Flux Webzine | Issue #7 by Flux Collective

FLUX WEBZINE ISSUE 7, 12 OCTOBER 2012

Editors Ben Smith Michelle Stark Jeremy Swanborough

Production Coordinator Ben Smith

Magazine Design Ben Smith

Submissions We encourage Brisbane-based readers to submit suitable artwork for consideration by Flux Collective. If you wish to submit artwork, please contact Flux Collective at mail@fluxcollective.com

Creative Director Michelle Stark

Digital Manager Jeremy Swanborough

Contributors Ben Smith Michelle Stark Jeremy Swanborough Hannah Cutts Jess Parker

Special Thanks To Hannah Cutts

Cover Design Michelle Stark

Typefaces PT Sans Pro Regular Catorze 27 Style 1 Book

Facebook www.facebook.com/fluxcollective

Twitter www.twitter.com/flux_collective

TYPOGRAPHY

-13 12

DESIGNER PROFILE

11 6-

EDITORIAL

free available s

GUEST DESIGNER

1 -2 18

DIGITAL ART

-17 16

-15 14

ILLUSTRATION

EDITORIAL

Hi Readers, A desire to know or to continually learn is a valuable trait for a designer. The yearning to break things down, see how they work, and consider different scenarios and possibilities is one of the most significant similarities shared by designers of all types. A curious nature enables designers to solve problems creatively by looking at the problem from all sides and experimenting in a variety of ways to see what works, and what doesn’t. Curiosity is about asking questions. For visual communicators, this often involves asking questions about how things look. What would that look like from this angle? How would this look in that position? What relationships exist between these two elements? How would this colour look with that texture?

It can also involve asking questions about communication. Who is my audience? What message am I trying to send? What would happen if I sent that message in this way? We seek answers to these questions because we want to go beyond the ordinary, and achieve the best solutions possible. I encourage you to ask as many questions as you can in your work. Be the three-year-old that continually asks ‘why?’. A habit such as this can feed creativity, allowing our work to become a playground of objects and ideas, from which we can develop fresh concepts and infinite solutions.

DESIGNER PROFILE

HANNAH CUTTS Hannah Cutts came to Australia when she was just 18. She’d been accepted into Sussex Uni to study modern literature but got kicked out of the English education system because of badly timed parent migration. Since Brisbane didn’t really offer an English lit BA, Hannah chose to study Architecture. She left after 2 years to start up a T-Shirt screen-printing company, before finally returning to study visual arts with a major in illustration. Throughout the duration of the course Hannah won awards and gained contracts with Macmillan and a magazine called The Independent. Cutts creative began in 1995 and has worked for big and little companies alike. They have had lots of staff and few staff. Work has been fun and exciting and shit and boring. That’s life and work... but Hannah wouldn’t change it.

What was your first design job? Semper Magazine at UQ in 1987. My first paid creative job was as an illustrator; Macmillan kids books and the Independent. My first paid design job on a computer was probably in 1996 the Livid Festival Program. We also did our first branding job for a nightclub called Grand Orbit in 1996 and then looked after all of their design work from wine labels, ads in every publication going, drink tickets, invites to Melrose Place nights - it was a strange but exotic year and we won a judges award for the Grand Orbit wine labels. We were very lucky and seemed to attract a swathe of clients who were happy to have fun. What is your career highlight so far?

I really enjoyed working on the Urbane branding and environmental graphics - again, a group of clients who wanted to be surprised and experiment. Urbane expanded from one restaurant to 4. We helped name the other 3; The Laneway (a bar cantilevered over the laneway below), subUrbane (a downstairs functions room with old stone walls) and The Euro (modern European food and tapas). For each venue we created a brand and then a suite of images that could be rolled out across all collateral and environmental graphics. We created a fun and lewd illustration created by chopping up road signage for the Laneway and this became coasters, business cards, menus and even a 40mm thick 10m x 3m metal dividing screen.

