WIN! Issue 238 IMPRess A CReATIVe12 MONTHs Of april 2015 DIReCTORADObe CReATIVe DiGiTal EDiTiONCLOuD – WORTH priNTED iN What potential employers reallyOVeR £500! ThE UK want to see in a recruit’s folio fRee GIfT! 50-page eBook packed with tips and advice PLus 100-page version for half price!CRAfT A KILLeR PORTfOLIO showcase yourself more effectively, win bigger clients and land your dream job DesIGN CusTOM TYPe sHOOT YOuR WORK IN sTYLe Exclusive video: how Dalton Maag develops Pro techniques to photograph your bespoke typefaces for top global brands print design work for your digital folio
editor’s letter april 2015 With the frenzy of graduate show season just a few months keep in away now, welcome to our Portfolios special – dedicated touch with… to that all-important craft of using your previous work to win more work, whether that’s a commission or an in-house job. twitter.com/ computerarts With a proliferation of digital platforms to choose from, the facebook.com/ very nature of a design portfolio has changed significantly over computerarts the last decade. With this in mind, we asked regular CA contributor Adrian Shaughnessy to explore what makes a folio fit for purpose in the modern design marketplace – while our advice-packed second feature reveals exactly what hiring creative directors are looking for. I’m also delighted to announce the launch of the second annual Brand Impact Awards, CA’s international competition to celebrate the very best in branding across all market sectors. Judges include creative directors from GBH, The Partners and Wolff Olins, as well as client-side commissioners and consultants with senior experience at global brands such as Tesco, Mars and Adidas. The entry period runs from 10 March to 18 June 2015, and you can find out more on page 18. There’s an extra special treat next month, when we explore how the most groundbreaking print and digital treatments can be used to enhance your design work, and of course you can expect a tactile collectable cover to show we practice what we preach. Don’t miss it. nick carson eDitor [email protected] potenza mark bonner emma thomas harry bingham eve duhamelGavin is an illustrator and mark began his career with emma is a designer and Harry worked as a graphic eve is one half of valléedesigner working out of a D&aD New blood Yellow co-founder of a practice for artist at the bbc before Duhamel, the canadianbrooklyn, New York. in 2010, pencil, which he earned in everyday life (apFel) with taking up a designer role design agency she foundedhe was named a Young Gun 1991 as a student at Kingston Kirsty carter. the studio at london-based agency with fellow creative Julienby the art Director’s club university. He went on to is known for its intelligent, rose, where he works on a vallée. the design duoand his work has featured in co-found top agency GbH in playful and well-researched broad range of cultural and creates images and videosmany books and magazines. 1999, and is D&aD president output. For insight into how corporate clients. Harry for a wide range of clients.Gavin illustrated this issue’s for 2015. He writes about his apFel crafts its client-winning demonstrates the work that check out how they putcover, as well as the portfolio involvement with our brand portfolios, turn to this issue’s goes into designing an arts together a promotional videospecial report on page 46. impact awards on page 22. special report on page 46. catalogue on page 83. for samsung on page 90.www.gavinpotenza.com www.gbh.london apracticeforeverydaylife.com www.rosedesign.co.uk www.valleeduhamel.com c o m p u t e r a r t s .c r e at i v e b lo q .c o m -4-
meet the teamFUTURE PUbLISHINg LTD, QUAY HoUSE, THE AMbURY, bATH bA1 1UA nick carsOnPHoNE 01225 442 244 FAx 01225 732 275EMAIL [email protected] EdITORWEb computerarts.creativebloq.com Nick enjoyed filming next issue’s designer Series documentary over at GBH, and is already makingEditorial ProductioN & distriButioN plans with fellow Brand Impact Awards judge Mark Bonner to take this year’s contest to the next level.Nick carsoN VIVIENNE CALVERT Production controllerEdITOR MARk CoNSTANCE Production manager jO [email protected] Printing: William Gibbons & Sons Ltd on behalf ART EdITORJo GullivEr of Future Distribution: Seymour distribution Jo left the market town of Corsham this month toART EdITOR Ltd, 2 East Poultry Avenue, London EC1A 9PT, move to Bath (where Computer Arts lives). She [email protected] Tel: 0207 429 4000 overseas distribution: had an odd recurring dream about smoking curly Seymour International cigarettes; tweet your interpretations to @jogulliver.tim HardwickOPERATIONS EdITOR circulatioN Tim [email protected] JULIETTE WINYARD Trade marketing OPERATIONS EdITORricH cartEr manager: 07551 150 984 Tim spent much of the month huddled in front of hisdESIGNER gas fire after temperatures took a tumble and [email protected] suBscriPtioNs winds whistled through every gap in the Georgian windows of his hilltop flat. He’s moving underground.Julia saGar, martiN cooPEr CHARLoTTE LLoYD-WILLIAMSaNd BErEN NEalE direct marketing executive ricH carTerCOMMISSIONING EdITORS [email protected]@futurenet.com [email protected] Uk readers: 0844 848 2852 Rich watched England’s rugby victory this [email protected] overseas readers: +44 (0)1604 251045 but still doesn’t know how penalties get awarded. His online enquiries: myfavouritemagazines.co.uk bother dissolved however when his Apple TV arrived [email protected] and he discovered the TV series Girls on Sky Atlantic.sammY maiNE aNd licENsiNGalicE PattilloSTAFF WRITERS REgINA ERAk International [email protected] [email protected]@futurenet.com Tel: +44 (0)1225 442244 Fax: +44 (0)1225 732275coNtriButors maNaGEmENt content teamZaneta Antosik, Mark Bonner, Chaanah NIAL FERgUSoN Content & Marketing director julia sagarCarr, Tanya Combrinck, FranklinTill, MATT PIERCE Head of Content & Marketing, COMMISSIONINGPeter Gray, Joanna Kerr, dawn Hancock, Photography, Creative & design EdITORChristopher Hunt, Adam Lee,david Mahoney, Mister Phil, Michael DAN oLIVER Group editor-in-chief,Molfetas, Joy Nazzari, Ije Nwokorie, Creative & designGavin Potenza, Anna Richardson-Taylor,Adrian Shaughnessy, Snask, Garrick RoDNEY DIVE Group art director,Webster, Tom Woolley Photography, Creative & design ToM MAY Group content editoradvErtisiNG NExt issuE oN salE beren neale 31 March 2015 COMMISSIONINGFor all ad enquiries please contact: Want to work for Future? 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ISSUE 238 APRIL 2015 TWO GREAT COmpETITIOnS!43 WIN ADOBE CREATIVE CLOUD81 WIN AN APPLE WATCH CUlTURE ShOWCASE10 TRENDs: Data visualisation by made thought and our selection of Field, plus bright, bold bobble hats from lazy oaf the world’s best new graphic design,14 PEOPLE: Designer becca allen opens her studio, and illustration and motion animator ricky martin discusses his new cbbc show graphics work 3016 PLACEs: vicky pinnington, designer at liverpool pROjECT DIARIES studio uniform, picks out her city’s creative hotspots a modern, flexible brand identity for london luton airport, an illustrated18 EVENTs: the launch of ca’s very own brand impact storybook by design brothers, and a lo-fi short for a samsung stylus 75 awards 2015, plus top tech trends from Future15 InSIGhT22 DEsIGN NEEDs A CHAMPION: D&aD president mark bonner considers the many challenges and opportunities of the modern design industry26 PLUG THE TALENT DRAIN: Dawn Hancock on why raising awareness of home-grown talent can help keep the local creative community together28 THE POWER Of sILENCE: ije Nwokorie challenges the status quo with a brand message that puts people before commercial revenues VIDEO WAlKThROUGh83 DEsIGN AN ART CATALOGUE: rose designer Harry bingham reveals how he created an art brochure for london’s the serpentine Gallery nEED TO KnOW94 sHOOT PRINT WORK fOR YOUR fOLIO best-practice advice for photographing your tactile print projects more effectively c o m p u t e r a r t s .c r e at i v e b lo q .c o m -8-
VIDEO InSIGhT: DAlTOn mAAG the latest in our exclusive series of video documentaries visits the brixton-based bespoke type specialist 56 Developing a handwriting font for lush Special RepoRt tweaking a logotype for juice brand michelThE ChAnGInG fACE Of DESIGn pORTfOlIOS SUBSCRIBE AnD SAVE Up TO 59%is a physical portfolio necessary? What is the best way to show your work to encouragesomeone to hire you? adrian shaughnessy answers pressing portfolio questions 46 Three great ways to subscribe to the world’s best design mag: • Print • Digital • Both See page 44 in conVeRSation induStRy iSSueS fREE 50-pAGEClARA TERnE hOW TO GET nOTICED eBOOK!the swedish-born art director and Garrick Webster seeks out the design see page 55storyteller on how to compile a dazzlingly industry’s top creative directors to find outdiverse portfolio of work 66 what impresses them in a portfolio 60 c o m p u t e r a r t s .c r e at i v e b lo q .c o m -9-
Trends CULTURE We LOVe...ElegantDataData visualisation has neverlooked more beautiful thanin Made Thought and Field’spromo for Stella McCartney m ade Thought and Field have collaborated to beautify performance data in honourof former tennis world number-oneCaroline Wozniacki, for the Stellafor Adidas SS15 Barricade collection. Data visualisation has never looked soelegant. Aware of the sports industry’scurrent preoccupation with performanceinformation and data analytics, designconsultancy Made Thought was inspiredto create a film that also focused on thetheatre of the game. The artistry and power of CarolineWozniacki is illustrated through thecreative interpretation of the dataused by tennis coaches to study swingdirection and map ball trajectory. Overlaying dynamic animated flow fieldswith footage of Wozniacki’s expert swing,the video is a deliberate hybridisation ofstyle and performance, in an attempt tomirror the melding of Adidas’ technologicalexpertise with the classic beauty of StellaMcCartney’s creative direction.www.madethought.comwww.field.ioEach month, our Trends section is curatedby experienced creative consultancyFranklinTill (www.franklintill.com).
