Sommaire pour Spring 2017 de Computer Arts

This issue, Computer Arts’ new art editor Mark Wynne was tasked with creating a cover representing portfolios. But how to show something as individual and personal to each of our readers as a portfolio? Mark decided upon a neutral, typographic treatment, based on a beautifully functional font from Shutterstock (by Rodin Anton), which features a gentle bas-relief, reinforcing the headline, ‘stand out.’ A Pantone silver (with a double-hit fluoro as an accent colour) enhanced the slick, shiny conceit of the bas-relief, and the generous areas of negative space inside and between the letterforms were used to add some choice pieces of advice in glittering foil. A last minute flash of boldness from editor Nick, who suggested turning the image off in favour of a blind emboss from our friends at…

NICK CARSON EDITOR Nick spent two weeks working from his dining table during a major office refurb, a week in sunny Cape Town for Design Indaba, and returned to a shiny new workspace just in time to welcome Mark to team CA . MARK WYNNE ART EDITOR Mark initiated a game of Design God or Not? in a typically bitter, dysfunctional attempt to bond with his new editor. Saville, Dadich, Turley... Nick’s interviewed them all, which spoilt the fun a little. ROSIE HILDER OPERATIONS EDITOR This month, Rosie went to see her idol, Laura Marling. She also discovered some new idols at Thread Bristol, and battled with hessian to make 10 metres of bunting for a friend’s wedding. KEY CONTRIBUTORS PETER GRAY VIDEO PRODUCER The lighter evenings and slightly warmer…

Sergio Membrillas is a freelance illustrator living in Valencia, who says he is “trying to learn, see and consume all the beauty I can.” Membrillas takes pictures of everything and anything that he likes or finds inspiring, and is obsessed with poring over photography books. “Photography is like a sacred hobby for me,” he says. Using Instagram has meant Membrillas now takes more photos, and over time he’s become braver in sharing his images and begun to feel proud of being part of the photography field. “What I like about Instagram is that you can share with others what your universe is made of,” he states. “I like architecture, product design, interiors and mid-century furniture, and in a way my feed feels like a representative part of my world.” Membrillas…

ANTHONY BURRILL Freelance graphic artist www.anthonyburrill.com “I spent far too long working on my portfolio after I graduated. In truth, I was putting off the inevitable day when I had to show it to someone in order to get a job. It was only when I started to go and see people with it that I realised the actual portfolio wasn’t that important. Graduate work always looks like graduate work, it’s only when you start building up real commercial projects that your skills can be judged properly. It’s important to have a decent portfolio, but it’s not an end in itself. It’s a calling card that gives an impression of who you are, and the work you show should reflect your personality.” LAURA PRIM Graphic designer and typographer www.lauraprim.ch “A…

1. KEEP IT SIMPLE “As with any brief, whether tattooing or illustrating, you need to design with the size and location of the area being covered in mind,” says Ollie Munden. Another thing to consider is that tattoos blur over time, so it’s important to make sure the line work has room to breathe and you’re not trying to pack too much detail into a small space. “I’ve had quite a few people come to me with endless ideas that they want all compressed into one tattoo, which won’t stand well,” states Munden. 2. RESPECT TRADITION After failing to understand why so many people had similar imagery on their tattoos, Munden has learned to respect traditional tattoos. “I used to wonder how more contemporary illustrative and graphic work would look…

1 Go above and beyond Jack Hart’s advice for smaller agencies keen to punch above their weight is to turn potential weaknesses into opportunities. “Two people with a laptop can run a design studio,” he says. “Think: ‘What can you offer your clients, above and beyond creative excellence, that a larger agency couldn’t?’ ‘What additional value can you add, due to your size and level of nimbleness?’” 2 Empower your staff Ashleigh Steinhobel points out that an agency is defined by its people – and it pays to invest in, and empower, your staff to ensure genuine buy-in to the vision from everyone. “Make sure they know they’re valued, and that they have the freedom to craft a path for themselves,” is her advice. 3 Give people purpose On a…

We didn’t want the identity to become too clean, or too ‘Scandinavian’. This brand could afford to be more bold and take more risks. We tried a lot of typographic solutions, some didn’t work, but the one we’ve gone for was the bravest of the bunch. We experimented loads with the colour palette: we wanted something upbeat. We picked cobalt blue as one of the stronger colours from the start, so it was a case of experimenting with other colours until we got a few that worked.…

