OUGD602 - Task 1 - GET IN CONTACT

Identify a studio/designer that I would like to work / collaborate with and create a physical outcome to send to them within 1 week. The purpose of this is to introduce myself, show my interest in there work and set myself up for further contact. I aim to reflect my style and method of practice whilst also showing my awareness of the studios ethos and practice. This is an opportunity for me to introduce new approaches that could benefit the studio.

Trapped in Suburbia
Based in the Netherlands, trapped in Suburbia are experts in book, exhibition and identity design with a unique approach to interaction. Their designs encourage involvement, either to start them or complete them. With involvement comes better understanding, something heartfelt and something special but most importantly something memorable. It is this that transforms graphic design into an experience.

I believe Trapped in Suburbia's interactive approach to design encourages innovation and experimentation which is an exciting way to design. I am passionate about material processes, interaction and aesthetics so I can learn a lot from the success of the studio. My practice can lack a sense of objectivity which makes them lack purpose therefore I admire Trapped in Suburbia's practice as it is pure design from concept to outcome. 

entrepreneurial.

'Our designs are open. Some only come alive through your use. Some need be started, others need to be completed. Involving you results in something far more tangible. Ideas become physical. Abstract becomes concrete.'

A book to oven bake

TiS created a publication 'Talking Ceramics' to discuss the topic of mistakes with several past artists-in-residence from the European Centre of Ceramics’ (EKWC) . Playing with the subject, the book’s layout emphasises fragility, splitting content over pages and positioning it precariously close to the edges. Tis identified that the kiln was one of the important elements to the ceramics process therefore they used thermo-ink so that once the book is baked, the content can be seen. This allows the user to experience the excitement, anxiety and surprise of firing ceramics.

'Decoding Design' - Graphic Design Festival Breda 2011

'In essence the design process is about making choices. Sometimes though, after putting in a lot of work, you decide to change a design and then come to the conclusion that the initial design worked better. This poster captures that feeling.'

Initially, the poster shows a large silver square of scratch-off ink. Prompting people to scratch the ink, text appears from the edges of the square. After taking time to scratch off all the ink the poster reveals: “I think I like it better with the silver square.”

What I need to say:

Name

Instagram

Mobile

Email

As I only have a short period of time to get the letter sent, I aim to keep the design simple but encourage interaction/emotion. Reflecting from my experience contacting D. Kuhne, sending a physical outcome instigates a response and discussion.

Concept 1:

Using the concept of radar to encourage a response
Communicating back and forth
Radio waves
Analogue

Concept 2:

Using humour to engage and show that I have a sense of humour

Humorous
Light hearted
Shock factor
Original

Sketched out some potential concepts that the user can interact with using their finger:

Peach is friendly 

Exciting

Looks like a bum

Printed a coloured image of the peach onto pink and orange stock so that the contrast between skin and stock wouldn't be as harsh. 

The intention is for the user to fill in the peach using their finger. 

Scan:

Tried a variety of sizes for the hole to resemble a cartoonish worm hole.

Drew out other possible ideas including:

Male and female - The studio was founded by two designers (male and female) therefore I developed the sketches using male and female figures:

Take these into monoprint
Studio emphasises print on print

Monoprint

In order to communicate tactility, I intend to monoprint the illustrations in order to communicate tactility. Traditional print is at the forefront of my practice therefore it would be appropriate to show off these skills.

Prepared images for monoprint using stock images because I aim to manipulate them through the printing process.

Card print

Card prints:

Content

Contact details to encourage a response:

James Green

Mobile number

Email

Instagram

Classic English saying to accompany the illustration and add more humour. 

I aim to avoid offending and or confusing the studio:

“Sweet Fanny Adams”

Meaning: Nothing, such as when being asked what you did for the day or what you’re currently doing.

“We’re having a right old knees up,”
Meaning: To go out for the night to have a good time. To party.

“It’s parky out”
It's cold outside

"Hark at me"
Meaning: Used for showing that you are surprised, impressed, or offended by something that someone has just said.

Decided to use 'hark at me' as the title as it compliments the humour of bums being a shock factor.

A5 print/postcard:

Made the outcome A5 format so that the users finger fills the space.
Friendly
Doesn't take itself too seriously

Disjointed typography to make it vernacular:

Pictogram

Although TiS' projects encourage exploration to discover the solution, I intend to make the message clear by offering an illustration of the position of the hand:

Used Gotham for the statement as its contemporary rounded form contrasts with the rough and rugged illustration and serif copy making it friendly.

Test Printing and Photocopy using coloured stock:

Increase engagement and visibility 

Reverse:

Provided a definition of 'Hark at Me?!' as the studio is from the Netherland's therefore they will gain a better understanding of my concept. 

As the front is humorous and lighthearted I used this as a chance to voice my appreciation for their approach to design and how that has influenced my practice. I intentionally dropped in some subtle puns about design 'coming in all shapes and sizes' to relate back to the humour. 

Final Design:

Provided definition of 'hark at me?!' as the studio is from the Netherlands - Increase understanding

Expressed my appreciation for their way of practice and approach to design and highlighted my interest in experiential print.

Reflection

Need to get a website/portfolio together

Postage:

Sent three variations to the three studios based in the Netherlands. 

