrait photo every day
or designing a new logo each
week The subject and frequency are up to you7 the idea is to
stick with it
and exercise your creativity however you like

COMPUTERARTSCREATIVEBLOQCOM

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INDUSTRY ISSUES

JANUARY 2014

It has brought in a few new projects though not that

many and its a blank canvas for us to make something
were really passionate about It also makes our studio
happier Its happy-making
Creating
printing and publishing a self-funded

 -page magazine from scratch every six months might
notbe everyones idea of happy-making
but the point is
that no maer how fullling your job might be
you need
acomplementary activity to get away from it now and then

WORTHY CAUSES
Ed Wa decided to channel his creativity into trying to
make a real dierence in society although
as was the case
with Boat
the project startedalmost by accident Hes the
founder of MakeMaer
which aims to match creative
projects with worthwhile causes
A creative director at O Street design agency in
Glasgow and a contributor to FormFi$yFive
Wa was
recently asked to exhibit some work for Nomas Projects in
Dundee Its a unique mini-gallery format of four windows
displaying directly onto the street
accompanied by a talk

he explains I loved the idea of geing art out of the gallery
and felt that simply showing o or repurposing my
commercial work wasnt really appropriate
At the same time
I was uerly shocked by the
stories Id heard that hadled my church to open a food
bank called Storehouse
dismayed at the welfare cuts and

just motivated to do something to help Thus the gallery

became a window shop selling original work by Wa
with
prots going to the Storehouse and Dundee Food Bank
Its the rst of what he hopes will be an ongoing
series of projects involving other designers Some
excellent designers and creatives have been in touch to say
they would like to be involved
and Im just considering
what to do next
he adds So if you are reading this and
its sparked o a lile idea
just drop me a line
MakeMaer has proven to be much more timeconsuming than Wa anticipated to the point where hes
now working four days a week with O Street
and one on
MakeMaer As well as the help this will bring to charities

Wa has found other benets from his side project
I now have to get all my other work done in four
days which sounds like a negative
but its good just for
developing discipline
he says Its made me realise that
my instinct is o$en the best decision maker Dont dwell
Just do Try it
then come back and cra$ it
As all of these inspiring projects demonstrate

downtime whether its enforced or otherwise neednt
be a creative dead-end or wasted time and indeed in
many cases can lead to whole new avenues of thought
AsSteve Price comments
No one is indispensable the
world will not stop if you leave for two weeks Also
without
taking a proper break how can you expect to be anywhere
near the top of your game?

COMPUTERARTSCREATIVEBLOQCOM

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CORRECTION
OurIndustryIssues
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PaulCunningham
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theUniversityofthe
WestofEngland
ApologiestoDyson
andUWEforthe
mix-up%andforany
confusioncaused

P R O M OT I ON

JANUARY 2014

HP ZED BRINGS
LONDONSCREATIVE
COMMUNITY TOGETHER
Creative professionals from the capital and beyond found a unique place to hang out
this autumn. Find out what you missed and how you can get involved next time around...
eveallheardaboutthepop-up
shopphenomenon buthaveyou
everbeeninvitedtoapop-up
designstudio?Thatswhatcreative
professionalsinLondonandbeyond
hadtheopportunitytoenjoythroughout
SeptemberandOctober thankstoHP 
providersofpowerfulworkstations
forthedesignindustry
HPZEDapop-upstudioforthe
creativecommunityrecentylandedin
thecapitalstrendySohodistrictand
oeredavarietyofcreativeprofessionals
anddesignagenciesthechancetomeet
learnnetworkandtryoutthelatest
workstationsfromHP
Keentoreachasmanydesigners
aspossibleHPwenttheextramileto
makeiteasytogetinvolvedWithevents
scheduledthroughoutbothdaytimes
andeveningsacrossthefourweekseven
thebusiestandmostin-demandcreatives
couldndawindowintheirschedules
togetthemselvesovertoaneventAnd
withfreeentrytoeverysingleoneit
wasadicultpropositiontoturndown

TotemptdesignersfurtherHP
persuadedanumberoftopindustry
professionalsandagenciestotakepart
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inapackedprogrammefocusedaround
motiongraphicsanimationandDartistry
Andthensomethingfantasticand
unexpectedhappenedWhilethose
whocamebenetedgreatlyfromthe
educationandinspirationonoerit
wasntjustaone-waystreamTheunique
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light-heartedatmospherethatgenuinely
enabledcreativesatalllevelstointeract
inafreeandeasymanner
WhatexcitedmeaboutHPZED
wastheideaofbringingallthepeoplein
ourindustrytogetherinoneplacesaid
visualeectscompanyFramestoresMike
McGeeTohavethemtalkshareideas
lookatoneanothersworkandjustto
sharetheexcitementaboutwhatwedo
VFXguruFrazerChurchillagreed
Eventslikethisaregreatbecauseitshard
forpeopletogetaccesstopractitioners
hesaidWereallverybusyAndsoits

COMPUTERARTSCREATIVEBLOQCOM

-74-

goodthatpeoplecancomealongandtalk
topeoplewhoareactuallyworkinginthe
businessandndoutwhatreallyhappens
Ofcourseitwasntjusttalkingthere
wasplentyofdoingaswellSixleading
creativeagenciesMummuGolden
WolfFred&EricBlackmealTerritory
andAnimaderolledupatHPZEDto
takepartinauniquespeed-animation
challengedubbedLondonsHero
OrganisedbyNewYorkcompany
Cut&Pastetheideawasforeachtocreate
a -secondclipthatshowsadierent
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arealtreatforonlookerswhogotan
insightintotheprocessesofsomeofthe
industrystopanimatorsYoucanseethe
resultsoverontheCreativeBloqwebsite
Visitorsweretreatedtopractical
demosofsomeofthelatesttechinthe
eldincludingAerEectsCCPremiere
ProCCDSMaxandFlamefromtop

