Table of contents for June 2016 in Computer Arts

From tongue-in-cheek comparisons to Simpsons characters engaging in fellatio (London 2012) to very public accusations of plagiarism (Tokyo 2020, and more recently Paris 2024), it’s fair to say that Olympics branding – much like the Games themselves – truly captures the world’s attention. Likewise, international football events present a rolling roster of vast branding projects open to public scrutiny – in Europe, every two years the baton is passed between UEFA and FIFA, and that’s without considering all the other major continental tournaments. It can be a mixed bag of kudos and criticism for the agencies tasked with branding these global sporting events, and with Euro 2016 and the Rio Olympics on the horizon we explore the complex process involved, and what we can all learn from it, in an…

Jacky Sheridan is an Irish illustrator who enjoys drawing words and making fun of people through her art. www.jackysheridan.com TOTE BAGS I have a tote bag full of tote bags at home. This giant one by Stay At Home Club is my all-time favourite. BAD PUNK ROCK TATTOO I decided getting a tattoo of my favourite band logo done in someone’s bedroom would be a great idea. Years later, it looks like I’ve been drawn on with a Sharpie. CONVERSE ALLSTARS I’ve been wearing black hi-top Converse every day of my life for over 10 years now. I defy anyone to find something they don’t go with.…

KEY INFO LOCATION Old Truman Brewery, Shoreditch, London www.dandad.org/festival WHEN 20–22 April 2016 ATTEN DEES 4,000 tickets sold, estimated 14,000 attendees total KEY SPEAKERS Paul Smith, Annie Atkins, Sir Martin Sorrell, Adam Buxton, Andrew Diprose, Bruce Duckworth, Jim Sutherland and many more Knowing the logistical effort that goes into D&AD Judging Week, you’d think the team would have enough on without organising one of the busiest three-day schedules CA has encountered. But organise it they did. The first D&AD Festival was as inspiring as it was overwhelming. Every D&AD Awards judge we bumped into during the week told a similar tale of sensory overload; the need to spend the next few days in a dark room to reset their minds. But that could wait, as the programme included a series…

1 JENNA LAW UX DIRECTOR, WOLFF OLINS www.wolffolins.com “It’s too easy to label ‘design-by-committee’ as a flawed approach. There can be real value in a diverse range of thinking. Good design is based on, one: a definitive statement of the problem; and two: a strong understanding of user needs. It’s crucial to agree the problem statement, then refer to it every second you get. Next get real users in the room – it’s hard to argue with the people who buy, use and define the success of your solution.” 2 GORDON REID DESIGNER AND ILLUSTRATOR www.middleboop.com “This is a problem we all have to face as creatives. Be it client-facing or agency, there will always be a room full of egos wanting to rip apart your art or decide on…

When it comes to creating an Olympic brand, things don’t always go according to plan, as the organisers of the Tokyo 2020 Games found out last year the hard way. In July 2015, they launched the official logo for the event, in both static and animated form. Abstract and minimal, the logo designed by Kenjiro Sano incorporated a ‘T’ for Tokyo and the red sun of the Japanese flag. But despite the careful stage-managing of the launch, things quickly spiralled out of control. The following month, Belgian designer Olivier Debie filed a plagiarism lawsuit – which he dropped in January this year, citing prohibitive legal costs – claiming the design copied key elements of a T-shaped logo he created in 2011 for Belgium’s Theatre de Liege. He even published the…

1 Explain the thinking When commenting on a new logo, social media users react to a single superficial aspect of a brand identity, not the thinking behind it. So explain that thinking process. “I think we did that well with Airbnb,” says Hurst. “We launched a lot of the environment around the logomark itself and told the community why this change should happen. That helped people understand the decisions.” 2 Don’t rise to the bait Even if you think your work is being misrepresented on social media, responding directly usually adds more heat than light to the debate, particularly given the abbreviated nature of tweets. “Nine times out of 10, there’s no point in trying to address [misconceptions],” says Hurst. “The work is much more complicated than the thing being…

