Nelson Holtz Portfolio
STATEMENT OF INTENT
– Graphics design is communicating with the citizen consumer, through speech, thought, and feelings so they respond and interact with design. This design should be presented in a useful, long lasting and democratic form of communication. Consumers have the capability to make judgments for themselves, but they need to be informed and shown a path for their decisions, through visual language. I approach design understanding and researching a topic as much as possible until I find a personal connection with it that resonates and interests me. Then from that connection I will start to find ways to make the design visually articulating in the most clearest, straightfor ward and honest way possible. Design is about showing a side to a subject that wasn’t thought of before. By doing this it relates better to the audience, because people always crave something that is human, genuine and real.
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Designing a N ew Realit y 1–8
The P ro m is e
EDITORIAL DESIGN
Landlo rds hip Final Major Project 9–18
IS TD Rhetoric of Ekphrasis 19–28
P irate B o o k What is Yours is Mine 29–38
Final Mayjor Project 45–58
O bje c ts of Re s tri cti o n
HANDCRAFTED OBJECTS
M o no gram
39–58
D on’ t Look Final Mayjor Project 59–68
EXTERNAL PROJECTS
G ru mps H e ritage P roj e c t Woodwork and Construction 69–80
CREDENTIAL
Infomation, Experience, Exhibitions 93
Southville Community Center 81–92
B e s t B u ilding s of B e d m i n s te r
1
PROJECT
: The Promise Designing a N ew Realit y
COLLAB
: F aye Britton Jake Goddall Jaione Cerrato
SKILLS
: Print Video Editing Curating
MEDIA
: Publication – 350mm x 350mm Video – 1:50 minutes
EXHIBITION VIDEO DESCRIPTION
: Arnolfini, Bris tol. : https://vimeo.com/136139683 : Worked with a group of four to create an alternative reality for the bandstand in Castle Park. This was a brief set by the Arnolfini and the end outcome was an exhibition with a publication poster and video. We decided to change the bandstand to The People’s Stand as a platform for citizens from the local community of Bristol to express their thoughts and concerns about the city. This council hopes to start a debate about different concerns around the Bristol, therefore these concerns will be raised and the awareness will be communicated to the local citizens that commute pass the band stand. The Band Stand council is an alternative way to tackle these issues around the city.
PROJECT: The Promise
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350mm x 350mm
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PROJECT: The Promise
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24 Pages
6
PROJECT: The Promise
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Video 1:50 Mintues
8
2
PROJECT TYPE
: Landlordship : Final Mayjor Project
MEDIA
: Books – 190mm x 270 mm
SKILLS
: Print Book Design Photography
DESCRIPTION
: In my projects I have been researching the idea of limiting the condition of free will. This was done not to limit possibilities but the total opposite; I wanted to give people a choice to use their free will to gain a greater understanding of themselves. By having them question the idea and thoughts that I have presented to them, because without something to impose free will there wouldn’t be a free will to gain, for a person would not know the latter. I made these two books that showed someone how to become a landlord dictator (landlordship) and how to oppose the landlordship. The book talked about a wider topic of revolution and dictatorship but was masqueraded as tenants and landlords to make it more relatable to a wider community By creating a dictatorship of free will I am creating a sense of revolution, for dictatorships are imposed in the name of liberation from oppression and exploitation. In the aim that prevention of tyranny is possible, and a revolution struggle against dictatorships could be wage out of a persons realization of their free will.
PROJECT: Landlordship
11
106 / 152 Pages
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PROJECT: Landlordship
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PROJECT: Landlordship
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PROJECT: Landlordship
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PROJECT: Landlordship
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PROJECT: Landlordship
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PROJECT: Landlordship
18
3
PROJECT
: ISTD (International Society of Typographic Design) Rhetoric of Ekphrasis
TYPE MEDIA
: Typographic Competition : Publication – 150mm x 225 mm Packaging – 380mm x 270mm
SKILLS
: Print Packaging Book Design Sewing / Embroidering
DESCRIPTION
: This book is a response to the brief ‘The Rhetoric of Ekphrasis’. The definition of rhetoric is your own interpretation of something you see or hear and ekphrasis is to ar ticulate your interpretation. For this brief we were asked to choose a major work of visual ar t and find a text that correlated to the ar twork and create our own interpretation of the text. The work chosen was Swallow, a film that won Laure Prouvost the Max Mara Ar t Prize for Women. The piece of text chosen was Anneka French’s review of Swallow. This book looks at how conceptual thinking can play on ideas of reality and fiction. The intended audience is people that can immerse themselves in a narrative that creates a alternative reality.