P RO MO TI O N

JANUARY 2014

agencieswhoareactuallyusingitincluding
TheFoundryAnalogandMyLileEyeTV
Meanwhileaseriesofinspiringand
insightfultalkswerealsoonoertoinspire
designersandgetthecreativejuices
owingHighlightsincludedAlexHuguet
fromPassionPictureswhodiscussed
howtobringacharactersketchtolife
AndyMorelyofImaginariumonmotion
captureMPCsAdamDavisoncreating
VFXforWorldWarZandMilkonits
workforDoctorWhoseriesseven
tonamebutafew
WithHPZEDHPhadsetouttohelp
creativesturnimaginationintorealityand
itcertainlydeliveredButifyoucouldnt
makeitorthisisthersttimeyouve
heardaboutitdontfretWereprey
surethisisntthelastweveheardofHP
ZEDkeepaneyeontheeventscalendar
pagesinthemagfordetailsofupcoming
eventsaswellascreativebloqcomandthe
ComputerArtsTwierfeedwherewell
bepostingnewsofanynewdatesforyour
diaryassoonasitreachesourears
Visit hpcouk/zed to nd out more
COMPUTERARTSCREATIVEBLOQCOM
-75-

OUT OF A SEA
OF GREY
From Jean-Paul Gaultier to Bjrk to M/M
Paris: how, against the odds, LeslieDavid
discovered graphic design and went on to work
with the brightest lights of the fashion world

L E S L I E  D A V I D  
Paris-based graphic designer, art director and illustrator
LeslieDavid specialisesinbrandimageandgraphicdesign
forfashionandculturebrandsShehasworkedforthe
likesofChloHermsandChanelandin was
oneoftheArtDirectorsClubsYoungGuns
wwwleslie-davidcom

WORDS: Ruth Hamilton

PHOTOGRAPHY:
Fred Lahache
wwwfredlahachecom

JANUARY 2014

BelowDavidinherstudiopart
ofaatincentralParissheshares
withfreelancerfriendsThereisa
kitchenlivingroomandeachhas
theirownbedroomtoworkin

large, typically Parisian

at in the citys second
arrondissement is where
Leslie David spends her working
days. Outside, businessmen dressed
head-to-toe in grey ll the street on
the way to their offices, but inside is
a dierent story. Davids approach,
both in life and work, is far from
grey. Past projects have seen the
designer scraping thick rainbows
of paint across old black-and-white
photos, she gets giddy over big
production budgets because they
aord her the chance to go crazy
with print nishes, and she spends
her spare time hunting for new tools
to play with in the craft section of
childrens shops.
We caught up with her to nd
out how she went from a childhood
growing up in a small town in the
south of France with artist parents,
poring over glossy fashion mags and
harbouring an obsession with JeanPaul Gaultier, to an award-winning
graphic designer and illustrator
working with some of the biggest
names in high-end fashion.

Art has played a big role in your life:

you studied it for a time, and have
also staged your own exhibition.
For you, how clear is the distinction
between art and graphic design?
When I do self-initiated projects or
exhibitions, I dont pretend to be an
artist, I dont have this ambition.
Ihave been fed by art, and especially
graphic art, during my childhood.
This is now a very intuitive means
ofexpression, and I use it to help other
people in their communication. It
might be weird but I really like to have
a brief and boundaries in my work,
Ithink thats challenging and it helps
me to contain my creativity.
Some of your most distinctive
workfeatures techniques associated
with ne art, using paint and
crayons. What does this bring to
yourdesigns?
I like to play and mix old and new
techniques, like painting on old
pictures. It doesnt always work,
but it always brings something
unpredictable and inspiring. I love
artand craft supplies, and when

COMPUTERARTSCREATIVEBLOQCOM

-78-

Itravel I always try to visit the art

supply shops. I like the childrens
department in particular for crazy
things, like colour-changing pens,
nger paints or stamps. Last summer
I found spray pens on a market in the
south of France. A guy was doing a
demo, I stayed 30 minutes looking
at him, he was so good although
he was doing very ugly drawings!
Itseemed very simple. When I came
back home I was really sad, because
they were of course actually superdifficult to use.
You originally studied at thecole
des Beaux-Arts in Lyon. What
prompted you to switch degrees?
I stayed only one year there, because
I realised I needed to learn to do
something with my hands. The
learning there was too conceptual
forme. There we were doing exercises
like drawing with the left hand,
upside-down, drawing while you are
screaming or with blind eyes. It was
very fun, but I didnt think I was really
learning something useful I thought
I had to learn how to draw or paint

LE SLI E DAV I D

JANUARY 2014

IHAVEBEENFEDBYART
DURINGMYCHILDHOOD
ITSAVERYINTUITIVEMEANS
OFEXPRESSION

AboveandtoprightForthisrangeofpostcardscreatedforconceptstoreColee
Davidappliedtexturedpaintontooldblack-and-whiteimagesofParis

Thislimited-editionpackagingforafragrancebyAnnaRivkashowcases
Davidsloveofexpensiveprintnishes

DavidartdirectedthispublicationfromNikeShesaysshelikesworkingwithbigbrands
becausetheycanbemorewillingtotrynewthings

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I N CO NV E R S AT I ON

JANUARY 2014

MY BIGGEST CHALLENGE

FINDING TIME TO
JUST BE CREATIVE

For freelancer designers, there are

amillion other tasks that need taking
care of daily. Leslie David shares how
she nds time to focus on being creative
WhatIloveaboutfreelanceisthatitgivesme
freedomOfcourseitsnoteasyIworkmuch
moresinceIbecameafreelancerthanwhenI
wasemployedIworkatnight Iworkattheweekends
Idonthavealotoffreetime eventhoughImfreeto
haveallthefreetimeIwant!
As a freelancer you need to do much more than
youractual job in fact
you have several jobs at the
sametime Every day you have to do administrative work

