elcome to issue six of the disciples of design - inconsistencies and the beauty of the letter form. This quarter we have invested heavily in a radical new anticlockwise lateral format, although far from unique we do hope it will put a new perspective on our features. As an artifact issue six has, we think, a broad range of features and is an inclusive multi functional document. Always produced with the student in mind, the disciples of design also acts as a forum for the professional and an outlet for personal staff development. We would also like to take this opportunity to announce our imminent web presence. The url: thedisciplesofdesign.co.uk. A holding page is in place and we intend to be fully up and running by January 07. All back issues will be up loaded in PDF format for viewing at your leisure. We are currently also working on our ďŹ rst publication, this will be a compendium issue of @500 copies and will be available through the Department of Design here at the University of Central Lancashire. In conclusion, nothing is ever really ďŹ nished*, what appears to be a ďŹ nal outcome for one individual is only the starting point for a. n. other. With this in mind we hope that the content of issue six will continue to spark, inspire, inform and amuse, while also acting as a conduit to your own particular practice and ideas.
* we apologies for this oxymoron.
The new junior islate from the apple corporation. This retro model lap top is wireless, has unlimited memory and comes with an authentic oak frame finish. A radical departure for apple, this late Victorian/early Edwardian style model bucks the trend and is “a breath of fresh air”, designed to counter apple’s normal state of the art, smug, style conscious image. The price is expected to be a competitive 3 shillings and thr’pence.
Congratulations to Claire Norcross for being awarded the accolade, ‘Elle Decoration young designer of the year 2006’, as well as being hotly tipped as ‘one to watch’ by Sir Terence Conran
Aperture pendant light
“Of the six young designers, Claire has proved the most commercially successful so far and she is an excellent role model for all young designers. Quite simply, she is one of the UK’s most exciting young lighting designers and has worked incredibly hard and exhibited far and wide to get where she is today. Since graduating with a degree in embroidery in 1998, Claire has worked in Britain and Australia in sculptural textiles, jewellery, and lighting. She has exhibited her work at Manchester’s Urbis museum, and worked on several design-led initiatives which have given her invaluable experience.Tom Dixon spotted her talent early and she has spent the past two years working along side him in his capacity as design consultant at Habitat. Several of her lights are now on sale at Habitat including the Spindle lamp and her ingenious Ribbon light (right) which is made from a single folded sheet of metal. Earlier this year I was delighted when Claire won the Elle Decoration Young Designer of the Year award in recognition of her outstanding talent. ‘Design Classic’ is an overused phrase in this industry, but I expect it to be associated with Claire Norcross for a long time to come”
The Elle Decoration Awards 2006
Sir Terence Conran on the bright young stars. The Independent Magazine - 23.09.06 - p25
Claire Norcross + Thomas Heatherwick
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Ribbon table light
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Eight Fifty table light
Numbers - wood block type
A visual review of the RHS annual ower show.
Chelsea 06
The rather inclement weather that attended this years show provided the spectator with the most marvellous and unexpected array of blooms. Over next few pages and throughout issue six we feature some of the best in show.
Two far from shrinking Violets
Lemon & pepper pixels make up a very inventive typographic solution - Chelsea 06.
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We arrived in sunny Margate three hours after leaving London on a very clement late September afternoon. Drawn by the prospect of witnessing the burning of a one hundred foot wooden sculpture.
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The figure proved an imposing presence on the Margate skyline. Constructed out of an eclectic mix of old wooden household furniture and second hand timber, including, pool tables, skateboards, chairs, cabinets and pallets. Art directed by Anthony Gormley, the wooden colossus or ‘Waste Man’, was part of The Artangle ‘Margate Exodus project’, a contemporary re-enactment of the biblical book of Exodus. Penny Woolcock’s film, ‘Exodus’ is due to be screened as both a feature film and a television broadcast on Channel 4 in the new year. Large wooden man aside. Margate was also hosting various other art related events and was a buzz with an strange mix of art world luminaries, bewildered locals and end of season day trippers. Finally at six thirty, with the sun setting over the abandoned roller coaster, the figure burst into flame. The waiting was finally over and up he went.
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An unfortunate member of the crowd is dragged away by riot police after complaining that his wardrobe had been mistakenly used as part of the sculpture.
He was later to be seen hoisted up into the belly of the sculpture and offered up as a sacrifice. As the flames began to engulf the sculptures mid rift his dying screams pierced the night air and the crowd were stunned into silence. Apart from one lone voice, “they’ve gone too far, this isn’t art”. It was at this point my wife and myself decided to leave and get some chips before boarding the train back to London.
