Table of contents for November 2017 in Computer Arts

Studio Sutherl& is renowned for its smart, elegant solutions and technical ambition (for proof, see the D&AD Annual 2017, complete with flowing ribbons, on page 22), and earlier this year the studio’s awardwinning Agatha Christie stamps (explored in issue 268) beautifully exploited thermochromic and UV inks to reveal hidden clues and Easter eggs. Our brief to Jim Sutherland and his team was simple: the cover should ‘reveal’ this year’s top studios with glow-in-the-dark ink. After much “discussing, refining, critiquing and thinking,” the lamp (including a moth fluttering to the light) was chosen. “I’ve always loved the classic shapes of an angle poise lamp,” Sutherland admits, “and it seemed to be a lovely visual connection with design studios.” Experiments with the special ink coating led to minor tweaks, but the original…

NICK CARSON EDITOR Nick rounded off a tiring-but-inspiring week that included two D&AD events, hosting the BIAs and two video shoots with a mini London stag do, where he discovered to his peril that beer pong is not his forte. MARK WYNNE ART EDITOR Mark visited Rachel Whiteread’s exhibition at Tate Britain, and was suitably overcome with existential loneliness, triggered by the ruminations on grief and absence. Then he went to McDonald’s for a burger. ROSIE HILDER OPERATIONS EDITOR Rosie enjoyed the BIAs. Triumphs included not tweeting winners before they were announced, not falling over as she collected Anagrama’s award, and seeing her periods column in print. But she did spill unspecificed Chinese food juice on her dress at 3am.…

The size of a creative operation, how it’s set up and what it bills should have no bearing on its creative potential, or its impact and recognition by the industry. Bigger is not always better W hen asked by the lovely Computer Arts to vote for its annual UK Studio Rankings I was, at first, happy to oblige. Only when I actually started to give it some serious thought did a seemingly simple exercise become a struggle. The panel was asked to pick our top five studios in ascending order, with bonus points for our fave outside London – to even things up, as I understood. But when thinking a bit more on my picks, I found it an increasingly difficult thing to do. If plucking five names out of…

01 USE YOUR TIME WISELY “My biggest tip for students looking to become freelancers is to use your time studying wisely,” says freelance designer Guy Rodwell. “Experiment with all the equipment, and take time to learn new processes and techniques that might aid and inform your design process once you become a freelancer. Having the knowledge to produce creative and varied work is very handy.” 02 LEARN AT YOUR PACE It’s good advice to get used to deadlines and develop skills like selfmotivation while you’re studying. “When you’re still in school, you can take it slow and learn the important aspects of freelance and design at your own pace,” says illustrator and designer Mart Biemans. “Once I quit school, there wasn’t a way back for me. Succeeding was my only…

01 KNOW WHAT YOU WANT Switching career gives you the opportunity to shape your future. Don’t jump at the first opportunity: think carefully about what you want. What do you love doing? What sort of working environment do you want? Identify what fulfils you so you can make the right choices. 02 TRY EVERYTHING Duncan Blachford advises fully immersing yourself in a lot of different areas to build up a better understanding of what your new career would or could entail, and where you might be best suited. “Try a range of styles and mediums, use your hands – make it tangible,” he advises 03 START STUDYING Supplement your practical exploration with studying. You could take an evening class, go back to university or simply expand your reading list. “Dig…

DESIGN MATTERS COLOUR CORRECTION IMAGE MANIPULATION ARTWORKING FOR PRINT This six-part series is an essential guide for junior designers. We give advice on topics entry-level creatives need to know about, from basic theory to practical tips. In part three of the series, we examine the world of artworking. Subscribe to make sure you get the rest of the set, see page 32. The term ‘artworker’ can mean different things to different people. But in general, it’s more of a technical, detail-oriented role than that of an illustrator or graphic designer, both of which are more focused on conceptual ideas and creativity. An artworker, in turn, will take those creative design concepts and edit and rework them, format them, and then package them into a finished piece of work. This usually…

DAN MOORE Dan Moore is one of the founding partners of Studio Output and Found Studio. As managing director, he is ultimately responsible for the financial and organisational side of the agency, including resource management and allocation. LOCKET AEBISCHER Senior account manager Lucy ‘Locket’ Aebischer has worked at SomeOne for three-and-a-half years. She is one of six account managers in the agency team, which is mostly designer-focused. B usy studios are only successful when they can handle their workload efficiently, otherwise things will go into meltdown: deadlines are missed, budgets squandered and clients lost. That’s where resource management is essential. In a special feature in association with Resource Guru, we paid a visit to two similarly sized London agencies to determine how they run things at the moment, and whether…

