Table of contents for June 2017 in Computer Arts

When an illustrator as talented as Daniel Stolle is involved, the problem isn’t reaching a great cover solution, it’s deciding which of his fantastic ideas to run with. With the unusual (and fun) advantage of having Daniel both illustrate the cover and write the accompanying feature, he was even more involved in the editorial design of the cover than most of our artists, and knew how best to tell the story. As his single page illustrations for the feature itself progressed, the initial cover concept – a side-portrait of ‘the artist’ – evolved into a more literal cutaway of the artist’s head, complete with a beautiful ‘mini-me’ artist labouring on the cover inside that head (how beautifully meta). As with many of the best cover solutions, the coverline and cover…

NICK CARSON EDITOR Nick lived and breathed D&AD this month, attending both the Festival and the Awards (chairing a judges’ insight session in between them), plus setting up our fourth D&AD New Blood cover design contest. MARK WYNNE ART EDITOR Mark enjoyed the layout ideas provided by cover feature illustrator Daniel so much, he spent many hours staring at his screen hoping for Daniel to email another brilliant idea. He, er, didn’t… ROSIE HILDER OPERATIONS EDITOR This month, Rosie has enjoyed a trip to Argentina, catching up with old friends and places from her time living there. Everyone in the office hopes that she brings some Latin American weather back. KEY CONTRIBUTORS JULIA SAGAR CONTRIBUTOR-AT-LARGE This month Julia has been forced to find new and innovative ways to water the…

Brand Impact Awards entry deadline 9 June www.brandimpactawards.com Now in its fourth year, CA’s international prize scheme rewards the very best branding, according to market sector. Previous winners include Johnson Banks, The Partners, North, Purpose, Moving Brands and Sagmeister & Walsh. Submit your best work by 9 June for your chance to join them with a coveted BIA trophy on your studio bookshelf. Cannes Lions Festival Cannes, France 17–24 June www.canneslions.com This year, 15,000 creatives from the worlds of advertising, design and tech will descend on the South of France for the eight-day extravaganza that is Cannes Lions Festival. Over 450 speakers will deliver 150 talks across 18 different stages, including Hollywood royalty Dame Helen Mirren and Sir Ian McKellen, creative pioneers Alexander Wang, Gabourey Sidibe and A$AP Rocky, industry…

SARAH GLESS Designer and photographer www.sarahgless.com “Many people, whether they know it or not, were introduced to typography as a child with a set of colourful wooden blocks engraved with Clarendon-esque letterforms. My own experience was no different, and many years later, I’m still delighted by the warmth and wit of the timeless slab serif. I try to mirror many of the traits found in the thick and thin strokes of Clarendon: classy but eccentric, assertive but friendly, disciplined but playful.” JEREMIAH SHOAF Designer and art director www.typewolf.com “I’m currently working on my portfolio redesign, and after spending way too long searching for the perfect typeface, I’ve finally decided on Frauen from Sharp Type. Frauen was inspired by German calligraphy from the 1940s, and the typeface immediately resonated with me.…

01 KEEP YOUR MIND OPEN “Collaboration is at the crux of every successful project,” Jeffree believes. “It’s about finding partnerships that make work and life better. The way to make the best work is to collaborate, learn, and then evolve.” Plus, he points out, by moving into new territories through collaboration – such as photography, film-making or typography – it enables you to work more effectively with specialists on future projects. 02 BE AWARE OF YOUR LIMITS “Nobody knows how to do everything, so collaborate with the people who do, and learn from it,” urges Jeffree. “When someone is better at something than you, work with them! If you don’t know 3D, work with a 3D artist and you will instantly elevate what you do.” While you don’t necessarily need…

Watch the videos on our YouTube channel: www.bit.ly/ca267-dandad= Judging design awards is no mean feat, and at D&AD the issue is magnified, with thousands of entries spread out on long tables at London’s Old Truman Brewery in Shoreditch. In 2017, for the second year running, judging took place alongside the D&AD Festival (see page 16 for more), but in a bold move, this year the ceremony itself also happened the same week. One of several Judges’ Insight sessions, the CA -chaired Design panel took place just a couple of hours before the D&AD Awards. There we discussed seven projects that would later go on to win Pencils. Here are some of our highlights… Talk us through your choice of Landor Paris’ [triple Graphite Pencil-winning] campaign, To: A New Kind of…