The unfortunate mans wardrobe.
Parlour games provide the inspiration for the typographic ‘word play’ fireside tiles featured above. ©reated by Norcross & Bainbridge. Available in Delft Blue only.
D&AD Illustration - Winner. Congratulations to Lucy Gascoigne for picking up a prestigious yellow pencil for this range of beautifully crafted 3Dimensional greetings cards. The brief Through innovative use of illustration, students were asked to define a new generation of greeting cards by creating a unique concept that challenged the designs currently found in the high street. Judges comments “The winner was a good concept and very well presented. The idea has instant impact which is very important at point of sale” Greg Burne - Big Active
ďŹ sh - Hong Kong - Claire Norcross
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plastic polyps - Hong Kong - Claire Norcross
Daisy Ainsworth - first draught of pixel portrait.
Over the next few spreads we feature the second half of a year long project. The ‘birth of typography’ was the starting point for this unique collaboration, which involved The Museum of Science and Industry - Manchester, The Chase Creative Consultants and The Print Making Department in The University of Central Lancashire. The portrait of Daisy Ainsworth was constructed out of wood block type and measured 1 Meter by 1.5 Meters. Over a two day period and with the kind help of Harry Ball (print making tutor), four impressions were taken off the block. Two red impression, one ochre and one blue. These limited edition art works can be viewed in a forthcoming print making exhibition which will be accompanied by a publication, documenting the complete process.
Stage one - the typeface.
Stage two - creating a mask
Stage three - inking
Stage four - the print
ďŹ sh - Hong Kong - Claire Norcross
The Process Once the block was registered and secured in place a small area was inked and a test print was taken. This proved to be too weak, due to the textured nature of the paper and the fact the paper was also too dry. A further test print was taken with a dampened piece of paper and this time the print quality was much improved. Although a relief, this did mean we would have to construct a large bath to immerse each individual sheet before printing. Each sheet was immersed for 15-20 minutes and then blotted to take away any excess moisture. In the meantime the block was well inked and prepared for the ďŹ rst impression. The paper was then placed gentle onto the block. This was to prove the most tense part of the process, due to the large format and the very delicate nature of the damp paper. Once down, the paper was covered and pressure gently applied. At this stage French chalk was also sprinkled over the whole area making the surface smooth and easier to rub. After 10 minutes of vigorous applied pressure the print was gentle peeled back to assess the quality of the impression. Some areas were weaker than others so the print was placed back down and further pressure applied to those speciďŹ c areas. Finally the print was revealed and placed out to dry. Preparing the block
Registering
Taking a test print
Inking the block
Block detail
Making the impression
The ďŹ rst impression dries
Over inking colour two
Over inking colour two - detail
Over inking colour two - details
The rosette stone of rail travel forgery. At 5.30am the ticket machines at Euston station automatically print out these typographic test coupons.
These resent ďŹ lm poster designs are by Graphic Design graduate Gary Dalton. Gary graduated in 2003 and is now working for Empire Design in London.
Poured Lines Poured lines is one of the largest pieces of public art to graced the capital in recent years. The permanent 50 meter canvas is the work of Ian Davenport and was commissioned by Land Securities and Southwark Council. Located below the Western Bridge on Southwark Street and part of the continued regeneration of the area, the vibrant nature of the piece brightens up an otherwise nondescript route to the Tate Modern. As part of the project The Chase London were commissioned to create a temporary hoarding that would announce the impending artworks’s unveiling. The Chase also produced a promotional give away, in the form of a set of coloured pencil crayons that were given out on the evening of the unveiling. Steve Royle, creative director of the chase London and ex Preston Graphics graduate (1997), said “it was important that we created a visual stimulus that hinted at what Ian was creating, while at the same time promoting the redevelopment of the Bankside area”.
Poured Lines - by Ian Davenport
The hoarding - by The Chase
Commemorational crayons
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170 This highly colour coded display has a certain retro’ appearance and would not look out of place in an Edwardian edition of Mrs Bettons guide to household management. More 1906 than 2006.
Exhibition poster designed by S.Wilkin - from text found in the bin.
