Inhaltsverzeichnis für August 2016 in Computer Arts

PETER GRAY VIDEO PRODUCER After filming some gems of wisdom from the esteemed Brand Impact Award judges in London (page 76), Peter was off to Celloglas in Leicester to meet our New Talent cover contest winner, and see her design getting a special print finish. JULIA SAGAR CONTRIBUTOR-AT-LARGE Amsterdam was the first stop in Julia’s new career as a professional roamer (freelance design writer). She was blown away by the speakers she saw at What Design Can Do – if anyone wants a ‘design for good’ story covered, get in touch @JuliaSagar. TIM HARDWICK ACTING OPERATIONS EDITOR Former CA operations editor Tim returned to help out with subbing duties during a hectic few weeks for the team. He’ll be replaced next month by CA’s newest recruit, operations editor Rosie Hilder.…

Strong opinion and analysis from across global design industry ADRIAN SHAUGHNESSY GRAPHIC DESIGNER AND WRITER www.uniteditions.com Adrian Shaughnessy is a graphic designer and writer. In 1989 he co-founded design company Intro. Today he runs ShaughnessyWorks and is also founding partner of Unit Editions, producing books on design and visual culture. LISA HASSELL COORDINATOR, GLUG BIRMINGHAM www.wearegoodness.com Director of Inkygoodness and We Are Goodness, Lisa Hassell has over six years’ experience in the creative industry as a freelance writer, agent, producer and lecturer. She also coordinates the Birmingham chapter of Glug – to set up your own event, check out www.glugevents.com/host DESIGN MATTERS: We discuss the skills that new graduates need to impress in an industry with fewer than ever entry-level jobs – page 22 PLUS: Designers debate the pros and…

Jonathan Doney FISTD An award-winning typographer, book designer and educator, Jonathan was ISTD Education Officer from 1995 to 2002, when he initiated the international development of the Student Assessment Scheme. He was ISTD Chair from 2004 to 2009 and took up the role again in 2016. Jonathan is hugely passionate about typography – something which he hopes rubs off on other people. Istd PART 1 Jonathan Doney, Chair of the International Society of Typographic Designers (ISTD), kicks off a new series on the art of typography to help you develop or refresh your creative skills. After all, the better you understand typography, the better you can utilise type to enhance your design work. In this introductory part, we go back to basics and outline some fundamental considerations, plus provide a…

1 You can collaborate and conquer “Generalist or specialist? I think we’ve probably ended up being specialists, but we have to collaborate with other suppliers; we have to collaborate with other agencies; and we have to be generous and supportive to those people,” reflects Bruce Duckworth. “My personal view is: be a specialist, and mix with other specialists as required. Be brilliant at everything you do, and most of all, be generous.” 2 Generalists are better placed to think more holistically... “I feel it’s a bit like branding itself,” reflects Mark Bonner. “There’s a balance we’re all trying to strike. It’s wonderfully rewarding to be able to work in a diverse way; to be making films, to be working in print, to be working in sound design, or designing environments…

This month, Spin creative director and United Editions co-founder Tony Brook reflects on the aesthetics of invitations, and why the design of an invite can save it from the waste bin I have a long-standing fascination with the ephemeral nature of graphic design. It often carries a message that has a limited lifespan, and after this message has been delivered it has done its job and is discarded. This fate applies to the vast majority of graphic design that is produced. Occasionally a piece of design escapes the dustbin and is saved, kept, treasured, even framed on a gallery wall – a future it was never designed for, nor was imagined by its creator. I particularly like the idea of saving invitations from the rubbish pile after the event has…

Graduate show season is over for another year, and it’s been an extremely hectic, but inspiring, month here at Computer Arts. We’ve also been busy with our friends at D&AD New Blood, both judging the best of show and also presenting our curated highlights of the best motion and animation work at the festival. You’ll find some of our top picks from there, and around the country, in our special report – starting on page 50. This year’s Brand Impact Awards also came to a head, with over 160 entries from all over the world. The shortlist is chosen, and the winning and highly commended projects will be revealed in September – but until then, you can garner some valuable insights from the judging panel in our BIA video special…

Major corporations have inundated today’s youth with branded messaging, logos, colour palettes and heritage stories since they were born. Most young people would admit that branded narratives shape their own identities. It should come as no surprise then that a visual counter-culture is emerging that turns our relationship with brands on its head. Young artists and designers are satirizing and appropriating the language of marketing for their own use by creating fictional brands that tease out the inauthenticity of branded imagery. Repurposed stock photos, product renderings and drop shadows are among the visual tropes that connote corporate branding. Wellness, a Madrid-based fashion brand, has championed the fictional brand movement, launching an alternative look-book disguised as a campaign for Dubai+ fitness water. Though Dubai+ is a fictional product, the campaign for…