Graphic design has always been supported by craft disciplines, and creative collaboration with specialists can enhance all kinds of project. This issue, we explore two of those crafts in detail: illustration and typography. For the former, illustrator Daniel Stolle – who humbly objected to our use of the term “veteran” on the cover – shares an insightful glimpse into his thought processes, and the lessons he’s learned so far (page 36). And for the latter, Dalton Maag’s Bruno Maag reveals how a typeface can define a brand’s personality (page 52). Crafts for Design is always an interesting category at D&AD, and this year typography and illustration won eight Pencils apiece, with just one going to photography. And that’s not the only D&AD mention you’ll find in this issue: in a…

STEVE VRANAKIS EXECUTIVE CREATIVE DIRECTOR, GOOGLE CREATIVE LAB www.stevevranakis.com Self-taught graphic designer Steve Vranakis started his career in a small studio in Gastown, Vancouver, making indie band posters and rave flyers before breaking into the internet in 1993. He has since sought meaningful creative projects worldwide, and is currently deputy president of D&AD. 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 creatives need to stop being so squeamish about money and get to grips with fees on page 21. DESIGN MATTERS: Which typeface best conveys your personality, and why? – page 20 PLUS: Three perspectives on the Euro 2020 football tournament brand identity – page 22 Illustrations:…

Every day at the AOI we talk money – how to make it and, in particular, how to ask for it. Through those conversations with members and colleagues, what is particularly striking is how many creative freelancers subscribe to the self–fulfilling prophecy of being a person who finds dealing with money just all too awkward and difficult. If we want a career in the industry we love – indeed, if we want an industry at all – we’ve got to get over this issue now. We’ve got to stop talking about our fees (and contracts) as if they are an area of freelance work that doesn’t benefit from a thorough understanding and a degree of willingness to keep ourselves updated. Within illustration, artwork is licensed. Licensing is a win-win situation…

DANIEL STOLLE Based in Finland, Daniel Stolle has been working in illustration since 2007. In that time he has worked on around 400 projects, for clients including the Guardian, Der Spiegel, New Scientist and The New York Times. www.danielstolle.com The year 2017 is my 10th as an illustrator. For a while I’ve been thinking about what I’ve learned on that journey, and how I can communicate it. I’m not a writer, so like with many other things I needed to find a way of working first. For more than half a year I jotted down my thoughts as one-liners while working on illustration jobs. I collected a list, covering a range of facts, simple observations, bold statements and hyperbole. Some of the following points are still one-liners, while others I…

brand impact awards Enter your best branding to CA’s international awards scheme before 9 June 2017: www.brand impactawards.com BRUNO MAAG Bruno is a typesetter and type designer from Zurich, Switzerland. In 1991, he founded Dalton Maag, an independent type design studio in London which now has an international team of 40. www.daltonmaag.com Why do certain types of brands adopt certain types of fonts? Partly, at least, this can be attributed to a ‘trend effect’, which I’d define as a collective interpretation of design, absorbed through our familiarity with – and understanding of – the culture we happen to be part of. But there’s also the way brands from different industry sectors choose to position themselves. Trends within specific sectors don’t follow a strict rulebook, but certain styles of fonts represent specific…

You did it! The show was a roaring success, you’ve taken your work down and now have a 200cm installation in the corner of your living room. Time to sit by the phone and wait for it to starting ringing off the hook, right? Wrong. Was there someone you invited who wasn’t able to make it? Then write them an email! Tell them how the show went and mention that you’d still love to show them your work if they have time for you to come in. Was there someone interesting who you spoke to at the show? Same deal. Get in touch to say it was great to meet them, and ask if they have any opportunities to offer a young designer. The degree show marks the end of…