1 If everything is important, then nothing is When a project involves different stakeholder groups, there are usually lots of opinions about the problem to be solved. In the case of Ravensbourne, this meant lots of highly informed design opinions. We approach things with an open mind and listen to all points of view. A winner gently emerges. 2 Challenging traditional crests and shields We discovered that Ravensbourne had set as one of its ambitions to become a university in the near future and this gave us a starting point: how does a modern, forward-thinking university express itself visually and verbally? There are plenty of traditional crests out there, but not many modern logos. 3 Addressing strategy We were also very interested in Ravensbourne’s mission to close the gap between…

1 REFRACT IVE SHADING For each letter we generated a different effect. The ‘E’ used a refractive shader, blurry enough for a tactile feeling and with the right luminosity on the blue and yellow lines to make them stand out. 2 SURFACE MESH What looks like a bump effect is actually a real mesh high-subdivided with tiny extrusions scattered equally. The refractive shader reacts accurately on the bumps to boost the realism. 3 THAT WAVE EFFECT The animation uses cloth simulation. The letter is belted to a subtly animated floor and an invisible object pushes into the top of the ‘E’. We had fun with the dynamic parameters.…

ILOVEDUST With a 27-strong team and counting across its studios in Brighton, Southsea and London, ilovedust partners with the world’s top brands to create inspiring, innovative and award-winning design, illustration, branding and experiential design. The studio was also responsible for our typographical cover. www.ilovedust.com JAMES DOHERTY Multi-disciplinary director, animator and designer James is passionate about shortform visual storytelling, and produces commercials and films for Irish agency Piranha Bar. Computer Arts first introduced him to the world of design, so he was delighted to create this issue’s Design Matters piece (page 3). www.greeble.tv KATH TUDBAll Hired by renowned design consultancy johnson banks shortly after graduating from Central Saint Martins, Kath spent 15 years working on award-winning work across the studio’s portfolio. In our New Ventures slot on page 14, she discusses…

London-based company Evermade works with up-and-coming designers to create fresh and vibrant prints, stationery and homeware, often in limited runs. Illustrator Will Holmes’ striking monochrome cushions are screenprinted on pure cotton, and only 100 will ever be made. “The process involved converting the digital designs into physical screens,” says Cara Bray of Evermade. “Next, the designs are hand-pulled onto the fabric, then they’re cut and sewn onto it.” Each cushion is double-sided, giving a choice of two different looks that can rapidly change the feel of a room. “It’s exactly what we were trying to achieve,” adds Bray. “Will’s designs are modern, striking and versatile, and easily add interest to any space.” Stripe cushion www.evermade.com £35 (cover only) £40 (cover with inner) TRENDING Stay one step ahead with our barometer…

When studying at Central Saint Martins, Kath Tudball found A Smile In The Mind in the library. She was drawn to the work of two agencies in particular: johnson banks and The Partners: “Beyond humour, I found serious design thinking, clever problem solving, and great ideas.” Tudball was hired by johnson banks soon after college, and went on to create award-winning work across the studio’s portfolio. Fifteen years later, she has joined The Partners as a design director. She shares the wisdom of experience... What’s it like jumping from a small studio to a large WPP-owned agency? A bit of a culture shock. I’m working with so many more people. In the past, I might have conducted an impromptu meeting by shouting across the room, but that doesn’t really work…

KERNING INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON TYPOGRAPHY 01-03 JUNE Faenza, Italy http://2016.kerning.it Italy’s international conference dedicated to typography returns for a second year. For the first two days expect a range of workshops before uniting for an all-day conference on 3 June with top-notch speakers including Sumner Stone, Marta Bernstein and Mark Simonson. SEGD CONFERENCE EXPERIENCE SEATTLE 09-11 JUNE Seattle, USA www.segd.org The only event dedicated to the creation of environments that communicate and connect with people, the Society for Experiential Graphic Design (SEGD) conference includes tours of Seattle’s best projects and studios, networking and breakout sessions to energise you and push your creative limits. TYPOGRAPHICS 13-23 JUNE New York, USA 2016.typographics.com This 10-day festival is devoted to contemporary typography. Its highlight is a two-day conference focused on type for publications, advertising,…