Mayo Clinic Transform Conference 14–16 September Minnesota, USA www.transformconference.mayo.edu Designers and doctors share the stage in this unique threeday design conference, which focuses on health innovations generated through humancentered design thinking. The event includes tours of the world-famous Mayo Clinic, which offers attendees a fascinating glimpse into the busy hospital infrastructure supported by a robust and dedicated design department. Brand New Conference 15–16 September Tennessee, USA www.underconsideration.com/brandnewconference Brand New focuses on the practice of corporate and brand identity – a direct extension of the popular blog, Brand New. The conference consists of eight sessions each day offering a broad range of points of view with speakers from around the world practicing in different environments, from global consultancies, to in-house groups, to small firms. AGI Open 24–25 September Seoul, South Korea…

SPENCER BUCK Co-founder, Taxi Studio www.taxistudio.co.uk “It depends on your ambition. To work with the cream of the creative industry it’s still a truism that you need to demonstrate an understanding of big ideas – how to create them, and execute them to within an inch of their lives – across multiple touchpoints. To work a level or two lower, be sure to focus on having amazing software skills and ensure your work always looks pretty.” STUART WHITTON Agent, Handsome Frank www.handsomefrank.com “I think you’ve got to get it right from the beginning. You may only get one chance to connect with a company or an individual, so target who you’d like to work for and tailor your proposal, CV or portfolio appropriately, while making sure it’s the strongest it…

Look at regions of growth The salary gap between creatives inside and outside London is decreasing, with a 3 per cent rise in salaries outside the capital. London-based roles still command higher salaries, but a higher cost of living may mean you have less disposable income than you would elsewhere. The South West, South Coast and South Wales creative communities are all booming, with a 10 per cent rise in the number of vacancies since this time last year. Embrace new technologies With digital salaries overtaking advertising and design salaries for the first time, it’s clear where the field of growth is. VR and AR skills are in demand, and command higher salaries and rates than typical digital design roles. Very few people can claim expertise in these fields yet,…

Preaching to the Preachers challenges what James Sanderson dubs the “reckless” use of language in the mainstream media. He reframed this in the context of a ‘doomsday street preacher’, with scripts performed by an actor outside the head offices of The Sun, The Mirror and The Daily Mail while he handed out leaflets. The campaign visually references religious protest signs, Palestinian martyr posters and forms of terrorist propaganda. What fascinates you most about the language and influence of the media? The EU referendum was testament to the power the media still have to effect socio political outcomes, even with the many digital and social media platforms. Spectacular news and irresponsible journalism often simplifies, misinterprets and misunderstands important issues and promotes false, poisonous agendas. This is what interests me: how the…

AMPERSAND The word ‘and’ represented by the symbol &. APEX The point where two diagonal stems meet: the top of a capital ‘A’, the middle of a capital ‘M’, the bottom of a capital ‘V’. ARM The stroke(s) off the main stem of a letter. ASCENDER The part of a lower case letter projecting above the x-height. Important for ease of reading, although the ascender-height must balance with the x-height. In some fonts (such as Bembo), ascenders are higher than the height of a capital letter. BASELINE The line where the feet of your capital letters sit. Below this line are descenders and loops. BOWL The shapely, enclosed parts of letters such as ‘p’ and ‘b’. BEAK The beak-shaped terminal at the top of letters such as ‘a’, ‘c’, ‘f’…

1 Embrace the power of ornament “Human beings by nature are drawn to beautiful, exquisite detail. It doesn’t have to be girly, just well-crafted,” insists Kate Shaw. “As I’ve been shouting at some of the Brand Impact Awards entries this year, there’s so much sans-serif type and blocks of graphic colour, but a lack of beauty and detail and craftsmanship across the board. It should be used more, in every sector.” “I totally agree with that,” adds Sunita Yeomans. “You could pick out the beauty industry, the hotel industry, or any cultural service provider, but that’s a bit predictable. You can still do something beautiful and inspiring in the financial sector – it doesn’t have to be dull and dreary and corporate.” 2 Collaborate, but don’t abdicate Of course, for…

One concept we didn’t take forward was the idea of using a multiplication sign to reinforce the notion of collaboration – this has a strong musical influence and could also be used as a way of making selections or denoting ideas. This was another idea that came close to being used but didn’t make it – using the ‘C’ as the initial letter of complementary words that help to embellish the function and remit of UMC, such as ‘curation’, ‘collaboration’ and ‘connection’.…