CULTURE TRENDS DESIGNED FOR LIFEHAT TRICKLazy Oaf’s selection of bright andbold bobble hats are the perfecthead candy for any design fan L azy Oaf founder Gemma Shiel has come a long way since she began selling handmade T-shirts at a market stall back in 2011.Graduating from university with a degree in textiledesign and screen-printing, the designer wenton to launch one of the most forward-thinkingindependent fashion labels in recent years. Moving on from T-shirt designs, Lazy Oaf hasexpanded into all kinds of products, from dressesand shirts to purses and phone cases. Featuringin-your-face aesthetics, the attire takes its inspirationfrom cartoons, junk food and cute-as-heck critterswith plenty of humour for that extra spark. Havingpreviously released collaborations with LooneyTunes, Batman and Garfield, its collections garnerthe attention of fashion lovers all over the world. Shiel takes care of most of the illustrationsherself, bringing in assistant designers when thingsget a bit hectic. This collection of bobble hats isall about clashing colours and daring statements,like ‘F*** THIS NOISE’ and ‘FOREVER DUMB’.Made with 100 per cent acrylic and with anarray of multi-coloured choices, these woollywonders are bound to create a stir.product:100 per cent acrylic bobble hatswith a diameter of 48cm for themore adventurous accessoriser.www.lazyoaf.comcoSt: £5 eachTREnDing mainsTREam sTiLL FREsH EmERging IllustratIon: Michael Molfetas www.michaelmolfetas.comStay one Colourful marbling Overlaid blocks Taking inspirationstep ahead in tasteful colour- from harmonious from 3D modellingwith our ways is applied colour palettes tools, wireframesbarometer as a background help achieve can help provideof visual cool pattern to create a bold graphic graphic inspiration a modern lux look. statement. for patterns. c O M p U T E R a R T S .c R E aT I V E B LO q .c O M - 12 -
CULTURE PEOPLE aPriL 2015 My styLE is... ricky martin is an animator and BEaUTifULLy TaCky presenter for and gaRish cbbc’s art NinjaIllustratIon: Joanna Kerr, www.joannakerr.com Soofiya Chaudry is a NEW VENtUrEs series producer and writer and he developed graphic designer and the ideas into a kind of sitcom, which oddly typesetter hailing from ART ATTACKS works quite well! London. She’s currently How do you prepare content and studying for an MA Working by day as an animator at aardman, projects for the shows? in Book Design at Ricky Martin has taken his talents to the tv I really wanted the ‘makes’ and animations Reading university. in the form of new cbbc show art Ninja to be something children could do straight www.soofiya.com away, or larger inspirational pieces. I think A lthough primarily known for we created a nice balance of accessible and Jazzy their award-winning movies, aspirational art, without talking down to our nail art Aardman Animations also audience. We wanted to get a good cross Generally the creates forward-thinking and user- section of animation styles and techniques more work I have on, friendly games, websites and apps for to get the kids excited. I also had quite a lot the more elaborate the kids. Ricky Martin is a member of its of input on the ‘big makes’ that we perform nail art gets. I’ve even digital department, helping to develop at the end of each episode. Developing mastered painting with new ideas and properties. Earlier this these was a case of finding an art-form that my non-dominant hand. year, he combined his talents with his we could radically simplify and blow up big. Cheers procrastination! passion for getting kids creative and All of these big makes needed to have an Ugly shirts launched a new weekly TV show for enjoyable process, so it wasn’t just about the and JUmpers CBBC – Art Ninja. Dabbling in expert finished piece but the fun that could be had. These are a animation, mind-blowing drawing and Why did you embark on Art Ninja? must. I like things to be painting skills, the show aims to get I loved art shows when I was younger and so bright they glow in kids creating their own unique art. religiously watched Art Attack, SMart and the dark. I never really things like Take Hart. A friend of mine said understood the whole Tell us a bit about Art Ninja... it was important to do something every day ‘less is more’ thing. The road to Art Ninja is a long story for me. that scares you – he was actually talking garish Dot To Dot productions in London was about skateboarding but I took it on board in coloUrs looking for a recommission of its previous a different way. The prospect of presenting I fell in love with art show, but the CBBC commissioner had a CBBC series did (and still does a little bit) how tacky these trainers other ideas (thankfully for me) and got them scare me. So I had to do it. are, they’re my current to contact me and develop a new art brand. What has been your favourite moment? favourite. Bonus points My favourite thing so far is having my friends for mismatched socks. We met up and over a few weeks we in the show. I work with Gavin and Sarah developed a format we were excited about. every day at Aardman; Rich is a close friend, We were going for Naked Chef, meets Art, we get together every now and then and give meets Jackass. Back then the working title a hand to one another on various projects. was ‘Art Monkey’. I’m glad it wasn’t the final The crew was super small and close-knit too. title, as I’d probably have had to monkey How has the reaction been? about everywhere with my arms curled It’s actually been amazing. I have heard that under my armpits. Nick Hutchings was our friends’ kids talk about it in the playground, text each other after it’s aired to chat about it, and I’ve even had Facebook messages from friends saying they now hate the sound of my voice as their kids have made them sit through the same episode four times! What has been most surprising about the show so far? Because of the time between shooting Art Ninja and it airing, I did have a chance to take a step back and watch it subjectively as a member of the audience. I was a bit nervous about it airing but I think due to the hard work from the crew and guidance from execs, it’s become a really impressive show. www.bbc.co.uk/cbbc/shows/art-ninja c o m p u t e r a r t s .c r e at i v e b lo q .c o m - 14 -
14 23 5Ismyndhesignssopacpe isp..I. rceodlboyucrasndyattached to the front of her house, Becca Allen’s new studio sweet 76is a pick ‘n’ mix of open house workshop and calm colourful retreat W orking three days of the week as the council to open up in the evenings to fabric to print my own cushion covers, small becca allen is a senior designer at Meor Design run workshops.” zip bags, purses and other fabric delights.” freelance designer studio in St Ives, UK, and three and illustrator splittingdays in her studio Sweet 76, Becca Allen Inside, a self-contained screenprinting Even the usually dull business side of her time as a seniorsplits the seventh day between running exposure unit (1) is evidence of Sweet 76’s things has a splash of colour in Sweet 76, designer at meorworkshops for local creatives and starting open door nature. “This studio is a part-time as this plissé folder by Hay attests (4). Design and her ownup her own print and sew brand. community workshop space where I’m “A colourful way to jazz up my receipts studio sweet 76, Studio 76 is her haven of colour. “Even planning to run print lessons,” says Allen. and invoice stash,” says Allen of her neon both in st ives.when I think I like monochrome work and “I also sell screen-printed goods, so having accordion folder. “It’s such a visual treat itbuy black and white furniture, I end up a neat compact A3 screenprinter on my encourages me to document my spendingcovering it in plants and brightly coloured desk inspires me to put it to good use.” and to keep all my receipts.”ceramics,” she says. “I like to work in a bright,airy space with lots of visual stimulation.” A fan of scouring car boot sales and Rounding off Sweet 76’s mix of colour The studio used to be a sweet shop flea markets, Allen has started a collection and culture is her Portuguese rug by Gur70 years ago, and as it’s number 76 on the of aesthetic and useful trinkets, including (5), a company committed to traditionalstreet, its name was as inevitable as a visit these porcelain hands (2). “They’re beautiful creative techniques and materials. “They useto the dentist. “The door opens out onto and functional objects that add a playful different illustrators, artists and designersthe town’s high street,” says Allen, “so in element to the studio,” she adds. for their collection of amazing rugs,” shethe summer I can leave it open and chat to says, “and this red face, designed by Josepassers by. It’s also just been approved by Another collection that’s taken up Cardoso, welcomes me into the studio residence in Sweet 76 is her fabrics (3). in the mornings.” Yet another injection of Naturally gravitating to the colour-mad colour to start each and every busy day. fabrics of the 80s, Allen is currently, “using c o m p u t e r a r t s .c r e at i v e b lo q .c o m - 15 -