PR work
plan ahead and keep track of all the projects

and spend alot of time with clients on the phone Thats
why I love working during weekends no phone calls
no
email
itsgreat
During the week
if I spend  per cent of my time
ina day creating things then Im happy Fortunately
in the
last few months Ive got a super assistant
Las
and this
situations geing much beer Thats the only solution Ive
found Shes a graphic designer and she helps me with
everything She does research
takes care of the website

contacts clients
sends les to the printer
and when we
have a new brief we now work together on it I trust her
opinion
its really nice to have a second set of eyes a$er
being alone for a few years
Before I got my assistant
it was just a case of trying
tobe organised I dont really have any tips for staying
focused ignoring emails
phone and Facebook is a good
idea but I just cant I always wanted to have a special day
for meetings because I lose too much time running around
Paris for meetings But its like saying youll go to the gym
every Monday there is always a cool opening
a dinner

astorm that makes it impossible
I am always working on  things at the same time
While Im working on a project Ill have an idea for another
so I juggle all day long It drives me crazy but its the way
Iwork
and it works quite well for me

Werelikeroommatesweo$enstaylatetogetheranddrinkwinesaysDavidofherstudiofriends

before experiencing this kind of

stu. After one year I went to Lcole
des Art Dcoratifs de Strasbourg,
which was famous for its academic
learning. And it was true, we had
hours of life drawing lessons every
week, which made me so happy.

to me what gay means I was

really disappointed! I had perfumes
and fashion ads from my mums
Marie Claire everywhere in my
bedroom. I never really wanted to
work for fashion, because at school,
fashion and advertising too was
considered like evil.
When I was a teenager I started
to buy magazines of my own: Vogue,
Crash, Purple, and The Face, which
was my favourite. I still have these old
magazines, but they are like lace now.
I realise now that because of
Jean-Paul Gaultier I discovered Bjrk
I was a big fan, and I think at the
time I was the only one to know her
in my small school and then because
of Bjrk I discovered M/M Paris and
so discovered the job of a graphic
designer. And I realised this job was
exactly what I wanted to do.

Youve spoken of your love of fashion

when you were younger, and wanting
to become a stylist at one point...
At 10 I was so in love with Jean-Paul
Gaultier that my dad had to explain

Since, youve worked with the likes

of Chanel and Givenchy. What is it
about this sector that attracts you?
I love the story of these historical
brands, I love that they have been

COMPUTERARTSCREATIVEBLOQCOM

-80-

around for ages. I love that when

I read Vogue or Marie Claire from
the 50s, there are ads from brands
still existing today, and they are still
making girls dream. However, Im not
the kind of girl who dreams of luxury
products, I almost dont have any and
Idont really care.
To be honest, the other thing
with working for these kinds of clients
is the budget they have for production.
Its so nice not to hear: Foil stamping?
No, lets do regular CMYK or the
usual: We have a reallysmall budget
for the production, dont go too
crazy. I hearthat every day and its
depressing, I want to go crazy with
printing and papers.
How do you put your own stamp on
work for a client with such a dened
aesthetic identity? Is there still space
for pushing boundaries?
In fact, often, big luxury brands
are more interested in bringing
something new and with a strong
aesthetic than smaller brands. They
have already a strong identity that

LE SLI E DAV I D

JANUARY 2014

Theaccompanyingbookletfeaturessegmentsofthescarfdesigns

OneofacollectionofthreescarvesdesignedbyDavidforAndreaCrews

people know well, they dont need

to stay focused on it, they can try
things and surprise their customers.
Of course you cant do whatever
you want, but I always nd a way
toexpress myself and enjoy it.
You also regularly work with music
clients. Do you nd this is this a
dierent kind of experience?
Creating artwork for music is, in
general, a real team eort with the
musicians. We are not working on
selling a product, we are selling a
person, or a group of peoples art,
which is really dierent to working
for a brand. There are more emotions.
Some artists are really easy and let
me be quite free to propose things,
others have a precise idea of what they
want. Getting inspired by music is
also really dierent to getting inspired
byimages, or a classic brief.
What is really exciting and
emotional is to listen to music that is
still a secret, a work in progress. Im
working very closely with an artist
who is building up his work at the

same time, thats really fascinating.

I love to listen to those songs before
everybody else.

PlayingWithFireTheHandlerpaintingsetagainstthebackdrop
ofafractallakeandsoldasaseriesofhand-signedminigicleprints

ItsnicetohavearealproductinyourhandattheendsaysDavid

Your style is quite varied some of it

is very geometric, while other works
are expressive and unstructured.
Do you feel you have a particular
aesthetic that is distinctive to you?
My style is built on inspiration like
psychedelic 70s posters and geometric
shapes from the art deco period.
Itsnot a matter of choosing between
square and circle shapes, its a matter
of melting them all together.
If I had to pick a project that
represents me best, it would be the
collaboration two years ago with the
French collective Andrea Crews, that
was a series of scarves. The frame was
designed with many geometric layers,
and the heart was more expressive
with collages of shells, or a sunset and
sea landscape. I was very happy with
project because more than a graphic
picture, it was a wearable, moving
object. Its nice to have a real product
in your hand at the end of a project.