KRYSTINA CHAPMAN The winner of our New Talent cover competition, Krystina is a recent graduate from the University of Leeds, where she studied graphic and communication design. Passionate about print and illustration, she particularly likes exploring the contrast between digital and handmade media. www.beneaththetoadstool.com JONATHAN DONEY FISTD An award winning typographer and educator, Jonathan is Chair of the International Society of Typographic Designers. Starting on page 68, he takes you through the elements of typography in the first instalment of our Back to Basics series. www.istd.org.uk TONY BROOK Tony is the creative director of awardwinning multi-disciplinary design studio Spin, and co-founder of United Editions with Adrian Shaughnessy. On page 98, he reflects on the aesthetics of invitations, and how the right design can save an invite from the waste bin.…

Freelance art director Alex Haigh designed typefaces before deciding to create his own online font foundry, which originally opened its doors for business on 16 June, 2009. www.hypefortype.com After climbing the ranks from a junior designer position at Mook, to working as a freelance art director at digital agency AKQA, Alex Haigh quit a successful career to embark on a one-man venture fraught with personal risk. His aim? To create an online font shop from scratch. After two-and-a-half years spent redesigning the site, Haigh tells us why he thinks HypeForType is now the strongest digital font boutique around. Where did your interest in type begin and how did it develop from there? I’ve always been interested in type. I can remember cutting out my own version of Helvetica with a…

Price: Not yet available, Kickstarter funding driv Dimensions: 150mm height, 90mm diameter www.bleepbleeps.com Healthy sleep habits apply to all age groups, but are extra important during early development, which is why Suzy Snooze was born. An app-controlled all-in-one baby monitor, nightlight and sleep trainer that helps kids nod off, Suzy has the added benefit of helping parents get some rest too. The device was dreamed up by design studio BleepBleeps, which specialises in creating cute connected smart devices that make parenting easier. BleepBleeps collaborated with industrial designers Map, and tech consultancy Hirsch and Mann, and even enlisted Oxford University sleep scientists to help create Suzy, a character inspired by Japanese vinyl toys, building blocks and simple geometric shapes. Low-energy LEDs and opaque ABS plastic are used to promote natural sleep…

INSIGHT: COLUMN One of the common pitfalls of freelancing – and especially for those who work remotely – is the tendency to isolate oneself without realising it. Finding time to ‘get out there’ and be social when you have a neverending to-do list and no ‘set’ office hours can be challenging at times – even more so when you add a young family to the mix. Despite being the type of person who thrives on social interaction and loves meeting new people, it’s safe to say there was a time when I didn’t get out much. So it was perhaps rather ironic (serendipity you might say), when I was invited by Jenny Theolin (www.studiotheolin.com) to co-run a series of design talk events called Glug. Admittedly, I hadn’t attended a Glug…

Populated with a range of bizarre characters trapped in their own worst nightmares, Emma Baker’s Phobia project is a beautiful and disturbing set of artworks that’s sure to stick in the mind. It spans concept art, illustration and merchandising, as well as digital and social media elements. How did your fusion style develop? In my early teens, my art style was manga inspired – I loved the variety of pretty characters, and how detailed they were, and spent hours emulating the style. As I grew older, I started to embrace western cartoons more: shapes and bold, block colours and lines. My style eventually grew into the comfortable balance it is now. Talk us through the palette you’ve chosen... I love bright, pastel colours, and objects, clothing and designs that are…

1 Don’t be louder, be smarter “To create cut-through you need to be much smarter, and that depends on what sector and what brand you’re working for,” advises Ben Gibbs. “Sometimes it might not be shouting – it might be whispering in the corner, or doing something disruptive and different. Cut through the noise in innovative ways, not just by being louder and bolder.” 2 Keep a consistent tone of voice “One of the major challenges is dealing with people’s attention spans,” observes Curtis Baigent. “At a time where people are vying for your interest 24–7 it’s hard to get a break, so branding needs to be super-clear about how it’ll cut through. For branding to penetrate, it needs a singular idea.” “Brands have to stretch across so many touchpoints,…

CAMERA MOVEMENT Had we known that the backgrounds would be as forgiving as they were, we might have moved the camera around more. In hindsight, it would have been possible to include more tracking and dolly shots. EARLY LOCKDOWN The tight schedule and the techniques used meant things had to be signed off early in the process – so we were very clear with the client about what could be changed when and we made sure they knew that the animatic was final. GENIUS GAUZE Unlike other projection techniques which involve one-off set-ups, Holo-Gauze is very lightweight and it can be rolled up, moved and pinned up however you want. It hadn’t been used in this way before – it’s mainly been used for live visuals.…