Cognitive Content
Cognitive Content Definition
The sum or range of what has been perceived, discovered, or learned...
Matt Tucker
2013
Contents
Chapters — Introduction A—B Print Hoarder 01—16 Publication Collector 17—32 Exhibition Goer 33—56 Typography Advocate 57—68 End Note 69—70
Introduction /Key
Print Hoarder
Publication Collector
Exhibition Goer
Scanned Image
Primary Images
Primary Writing
Primary Interview
Secondary Interview
Secondary Images
Secondary Writing
Pause for Thought
Typography Advocate
A
Throughout the publication there are a series of symbols indicating the origins of each image / piece of writing or information. The key towards these references is indicated in the bottom left of the opposite page, consisting of my own primary photos and writing, secondary and un-sourced. Every effort to source the information has been made, but in some cases it just wasn’t possibly. Apologies to any studios/ individuals work that has been used in the book without the necessary association to origin. The refrences towards each image and piece of writing can be located in the inside margin at the bottom of each page. As many of these images have been taken from a stupidly named ‘untitled’ folder in my bookmarks there is little indication towards their origins. The collection of printed ephemera also consists of a few un-sourced scans of print that was picked up somewhere along the line. If this is the case there was at least some form of indication towards when and where it was picked up from.
B
“Nothing of me is original. I am the combined effort of everyone I’ve ever known.”
Chapter One — Print Hoarder
Chuck Palahniuk, Invisible Monsters
01
In the same way Chuck Palahniuk states that none of what we do is original, that those around us shape us as people and individuals. In the same sense I believe it to be true that the things that we collect also shape the way we look at and approach different problems. This section is a collection of the printed ephemera that has been building up in one of my drawers since around 2008. This collection of print spans from type specimens, flyers, invites, tickets all the way to sweet bags. All of these items have had some subconscious effect on the way that I approach graphic design. Not only is it apparent how they influence my work through their colours and use of typography, but also the fact that even before I studied graphic design these small and somewhat insignificant bits of print drew me towards picking them up and keeping them. Although this may seem normal to any design sorts’ it is strange that a piece of paper with small (or large) amount of ink on it would have so much prominence in my ideology of design and what it should be. Print is such a pivotal part of my practice and integral to my relationship with design. Print is interactive in its most primitive and non technological form. You can pick it up, feel it, smell it and move it around to interpret the information that it holds. For something so ephemeral it still fascinates me and is something that will continue to influence my own work. Although I have not taken direct visual influences from any specific work is it true that all of these pieces combined have played some role in what I believe and wish the achieve within design.
02
PRINT HOARDER
SWEET SHOP HAPPYPILLS.ES
03
BARCELONA 2012
CHAPTER ONE
LONDON 2008
TATE MODERN FLYER TATE.ORG
04
PRINT HOARDER
COLOPHON FOUNDRY COLOPHON-FOUNDRY.COM
Colophon Foundry
Colophon is an independent type foundry set up by London based design studio, The Entente (Anthony Sheret & Edd Harrington). As well as distributing and acting as a platform for fonts designed by The Entente, it selects fonts designed by other designers to distribute and create products for. Working in a similar way to that of a publishers, some typefaces that are released by Colophon will be in a limited edition. These fonts will be unique in its edition, ranging from 50-500. Colophon also offers a selection of specimen books and a range of miscellaneous products.
05
These prints are not particularly included in the spontaneous collection of printed ephemera, instead they were delivered when ordering type specimen books from Colophon Foundry. However the theme of vibrant colours and typography made it an instant addition to the collection. The general messages are light hearted in tone of voice and have obvious relevance me as a budding typographer.
LEEDS 2013
CHAPTER ONE
PRINTED FLYERS COLOPHON-FOUNDRY.CO.UK
LEEDS 2013
06
PRINT HOARDER
KALEB DE GROOT UNKNOWN.COM
07
AMSTERDAM 2008
CHAPTER ONE
CLOSED CERRADO OPEN ABIERTO
LEEDS 2012
08
PRINT HOARDER
V&A MUSEUM VAM.AC.UK
V&A British Design Exhibition Although I have the publication that was part of the exhibition, this little print almost stands out to me more. The use of the pink spot colour and simple 16 leaf catalogue has a strange appeal to me. The V&A continue to put on amazing exhibitions, all with consistently high quality prints and publications as part of the exhibitions. To see some reecent exhibitions at the V&A
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31 March - 12 August 2012. The V&A’s exhibition, British Design 1948–2012: Innovation in the Modern Age, celebrated the best of British post-war art and design from the 1948 ‘Austerity Games’ to the present day. Over 300 British design objects highlighted significant moments in the history of British design and how the country continues to nurture artistic talent and be a world leader in creativity and design.
LONDON 2012
CHAPTER ONE
PROMOTIONAL FLYER KAISALASSINARO.COM
LEEDS 2013
10
PRINT HOARDER
PROCESSING FLYER ARTHURCAREY.CO.UK
11
LEEDS 2011
CHAPTER ONE
FWD THURS FLYER GIVEUPART.COM
LONDON 2009
12
PRINT HOARDER
STAERK DVD WWW.NON-FORMAT.COM
Non-Format Stærk This is another piece of print that I managed to stumble across. It was picked up while working over summer with a photographer who works for a Danish paper. The DVD packaging and design was created by the phenomenally talented duo Non-Format. And the interaction design was done by the equally talented Sennep.
13
The perforated tearstrip has to be removed to gain access to the DVD. The design solution plays on the title Stærk, which is Norwegian for ‘strong’.
LONDON 2010
CHAPTER ONE
PROMOTIONAL EXHIBITION FLYER KAISALASSINARO.COM
LONDON 2012
14
PRINT HOARDER
HELL YEH! PRINT-PROJECT.CO.UK
15
LEEDS 2013
CHAPTER ONE
Nothing something of me is original. I am the combined effort of everyone everything I’ve ever known picked up.
