The Creative Brief :: Part 2

Posted on July 26, 2011 by admin

Hey there. In the last article we discussed the role of receiving and understanding the creative brief — a vital part of the designer’s job. Once the document has been digested and the nettle grasped, one of the most fun parts of the creative process may begin — research and mind mapping. This is the stage where, empowered by a belief that anything is possible, the designer can delve fully into his subject, unleash his imagination and give full rein to his creativity without fear of being pulled up short by the client (—that might occur later!).

Author: Bradley Hotson for The Graphic Design School The Graphic Design School offers vocational training graphic design courses. Delivery is online, affordable and open to students all over the world to study in the comfort of their own home.

The Creative Brief :: part 2

Checking against the brief

It’s not a totally unrestrained part of the creative process though; throughout you’ll have to check your progress against the original brief. Not doing so can result in a wrong turn and the possibility of that cardinal sin: not meeting the needs of the brief! Working on a project in the early stages of my career, I took a pretty erratic divergence from what was discussed in the early meetings and, predictably, was pulled up short by the client. It wasn’t that there was anything wrong with the work I had submitted, it just didn’t answer the brief.

So…

Let’s return to the brief I provided as an example last time. In it, it is stated that the desired aim was for the new entity to look fresh and crisp, though in a sense established. Some sort of visual link to the existing (and already very well established) accountancy entity would also have to be provided. Reconciling these two demands was the unique question I was being called upon to answer.

Establishing a link between the new company and old was easy; the existing corporate burgundy, when modified, was a strong and appropriate colour choice, so I carried it over into the new identity and introduced a secondary pallet of autumnal colours to be used alongside it.

But back to research…

Indeed, which as I described above is one of the most fun parts of the job. My particular client was based oop north in Manchester, a city famous for its bygone docks and textiles industries, and more recently its newly redeveloped Salford Keys district. I thought these aspects of the city offered enormous graphical potential, and put it to the client that any new identity conceived should have at its core something uniquely Manchester about it. This accepted, I threw myself into finding out everything about England’s second city I could, and quickly found my mind swimming in imagery of iron girders, spinning wheels, cranes, looms of silk, rainy cobbles and steel rivets; more than enough material to make a start with.

And make a start I did, experimenting with every possible shape, type treatment, colour combination and these elements’ juxtaposition as I thought might work. It’s unlikely you’ll do quite as much sketching and brainstorming as during this stage of the creative process.

The key to my particular project lay in the personality of the city in which the company was born, so my research largely sprung from this starting point. But factors will vary project to project. Other good areas to consider and questions to ask are:

The sector your client belongs to. Research how your client’s competitors have handled their branding and identity — then look for a way of treating yours differently and creatively.
The themes and messages your client wants to project. Try to obtain keywords and qualities off them and look for ways of exploring these. If solidity and straightforwardness are important to them, you might explore building/masonry type shapes and concentrate on producing concepts shorn of superfluous ornament. If tradition and establishedness is a must, then heraldry might be a good place to start, and so on.

It’s best not to bombard your client with too many concepts —even at an initial stage— so I chose from my dozens of vector sketches six or eight marks which I thought had the strongest potential for development. ‘Pearls’ to paraphrase Alexander Dumas. ‘Rough, shapeless pearls, of no value, waiting for their jeweller’.

Mind Mapping

It’s a good idea to discuss mind mapping here, as it can be an invaluable asset at this early stage of throwing ideas onto the page. Mind mapping is a graphical variant on brainstorming. The method was developed by the Englishman Tony Buzan in 1974, and is based on insights from research on the human brain. He used his research to create a presentation method that addressed both the right and left-hand cerebral hemispheres equally by combining linguistic and logical thinking with intuitive and pictorial thinking. The typical structure of a mind map resembles a tree structure, where the subject is written in the middle of a sheet of paper. It’s best if a succint, slogan-like word or caption is used here; lengthy sentences aren’t as effective at this stage. These keywords should trigger associations and chains of association by linking impressions, feelings and ideas. The keywords which spring from your central theme are written on lines which form the maind branches, and which can then branch further for subsequent sub-concepts.

If further variations on these ideas come to mind, an additional branch is added to the appropriate main branch. This then produces further little branches on the existing main branches. The resultant mind map can be re-organised and re-structured at any stage, as it may not be clear at the outset how the map will develop, and in what direction. Use this highly effective technique when embarking on your research!