TheartworkforCreaminalsLacrmecompilationusesgeometricpaerns
anddie-cutssothedesignchangesastheinnersleeveispulledout

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I NT R O P RO J E C TS

JANUARY 2014

Computer Arts goes behind

the scenes with world-leading
designers as they reveal their
working processes

EXCLUSIVE VIDEO!
Get great access
totopstudioswith
The Designer Series
Page 10

MINTLET CARD BRANDING:

TRAVELS IN STYLE
Behind the scenes with Radim Malinic as he develops
the branding for a new pre-payment card, with a logo
that can be taken apart like pieces in a puzzle 84

WIRED UK ILLUSTRATIONS:
A WORLD OF BIG IDEAS
Cruschiform reveals how
kaleidoscopic illustrations for
91
Wired were developed

NISSAN LEAF INSTALLATION:

OUR FRIENDS ELECTRIC
How Projection Advertising created
an immersive driving experience for
anew electric car promo 94

COMPUTERARTSCREATIVEBLOQCOM

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PROJECTS

JANUARY 2014

MINTLET CARD BRANDING:

TRAVELS IN STYLE
With little more than a name to work with, Radim Malinic
at Brand Nu set about creating a colourful identity for new
multi-currency pre-payment card Mintlet

PROJECT FACTFILE
BRIEF
Mintlet approached Brand Nus Radim
Malinic with an open brief to create
the logo
branding and packaging
designs for new multi-currency
pre-payment card Mintlet
CLIENT
Mintlet
wwwmintletcom
CREATIVE
Radim Malinic
Brand Nu
wwwbrandnucouk
PROJECT DURATION
One month
LIVE DATE
March 

RadimMalinicin
hisLondonstudio 
experimentingwith
dierentexecutions
ofthelogohecreated
forMintlet

THE DESIGN BRIEF

Radim Malinic

RADIMMALINIC
GRAPHICDESIGNER
BRANDNU
Czech-born Radim is an awardwinning freelance art director

illustrator and graphic designer
based in London He established
the name Brand Nu in  and
has worked for clients including
Coca-Cola
Orange
PlayStation

O and Heineken

Mintlet is a new pre-paid, multi-currency payment

card aimed at travellers. Supporting a range of foreign
currencies at launch, the idea is that it could potentially
become a replacement for travellers cheques.
The card will be sold in shops including Boots, Tesco
and Morissons. Users can load money onto it using an
app or via Payzone, and if they lose the card they can
simply log on and disable it. Mintlet uses the MasterCard
system, which is normally associated with credit cards,
but essentially this works in the opposite way the user
can only spend the money theyve actually put on it.
The client knew what the product needed to do
from day one. They knew it was going to be called
Mintlet and they had been working on putting the
necessary infrastructure in place behind the scenes.
COMPUTERARTSCREATIVEBLOQCOM
-84-

Onthe visual side, though, they were pretty much at

thestarting line when they contacted me Mintlet head
Leon Leondiades sent an email enquiry after seeing
my portfolio online. At that point, they had the name,
butno actual visuals.
I told Mintlet I would be interested in helping them to
nd the right designs and solutions that would speak to
a wider demographic, and they really liked the sound of
that. They could see that, as well as having something to
bring to the table from a visual point of view, I also had
an understanding of what they needed to achieve. The
brief was very open and they were very receptive to ideas.
When starting an identity project, I always begin by
putting myself in the customers position. What would
Ilike? What would appeal to me if I saw it on the shelf?
Iknew the kinds of shops it was likely to be sold in and
Iknew the concept would appeal to travellers, so that
was my starting point.

DI A R Y 1 : B R A ND NU

JANUARY 2014

PROJECT AT A GLANCE
From the starting point of just a name
Radim Malinic explains how he created Mintlets brand identity

1 Initial ideas

2 Logo tests

3 Material world

The client didnt have any solid ideas of what they

wanted
so I started with a moodboard a PDF of
colourful pictures that summed up where I thought
the art direction should go I felt we had the
opportunity to create something with the longevity
of the product in mind

Once we agreed on the art direction

which was
colourful
vibrant and energetic
I created one
logodesign and produced a series of test versions
We needed something as easily recognisable as
theMasterCard logo
and it needed to be exible

colourful and fun to look at

I like to put ideas onto a T-shirt

so I created a
mock-up It sounds nonsensical why would you
puta nancial logo on a T-shirt? But it really worked
I was showing how the logo would look in dierent
scenarios and giving the client a complete solution
from the start

4 Picking the palette

5 Clear not corporate

6 A versatile logo

I played around with colours and tried to go from

using basic colours to something brighter and more
ownable and customisable We decided to use the
blue
yellow and green palee for the brand colours
everyone agreed because we felt this would speak
to the chosen demographic

The typography was created with clear legibility and

modern curves in mind
so it didnt look corporate or
alienate the customer I believe there are two sides
to a logo# youve got the icon device
and the font
Both need to be strong the font needs to be
condent and authoritative on its own

I didnt necessarily think that the logo would work

sowell as an outline right at the start I wanted to
symbolise rolling hills and the sunrise in an abstract
way in the shapes I used the aim being to insinuate
a sense of positivity about what will happen when
you use the card

7 Packaging design

8 Full visual system

9 Ready to launch

Once the logo and colours were agreed

I moved on
to creating the packaging It took a while before I was
happy with it
as I needed to strike the right balance
between the branding and other elements I ended
up deleting everything Id done so far and starting
again with a blank canvas

The idea of using small particles came from the

T-shirt mock-up I created at the start of the project#
theyre taken from pieces of the logo With that
concept in place
I could perfect the packaging
andcard designs
and show how the visual system
wouldwork in other media

Everything was signed o at the end

to ensure the
client was  per cent happy with the full package
I created four card designs using the particle device

and the client also has the plain navy blue card that
Idesigned earlier in the process The white card
willgo on sale rst
in March 

COMPUTERARTSCREATIVEBLOQCOM

-85-

PROJECTS

JANUARY 2014

WORK IN PROGRESS

Digital mock-ups show how the branding could look on the iPhone it was vital to consider all future uses

