GRAPHIC DESIGN MAGAZINE—VOL UME #1 2011— £12 . 50
G190—featuring Patrick Thomas / A Friend Of Mine / John Gorham / Carlos magazine / Kim Hiorthøy / Daniel Brown / Joost Grootens / Mat Maitland / Will Sweeney / Richard Hogg / Steve Heller / Luxury of Protest and Letman in Profile plus special feature Education, Education, Education
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Issue 190 of Grafik is packed with features about new work, classic design, interviews, opinion and a special focus on design education
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Kaleidoscope is Grafik’s selection of current unmissable events, exhibitions and products
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Repeat pattern using image by Maurice Broomfied, Paper Making, Bowater Paper Company, Thames Mill, Northfleet, 1960 (see page 8)
G190—Kaleidoscope 008—Maurice Broomfield at The Public / 009—Catherine Yass at De La Warr Pavilion / Graphisme et Création Contemporaine at the Bibliothèque Nationale de France / 010—Post Match at Cube / Berlin International Design Festival / 011—Tommy Nutter at the Fashion and Textiles Museum / 012—Kenneth Grange at the Design Museum / 013—Watch Me Move at the Barbican / New Found Original online / 014—Out of This World at the British Library / Ampersand and TYPOLondon / 015—New Designers, Free Range and New Blood in London / 016—Heavens to Murgatroyd! at the Arts Gallery / Anthony Burrill at Outline Editions / 017— Vintage by Hemingway competition FOR REGULAR UPDATES VISIT
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Star Stories
Heavens to Murgatroyd! Arts Gallery, London 12 May–01 July Head down to the Arts Gallery in London where artists Mike Ballard, Lindsey Bull, Bompas & Parr, Jess Littlewood and Joey Ryken are exploring mysticism, shamanism, cosmology and the occult in what’s sure to be a fascinating exhibition, Heavens to Murgatroyd! Bompass & Parr will be reviving the nineteenth-century Ouija board (they’ve also designed a special limited-edition tea towel), while Mike Ballard will be wrapping the exterior of the gallery with his own anarchic blend of graffiti, Renaissance excess and cave art. During the exhibition there will be related talks and events, as well as a series of impromptu performances from Joey Ryken. And if you’re wondering where you’ve heard the title before, the phrase originated in the 1944 film Meet the People, but was made famous by a certain pink anthropomorphic cartoon lion created by Hanna-Barbera called Snagglepuss, who was a regular on the Yogi “smarter than the average” Bear Show in the 1960s.
From top— Pyrite and Monolith by Jess Littlewood
A R T S . A C . U K / G A L L E R Y. H T M
Anthony Burrill Outline Editions, London 11 June–16 July
Line Art Above— Don’t Say Nothing by Anthony Burrill
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Outline Editions—purveyors of affordable graphic-tastic prints from the likes of James Joyce, Will Sweeney, Kate Moross, Hellovon and Patrick Thomas, to name just a smattering—has now found a permanent home in Berwick Street in London’s Soho. Set up by ex-Independent on Sunday magazine editor Bill Tucker and curator Camilla Parsons, Outline Editions formerly existed as a pop-up shop but is celebrating its new permanent home with a solo show from Anthony Burrill, hot on the heels of his residency at Pick Me Up. The optimistic-sounding Clear Your Head Everyday includes fifty new giclée prints and neon artworks, as well as collaborations between Burrill, furniture designer Michael Marriot and sculptor Wilfred Wood, who will also be giving Burrill a hand with decorating the shop window. OU T L INE-EDI T IONS.CO.UK
N O TI TI PE M CO Win five Vintage by Hemingway prints Here’s your chance to get some gorgeous typographic freebies for your wall. We have five prints for one lucky winner to choose from the new Vintage by Hemingway typographic range at East End Prints. The collection is taken from Hemingway’s Land of Lost Content archive and includes gems of the kind featured on this page, as well as lots more online. To win five unframed prints, just send the answer to the question below (as well as a list of the prints you’d like) to win@grafikmag.com before 30 July 2011. At which traditional race venue did Wayne and Geraldine Hemingway launch their successful vintage festival last summer? EASTENDPRINTS.CO.UK GRAFIK 190 PREVIEW —7
An in-depth interview with one of London’s most intriguing graphic designers, The Luxury of Protest
PORTRAIT BY IVAN JONES