DESIGNER PROFILE

Who or what inspires you? Colours, art, humour, reaching an audience - that is ‘what’ inspires me. Clients or cohorts that want to get involved in any of the above that is ‘who’ inspires me. There are quite a few people that I quietly hero worship - Ralph Steadman, Dr Seuss, George Orwell and Aldous Huxley. Anyone that can design and actually produce anything that makes it to market and stays there. Designers like Easton and Pearson are to be applauded for having the guts to create beautiful clothes that cross the line between art and fashion, in our own uptight backyard. What is your dream job? I am trying to work that one out at the moment and the great thing is...I haven’t. That means that I am not yet yearning for something I can’t have. Saying that though, I collect art (I am in the midst of cataloguing the collection on pinterest.com/hannahcutts/cuttsart-collection/ ) and a complete dream job would be buying art and collectables for other people. “Here’s the budget; here are the walls...have fun!” Do you have any advice for juniors? Relax, have fun and learn have a look at Darth and Roger (darthandroger.tumblr.com). Don’t expect to know what and where you want to be until you have to. Say yes to everything... you get the idea.

a selection of hannahâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s designs

DESIGNER PROFILE

we asked hannah... SCREEN or PRINT PEN or MOUSE TEA or COFFEE SUMMER or WINTER EARLY BIRD or NIGHT OWL SERIF or SANS-SERIF THE MEDIUM or THE MESSAGE GRID or NO GRID

g gridless griddin

NEVILLE BRODY or MILTON GLASER UNI or INDUSTRY EXPERIENCE WORK TO LIVE or LIVE TO WORK TUMBLR or PINTEREST

TYPOGRAPHY

free downloadable modular typeface available soon at www.fluxcollective.com

Over the past year or so there has been an influx of modular typefaces - type that comes as a bunch of consistent elements (modules) that can be put together in a variety of different ways. I love that this provides flexibility for the user, allowing them to customize a typeface to suit their needs while maintaining a certain style. I love the idea that the ‘user’ plays an active role in how the typeface manifests, rather than simply using it as is. They get to participate in the type design process, along with the typographer. Configurate is a modular typeface designed to be used in layers. With five parts in total, users can choose to use the ‘whole’ form (standard font), a combination of two or more fonts, or all modular fonts layered over one another with each layer in a different colour. Configurate will be available as a free-download soon at www.fluxcollective.com

ILLUSTRATION

Nothing like a smoking hot magic lady to brighten up your day, but she’s far more useful during the night... Because of the mood lighting you perverts! Painting multiple light sources is like chasing a ball down a hill, good exercise, but you can’t get it till you hit the bottom. I have always been so amazed by artists that capture light so beautifully. They make it look effortless, even though it can be quite time consuming, not to mention the fact that it uses a lot of brain cells. However it is most definitely worth it, giving the painting depth, mood and a vibrant dynamic that just makes everything so damn pretty. It takes time to learn to make lighting dynamics from imagination, even then it’s still a good idea to use references. I, for one, spent a lot of time planning this piece, and I wouldn’t change that process confidently.

- J*

DIGITAL ART

“I kissed her goodbye, said ‘All beauty must die’ and I lent down and planted a rose between her teeth” - Nick Cave. This song quote was the origin of my design and consequently, prompted the inclusion of a rose at a very early stage. The decision to create this design using geometric shapes was made due to the ability to juxtapose two different styles - the dark style and mood of the song, with the style of a clean cut geometric design. Geometric based designs can be quite effective and I thoroughly enjoy viewing them. However, I challenged myself to create a geometric based design that contained more depth, meaning or emotional resonance than is usually found in these pieces. The clear focal point of this design is the geometric rose - it’s not your typical rose, but it’s just as beautiful.

- B.

GUEST DESIGNER

jess parker

Jess didn’t always know she wanted to be a designer. In her final year of high school her art teacher said she had good ‘composition’ so she took a short course during holidays. Fast forward six years and with a degree from Queensland College of Art under her belt she has discovered that Design is a whole lot more than just ‘composition’. Jess now works as graphic designer on the Northside and in her spare time loves to illustrate. Not wanting to slow down and miss an opportunity, along with her friends she helps plan IncStamp exhibitions, enter design comps and is currently taking a copywriting course.

GUEST DESIGNER

we asked jess... SCREEN or PRINT PEN or MOUSE TEA or COFFEE EARLY BIRD or NIGHT OWL SERIF or SANS-SERIF TUMBLR or PINTEREST follow me;.tumblr.com jessparker

next issue... 26 OCTOBER 2012

featuring ... a new designer profile :::: branding design :::: brand new illustration :::: new digital art typography :::: & another emerging guest designer