PROJECT: ISTD
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Packaging for Book
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PROJECT: ISTD
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Tip–in Pages
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25
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PROJECT: ISTD
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Tracing Paper
28
4
PROJECT
: Pirate Book What is Yours is Mine
MEDIA
: Book – 220mm x 240 mm
SKILLS
: Print Book Design Book Binding Photography Laser Cutting
DESCRIPTION
: The golden age of piracy has long known to be the pinnacle point of piracy and it is said that since then it has never reached that level again. But that was over 300 years ago, the term piracy has change dramatically from the sea crusaders that have been talked about in myths and legends. Modern interpretations of pirates have changed a bit, but their activities and characteristics are almost the same as they were, back when the world was flat. This book expands the idea of piracy throughout the ages, which is to take an object that isn’t yours by stealing, force or other methods and use it for your own needs. The voyage of this book it has compare the evolution of piracy, through the original pirates (Sea lovers) by showing similarities between them and what is considered to be a form of pirates.
PROJECT: Pirate Book
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Coptic Stitch
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PROJECT: Pirate Book
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126 pages
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PROJECT: Pirate Book
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PROJECT: Pirate Book
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PROJECT: Pirate Book
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Drop Caps
38
5
PROJECT TYPE
: Monogram : Hand Lettering
MEDIA
: Handkerchief – 24cm x 24cm
SKILLS
: Embroider y Lettering Illustrating
DESCRIPTION
: Did a hand–lettered monogram for my oldest relative. His name was Helmut Avenarius Holtz (H.A .H) and the first letters of each name were to be the basis for the monogram. This involved researching into my relative’s histor y and designing a suitable style for them. I took influence in the black lettering because of the German heritage; the font I took most inspiration from was Fraktur. After working on various combinations of letters I thought this was the best-suited design for my relative. After finalizing the design I digitalised it on illustrator then sent it to the embroider y machines to be stitched onto a handkerchief. I chose the colours red and black, because these colours were heavily influenced in Germany around the time he was growing up.
PROJECT: Monogram
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Initial Drawings
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PROJECT: Monogram
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PROJECT: Monogram
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6
PROJECT TYPE OUTCOMES
: Objects of Restriction : Final Mayjor Project : Human Collar Exoskeleton Arm Avoid Jacket
MEDIA
: Fabric Metal Photography Studio Video – 6:07 minutes
SKILLS
: Sewing Metal Work Photography Fashion Design
DESCRIPTION
: For my final major project, I was looking at restriction and I star ted to research into creating a dictatorial environment to bring for th revolution. The idea come to me, what would objects of restriction look like. I first star ted to look into restricting body par ts, which turned my eye into exoskeleton equipment made to help with mobility. I decided to do the opposite to make an exoskeleton suit that restricted movement. Thus the exoskeleton arm was born. The second of the objects was the human collar. This idea originated from watching dogs and how they get a brace when they have fleas to prevent from biting themselves. I took this idea turned the collar upside-down to cover the person’s mouth so they find it hard to speak. This was experimenting with communication between people. If they could be understood once a barrier has been put up around the persons mouth blocking speech. Lastly the avoid jacket which keeps things a touching distance from you. This object was created to show people what it would be like to be alone, isolated and distant from the world around you, All of these objects have been tested on people and filmed to see what happens in different situations.
PROJECT: Object of Restriction
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Double Sided Poster
Freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed Words of Martin Luther King, Jr
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PROJECT: Object of Restriction
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Human Collar
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PROJECT: Object of Restriction
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Avoid Jacket
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PROJECT: Object of Restriction
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Avoid Jacket
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PROJECT: Object of Restriction
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Exoskeleton Arm
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PROJECT: Object of Restriction
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Exoskeleton Arm
58
7
PROJECT TYPE MEDIA
: Don’t Look : Final Mayjor Project : Acr ylic LED Strip Pine Wood Aludino Board Hot–Glue / Nail Gun Video – 2:04 Minutes
SKILLS
: Alduino Woodwork Laser Cutting Video Editing
VIDEO DESCRIPTION
: https://vimeo.com/141433202 : For my final major project, I was looking at restriction and I star ted to research into creating a dictatorial environment to bring for th revolution. One of the ways to create dictatorial rule is to impose thoughts and ideas through different forms of media. I star ted to look at all the signs that are being shown to us on a daily basis. This led to the creation of the sign “Don’t Look”. The sign star ts of by lighting up “Look” in white; then gradually gets brighter indicating the effect of a moth being drawn to a flame. The “Look” is in Mrs Eaves bold italic, which is a serif font ; this gives it an elegant feel for the purpose of attraction. After a while the “don’t,” sign lights up in red and flickers for a moment then stays on. This is done to grab the attention away from the “Look”. The “Don’t” is in Akzidenz Grotesk bold, which is a san-serif font. This commands order and dictates meaning so you get the feel of being imposed. These two words contradict one and other; the message behind the sign is to tell you to look at the sign, as if it were all the adver tisements that are being shown to you. Then it tells you to don’t, this causes a contradicting message and breaks the trail of thought. Leading to a person questioning what is being shown to them.
