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Angus Hyland
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20.02.2012, 4:02pm, We arrived at Pentagram Yard.
We took a deep breath and then we waited.
We were both a bit nervous and excited as it was the first time we were about to get in the famous design firm.
The waiting made us aware of every little thing that was happening around, every person that would go in and out of the toilet; come down the stairs or from outside.
Step by step we walked inside the building and seconds after a nice receptionist approaches us asking if we needed help.
Each movement was amplified and our curious eyes were looking around trying to figure out from where would Angus show up.
We said we had a meeting with Angus and we were told to wait in the foyer in front of a staircase. This space was full of natural light coming from the glass ceiling and there was a small winter garden that contributed a bit more to that natural feeling of the area.
From this foyer we could also recognise a meeting room where there was a wall full of boards with many logos designed by them. Minutes later he finally arrived and we whispered among us if that was really him. It was indeed!
As we sat in the couch, we realised how delighted we were. We felt small inside that big building where everything seemed to be voluptuous.
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When I was at school I wasn’t particularly academic. I was good at art, so I thought that the best thing I could do was actually do art, and since I don’t have a private income I would have to earn a living, so graphic design seemed the closest thing to art that you can earn a living.
I think creativity and therefore innovation by association is incremental and not monumental.
Intuition is what makes us human.
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We got the job about 10 years ago, and there was a store that was founded by Mark Cass and his father Wilfred in 1984 at Charing Cross Road, and it was named Cass Arts and Crafts. We chose to change the name, we chopped Crafts out and we called Cass Art as opposed to Cass Arts. Then we put this little endorsement that was done in London underneath it. We have illustrated the packaging and we gave away bags and all sorts of things to make the customer experience much cooler and up to date then if you go to the local art store. We
made a mark that referenced an 80’s version of construtivism and around that we created a manifesto which was based on art movements. 8
We are trying to make art a bit cooler. The whole brand identity was strategically aimed to a student, young, urban audience.
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The concept of the posters came from the title of the lecture: Symbol, Mark and a Typeface. There was one typeface there, a mark, which was the splashy thing and a symbol, which was the asterisk. Rather then doing a poster that was something referencing/advertising the past and putting them across the walls,
I actually wanted to do more of an artwork, something that was quieter.
It was done in watercolor paper, we have used a technic called stochastic lithography so the dots on screen are not regular and you can get a really good reproduction. If people didn’t want to put them on the wall, they could at least wrap something up, rather use it as wrapping paper then to lie around!
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I always think we should ma
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The more that you can work one-to-one with people the less you have to do it through committees, the more that you can have a relationship where they patronize your creativity the better it is. If you can get to a Michelangelo and Pope scenario, I think that the best work can come from that.
ake our clients our patrons.
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Studio 8 ZoĂŤ Bather
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15.02.2012, 10:27am, We were trying to find the nº1 grey door that we saw on their website. We were lost, and called the studio asking for directions. It was our first interview and the mixture of not knowing what to expect plus all the excitement wasn’t helping.
There it was! Finally, the door! Behind that door was another door and another one leading to the stairs that would take us to the first floor.
The initial impact we had of the studio was of a very white place with bits of coloured furniture. It was bright and spacious. It felt cosy.
We could perceive their own language in the space itself as it looked very much like their work. Seconds after Zoë came to us and shook our hands. “Cold hands, warm hands”, she said to each of us.
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We started Studio 8 through a series of happy accidents of discovering this place and getting busy.
What we are known for is coming up with really good and strong ideas that are executed appropriately whatever the brief is. I like to think that we don’t have a style as a studio. Maybe people think we do have a style. 18
I tend to get excited about strange things going on the world that aren’t necessarily related with graphic design,
a healthy balance.
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Personally, The Wonders of the Solar System / Universe was one of the projects I enjoyed doing the most. I love books and as a project
it was quite rare in terms of the amount of input I had into the editorial content of the book. It was much more of a collaborative project between a big group, and it was really nice to work in that way. I think the projects I enjoyed the most were the ones where I actually learned something new, and not necessarily about design, but about another subject matter that I don’t know anything about. It’s much more interesting on a day-to-day basis if you feel like you are not just emerged in the world of design.
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I don’t think print is going to die.