Plan B When the staring point for so much idea generation is a quick Google image search it is hardly surprising that these obvious starting points, when combined with overly linear thinking, results in the bland and the unimaginative. The growth of technology, as exemplified by the Google search, has separated us directly from the events of real space and real time. Collecting from source, and creating the opportunities for chance to occur happens too rarely. As a result the realities of accidental mark - making, and other types of happenstance, risk, serendipity, whatever you want to call it, are missing. Google seems to be the first port of call for almost every would - be designer. Where we source our inspiration from as designers naturally has a major bearing on the visual language of the final piece of work. If we all begin the journey in the same place it is quite likely that we will take the same route, and ending up at the same destination. A note to the student. There can also be an inability or reluctance by the individual to give up control, a fear almost, that will not allow the project to wander a little off route. How often do you call upon random activity and chance in your work? A recent drawing exhibition at The Harris Museum - Preston, part of a Hayward Gallery touring exhibition, entitled “You’ll Never Know” set out to explore the relationship of the simplest creative act - the mark, and the results of random activity upon drawing and mark making. There were some fascinating ideas on display.
n adhoc look at the incidental and accidental occurrence, the role of chance, juxtaposition, the diametric, the random and the downright odd. by The Three Princes of Serendip.
Tim Knowles used the branches of trees and the activity of natural forces, the breeze, as drawing instruments. Henry Krokatsis made images with carbon deposits from the smoke generated by burning rags. Digital systems were used by Layla Curtis to track the journeys taken by bottles thrown into the sea. Drawings by Ian Davenport and Richard Long incorporated chance drips. Whilst William Burroughs fired his shot Gun, creating random buckshot marks into wood, on which he had drawn a rudimentary figure. In all the exhibits the drawing process had to some extent utilised chance or random acts, removing hand crafted control and adding a level of unpredictably into the creative process. By chance several staff on the Illustration & Graphic Design courses were staging an ad hoc exhibition around the same themes. Originally planned as a short exhibition examining the role of chance and serendipity within the design process and the use of the random as inspiration. A short intervention within the Victoria Gallery schedule allowed for only five days to install the various works. Curating an exhibition at speed also left the door open for further accidents to occur. Such as the bucket and mop, left leaning on a plinth by a cleaner, it was mused over by several exhibition visitors yet taken as a natural part of the exhibition in its context by others. Randomly scattered throughout issue six we feature some of the exhibited work.
Steve Wilkin - Course leader - Illustration
Green Empress - Steve Wilkin - Illustration Lecturer 2006
Forest Accident - Steve Wilkin - Illustration Lecturer
Impositions - the deconstuction of a medium. The deconstruction of any weekend newspaper supplement exposes an interesting array of random juxtapositions. This ‘what the printer saw’ approach to image making can reveal an infinite number of subliminal ironies. Plan B Exhibition
Communally distressed A1 cutting mat - Plan B Exhibition 2006
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The ad hoc nature and spirit of the Plan B exhibition was extended when a group of performing arts students decided to also use the gallery for a random evening performance. Much to the surprise of the exhibitors.
The Star of Redemption This hand painted Lithograph was discovered pasted on the reverse of a 19th century engraving and contains a remarkable typographic matrix as its centre piece. The inscription “Christ is our light our star of redemption� is type set in such a way that it forms a star that can be read in a staggering 258,253,326 different ways, from the centre out.
As part of the creative thinking module first year Graphic Design students were briefed to illustrate a famous phrase or saying.
“Jack off all trades and master of none”
“Copy cat”
hey say that ‘elephants never forget’ and all those who were lucky enough to have witnessed the spectacle of The Sultans Elephant, a four day street performance organised by the French theatre troop Royal de Luxe, will also cherish fond memories of this extraordinary piece of street theatre. Commissioned to mark the centenary of Jules Verne and five years in the making, this work of genius, for one can only describe the spectacle as such, was a wonder to behold. The forty foot mechanical marvel was also accompanied by an enchanting young girl who hand arrived in a rocket, which had quite literally crashed into The Mall. The spectacle had a pied piper quality, in as much as once you happened upon it, as we did, you had little choice but to follow the beast. The enchanting nature of the events unfolding before your eyes was plain to see in the faces of all those around, as everyone was transported back to a childhood state of euphoria. Here we feature but a few of the many many thousands of images that were taken, all of which fall short of truly representing what was one of the most magical experience this writer has ever had the pleasure of witnessing. Long live the memory.
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The Sultans Elephant.
One of the foot men co-ordinates.
The young girl takes a ride.
The elephant at rest.
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The elephant awakes.
The journey begins.
The pied piper effect.
Best foot forward - detail.
The young girl at rest.