CULTURE PLACESLiverpooL, engLandCREATIVE quARTERS A graphic designer at liverpool studio Uniform, Vicky Pinnington waxes creatively about the inspirational sights and sounds that the world-famous port city has to offer TaTe LiverpooL IllustratIon: Tom Woolley, www.tomwoolley.comThe Albert Dock Vicky Pinnington is a designer at creative consultancy Uniform, where she works on branding andwww.tate.org.uk/visit/tate-liverpool design projects including the place branding of Wirral Waters, the largest regeneration project inWe’re lucky enough to have one of the the UK. Other Uniform clients include Warwick Arts Centre and Belling. www.uniform.networld’s most famous galleries on ourdoorstep, hosting major exhibitions from C O m P U T e r A r T s .C r e AT i V e B lO q .C O mthe likes of Warhol and Magritte. It’s also - 16 -housed in one of the former warehouses ofthe iconic Albert Dock. The spectacular viewslooking out onto the river never fail to inspire. BaLTic TriangLewww.baltictriangle.co.ukLiverpool’s Baltic Triangle is a hive of activityand a great place for creatives to work andplay. Photographers, recording studios andacclaimed art and design festivals all call theTriangle home, so inspiration is never too faraway. Grab a bite to eat or just hang out atCamp and Furnace’s eclectic warehouse. BoLd STreeThttp://bit.ly/1A8BbH1Our office is based in the heart of BoldStreet, surrounded by a maze of creativefinds. Check out the moving image at FACT(Foundation for Art and Creative Technology)or movie nights at the bombed-out churchshowcasing classic and cult films. And dine atfashionable eateries like Leaf, where eveningevents are always popular with local creatives. Hope STreeThttp://bit.ly/1Cdhyv4Stretching past Liverpool’s two cathedrals,Hope Street’s Georgian environs offer endlessinspiration. Look out for the interestingsculptures such as the concrete cast luggagestacked on the pavement, and absorb thecity’s performing arts talent at the Everyman,Philharmonic Orchestra, LIPA (LiverpoolInstitute of Performing Arts) or Unity Theatre. cenTraL LiBraryWilliam Brown Street,http://bit.ly/1E2crNSAfter recent renovation, Central Libraryon William Brown Street is modern andattractive. From the amazing contemporaryarchitecture that complements the historicfacade to the granite carpet that draws youin at the entrance. Inside, millions of raredocuments and books wait to be discoveredin rooms like the beautiful Picton library.
PROmOTIONaL fEaTuRE CULTUREThe OuTside COlleCTiveSHILLINGTON PRESENTSSince graduating from Shillington, multidisciplinary designerJack Beckett has gone from strength to strength G oing solo or joining a studio may seem collision culture like obvious routes into the design The Outside Collective was world. But some creatives seek strength commissioned by Shinein numbers and a trusted network of talent to Communications to create itsdraw on and realise their wider ambitions. 2014 Trend Report ‘Collision Take Shillington graduate Jack Beckett. Culture’. They used bespokeJack began his working life as an art technician, artwork and illustrations tohanging artwork in London galleries. “I’d always represent the various trends,been interested in graphic design,” he says, “but and also handled the project’sI never wanted to be just a ‘designer’.” So, after printing and creative direction.graduating from the Shillington full-time graphicdesign course in 2009, he put his plan into action:to build a network of artists, photographers, setbuilders and developers that could react quicklyand economically to projects, whatever the brief.Two years later, The Outside Collective was born. Managing group dynamics in an evolvingmedia sector is a big ask, but the risk paid offand Jack’s bravery has allowed him to workwith designers, academics and key industryinsiders across a variety of platforms. “Manywere major inspirations for me growing up, andhave influenced my work and the company’sdirection,” he says. “Every day is a new adventure.” Indeed, The Outside Collective hassuccessfully delivered projects for a wealthof clients, engaging contemporary brandsthrough a combination of graphic design, digital,film, photography, street art and illustration. The agency’s motto? “Learn the rules, breakthe rules, paint the walls.” adidas Zx Flux launch BuildTo celebrate the launch of the newadidas ZX Flux sneaker, The OutsideCollective created a pop-up exhibitionwith renowned collector RobertBrooks. “We handled all aspects of theevent, from creative direction to thephysical installation,” says Jack. “It wasa career highlight for me — especiallyas a self-described ‘sneakerhead’!” c o m p u t e r a r t S .c r e at i v e b lo q .c o m - 17 -
CULTURE EVENts Last March, the great and good of branding packed brand out the London Film Museum for the inaugural impact Brand Impact Awards. 2015’s event will be held at awards. the Grand Connaught Rooms in September Rose’s Labyrinth project for London Underground picked up Best of Show (branded campaigns) in 2014BCEASSTEBERKASNWDOINRGLD’SLAUNCH: brANd impACt AwArds 2015 Belgian agency Coast’s scheme for Smets department store won Best of Show (branding progammes) last yearThe second annual Brand Impact Awards, Computer Arts’very own scheme to celebrate the very best in brandingdesign, launches this month. Nick Carson explains moreKEY inFo A fter a phenomenally successful education, finance, publishing, not-for- D&AD president Mark BonnerLocation inaugural year in 2014, we are profit, technology and many more. will also be joining me as co-chair oflondon, uK delighted to announce that judges, and he explains why he chose tobrandimpact Computer Arts’ Brand Impact Awards To ensure a balanced judgement, the get involved in the Insight sectionawards.com are returning for 2015. So what are judging panel is split between creative on page 22.EntRY PERioD they all about, and more importantly, directors at top branding agencies –10 march– why should you care? including GBH, Wolff Olins and The As well as coveted Best of Show18 June 2015 In short, the Brand Impact Awards Partners – and client-side creatives. Awards for both branding programmesJUDGES are designed to celebrate the very best and branded campaigns, there will beCo-chairs: mark in commercial branding design, across In the course of their careers, these special awards to recognise a particularlyBonner, D&AD two distinct streams. client-side judges have accumulated fruitful collaboration – whether betweenpresident and These are branding programmes – hands-on experience developing brands agency and client, two or more agencies,GBH creative which include completely new identity and commissioning design work at a huge or with the public at large – and brandingdirector; and schemes or major rebrands – and branded range of global corporations, including work that has significant social impact,Nick Carson, campaigns, which cover any projects that Tesco, Mars, Adidas, Virgin, Barclays, which will be judged by a public vote.CA editor (see are designed to extend or enhance an HSBC and Crabtree & Evelyn.panel to right) existing brand or sub-brand. 2014’s big winners included johnson Beyond a stunning piece of design “beyond stunning banks, hat-trick, Rose and R/GA, with work, our discerning judges will be looking design, judges will over 150 entries submitted by top for consistency of application across look for consistency agencies from across the UK and beyond. various touchpoints. Work will be judged of application” We expect 2015 to be even bigger and according to the market sector for which better. So what are you waiting for? it was designed, with categories including ENTER YOUR BEST sports, culture, fashion, entertainment, BRANDING WORK NOW AT www.brandimpactawards.com C o m p u T e r A r T s .C r e AT I v e B lo q .C o m - 18 -