We are not going to stop printing books. People are always going to want physical books. Some of them look great but the content is rubbish or the other way around. In the future, maybe they all have to look great and the content will have to be great and you will be like: “Yeah I’ll spend a few pounds on this”.
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Say yes to a lot of
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f things.
Take every opportunity. My talk at Typographic Circle illustrated that, especially in London, the graphic design scene is very much like everyone knows everyone/ and who you know. It’s quite a nice networking thing, people are very nice and will recommend you.
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Magpie Studio Ben Christie
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21.02.2012, 10:55am. When we were walking to the studio we couldn’t imagine that between Kingsland and Hackney Roads there was such a colourful courtyard with so many doors.
The studio looked like a collector’s space. It was full of interesting things and that was giving life to the room. The atmosphere felt as if work was being produced and everyone was highly focused. Work, work, work.
We had to ask the security guard where the Hope House was. We rang the bell and Ben answered the door.
We could hear the others typing and clicking in their computers. Black Keys was the sound taking over the air.
As soon as we stepped our foot inside the people that were gathered around the table moved away in a quick act in order to leave us with more space for the interview.
Time was precious and we had a schedule to obey. Then we sat.
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We are called Magpie because we are visual collectors. When we say that, people expect to come here and see collections of objects; people do collect physical things here, but I think it is more metaphorically speaking.
The nicest thing about us is that we’ve always been friends first and the design comes second, but we obviously share the same passion and interests. That’s why it seemed like a good idea for us to set up a studio.
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Our background is branding, even though David and I have studied packaging at college, because we just fell into print design. We have often talked about getting into packaging, we have done some minor bits of packaging, but
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branding is the essence of commercial graphic design.
The ultimate job for us is to be able to do everything, and that would include moving image.
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We got a brief and it was a very loose one, that gave us more license to think more creatively. With that one in particular they just said they wanted something to print on their job bags. When we saw them in our studio
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we thought that we could use the bags as a free advertising space, as it was a huge canvas to work with.
So, the creative process was to have that as a brief. The chosen idea was the one that we thought if could be more fun and engaging.
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Don’t try to be
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e an ego.
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Don’t get too up yourself, even if you think you are doing really well, because quite often it comes back to bite you. I think that Anthony Burrill’s posters “Work Hard & Be Nice to People” would be my best advice. When you work in small agencies is almost as important the design abilities and your personality.
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Credits & Acknowledgments
Zoë Bather and Studio 8; Angus Hyland and Nicola Kemp; Ben Christie and Magpie Studio; Marina Willer. Tutors: Phil Baines; Catherine Dixon; Paulus Dreibholz; Max Ackermann; Marc Wood. We recognise that we probably wouldn’t have succeded without everyone’s help on this project. Many thanks to all of you. Design by Renata Westenberger and Sara Varela. Photography by Renata Westenberger. Photography edition by Sara Varela.
Pages 4-5, Angus Hyland’s worksapace; Page 6, logos designed by Pentagram; Page 8, Cass Art logo at Islington flagship store, designed by Pentagram; Page 9, Pentagram book, pages 124-125, photographs in the book by Nick Turner; Pages 10-11, Symbol, Mark and a Typeface, posters designed by Angus Hyland for Typographic Circle; Pages 16-17, Studio 8’s workspace; Page 18, Studio 8’s workspace; Page 21, Wonders of the Universe (Harper Collins) written by Brian Cox and Andrew Cohen, designed by Studio 8; Page 22, (top) Graphic magazines: Issue 11 (2007), designed by Studio 8, published by Bis, Issue 10 (2006) designed by Studio 8, published by Bis; (bottom) Elephant magazines: Issue 1 (Winter 2009-2010), cover image by Pedro Inoue, Issue 2 (Spring 2010), cover image by Giles Revell; Pages 28-29, Magpie Studio’s workspace; Page 30, Magpie Studio’s workspace; Pages 32-33, Make Your Mark, Wembley, designed by Magpie Studio; Page 35, Gavin Martin Colournet job bags, designed by Magpie Studio.
I don’t know…amm, hmmm, past…I have no life changings at the moment, no Christ born again, revelation of design, like I should use more serifs? SH*T! I don’t know… (Angus flips his sketchbook looking for answers) I’ve got a terrible memory…ammm…oh God… OK I’ve got one, but I don’t know if it is a revelation or anything…*
*(Angus Hyland’s reply when asked about what was the most important lesson he had learned as a designer).