We reveal the
NEW STARS OF ISSUE
235
JANUARY 2015 DIGITAL EDITION Produced the UK
ILLUSTRATION Discover the inspiring talent that art directors will be fighting over in 2015
MAKE 2015 YOUR BEST YEAR EVER! Everything you need to be more successful, productive and creative
CREATE A CUSTOM TYPEFACE The Partners reveals its secrets in an exclusive video walkthrough
DESIGN A FLEXIBLE BRAND
How Bleed created a versatile brand identity inspired by architecture
AVOID LEGAL NIGHTMARES
Thiago Maia shares a cautionary tale of being forced to rename his studio
WEL CO M E
JANUARY 2015
editor’s letter We’re all guilty of putting creative jobs on the back burner that never see the light of day. Maybe it’s a New Year’s resolution to land that dream client, a half-hearted vow to start a side project, or some tentative aim to strive for a better work-life balance. If any of those ambitions sound vaguely familiar, then this issue’s lead feature is tailor-made for you. Take 2015 by the scruff of the neck with our inspiring and informative guide to being more successful, more productive and more creative than ever. Whether you’re short of time, shorn of money, or just lacking in motivation, this special primer will help you achieve your most elusive goals. 2015 is shaping up to be an exciting time for illustration, if Varoom magazine editor John O’Reilly’s special report is anything to go by. Join him on page 64 as he takes the temperature of the industry, defines current trends and identifies some of the hottest talent that art directors will be squabbling over for the next 12 months. Next issue is a freelance special, and if you plan to make the jump yourself then you’ll find all the essential advice you need in our expert guide to the 10 things you should know before doing so. Don’t miss it.
keep in touch with…
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Nick Carson Editor
nick.carson@futurenet.com
featuring
Hungry sandwich club
The tasty image-based design studio from Leeds provided our fantastic cover and feature illustrations (page 42). HSC specialises in character-led work, and believes that an honest, lighthearted approach is the best way to communicate. www.hungrysandwich.es
Flaminguettes
The coolest señoritas in the animation world, the Flaminguettes consist of Mara Soler and Daniela Villanueva, two Mexican ladies who decided to team up to explore the personal, playful and feminine side of animation. See page 52 for a video interview with the duo. www.flaminguettes.com
Russell Dodgson
Russell entered the industry 10 years ago with an MA in special effects. In 2009 he was hired by Framestore to set up and lead its Nuke compositing department, and was appointed Head of Nuke in 2013. He goes behind the scenes on Framestore’s latest Freesat advert on page 90. www.framestore.com
Roanne Adams
Award-winning creative Roanne Adams has a keen eye for style and a skill for refining brands into their most succinct form. In 2006 she opened design studio, RoAndCo, which serves a range of fashion, art and lifestyle clients. Find out a whole lot more on page 56. www.roandcostudio.com
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John O’Reilly
John is editor of Varoom, a magazine produced by the Association of Illustrators. Journalist, writer and consultant, his clients have included the Guardian, The British Council and Nike. He explores new illustration frontiers – and reveals some talents to watch – on page 64. www.varoom-mag.com
M EET T H E T E AM
january 2015
Meet the team Future Publishing Ltd, QUAY HOUSE, THE AMBURY, BATH BA1 1UA Phone 01225 442 244 Fax 01225 732 275 Email hello@computerarts.co.uk Web computerarts.creativebloq.com
Editorial
Production & DISTRIBUTION
Jo Gulliver Art editor jo.gulliver@futurenet.com
Printing: William Gibbons & Sons Ltd on behalf of Future Distribution: Seymour Distribution Ltd, 2 East Poultry Avenue, London EC1A 9PT, Tel: 0207 429 4000 Overseas distribution: Seymour International
Nick Carson Editor nick.carson@futurenet.com
Circulation
Rich Carter Designer richard.carter@futurenet.com
SUBSCRIPTIONS
SAMMY MAINE AND GARY EVANS STAFF WRITERS sammy.maine.@futurenet.com gary.evans@futurenet.com
Contributors
Zaneta Antosik, Steven Brahms, Brinley Clark, FranklinTill, Dan Gray, Peter Gray, Hungry Sandwich Club, Nate Kitch, Thiago Maia, Nicolas Ménard, Michael Molfetas, John O’Reilly, Christopher Phin, Louise Sloper, Snask, Laura Snoad, Craig Ward, Anne Wollenberg
Advertising For all ad enquiries please contact: SUZANNE SMITH Account director suzanne.smith@futurenet.com
editor This month Nick and Jo gave a talk at CutOut Fest in Mexico. He’s also very proud of the CA team for picking up Visual Arts Magazine of the Year for the second year running at the Digital Magazine Awards.