1. Don’t treat people like robots Be realistic, and remember that people don’t work on billable projects from 9am to 6pm daily. Meetings, breaks and other distractions all limit the time they actually spend working. 2. Maintain existing client projects This can take a surprising amount of time. If you don’t have a separate support team, put aside some time each week for someone to take care of any issues that may arise. 3. Streamline management tasks Keep your team up to date using dedicated resource-scheduling software. 4. Avoid over-allocating resources This can lead to burnout and high staff turnover. If it’s unavoidable, set a regular time to review and reprioritise the overbookings. 5. Don’t forget about time off! Holidays and other types of leave will impact your projects. Make…

This 4K video with stereo sound asks what AI looks like, and presents an intense, disorientating journey into a neural network. The network learns how to think by absorbing information, writing its own code automatically. It sees a tree, a leaf and a landscape and responds. A digital creation, it mimics intrinsically human processes of seeing, memorising and remembering. Based on what it learns and processes, will the neural network one day simulate the places where we long to be?…

Founder of new venture Texture, which explores the fertile middle ground between design and technology, Stuart Youngs was formerly creative director at Purpose. When all the cool kids were poring over 12” sleeves, I had a different artwork obsession: clothes labels. The logos. The type. The finishes. The identity they offered. The lifestyle they promised. Before I knew what graphic design was, I knew I loved brands. Looking back, my 25 years of collecting offers a humiliating journey from sartorial cluelessness to a man afraid of any colour but navy – it’s a wardrobe full of skeletons. Yves Saint Laurent, age 16. My mum told me it was posh, so I emblazoned it right the way across a mustard-yellow shawl-collar sweatshirt. Yes, that posh. With all the money earned from my summer…

Picking the top 50 studios out of a pool as rich and diverse as the UK design industry is no mean feat, and putting them in a meaningful order is trickier still. Our method is simple enough: it’s about peer reputation. The Players’ Player Award, if you like. And judging by the feedback we’ve had, it genuinely means something for the rest of the industry to agree you’re on the top of your game. This is our fourth UK Studio Rankings, giving us a fascinating snapshot of UK design over that period. The steady performers, risers and fallers, and the occasional young pretender out of left-field that wows everyone. As in previous years, stalwarts such as Pentagram and The Partners rub shoulders with smaller boutique outfits, like our previous winners…

GARETH JONES VIDEO PRODUCER Gareth enjoyed filming (and indulging) in the BIAs last month, and visited Celloglas once again for an exciting cover video exploring the wonders of phosphorescent ink. He’s also still waiting patiently for his own illustrated portrait in the mag. TOM MAY FREELANCE WRITER Tom has been on a press tour of Sweden, and now knows more about Scandinavian wallpaper than he ever thought possible. He recently joined a home swap service, and plans to become a digital nomad next year with a month in Australia.…

KAZ KAPUSNIAK Freelance graphic designer and branding consultant www.twitter.com/letmeseethatkaz “After the Brexit vote, I decided to go through the long process of getting Polish citizenship. As someone born in the UK but with a Polish grandfather, I’ve always been entitled to it, but never thought I’d need it until 24 June. I’ve spent years working towards becoming freelance and one of the driving forces for this was to have the flexibility to work anywhere. Now I’m freelance, several of my clients are based in Belgium and Germany, and it would be a threat to my business if I could no longer work with them. There’s enough doubt about where we’ll be after the UK leaves that I felt I had to secure my EU citizenship to enable me to continue…

01 PREPARE ON THE BUSINESS FRONT Are you going to be a sole trader or limited company? Operating as a sole trader is relatively simple: just contact HMRC and register for self assessment. The latter is a little more complicated, but means you’ll pay less personal tax. 02 BUILD IT UP SLOWLY “Build things up slowly by working in the evenings and at weekends,” advises Caterina Bianchini. “Then you won’t have a mad rush when you eventually decide to go freelance and you can make sure freelance is absolutely what you want to do.” 03 MANAGE YOUR TIME “Make sure you can manage projects and your own time, too,” continues Bianchini. “You can’t decide that because you work better from midnight till 4 in the morning then that’s how you’re…

In short, artworkers are the middlemen between creative and design “At Wieden+Kennedy London, when preparing an artwork file for print, I start with an approved file from the design team. I make several rounds of minor amends – copy and image updates, such as edits to the headline or adding retouched images. Once I receive final sign-off internally and from the client, I prepare the artwork file according to job specifications defined by the design or media channel booking. This usually includes checking the resolution and colour space, so for a print job we ensure the image is a minimum of 300dpi and in the CMYK colour space. I then set the document up to specification, making sure the document size, bleed, trim and copy safe area are correct. To…