16
Chapter Two — Publication Collector
Includes — Graphic Thought Facility Spin/Unit Editions Main Studio Heydays Qubik
17
In the same way that the collection of print a someone owns, a book collection also says a lot about a persons personality and background. A book collection is personal, ever morphing organism of character and personality. Particularly the book collection of a designer, with the variation in formats, sizes and colours our design bookshelves are clear indicators of who we are as designers, and what we aspire to create. Since starting the course I have amassed a large collection of books, mainly surrounding typography and design writing. This section explores some of designs most prolific publication designers. As a collective these designers push the standards and boundaries of book design. Ranging from the UK, Europe and further abroad this wide spectrum of studios and individuals are pinnacle in my own progression and that of publication design.
18
BOOK COLLECTOR
GRAPHIC THOUGHT FACILITY GRAPHICTHOUGHTFACILITY.COM
LONDON UK
Graphic Thought Facility
Graphic Thought Facility is a London-based design consultancy with an international reputation for appropriate, effective and original solutions. Recent commissions include store environments for M&S, exhibition design for the Science Museum, books for the Gagosian Gallery, wayfinding for Vitra, and campaigns for Kvadrat and the Frieze Art Fair. We believe that a successful project is rooted in a deep understanding of its objectives and we take great care to listen to our clients, often forging long term relationships. Although our approach has been cited as original and unconventional, our underlying principles are clarity, simplicity and a belief that functional need and emotional response demand equal consideration. We enjoy exploring the physical possibilities of design, which has naturally extended our work into product, exhibition and environmental design. We often use non-standard materials and production methods, exploiting our knowledge of niche manufacturers and forgotten techniques, as well as new technologies. Established in 1990, GTF is jointly owned and led by three directors – Huw Morgan, Paul Neale and Andrew Stevens all of whom remain very much hands-on. We have chosen to keep the studio relatively small and are currently a team of nine designers supported by our studio manager. We often collaborate with other creative specialists such as architects, writers and digital media experts, and are equally happy either to join or build a team for a particular project. GTF has been invited to exhibit and talk around the world and our work is held in public collections in Europe and America. In 2008, ‘Graphic Thought Facility Resourceful Design’ became the Art Institute of Chicago’s first ever show dedicated to the output of a single graphic design studio.
19
This catalogue and poster for a group exhibition took its title from the famous novel by JG Ballard. Pockets on the foam-padded plastic cover showed photographs Ballard took of his Ford Zephyr following a car accident in 1973.
CHAPTER TWO
GAGOSIAN GALLERY – CRASH: HOMAGE TO JG BALLARD
USA 2010
20
BOOK COLLECTOR
MAIN STUDIO MAINSTUDIO.COM
AMSTERDAM NETHERLANDS
Main Studio
Edwin van Gelder is an independent graphic designer based in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. After graduating from from Utrecht School of the Arts in 2004, van Gelder founded Mainstudio and has worked under the name ever since. Mainstudio’s projects include editorial design, books and visual identities for clients within architecture, art and fashion. Clients include Frame Publishers, Wiel Arets Architects, and the Dutch Fashion Biennial. Van Gelder has won various international awards (Art Directors Club New York, Best Dutch Book Design) and has been part of different international design juries, such as Art Directors Club New York, Selected A - Graphic Design from Europe, and the Art Directors Club the Netherlands. His work, as well as interviews, has been published in various books and magazines, including +81 Magazine, Slanted, and Process Journal of Design. Van Gelder loves typography, magazines, identities and books. His design approach is creating a clear concept, while always playing with the context of the information and looking for something unique in every assignment.
21
Stills exhibition shows the development of the oeuvre of Wiel Arets, shows the projects, expands upon the theoretical background and offers insight into the sources of inspiration and fascination of Wiel Arets himself. From his very early beginnings to his striking and unique personal vision on the future of urban development.
CHAPTER TWO
STILLS PUBLICATION ARCHITECTURE
NETHERLANDS 2010
22
BOOK COLLECTOR
HEYDAYS HEYDAYS.COM
Heydays Heydays is an Oslo-based design studio that creates strong visual concepts that trigger curiosity, create excitement and show ambition. Heydays is a dynamic and effective design studio founded in 2008. They are large enough to take on a lead design role, but small enough to follow projects from start til end. In their central Oslo studio they produce visual identities, digital designs and exceptional print work for a wide range of clients, both commercial, cultural and organizations. They work across a variety of media and fields, ranging from identity design to art directing photographies. We offer both design and design consultancy, and may be hired for complete deliveries or as part of a external team. Through creative insight and conceptual thinking, anchored by a tailored approach they are dedicated on creating more value for our clients. Our designers direct contact with the clients throughout the projects is important to us. Together with we start by picking the problems apart, then to mold new and effective design solutions that delivers our clients message in a unique way. With our designers different skill sets we select the team best suited to solve the given challenge. If needed we also build collaborations and include resources from our growing creative network. By working like this we can deliver the highest quality in all parts of the project and achieve a successful outcome on behalf of our clients.
OSLO NORWAY
Interview–Mathias Haddal Hovet
When looking at your website it is apparent that colour and geometry play a large role in the communication of ideas and concepts. What principles and approaches do you apply when using these aspects within your design? We work a lot with limitations. We truly believe that working with a set of limitations creates strong identity and help you a lot along the way. Limitations are not meant to be straitjacket, but a way to avoid unnecessary objects, colours and sizes in your design. It is also apparent that typography plays a large role in your practice. How important do you feel the use of typography is and what approaches do you take when working with it? Good typography makes people frown less. Its the tone and voice of a word and the letters its made from. Typography creates personality and identity. It’s functional and emotional at the same time. Often individuals work is defined by their interests outside of design. What are your influences outside of design and how do feel they shape your practice? Like anyone else we’re influenced by the age we live in and cultural surroundings. We’re also influenced by history, architecture and music. Inspiration can come from anywhere and everywhere. We think its important to have a life outside work, which gives you healthy mental refill. There has been some really interesting work coming out of Oslo in recent years. How do you feel design in Norway differs from the UK? Hard to tell. The UK have a longer tradition for graphic design and like Holland, stronger roots for printed matter. In norway and the rest of scandinavia we have a stronger tradition in furniture design and architecture. I think we base more our work on material selection, and tend to deliver very clean restricted work. I think the lack of strong traditions, as seen in Holland, makes us a bit more free and open to how the work should come out. Finally, what is your favourite aspects of design process and why? In my opinion, solving the problem based on input or brief from client. The answer is always in the brief, so finding it can be looked at as a treasure hunt. There are no set answers, but tons of possibilities. Concepts are my favourite part.