VivIENNE CALVERT Production controller Mark Constance Production manager
Tim Hardwick OPERATIONS editor tim.hardwick@futurenet.com
Julia Sagar, MARTIN COOPER AND BEREN NEALE COMMISSIONING editorS julia.sagar@futurenet.com martin.cooper@futurenet.com beren.neale@futurenet.com
Nick Carson
jo gulliver
Art editor Jo spent two days memorising a bit of Spanish for CA’s CutOut talk, but unfortunately no-one heard it due to a mic malfunction. She was also highly commended as Designer of the Year at the DMAs.
JULIETTE WINYARD Trade marketing manager: 07551 150 984 charlotte lloyd-williams Direct marketing executive charlotte.lloyd-williams@futurenet.com
Tim Harwick
OPERATIONS editor Tim stepped up to the op ed role full-time and is still smiling despite some technical problems getting this month’s mag out. He’s already made contingency plans if the interwebs goes totally kaput next issue.
UK readers: 0844 848 2852 Overseas readers: +44 (0)1604 251045 Online enquiries: myfavouritemagazines.co.uk computerarts@myfavouritemagazines.co.uk
Licensing
Regina Erak International director regina.erak@futurenet.com
Rich Carter
Tel: +44 (0)1225 442244 Fax: +44 (0)1225 732275
Designer When he wasn’t suffering from ear-ache, Rich was house hunting and eventually found a new hovel. Happily his hearing also recovered sufficiently for him to appreciate The National at the O2 in London.
MANAGEMENT
Nial Ferguson Content & Marketing director MATT PIERCE Head of Content & Marketing, Photography, Creative & Design DAN OLIVER Group editor-in-chief, Creative & Design SIMON MIDDLEWEEK Acting group art director, Photography, Creative & Design TOM MAY Group content editor
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9 January 2015
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Julia Sagar
beren neale
MARTIN COOPER
Commissioning editor Julia used up the rest of her annual leave by cycling 360 miles around Europe in four days. In the process she developed a taste for Belgium beer, and more epic plans are already in the making.
SAMMY MAINE
GARY EVANS
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printers text PAGES, cover CMYK, PANTONE 812 and 813 fluoro and SPOT UV BY William Gibbons
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cover Precision Special Gloss FSC 250gsm P3-74: Galerie Fine FSC 115gsm P75-98: GraphoInvent 75gsm
typefaces
Trump Gothic West, Neutraface Text & Display, Calluna
JANUARY 2015
ISSUE 235 J A NUA R Y 20 15
10
Culture
Trends: New York-based illustrator Karan Singh combines pattern, repetition and hyper-saturated colour to create spellbinding imagery
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eople: In the shell of an old Ford Factory in P Portland, a visual overload mixed with mementos keeps Will Bryant constantly inspired
16
Places: Stu Tallis brings you a local’s perspective on the coolest areas, craziest bars and most creative spaces around Bristol
18
vents: Nick Carson reports from CutOut E Fest in Mexico, while Dave Sedgwick discusses Fedrigoni’s Chapter & Verse in Manchester
Insight
Showcase
22 T YPOGRAPHIC STYLE OVER SUBSTANCE? Craig Ward asks if the next generation of typographers are at risk of neglecting the fundamentals of the craft 26
Our selection of the world’s best new graphic design, illustration and motion graphics work 30
GIVE SOMETHING CREATIVE BACK: Louise Sloper examines the role of so-called ‘sparkler jobs’ in a designer’s portfolio
28 DON ’T BREAK YOUR BRAND: Thiago Maia shares a cautionary tale of how trademark law forced him to change his studio’s name
VIDEO WALKTHROUGH
83 craft a bespoke typeface: Brinley Clark, designer at The Partners, reveals how the studio developed a typeface for UK retailer Argos
need to know
Project diaries
94 tools for digital illustrators Christopher Phin explores the range of input options at hand for illustrators working in a digital age
Bleed’s geometric identity for Norwegian Property, Peter Judson’s Jacobin magazine illustrations and a touching Freesat advert by Framestore 75
