MY 10
G R A P H I C
D E S I G N
C O M P A N I E S
MY 10
WTF CREATIVE is a dynamic democratic agency… Everyone has equal power. Power comes from being right. There is no hierarchy. We are all talented people. We are all here for the same reason. We work for some of the biggest & smallest names around. Our work is bold, brave & innovative. Our purpose is to create empathy with who we are talking to, get their attention, to touch that nerve, be anything but indifferent. New forms of media are opening up day by day… However the medium isn’t the message, the idea is. And we love to create ideas, big ideas that travel… Whether that’s digital, social, viral or the back of a train ticket.
WILLIAMS
TUFFNEY
F E LTO N
W H AT T H
WILLIAMS
TUFFNEY
F E LTO N
HE FUCK F
ortunately I have been able to visit a few graphic studios in my time and WTF’s has to be one of my favourite. Not the biggest work space in the world, but one I would love to be a part of. They are small group of people who work with some of the world’s biggest clitents; producing the best in advertising, packaging and promotion. This very successful company is how I’d imagine a graphic studio to function; with their creative minds all working within one room together, generating ideas and artwork that combine brilliantly making pieces of work that really do grab people’s attention. The ‘idea’ is one of the biggest factors of successful design. At uni, this is something we focus on. Without a good idea, there isn’t any point carrying on. WTF feel the similar. The idea is what spreads the message. Spreading the message is what the client’s want, so generating the best ideas is key to this companies business. Their portfolio is strong and I do feel that I would like to give advertising a go in my career. I love the idea that my work could be up on big billboards and on the side of buses. That said, I haven’t done an awful lot of advertising or branding so far, so this would be something I had to work on before applying for a job.
PRALINE
DAVID TANGUY
‘Design might be about solving problems, but for me the inherent poetry and sensuality is what makes design so intriguing Creative Director
Definitely a company I would be honoured to be a part of. Their work inspires me and I strive to become as good as the team at Praline. After meeting David, my whole outlook on graphic design has changed. He opened my eyes to the possibilities, the bigger picture of where design can take me. I am truly greatful for this incite and aim to emulate their standard within my work. If I ever get an opportunity to work for Mr. Tanguy, I will most certainly jump at the chance.
‘Our approach combines hand-on craftmanship, conceptual thinking and most importantly, intuition. We never follow a standard formula and often develop visual ideas on the basis of research into production processes or the use of unusual materials. Depending on the demands of a project we take advantage of our large network of creative professionals to maximise its potential.’
Mind Design
M
ind Design is a faily small organisation opposed to some of the others I’d like to work for; I think this is what interests me most about them. In total, they only have three members of staff, but for such a small team they are not short of some big ambition. They have a huge list of clients, and seem to manage their time incredibly well. I’d love to become part of their team, and they feel strongly about interns. I also feel like I would fit in straight away, as Holger Jacobs, one of the people who run the studio, is a very keen cyclist. It even suggests that if you apply for a job, you should be a cyclist. Cycling is one of my passions, one in which I could share with him.
Mind Design
Everything you want from a full service digital marketing agency and more: devilishly clever strategy, breathtaking creative, expert insight - and great people to work with. Believe it, it's True.
Inspiration Ever since Mark from True Digital came in to talk to our university group, I have marvelled at all of their work. I love the fresh approach to their design. It has a beautiful aesthetic in which I can emulate in my work. True do everything from Concept Development, Brand Strategy & Identity, Flash Animation, Video Filming & Photography, Applications & Games, 3D Motion Graphics & Video for Web. Their
show reel on their webpage shows this well and makes me wonder if I will ever get a chance to try out all of these aspects of design after I graduate. Ultimately, I would love to be competent in all aspects of design, but I know that this may not be possible. Therefore, I should stick to what I am good at, and add more skills as I go through my career. Trying new things has never been an issue for me, and I plan to have a go at all I can.
Image from Victoria Moore’s ‘How to Drink’ book - editorial design by Here Design.
A company that has fed my ideas I’d love to work for Here Design
EXQUISITE EDITORIAL DESIGN Another company with a strong portfolio. This studio of multidicisplinary designers based in East London was set up in 2005 by Kate Marlow, Caz Hildebrand and Mark Paton. Since then they have been crafting quietly powerful design for a client list of individuals, brands, charities and institutions that they believe in wholeheartedly. Their collective experience includes design and strategic thinking for branding, packaging, print, publishing, point-ofsale, products and websites. This scope allows them to create effective and original solutions.