For a more in depth look at mind mapping see our fantastic mind mapping blog article.

In sum…

In carrying out exhaustive, though tightly-focussed research and using mind mapping to help you conceive your ideas —not forgetting to check your progress against the original brief— you’ll maximise your chances of presenting something your client will see potential in and want to see developed — and help you to avoid getting told off for bouncing off on a tangent!

The Creative Brief :: Part 1

Posted on June 21, 2011 by admin

The brief. That genesis of the creative process. All design jobs begin with a briefing from the client, usually in written form (the preferred option) though they can also be given verbally. It’s difficult to overstate how important the humble brief is to the design process. In short, no brief, no project! Breaking the topic down into key aspects over several articles, I’ll be taking you through the ins and outs of everything you need to know about the brief. Let’s start with…

Author: Bradley Hotson, typography by TGDS tutor Lee-Anne O’brien for The Graphic Design School The Graphic Design School offers vocational training graphic design courses. Delivery is online, affordable and open to students all over the world to study in the comfort of their own home.

The Creative Brief :: Part 1

Quality

As mentioned above, some clients brief their designers verbally, others will supply a detailed written document, and some do something in between (an initial chat over a pint, some follow-up emails, a telephone call).

Whichever way your client likes to deal with these things, I’d suggest always at least trying to obtain a written brief. It adds clarity to things and gives the designer a document to return to if unsure of the client’s intentions. Let’s assume you’ve got what you want, a written brief from your client. The next thing to consider is quality. Whilst a hastily-scribbled couple of sentences torn from a ring-bound notepad and pressed into the designer’s palm can result in mistaken instructions, general confusion and, ultimately, a solution which falls short of the client’s expectations, a detailed, structured and rational document, supported by meetings and telephone calls, can provide the designer with a sound understanding of what the client wants. The better the briefing, the more intuitive this understanding will be, and the greater the chances of you delivering a solution your client will love.

An example of a good brief

Shown below is an example of a well-written brief commissioning the work of a branding exercise for a new financial services company based in Manchester, England (the name of the company has been obscured). The client has tried to be as helpful as possible in providing the designer with all the information he’ll need before he starts the project, including company history and values, objectives, instructions on the tone of voice and visual image the company would like to project, and an informal ‘likes’ and ‘dislikes’ to help steer the designer in the right direction. Little, if nothing, has been left unclear. A brief like this, outlining exactly what the client wants, doesn’t want, likes and doesn’t like, gives the designer a flying start when beginning a project.

Dear Lord, I never knew that…

The word briefing comes from American military language and means a deployment discussion with a short description of the situation and explanation of the aims of the operation, and a detailed strategy. The term was introduced into advertising by the American advertising executive Rosser Reeves and the copywriter David Ogilvy, and was then adopted by marketing.

Top Tips

If your client is reluctant to provide you with a written brief, offer to write one yourself and supply it to him. If he’s not keen on the idea, alarm bells should start ringing
Examine, prod, probe and jab at the brief until you know it inside out
If unsure of anything, ask the client
Develop a sixth sense for recognising a bad brief. If you come across one you can walk away from it, or suggest you re-write it

Receiving the brief

Once you’ve received your gleaming and faultless document, the creative process may begin! The first responsibility of the designer is to understand the brief, so be sure to go over yours with a fine tooth comb until you’re confident you fully understand your client’s aims, objectives, needs and desires. If unsure of anything, don’t make assumptions on behalf of anyone else, but get back in touch with the client and ask for further clarification. Bring to bear what you already know about the project and your client and try to read between the lines. In short, do as full a job as possible on understanding the brief.

The re-briefing

In addition to the chief document you will have received, an initial conversation will have taken place where the project will have been discussed and the commission offered. Much can be learnt at this (usually informal) stage, especially if the conversation happens face to face. Use the time to delve into your client’s thoughts, share concerns if there are any and try to gauge his intentions.

After this initial chat, your receipt of the brief and examination of it, a re-brief might be necessary. The re-brief affords the designer an opportunity to go over any corrections and seek further clarification after the commission has been accepted. This re-briefing can be a valuable stage in the process, a time for discussion and for the designer to present the basic idea for his concept to the client, before time and money are invested in the implementation phase.

Summary

This might all seem a lot to take on board, but to secure yourself, then scrutinize, the document which holds the key to you delivering your best creative response is really common sensical. Succeed here and you’ll be ready to begin the fun stuff!