PROJECT FACTFILE BRIEF: London Symphony Orchestra tasked The Partners with creating an identity to celebrate the first season of new musical director Sir Simon Rattle that would be music to the ears of all concert-goers, not just classical aficionados. CLIENT: London Symphony Orchestra AGENCY : The Partners, www.the-partners.com COLLABORATOR : Tobias Gremmler, www.syncon-d.com PROJECT DURATION: 18 months LIVE DATE: January 2017 STUART RA DFORD UK creative director, The Partners Stuart started his career at Fitch before co-founding Radford Wallis in 1999, and then joining The Partners in 2011. He now heads the agency’s London teams, where he’s currently leading a project for European channel, Arte. STRIKING THE RIGHT CHORD Stuart Radford When London Symphony Orchestra (LSO ) first approached us in 2015, the team wanted to evolve the brand to…

Rather like beauty, the quality of your portfolio lies in the eye of the beholder. After all, portfolios are not primarily for your benefit: they are designed to win over a potential employer, client, or collaborator. With this in mind, this month’s cover feature explores how you can tailor yours to suit the needs of the person browsing it. Whether you’re a fresh-faced newbie going for your first job, or a battle-hardened senior trying to explain your involvement in a complex project, you’ll find plenty of useful advice to get it right every time. In a first for CA, we also delve into the world of tattoo art in our special report. This once-niche artform is making a significant impact in the world of commercial illustration, with many practitioners crossing…

GBH LONDON CREATIVE AGENCY www.gbh.london Jason Gregory, Mark Bonner and Peter Hale are the co-founders of design studio GBH. Their new book, Charm, Belligerence & Perversity, showcases the work and opinions of the award-winning agency. REN RENWICK MANAGING DIRECTOR THE AOI www.theaoi.com Helen Renwick (Ren) is MD of the AOI. She sits on two arts organisation boards, and enjoys balancing work and parenthood. She explains why licensing is the lifeblood of the illustration industry on page 26. DESIGN MATTERS: What’s the best advice you’ve been given on your porfolio? Page 25 PLUS: Three perspectives on Brand New’s recent rebrand – page 28 Illustrations: Louise Pomeroy www.louisezpomeroy.com…

Copyright and licensing are hardly words to lift the spirits and inspire creative energy, yet they are essential. The UK has brilliant copyright law, closely aligned to the also excellent European law. These laws look even better compared to the US where, although copyright exists, you have to pay to register it to get the full protection. In the UK, that protection is a given: all your illustration work automatically has full copyright. But there is significant growth in copyright infringement cases. The notable industry case studies – often involving high-street brands – can be read as shorthand for a myriad of cases that fail to attract coverage. Why is this happening? In part, it is because illustrators are increasingly confident in understanding and knowing their rights, and speaking out…

Tom May speaks to recruiters at top design agencies to learn what they’re looking for in a killer portfolio, and how to make yours stand out Portfolios are for life, not just for internships. Throughout your career, a portfolio is a vital tool in winning better jobs and new freelance contracts. But talented creatives often fail to capitalise on these opportunities by neglecting to raise their portfolio to the right level. Whether you’re a student looking for your first gig, a middleweight wishing to advance, or a senior hunting for your dream position, your portfolio could probably do with some attention. At its most fundamental, design is about empathy. So the essence of getting your portfolio right lies in understanding your audience – in this case, the designers, agency heads…

The days when hirers demanded to see a physical, printed portfolio seem to be waning. “I haven’t seen a physical portfolio in about 10 years,” says ustwo’s Tim Smith. “Back in the day, if I saw someone with a leather portfolio, I’d think: ‘Ah! There’s a fellow graphic designer.’ If I see it now, which is very rare, I think: ‘Photographer, or maybe architect, maybe a yoga instructor, definitely not a graphic designer.’” ustwo is a digital agency, but although Spin works on a range of physical and print projects, founding partner and creative director Tony Brook takes a similar view. “I recommend candidates send PDFs and/or URLs,” he says. “With a pin-sharp PDF, your work never looks better than it does on a shiny Apple Mac, high-resolution screen. In comparison,…

01 PUT THE DATA IN CONTEXT “Dig deep into the context of the data,” advises Lupi. “Where and how was it taken, and what does it represent?” Next, immerse yourself in the numbers to understand why they’re unique: “What are the patterns, the stories hidden in these numbers?” 02 FIND VISUAL INSPIRATION Lupi draws inspiration from many sources, such as music notations, abstract artwork, architectural drawings, and shapes found in nature. 03 CONSIDER THE BIG PICTURE FIRST Next, organise the data on a macro level. “I rarely use real data here,” says Lupi. “Just plan the overall architecture of the visualisation with the data in mind.” 04 DEVELOP KEY ELEMENTS Now focus on individual data points to decide how to represent them through shapes, colours, or other features according to…

