Innehållsförteckning för June 2019 från Computer Arts

Well, that was fun… Our annual character design-themed covers always are – but Emily Gosling managed to uncover the most diverse bunch of artists ever this year. Elenor Kopka’s monochromatic images live in a different world to ManMachine’s slick renders, which in turn share nothing with 24 year-old wunderkind Jeron Braxton’s politically charged animations. And Philippa Rice’s autobiographical work is as unique as it is arresting. All these artists would have given us great covers, but we’ve always had a soft spot for the prolific, utterly mind-boggling work of Julian Glander, whose beautifully shaded, amophous blobs look something like a Jeff Koons sculpture of a children’s TV show character that would never be made. His endearing Muscleman render caught our eye in the run-up to the recent Pictoplasma conference (it…

BEREN NEALE EDITOR With The Proms prospectus out, Beren and his dad can plan their yearly jaunt to That There London for the ‘Classical Glastonbury’. This year, crowd surfing will almost definitely be added to the evening’s shows. MARK WYNNE ART EDITOR A heavy cloud of tension has hung above CA Towers this month, as Mark and Beren duelled over the merits of various submitted projects – confrontations reminiscent of Frost and Nixon… or perhaps Laurel and Hardy. CLIFF HOPE OPERATIONS EDITOR The Bank Holiday gave Cliff a chance to clear clutter from his garage. Yet what could have been a textbook Marie Kondo manoeuvre descended into a giant game of Tetris, with countless storage boxes. Clutter 1, garage 0.…

1. Take advantage of criticism “Show your work when it’s vulnerable,” says Thomas Kronbichler, so you can go away and improve it. Also, that would help you to be sure if you like it or not. If someone tells you, ‘I don’t like it red,’ then you know you want it exactly to be red! You only find out if you’re okay with an idea or a concept if someone challenges it.” 2. Don’t forget the importance of aesthetics “If the solution isn’t beautiful, I know it’s wrong,” says Ryan Honey. 3. Think of curation as an act of creation “Finding is creating,” says Marc Kremers. “Discovering new content on the internet and using it in a creative way is far more interesting than passively consuming what’s online.” 4. Make…

SARA LAI Art director www.saralai.com “The Elements of Typographic Style by Robert Bringhurst was recommended to me by Paulus Dreibholz, my tutor at Central Saint Martins, on the first day of our class. Over the years, this little design bible has proved to be invaluable. It packs in the whole 360 degrees of typography, and has come in handy for practically everything I’ve worked on. Not only does it cover the basics of type and grid rules, it also offers insights that are philosophical and historical. I’ve used it when I needed inspiration for layouts and projects – even ones that I’m working on eight years later. One of the chapters I enjoyed the most was about the typography of music systems in relation to layout grids. Oh, and the…

ANTONIA HUBER Co-founder, AH-KB www.ah-kb.com “The brief was to design a bold and flexible visual identity system that would encourage community engagement and create a buzz around the festival. We arrived at the concept of ‘getting closer to art’ as its main inspiration. The identity works without images at the start of the application process; at this stage the focus is on typography being the main carrier of the brand. The logo is set in Lutz Headline, and the initials function as a key visual. Being cropped, enlarged and abstracted, they highlight the shape and form, and introduce the abbreviated version of the event’s name. After the venues have sent imagery of their programme, these images will be placed into letterforms. Presenting the logo in this way reinforces our concept…

At the heart of any creative project is communication and storytelling. Whether that’s something as intangible as a wordless comic strip, a single illustrated figure conveying an emotion, a TV ad telling us to buy something, or a government campaign poster advising us how best not to get run over, characters can be a powerful tool to bring that story to life. Today, we’re more familiar with – and bombarded by – character design than ever. The Jolly Green Giants and SpongeBobs of yesteryear are no longer the preserve of big ad agencies or professional image-makers, thanks to the democratisation of software and proliferation of free tools. “CHARACTERS STILL FUNCTION AS A WAY TO TAKE US BY THE HAND”LARS DENICKE Lars Denicke and Peter Thaler have been running the Pictoplasma…