An early take on the tag line

Outline version of the nal logo

The design process took a month because I spent two

weeks thinking about it. I like to take the dog for a walk
and look at various things around me cars in eyecatching colours, or striking architecture. I own about
21pairs of trainers in dierent colours because I might
feel like wearing a particular colour on a given day. Its
almost like a part of my personality I need variation
inlife, which inuences my daily decisions.
I only presented one logo idea to the client because
Ibelieve theres just one solution for a particular problem
at any one time. I started approaching projects in that
way several years ago. Rather than producing a 10-page
PDF with 10 dierent ideas, I might do a 10-page PDF
with one idea and explain why I believe in it. It can be
creative suicide to give clients toomany options, as they
lose track of whattheyre trying to achieve.
I tried out everything at the start, while doing the
branding proposal, which gave us a massive head-start
we knew where we were going even though lots of things
changed as the project went on. I demonstrated how the
logo would potentially work in dierent scenarios and
gave the client a fully worked-out solution. I was able to
show them that this shape worked in black and white or
as a silhouette, for example.
You cant design a logo in isolation and then start
thinking about future uses its not the clients job to
imagine what its going to look like in the end. Putting
the logo on a T-shirt proved to be a masterstroke. I had
done that for a few clients before, starting with a project
where I took over a company rebrand from a designer
who pitched 18 logoideas and had them all rejected.
Once the logo was more or less agreed in its initial
form, I started work on designing the packaging for the
card. However, the client always had the option to take
astep back if we needed.

INITIAL IDEAS
FORTHE PROJECT
FINDINGABALANCEDAND
EFFECTIVECOLOURSCHEME
PROVEDATRICKYPARTOF
THEBRANDINGPROJECT

I produced several dierent options for

colour schemes at the start I wanted the
branding to use acolour combination that
would be easily digested by customers

and wasnt too alien or too stern

We seriously considered using the teal

pink
red and maroon palee
but that felt
too exclusive In the end
blue
yellow and
green were chosen
as we felt this scheme
would speak to the chosen demographic

COMPUTERARTSCREATIVEBLOQCOM

-86-

I originally wanted to use a full-blown

rainbow on the packaging
but it just didnt
work when I tried it I realised I needed to
strip things back to their bare bones and
do something more subtle and suggestive

DI A R Y 1 : B R A ND NU

JANUARY 2014

THE PERFECT
PACKAGE
ARCHIEVINGTHERIGHTBLENDOF
BRANDINGELEMENTSANDINFORMATION
ONTHECARDSPACKAGINGWASA
CAREFULBALANCINGACT
STEP
The client supplied the die-cut templates, so I
knew the packaging was around twice the size of
the actual card. At rst, Itried to use a rainbow
as the background and weave the dierent
elements into it, but it just didnt look right.

STEP

STEP
I knew I didnt want the packaging to look cheesy
or dumbed down. I experimented with sizing
in order to nd the right balance between the
branding and other elements and information
that needed to be included.
STEP
I ended up deleting everything and starting
again from the ground up. I didnt want to
diminish the brands personality just because
itneeded to be readable on the shelf.
STEP

At this point I remembered the T-shirt mock-up

from my initial proposal. In this, I had used small
particles taken from the logo, taken apart like
pieces in Jenga. This worked perfectly its
playful and subtle, and its a way of making the
visual system tie in with the logo.
STEP

STEP

STEP

COMPUTERARTSCREATIVEBLOQCOM

-87-

PROJECTS

JANUARY 2014

CONCLUSION
Mintlet is a nancial product, but its a part of your
lifestyle and it shares your values it symbolises having
the freedom to do whatever you want. So the design
needed to be inclusive and fun and it was always going
tobe far more than just a logo.
The client reacted positively to my ideas. They
felt they were in safe hands and they could see I was
experienced. Over time, Ive learned that my clients feel
condent because Im condent, and thats reassuring
and infectious.
I worked on the logo, packaging and card designs in
roughly that order, but it was all signed o at the end
as one complete system. That way, the client had the
freedom to go back a step and change things if they
werent 100 per cent happy at any point. I nd that
otherwise clients can nd the process a bit daunting
it makes things much easier if they dont feel pressured.
Ifyou guide them through it and give them options, they
feel more-or-less in charge.
The nal creative includes four card designs using
the particle device, as well as the plain navy blue card
design that was created earlier in the project. None of
the card and logo designs were discarded, just put aside
for possible future use.
Mintlet gave me the opportunity to create something
really nice and I produced far more than what they
were expecting. I approached the whole project with
condence and made sure we could imagine the system
working in every possible medium.
Ive shown them that what theyve got is really
versatile, which stopped them from having doubts.
Ibelieve this is something people wont have seen on
thehigh street before its not too trendy or of the
moment. Its something that could have come out ve
years ago or in ve years time and be equally relevant.

PROJECT
SOUNDTRACK
RADIMMALINICSWORKING
SOUNDTRACKISFILLEDWITH
FINDSFROMHISDECADE
SPENTASADJ

Two of the nished card designs ve have been created so far

Malinic created a exible visual system

as the nal logos show

The eye-catching packaging should compete well on shop shelves

FATFREDDYSDROP
BLACKBIRD
IvelikedthisNewZealand
collectivefor%yearsIsaw
themliverecentlyandthey
weregreatTheymakereally
longtunestheylltakeagroove
andreallymakeitworkso
theresnothingyoucanadd

KILOKISH
NAVYMELO-XREMIX
IvegotthistrackbecauseIm
afanofMeLo-XIwasaDJfor
yearsandIlikevarietyI
haveabouttracksinmy
iTuneslibraryThissongmakes
youfeelwarminsideandthe
lyricsarereallyquiterandom

COMPUTERARTSCREATIVEBLOQCOM

-88-

ROMARETHEBLUES
ITBEGANINAFRICA
I found this producer through
the Part-Time Heroes podcast.
I love it for its bone-shaking
baseline. Its my drumming track
I use my Wacom as a drum
when Im waiting for les to
saveor PDFs to be created.