EVENts CULTUREjudges include... ChRIS MOODy Creative director, Wolff OlinsGREG QuINTONExecutive creative director,The PartnersDILyS MALTBySenior partner,CircusDEE COOpER LookingEVENt rEpOrt: fUtUrE15 to the FutureCreative director, Brand experience agency engage partnered with designDecide team studio output to envision branding in a post-digital age; Ian Hambleton was at the FluX lounge in east londonGARy ASpDEN w e partnered with Engage to host At Future15, the vast majority ofBrand consultant, Future15, a two-week pop-up technology relied upon human inputAdidas festival of tech and design in the for the experience to be complete. The FLUX Lounge. Each exhibitor was hand audience immediately have more investedJOE FERRy picked by us and curated to showcase interest and are encouraged to take an the hottest trends for 2015. individual journey to craft their ownCreative director, On display was a veritable feast of experience within the parameters ofMars immersive products set to change the technology and brand. Whether they’re way consumers interact with brands. the catalyst, the metric or the decisionKATE ShAW They covered the whole spectrum of maker, the audience is consistently an technology, including the latest LEAP influencer in the unfolding experience.Creative director, Motion technology teamed with Oculus This part-ownership is a key tactic thatCrabtree & Evelyn Rift, an array of wearables and dynamic brands can tap into. projection mapping.DAvID DELANEy We know that people see through The emergence of Immersive Studio anything that’s too salesy. In this post- is a great trend to come out of Future15.SVP global advertising digital age, brands have to make things In a world where almost everything weand brand engagement, with more integrity, things that appeal see is inherently sharable with the restFranklin Templeton to us more as human beings. Tech can of the world over the internet, being ableInvestments enhance this by being the platform on to experience something first hand is fast which the story is told or where the becoming more of a luxury. When brands experience takes place; the optimum manage to be the first to capture that word here being ‘enhance’. What a lot ‘wow’ content, they truly entertain and of people – retail partners particularly – engage their audience. are interested in is blending technology with real-world experiences. It is these authentic and magical moments that convert those who know the brand into super-fans. C o m p u T e r A r T s .C r e AT I v e B lo q .C o m - 19 -
CULTURE EVENTSdWhaAT’StoNes for your diaryFrom sXsW interactive in texas to berlin’s sprawling pictoplasma, there’s anexciting range of creative events to look forward to over the coming monthsSXSW INTERACTIVE and has become a truly global event; workshops, screenings,13-17 MArch installations, exhibitions, parties…Austin, USA you name it, they’ve got it.www.sxsw.co.uk/interactiveThe interactive strand of this EVERYTHING IS DESIGN:legendary creative fest is set to THE WORK OF PAUL RANDbe one of the best yet – and it’scertainly got the right ideas at UNTIL 19 JULyits core: “The event is ultimatelyless about shiny new apps Museum of the City of New York,and sleek new apps than it is 1220 Fifth Avenue,about sharing new ideas,” say New York, USAthe organisers. The egalitarian www.mcny.orgapproach of SXSWi allows the Celebrating a true titan of design,digital creative community to pick Paul Rand, this exhibition featuresprogramming ideas, while design more than 150 examples of theand development discussions iconic designer’s work as well aswill cover everything from the two public programs: Revolutionsimportance of typefaces to the in Graphic Design (19 March),technological difficulties of locating a panel discussing how RandVietnam-era bombs with drones. revolutionised graphic design and its practice; and Branding: WhyADVERTISING WEEK EUROPE Good Design is Good Business (29 April), a talk from leading graphic23-27 MArch designers exploring how RandLondon, UK paved the way for contemporarywww.advertisingweek.eu forms of business media.For five days in late March theUK’s capital is swarmed by FUSE York this April. A top line-up of PICTOPLASMAsome 24,000 people attending industry-leading guest speakers,Advertising Week Europe’s 13-15 AprIL brilliant networking opportunities 29 AprIL - 3 MAyvarious events, seminars and Loews Chicago Hotel and great food awaits!workshops. With representatives 455 N. Park Dr. Chicago, USA Babylon, Platoon Kunsthalle,from Google, Facebook, Mashable www.iirusa.com BEHANCE 99U CONFERENCE Urban Spee and various artand the Guardian making up the A collective voice for brand spaces in Berlin, Germanyadvisory council, it’s certainly strategy and design presented 30 AprIL - 1 MAy www.pictoplasma.comworth attending the London through a fusion of workshops, Alice Tully Hall, Lincoln Centre, The world’s largest conferenceevent, especially if you want to field trips, salons, tours and more. 1941 Broadway New York USA and festival of contemporarylearn from some of the biggest Fuse connects brand and design www.conference.99u.com character culture design andnames in advertising. leaders to what matters – and “Get fired up to make sh*t happen” art, Pictoplasma unites artists each other. They aim to inspire at Behance’s annual conference, from all realms of media andSEMI-PERMANENT through diverse means and 99U, which is designed to shift discipline with some of the drawing from cultural experience. the focus from idea generation to world’s leading graphic and7-8 AprIL This year’s speeches come from idea execution – in short, bringing games designers, animatorsNCPA Marg, Nariman Point, Marian Bantjes, Peter Borowski, ideas to life. Talks inspire action, and illustrators. Full of lectures,Mumbai, India Eric Quint, Morgan Spurlock with everyone from comic artists presentations, screenings,www.semipermanent.com and many more. to CEOs and directors sharing workshops, performancesThe creative platform spreading the secrets of their success. This and more, this promises toart and design inspiration is coming GENERATE NEW YORK year’s line-up includes Christoph be a fun-fuelled festival. Thisto Mumbai this year, bringing Niemann, MoMA’s Paola Antonelli year’s confirmed speakerswith it some of their top speakers 17 AprIL and Adobe’s Scott Belsky. include Adventure Time’sincluding Stefan Sagmeister, New York Andy Ristaino, Yves Geleyn,Aaron Koblin and Kelvin Ho. www.generateconf.com Hikari Shimoda and TADO.Australia’s premier celebration of net magazine’s leading web designall things design, Semi-Permanent conference is going from strengthhas burst out from Down Under to strength, and returns to New c o m p u t e r a r t s .c r e at i v e b lo q .c o m - 20 -
april 2015Strong opinion and DESIGN NEEDSanalysis from across the A CHAMPIONglobal design industryTHIS MONTH As he joins the judging panel for CA’s Brand Impact Awards, D&AD presidentmark bonner Mark Bonner considers the challengespresident, d&Ad And and opportunities of the modern industrycreAtive director, GBHwww.dandad.orgwww.gbh.londondawn hancockFoUnder, FireBeLLY desiGnwww.firebellydesign.comIje nwokorIeceo, WoLFF oLinswww.wolffolins.comregular WrITerSbrUno maaG mark bonnerFoUnder, president,dALton MAAG d&AdsabrIna smelko ben TalloniLLUstrAtor And FreeLAnceArt director desiGnercraIG ward loUIse sloperdesiGner And HeAd oF desiGn,Art director cHi & pArtners