Martina Paukova (2016) www.martinapaukova.com Slovakian-born Martina Paukova studied politics before moving on to study graphic design at London College of Communication. Since then, she’s been creating illustratrations characterised by Memphis-inspired patterns, bustling scenes and bold colours, always with a touch of playfulness and humour. She’s worked with clients including The Guardian, New York Times, ZEIT and Condé Nast, and brands such as Pull&Bear, Converse and Google. Gary Baseman (2004, 2006 and 2012) www.garybaseman.com Denicke cites Baseman as symbolic of a generation of character designers with a signature character – in this artist’s case, Toby, a morphing, cat-eared figure. Working across illustration, painting, animation, toy design, video and performance art, Baseman coined the term “pervasive art” to describe work that “blurs the lines between fine art and commercial art.” He’s been…

Seven years ago, Birmingham-based freelance illustrator Tahgasa Bertram, aka Sweaty Eskimo, got a commission to paint a mural at Twitter’s central London office. He’d already done two murals for the PR agency Pretty Green and one for Cadbury, and had his process down to a tee. It involved creating a digital version of the artwork first, then projecting it onto the wall, and painting over it. “But at the Twitter HQ, the wall was curved, and let’s just say it didn’t go to plan,” he says. Now seriously behind schedule, Bertram hit upon the idea of using a vinyl sticker. “Once the client had agreed to this, I got the vector artwork done quickly, and it was a success,” he says. It proved a turning point in Bertram’s career. “Fast…

THE BRAND CONCEPT By Alan Dye Petit Pli is a company that’s designed a revolutionary new way of making children’s clothing. The fabric the clothes are made from expands as the child grows, as the pleats within it unfold. Instead of replacing your child’s clothes two or three times a year, you simply let Petit Pli garments expand as they grow. Thanks to its innovative, sustainable approach, not to mention great design, Petit Pli won a D&AD Impact Award in 2018. Following that, we were introduced to its founder, Ryan Mario Yasin, via D&AD and were asked to create a new visual identity for the company. Our approach to the new branding focused on four themes: sustainability, fashion, aerospace engineering and, of course, kids. The look and feel we developed…

One of the highlights of May was going to Foilco’s Multiplicity London – a really fun series of evening events, touring the UK’s big cities, all creative-focussed with loads of nice booze and fresh food, and with talks from the established great and upcoming good of design. During Paul Belford’s talk, the multi-award-winning creative director and designer stressed the importance of ideas as the foundation of good work. And like any good teacher who knows repetition is the mother of all learning, he came back to it again and again while taking us through some of the highly impactful, playful, idea-riddled work he’s done over the years. And just like when you hear a word you haven’t heard for a while, then hear it every day for a fortnight, the…

ROSIE HILDER OPERATIONS EDITOR, CREATIVE BLOQ Rosie spent the Bank Holiday painting her hallway, transforming it from a red wallpapered hell to a clean Jasmine White heaven. She’s still trying to scrape paint out of her glasses/the carpet. GRACE BRYANT ENGLISH LIT STUDENT & CA INTERN Grace is actually excited about the impending struggle to find a job due to her arts degree. No matter where she ends up, she’s looking forward to no longer hearing, “So, you’re going to be a teacher?”…

DAVE YATES Every list of design books needs to start with The Design of Everyday Things by Don Norman. ANDREW MANNING Design is a Job and You’re My Favorite Client by Mike Monteiro. Essential reading for anybody who’s serious about climbing the ladder in the design industry. TOM CLEVERLY Don’t Get a Job… Make a Job: How to Make it as a Creative Graduate by Gem Barton. Gave me a desire to freelance! @POODLEHAT_76 The Art of Looking Sideways by Alan Fletcher. My go-to book for clearing the mind and finding new inspiration. @NELSONGT History of Graphic Design by Philip Meggs. This is a treasure for history and inspiration.…

The work of Julian Glander is instantly recognisable: pastel hues, cute, strange, occasionally blobby character designs that are entirely his own. For him, a signature style is crucial. “It’s important to have something that’s a designator, whether that’s the visual style, the sense of humour, or the way they play with the forms or mediums they’re working with. There are artists who reinvent themselves and do something new with every project, but being a chameleon is a style, too. Having a continuity online is nice, so that people know it’s you. Having a signature visual style means I can focus on the writing, and what’s happening to my characters, not just what they look like.” For Glander, the beauty of using Blender to work in 3D is that once you’ve…