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cb`mMcik]``fYWY]jY]ggiYg]bUmYUfA]b]aiagiVgWf]dh]cbhYfag]gacbh\g=ZUhUbmh]aYXif]b[h\YfghXUmgmciUfYX]ggUh]gYX]bUbmkUmd`YUgYbch]Zm
ig]bkf]h]b[UbXkYk]``fYZibXmciU``ibaU]`YX]ggiYgDf]WYgWcffYWhUhdc]bhcZdf]bhUbXgiV^YWhhcW\Ub[YCYfYbXgh\:YVfiUfm

DIARY2: CR USCHIF OR M

JANUARY 2014

WIRED UK ILLUSTRATIONS:
A WORLD OF BIG IDEAS
French illustrator Marie-laure Cruschi, aka Cruschiform,
used a unique, geometric system to illustrate six kaleidoscopic
trend forecasts for a special edition of Wired UK

PROJECT FACTFILE
BRIEF
Wired UK commissioned Paris-based
illustrator Marie-laure Cruschi to
createa set of six illustrations for
aspecial issue
The Wired World in

depicting the trends and ideas it
predicts will be big in the coming year
CLIENT
Wired UK
wwwwiredcouk
AGENT
Pocko
wwwpockocom
CREATIVE
Cruschiform
wwwcruschiformcom
PROJECT DURATION
One week
LIVE DATE
November !

MARIE-LAURE
CRUSCHI
ILLUSTRATOR
Illustrator Marie-laure
is based in Paris She
founded Cruschiform
studio in  a$er
graduating from Lcole
des Arts Dco Her
clients range from
magazines and book
publishers to bands and
luxury brands
including
Esquire
Dior
Herms
and many more

PROJECTS

JANUARY 2014

THE DESIGN BRIEF

Marie-laure Cruschi

The Wired World in 2014 is the

second time that Wired UK has
published a forecast of the mustknow trends and big ideas for
the year ahead. This is when the
magazine takes a longer look ahead
and forecasts the people, products,
issues and ideas that are going to
matter over the coming 12 months.
The special issue consists of
eight sections in total, including
media, environment, medicine
and politics. Wired commissioned
a dierent artist for each section,
and they chose me to illustrate the
lifestyle trends and ideas that they
think will be big in 2014. The brief
was very clear and complete when
they contacted me: Wired wanted
the illustrations to be complex and
detailed, and there was a specic
shade of red that needed to be used
as the key colour.
The concepts were all really
interesting: doing things will
overtake owning things; learning
to love living with less; mens
liberation; Kenya academies; and
themeteoric rise of smartphones.
Itwas an exciting prospect for my
rst collaboration with Wired.
This commission dealt with
very specic subject matter. The
challenge was to make each concept
visually attractive and easy to
understand, which is something
Ilike to do. I enjoy working on topics
Imight not otherwise learn about.

PROJECT
EVOLUTION
CRUSCHICREATEDSIX
DETAILEDILLUSTRATIONS
EXPLORINGWIREDSLIFESTYLE
PREDICTIONS INJUSTAWEEK

STAGEONEI opened Illustrator

created the dierent working
areas using the Rectangle tool and converted them to artboards

STAGETWO Next I made a diamond

extended the oblique lines
with the Line Segment tool and divided the area into ve parts

STAGEFOURI designed the images a lile narrower than required

and the Wired art team used a mm repeat over the guer

STAGEFIVEWorking with the Pathnder panel and a transparent

background grid
I used tangent lines to organise the composition

VISUAL FORMULA

KALEIDOSCOPE PARTS

COLOUR COHERENCE

I had just one week to create the full

set of six illustrations, so rather than
coming up with multiple options or
propositions, I focused on developing
an adaptable visual formula. I used
Illustrator for all the initial drawings,
as I like the accuracy, the perfect
lines and the modulation achievable
with this program.

Wired wanted me to create superdetailed, clever illustrations. For

the opening image, the brief was
tocreate a kind of best-of teaser
page. I decided to divide my design
into ve triangular parts that would
correspond to the ve illustrated
section subjects. I saw it as being
likea kaleidoscopic picture.

The brief specied that one shade

ofred (CMYK =3==2=)
was to make up around2 per cent
of the artwork, to give coherence
between the illustrations. As its a
prey sweet colour, I added some
pastel and neutral shades to balance
it out. Darksections are deep blue,
asInever work with black.

COMPUTERARTSCREATIVEBLOQCOM

-92-

DIARY2: CR USCHIF OR M

JANUARY 2014

HOW I WORK
MARIE-LAURECRUSCHI
ONTHEPLACEOFTANGENT
LINESANDGEOMETRY
INHERILLUSTRATIONS

STAGETHREEUsing the Swatch Options panel

I added pastel and
neutral shades to balance the very specic red supplied by Wired

STAGESIXHere I focused on presenting the subject maer in a

humorous way
and ensured coherence across the six illustrations

STAGESEVENLastly
I moved into Photoshop and created some
brushes I warmed up the images
adding texture
light and shadows

I like geometry and I like to play

with tangent lines something
you usually learn to avoid in art
school. I use them to create
structured compositions, and
Ind this helps me to make links
and gateways between dierent
illustrated scenes.
Geometry and colour are
the two main entry points into
my work, and my art is based on
the poetry of simple modular
forms. I usually try to start with
aquick sketch to dene the most
important lines. That helps me
to organise the dierent scenes
and details. Then I work in
Illustrator to translate those lines
into colours, in order to feel the
contrasts and dene the harmony
and the atmosphere. Thats the
rst rough I send to the client.
My studio is constantly
messy because I share it with
my three-year-old child. Its
full of toys, trinkets, books and
colours. Its very stimulating
to have him playing close to
me, and it inspired my second
childrens book, Toute Vitesse,
a recreational and educational
book that I published this year
with Gallimard.

