LIZ IBBOTSON DESIGN CONTEXT
“ A HAND CRAFTED INVESTIGATION INTO TYPE AND IMAGE WITH A FOCUS ON PUBLICATION AND MERCHANDISE”
CHAPTER ONE
Illustrator who have influenced me with my work and style. Information on their work and who they work for.
CHAPTER TWO
Design shops that have influenced me for creating artwork that can be transferred on to merchandise.
CHAPTER THREE
Information on Bookshops and Publishers with a focus on popular culture.
CHAPTER FOUR
Fashion- designers, illustrators and photographers of the fashion world who have influenced me.
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CHAPTER ONE ILLUSTRATORS
ANDREAS PREIS German graphic designer Andreas Preis, featuring his latest personal project “Alive” which continues his previous set “Life” that puts his masterfully crafted animals against elaborate and intricately designed backgrounds with inspirational and positive words. Powerful pieces.
IAIN MACARTHUR “In 2008 I graduated from Swindon College with a degree in HND Illustration and hope to progress to a B.A. in Illustration sometime in the future. I’ve done a few exhibitions such as the Swindon College exhibition for Illustration and Graphic Design students, D/AD New Blood Exhibition at Earl’s Court London, and a solo Internet exhibition on Phone Booth Gallery. My work can be described as surreal and unique in its own way. Using mostly pencil, watercolours and pigment pens, I create portraits of ordinary people but create them in a unusual way by, embellishing patterns and watercolour effects into the portrait to give a vivid explosion effect—transforming their faces from something plain to something entirely bizarre and wonderful at the same time.”
LAURA LAINE
Laura Laine is a Helsinki based illustrator. She has studied fashion design at University of Art and Design Helsinki, but during her studies focused on fashion illustration. After completing her studies she has been working full-time as a freelance illustrator and is also teaching fashion illustration at the university. Her recent clients include Vogue Nippon, GAP, I.T. store, Elle, Zara, Telegraph, Rad Hourani, The New York Times T magazine, Tommy Hilfiger, Muse magazine, The Guardian, I.T. Post magazine, Iben Hoej, and Daniel Palillo. She has also exhibited in San Francisco and Los Angeles.
MATTIAS ADOLFSSON
ROS
SHEIRS
JASON SELLER
IRINA VINNIK
“For work I use simple gel pen (Pilot), sometimes also “PITT Artist Pen” Faber Castell I make only a very rough sketch with a pencil. I have a site where you can see the same pictures closer. I never remove the pencil lines, so we’ll see “as is” .”
CHAPTER TWO DESIGN SHOPS
Urban Outfitters has been described as selling hip, kitschy, and ironic merchandise, for example, T-shirts emblazoned with the words “Jive Turkey” or “Atari”. They are known for catering to “hipster” culture and fashion, which incorporates an influence from past decades. According to their website, Urban Outfitters’ “established ability to understand our customers and connect with them on an emotional level is the reason for our success.” The site says that “the reason for this success is that our brands... are both compelling and distinct. Each brand chooses a particular customer segment, and once chosen, sets out to create sustainable points of distinction with that segment” and that “the emphasis is on creativity. Our goal is to offer a product assortment and an environment so compelling and distinctive that the customer feels an empathetic connection to the brand and is persuaded to buy.
Urban Outfitters seeks to create “a differential shopping experience, which creates an emotional bond with the 18 to 30 year old target customer we serve.� In 2009, it agreed to sell limited editions of Polaroid ONE600 instant cameras and Type 779 instant film in partnership with the Austrian entrepreneur Florian Kaps, who acquired the rights to manufacture 700 copies of the defunct product.
What is a shop? It is what those behind the counter share with their customers, it is that common experience, a series of more or less successful attempts at communicating ideas, needs, interests, passions, obsessions, dreams.