Buridan’s Ass is a story about a donkey that is standing halfway between a pile of hay and a bucket of water. The donkey keeps looking left to the hay, and right to the water, trying to decide which to go for: hay or water, hay or water? Unable to decide, the donkey eventually dies from hunger and thirst. Like the donkey, I’ve always been indecisive. Perhaps you also know the feeling of chasing many different goals at once and getting nowhere. Maybe you feel frustrated that the world seems to want you to choose one thing, because you want to do it all. You’re thinking: ‘Why do I have to choose? I don’t want to choose!’ But this is short-term thinking. Unlike us humans, a donkey can’t conceive the…

1 Balance knowledge with passion Pearlfisher’s Futures, Strategy and Design divisions collaborate closely throughout a project’s life cycle, and the agency tries to balance depth of experience with fresh creative thinking when choosing designers to work on any given brief. “Some of the bigger brands we work on require a certain level of insight and knowledge of that brand,” admits Mike Beauchamp, “but we often balance that with a younger, more energetic level of design. Certain people are also suited to certain types of projects, so we try and cater to that too.” 2 Don’t let strategy be a straitjacket “Obviously you have to listen to the research and the strategy, but try not to let it contain you,” is Jess Phillips’ advice. “Strategists are a great sounding-board for ideas,…

As part of the project, Kaibosh asked us to design and build its flagship store in Copenhagen. We were given drawings of the store, and then went down to Copenhagen and took lots of photographs so we had a record of every surface that was available. The idea was to translate the fun and chatty brand tonality into the physical space as much as possible. We put funny quotes on the wall, using the chunky typeface we’d designed. We also developed the closed eyes icon into crying eyes, with vinyl tears dripping down the door and creating a puddle on the floor, with the slogan: ‘Feeling blind? Don’t be sad. We do eye tests!’ We developed the closed eye icon into a neon, and window vinyls that feature Kaibosh squeezed…

To capture his movement, Sir Simon Rattle wore reflective pads stuck to a suit. The pads reflect infrared light, which the camera can extract very quickly from the rest of the image. Using footage from different perspectives, you can reconstruct the 3D position of every joint of the hands, elbows and shoulders. Once I had the data, first I looked at the footage to get a feel for the movement and to see where I could amplify interesting bits. Using a 3D package – the sort you’d use for 3D animations or 3D modelling – I created a skeleton of the conductor that defines all his joints, first in a hexagon shape and then for later visualisations, a more rounded version. I wanted to translate the outline like an audio…

Read design writing Words Reed Words is a brand writing agency based in London, working across the globe with clients such as Skype, Disney, and London’s National Theatre, as well as creative partners such as Mucho, FITCH and SomeOne. The work covers brand strategy, voice, campaigns, UX – you name it. Or get them to name it – Reed Words does that too. The designer–writer partnership has produced some of the greatest creative work ever. Think of Apple’s classic ‘Think different’ campaign: photography and words blending to create an effect that people still remember, decades later. Or there’s Nike’s swoosh, allied to ‘Just do it’. Would either be as strong on its own? As brand writers, we’re almost always collaborating with designers. And when it goes well, it’s a joy. One…

REN RENWICK Helen ‘Ren’ Renwick is MD of the AOI and sits on the board of two arts organisations. On page 26, she explains why licensing and copyright are the lifeblood of the illustration industry. www.theaoi.com OLLY ST JOHN Olly is a graphic designer at NB Studio. He is also in charge of sorting through the portfolios the studio receives, and on page 44, he shares what it takes for a portfolio to catch his eye. www.nbstudio.co.uk GIORGIA LUPI Award-winning information designer, Giorgia Lupi is co-founder and design director at Accurat. She reveals why her hand-crafted approach makes data more personal on page 52. www.giorgialupi.com OLLIE MUNDEN Ollie is a lead designer for ilovedust and has his own studio, Megamunden. His work bridges illustration and tattoo design, and he explains how…

ING Creative Festival 2017 Dubai, UAE 13–15 April www.ingcreatives.com Speakers from Pixar, Disney, Google, Behance, National Geographic and more join the likes of Design Matters’ Debbie Millman and Hvass&Hannibal’s Nan Na Hvass in Dubai for ING Creative Festival in April. The three-day conference also offers a wide range of workshops, from lettering with Gemma O’Brien to storytelling with Pixar’s Andrew Gordon. D&AD Festival London, UK 25–27 April www.dandad.org Back for a second year, D&AD’s sprawling festival will celebrate creative excellence across a dizzying variety of outlets. Talks from leading creatives, such as Piera Luisa Gelardi and Zane Lowe, will occur alongside insights from the D&AD Professional Awards judges, an exhibition of more than 26,000 pieces of work, fringe events, workshops and parties. TYPO Berlin Berlin, Germany 25–27 May www.typotalks.com/berlin Themed…