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CHAPTER TWO
STILLS PUBLICATION ARCHITECTURE
NETHERLANDS 2010
24
BOOK COLLECTOR
HEYDAYS HEYDAYS.COM
OSLO NORWAY
“It’s the tone and voice of a word and the letters its made from. Typography creates personality and identity. It’s functional and emotional at the same time”
25
CHAPTER TWO
STILLS PUBLICATION ARCHITECTURE
NETHERLANDS 2010
26
BOOK COLLECTOR
JOE GILMORE QUBIK.COM
LEEDS UK
Qubik
During the past year I had the pleasure of working with Joe on a small project during a placement. His work is experimental yet organised and considered. He follows the basic principles of typography and through intuition and interesting techniques he creates well rounded, interesting projects. Working for a selection of culture orientated clients Joe thrives of the creation of publications, and is a great aspiration in the design sector. He rarely compromises his work or concepts around the client, and given this as a starting point clients know what to expect and put a lot of trust in him. Qubik is a graphic design studio founded in 2000 by Joe Gilmore. Specialising in typographic-led design for branding, print and digital media, the studio works with a variety of clients in the commercial and cultural sector. Our work includes design for branding, content managed websites, books, catalogues, brochures, posters, leaflets, signage and packaging. In addition to client-based work, the studio initiates and produces independent curatorial and publishing projects which focus on typography and graphic design. We are very passionate about graphic design. Through developing collaborative relationships with our clients and partners we aim to create original, functional and distinctive work that engages users, satisfies the objectives of the client and meets the high standards and creative innovation that are central to our studio practice.
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Glitch: Perfect Imperfection is a collaboration between Iman Moradi, Ant Scot, Christopher Murphy and Joe Gilmore and features work by a host of internationally renowned artists and designers
CHAPTER TWO
UK 2010
GLITCH: PERFECT IMPERFECTION
28
BOOK COLLECTOR
SPIN/UNIT EDITIONS SPIN.CO.UK UNITEDITIONS.COM
LEEDS UK
Spin Unit/Editions
Spin and unit editions embody many of my own principles as a designer. The quality and refinement of ideas is panicle in their practice, this along with a drive to create privately published books at accessible prices makes them an ideal studio/ publishers to include in this publication. Unit editions have also played a large role in the diminishing funds in my bank account. Unit Editions is a progressive publishing venture producing high-quality, affordable books on graphic design and visual culture. We combine impeccable design and production standards with insightful texts and informative commentaries on a wide range of subjects. Unit Editions is a collaboration between Tony Brook and Adrian Shaughnessy and brings the notion of the book as a highly designed artefact with rich visual and textual content to an international audience of design professionals, design students and followers of visual culture. This publication is a monograph of the legendary Herb Lubalin, one of the foremost graphic designers of the 20th century. Along with Saul Bass and Paul Rand, Herb Lubalin forms a trio of American graphic design greatness. This meticulously researched book offers a complete career overview of Herb Lubalin, beginning with his early days as one of the original Mad Men in the New York advertising world of the 50s and 60s, and continuing into the years of his greatest achievements as one of the world’s most influential typographers and graphic designers. Herb Lubalin’s work is enjoying an unprecedented revival of interest amongst young graphic designers. The Lubalin cult is global, with strong pockets of interest in Korea, Japan and, of course, the USA & UK.
29
Herb Lubalin admirers have waited a long time for a reassessment of his achievement and it’s been clear for a decade or more that typographic taste has re-embraced once unfashionable Lubalinesque styles. Detailed research leads Adrian Shaughnessy to conclude, in a long, adroitly paced biographical essay, that Lubalin was a far more noteworthy and less commercially driven figure than he imagined when he threw out his old copies of U&lc.
CHAPTER TWO
01. JURRIAAN SCHROFER 02. HERB LUBALIN 03. TD 63-73
UK 2010
01 02
03
30
01. HERB LUBALIN 02. JURRIAAN SCHROFER
BOOK COLLECTOR
LONDON UK
01
02
03
31
CHAPTER TWO
03. WIM CROUWEL A GRAPHIC ODYSSEY CATALOGUE 04. JURRIAAN SCHROFER
UK 2010
03
04
32
Chapter Three — Exhibition Goer
33
Includes — Studio Myerscough Bibliotèque Oscar & Ewan Spin OK-RM Faudet Harrison Studio Firth UK APFEL Anish Kapoor
The sensation of going to an exhibition is like no other aspect of graphic design. This is a true design experience, and with current practice moving into new and uncharted territory, graphic designers are moving towards the interior deign sector, designing spaces as well as all of the content to go in them. The practice towards graphic designers creating exhibitions has changed from them designing perfect captions towards a scope of how the entire process and event tie together. A graphic designer understands how the identity gets pushed into the spaces where the exhibitions are held and across a wider scope than an interior designer. This section explores some of the most prolific graphic designers/ studios in this area of current practice and analyses how this scope could stretch across more than a promotional flyer, but how the exterior, interior, promotion and identity all tie together to create a unique experience for the visitors of each event. Many of the exhibitions listed in this section of the book are those that I have attended either while in Uni or home in London. The key acts as a refrence to which images are my own, and those that are out-sourced.