A State of Independents

Posted on April 10, 2011 by admin

Something big has happened in the publishing world. Something interesting. While mainstream publishers continue to stare grimly at plummeting sales figures, falling advertising incomes and budget cuts, a persistent torrent of web-savvie, well designed and highly varied independent titles is thriving, with new titles cropping up every month. These independents cover every conceivable subject, from the predictable (fashion, architecture, cookery) to the more esoteric (sneaker culture anyone?) and are invariably beautifully designed. There’s no victory of style over substance here though — each small publisher seems to care deeply about his chosen field and has the expertise to back it up. Here are seven titles to appear in British design bookshops in recent years, though the magazines themselves are international. Any one would make a fine addition to any designer’s bookshelf. Enjoy…

A State of Independents

Elephant

Images © Elephant

Ah, the excellent Elephant magazine. Elephant is a new publication which focuses on art and visual culture. The magazine is divided into five parts: meetings, research, studio visits, economies and cities. Of the many new titles currently to be found out there, Elephant —still new on issue #6— looks set to establish itself in the visual culture sector.

Dapper Dan

Images © Dapper Dan

Dapper Dan is a brand-new men’s magazine that is “interested in inspiration, not novelty”. It is created in Athens, Greece and published twice a year, spanning fashion, culture and philosophy through striking photography and thoughtful texts. According to their website, “Dapper Dan is for the man who doesn’t feel he should have to be like everybody else.”

File

Images © File

File Magazine is a bi-annual publication featuring a broad selection of visual communication in the fields of graphic design, art, photography, fashion and moving image. Beautifully presented in a 30 x 39cm hard cover with a full-colour 96pp newsprint inner stitched inside. Recognising the potential synergy between print and moving image, each issue is accompanied by a full-screen online player, screening in full each issue’s short films, music videos and documentaries. A magazine to both watch and read.

Futu

Images © Futu

An award winning design, fashion and luxury publication from Poland, Futu aims to highlight the positive aspects of material culture and promote a certain mode of creative living. The typography is highly accomplished throughout each publication and much thought goes into substrates used for each issue. Most interestingly, each month a single design studio is chosen from across the world to design that month’s issue.

It’s Nice That

Images © It’s Nice That

It’s Nice That is another one of those independents which looks set to stay. It showcases work from the fields of graphic design, product design and illustration, publishing exciting practitioners both on and offline, and directing that talent to produce creative projects for brands. The physical journal is published every April and October as an archive for the most interesting editorial from the last six months. For those who find relentless advertising a turn-off, each publication is entirely advertising free.

Territory

Images © Territory

A design magazine in the pure sense, The Malaysian Territory was first published in 2004 and has since then become an important journal within the Asian design scene, some heralding it as the first of its kind in the region. Since first publication, Territory has evolved its own peculiar trippy aesthetic, setting it apart from similar journals who are often concerned with modernism-like design or a more European style of illustration. Territory claims to constantly work to discover fresh talent, helping up-and-coming designers carve their identities in the international arena. Not a bad thing at all.

The Ride

Images © The Ride

One of the loveliest new publications out there, The Ride truly is something special. Born of an idea to create an all-encompassing journal for riders who do not wish to be categorised as commuters, bmxers, track racers, freeriders and so on, The Ride exists to give something back to the riding community. Each issue contains riders’ tales and stories, and the publishers have been wise enough to pull on board some first rate artists, illustrators and designers, all of whom have contributed to giving The Ride the highly memorable visual style it has.

Summary

With all the iPad-inspired talk in the air of the death of print (a topic that refuses to die) it’s deeply heartening to find so many people so ready to launch their own titles, a fact that seems nicely to counter the prevailing prognosis for the publishing industry. That the industry has changed a great deal is not in doubt, and the dispiriting state of several first-rate established titles is a genuine concern. Perhaps though we’re witnessing not the death of an industry, but its metamorphosis into something different. As Jeremy Leslie of the excellent magCulture blog wrote in a recent Creative Review article, “It’s the tangible, physical medium of print that people turn to for self-expression.” There are no signs of the medium loosening its hold on the creative industry’s imagination. Beautiful magazines are here to stay.