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IVAN-JONES.CO.UK
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“I always revered designers, idolised them even. I thought they were these amazing, enigmatic creatures—their ability to combine beauty, logic and functionality was something that fascinated me. I was halfway through my PhD when I realised I wasn’t on the right path.” The walls of Peter Crnokrak’s home-studio in Hackney are covered with work. From roughs, concepts and runouts to logoforms, finished posters and literature, it’s evidence of an accomplished and extensive body of both commercial and self-initiated graphic design. Yet out of all of it, my attention is drawn, irresistibly, to a single, centrally placed piece. Titled Real Magick in Theory and Practise, it’s a visual representation of the 4_21 polytope, which is said to explain the workings of the universe. It’s one of several large, intricate posters that have attracted considerable praise and attention for Crnokrak over the past four years, and standing face to face with the work, it’s immediately evident that when it comes to his data visualisations, the accolades haven’t been misplaced. It’s also immediately obvious that data visualisation isn’t the only thing at which he excels. Crnokrak has squeezed a lot into his seven years as a practising graphic designer— since gaining his design degree in 2004, he’s worked on two continents, both as a solo practitioner and as a member of several respected studios, achieved a fellowship at the RSA and been recognised with awards from organisations as diverse as the AIGA and the National Science Foundation. It’s only been in the past two years, since he founded solo practice The Luxury of Protest, that data visualisation has become a prominent feature within his body of work, which still encompasses the commercial identity, literature and poster design that he’s honed over the course of his career. Talking to him today, it’s clear that he’s relished every second of all of it —pleased, undoubtedly, to find himself finally settled in a career he finds creatively fulfilling.
Previous page— Detail from A _B_ Peace & Terror etc. The Computational Aesthetics of Love and Hate, dual-sided screenprint, 2008; Letter Fray typeface, laser-cut linen, produced with Karin Von Ompteda for Fortune magazine This spread— Real Magick in Theory and Practise, screenprint in matte black ink on GFSmith Plasma Polycoat 700 Micron Glass Clear Plastic, 2010
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Crnokrak’s professional life did not begin in the design world. Born in Croatia and raised in Canada, he initially studied biology, pursuing an academic career which led him through a master’s and PhD to a research fellowship at the University of Toronto, working in the field of quantitative genetics—“in simplest terms, the study of nature versus nurture,” he explains helpfully. Yet despite his successful scientific career, the design profession had long held a certain allure. GRAB A COPY OF GRAFIK 190 TO READ THE COMPLETE ARTICLE
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This page— Portrait of John Gorham by Tony Evans
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Brian Webb celebrates unsung designer John Gorham in this issue’s Graphic Design Heroes GRAFIK 190 PREVIEW —13
This page— Alphabet and letterforms by John Gorham Opposite page— Face Photosetting catalogue by John Gorham, featuring an illustration by Peter Blake
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Opposite— Redrawing of the Bassett’s Allsorts candyman logo by John Gorham This page, from top— Bugsy Malone logo by John Gorham, commissioned by Alan Parker; Fame logo by John Gorham; The Cricketers, pub sign for Whitbread, commissioned by John McConnell; Concept and illustrations for Winsor & Newton ink packaging by John Gorham;
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Remember Carlos? This issue's Future Classics article reviews the seminal inflight magazine
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Robert Urquhart profiles Holland's king of hand drawn lettering, Letman
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G190—Illustration Profile
PORTRAIT BY SIMON WALD-LASOWSKI
Best known for his distinctive hand-drawn lettering, Job Wouters (aka Letman) is having a moment in the spotlight. Robert Urquhart visited him in Amsterdam to talk design, filmmaking, accidental Nazi symbolism and making the jump from graffiti kid to serious (or not-so-serious) designer.