34
EXHIBITION GOER
GOOGLE LAB BIBLIOTHEQUEDESIGN.COM SCIENCEMUSEUM.ORG.UK
LONDON UK
Google Lab Bibliotéque During the typo talks last year Bibliotheque mentioned a project they were working on, hosted at the science museum in collaboration with Google. I made the most of my visit home over the weekend and visited a few galleries and events to get some extra research in. The room consists of a number of interactive experiments allowing visitors to engage and experiment with each one. The experience as a whole was amazing and the design of the space worked perfectly with the experimental nature of the event. I have recorded my experience of the event to document how it engages and interacts with online and offline percipients. I have taken a lot of inspiration from this and really starting to think about the end of year show... how can this year be different! A lot is changing in graphic design, and I think the show has the potential to push the boundaries using the shapes as signage to create an experience that engages its visitors making it stay in their minds. The signage all the way through the event was based on this idea of experimentation and uses industrial style signage. I truly can’t fault the design for the exhibition and instantly felt a great deal of inspiration towards how to approach the D&AD stools and how it could interact with the yearbook. When you enter you are given a card that records all of the experiments that you explore while at the exhibition. Straight away engaging you on a more personal level, treating everyone as an individual and allowing them to shape their own experience or venture! As you walk in you notice a rather strange series of sounds, then soon realise that they are coming from the experiments around the room, being used by both online visitors and those there in the flesh. The different experiments allow you to engage with each series of strange instruments as you walk around the room. Each gives the option of recording and saving the music you make onto your card, showing which experiments you engaged with! Again a very personal touch to an event with so many visitors both on and off-line. Some of the experiments were more visual, this experiment takes an image of your face and saturises it in a simple process, then an etching type machine marks it out on to the sand. Again both on and offline visitors can engage with the experiments all being
35
The signage and branding of the exhibition reflected the theme and notion of the event — interaction and experimentation.
created live! Similarly to the music you can record the making of your face onto your Google lab card! At the end you scan your card on the webcam and it shows you all the experiments you engaged with. I have only listed a few of the processes I explored but further documentation of the event can be seen in the Scribd document, I would honestly advise anyone interested in designing experiences or events to visit the exhibition! Finally the signage across the floor was based on warehouse flooring, again this idea of a giant industrial experiment is communicated through the colours and tone of voice the typeface delivers. Considering how the floor of the end of year show or D&AD could be changed or worked with is another aspect to consider for the yearbook brief.
CHAPTER THREE
BIBLIOTÉQUE BIBLIOTHEQUEDESIGN.COM SCIENCEMUSEUM.ORG.UK
UK 2010
36
EXHIBITION GOER
GOOGLE LAB BIBLIOTHEQUEDESIGN.COM SCIENCEMUSEUM.ORG.UK
The signage embodies the idea of experimenting, in turn encouraging people to get involved with the experiments in the exhibition.
The signage was created on a metal styles sheets as if it was a large scale industrial experiment. Again this embodied the experimental nature of the exhibition and showcases the quality of Biblioteques work.
37
LONDON UK
CHAPTER THREE
BIBLIOTÉQUE BIBLIOTHEQUEDESIGN.COM SCIENCEMUSEUM.ORG.UK
Enter Web Lab, a series of interactive Chrome Experiments made by Google that bring the extraordinary workings of the internet to life.
UK 2010
Join online visitors to create music together, watch your portrait being drawn by a robot and discover much more at this first-of-its-kind webbased exhibition.
38
DESIGN OF THE YEAR FAUDET-HARRISON.COM DESIGNMUSEUM.ORG
EXHIBITION GOER
LONDON UK
Design of The Year Faudet Harrison I took a visit to the design Museum after Easter to see the design of the year exhibition. Some fantastic work and amazing design of the actual exhibition set up. Again it was the interaction with certain products and projects that made them stand out to me. It was also great seeing a spectrum of designs — Product Design, Graphic Design, Fashion & Architecture — all subjects that I feel graphic designers can take a lot from in relation to their concepts and also potential client audiences.
39
The Designs of the Year awards, ‘The Oscars of the design world’ showcase the most innovative and imaginative designs from around the world, over the past year, spanning seven categories: Architecture, Digital, Fashion, Furniture, Graphics, Transport and Product.
CHAPTER THREE
BIBLIOTÉQUE BIBLIOTHEQUEDESIGN.COM SCIENCEMUSEUM.ORG.UK
UK 2010
40
EXHIBITION GOER
01.
LONDON UK
DESIGN OF THE YEAR NOMINATIONS GRAPHIC DESIGN
OK-RM
Strelka Institure Indetity Amazing adaptable identity that works in two languages across all the deliverables. The identity for the art institute has some great contextual references and the simple colour pallet makes it a piece of work that inspires my own practice through simplicity and function.
02.
Studio Firth UK Kapow!
This publication was created working with the authors of the book. Its de-constructed layout reflects that of the character in the story, running on strange tangents similar to his mental state. A beautifully simple idea really well executed.
01.
02.
41
DESIGN OF THE YEAR NOMINATIONS GRAPHIC DESIGN
CHAPTER THREE
03.
APFEL
Bauhaus Exhibition
This is another design that was discussed during the Typo Talks and features a colour pallet taken from non traditional Bauhaus methods of thinking. The simple shapes are a clear visual reminder of the principles of the Institute, combined with typefaces used at the time it was a wonderful piece of design.
UK 2010
04.
Anish Kapoor
Zumbotel Annual Report
The dull pieces of information were laid out in interesting methods and cobined with bold gradients of colour the publication offeres a bolder and more interesting format to an annual report. Again its alternative ways of thinking that made it a choice for design of the year and put it up there with some of the larger products.
03.
04.