Focus :: Graphic Design :: France

Posted on March 28, 2011 by admin

Next to sculpture, painting, architecture, cinema, cuisine and couture, France’s graphic design seems nowhere. Even in France itself, graphic design’s profile burns less brightly than the other arts, though its influence on its country’s wider visual culture is by no means insignificant; a high creative output generated by both established and emerging designers and ateliers. France seems to hold firm against the seductive Esperanto of globalised design more successfully than other nations, retaining it’s own particular elán—a good reason for us to glance over its national resumé…

Graphic Design :: France

l’Histoire de Vingtième Siècle (Twenieth Century History, for those who don’t speak French!)

Bazooka

Throughout the twentieth century, proponents of core themes that came to define France, like liberty and protest, used design to communicate and disseminate their messages. The Agitprop posters of Atelier Populåire are well known, though other notables among these révolutionaires were groups like Bazooka and Grapus. Bazooka were a mixed-sex collective with an alternative take on punk graphic design. Coming together in art school in Rouen in 1974, Bazooka’s members were exposed to ideas from across the graphic design / art intersection, notably Dadaism and neo-Dadaism. They learnt to print their own material and published a number of radical zines. Sexy and confrontational, they would doubtless be worth further investigation.

Grapus

Grapus was a collective of graphic artists who worked together between 1970 and 1991, before internal struggles tore it apart. Fiercely political, Grapus produced searing posters, often with a social intention or message. These posters have a political urgency about them that feels uniquely French, and when sat alongside those of Atelier Populáire pull into sharp relief the context in which they reside.

It is through no fault of their own that the graphic design of artists like Jean Carlu (left) and A.M. Cassandre (right) now appear clichéd—their style has been borrowed to death, their posters proliferated, reproduced and collected on a grand scale.

Havas City

Bringing things bang up-to-date, Paris-based ad agency Havas City was recently commissioned to redesign French supermarket Monoprix’s own-brand range of over 2000 grocery products—a huge task for any agency. Widely reported on in the British design press (see Creative Review spread, below), HC plumbed for a bold, no-nonsense typographical treatment, dispensing with imagery and package windows, but combining colourful type with witty messages.

Image © Havas City

Grapheine

Proving French studios can produce clean, globalised-looking graphic design with the best of ‘em, design studio Graphéine produced an impactful and fun visual identity for 2010′s Festival de Marne. Echoes of Asian anime are apparent in the execution of the illustrations. A dilution of Gallic flair, or positive move toward a world-wide graphical aesthetic? You decide!

Images © Graphéine

Toffe

Not much known outside of French design circles, Toffe (a nom de plume—his real name is Christoph Jacquet) is an important and original graphic designer, with a certain following in Paris, where he was born and still resides. His work “bristles with contradictions” says Rick Poyner, combining ugly default computer settings with intricate fleurons and flourishes in jarring graphical juxtapositions.

Images © Toffe.

M/M

M/M, graphical stars in France, combine design, art and format with dazzling originality and a kind of innocent sense of experimentation. Their posters, typefaces and alphabets have had their fair share of coverage, so it’s worth demonstrating how creative the designers there can be when working on installations, models and set design. Nothing seems beyond the pale for M/M—they have even turned their hand to frangrance concoction. In an industry often at risk of taking itself too seriously, M/M remind us that design can work best when it retains a sense of wit and spontaneity.

Images © M/M Paris.

Focus :: Contemporary Type Foundries Part 2

Posted on January 9, 2011 by admin

Following on from Contemporary Type Foundries Part 1, presented below are the final six type foundries I’ve chosen to display. So, without further ado…

Focus :: Contemporary Type Foundries Part 2

The Foundries

Exljbris

The distinctively coloured Exljbris homepage and a sample from their Didone-like typeface Questa. Imagery used with kind permission of © Exljbris.

Striking artwork by graphic designer Kristian Bjornard who has experimented with and modified Exljbris’s font Geotica Three.

Described on its blog as a ‘one-man Dutch font foundry’ Exljbris was founded by Jos Buivenga. Exljbris is where Jos releases and offers his typefaces. For 15 years, his online friends and fans could follow the development of his typefaces and download the results at no cost. In 2008, while still working as an art director at an advertising agency, he released his first commercial typeface Museo with several weights offered for free. That strategy paid off and Museo became a huge bestseller. Partly thanks to that success he now calls himself a full time type designer. Recent projects include a custom version of Museo & Museo Sans for Dell and the Questa project, a collaboration with the well-known type designer Martin Majoor.