Jeron Braxton is entirely self-taught in the world of animation and visual arts, yet at just 24 years old he’s already made a name for himself through work that’s both nonlinear yet somehow familiar. At last year’s Sundance Film Festival, he took home the Short Film Jury Award for Animation for his brilliant short Glucose: an occasionally surreal, always powerful exploration of police violence, our relationship with the digital world, and internet culture and the loneliness it can engender. Braxton got into animation as a teenager when he wanted to make videos for the music he was making. “I was always drawing for as long as I could remember and I sort of stuck with it,” he says. “Not to say I was a good drawer, but I was always…

MAY Edinburgh Napier University www.napier.ac.uk/courses/browse-interests/design/degree-show An annual showcase of the creative talent from the School of Arts & Creative Industries, including creative advertising, design and digital arts, environmental graphic design, exhibition design, film, graphic design, interaction design, motion graphics, photography and product design. • 17–24 May Swansea College of Art (UWTSD) www.uwtsd.ac.uk/art-design/summershows Swansea College of Art Dynevor, De-La Beche St, Swansea SA1 3EU • 17–31 May Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art & Design www.dundee.ac.uk/degreeshow/2019 • 18–26 May Celebrates the success of the graduating students from University of Dundee’s Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art & Design and the department of Architecture. University of Hertfordshire: Headlines Degree Show www.herts.ac.uk Art & Design Building, University of Hertfordshire, College Lane, Hatfield, Hertfordshire, AL10 9AB • 22–25 May Central Saint Martins: Show One…

Dan Woodger, an illustrator and animation director, is often asked by students how to become successful. “And I’m cautious not to make it seem like my career has been perfect,” he says. “Freelancing’s a tough old slog, and there’s a flip-side to all the perfect stuff you see on social media. Everyone has mistakes and failures, and you have to make them in order to learn from them.” In Woodger’s case, one early career lesson came in a job for Pepsi. “At that time, I worked mainly in Photoshop, but the client needed the work done in Illustrator, which I’d never used,” he recalls. “I said yes and just thought: ‘I’ll learn Illustrator while I’m doing the job.’ Woodger’s plan was to craft the illustration in Photoshop to start off…

Although it wasn’t part of the brief, we decided to create a Circuito Plástico book after the event. It served as a catalogue, recording and highlighting the galleries, artworks and artists involved in the event. It’s an idea that might grow in the future as the event takes off and grows in size. Because of the amount of artists and pieces that were part of the festival, there was a lot to include. The images are arranged on a structured grid, but we were very liberal with it, preferring to take a more artistic approach to keep it visually cohesive and interesting, unpredictable and fun – much like the journey that the guests take from gallery to gallery. We wanted it to be eye-catching and to inspire curiosity. The psychedelic…

JIM BULL The co-founder and CCO of international design studio Moving Brands is keen to promote a message of ‘lessism’. Turn to page 25 to see how Jim’s thinking can be applied to your design work and beyond. www.movingbrands.com LARS DENICKE Together with Peter Thaler, Lars launched the Pictoplasma character design festival 15 years ago. On page 38 he cites some of the key designers who figure large in the festival’s history. www.pictoplasma.com LANCE WYMAN The American-born veteran designer has his heart in Mexico. On page 58 he talks about some of his design achievements, which include masterminding the look of the country’s Olympic games in 1968. www.lancewyman.com CRISTINA ARREOLA On page 82, the creative director of Parámetro Studio tells how her team was tasked with giving an art festival…

Head of strategy, This Place www.thisplace.com The current lack of diversity within the UK design industry remains a major societal issue that should be a priority on every boardroom’s agenda. While the creative economy is booming, it performs poorly on diversity compared to the wider economy. According to the Design Council’s latest research, 85 per cent of the digital design sector in the UK are male, and only 13 per cent of the wider design economy are from BAME (Black, Asian and minority ethnic) groups. There’s a sector-wide diversity challenge, a disconnect for an industry that prides itself on being innovative and forward-thinking. While the moral imperative for promoting a diverse and inclusive workforce is indisputable, it also makes business sense. Creating great design depends on understanding the needs of…