“When we first came across Wimbledon, visually it was a real mess,” says Gareth Howeth, co-founder of London-based design firm hat-trick. “So half the job was to get rid of all the stuff that didn’t work, and just keep the stuff that did. “We won a [Computer Arts] Brand Impact Award in 2014 for the work we’d done in redesigning the club’s visual identity. We modernised the typography, and made the wayfinding, print and digital communications much cleaner and more legible, as well as more adaptable to a wide range of applications. “Since then, we’ve essentially become the brand guardian for Wimbledon. And although the organisation doesn’t go for big, sudden changes, there’s always a lot of development going on. They’re currently doing a big masterplan for the actual site,…

“I almost never look for specific material to start an image, and only rarely will I go hunting for a certain piece of photographic material to finish a picture. One of the things I enjoy most about working through appropriation is the serendipity of it, and I try to let the things I find lead the images I make. Chance is the driving force of my practice. I do have an extensive library that I draw from, but I’m also constantly sourcing new printed material from which to steal. And the term ‘printed material’ must be stressed; I’m interested in physical things, ultimately. “Although I do use the computer to edit positives for screen prints, and there was a time in the past when I was very interested in using…

1. WRITE A SYNOPSIS Whether you’re working on an abstract animation or a complex character-driven plot, you must have a sense of what story your animation is telling well in advance of sketching out your initial idea. “Any storyboard or animation, even if it doesn’t have a voiceover or any text, should be able to be explained through words, like a story,” says Michael Lester. Try writing a synopsis – however basic – that encapsulates the core details of your animation. 2. BLOCK YOUR SCENES From your storyboard, the next preparation stage is to block your scenes. Break the story down into its key parts, where each scene tells a mini-plot line that’s part of the whole animation. Add reference notes as to what your characters will be doing and…

1 Be curious At the very start of your design career, one of the main virtues you can have is a simple curiosity about what everyone else in the studio is doing. “As an intern, your main responsibility is to experience all aspects of the design process,” explains Argent. “Be a sponge, and just soak it all up.” 2 Speak up from the start Design agencies tend to be relatively non-hierarchical places, so don’t feel that you have to keep your opinions to yourself. “Anyone can have that big idea, from the interns to the creative director, and that’s what’s really lovely,” says Argent. “Everyone is valued for their input.” 3 Rein in your madness... “As an intern, you have a responsibility to be supercreative and bring mad ideas to…

We had several ideas that hit the cutting room floor as the project progressed, but there was one route that I was convinced was a winner. Referring back to an older version of the school’s identity, which had a red ‘R’ in a black circle, we took inspiration from the ubiquitous registered trademark symbol ® and used it as a stamp; a mark of excellence, idea ownership and a brutally simple identity system. Unfortunately, we’d overlooked the minor issue that we were masquerading as the Intellectual Property Office and legal advice suggested we were skating on thin ice, so it was back to the drawing board. It was later pointed out that Croydon recently did something similar with a ‘C’ in a circle, like the copyright symbol. This consigned the…

SKETCHIT UP We created sketches to give the client a precise view of how we imagined the installations would look. When a project has a short deadline precision is important, but if it’s a longer project, such as a window display, we like to introduce new things along the way. With paper, you can’t change things easily or hit Undo SELECTING PAPER We used 310gsm sheets of coloured paper for this project. We use this weight of paper very frequently in our work, but when we create smaller objects we tend to use a lighter stock. We have a lot of different kinds of paper in the studio at all times – some with patterns, some gilded, some acetate sheets and more. LIGHT PASTELS The colours for this project had…