Linotype

(Top) The Linotype homepage is a portal to typographic manna; (below) a tantalising collection of Linotype specimens. All imagery used with kind permission of © Linotype.

Linotype should need no introduction, being at the centre of typographical innovation (and upheaval) for the past 120 years (in one guise or another). This from their website: “The day Ottmar Mergenthaler demonstrated the first linecasting machine to the New York Tribune in 1886, Whitelaw Reid, the editor, was delighted: “Ottmar,” he said, “you’ve cast a line of type!” The editor’s words formed the basis for the company label, and marked the beginning of Linotype’s success story. Four years later, the ingenious inventor founded the Mergenthaler Linotype Company. Little did he know that after more than 100 years of successful business the Linotype, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Monotype Imaging Holdings Inc., would be following in his footsteps.”

Today, Linotype sees itself as a partner to typographers and designers and has one of the world’s largest font libraries (10,500 typefaces and counting). Its comprehensive website is a masterly feat of navigation; visitors able to search for fonts not only through technical specifications but also by intended use (text, corporate, screen etc.), type foundry and character set features. In addition the Linotype Form Finder makes it possible for users to reshape a font sample displayed in order to select the kind of typeface he is looking for. There are so many other useful services and products on the Linotype site that it’s probably better you just have a peruse rather than read me prattling on.

HypeForType

(Top & middle) HypeForType’s homepage complete with arresting 3D type artwork and type specimens of Killer, Neo Deco and Links, which form distinctive pieces of design in their own right. HypeForType turned 1 recently and posted this announcement on their blog. Imagery used with kind permission of © HypeForType.

“A labour of love for founder Alex Haigh” is how HypeForType is described on its website. The foundry is 1 year old now and already has an impressive collection of high quality, new and exclusive faces as well as some esoteric and unusual ones. Their blog is a good read, you’ll find competitions, interviews and exciting announcements there. Perhaps most striking of all is HypeForType’s predilection for working with some of the design industry’s big names, collaborations which produce unique one-offs available exclusively through HypeForType.

LucasFonts

LucasFonts’s website embodies much of what might be termed International or Swiss style design. Beneath are two examples from Germany of their fonts in use. Imagery used with kind permission of © LucasFonts.

Lucas De Groot founded his own type foundry, LucasFonts, in 2000. Its aim, in a few words: “to make the world a better place by designing typefaces that look good and work well under any circumstances and in many languages.” The website claims “Graphic designers across the planet have discovered the special qualities of Luc(as)’ fonts. They are attracted by their functionality and friendly appearance and love the enormous range of possibilities that each family offers. Many also appreciate the idiosyncrasies – a quest for extremes that has resulted in some of the narrowest, thinnest, wittiest or boldest typefaces around.”

LucasFonts has a sister company, FontFabrik which specialises in custom typefaces and is now world-renowned, having designed fonts for Microsoft, Heineken, Siemens and Volkswagen.

SMeltery

Shown above are SMeltery’s idiosyncratic homepage, type specimens of Heretica, Geronto Bis (which Jack is particularly proud of) and Enfer, and engagingly designed samples of Sans Merci and Soupirs. Imagery used with kind permission of © SMeltery.

SMeltery is a French type foundry founded by Jack Usine in 2002, which offers a very attractive range of display-type faces. There are some gems to be found in the ‘free’ section, though Jack’s currently most proud of recent works like Vidange, Megalopolis and Geronto Bis. A Bordeaux-based graphic designer, Jack also maintains a vigourous involvement in various aspects of visual culture, which seems to have influenced his energetic SMeltery typefaces in an intriguing way.

Typonine

Typonine’s homepage devotes a lot of space to new faces such as the elegant, high-contrast Marlene. Shown bottom is a spectacular selection of typographic posters from Tipoplakat of which Nikola Djurek is a member. Imagery used with kind permission of © Typonine.

Typonine is a digital type foundry and graphic design studio based in Croatia and The Netherlands. It is run by graphic and type designer Nikola Djurek who founded Typonine in 2005. Their fonts have a precision, tension and elegance about them which would make them a good choice for discerning clients. The Playground page of their website is a mischievous patch dedicated to type experiments and projects, and through Tipoplakat, customers can order from a collection of stunning typographic posters designed by Djurek and his close associates.