april 2015 Mark Bonner InsIght aboUT The wrITer D&AD president Mark Bonner graduated from the Royal College of Art in 1993 and worked at The Partners, Carter Wong & Partners and SAS before co-founding multi-disciplinary agency GBH in 1999. www.dandad.org www.gbh.london t he recent GraphicsRCA: Fifty Years of his or her powers. Training is the main artery, Exhibition has got me thinking. As pumping creativity to its final destination, be I squeezed down memory lane at the it design, digital or advertising. Modern brands Private View night in an inevitably vain attempt need to be constantly sculpted to fit their evolving to look at the work, I was struck by the retrospect audiences and graphic designers have all the tools. view of what graphic design is from such a future- facing bastion of education. It left me feeling like We need a new name for all that we do. More I work in a world a million miles away from the dusty than that, we need a champion, with an international print and posters I saw on there. I hardly recognised platform to share from. I have offered my voice to my own profession, it has changed that much. D&AD as I believe it can be that champion. I think In today’s technological revolution, the graphic the new Kemistry Gallery can be anything we want designer has never had more power. Long gone are it to be. There is so much we can, and need, to do. the days when we were confined to double crown format. Today, the graphic designer is a many-headed To this aim, Computer Arts launches the Brand hydra, a kind of creative mutant who knows no Impact Awards on 10 March, aimed directly at the fear; working online, on mobile, in social media, heart of this issue: the diverse modern branding delivering visual communication via marketing challenge. The modern brand identity is a highly strategy, consultancy, campaign, events, PR, interiors, etched personality built from a unique point of view, sustainability, new product development, copywriting, delivered through experiences pointed at its audience typography, sound, film and, oh yeah… graphics. in increasingly varied ways. This type of project is the The graphic designer has become a one-stop creative ‘Grand Central Station’ for designers of tomorrow; hot-shop. Jack of all trades, master of most. Flexible where the disciplines collide in a perfect storm of in the extreme, we are central to a brand’s very way originality, diversity, craft and communication. of being. A typical ad agency splits our role into several departments. Our powers know no bounds, we can As graphic design evolves, so should its creative think, do and sell. So why, if we are the holy trinity awards. The BIAs will look at projects by sector, not all wrapped up in one, does graphic design risk being a slightly introverted, shrinking irrelevance? “WHY – IF WE ARE THE HOLY TRINITY Perhaps I surprised you with that? Honestly, if ALL WRAPPED UP IN ONE – DOES you’re a graphic designer, which did you do most GRAPHIC DESIGN RISK BEING A SLIGHTLY recently – moan or get involved? INTROVERTED, SHRINKING IRRELEVANCE?” Take D&AD, for example. It has always valued graphic designers. In fact, some of our most respected by creative discipline. For example, sports marketing predecessors founded it back in 1962. The design and branding projects will be judged against others, community, especially the graphic design fraternity, like for like. The juries will be split 50/50 between continue to be the glue that makes the creative design commissioners and practitioners. It’s creativity industries stick. Graphistes ‘get it’. They understand and effectiveness, just as it should be. Lastly, and that being good is about craft, excellence and sharing. perhaps most importantly of all, the Brand Impact It’s not just about winning, but it’s not about whining, Awards aim to celebrate projects that manage a either. Graphic designers want to be part of a concert of applications within a big idea. community. They love to meet like-minds. They want a platform to fight from, to inspire. So why is it that It’s for these reasons that I decided to get involved. despite all this, the graphic designer has always had We’ll be looking for projects that collide the disciplines only one foot in the door? Now is the time for us to in order for a monumental idea to cut through, kick that door open. the perfect approach to mirror the changing face At their worst, creative awards are semi-precious of graphic design. Collaborations are welcome. Big metals for the vain. At their best, they can power a ideas that increase in power across applications and community in a relentless pursuit of excellence. media are wanted. If you’re a graphic designer today, Graphic design needs a champion, one that fights you’re invited. We have technology on one hand, its corner and leads by example. I think ‘Not for Profit’ art on the other, and problem solving in our hearts. is where we’ll be most likely to find it. We need an Our abilities collide the disciplines. This is our time. organisation that collects the best design work in the world, not so it can earn, but so it can share. Graphic Step forward, graphic design. Make some noise. design wants to be at the heart of something that Mark Bonner is on the judging panel for Computer Arts’ matters, is affordable, and adds value to what we do. Brand Impact Awards 2015. Find out more on page 18. We have the vision and ambition to re-define our own future, but first we need to find our voice. Now more than ever, the graphic designer is at the height c o m p u t e r a r t s .c r e at i v e b lo q .c o m - 23 -
InsIght DESIGN MATTERS “What advice Would you give to someone crafting their first porfolio?”Helen Friel Marija TiurinaPaPer engineer and illustrator Freelance illustratorwww.helenfriel.com www.marijatiurina.com“I don’t usually take a physical portfolio to “I think that the portfolio is what really mattersmeetings but I do take a few pieces of 3D when it comes to job hunting. A paper with awork so clients can see what they look like degree stamp on it reveals little about one’s skillsin real life. I only put work in my portfolio and experiences, but a bunch of examples ofthat I would want to do again. Clients like projects, standalone pieces and even sketches isto commission work from something they what will give a potential employer the reason tocan see, so if you include work you didn’t hire. In my [approximate] eight years of experienceenjoy creating you’ll be doomed to repeat it.” only one client asked me about my education, the rest focused on what I could really do, and howscoTT MarTin fast. This is also how I got a placement, followed by employment at a games studio while I was still indigital artist university – the portfolio I’d started collectingwww.burnttoastcreative.com since I was a teen stood out among those of other applicants who were just starting to put pieces“When I think portfolio, I think together in their first year of uni. My advice would‘less is more’. The idea is to show be to start as early as possible, and never under-a variety of your skills whilst estimate the power of work in progress, sketchesdemonstrating a consistent level and documentation, as that’s what turns a prettyof quality. You’ll want to showcase gallery of separate pieces into a well-documentedonly your very, very best work.” showcase of skill and talent.”Your views PhilliP barrera Chris Marty Weaver brian Petro Don’t just ‘show’ – show and Make sure it’s presented well. Only put in your best, most relevantComment on Facebook, tell. Designers who are articulate I find a high-quality printed and work. Don’t show anything you areor tweet @ComputerArts and can give a brief rationale bound document works well.with your thoughts using for their creative always stand Your folio needs to be treated as not proud of doing in some way.#DesignMatters out from those who don’t. a project and a design in itself. And show off those sketches! c o m P u t e r a r t s .c r e at i v e b lo q .c o m - 24 -
DESIGN MATTERS InsIght nicolas MÉnard david doran graPhic artist & animation director Freelance illustrator www.nicolasmenard.com www.daviddoran.co.uk “I try to curate my online portfolio “Having a portfolio that you’re proud and Tumblr by removing any old of is essential as a creative. I’ve found piece of work I don’t like anymore. that the work you show naturally As an artist and designer, you get decides what kind of work you get better. Why not get rid of old in the future. You won’t always socks? Your portfolio is not an receive ideal commissions, but it’s a archive, it’s what you want to sell.” good start to show work that you’re the most excited about, and it will MicHael often be clear which pieces these HocHleiTner are to both you and the viewer. A portfolio shouldn’t need to co-Founder, tyPeJockey include every project you’ve ever www.typejockeys.com worked on, but it’s a good chance to be selective and show the most “There is one piece of advice I really like to share with designers successful, best examples of what searching for a job or an internship. I keep getting emails that you do: sometimes less is more.” tell me all about the applicants’ pre-school education as well as their Photoshop skills on a scale from 1 to 15. And then they ask me if I’m interested in them sending me their portfolio. For goodness’ sake, just send it right away, please! Because there’s a good chance your potential employer will probably not take the time to ask for it. And if you’re serious, send a link to your online portfolio, instead of a 36MB PDF!” @fabianMertens76 @eMedia design @sashaendoh @alxakeMi Don’t show artwork that you First impressions are important. Pick the work you want to keep Don’t pick what you think yourdon’t like; if the client chooses it, Choose a small selection of quality doing, and practice presenting it. best work is. Get other people’s it will be a painful experience. The format should fit the work, opinions. Competition-winning pieces. Your portfolio should showcase only your best. whether print or digital. designs are a good idea! c o m P u t e r a r t s .c r e at i v e b lo q .c o m - 25 -