SomeOne www.someoneinlondon.com LOCATION: Shoreditch, London CURRENT STAFF: 30 full-time in London, 3 full-time in Sydney “It’s gone up and down a bit in London when we have had bigger projects. We’ve had bigger teams, and when those projects come to an end, these teams leave, but they’re usually just freelancers or temporary staff. BREAKDOWN OF ROLES: 23 in design team 6 account managers 4 founding directors FREELANCE REQUIREMENTS: “We don’t use freelancers that much, and try and keep everything in-house,” explains Aebischer. “When we do, it’s usually because we have an aggressive timeline and need to get the stuff out super-quick.” PROJECT WORKLOAD: 30-40 projects at one time “It’s steady throughout the year,” Aebischer explains. “The only trough might be when we all jet off to Ibiza for our summer…

NEXT MONTH VECTOR WIZARDRY How CorelDRAW 2017 could transform your vector technique ROSALBA CAFFORIO Fashion and beauty illustrator Rosalba is an Italian illustrator who specialises in fashion and beauty illustration. After her Alice in Wonderland piece was picked up by the senior editor of Vogue Italia, she illustrated the Fall Winter collections for Vogue Talents. The piece also won a 2017 World Illustration Award. www.rosalbacafforio.com THE MOVE TO DIGITAL Rosalba Cafforio I spent my early, bohemian years in fashion design amidst pencils, watercolours, markers and pens. I kind of miss those days, but once I made the choice to move to the Cintiq 13HD, there was no going back. My education started in an art institute, we’re talking ‘90s when all the internet was geek stuff, so my training was…

MATT BAXTER Co-founder and creative director at Brighton-based studio Baxter & Bailey, Matt argues that the much-maligned word ‘nice’ deserves a reappraisal in his column on page 19. www.baxterandbailey.co.uk CATERINA BIANCHINI Working across art direction, editorial and branding, Caterina runs a onewoman studio in London. She shares her advice in our piece on four key routes for going freelance, which starts on page 34. www.caterinabianchini.com LOCKET AEBISCHER Senior account manager at SomeOne, Locket joins Studio Output’s Dan Moore to discuss how better resource management can oil the wheels in the studio in our video special, page 76. www.someoneinlondon.com ROSALBA CAFFORIO Concluding our practical workshop series with World Illustration Awardwinning illustrators, Rosalba shares her tips and techniques for digital fashion illustration on page 88. www.rosalbacafforio.com STUART YOUNGS Former creative director at…

CRAIG OLDHAM FOUNDER, OFFICE OF CRAIG OLDHAM www.craigoldham.co.uk Craig is a designer, educator, writer, publisher, curator, letter-writer, website-putter-upper and lamenter. He’s also the founder of eponymous practice, Office of Craig. Recent projects include ME & EU and Larkin: New Eyes Each Year. MATT BAXTER CREATIVE DIRECTOR BAXTER AND BAILEY www.baxterandbailey.co.uk Matt is creative director of award-winning brand design studio Baxter and Bailey, based in Brighton. On page 19, he argues that a certain four-letter word is due for reappraisal. It’s safe to say that it’s probably not the word you’re thinking of. DESIGN MATTERS: How has Brexit affected your decisions about where to live and work? – page 18 PLUS: Three views on DixonBaxi’s rebrand of Eurosport’s Olympic coverage – page 20 Illustrations: Anna Higgie www.annahiggie.co.uk…

Enter any decent co-working space or trendy coffee shop and you’ll see them. Armed with a laptop, mobile and very little else, an army of freelancers is quietly revolutionising the creative industry. According to the Design Council’s 2015 Design Economy Report, 27.1 per cent of designers are self-employed, which is almost twice the UK average. Within graphic design, those figures are even higher, with a whopping 48.1 per cent of people selfemployed. In the US, the numbers are higher still. The gig economy has never looked better but try telling yourself that when you’re considering making the leap. The fear of the unknown can be crippling: will you be able to find work, pay the bills, stay motivated? Are you too old – or too young? How should you prepare?…