Summary

Unobtrusive in their way, type foundries have made the transition from Old Trade to the digital age with élan and are a vital pillar of the modern design profession, indispensable to studios and those clients willing to commission bespoke fonts. But they should also become indispensable to students and fledglings, for even if unable to afford some of the fonts, it pays to be aware of things at the top end of the profession, and the services, guidance and free downloads make foundries an invaluable resource. You might be so convinced of a font’s appropriateness for a particular job that it’s possible to argue a client into parting with the funds for it. So captivated by the ligatures of a typeface that the 70 pounds/dollars/euros you had set aside for a big night out you instead divert for its purchase. Unrealistic? Maybe, but you live in hope!

20 Things I Learned About Browsers and the Web

Posted on November 23, 2010 by admin

The 20 Things project was a challenge to break ground with new technologies and deliver a rich, educational experience that these technologies make possible. The Fi team rose to the challenge and produced a web app that is as fun to play with and explore as it is interesting to read.

Author: The Graphic Design School The Graphic Design School offers vocational training graphic design courses. Delivery is online, affordable and open to students all over the world to study in the comfort of their own home.

20 Things I Learned About Browsers and the Web

The Book… A free download

What’s a cookie? How do I protect myself on the web? And most importantly: What happens if a truck runs over my laptop? For things you’ve always wanted to know about the web but were afraid to ask, read on…20thingsilearned.com.

The Fi team rose to the challenge and created the book

The Process

To learn more about the process that went into making this project happen read and watch the video on the Fi website. Another great project to checkout on their website is the building of the new Fox.com site, an interesting read indeed.

Focus :: Contemporary Type Foundries Part 1

Posted on November 7, 2010 by admin

Working with typefaces is about as basic as it gets for graphic designers. A solid knowledge of type, a keen eye for which fonts are appropriate for each project and an awareness of what’s available to us are rudimentary components of the job. Many fledging creatives use only what they have in their system fonts library and a handful of passable faces saved off a cracked disc of thousands of dubious free fonts. Working this way, a designer can produce perfectly good results (some say this can be achieved through Helvetica alone) but it’s the wise designer who maintains an awareness of modern-day type foundries. Between them, foundries release beautifully crafted, extensive and noteworthy font families year on year. Whilst many cost money (staff at foundries have to earn a living too) some are reasonably priced and others offered for free. And besides the fonts, through their websites type foundries offer all sorts of helpful advice and a glimpse into their fascinating profession, which is what I aim to show here, in the first of two articles on the topic.

Focus :: Contemporary Type Foundries Part 1

In a Nutshell

A type foundry designs and/or distributes typefaces. Originally, type foundries manufactured and sold metal and wood typefaces and matrices for line-casting machines like those made by Linotype and Monotype, and were designed to be printed on letterpress printers. Today’s digital type foundries accumulate and distribute typefaces (typically as digitized fonts) created by type designers. Some type foundries also provide custom type design services.

The Foundries

CastleType

The CastleType homepage (top) and samples above from (clockwise) Latin Ct, Sculptura and Goudy Trajan. Imagery used with kind permission of © CastleType.

San Fransisco-based independent type foundry CastleType was established in 1990 by Jason Castle, and specialises in revivals, classic styles, decorative fonts and custom font design. Custom services offered are extensive, taking in logo digitization (whereby customers supply their logo and a digital version is added to a favourite font) and the digital rendering of existing typefaces.

The revival and classic styles are remarkable for their elegance and the display faces are bold and confident. Jason is currently busy expanding his Goudy Trajan family with Cyrillic and Greek characters and the release of Sonrisa —a precise and friendly looking sans serif— is iminent.

Dalton Maag

A shot from Dalton Maag’s website, the limited edition Tephra prints and pictures of a custom font designed for the University of London’s Central School of Speechf & Drama in use. Imagery used with kind permission of © Dalton Maag.

London-based Dalton Maag has been designing fonts and logos and “supporting and assisting people in deepening their typographic skills” since 1991. In that near-two decade period they have seen exciting growth but what makes them remarkable is their branching out into both Cairo and Brazil—endeavours to contribute to emerging visual and typographic cultures in each country’s continent. Through doing so, Dalton Maag’s resumé has expanded to take in the vast typographic expanses of both the Arabic alphabet and South American languages.

Emigré

A page from Emigré’s exuberant looking website and samples of their fonts. Clockwise from upper left: Mrs. Eaves, Ottomat, Puzzler and Priori Acute. Imagery used with kind permission of © Emigré.