InsIght Dawn Hancock 2015 About the writer In 1999 Dawn Hancock founded Firebelly, a studio committed to socially responsible design. She coordinates the annual Grant for Good, and in 2002 launched the Firebelly Foundation and Firebelly University. www.firebellydesign.com Plug the talent drain Tired of seeing talent flee her home town of Chicago for the bright lights of NYC or LA, Dawn Hancock has invested blood, sweat andtears to boost her local scene – and advises any studio to do the same I ’m writing this on the eve of the opening areas that were not being met. While I was there, of our sixth annual Typeforce show. By I started a mentorship program that brought the time you’re reading this, we will have people together from all career levels, in the hopecelebrated the work of 25 up-and-coming artists of building long-term reciprocal relationships toand designers with well over 1,000 other people further embed the design population.from around Chicago. Typeforce was conceived by myself and my Since starting these endeavours along withfriend Ed Marszewski in 2009. As two type-lovers, several others, I have witnessed a dramatic change.Chicago-enthusiasts and overall community- More and more community enrichment eventsuplifters, we came to the realization over coffee and programs have popped up and I hear over andthat our city was losing some of its best talent to over about real friendships and collaborations thatthe coasts. The reason was that collectively we have been made outside of people’s nine-to-five jobs.were doing a poor job of celebrating those whowere rising up through the ranks. At design lectures, I see many more people talking As someone who is often on the hunt for great to one another instead of staring at their cell phonescollaborators on my team, I hate seeing designers while slowly drinking their beer. And my inbox haswho came up through Chicago bailing for places seen a flood of outsiders. These are people wantinglike New York or LA because they feel they must to work in our city, as well as be part of Typeforce ormove to be part of a bigger scene to score cool several of the other efforts we produce.gigs. I know many other countries suffer the sameissue of talent drain from smaller cities – in the I really couldn’t be happier with the success I’veUK, talent from Manchester, Birmingham or observed. The collective consciousness of ChicagoLeeds are often drawn to London, for instance. has been raised, and I certainly look forward to For my part, I have tried hard to support and the droves of people who will be moving in ourstrengthen my local design community over the direction in hopes of being part of our thriving cityyears. I served on the Chicago chapter of AIGA’s of neighbourhoods. And just like the midwesternersboard as the Community Outreach Chair to connect we are, we’ll gladly welcome them with open armswith the 1700-plus members. The role allowed me to and take them out for a beer. So don’t give up onreach many more people than I could ever have done your local creative community – give somethingon my own and by doing so, I was able to find other back. The grass is only greener where you water it. Have you acted to retain talent in your local design scene? Tweet @ComputerArts using #DesignMatters c o m p u t e r a r t s .c r e at i v e b lo q .c o m - 26 -
InsIght Ije NwokorIe About the writer Ije Nwokorie is global chief executive of Wolff Olins, having worked with the consultancy since 2006. He originally trained as an architect in Nigeria and the US. www.wolffolins.com The power of silence What would you do with 60 seconds of the world’s time? Ije Nwokorie challenges the status quo with a brand message that puts people before commercial revenues h ow would you fill 60 seconds of the world’s Like Barclays, a bank in Britain that used its attention? Would you charm with your 60 seconds to invite kids to learn code instead of ‘elevator pitch’, that carefully crafted sales going on about interest rates and joining bonuses.tool that assumes people in elevators are there to buythings? Would you show off what you’ve got, who Or Charity: Water, which chose to show us howyou are, the mediated version of the pick-up line that something we all have once a year – a birthday – cansays, ‘Look how great I am, don’t you want to come become a universal tool to do something meaningfulwith me?’ Or maybe you’d give people a taste of in the world.your goods, a little snippet of your delights, like alegalised drug leader, offering the first hit for free. These organisations forgo opportunities to tout In our time-starved, media-drenched world, 60 themselves and instead pivot the spotlight towardsseconds is such a precious asset. The folks who sold us in a life-affirming and useful way. They challengethis precious commodity at the Super Bowl earlier the modern creed that everything a business doesthis year even put a price tag on it: $4.5m. So when must have an immediate commercial return –we get it, the temptation to make the most of it eyeballs, upsell, revenue – and instead allows themwith a compelling pitch, an amazing demo and an to be part of society’s bigger issues.addictive sample, is almost too powerful to resist.It’s this unmissable chance to send our message, And it’s worth fantasising about a world wheresell our products, push our brands. more businesses think about the bigger things, the Yet, maybe we can start thinking about our things that really matter. Maybe then 60 secondsbrands differently. Maybe we can start seeing them would become so much less important – a blip – andless as megaphones for our messages and seductive maybe we’d have less noise from those millions ofwrapping for our products. Maybe we can start brands vying for our attention. Maybe instead, we’dseeing them from society’s viewpoint – less about spend more time making useful and wonderfulwhat we want to say, and more about what they things that make a difference. And give them away.want to do. Maybe that will force us to think differently about Then we could give everyone their 60 secondsthe 60 seconds. Maybe we’d use them differently. back. To get a beer. To talk about the game. Take Let’s give people something that matters to them. a leak. Or even better, just to sit in silence, reflectSomething personal. Surprising. Rewarding. and take in the world around them. I think that’d be nice. How would you fill your 60 seconds? Tweet your ideas to @ComputerArts using #DesignMatters c o m p u t e r a r t s .c r e at i v e b lo q .c o m - 28 -
Computer Arts selects the hottestnew design, illustration and motionwork from the global design scene
gold fingerbeeta brandingby Tavowww.tavo.esBeeta is a new representation agency, working with artdirectors, illustrators and motion studios across the world.With locations in europe and the Middle east, it worksacross everything from commercial, broadcast and film, toillustration and print. Madrid-based creative studio Tavowas tasked with creating the branding for Beeta, with aclear and strong approach at the forefront of the brief. “We were given so much creative freedom with thisproject,” explains Tavo creative director Tavo Ponce.“The concept was the visual representation of differentdirectors and artists through different materials andshapes. We used the glass for video directors, and golddots and stripes for illustrators and art directors.”