42
STUDIO MYERSCOUGH STUDIO MYERSCOUGH.COM SECONDARY INTERVIEW
EXHIBITION GOER
Studio Myerscough
Designer Morag Myerscough started the awardwinning Studio Myerscough in 1993. Best known for their work in the integration of graphics within architectural settings, acclaimed projects include Westminster Academy, the Kentish Town Health Centre and the Barbican Arts Centre. Myerscough believes that letter forms are amazing, expressive and beautiful. Over the years Morag has concentrated on working way beyond the restrictions of 2D and creates and curates many different types of work including a train as a café, exhibitions, interpreting buildings and running her own gallery and shop. The studio’s Power of Ten project for the London College of Communication was nominated for the 2010 Brit Insurance Designs of the Year. In 2012 Myerscough completed the new Zynga headquarters building in San Francisco. Myerscough believes that wayfinding is not purely about a series of signs but as much about bringing out the narrative in the built environment, enhancing the physical experience, “It is very important how people feel when they move through a space, if they can move easily, almost unconsciously, and if you can make them smile and feel happy that is one of the best outcomes.
practise his instrument, and then he, and that would be it. But my mum had this drawing. And I think I always liked the idea of making and having things at the end of it.
My favourite thing is to be in the studio and to do work and not to be out at meetings.
Interview with Stuio Myerscough The designer as interpreter I would never classify really myself as an artist as such, you know. I definitely like solving things. I am much, I am very, inside me is a designer. I love information and I love interpreting that information. Family influences Family Influences My mother is an embroideress and my father was a musician, and I came, I was brought up in Holloway, actually, in a family where we always were making, and even though my dad was, the one thing I knew I didn’t want to be was a classical musician because I just, I just thought that life was just not what I wanted. And when I used to see my mum draw, she would draw a plant in the evening or draw something, I used to think, or my mum would have something physical at the end of it. I know this is terribly naïve. And my dad would
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The path to becoming a graphic designer I went to Foundation at St Martin’s and they tended to sort of slightly, if you had, I had designed this school badge or something. You know, if you had shown some sort of slight form of a design discipline, then they slightly moved you in that direction. And then when I was at the Royal College, I went to see the David Hockney exhibition, Paints a Stage, at the Hayward and I just really wanted to do stage sets. And it was that thing about, I didn’t want to design the programme cover; I wanted to understand the subjects that I work on, and also interpret them. Working My favourite thing is to be in the studio and to do work and not to be out at meetings. I don’t mind meetings but I don’t really, I’m not a great meeting person. I really just like working. Workspaces This room is about making. It doesn’t have any computers in it or presenting. So usually it’s very blank in here at the moment. But these walls, if we do a presentation we often leave them up – that is a remnant of an image over there that we did a big presentation to... for the 30 year anniversary for coexistence. But usually we’ll have the walls full. But I think it’s also important to take it down and be fresh and then have another go. So this is the studio, this is Avni. And in here it’s much more we’re on the computer, you know, it’s much more working from the computer and just cutting things out.
LONDON UK
CHAPTER THREE
STUDIO MYERSCOUGH STUDIO MYERSCOUGH.COM SECONDARY INTERVIEW
Involvement in every stage of the project I do the art work. And that’s why sometimes people work for me and they think they’re too good to do art work or do certain things. I always find that quite difficult because I think that taking a project from right to the beginning and doing, you know, if we do the exhibitions, I will often art work the captions as well. And maybe that isn’t the best use of my time but I think if you want to do a job properly, you’ve got to know, understand every aspect of that project so that every bit comes out. The Barbican and collaboration AHMM were approached to go for pitch for the Barbican and it was, it was an architectural way finding project. And I was brought in very early on in that project and worked with them from the very, very beginning. So I would understand all their architectural changes that they were thinking about making, and we would discuss them. Collaboration doesn’t remove individuality. The image of the graphic designer There still is a thing with graphic designers that people think, oh you are the person who does the captions. And you’ve got to stay in that little place over there, because if you start suggesting over here, and then I just think, you know, I don’t want to do that. I’m too old. I don’t want to spend nine months doing some captions. That doesn’t interest me. But I think when people do captions well, they, it’s worth them spending nine months doing it. But I just love getting really involved in a project and people allowing me to, you know. And then you get the best out of me. Recent projects Sometimes we have a lot of exhibitions to do and sometimes we do signage. And sometimes print. Less print these days. So if I use this year for an example, I’m working on a big gallery in India . We did a branding scheme for a development in Ghana . We’re working on an exhibition in Birmingham – Matthew Boulton.
UK 2010
The exhibition as a journey I quite like narratives. You know, I quite like a journey. I like people to go on a journey in an exhibition and I quite like people to be able to make connections. I did the Royal College of Art Great Exhibition with this, sort of, type going in and out, wooden type on the front, a year or so ago. And Icon approached me that they wanted me to do a cover and they wanted me to think about something that was not the same but in the same thought process. Alan Aldridge As the big crazy exhibition I just did before Christmas, the Alan Aldridge. And he’s an illustrator and I didn’t know his work that well, I mean, it’s quite psychedelic, quite crazy. And again we were given all his stuff and that’s when with Avni [?] and there was Charlotte in the studio. And we sat down and we printed every single thing out, and we just looked at every single thing. And then we just thought, well, how would you feel when, what do you want to get when you go through this space. Work/life balance I work most weekends. But I do sleep quite a lot in the weekend as well. [laugh]. And then I get up and do a bit of work and then I sleep. But it’s so great because I don’t lose time travelling because I can get dressed and be at work in five minutes, you know. And I don’t ever come down... somebody asked me I ever come down in my dressing gown? No, no, it’s very formal, I’m always dressed fully. [Pointing to a dummy] She was meant to be picked up but she’s still here, it’s a bit strange - and we do another one up there – so she’s my friend. Well, I know, that’s a bit scary. No, she’s not my friend [laughing]. I’m digging a grave now.
So this is our working model for the Matthew Boulton exhibition and we build the whole thing to scale. And it’s really to actually explain to myself and also then to all the people involved, how you move through the space. And I always feel this is the easiest way to get it across.