SPREADING OUT

TANGENT LINES

ART OF ANALOGY

FINISHING THINGS OFF

As most of the illustration would

be appearing across a double-page
spread, it was important to think
about the space lost to the guer
between the pages. Idesigned the
illustrations at 5mm less than the
required width, and Wireds art team
applied a step-and-repeat over the
guer to keep things readable.

Every illustration presented a

dierent facet of the subject
maer, so each consists of various
smaller illustrations that represent
dierent scenes and moments in
time. I used tangent lines to establish
the structure. These create light
gateways between scenes, helping
make for a dynamic composition.

I like to play with formal analogy,

such as the light bulb and building,
the globe and clock, and the iPad
and slate for the mens liberation
illustration. Thechallenge was to
make a coherent set of illustrations,
while changing the atmosphere
between them enough to emphasise
the dierent subjects.

At the end, I moved the designs into

Photoshop to add texture, light and
shadows, and to make the illustration
warmer and more lively. Wired
really trusted me, so the illustrations
didnt change much from my initial
sketches. I didnt need to make many
adjustments or corrections to my
nal designs which is always nice.

COMPUTERARTSCREATIVEBLOQCOM

-93-

PROJECTS

JANUARY 2014

NISSAN LEAF INSTALLATION:

OUR FRIENDS ELECTRIC
Charged with creating an installation to showcase the Nissan Leaf electric car,
ProjectionAdvertisingcombined projection mapping with real-time rendering

PROJECT FACTFILE
BRIEF
TRO Group commissioned Projection Advertising
to create a permanent installation at the Nissan
Innovation Station in Londons O Arena

showcasing the Nissan Leaf electric car The aim was
to use projection mapping and real-time rendering
to create an authentic
immersive driving experience
that would highlight the cars selling points

THE DESIGN BRIEF

Lizzy Chase

CLIENTS
Nissan
wwwnissancouk

The initial brief was quite loose because the client

wanted to get our most creative ideas. How could we
design a cool experience to show o the Nissan Leaf?
The idea of projecting onto the windows developed
fromthat point onwards.
We then got the full brief to design and make an
interactive experience for the public to view in the
Nissan Innovation Station area of the O2 Arena in
London. Nissan wanted people to experience the car,
seethat it provides a normal driving experience while
being quieter than any non-electric vehicle, and inkeeping with the advertising for the Leaf to feel the
surge ofaccelerating.
We made style references in Photoshop for the city
and landscape. The environment is realistic, but stylised
in a futuristic, electronic way. The basis for the look

TRO
wwwtro-groupcom
STUDIO
Projection Advertising
wwwprojectionadvertisingcouk
PROJECT DURATION
Six months
LIVE DATE
November !

COMPUTERARTSCREATIVEBLOQCOM

-94-

DIARY3: PROJE C T I ON A DV E R T I SI NG

JANUARY 2014

JESSICAWALSH
LIZZYCHASE
CREATIVEDIRECTOR
ACCOUNTDIRECTOR
DESIGNERANDARTDIRECTOR
PROJECTIONADVERTISING
A partner at the New York-based
Specialising in creating bespoke
design studio Sagmeister & Walsh

installations for indoor shows and
Jessicas work has won numerous
events
account director Lizzy has
design awards from the Type Directors
collaborated with numerous highClub
Art Directors Club
SPD
Print

prole clientsincluding Coca-Cola

Vodafone
Accenture
Disney

and Graphis and she has received
Nintendo
Google and Nokia
various celebrated distinctions

RICHARDBURNS
INTERACTIVEDEVELOPER
PROJECTIONADVERTISING
Richard joined Projection Advertising
a$er graduating from Northumbria
University with a degree in Motion
Graphics and Animation He specialises
in using TouchDesigner to create
custom interfaces
projection mapping
systems and social media integration

and feel came from the fact that the car is electric,
while the colour scheme was inspired by the Leafs blue
branding. We had a lot of contact with the car so we all
knew what it was like to drive it.

WORK IN PROGRESS
Richard Burns

The London-based creative production company was commissioned to create an authentic driving experience

The environment was stylised in a realistic yet futuristic way

GETTING SOME
PERSPECTIVE
THETEAMEXPLAINHOW
THEYENSUREDTHEVIEW
OFTHEVIRTUALWORLD
OUTSIDETHECARLOOKED
CORRECTFROMTHEINSIDE

The team used TouchDesigner widely

While mapping the car

we had to think
about the perspective of the people
inside it a sta ambassador sits by
thedriver
and you can have passengers
in the back The content was projected
onto the windscreen and windows from
outside the car
and it all needed to
look correct from the inside We put
avirtual car in the scene
set up cameras
from the perspectives of everyone
inside it
then warped the images to
tinTouchDesigner

COMPUTERARTSCREATIVEBLOQCOM

-95-

After initial concepting, we created matte paintings

and rened the look and feel while doing tests to work
out how the car would function within the virtual
environment. The landscape is almost energetic, with
power lines moving around were using electricity in
afairly literal way.
Users can choose from three routes by taking
dierent turns at the traffic lights, encouraging them to
put their foot down and accelerate again. Three London
landmarks point them in the right direction: Battersea
Power Station, The Shard and Tower Bridge.
To start with, we built 3D wireframe models of the
city to create the journey layout, then painted directly
onto the 3D models in 3D-Coat. Rather than having the
light aect the environment in 3D, we put in traditional
compositing techniques after it had been rendered,
keying out areas and using that to create light lines.
Thegraphics are all rendered in real time apart from
theintroduction, but we wanted to ensure we achieved
the quality of pre-rendered content.
We used TouchDesigner for almost every aspect
of the project, from bringing in 3D geometry and
compositing to standard things you might normally
do in Nuke. Its a very efficient, powerful platform and
is great for communicating between devices. We built
in some physics to allow the car to move around the
environment responds to steering, acceleration and
braking as you drive along the rolling road, which
functions like a treadmill.
We started out using an Xbox 360 controller to check
we had the basic functions left, right, forward in
place, then moved onto a PC game steering wheel.