Yes, that Emigré, the iconic, much-mourned design journal Emigré. Some colleges and universities become so preoccupied with teaching their students of the cultural significance of the journal that they neglect to mention that the entity lives on in online form, with an archive of articles from the journal, an excellent shop and large collection of surprising and esoteric fonts available for download. These are of a diverse nature, though one thing that seems to permeate much of the collection is the jaunty angles which adorn the fonts’ serifs.

Tiro Typeworks

Tiro Typeworks’s graceful and formal homepage and a glimpse of their acclaimed ornamental typeface Restraint. Imagery used with kind permission of © Tiro Typeworks.

Tiro Typeworks was established in 1994 by John Hudson and Ross Mills and has evolved into a highly regarded foundry with a reputation for custom typefaces and font solutions. What makes them stand out from other comparable foundries is their expertise in multilingual computing and publishing, which they have specialised in since 1997. Their work in this area includes extensions to existing Latin typefaces and new typefaces for Arabic, Canadian Aboriginal Syllabics, Burmese, Cherokee, Cyrillic, Ethiopic, Greek, Hebrew, Latin, Ogham and Tahi scripts. Impressive stuff. An ornamental typeface of theirs that really stands out is Restraint, described as “an ornamental font which happens to contain letterforms. It is 100% fanciful all the time and not for the timid of heart.” A tour around Restraint, as well as the wider work Tiro are involved in, is highly recommended.

Fontsmith

Fontsmith’s homepage, a medley of typeface samples from the foundry (Rufus, Clerkenwell and Jack) and examples of the custom typeface designed for Film4 in action! Imagery used with kind permission of © Fontsmith.

Fontsmith is a leading London-based type design studio founded in 1999 by Jason Smith. The studio consists of a team dedicated to designing and developing high quality typefaces for both independent release as well as bespoke fonts for international clients. In addition to their wide range of exceptional typefaces available through their website, Fontsmith are also noteworthy for having custom designed typefaces as part of rebranding projects for such celebrated clients as Channel 4, Mencap and BBC 1. Your writer uses a Fontsmith typeface —Clerkenwell— as part of his identity.

OurType

The formal though playful homepage of OurType (the black ‘try’ and ‘buy’ circles at the top bounce around with the movement of the cursor), OurType’s Parry font as seen in De Bug magazine and a self-promotional poster from the Foundry. Imagery used with kind permission of © OurType.

Founded in 2002, OurType states it “has a vision that is different from most other font companies. It publishes newly designed fonts that are tailored to contemporary needs. Yet it respects traditional values, and strives for the highest quality of product. So it stands equally apart from those who are enslaved to the new and those who merely try to recreate the past. OurType fonts are useful, durable and attractive tools for anyone using type now.” The website contains lots of playful movement and the fonts offered are indeed contemporary yet formal.

To be continued…

A further six type foundries will be previewed in the second article in the series. Watch this space!

James Victore: Don’t Be A Design Zombie

Posted on November 2, 2010 by admin

James Victore is a man of action. He believes that knowing about jazz and wine and auto-racing can make you a better designer. That graphic design is about experiences and stories and using your hands. That the best designs punch you in the gut – or, at the very least, stop you in your tracks.

Author: Jocelyn K. Glei for 99% Behance

Please see the full article on Behance at the link provided.

James Victore: Don’t Be A Design Zombie

James Victore has always been one of our favourite graphic designers, students learn about his iconic works throughout our graphic design courses. This article written by Jocelyn K. Glei for Behance has only made us love him more.Below are a few excerpts from the article that we think reigns so true in the world of design education. Please take the time to read the full article.

So you like time away from computers. Do you do all of your sketching and writing on paper?

Paper, and not in the studio. I’ll go to a bar or a restaurant. When I did the book, I left the studio every morning and I went to the park and sat for an hour, hour and half. I brought an idea, and I wrote longhand in one of these big sketchbooks. Then I would come into the studio and work during the day. Afterwards, at 4 or 5 o’clock, I’d go to my bar, sit with a beer or two, and refine it. Or write on a new idea. So it became this really nice process of every day. And it became a habit.

I can’t do the think-work in the studio. The studio’s for putting stuff together – for work-work. And if we’re not doing work-work, then we leave. How many great architecture ideas have been drawn on napkins? Because they’re free, they’re not thinking about work.