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STUDIO MYERSCOUGH STUDIO MYERSCOUGH.COM SELECTED WORKS
EXHIBITION GOER
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LONDON UK
CHAPTER THREE
STUDIO MYERSCOUGH STUDIO MYERSCOUGH.COM SELECTED WORKS
UK 2010
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WIM CROUWEL SPIN.CO.UK DESIGNMUSEUM.ORG
EXHIBITION GOER
Wim Couwel A Graphic Odyssey The Design Museum celebrated the prolific career of the Dutch graphic designer Wim Crouwel in his first UK retrospective. Regarded as one of the leading designers of the twentieth century, Crouwel embraced a new modernity to produce typographic designs that captured the essence of the emerging computer and space age of the early 1960s. Spanning over 60 years, the exhibition covered Crouwel’s rigorous design approach and key moments in his career including his work for design practice Total Design, the identity for the Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam, as well as his iconic poster, print, typography and lesser known exhibition design. The exhibition explored Crouwel’s innovative use of grid-based layouts and typographic systems to produce consistently striking asymmetric visuals. Regarded as one of the leading designers of the twentieth century, Crouwel embraced a new modernity to produce typographic designs that captured the essence of the emerging computer and space age of the early 1960s. Spanning over 60 years, the exhibition features key moments in his career, demonstrating Crouwel’s rigorous design approach and exploring his innovative use of gridbased layouts and typographic systems to produce consistently striking asymmetric visuals. The exhibition will display some of his most well-known posters and typographic work, as well as some of his trademarks from the design practice Total Design. It will also offer an insight into some of his lesser known exhibition design work. The exhibition has been specially edited and produced for tour to The Lighthouse by The Design Museum. First opened in London is 2011, the exhibition celebrates the prolific career of the Dutch graphic designer in this, his first UK retrospective.
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LONDON UK
CHAPTER THREE
STUDIO MYERSCOUGH STUDIO MYERSCOUGH.COM SECONDARY INTERVIEW
UK 2010
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EXHIBITION GOER
BCN:MCR BARCELONA & MANCHESTER BASED STUDIOS
BCN:MCR Manchester After seeing plenty of hype around the event on twitter I felt it was worth taking a day to go for a visit. The space exhibited work from some of the top studios in Barcelona and Manchester, two cities that may seem very different but are both the second cities to the capitals. They both seem to take very different approaches to their sometimes overpowering Capitals and produce some stunning work! Hey, Much and Los Siento are all studios that I have been keen on for a long time and it was great to experience their work in the flesh. The visit was relevant to both the yearbook when considering the signage and experience that was created for the event. It is also relevant to my context publication looking at how the exhibition space altered the perceptions and experience of looking at the work. The main flaw I felt from the exhibition was the lack of writing, I was really interested in spending a fair amount of time going round and reading about the projects in a bit more detail. This has a big impact on the experience of the event as with little writing people are less likely to stay for as long and experience the work to its full potential. The additional signage that was stuck onto the walls was also relatively neutral using the typefaces the studios use for their branding / logo and created using vinyl stickers. Beautiful and colourful booklet covers, didn’t realise the designs on the bottom were created using material, a nice touch and works on a low budget because
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Really like these book designs but it would have been nice to be able to pick them up and interact with them. This is something that I want to mention when thinking about the end of year show. The main experience of print is being able to pick it up and look through it, something I think is key in the success of showcasing students work at the end of the year. The signage would have been relatively cheap to produce and has a wonderful effect. Also because of its relatively neutral colour pallet produced by the wood it doesn’t compromise the colourful work of the studios. This is something I will consider when creating the signage for the end of year show. I have been considering using wood and a laser cutter for a while but might be a nice to use an alternative material, also layering different materials has a nice tactile effect and allows people to engage with the signs a bit more.
MANCHESTER UK
CHAPTER THREE
UK 2013
BCN:MCR BARCELONA & MANCHSTER BASED STUDIOS
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EXHIBITION GOER
EXTRAORDINARY STORIES ABOUT ORDINARY THINGS DESIGNMUSEUM.ORG
Extraord!nary Stor!es About Ord!nary Th!ngs Discover key designs that have shaped the modern world and be inspired by this fascinating exhibition of memorable objects from the Design Museum Collection. Six design stories offer a diverse look at design tracing the history and processes of contemporary design. The show includes furniture, product, fashion, transport and architecture alongside a selection of prototypes, models and specially commissioned films. The exhibition will be on permanent display until 2015, with some elements being changed every year. Preview selected objects in the collection by downloading the Design Museum Collection App for iPad, free from iTunes. One of the greatest design museums in the world is not a museum, but the studio of the late industrial designer Achille Castiglioni, which can be visited by appointment in Milan. It includes not only the lights and seats that the great man designed, but the objects that inspired him, haberdashery and pieces of kitsch, his drafting tools and filing boxes and pinned-up letters and faxes from his eminent mates in the world of design. There is a model he was obliged to produce, when an architecture student in the 1940s, of a proposed fascist headquarters building, which he made, as an act of subversion, out of parmesan. It is a tour of a wondrous brain, while also witnessing the
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work of skilful hands. It manifests an important truth about design, which is that an individual object is, on its own, only fairly interesting. What matters as much is the life and energy that went into the making of something, and that surrounds it when it’s in use. Castiglioni’s studio would make a good inspiration for the Design Museum in London as it strives to reinvent itself. In 2015 it is due to move into new, enlarged premises in the former Commonwealth Institute in Kensington, and it has to fill its new space with something compelling enough to justify the investment. Its challenges include building a collection at a time when fundraising is tough, and establishing what a design museum is that the Victoria and Albert Museum, which has done a good line in contemporary design exhibitions, is not. To reveal the full richness of conceiving and using designed products would not be a bad ambition. Last week the museum opened an exhibition, Extraordinary Stories About Ordinary Things, selected from the collection that it has already amassed in its 24-year life. It also shows off recent acquisitions: an early table, partly made of bicycle handlebars, by a youthful Jasper Morrison, and more than 400 items from the wardrobe of Jill Ritblat, who is an arts patron, Design Museum trustee and wife of a leading property developer.