PROJECTS

JANUARY 2014

Initially
a computer
gamesteering wheel was
used tocheck the cars
basicfunctions

Theactual car provided very dierent information and

moved away from any kind of arcade game feel.
Using rear projection from outside the car meant we
were essentially reversing the images. We used a rear
projection lm, a bit like vinyl but slightly more rigid,
which provides a wider viewing angle. When wemade
changes on-site, we were eectively working with
backwards content.

CONCLUSION
Lizzy Chase

Turn left or right at the junction rather than driving

straight on and the environment swings round to meet
you a much more efficient way of doing things. You
drive into a tunnel where youre asked to really put your
foot down, then you arrive back at the O2. That nal
part of the drive was based on photos of the actual room.
The idea was to show people that you can leave
the city and come back within one battery charge,
showcasing the fact that the Nissan Leaf has an
impressively long charge. You can see the projected
content from outside the car as well. While the
experience is primarily for the driver and passengers,
wewanted to entice people by giving them a preview.
This is a novel way of enabling people to experience
the car without actually taking it out for a test drive.
Projecting a virtual world onto the windscreen and side
windows makes for a very immersive experience. Its
really reactive youre pressing the accelerator, steering
round corners and choosing which way to turn, so its
about as real as a virtual test drive could get.

LESSONS
LEARNED
PROJECTIONADVERTISING
SHARESTHEIMPORTANT
MESSAGESTHATTHETEAM
TOOKFROMTHEPROJECT

This is a novel
wayof enabling
people to experience
the car without
actually taking it
out for atest drive

The colour scheme was inspired by the Leafs blue branding

Projecting a virtual world onto the windscreen makes for an immersive experience

PREPARE TO ADAPT
ON-SITE
With a project like this, you can
prepare really thoroughly in the
studio and know how everything will
work in theory, but theres nothing
like geing on-site with the car. Thats
when you really nd out how you
need to ne-tune everything.

ADJUST THE
VISUALS
You can have a visual that looks
wonderful on-screen when youre
puing the creative together in the
rst place, only to nd it doesnt look
quite right inside the car. We learned
so much once we actually viewed the
content from inside the vehicle.

COMPUTERARTSCREATIVEBLOQCOM

-96-

CONSIDER ALL
YOURANGLES
We considered adding music, but
Nissan wanted people to be able to
hear how quiet the car is thats one
of the Leafs key selling points. Music
would have been counter-productive,
making it feel less like a serious
driving simulation.

NEXT MONTH

DO YOU EARN
WHAT YOU
DESERVE?
PROJECT DIARIES

Behind the scenes with Nexus Productions on a

boundary-breaking project forBombay Sapphire
DESIGNER SERIES

Leading agency Moving Brands reveals its

secretsinanexclusive video documentary
Plus: inspiring work, current issues and expert
analysis from the global design scene

ON SALE 9 JAN
COMPUTERARTSCREATIVEBLOQCOM
-  -

CR E AT I V E I N S P I R AT I ONS

JANUARY 2014

Luke Brookes
When inspiration for a project just wont strike, this artist thinks
that sometimes it helps to stop thinking about it and take a nap

spartofitsthissue
celebrations LileWhiteLies
magazinechallengedartist
LukeBrookestoillustrateanessay
onAmericanfantasydramalm 
TheTreeofLifeBrookesresponded 
capturingthemoodandbeautyinan
atmospheric etherialdesign

What was your brief from LWL?

ThisparticularpiecewasforLileWhite
LiesthissueIwasaskedtocreate
apieceofartworkbasedonthe 
movieTheTreeofLifeIwasgivenashort
essayaboutthemoviewonderfully
wrienbyDavidJenkinsandaskedto
providemyowninterpretationofthe
movieAsfarascontentwasconcerned
Ihadpreymuchfreereign
What inspired your illustration?
Iwantedtocapturethebeautyofthe
movieTherearelongperiodsinthelm
thatshowpartsofnatureourplacein
theuniverseandhowourstoriesmirror
thewaytheuniverseworksIwantedto
showhowbeautifulthisisbutalsohow
personalitistoeachindividual
How did you decide which elements
ofthe movie to focus on?
AerwatchingthemovieIcompared
mynotestothearticleandweseemed
topickuponthesamepartsThewhole
movieisjustbeautifulthestoryfocuses
onafamilyinAmericabutisinterlaced
withamazingshotsofnatureandthe
universeitselfTherewasonescenethat
reallygottometheresapartwhere
JessicaChastainscharacterlevitatesand
oatsaroundThissceneembodiedwhat
Ithoughtofthemovieasawhole
Any tricks for nding inspiration?
Ialwaysseemtobeinspiredrightwhen
ImabouttofallasleepatnightIllbe
workingonideasforaprojectallday
andwillcomeupwithafewokayones
butjustasImabouttosleeponewillpop
upandIllbelikeHowonEarthdidnt
Iseethatbefore?Ithinkwhenyoustop
lookingatandthinkingaboutsomething
andrelaxthebestideasseemtoappear
outofallthenoiseandimageryyouve
surroundedyourselfwithallday
LUKEBROOKESARTIST

LukeisafreelanceartistbasedinStaordshireUKHespendshisdayscraingexpansiveemotionallyinspiredillustrations
andhasworkedandexhibitedwithcreativesfromallovertheglobewwwlukebrookesillustrationcouk
COMPUTERARTSCREATIVEBLOQCOM
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