ARMIN VIT Founder, Brand New www.underconsideration.com/brandnew “After 10 years of having the same logo, we felt it was time to change – in part to mark that this most recent site redesign was the biggest shift yet. We completely changed the visual vocabulary from anything we had previously done, so the logo followed suit. My appreciation of 1970s typography is no secret, and I had no problem in adopting something that references that era quite directly. The 1968 Summer Olympics identity is one of my favourites too, so the new logo makes some references to that. Mostly, this satisfies a visual direction I craved and means nothing more or less than the old logo, which I also chose because I liked the font at the time. Brand New may feel…

When it comes to your digital portfolio, you have two main options: presenting it as a PDF or on a dedicated website. From the hirer’s point of view, there are pros and cons to each, says Madeleine Fortescue, resource and recruitment manager at Moving Brands. “In one sense, I prefer a PDF because I feel it’s a real snapshot of the work that you feel represents you as a designer; that’s a really lovely thing to have,” she says. “But for ease of sharing amongst people who are going to review your work, having a URL is so much easier. If you need to download and upload a PDF, put it onto a Google Drive, move it onto the server and so on, it can be a hassle. It’s much easier…

Around 2010, I was hanging out with a group of tattoo artists, discussing the rising popularity of tattooing. We thought it was a wave that would soon crash, leaving only the diehard behind. How wrong we were! In the last seven years, the tattoo world has exploded. With the help of television, as well as social media, tattooing has been dragged out of the shadows and into the global spotlight. Where once it was looked on as an outsider art form, it is now considered at the forefront of creativity and development. If you look back over the history of art, whenever an art form becomes popular, it attracts artists from outside of the medium – artists who recognise that there is potential to play and expand their own creative…

It sounds crazy that creatives would need to put in place time to create. But if you feel yourself spending more time managing than making, that could be exactly what you need. I find Tim Ferriss’ Morning Pages exercise incredibly useful as a way to kick-start my productive self and focus on the day ahead. It goes like this… 1 RISE EARLY Wake up 30 minutes before you have to, avoiding all screens and distractions if you can, and grab yourself a pen and a notebook. 2 MAKE A LIST Write down three to five things that are making you anxious or uncomfortable. These are often the things that you don’t want to do, and keep pushing from one day to the next. 3 PRIORITISE YOUR TASKS For each item,…

1. Look to the future to see the present “The big question always is: ‘what do you want your brand to become ultimately?’” argues Kristoffer Fink Parup. “‘Where is it 10 years down the line, and why is that so?’” By asking this kind of open question, he adds, you can reveal the deeper thinking behind a brand, as well as any underlying issues or blind spots. “We might have a different opinion about what’s going to be relevant, how the industry is shifting, and we can have a conversation about that.” 2. Engage in informal conversations Interacting with clients on a conversational level feels less like an interview and helps humanise the process. “Often clients will express things they don’t necessarily realise they’re expressing,” observes Molly Rowan Hamilton. “Ideas…

NEXT MONTH DISNEY ANIMATION Pro insights from the award-winning makers of Milo Murphy’s Law PHILIP HUNT Philip is a partner and creative director at Studio AKA, a multi-BAFTAwinning and Oscar/Emmy-nominated animation studio and production company. The London-based agency has a strong emphasis on story, design and character, and has produced films such as A Morning Stroll, Varmints and Jo Jo in the Stars, as well as creating and producing children’s TV show Hey Duggee. Philip runs a course in story and character development as part of Pictoplasma Academy. www.studioaka.co.uk SHAPING STORIES Time spent shaping the stories that Studio AKA is asked to tell through commercial work has trained us to think fast and with confidence, but when you pick up an idea, there can be a multitude of problems to…

1. GIVE OTHERS SPACE I can be prescriptive, because I have a clear picture in my head of what we’re trying to achieve, but there’s a leap of faith you have to make when you collaborate. Try to give the artist as much space as possible. 2. STRIP IT BACK We were very single-minded about the idea, and tried to stay as true to it as we could. Strip it back to the core idea – everything is influenced by Rattle’s movements, from the imagery to the typeface. 3. BRIDGE OLD AND NEW It can be hard to keep that connection between your new idea and an existing logo. We stayed true to the original marque. It was inspired by a conductor, so we placed it opposite the orchestra.…

Veteran graphic designer Lance Wyman discusses how a sculpture may have influenced his iconic 1968 Olympics designs I had a strange experience in 1965 that makes me think my connection to Mexico started before I designed the graphics for the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City. It happened while I was working at the George Nelson office designing the graphics for the Chrysler Pavilion at the 1964-65 New York World’s Fair. Prior to that I had lived in Zagreb, Yugoslavia (now Croatia), for three months, designing and supervising graphics for the USA Pavilion at the 1962 International Exposition. After returning to New York, I received a postcard from Dr Cuk, a Zagreb professor and good friend, who worked at the USA Pavilion. He was planning a trip to New York and wondered if…