All of their work is very stylish. They seem to have the nack of producing high class graphics and put them to good use. Some of thier editorial work has inspired me to really think about how I lay out type; and I have re-found my love for typography. I would be honoured to get a chance to work for this company. They have everything I want with a design company.
HERE
DESIGN An inspirational company for me
OBJECTIF Objectif was set up as a graphic design practice in London in 2004. Working at the conjunction of editorial design and its transposition into the architectural realm, specialising in the fields of exhibition design and narrative environments, as well as classic book design. Their clients are from a variety of disciplines, with a focus on cultural players, education, architecture and fine art. I really like their portfolio. Their editorial design is second to none. I always aim to make my page layouts interesting and different. They seem to be able to do it with ease. Their list of clients ‘We develop graphic and environmental design concepts that are the result of a critical assessment of the content, with the aim of emancipating small-scale businesses, artistic practices and the wider public in the light of an increasingly instrumentalised and commodified cultural and public realm.’ is large and they have worked with some very big companies. They also seem to have a fresh approach to all of their briefs. Something that can be hard to do, something I need to get better at. I would openly take an offer from these guys, even if it was to do an internship; I think I could learn a lot from them and I know it would benefit my design a great deal.
ABOUT
TYPE DESIGN
Eclectic fonts for living brands. Parachute is an independent award-winning type foundry. It landed in 1999, but it wasn’t till 2001 that it started operating as a full-scale company. Since then, 13 designers have joined in to form a select group of open minded, free spirited individuals, all coming from diverse design fields. Over the years, Parachute has built a strong network of valuable relationships with customers in Europe, United States, Canada, Asia and Australia. The year 2003 marked the beginning of a new era for Parachute with the release of an award-winning catalog (Print European Design Annual 2004). Since then an emphasis was placed on multilingual support and opentype technology. During the last 5 years Parachute has won several major international typeface design awards, while its work has been featured and extensively presented in designoriented magazines. Most Parachute fonts have been designed to offer multilingual support for major scripts such as Latin, Greek, Cyrillic. Latest entries support Arabic as well.
This has always been a strong past time of mine, a hobby that I have enjoyed since I can remember. Being brought up with my Dad working for Linotype and Heidelberg CPS, I have always found myself around typography. Loving designing my own fonts and logos, I have always wanted to try and do it professionally. Parachute focus on type design, which is something I’d love to do. I really like each font featured on their web page; they seem to flow very nicely and I can see myself imitating their designs in the future. I know that if I wanted to get a job there, I would have to really harness my skills. I am no where near the level I would need to be. But it is something I can see myself working on. I hope one day to be as good as them ad design full typefaces.
S
ince 1991, design and illustration have happily shared joint custody of DED, a creative agency dedicated to expanding traditional notions of art, communication, and function. I have liked this company’s work since I bought a book in Budapest. The book, which features many great contemporary graphic design companies, showcases Ded Associates. I’d love to perfect my illustrative side like this company have. Their illustrations are bold and thought provoking. They too have a rather large clientele list, one I could only dream of at this point. There work in many different styles, something that I love to do. I think it is necessary practice if you are going to become a successful graphic designer. Focusing on one style or medium wouldn’t help you bring in a large set of clients. I could definitely see myself working for this company, they seem fun.
DED ASSOCIATES
SEAN FREEMAN • THEREIS
A love for words and beautiful images led Sean to explore a harmony of both, spreading his wings to open his own studio: THERE IS, specialising in creative typography, illustration and art direction. Based in East London, Sean creates award winning typography treatments and illustrations for a varied range of clients globabally from advertising to music, editorial and publishing; with his work being featured in numerous books and magazines. His work is to be known to be as powerful as it is unique: a dynamic and organic fusion between elements. Forever curious, Sean is constantly exploring new ways of approaching his work with a love for happy accidents and a passion for visual storytelling, texture, type and everything in between.
LONDON • NEW YORK • MILAN
P R I N T | B R A N D | W E B | I L L U S T R AT I O N
One of my favourite graphic companies in Bristol. I love their illustrative style. Orca is James Ewin and Joel Alexander; a young design collaborative.. They offer innovative, informative and aesthetically pleasing design solutions for all aspects of graphic design and visual communication. Their distinct style had me wondering if I could re-create similar pieces of work. Also, the thought of collaborating has always interested me. One plan for when I graduate is to join forces with a close friend and open our own studio. A long way off, but companies like Orca prove that it is more than possible. I was fortunate enough to win a competition of theirs a few weeks back. I won three of their typographic screen prints. They are going to be place pride of place in my room as soon as I can get a frame for them
Sam Blackmore