LONDON UK
CHAPTER THREE
Works of 20th-century British public design feature prominently – red telephone boxes, road signs and traffic lights, the last two being things that many people may not think of as “designed” at all. Modernism in Britain in the 1930s and 50s also figures prominently – radios by Wells Coates, and items designed by Marcel Breuer for the apartment of Dorothea Ventris (whose son Michael would later decipher the ancient Greek script Linear B). There is a display on the invention and evolution of the Anglepoise light. These works give the show the flavour of postwar campaigns to revitalise British design, through things such as the Festival of Britain and the V&A’s Britain Can Make It exhibition of 1946, a period that shaped Terence Conran, who later shaped the Design Museum. It’s seasoned with scatterings of Italian design from the 1960s and 70s. Postmodernism is less favoured, though the kitschy TV sets and toothbrushes of Philippe Starck get a nod. What the show reveals is that the Design Museum has some nice and interesting things, and some beautiful, but that it has a way to go before it becomes a rounded collection. Until other benefactors follow Ritblat’s kindness, it is lopsided, going from the road signs and traffic lights to her profusion of Ungaro and McQueen, with great swaths of what might be considered significant design hardly there at all. There is a strong AngloMilanese bent, with large places such as Asia and Africa barely represented. The museum makes a lot of play of its Jasper Morrison table, which is well and good, but it will need to acquire a lot more new pieces than this. The gaps are mostly not the museum’s fault, being a reflection of the great difficulty of funding and assembling such a collection; indeed, the museum’s attempt to conquer these difficulties is valiant. What the museum can do something about is the spirit with which material is gathered and presented. What is presented, for now, is still largely an array of singular specimens created by celebrated men in a limited geographical area. It is not helped by a somewhat rigid and funereal display, in which exhibits are placed on boxy plywood shelves.
EXTRAORDINARY STORIES ABOUT ORDINARY THINGS DESIGNMUSEUM.ORG
UK 2013
The museum says interesting things about its ambitions. It declares that everything that is made has been designed, which opens up the field to life, the universe and almost everything. The museum’s director, Deyan Sudjic, says he’s excited about showing the moulds and prototypes that are part of the creative processes, and that they are in discussions about acquiring the workspace of the designer Robin Day, which might have something of the magic of Castiglioni’s studio. He also talks about the “death of the object” and the issues surrounding such things as the exhibiting of website design. These words begin to describe a place that would reveal the vitality of design, and the ways in which it is enmeshed in our lives, which would also live up to the museum’s claims to be contemporary. It could show things digital, from multiple cultures, and made by unknown people. It could bring to life making and use. Something the Design Museum could do, better than the V&A, would be to enter the studios and factories where extraordinary things are being created right now and carry away not only the finished objects but the material that surrounds their creation. Somewhere in the idea of the Design Museum there is such a place struggling to get out. But the evidence of the current exhibition is that it is still straitjacketed by a too-limited world view and by excessive reverence for particular names and styles. And something, please, has to be done about the omnipresence of the ghost of Britain Can Make It, which presides over the museum like an ancestral portrait over a dinner table. The spirit of those times was admirable and important, and has its place, but it was a long time ago and there is much more to be shown and explored from the decades since then.
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EXHIBITION GOER
EXTRAORDINARY STORIES ABOUT ORDINARY THINGS DESIGNMUSEUM.ORG
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LONDON UK
CHAPTER THREE
EXTRAORDINARY STORIES ABOUT ORDINARY THINGS DESIGNMUSEUM.ORG
UK 2013
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POWER OF MAKING THE V&A MUSEUM OSCARANDEWAN.SE
EXHIBITION GOER
LONDON UK
Power of Making Oscar & Ewan Making is the most powerful way that we solve problems, express ideas and shape our world. What and how we make defines who we are, and communicates who we want to be. For many people, making is critical for survival. For others, it is a chosen vocation: a way of thinking, inventing and innovating. And for some it is simply a delight to be able to shape a material and say ‘I made that’. The power of making is that it fulfills each of these human needs and desires. Those whose craft and ingenuity reach the very highest levels can create amazing things. But making is something everyone can do. The knowledge of how to make – both everyday objects and highlyskilled creations – is one of humanity’s most precious resources. Makers use numerous different skills and techniques to shape their materials. All these techniques may be considered as falling into one of just three types. Adding techniques connect, layer or combine materials. They include welding, soldering, veneering, weaving, embroidery and painting. Subtracting techniques remove materials. They include cutting, carving, engraving, drilling and grinding. Transforming techniques alter materials themselves. They include throwing clay, blowing glass, forging metal, and baking. The transformed
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Exhibition Signage
states may be temporary or permanent. Irreversible transformations occur in processes like vacuum forming, stereo-lithography and casting. Every object in this exhibition has been made by adding, subtracting or transforming material, or by combining these processes. Learning a skill Too many people never get a chance to experience the highest levels of making. Most can make something, at least at an amateur level, and many reach a professional standard. But there are many layers of expertise beyond that. It may take years to attain complete mastery. At every stage in the learning process, a maker’s relationship to materials and tools changes dramatically. What may at first have been frustrating becomes pleasurable. Makers start to think through their materials and skills, almost unconsciously. Once they learn how to use and care for a tool, makers might start modifying it, or even invent a new tool to replace it. In all these ways, learning a skill is a way of opening up future possibilities and challenges. In the zone Advanced skills may take a long time to learn, but the feeling of being ‘in the zone’ can be experienced by anyone – from a four-year-old to a master artisan. When you are absorbed in making, things happen that you didn’t plan. The experience is intuitive, like sport, and it can be meditative, like music.