We think that there is something extremely rich and dynamic in the notion that people, all kinds of people, from all kinds of backgrounds, are walking through our doors on a daily basis, looking for something, not always sure as to what they are looking for. More often than not, these people are more knowledgeable with regards to their areas of interest than we are, or could ever hope to be. And this keeps us going. A shop feeds on feedback. It thrives on people’s responses, on their enthusiasm and their frustration, on their ideas of what is good or bad, on what they buy and what they don’t buy. A shop is unthinkable without that highly stimulating flow, individuals walking in with their ideas, with their more or less intense curiosity, their various personal concerns, their quirks, their calm or manic energy, their unique point of view. Imagine a shop as a vial in which more or less volatile substances mix to release energy. Ultimately, walking into Magma should be like walking into a thermometer, an instrument indicating ‘where things are at’ at a certain point in time and space. Not because we think so, but as a result of that process, of that retail alchemy: the power of people walking through the door, making suggestions, connecting, rejecting, reacting, interacting, over-reacting. This is the essence of what we do: to try and capture some of that influx and crystallize it into a retail environment. Can’t this thing we call ‘shopping’ be changed into a rich and inspiring activity? Isn’t that why we go out wandering through the streets in the first place, for a breath of fresh air? To use that dreaded term, can’t retail be more creative ? We believe the answer is yes. Though we’re not quite there. In fact, we’re not even sure as to whether we will make it at all. But, with your help, we will certainly give it a go.
CHAPTER THREE BOOKSHOPS AND PUBLISHERS FOR POPULAR CULTURE
“Inspired by the enduring magic and importance of books, our objective is to create and distribute exceptional publishing that’s instantly recognizable for its spirit, creativity, and value. This objective also informs our business relationships and endeavors, be they with customers, authors, vendors, or colleagues.”
DAVID SHRIGLEY
David Shrigley has exhibited widely in Europe and North America and his illustrations have appeared in newspapers and magazines such as Esquire (Japan), Donna (Italy), Frieze (UK), The Guardian (UK), Maisonneuve (Canada) Du (Switzerland). He has produced animated pop promos for artists such as Blur and Bonnie Prince Billy and is also the author of numerous books of drawings details of which can befound at redstonepress.co.uk. He now lives and works in Glasgow and is represented by the Stephen Friedman Gallery, London.
KERI SMITH She is the author of several bestselling books about creativity including the bestselling Wreck this Journal (2007 Perigee), How to be an Explorer of the World –the Portable Life/ Art Museum, (2008 Perigee), The Guerilla Art Kit (2007 Princeton Architectural Press), Mess: A Manual of Accidents and Mistakes (2010 Perigee), Living Out Loud – Activities to Fuel a Creative Life (published 2003 by Chronicle Books), and Tear up this Book! :The –Sticker, Stencil, Stationery, Games, Crafts, Doodle, And Journal Book For Girls!, (2005 American Girl). Her newest book, Finish this Book is out now, fall 2011 by Penguin Books. Keri spends her days playing with her husband and son, reading, cooking and writing books. As of fall 2010 she will be teaching part time at Emily Carr University of Art & Design in Vancouver B.C.
CHAPTER FOUR FASHION DESIGNERS, ILLUSTRATORS AND PHOTOGRAPHERS
Vogue was described by book critic Caroline Weber in The New York Times in December 2006 as “the world’s most influential fashion magazine” Vogue’s wide-reaching influence stems from various sources, including the persona and achievements of its most famous editor, its various charitable and community projects, its ability to reflect political discourse through fashion and editorial articles, and its move to emerging economies. Editor-in-Chief, Anna Wintour, is widely credited as being one of the most influential figures in the global fashion industry, with the power to make or break a designer’s career. “Wintour’s approval can signal a commercial career for designers via investors who need a nod from a big gun like her to get their cheque books out,” says stylist Sharmadean Reid. Marc Jacobs was one such designer, being recommended by Wintour for the top job at Louis Vuitton in 1997. Wintour’s power in the industry is so pervasive, that she was able to have Milan fashion week rescheduled once so she could go home before attending the shows in Paris. It is even rumoured that she influenced Kate Middleton’s choice of designer for her wedding dress. She can arguably be credited with reviving the fortunes of New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute, having raised $75m for the institution through events and corporate sponsorship. Vogue also uses its industry clout for good causes, most recently with the Fashion Night Out annual event. Also the brainchild of Wintour, FNO was launched in 2009 to kick start the economy by encouraging people to start spending money again. The proceeds of sales on the night go towards various charitable causes. The event is co-hosted by Vogue publications in 27 cities around the US and 15 countries worldwide, and from 2011 will include online retailers. Vogue uses fashion, editorial and community projects to raise awareness of issues on the current political agenda. The burqa, for instance, made an appearance in a fashion spread in Vogue in 2006 and the publication has featured articles on prominent Muslim women, their approach to fashion and the effect of different cultures on fashion and women’s lives. In the “Beauty Without Borders” iniative, Vogue sponsored a project to teach beauty skills to Afghan women. Another way in which Vogue exerts its influence is by starting new titles in emerging economies such as Russia. Started in 1998, Vogue Russia has set about introducing Russian women to a new world of fashion and opportunities in a post-Socialist society. When Vogue starts a new title in an emerging economy, it indicates that the society has undergone, “a change in the politics of style, imagery, gender representations, and consumption practices.”