And it’s fast, right? We’re obsessed with efficiency, and sometimes we forget how much faster drawing is.

My third students [at SVA] aren’t allowed to use computers. It really frustrates them because they don’t know how to use their hands. But I say listen, I know how much time it takes to boot up a computer, and open InDesign, and you get a box, and you type a letter in it. And you make it this big. Then you make it this big. Then you make it this big. Then you make it this big. Then you move it over here. Then you make it red. Then you make it this big. And it’s like: You’re not designing! You’re organizing. That’s easy. Worry about that later.

And this is stuff I learned from heroes. It’s the work you do before you ever put pen to paper. That’s the important part.

Please read on 99% Behance

Please see the full article on Behance at the link provided.

Focus :: Graphic Design Studio Websites

Posted on October 17, 2010 by admin

It should come as no surprise that some of the best designed and looking websites are those of design studios themselves. Untrammeled by meddlesome clients making design-threatening requests and free to divert the necessary time and budgets into things, studios are able to focus their designers’ collaborative energies into producing —often— groundbreaking sites. We’ve generated video clips of each design studio website I thought really distinctive, both from the masses and each other. Happy perusing!

Focus :: Graphic Design Studio Websites

Build

Build‘s newly designed website features pleasing collapsible/cascading functions operated through the Mac’s arrow keys which makes for an intuitive browsing experience. A handy index is also included as a further navigation tool.

Meta Design

Germany’s famous Meta Design has crafted a predictably, though pleasingly, Swiss affair for their studio website. Vertical sub-menus exist to guide the browser through the site’s architecture and rolling news headlines running along the bottom of the screen lend seriousness to things.

Madethought

The easing functions on the website of Madethought are difficult to beat, the rising and falling of the sub-menus an addictive joy for the peruser. These are housed at the bottom of the screen within an understated black design which showcases some great work.

Effektive

Scotland-based Effektive has created a gorgeous-looking website with a colour scheme of matte greys and a single dynamic blue. Sub-menus become endowed with a blue bar as the cursor hovers over them and animated files whizz past in displays of individual projects.

Bunch

Bunch, of London, has also got it right on the easing of its sub-menus. Four thick black slabs open to reveal an abundance of links, and while lots of quick animation is present, it never becomes overbearing or detracts from the work on show. Also worthy of note is their excellent search facility where viewers can search for a project based on year, type, media & technique and application.

North

For sheer confidence and originality, North warrants an entry. The designers there have elected to show a single page of logotypes they have designed, which, as I wrote elsewhere, segue randomly from grey to colour in a delicate array of cadences. Tantalizing, restrained brilliance.

Frost

Australia’s Frost have gone for a concept based around Apple’s coverflow fascia. Viewers are presented on the homepage with a vast collection of project icons and invited to speed through them coverflow-fashion. Once clicked on and perused, navigating your way back to the thumbnails or next project is simplicity itself with the large cursor icons at hand.

Mentoring Program for Young Emerging Artists

Posted on October 8, 2010 by admin

JUMP is an Australian national mentoring program for artists aged 18-30, who are in the first five years of their professional practice.

Author:The Graphic Design School The Graphic Design School offers vocational training graphic design courses. Delivery is online, affordable and open to students all over the world to study in the comfort of their own home.

JUMP:: Mentoring Program for Young Emerging Artists

JUMP is a national mentoring program for artists aged 18-30, who are in the first five years of their professional practice.

JUMP artists are supported to undertake a one on one mentorship with a leading professional of their choice, focused on a funded creative project.

JUMP artists also access online profiling and professional development opportunities, and significantly expand their national network during the 10-month mentorship period.

JUMP is serious about championing our nation’s next generation of arts industry leaders, and ensuring that geography and cultural diversity are no barrier to identifying and promoting artistic excellence.

Supported artforms include Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Arts, Community Arts, Dance, Hybrid/ Interdisciplinary Arts, Literature, Music, Theatre, or Visual Arts.

JUMP is supported by the Australia Council for the Arts, managed nationally by Youth Arts Queensland, and delivered in collaboration with state delivery partners, all profiled via the links below.

Applications for the 2011 JUMP program are currently open, closing 22 October 2010.

Refer an Artist

Do you know a young and emerging artist just poised for an opportunity like JUMP?

Or an established professional artist who’d be an ideal mentor?

Dob then on the Jump website

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Refer an Artist