CHAPTER THREE
POWER OF MAKING THE V&A MUSEUM OSCARANDEWAN.SE
UK 2013
This sensation of effortless flow is a reward in its own right, but it is also a situation of intense learning. Makers who are immersed in what they are doing build on existing skills and discover new ones. Innovations in making happen, more often than not, when they are least expected. All knowledge about making was once new. Someone, sometime, had to formulate it. But there is a big difference between established, ‘traditional’ forms of making and those which are innovative. Both are crucially important, and both can be expressive, but they serve different purposes. Traditional ways of making have accumulated over generations. They are passed down from person to person, often through apprenticeships, and learned through repetition. Innovative making is less rehearsed, and may be less reliable. But it is more exploratory, with the potential to open up dramatic new directions. This can involve redirecting existing skills, or creating new ones from scratch. All knowledge, even the most traditional, can be new for any individual. But some knowledge is new in the world. This exhibition celebrates both these types of discovery. Many people think that craft is a matter of executing a preconceived form or idea, something that already exists in the mind or on paper. Yet making is also an active way of thinking, something which can be carried out with no particular goal in mind. In fact, this is a situation where innovation is very likely to occur. Even when making is experimental and openended, it observes rules. Craft always involves parameters, imposed by materials, tools, scale and the physical body of the maker. Sometimes in making, things go wrong. An unskilled maker, hitting the limits of their ability, might just stop. An expert, though, will find a way through the problem, constantly unfolding new possibilities within the process.
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Chapter Four — Typography Advocate
Includes — Shin Dohku KR Studio Laucke Siebein NL Drawswords NL Kasper Florio SW Hort DR SawdustUK Marcel Haeusler DR
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As much as I enjoy adhering to the rules of typography, an experimental and less formal approach is always an interesting and more unique way of expressing ideas. As this is the case within a lot of the work that I aspire to create, this section explores this side of typography. Usually stemming from across the channel typography within Europe takes a very different approach. Particularly in places such as Amsterdam in the Netherlands that takes the modernist Swiss approach and spices it up with interesting colour schemes and layouts. This combination of traditional and contemporary practice is something that plays a large part in influencing my own work. The following section explores some of the most interesting work to come out of contemporary practice, it acts as a visual essay and running narrative of new practices within graphic design. Many of the images are un-sourced, so a sincere apology goes out to any work without the necessary information. As this is the case a website will be set up to accompany this publication and act as an ongoing visual diary of typographic experiments.
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TYPOGRAPHY ADVOCATE
01—03: SHIN DOKHO SHINDOKHO.KR
KOREA
01 Shin Dohku is a freelance typographer working on a niche selection of client and personal briefs. His website features some of beautifully intricate and interesting work all experimenting with typography and layout.
02
03
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CHAPTER FOUR
04—6: STUDIO LAUCKE SIEBEIN STUDIO-LAUCKE-SIEBEIN.COM
AMSTERDAM/ BERLIN
04 Studio Laucke Siebein is a design studio based in Amsterdam and Berlin.
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06
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TYPOGRAPHY ADVOCATE
07—09: DRAWSWORDS DRAWSWORDS.COM
AMSTERDAM NETHERLANDS
07 Amsterdam-based design studio Drawswords was founded in 2008 by graphic designer Rob van den Nieuwenhuizen (NL). The studio’s work is characterized by visually strong, clear and refreshing content-based type solutions..
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09
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CHAPTER FOUR
10—12: KASPER FLORIO KASPER-FLORIO.CH
SWITZERLAND
10 Kasper-Florio is the collaborative experience of Larissa Kasper and Rosario Florio. Their working method follows a quality-conscious and conceptual position. They aim for project specific solutions with a strong approach to elaborated and solid typography. Aspiring a mindfully executed design, they work on various commissions in the cultural field, art, fashion and music.
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TYPOGRAPHY ADVOCATE
13—15: HORT HORT.ORG.UK
BERLIN
13 HORT began its inhabitance back in 1994, under the previous stage name of EIKES GRAFISCHER HORT. Who the hell is Eike? Eike is the creator of HORT. HORT - a direct translation of the studio’s mission. A creative playground. A place where ‘work and play’ can be said in the same sentence. An unconventional working environment. Once a household name in the music industry. Now, a multi-disciplinary creative hub. Not just a studio space, but an institution devoted to making ideas come to life. A place to learn, a place to grow, and a place that is still growing. Not a client execution tool. HORT has been known to draw inspiration from things other than design.
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CHAPTER FOUR
16—17: UNKNOWN
UNKNOWN
16
17
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TYPOGRAPHY ADVOCATE
18: SHIN DOHKU 19—20: UNKNOWN
UNKNOWN
18 Shin Dohku is a freelance typographer working on a niche selection of client and personal briefs. His website features some of beautifully intricate and interesting work all experimenting with typography and layout.
19
20
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CHAPTER FOUR
16—17: MARCEL HAEUSLER MARCELHAEUSLER.DE
UNKNOWN
21 Marchel studied Communication Design at the Fachhochschule Mainz since 2008 with a special focus on typography. In 2010 he had an internship at MAGMA Brand Design and SLANTED in Karlsruhe, for which I still write and blog articles. He is currently working as Junior Designer at the design agency EIGA in Hamburg. He is also practising freelance work during his free time.
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UNKNOWN SOURCES
TYPOGRAPHY ADVOCATE
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UNKNOWN
CHAPTER FOUR
UNKNOWN SOURCES
UNKNOWN
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End Note
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Despite my interest in this approach to typography, I feel its more of a reference point for making typography that adheres slightly more to the rules and using these examples as influences towards colour and shape to create something unique within my own work. These pieces do not necessarily reflect my own principles but provide a basis for further experimentation and idea building. The main aspect of the previous pieces of typography that draws me into them is their individuality and separation from the tradition. Typography has always had to adapt to meet new needs, whether this be functional or aesthetic the new principles of prioritising ideas over aesthetic will continue to influence my research and practice. Throughout this publication there are many suggestions towards what I wish to achieve and develop within graphic design, and although they don’t all necessarily directly correlate this publication is a guide how I currently aim to progress from study. Ideas, Typography, exhibitions & books.
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Features
Anish Kapoor APFEL Bibliotèque Drawswords Faudet Harrison Graphic Thought Facility Heydays Hort Kasper Florio Main Studio Marcel Haeusler OK-RM Oscar & Ewan Qubik Shin Dohku Spin /Unit Editions Studio Firth UK Studio Laucke Siebein Studio Myerscough
MATT TUCKER
2013