The two images below were taken roughly one hundred years apart.
The sepia photograph above is of my great grandfather walking cattle along an unsealed road in Westmorland c.1906.
This closed circuit television image captured my wife and myself driving up a bus lane on Shorditch High Street 2006 - this resulted in a £50 fine*.
*Bank of England statistics reveal that in 1906 this fine was equivalent to £2,857.
Fish carcass held up to the setting sun. Coramandle - New Zealand
Logotypes that are symbolic*
Over a period of time some identities become so iconic they can stand alone as abstract marques. We simple think nike, shell, windows, apple, pepsi or shoes, petrol, computers & sugary avoured water.
*Are not all logotypes symbolic? Well some are more symbolic than others.
ess work in progress work in progress work in progress work in progress work Due to be completed in June 2007. We are sorry for any visual inconvenience caused.
The characterisation and composition of an increasing amount of brands begins to reveal just how formulaic the medium is. By sub dividing into subject speciďŹ c areas we can begin to see the appearance of similar core elements at work both on a visual and psychological level.
These global brands prove the age old adage that ‘what goes around comes around’.
Appetising
Calligraphic
The above brands are all derivations of signatures. They have an authenticity and personal feel that reassures the viewer.
Psychologically red and yellow are the most appetising colour combination and this is employed to maximum effect by the brands above.
“I was so impressed I bought the company”.
“It’s also fun and cheap to eat here.”
Characteristic
utilitarian
All the marques featured above use the utilitarian colour combination of black and yellow to maximum effect.
An entrepreneur, a belief and a mythology have all been given a face to sell fast food, cereal and life insurance.
“We’ll make a note of that, move heaven and earth, get it to you safely and as soon as possible�.
Like the signatures these characters are a tangible physiognomic representation of a brand.
animals
Our earliest ancestors ďŹ rst mark making was the abstract representation of the animal kingdom. No change there then.
Cave painting - Altamira
SHEEP EAR MARKINGS
The ear markings featured above date from the Saxon era and were a direct and permanent attempt to deďŹ ne the owners property. These basic shapes cut from the animals ear have a modern parallel which is echoed in the lozenges of many contemporary brands.
Swiss confectioner Theodor Tobler (1876-1941) famously developed his unique pyramid shaped chocolate bar in 1908/9. The sweets distinctive triangular shape was to be the worlds ďŹ rst patented chocolate bar. . The current brand was re-designed in 2000 and combines the Heraldic symbol of the Bern Bear and the Matterhorn in a subliminal marque.
Swiss psychiatrist Hermann Rorschach (1884-1922) famously devised a personality test based on the human tendency to project interpretations and feelings onto ambiguous stimuli, in this case, inkblots. From these cues trained observers are supposed to be able to pinpoint deeper personality traits and impulses in the person taking the test. Here we feature a similar technique, but using the shadows cast by Hermonn Rorschachs own image. Did you spot him?
Jean Tobler - founder 1867
A technique that in many ways echoes Hermann Rorschach psychoanalytical ink blot experiment. Can you spot the Bear?
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193 Faces - Adam Nolan - graduated 1995
serpentine shadows
The tree sprite hidden in the spring shadows. Whether an illusion or delusion, the images that appear in shadows, clouds and other forms of natural phenomenon tap into the visual subconscious. And they are ubiquitous. These visually altered states can indicate a heightened sense of awareness and prove highly rewarding for all those who are inclined to see them.
Sprite 1. (in folklore) a nimble elike creature esp. one associated with water. 2. a small dainty person [C13: from Old French esprit, from Latin spiritus SPIRIT].
The airline logotypes featured above were created by 2nd year Graphic Design students and are part of a larger curriculum based identity project. Students were asked to research and draw upon aspects of a chosen countries culture. Food, wildlife and art form an integral part of those featured here. Japan Air - ludwig Haslberger Areo Mexico - Caroline Christ Air Brazil (Varig) - Joao Pedro Riberio da Silva
Promotional Post Cards. Here we feature two humorous solutions based on the Book of Genesis and the Death of Marat. Graphic Design archive. Circa 1978
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“Keep it Clean� - British Safety Council poster. Circa - 1980. This period piece of ephemera would now be considered politically incorrect, yet it is typical of an era that still saw Benny Hill topping the light entertainment TV ratings and a British manufacturing industry on the decline. Department of Design ephemera archive.
Frozen footprints
Issue seven in glourious technicolor. Due 01:05:07