NICK CARSON EDITOR Nick didn’t complete on the sale of his new house as planned, as the seller pulled out without warning – but found another, even better one within a week! Everything crossed for second-time lucky... JO GULLIVER ART EDITOR Jo visited Amsterdam, and spent several hours at the Keukenhof Gardens – she prefers to call it a giant garden centre. She also sampled the local Jenever, and soaked up some culture at the Van Gogh Museum. JULIA SAGAR ACTING OPERATIONS EDITOR When Julia hasn’t been haphazardly digging holes in her garden to locate a public sewer, she’s been busy trying to remember her production skills for Computer Arts and preparing for freelance life. PETER GRAY VIDEO PRODUCER After a visit to DesignStudio (who created the new visual identity…

WEST PIER SEAFRONT Hove Lawns, BN3 2PE www.westpier.co.uk This is one of Brighton’s most famous sites, and with the Hove Lawns as well as the beach, it’s one of my favourite lunch spots in the summer. Some things are famous for a reason. JOE’S 24 Upper Hamilton Rd, BN1 5DF www.joescafebrighton.com My local cafe is home to one of the best breakfasts in Brighton. It’s only a tiny little place around the corner from where I live, but put it on your list if you’re visiting. They also do take-out – it’s a must for any hangover. THE EAGLE AND THE BASKETMAKERS 125 Gloucester Rd, BN1 4AF www.theeaglebrighton.co.uk 12 Gloucester Rd, BN1 4AD www.basket-makers-brighton.co.uk Directly opposite each other, these two pubs are both my locals. It’s always good to see…

INSIGHT Strong opinion and analysis from across the global design industry THIS MONTH JENNA LAW UX director, WOLFF OLINS www.wolffolins.com KLASIENVAN DE ZANDSCHULP Interaction and UX designer www.lava.nl/lavalab ANDRE ANDERSON Author, designer and facilitator www.freedomandbalance.com REGULAR WRITERS ADRIAN SHAUGHNESSY DESIGNER & WRITER SABRINA SMELKO ILLUSTRATOR AND ART DIRECTOR CRAIG WAR D DESIGNER AND ART DIRECTOR MARK BONNER CO -CREATIVE DIRECTOR , GBH BENTALLON FREELANCE ILLUSTRATOR LOUISE SLOPER HEAD OF DESIGN, CHI & PARTNERS Chatbots have been dominating the headlines over the past few weeks. With the world still getting to grips with the differences between AR and AI, what can chatbots add to the conversation – literally and metaphorically? Chat ‘assistants’ aren’t entirely new. Siri and Cortana have existed for a while, but are yet to truly prove themselves vital…

“Developing the visual identity for Rio 2016 was a unique project, and meant so much to me as a Brazilian,” enthuses Daniel Souza, creative manager at Tatil, which has offices in both Rio and São Paulo. “For our initial bid, we invested everything in a very intense journey, with only one month between briefing and delivery. “We began by trying to understand the brand essence and how to translate it for a worldwide audience. Using our strategic tool, BranDirection, we came up with a 12-point checklist, setting out the parameters of our brand. Then two teams, from our Rio and São Paulo offices, met by video-conference each week to share ideas, concepts, roughs and designs. “The design selected to represent Tatil in the bid was the one that got a…

1 BE PREPARED FOR SURPRISES Whatever meaning your design intends to convey, people will ‘find’ other meanings you never intended. “We could never have imagined all the different interpretations people would make of our Rio 2016 designs,” admits Souza. “Each individual finds their own meanings, and we are still hearing and discovering different insights today.” 2 ASSEMBLE A DIVERSE TEAM “I can’t stress enough the importance of gathering a multidisciplinary and multicultural team,” says Souza. “Designing a brand like this for such a diverse audience cannot start from a single point of view, so the sum of perspectives, cultures and backgrounds that we had on our team was critical.” 3 ORIGINALITY IS CRUCIAL “With something as big as an Olympics brand, your work undergoes a huge trial regarding intellectual property,…