PROJECT: Don’t Look
63
Video 2:04 Minutes
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PROJECT: Grumps Heritage Project
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PROJECT: Grumps Heritage Project
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PROJECT: Grumps Heritage Project
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PROJECT: Grumps Heritage Project
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8
PROJECT
: Grumps Heritage Project Woodwork and Cons truction
COLLAB
: Steve Burke Rachael Docher t y Sarah Louise Hudson
MEDIA
: T imber Analog Camera
SKILLS
: Woodwork 3D Design Cons truction Photography
OUTCOME
: Woodern House Woodern Chair
LOCATION DESCRIPTION
: Athenr y, Ireland : This was a placement managed by Steven Burke, forester and woodworker, whose projects include ‘From Tree to Timber Products’. The placement was located 2.5 miles outside the heritage town of Athenry in Co Galway, on 4 acres of land where Steven has lived with his family. On the property were the yard that included a workshop, shed, a sawmill and a chalet. All over the work site I found things built out of wood from bridges to rustic furniture, from play structure to gates. Anything that can be made of wood is made of wood. The rest of the land is partly planted tree that form small woodland. Some of the trees are mature and a small river runs along two of its boundaries. There is plenty of space for wildlife and on a lucky day. The placement will involve 4 weeks of a group project. Part of a team of five people that kept to a schedule to ensure the house was built for our deadline. It will be a traditional post and beam construction on site. Steven went through the process of taking a tree and converting it to a usable piece of timber. This involved learning about wood and how to develop a structure that would hold sturdy in all weathers. There were many tools we had to use to make sure this structure would join together; from carving with the grain of the wood to cutting tenons and mortises so they fit comfortably beside one and other. The construction process will only involve hand tools, giving the participants greater insight into the beauty of wood. The final week will be individual projects, such as green wood chairs.
PROJECT: Grumps Heritage Project
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PROJECT: Grumps Heritage Project
Steven Burke – Measure once, measure twice,
and measure a thousand times. Then cut once. 72
PROJECT: Grumps Heritage Project
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PROJECT: Grumps Heritage Project
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PROJECT: Grumps Heritage Project
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PROJECT: Grumps Heritage Project
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PROJECT: Grumps Heritage Project
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PROJECT: Grumps Heritage Project
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PROJECT: Grumps Heritage Project
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PROJECT: Grumps Heritage Project
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9
PROJECT
: Best Buildings Bedminster Southville Community Center
TYPE COLLAB
: Exhibition : Jaione Cerrato Lu Chen Daniel Kimberley
MEDIA
: Print Book Design Photography
SKILLS
: Curating Event Planning Promoting Commissioning
DESCRIPTION
: This was a project set by Ben Barker the Southville Community Center secretar y. The brief was to explore Bedminster’s many buildings of architectural and historical significance. Then find out the ones that are not listed as second grade and promote. Worked as par t of a team of four people. As a group we put on an exhibition as par t of a team to uncovering these buildings and finding out why they should be valued by the local community and protected for the next generation to enjoy. The exhibition was promoted through social media, radio, newspapers and poster runs. The ar twork was done by us as well as commissioned ar tist.
PROJECT: Best Buildings Bedminster
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PROJECT: Best Buildings Bedminster
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PROJECT: Best Buildings Bedminster
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PROJECT: Best Buildings Bedminster
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PROJECT: Best Buildings Bedminster
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PROJECT: Best Buildings Bedminster
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PROJECT: Best Buildings Bedminster
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PROJECT: Best Buildings Bedminster
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PROJECT: Grumps Heritage Project
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PROJECT: Grumps Heritage Project
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CONTACT
: Hello@NelsonHoltz.com 44+ [0] 774 0353 395 www.nelsonholtz.com
EDUCATION
: University of the West of England 2012 – 2015 BA(Hons) Graphic Design – 1:1 Richmond upon Thames College 2009 – 2012 Graphic Design A level – A* Art & Design (Graphic Design) Btec - Distinction, Merit , Merit
EXPERIENCE
: Promise 2014 Worked with the Arnolfini to create an exhibition to design new reality in different areas of Bristol. Grampus Heritage 2014 Designed and constructed a wooden house in Ireland, Athenry. This was done over the course of four weeks as part of a team of five. Best Building Bedminster 2013 A Community based project to change third grade-listed buildings to second grade. Worked as a team of four to promote and curate the exhibition. Bold Tendencies 2012 On a team called Bold Insiders that planned a event for Bold Tendencies, a sculpture exhibition in Peckham. Where the team planned a day where artist came to talk about their work, arrange performances and design the flyer for the night.
EXHIBITIONS
: University of the West of England 2015 Designing a poster for the hundred year commemoration of the world war Richmond upon Thames College 2012 Helped set up and organise the exhibition
MEMBERSHIP
: ISTD – International Society of Typographic Designers D&AD – Design & Art Direction
SKILLS
: Casting, Arduino, Letterpress, Metal Work, Wood Work, Adobe suite, Photography, Riso Printing, Book Binding, Screen Printing
ACTIVITIES
: Sailing, Cycling, Dancing, Drawing, Capoeira, Traveling
Designed by Nelson Holtz 2015