ShowcaSe april 2015Tavo is actually one of the studios on Beeta’s booksThe studio used illustrator, Photoshop and Cinema4d for the brandingTavo describes the aesthetic as “elegant, withinspiration from luxury brands”The objective was to showcase the excellence ofBeeta’s art directionTavo set out to present the brand as unique yet powerfulAbstract 3d shapes with the texture of marble, goldand glass help shape the Beeta identity c o m p u t e r a r t s .c r e at i v e b lo q .c o m - 32 -
april 2015 The very besT new design the rest of the industry says… thomas burden Illustrator and designer www.handsomefrank.com “The logo and typesetting work great as a standalone piece on the stationery, but the use of a 3D visual language really brings it alive and perfectly conveys a sense of motion as well as a simple, slick assuredness, synonymous with Spanish and Middle Eastern design.” Pablo alfieri Art director and designer www.pabloalfieri.com “I saw the entire Beeta branding for first time recently and I was really impressed. Tavo is a really sick art director who is focused on the details and gets good first impressions on all his style frames. He is always finding amazing abstract imagery, and he’s done it again here. Beeta is a production and representation company that has amazing directors. The branding has to be simple because these are the ones that belong to the directors. The three lines detail on the double ‘E’ of the logo is a nice element and works as the ‘icon’ of the brand, and the main element to start to play with and do crazy things around! I think that is what I like most, because in the future he could keep playing with different images and change the entire aesthetic and concept of the branding keeping this element in the middle of the entire brand. So for me, it’s a goal. Keep rocking, Tavo!” c o m p u t e r a r t s .c r e at i v e b lo q .c o m - 33 -
ShowcaSe april 2015And The Winner isbafta campaignby Human After Allwww.humanafterall.co.ukwww.malikafavre.com“BAfTA needed a campaign toevoke the glamour and anticipationof the BAfTA experience, whilstcelebrating the five best filmnominees,” explains humanAfter All creative director PaulWilloughby. “The Big reveal isstrongly influenced by film noirand golden-era photographs,modernised and re-imagined.” The illustrations were createdby Malika favre, who usedelements of her ‘hide and seek’approach to enrich the narrativein each colour. The cover stock ofthe brochures is uncoated for anextra tactile feel, with a gold foilblock on the logo. “The momentwhen illustration roughs droppedin the inbox, i knew i was goingto be in for a treat with this one,”adds Willoughby. c o m p u t e r a r t s .c r e at i v e b lo q .c o m - 34 -
ShowcaSe april 2015sweeT ridealpha velo brandingby Mark Bainwww.markbaincreative.comAlpha Velo, a performance bicycle retailerin Toronto, Canada, approached MarkBain to create its branding. “The identityhad to reflect the values of the new shop,a high-end brand presented in a minimalclutter–free manner,” explains the london-based art director. “The idea behind thefinal concept was an identity comprisingsimple elements; a bold, dynamic logotype,lots of white space, vivid photography andprimary colour tones,” adds Bain. “The arrows are a device to emphasisecertain elements, but they also providemovement to the various communicationmaterials,” he continues. Pointing out thediagonal colour bars as the “defining”aspect of the project, he says the mostchallenging aspect was to create a brandthat stands out in a saturated market. c o m p u t e r a r t s .c r e at i v e b lo q .c o m - 36 -
april 2015 The very besT new design clAssic cArToons boomerang branding by Art&Graft www.artandgraft.com Boomerang is a classic cartoon network from the parent company of cartoon network, Turner Broadcasting. showcasing beloved shows from the Hanna-Barbera, MGM and warner Bros animation libraries, the channel decided it wanted to not only appeal to adults of animations-gone-by but kids of today too. Art&Graft was approached to create a distinct, flexible new visual identity to refresh the network’s dual-audience approach. “The use of blocks relates to its ‘bigger brother’ cartoon network, allowing the two brands to complement one another,” explains Art&Graft creative director Mike Maloney. “Yet with the use of rich colour and an isometric grid, it also enables Boomerang to stand out clearly as its own destination.” c o m p u t e r a r t s .c r e at i v e b lo q .c o m - 37 -
ShowcaSe april 2015 — PRINT HIGHLIGHT —TAKe Me ouT40 days of dating booKby Jessica walsh and Timothy Goodmanwww.fortydaysofdating.comhaving garnered plenty of publicity for their 40 days of datingproject, and with a Warner Brothers movie in the making,Jessica Walsh and Timothy goodman have now captured theirbrave social experiment in book form. finding themselves singleat the same time – and with different attitudes towards dating,one falling in love too easily, the other a commitment-phobe– Walsh and goodman dated for 40 days and painstakinglyrecorded their experiences, attracting 10 million unique visitorsfrom across the world. illustrators created unique artworksinspired by each day’s events, and are replicated in this book –a beautifully designed, extended look into the new York-basedfriends’ experience, featuring never-before-seen material. c o m p u t e r a r t s .c r e at i v e b lo q .c o m - 38 -
april 2015 The very besT new design c o m p u t e r a r t s .c r e at i v e b lo q .c o m - 39 -
ShowcaSe april 2015 — MOTION HIGHLIGHT —Three diMensionAl delighTholland and barrett campaignby Jens & Annawww.animateme.me.uk“our goal was to translate the existing holland andBarrett 2d print and TV campaign into a visually stunning3d world, yet retain the essence and charm of the 2dillustrations,” explain Jens Blank and Anna Benner, a duoof animators – better known simply as Jens & Anna – whohave created a series of six advertisements for the healthfood store. “We really wanted to push the possibilities ofwhat 3d allows, especially with its flexibility in animationand the potential for beautiful cinematic storytelling.” using 3ds Max to model the characters, they weretransposed into Maya and a combination of Photoshop,After effects, flash and Premiere was used to finisheverything off. “We developed clever rig setups, whichallowed the animators to get the best performances toreally bring the little critters to life,” they explain. c o m p u t e r a r t s .c r e at i v e b lo q .c o m - 40 -
april 2015 The very besT new design c o m p u t e r a r t s .c r e at i v e b lo q .c o m - 41 -
ShowcaSe april 2015 — FEATURED SHOWREEL —don’T Be so sQuArepersonal showreelby Mina stojanovicwww.minastojanovic.nlMina stojanovic loves to mix analogue and digitaltechniques. Currently residing in the netherlands,stojanovic studies image and Media Technologyat the utrecht school of Arts, and this personalshowreel was her way of keeping herself occupiedthroughout the year. “The style is clean, illustrative and often colourful.i always like to combine different techniques such asmotion graphics, film and illustration together,” sheexplains. “Making the short intro was a lot of fun, andi see it like a product of me trying out more designand minimalistic animation. it was a puzzle to combineall the different projects together, because some ofthem are so different from each other in terms ofstyle – but i had fun making it.” c o m p u t e r a r t s .c r e at i v e b lo q .c o m - 42 -
EXCLUSIVE COMPETITION!Win an adobe WortHcreative cloud over £500subscription!includinG a beHance prosite Folio Computer Arts has teamed up with our friends at Adobe to offer one lucky reader a one-year Creative Cloud subscription (worth $599.88 / £548.78), which includes a ProSite portfolio site (www.prosite.com). To enter, simply submit a link to your Behance page and we’ll award the prize to the folio we believe is strongest overall.fworwfuwll.cderteailast, tievrembs alnodqco.cnoditmion/swanind h-ocwretoaetnitverev-iscitl:oud
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Special RepoRtThe changingface of design porTfolios Digital or physical? Elaborate or functional? Your own work, or work you contributed to? Adrian Shaughnessy looks at what makes the perfect portfolio