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This page— Saluton, newspaper illustration for Het Parool, 2009
Opposite— Posters for club night Undercover, in collaboration with Yvo Sprey and others. Winner of a Dutch Design Award for Best Graphic Design, 2010
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ILLUSTRATION PROFILE—LETMAN
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We feature a breakthrough in game design by Richard Hogg 22—GRAFIK 190 PREVIEW
“I didn’t really know the rules, so I thought about the construction of the game in a different way.” His enjoyment of the game design process and the incipient success of Hohokum have left him wondering why fewer designers have made a similar jump into the world of videogames. “It’s often surprised me that there are huge numbers of people interested in videogames who work within design, yet hardly any of them ever cross over and get involved with game design,” he says. “It’s a pity, because their skills could be so valuable there, and are actually quite easily transferable. I’m not sure what holds people back—maybe they think there aren’t any opportunities for them, or have the misconception that they need to be some kind of coding whiz.” If they were thinking about the mainstream videogaming industry—behemoth companies with hordes of employees and a competitive jobs market—they might have been right. Not so with the world of indie gaming. It’s a scene that sprung up alongside as individuals and groups decided to go it alone, using whatever resources they had to try out game design for themselves. Indie games seem to have experienced a groundswell of attention in recent years, Hogg tells me—perhaps due to the development of the internet as both a platform and a forum for dissemination. Hogg’s involvement with Hohokum has brought him into contact with the indie gaming community, whose accommodating attitude has come as a pleasant surprise. “The scene itself was a revelation—full of friendly of people eager to support what each other is doing. There’s very little cliquiness,” he says. “Even when someone’s really successful in indie game design, there are no hard feelings or accusations of selling out—just a great sense of camaraderie.” GRAFIK 190 PREVIEW — 23
You kids keep worrying about what tools you should use for making design. You know what I used? A pencil, a dry martini and some balls. 1— DOL CE
In my day I had a name for stupid clients who wouldn't listen to my brilliant design advice. I called them " David Carson's clients." 2—STUDIO SLANT
3—MR PORTER
Quotes taken from the Twitterer formerly known as @ANGRYPAULRAND
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This issue’s Font Book highlights the best handwriting fonts
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We present today’s finest new Talent in photography, illustration and design
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106— Rose Stallard rock ‘n’ roll ROSESTALLARD.COM
104— Tim McDonagh ink, undertones, critters MCDONAGHILLUSTRATION.COM
G190—Talent VIEW EXTENDED PROFILES AT
GRAFIKMAG.COM/TALENT
110— Judith Erwes warm, lively, (often) nostalgic U N P AT I E N T. C O M
108— Sueh Li Tan intuitive, personal, typographic SUEHLITAN.COM
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Judith Erwes Photographer, London
From top— English School Kids, 2004; Untitled, from the book Imitation of Lives, 2010; Opposite— Beach Babes series, 2010; Teenage Diary Series, collaboration with Paul Bower, 2010; Tommo, 2008
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Describe your work in three words. Warm, lively, (often) nostalgic. What’s in your camera bag? Mamiya 6x4.5, two lenses, a Polaroid back, a light meter, batteries, and normally a few rolls of 120 films. What’s been your most fulfilling creative collaboration? My latest project, Imitation of Lives, which was about weddings in the 1970s. I photographed the series for about a year and a half. After all the images were shot I started working with the designer from Duke Press to prepare the presentation of the project. I really enjoyed discussing ideas and all the different aspects of the presentation, and what the book might look like. That was a process that took about six months. It was really fun because I knew I had a strong project. How do you develop the concepts for your photo shoots? There are normally two ways: if I come across someone who I find interesting in looks, or who is photogenic, I start thinking about scenery, a setting or theme where I could place this person for a photo. So a character I like is the starting point, and then I start thinking about how I could represent that person. The other way is when I have a particular theme in mind that interests me, like for example 1970s weddings, and then I start looking for and casting certain people who would fit into the theme. Share a trade secret with us. Always store films in the fridge in order to keep them fresh. GRAFIK 190 PREVIEW — 29
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