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C O N TE N TS
JANUARY 2015
video insight: FLAMINGUETTES The Mexican animation duo share their passion for hula hoops, surreal props and all things tropical 52
Mara Soler & Daniela Villanueva
An in-your-face brief for OFFF Mexico
S p eci a l R ep ort
new illustration frontiers
Varoom editor John O’Reilly explores innovations in illustration as client needs and technologies change, and picks some names to watch 64
SUBSCRIBE AND SAVE UP TO 61% • Three great ways to subscribe to Computer Arts: print, digital or both 40
S TUDIO LIFE
roandco
Founder Roanne Adams explains how masculine meets feminine at RoAndCo, and why beauty lies in the balance 56
In dus t r y iss ue s
supercharge 2015
Make 2015 your best year ever with our guide to achieving all of your creative and professional goals 42
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T r e nds CULTURE The Bully Project Mural: All Sorts commissioned by Adobe
WE LOVE...
Optical Imagery Illustrator Karan Singh combines pattern and repetition to create spellbinding imagery ometimes simplicity has maximum impact, especially when in the hands of New York-based artist Karan Singh. Singh is an op artist for the digital generation, creating work that will draw you in with a range of optical trickery and some pulsating animations. Bursting with colour, his optical treats draw you in through mesmerising pattern, intelligent use of layers and graphic repetition. Animated illustrations appear to swell, warp and pulsate, creating something of a hypnotic trance in the viewer. Singh playfully re-imagines traditional still life imagery, stripping shapes back to their most basic form, yet maximising impact through hyper-saturated colour combinations and repeat patterns, to create the illusion of 3D shapes. Singh’s work has entranced and been coveted by Adobe, IBM, Heineken, Intel and Asics, to name just a few.
s
Illustration by Karan Singh www.wakeupmrsingh.com Each month, our Trends section is curated by experienced creative consultancy FranklinTill (www.franklintill.com).
CULTUR E Trend s
january 2015
D E S I G NED FOR LI FE
Seasonal special: DESIGNER GIFT LIST
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If socks and perfume are no longer cutting it, fear not. We’ve rounded up some of the best new offerings from designers this festive season
1 Christmas Stocking in Greenland Blue
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by B-Goods www.b-goods.mysupadupa.com B-Goods creates nostalgic patterns with a Scandinavian sensibility. This Greenland Blue print is perfect for Christmas. £18
2 Ion-C Series Box Set
by School House Electric www.schoolhouseelectric.com Coming in five candy-coloured options, this lamp is part of a box set hand-finished in Portland, with a Russian birch plywood base and a hand-spun steel fixture. $119 for five
3 Christmas cards
by Tim Easley www.timeasley.com Known for his tongue-in-cheek approach, London-based creative Tim Easley created this five-pack of illustrated Christmas cards that poke fun at the festive season. £10 for five
4 Penguin Pocket Classics
by Coralie Bickford-Smith www.cb-smith.com As in-house designer at Penguin, Coralie Bickford-Smith gave classics from the likes of Plath and Woolf a makeover, with these fine linen-bound hardbacks. £10
5 The Six Mile Pencil
by Lyon&Lyon www.lyonandlyon.co.uk The Six Mile Pencil was made with enough graphite to cover six miles and vanishes as you create. The mile ruler printed on the body indicates how far you’ve drawn. £8 for four
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6 Oak Hole Wallet V2.0
by Haydanhuya www.haydanhuya.com Gokhan Eryaman’s crafts oneof-a-kind products from wood. This handmade wallet, created from premium oak, is a perfect statement piece. $65
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7 Round Terrarium Necklaces
by Finest Imaginary www.finestimaginary.com Finest Imaginary is a UK line of hand-made, laser-cut jewellery. These terrarium offerings are from the Cacti & Succulents range. £20-£30