design portfoliosho really needs to bother from people who want me to do design work director of StudioMakgill the rules arewith a physical portfolio in for them. Usually, the individual contacting simple: “Definitely no hair,” he says, “and nothe age of the internet, the me has some notion of what I do. If not, I fingerprints on the screen either. I can tell aRetina screen and the send a PDF of some recent projects. Yet surely lot about how a designer presents their work.memory stick? Designers hoping to be hired not having a portfolio of work is perverse? Or It is often as telling as the work itself.”for permanent or freelance positions can arrogant? Or both? Michael C Place, co-founder anddisplay their work on websites, blogs, In truth, it goes back to a question creative director of Build, takes a moreBehance pages and social media networks, that I agonised over in the days when I relaxed attitude: “I’m very forgiving of peopleallowing employers to review work online ran a studio – what do you show people to who have amazing work but perhaps the waywithout the hassle of ‘portfolio reviews’. But persuade them to hire you? My theory was they present their work isn’t that polished,”does this mean that it’s time to give the that the less you showed people the better. he notes. “The standard of portfolios inheave-ho to vinyl art bags with their vicious Increasingly, clients want specialists and are terms of finish is pretty crazy nowadays –clips, tatty plastic envelopes and zips that unwilling to risk using designers who don’t gone are the days of portfolios consistingjam? What about the arty boxes favoured specialise in their area, so the last thing you of charcoal drawings and knackered bits ofby more image-conscious designers, or want to do is show a prospective client work Letraset. I’d rather not see tea stains on yourthe flight cases that look as if NASA has that puts them off. And so to win work by stationery (spelt with an ‘e’, not an ‘a’, by theengineered them – should they too be not showing work became my aim. Of way), but if that stationery blows my mindturned into landfill? course, we had a studio website, and since I’m more than happy to see past the stains.”It’s easy to answer ‘yes’ to nearly all approaches came through personal He also advises designers not to “hide behindthese questions. Especially when a portfolio that looks like it’s beenyou remember that your most printed by Generation Press. Aimportant portfolio is you. No one “DON’T PUT EvERYTHING good idea is a good idea, no matterhires a designer without meeting how much letterpress and fancythem and looking into their eyes YOU’vE EvER DONE IN YOUR bindings you throw at it.”to see if they are decent human PORTFOLIO. EDIT IT SO Another cardinal sin forbeings – someone they might have Makgill is the failure of designersto sit next to for up to 12 hours a THAT YOU START STRONG to show their work to himday, or someone who can be relied AND END STRONG” correctly: “One thing that reallyon to make the tea from time to frustrates me is the orientation oftime. When hiring people, the - MICHAEL C PLACE - the presentation. The portfolio orwork on its own is not always the - Build - laptop should always be presentedfirst consideration. in the direction of the viewer. TooAnd yet I’d guess that most often I have seen people presentingjob-hunting generalist designers to themselves.” It’s a view shared(in other words, designers who are not recommendations, it was rarely a case of by Michael C Place: “You’d be surprised howexclusively digital) feel the need for a physical clients coming to us blind. many portfolio presentations we’ve seenportfolio. There’s some deep attachment to We also had backup – a big fat where the prospective employee doesn’t turncarrying work around in a giant case that is portfolio that could be dragged to meetings the work to face us! You either have to cranemore suited to acting as a windbreak on a or sent out when clients insisted on seeing your neck to see it, or politely turn the piecewindy beach than as a receptacle for creative work. It was a giant yellow, custom-made around so that it can be seen properly. Andwork. And in the case of work with tactile metal flight case. It cost a fortune to make, keep the presentation relatively short too.properties, it’s hard to argue against this. But a fortune to transport (too big for a bike) Don’t put everything you’ve ever done in yourwhat is the evidence that a physical portfolio and ripped your arm from its socket if portfolio. Edit it so that you start strong andis necessary? And – the core question – what you had to carry it any distance. It either you end strong.”is the best way to show off your existing enchanted people or pissed them off. As Makgill is equally unsympathetic towork, in order to win more work? I said, if I could win work without the elaborate portfolios. “I find over-designedI set out to find the answers to these distraction of showing work, I was happy. portfolios really off-putting. A good portfolioquestions, but I’ll begin with some personal The golden rules is about showing the work in the best lightreflections. I don’t have a portfolio. I don’t and not competing with it.” Makgill alsoeven have a personal website. In truth, I don’t What are the golden rules of a personal stresses the importance of good organisation:do enough commercial graphic design to portfolio? Does a stray strand of beard hair “Rummaging through a bunch of foldersneed one, and I’m not looking to get hired for put people off, for example? According to trying to find a particular file is not a strongfull-time employment. However, I get calls Hamish Makgill, founder and creative look,” he says. continues on page 54 www.com puterarts.co.uk - 47 -
hamish makgill Boxpark LondonStudioMakgill H Furniturehow do you like to see work presented w w w. c o m p u t e r a r t s . c o . u kwhen hiring a photographer, illustrator, - 48 -or other discipline?In most instances, we hire illustratorsand photographers from the work wesee on their websites. We very rarelyget presentations from them in personthese days. As long as the website presentsthe work clearly and you can see thekind of detail you need, then this wayof promotion really works. We’ve justfinished a job with an illustrator fromNew York. We never met – the whole jobwas managed by phone calls and email.how does studio makgill presentits own design portfolio?Our portfolio is a combination ofphysical examples of our work and adigital presentation. The presentationis always customised to whoever weare presenting to. We always take timeto find out who will be in the room sowe know we are showing the rightprojects to the right people.What advice would you give tosomeone putting together a portfolio?There is nothing truer than: “You willnever get a second chance to make a firstimpression”. Take lots of time to preparefor each presentation and make it asrelevant as possible for the people youare meeting.www.studiomakgill.com
design portfolios G.F Smith Specials AppliedIt’s Nice That Annual 2014 www.com puterarts.co.uk - 49 -
kirsTy carTer and emma Thomas Modern Art Oxford brand identityaPFEl (a PracticE For EvEryday liFE)describe the apfel portfolio?Nowadays we are quite fortunate that we are mostly commissioned by clientswho know our work already, or from what they see on our website. But wealways like to meet before we start working together. We often encouragepeople to come to our studio so they can see the atmosphere of our workingenvironment, meet us, see all our work on the wall and on our bookshelves.They then get the real impression of what it would be like to work together.how do you decide what goes into your portfolio?We now have a new problem that we never had before, where we have toomuch work to fit in our portfolio, and we find it very hard to edit things.Often we are not sure what exactly that prospective client is looking for, soit’s better to have it all to hand – but this means that our portfolio is prettybig and very heavy. And we can end up breaking our backs to carry a portfolioto a presentation ... so we are now designing our own custom-made suitcaseto actually fulfil a lifelong ambition of being travelling saleswomen/men.how does apfel present its work?We have several ways of presenting our work that depend on whether weare there in person or not. In person, there is no doubt that the good old-fashioned portfolio box with actual APFEL projects – invites, publications,communication materials and so on – is the best way to present our work.The designs we produce are often more about the craft and materiality of theobject than the flat, graphic visual side. Projects need to be seen and touched,and should be objects you want to pick up and explore. You only understandthe magic of APFEL if you actually touch the project and feel it. Also, we stillproduce a lot of publications so it makes total sense to show actual copies.do you use laptops or ipads?Alongside the physical portfolio, we often bring along a PDF presentationwhich we either show on a laptop or iPad, and if we’re presenting to morethan two or three people, we usually bring along our portable projector so wecan present to a larger group. This gives us the opportunity to show both ourdigital side, and also our exhibition design work. We are always careful todocument these projects by working with a talented photographer to capturethe beauty and detailing of all the exhibitions we have done.www.apracticeforeverydaylife.comw w w. c o m p u t e r a r t s . c o . u k - 50 -
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