CO-FOUNDER AND CHIEF CREATIVE OFFICER, MOVING BRANDS www.movingbrands.com Eight years ago I crossed continents and moved from the UK to California. In those years I’ve noticed a desire to ‘own less’ building inside of me. An urge to only own things I need; quality products that are either old, vintage or from new, smaller makers. And it seems I’m not alone: this has the makings of a trend. People are craving this ‘lessism’ in their lives. Less across their physical and digital realities, which is manifesting itself in an overwhelmingly strong desire for the consumer to declutter their social media, the digital products, apps and tools they consume, as well as everyday physical items. I believe this need for ‘lessism’ is the result of a whole range of external factors…

Philippa Rice works across an impressive range of media, from comics, illustration and animation, to model-making and crochet. As such, her style isn’t dependent on her tools, but a more innate commonality in her work that runs through all her work, from her stop-motion crochet character shorts to her books that draw on real-life relationships. Rice studied animation as a degree, and used the skills she learned to start creating her collage-based webcomic My Cardboard Life about a year after graduating, moving on to creating animated GIFs and longer animations. Currently, she’s particularly enjoying the crochet side of her practice: “Even though it takes a long time, the final result is always worth it,” she says. “I love completing a real, 3D object that I can hold in my hands!”…

LANCE WYMAN is the owner and creative director of Sideshow Sign Co., a Nashville-based team of designers and fabricators who specialise in custom sign manufacture. Wyman is also the creator of the Church of Sign Tology, a comprehensive online guide to sign making. www.lancewyman.com Lance Wyman’s love affair with Mexico is well documented. The New Yorker first went there to work on Mexico City’s Metro wayfinding – the information systems that guide the countless people bustling through what is today the second largest metro system in North America. Wyman’s designs were a success with commuters and municipal administrators alike, and his relationship with the city led to him designing the Mexican 1968 Olympics identity. It’s also seen him return this year to work on the visuals of all the city’s…

“I was working on a poster campaign for a multinational client,” recalls Simon Wright, managing director at Greenwich Design and co-founder of The Chemistry Works. “When it arrived, ready to be rolled out across the UK, we spotted a typo that neither the client nor agency had caught.” It’s something that happens to most agencies at some point. But that doesn’t make it any less horrible when you’re in the midst of it. “It was the worst day of my career,” Wright says. “I felt frustration, then guilt, then anger.” But crucially, he took steps to put things right. “We accepted ownership and offered to reprint the posters at our own expense,” he says. “We could have played the blame game and absolved ourselves of responsibility, but the long term…

1. NURTURE RELATIONSHIPS “Great work is always the result of great relationships,” says creative director Tom Wilder. “I can’t overstate the trust we seek to build with our clients and each other.” Associate business director Antonia Lazar has some tips on building that trust: “Constant communication allows for both teams to build trust in the collaborative relationship,” she says. In order to maintain this, “create a schedule of check-in calls with your client, regardless of milestones on the project timeline.” 2. EMBRACE COMPETITION “Find great people to surround yourself with,” advises Wilder. “I’m jealous daily of what my colleagues create; friendly competition only makes work better.” Make sure you’re looking for competition and inspiration in the right places, however. “Stop looking at what everyone else is doing on Instagram,” he…

THE BRIEF Jamie Wignall Over the past year I’ve had the privilege of illustrating a series of front covers and features for Prospect magazine. Prospect has a distinctive, modern visual identity. The magazine concentrates on political, cultural and current affairs, so the briefs often arrive with a rapid turnaround. This enables the magazine to be as nimble and relevant as possible. Working closely and communicating clearly with the art director is essential to ensure that there’s clarity about the direction of commissioned images. In this article I’m going to break down the process behind one of my favourite covers. RAPID SKETCHES Initially, the art director sends me over a brief and a couple of scamps of ideas for the direction he’d like the cover to take. When the final feature…