WATCH THE VIDEO NOW AT www.bit.ly/ca267-dandad HOW TO THRIVE AS A DESIGNER In our first video, Su Mathews Hale – senior partner at Lippincott San Francisco, who headed up the Graphic Design panel for the D&AD Awards 2017 – discusses blurred boundaries, creative curiosity and the value of the human touch with fellow jury member Alan Dye (pictured), co-founder of London-based studio NB. WATCH THE VIDEO NOW AT www.bit.ly/ca267-dandad WHY A STRONG IDEA IS EVERYTHING In our second video, Fiona Curran – co-founder of Distil Studio, who led the Packaging Design jury at D&AD 2017 – reveals why design without substance frustrates her, and how she finds the relentless march of technology “daunting and frightening”, but also extremely exciting – so long as tech-driven projects still have a strong idea…

Two hours from LA there’s an empty city called Desert Shore. We thought it would be awesome to shoot there so we took a dancer and pop-up greenscreen. The footage wasn’t as strong as we expected, and we still had the Tango idea. We tried several different options for incorporating the type, including small, animated lettering. But there was so much already going on with the characters that we needed to find something that wouldn’t disturb the reading of the film.…

PROJECT FACTFILE BRIEF: Telia is a large telecoms company that operates in Scandinavia, the Baltic states and Eurasia. Wolff Olins previously helped the firm to rebrand, and was asked to create a code of conduct that would really engage employees, while at the same time complying with legal requirements. CLIENT: Telia Company, www.teliacompany.com AGENCY: Wolff Olins, www.wolffolins.com LIVE DATE: January 2017 in Estonia, and ongoing CAROLINE GOODWIN Delivery director, Wolff Olins Caroline has worked in digital since 1997, and past clients include Vodafone, HSBC and the Co-op. Her role is to conceive and deliver digital products and services to help position new brands, increase engagement or foster change. Outside of work, she loves to travel. MAKING ETHICS FUN Caroline Goodwin and Campbell Butler In the beginning, the brief was to…

IF YOU DON’T LAUGH, THEN NOBODY WILL You can start to feel personally removed from some work if you’re not part of the target demographic. But the humour in Don’t Do This At Work kept us all invested, and that’s where the magic came from. QUERY THE BRIEF, SOLVE THE PROBLEM Though the brief for this work wasn’t the most exciting initially, we saw quickly that the client had big ambitions. And often, a small intervention executed really well can have a massive impact. CULTURE CHANGE TAKES TIME TO MEASURE The client is still measuring the impact of this work. We had a lot of immediate success around the launch and initial rollout and we’re excited to see what long-term impact Don’t Do This At Work has.…

Founder and executive creative director of SomeOne, Simon Manchipp explains why perfume adverts are the right kind of wrong. We’re told never to trust a liar. To be deceived is a modern-day disaster, and entire companies exist to protect us from brands intent on testing the boundaries of truth. But there is one sector where lies seemingly endure, both unscathed and unquestioned: perfume ads. Commercial liars, when clearly exposed, are chastised and pushed into the shadows. But the struggle and hustle continues to be real. Cons are consistently being played out across the planet – from sneaky taxi drivers to elaborate scams. What unites the victims’ stories is the unbridled confidence in which they were hoodwinked. Confidence wins confidence. Interruption is almost as frowned upon as lying. But to interrupt with confidence…

STEVE VRANAKIS Steve is deputy president of D&AD and executive creative director at Google Creative Lab. On page 18, he argues eloquently that designers have the power and insatiability to make things better. www.stevevranakis.com REN RENWICK Helen ‘Ren’ Renwick is MD of the AOI , and sits on the board of two arts organisations. On page 21, she explains why designers need to take as much interest in money as in creativity. www.theaoi.com LETA SOBIERAJSKI AND WADE JEFFREE Creative and romantic partners Leta and Wade are skilled and experienced in multiple creative disciplines between them. On page 44, they share the joys, trials and tribulations of joining forces. BRUNO MAAG A typesetter and type designer from Zurich, Bruno founded independent type foundry Dalton Maag in 1991. On page 52, he…

FranklinTill Studio is a forecasting agency and creative consultancy that works with lifestyle brands across the disciplinary spectrum to provide research-based insights that drive creative innovations in materials, colour and design. It creates reports, publications, exhibitions and events with the aim of making its research both accessible and inspiring. It also edits and produces two magazines, published by View Publications, which you can buy from www.viewpoint-magazine.com. VIEWPOINT DESIGN Viewpoint delivers visual, editorial and statistical information to brands, designers, agencies and consumer insight teams determined to create lifestyle products, campaigns and environments that anticipate consumer demand. Written by professionals in the branding and design business, each issue explores how a significant trend will impact consumer behaviour and the global design landscape. VIEWPOINT COLOUR Launched December 2016, Viewpoint Colour offers visual inspiration,…