WATCH THE VIDEO NOW AT www.bit.ly/ca254-acton This animation needed to visualise the concept of sharing, so we ran with the idea of a conga line of shapes moving between two tunnels. Here’s how I did it… 1 I began by creating two ellipses on shape layers with strokes. Next, I rotated the tunnels – I used a null to handle all the rotations in this animation. It takes nine seconds to do one complete cycle. Then I needed to parent those tunnels to the null. 2 Next I created a square on a shape layer, and animated the position property, moving it from one side of the screen to the other. I also needed this layer to rotate with the tunnels, so I parented that to the rotation null. 3…

MAY Central Saint Martins: Foundation Diploma in Art and Design www.bit.ly/1s9Jgce Granary Building, 1 Granary Square, London N1C 4AA 12–14 May University of Derby www.derby.ac.uk/big-show Markeaton Street, Derby DE22 3AW 13 May–11 June Aberystwyth School of Art www.aber.ac.uk/en/art Buarth Mawr, Aberystwyth, Ceredigion SY23 1NG 14–26 May University of East London www.bit.ly/1WmCHjc School of Arts and Digital Industries, Docklands Campus, London E16 2RD 19–22 May Falmouth University: Art and Design: Foundation Diploma in Art & Design www.bit.ly/1UP aUq4 Falmouth Campus, Woodlane and The Design Centre, Penryn campus, Treliever Road 20–26 May Leeds College of Art: Foundation Diploma in Art & Design www.leeds-art.ac.uk Vernon St, Leeds, West Yorkshire LS 2 8PH 20–26 May Edinburgh Napier University https://edinburghnapierdegreeshow.info Craiglockhart Campus, 219 Colinton Rd, Edinburgh EH14 1DJ 20–29 May Cardiff Metropolitan School of Art…

1 Talk face-to-face from the start Be prepared to travel to meet your clients – even before you’ve won the contract. “From the very first meeting, we try not just to have conference calls, or even Skype video calls,” says DesignStudio CEO Paul Stafford. For its work with Airbnb, Stafford flew to San Francisco to meet co-founder Joe Gebbia in person. “A lot of agencies wouldn’t have met Airbnb face-to-face at the pitch stage,” says Stafford. “But I think what won the pitch for us is what we heard at the drinks afterwards about the dream Joe had for the company. Our pitch hinted at that vision.” 2 Don’t be the expert “Our job in the research stage is to be a sponge: to soak up as much information as…

We started playing with paper because Lucie’s grandparents were working in a paper factory in the Vosges Mountains, so we had access to reams of unsold paper of all kinds. The most interesting aspect when making a picture out of paper is that you create a real installation, made with real materials. CG images can look more real than reality itself, but we think seeing art made by hand with tangible materials is refreshing. To come up with ideas, we brainstorm together. We often have different approaches when we start, which is interesting because we have to find a way forward that we both agree on. It pushes both of us to go beyond our initial thoughts. The most important part is attention to detail and making real images, with…

We used standard dynamics simulations to create the logo that forms in the sequence. After doing some tests we got the effect we were looking for, mainly by using attractors over quite a few hundred clones of low-poly spheres, randomly scaled and deformed to break the uniformity. We baked the most complex animation and added extra particles on top to create some variations. Motion and cinematic visual effects are getting so close in quality these days that we can learn from the movie VFX guys, and them from us.…

Erik Spiekermann Internationally renowned graphic designer, typographer and type designer Erik is the co-founder of multidisciplinary design consultancy MetaDesign, United Designers Network and Edenspiekermann. www.spiekermann.com Graphic designers have been bending over backwards for years, pulling out all the stops to turn a message into communication. We’ve spent hours finding the right typeface; fussed with tiny increments in size; introduced refinements in OpenType fonts containing hundreds of ligatures, alternate characters and content-sensitive positions. And now ‘letterpress’ is back. Suddenly we’re happy to take a lowercase ‘l’ and use it for a figure ‘1’ because that particular typeface doesn’t have enough figures? WTF? Wood type sucks when it comes to kerning because you would have to cut away bits of the letter itself in order to achieve ‘perfect’ spacing. There are no…