ALEXANDER MCQUEEN Sarah Burton can’t do things by halves. Just when London expects her to put on a routine, serviceable presentation for the McQ Alexander McQueen collection, as a mere teaser for the opening of its Dover Street store in the spring, she goes mega with a whole runway show and a theatrical performance. Maybe she didn’t want to let London down, or the name of Alexander McQueen in the city he was born. But whatever her motivations were, Burton treated the McQ audience to the full runway experience—a space covered in dried leaves, and a dramatic ending that had Kristen McMenamy wandering into a faux
VIVIENNE WESTWOOD Punk era Westwood was deeply interested in the punk fashion phenomenon of the 1970s, saying “I was messianic about punk, seeing if one could put a spoke in the system in some way”. The “punk style” included BDSM fashion, bondage gear, safety pins, razor blades, bicycle or lavatory chains on clothing and spiked dog collars for jewellery, as well as outrageous make-up and hair. Essential design elements include the adoption of traditional elements of Scottish design such as tartan fabric. Amongst the more unusual elements of her style is the use of historical 17th and 18th century cloth cutting principles, and reinterpreting these in, for instance, radical cutting lines to men’s trousers. Use of these traditional elements make the overall effect of her designs more shocking. Vivienne Westwood company Westwood has five exclusively-owned shops; three in London, one in Leeds, and one in Milan. Franchise stores are located in Liverpool, Newcastle, Glasgow, three in Manchester (Spring Gardens in the city centre and two others) and most recently, in FH Mall,
WESTWOOD”S PUNKS
VICTOR&ROLF Viktor Horsting (1969) & Rolf Snoeren (1969) met while studying fashion at the Arnhem Academy of Art and Design in The Netherlands. They began working together upon graduation, relocating to Paris in 1993 to launch their careers. Their first collection ‘Hyères’ (1993) based on distortion, reconstruction and layering won three prizes at the Salon Europeen des Jeunes Stylistes at the Festival International de Mode et de Photographie. The subsequent presentation of four collections in experimental art spaces led them in 1998 to show their first Haute Couture collection (Spring/Summer 1998). Viktor & Rolf returned to ready-to-wear in 2000, with ‘Stars and Stripes’ (Autumn/Winter 2000-01). The menswear line ‘Monsieur’ was added in 2003 (Autumn/Winter), modelled entirely by Viktor & Rolf in a mirrored performance. The Viktor & Rolf range has since grown to include shoes, accessories and eyewear. In addition to their own lines, Viktor & Rolf have collaborated with a number of other well-known brands, including Samsonite (2009), with whom they produced a luggage line, Shu Uemura (2008) for a range of couture false eyelashes, Piper Heidsieck (2007) for the iconic upside-down bottle and, in 2006, the line for high street chain H&M, which greatly extended their appeal to the general public. With the desire to expand, in 2008 Viktor & Rolf entered into a partnership with Italian clothing magnate Renzo Rosso of Only the Brave (OTB), allowing the company to develop new product ranges, extend distribution and open further boutiques.
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