Just a few days ago, as I write this, I chaired D&AD’s Black Pencil judging, where some of the most talented creatives in the world put forward their suggestions for this most coveted creative award. One Black Pencil winner was the Dot Watch – the world’s first Braille smartwatch. Conceived in South Korea and developed in Germany by agency Serviceplan, it helps connect millions of blind and visually impaired people to the internet. It’s an incredibly insightful and thoughtful proposition for the over 285 million affected people worldwide. This didn’t come from a multinational medical corporation. This came from a start-up and a creative agency collaborating. Separately, I did a talk at the D&AD festival where I spoke about a mobile site that my team recently built to help keep…

HÉLDER POMBINHO Creative Director, Y&R Branding www.yr.com “There is nothing like football to bring Europeans together. The challenge with UEFA Euro 2020 was huge: how could we create a brand to celebrate football diversity and promote a sense of belonging in the 13 different cities and countries where the tournament will take place? Through our research, we found one symbol that links all the citizens and cities of Europe: the bridge. This was a perfect metaphor for football in Europe, and so we created a football bridge, which crosses all the European cities in the tournament. Graphically, we have two visual identity systems: a 2D horizontal bridge system that connects every city’s landmarks with our logo; and an isometric city landscape. These two systems allowed us to build all the…

MAY Kingston School of Art, Kingston University http://fada.kingston.ac.uk/events/ degree-shows Knights Park campus, Grange Road, Kingston-upon-Thames, Surrey, KT1 2QJ 18 May–9 June Edinburgh Napier University: More Than a Degree Show www.napier.ac.uk/courses/ browse-interests/design/degreeshow- 17 Merchiston Campus, 10 Colinton Road, Edinburgh, EH10 5DT 19–28 May Central Saint Martins: Show One www.arts.ac.uk/csm/whats-on-atcsm/ degree-shows-2017 Granary Building, 1 Granary Square, London, N1C 4AA 24–28 May CSM’s first show includes its prestigious BA and MA Fine Art courses, as well as photography and moving image work. University of Hertfordshire: Headlines Degree Show https://headlines.herts.ac.uk/ degreeshow Art & Design Gallery, University of Hertfordshire, College Lane, Hatfield, Hertfordshire, AL10 9AB 25 May–2 June London College of Communication www.lcc.arts.ac.uk London College of Communication, Elephant & Castle, London, SE1 6SB 25–31 May( Media School) 7–10J une( Screen School) 16–22 June (Design School)…

1. Be more human NB’s Alan Dye identifies three qualities that designers need to thrive in 2017: “You must be curious, and as challenging and creative as you can be,” he argues. “I don’t think that’s changed.” Lippincott’s Su Mathews Hale concurs, and adds a fourth quality to the mix: empathy. “More and more designers are looking to solve ideas around social good and make the world better,” she adds. 2. Stay flexible For Mathews Hale, the biggest shift in recent years is the increasingly blurred boundaries between digital and graphic design. “More and more companies have gotten rid of those silos,” she observes. “New skill sets are required, as well as different ways of thinking about what we are as a business.” While the focus used to be on logos…

From the start we designed mainly for digital environments. Animated GIFs are great for telling stories and easy to share. We designed them to be square, with space on the edges so that they could work in widescreen too. We created static assets, GIFs and videos to accommodate the different requirements. The computer game was another kettle of fish and required a developer that our illustrator Julian Glander could work with directly. Finally, we needed to output static versions of the files at high resolution so that they could be used on a newspaper, large printed banners and even a Rubik’s Cube!…

Reed 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. Names are wobbly, irrational things. Can we ever truly know them? Is it possible to put them into neat boxes, to separate the good from the bad, to figure out what makes them tick? We think so. Good names for businesses or brands can of course come from anywhere. But there are a few ways to focus your search for a name. With a solid process, and some…