01 THINK POSITIVELY “Being laid off sucks. You feel betrayed. But don’t let those thoughts overtake you. Use your notice period to forge ahead and think positively,” advises Kevin Moore. “Take on tons of work, get creative, and let that negative energy be turned into something positive.” 02 DO WHAT WORKS FOR YOU “There is no right or wrong way to become a successful freelance designer. If you find clients by printing flyers and going to local shows, do that. If you prefer social media, do that. Find whatever works for you during your notice period and do it over and over again to build your client list. All you need is one solid job lined up, then you go get more.” 03 LEAVE ON A HIGH Avoid the temptation…

Duan Evans AKQA, London www.akqa.com Tommy Taylor Alphabetical, London www.alphabeticalstudio.com Tom Judd Animade, London www.animade.tv Kirsty Carter and Emma Thomas APFEL, London www.apracticefor.com everydaylife.com Mike Moloney Art & Graft, London www.artandgraft.com Sally Hope Arts University Bournemouth, Bournemouth www.aub.ac.uk Nick Asbury Asbury & Asbury, London www.asburyandasbury.com Lee Bradley B&W Studio, Leeds www.bandwstudio.co.uk David Woods Bag of Bees, Belfast www.bagofbees.co.uk Matt Baxter Baxter & Bailey, Brighton www.baxterandbailey.co.uk Louise Sloper BBH, London www.bartleboglehegarty.com Blair Thomson Believe In, Exeter www.believein.net Tim Beard Bibliotheque, London www.bibliothequedesign.com Mike Bond Bond & Coyne, London www.bondandcoyne.co.uk Paul Taylor BrandOpus, London www.brandopus.com David Jones Buddy Creative, Exeter www.buddycreative.com Michael C Place Build, Leeds www.wearebuild.com Rebecca Wright Central Saint Martins, London www.arts.ac.uk/csm Dilys Maltby Circus, London www.circuslondon.com James Littlewood Design Project, Leeds www.designproject.co.uk Ben Wright DesignStudio, London www.wearedesignstudio.com Fiona Curran…

1 COMMUNICATION IS KEY “I’d advise any new designer to communicate properly with the print company,” says Kayleigh Cripps, marketing graphic designer at Find Me a Gift. “Every printer is different, and they all have their own set of guidelines: don’t just assume they all expect a 3mm bleed! Allow yourself extra time for error, and don’t rush.” 2 DO A TEST PRINT FIRST “I’d also strongly recommend doing a test print first too, especially if you’re producing brochures, booklets, or anything else where you’ll be printing a large quantity,” adds Cripps. “It will save you time, and money, in the long run.” 3 UNDERSTAND YOUR TOOLS “Creative suites are continually updated, so you will never know everything there is to know about a single program, like InDesign,” says Jody…

Studio Output www.studio-output.com LOCATION: Farringdon, London CURRENT STAFF: 28 full-time (plus freelancers) “At one point we had a rep in the States, 15-20 people in Beijing, and studios in Nottingham and London,” explains Dan Moore. “In the last three years, we’ve really focused the business.” BREAKDOWN OF ROLES: 10-15 in design team inc. freelancers 4 in production 6 in admin/finance/marketing 6 within Found Studio 1 full-time on Glug events FREELANCE REQUIREMENTS: “For a long time, we didn’t really use freelancers,” admits Moore, “but over the last 2-3 years, at certain periods – particularly spring and autumn, when brands tend to spend bigger on websites or rebrands – that’s when we need extra hands. It tends to be senior people, but occasionally we get in artworkers for during a roll-out. Our…

Formal and informal testing happens throughout development. It’s particularly important with multifunction designs to test, as decisions are made, that the design is robust in challenging display environments, but is still expressive and supporting the brand. There are three aspects that the typeface has to satisfy: aesthetic, technological and accessibility. The aesthetic aspect is probably the hardest to test since it is highly subjective and acceptance is derived by continual collaboration and discussion. The technological side can be tested quite objectively, simply by applying the typeface into different environments and assessing whether it functions. As to accessibility, we have a deep understanding of legibility and readability, through research and experience. The team at the BBC also scrutinised the design to ensure it met all criteria.…

The Association of Illustrators (AOI) is a not-for-profit trade organisation promoting contemporary illustration and maintaining industry standards. Established in 1973, the AOI works to increase the standing of illustration as a profession and improve commercial and ethical conditions, and support illustrators at every stage of their career. At the AOI we always say: ‘If you don’t ask, you don’t get.’ An initial offer from your client may seem considerable and tempting, but is it the best offer for the kind of work you’re about to create? If the answer to that is no, then it might be time to raise the bar and negotiate. Asking questions and negotiating can seem daunting, but becoming confident in doing so is necessary in order to advance your career. We asked AOI member Vic Lee…