Presentation:

Reflection

Good exercise and pleased with the outcome

Getting my work out there

Need to get a website/portfolio together

Could send these along with any other printed matter as more self promotion. 

Small format made it cheap to post

Since, I have published the designs on Instagram and Twitter as a desperate effort to gain recognition, however I still haven't received a reply.

Haven't yet received a reply 

Reasons why? - 3 different locations - should have been more specific 

Send to more studios 

Design Companies

I liked this brief because I was able to learn about successful design companies that I'd never heard of. I was surprised at how small the companies were and the huge businesses that they design for. 

Ah-Ha Studios was created in 2011 by Carolina Cantante and Catarina Carreiras who were two friends at university who decided to work together. They are based in Lisbon and practice using a variety of mediums including interior design, advertising, traditional and fine print, photography and product design. They are known for their basic geometric designs and simple primary colour schemes. The work is tight and minimalist, I really like the consistency and quality of the work. I really like the fact that Cantante and Carreiras were friends who have become successful because of such a good working relationship. 

Hey

Hey is a graphic design studio that started in 2007, based in Barcelona. They specialise in brand identity, editorial design and illustration making sure they work closely with their clients in one-to-one relationships. As an agency they love to use geometry colour and direct typography. They often create side projects so they can experiment with new techniques and ideas to push their creative boundaries.  This allows them to put their passion into big name companies such as Apple, Vodafone and Oxfam. 

S&G is a small yet successful design company based in New York. It has a work force of just four which includes Stefan Sagmeister and Jessica Walsh. Sagmeister has worked for bands such as The Rolling Stones, The Talking Heads and Lou Reed. Walsh is a very successful designer who has won many awards for her work. The studio does a very broad range of services from web design, identity, advertising, print and furniture design. They like to work closely with photographers and film makers to combine skills. A lot of their work relates to the pop art movement, bright colour schemes and bold shapes are prominent in their work. You can see the evidence that they collaborate with other designers so that they can feed off other people's specialties. 

Heydays

Heydays are a Norwegian design agency who specialise in visual identity, web design and interface design. The agency is made up of only 6 designers but they often collaborate with other designers from specialist fields. Heydays want to have their own identity, which makes them unique. Five years on, Heydays is one of the most award winning graphic design agencies in Norway.

They do not limit themselves with the mediums they use. From looking at some of their work, they have adapted their it to suit their clients requirements. Mediums such as woodwork, digital and traditional print, app design and moving picture are a few examples of why they cater for such varied clients.

LUST

Lust is a multidisciplinary graphic design practice established in 1996 by Jeroen Barendse, Thomas Castro, and Dimitri Nieuwenhuizen, based in The Hague, Netherlands. LUST works in a broad spectrum of media including traditional print work and book design, new media and interactive installations, and architectural graphics. Lust are interested in finding new ways of creating new media from technology and architecture, they have their own space to experiment with ideas and media. I like the idea of designing compositions using traditional and digital techniques to create a final outcome.

S T U D I O    D U M B A R

Studio Dumbar is an international agency with a Dutch heritage. It is the third most awarded organisation after Pentagram and Apple and they specialise in visual branding and online branding. 

Looking at their work, it's clear they like to work with typography. A lot of the typography has been manipulated to make the compositions look abstract, geometric and distorted. 

BUILD

Build Design is based in London but moved to Yorkshire in 2015. It was created in 2001 by Michael Place and Nicky Place and only has a team of 4. They like to work with typography a lot to produce brand identity, editorial print and help design spaces. They have worked for large companies such as Nike and Microsoft. I like their work because their typography is tight and pleasant to look at, especially with the toned down limited colour palette.

Elmwood design has currently won the most awards than any other design agency in the world. It was started in 1997 and is now an international company with studios in Leeds, New York and Singapore. Something that makes this studio really unique is that they create their own design tools to allow them to consistently create successful work. Elmwood's work has a very broad range of styles and I think this is because they have so many clients they all need something different. Companies such as Andrex, BBC and Met Office have all used Elmwood's creative passion. I like how they have such a broad range of services and styles to cater for any client. It shows that Elmwood is a very distinguished design company. 

Bleed

Bleed is a multidisciplinary design consultancy based in Oslo and Vienna. They have won numerous European design awards for their passion for creative identity through concept development, art direction, graphic design and service design. Personally I really like how clean and concise their work is, especially with typography. A lot of the typography they create is serif. I really like serif fonts as they're traditional and smarter. Bleed have adapted these fonts using a minimal colour palette to create a contemporary look. 

This composition incorporates shape and typography, along with the monochromatic colour scheme, to make a harmonious outcome. 

A recurring theme from their typographic work that I found was cutting into an image or block of muted colour to create a negative space of the letter. I like the muted colour schemes, along with the geometric shapes/type to make a balanced composition. 

Face was founded in North Yorkshire, 2006. They are dedicated to helping their clients succeed. They make it clear that the client comes first as they provide understanding and sensibility towards clear communication between the studio and the client. They do a lot of work in brand identity which is clear to see as their work and clients reflect a clear message in the form of a logo or book. In my opinion, I like contemporary design, something that has pushed a boundary such as type and made something new out of it. I think Face are designing for clients that want a smart outcome, not a contemporary piece which is interesting to see. 

dessein 

Dessein was founded by Geoff Bickford and Tracy Kenworthy in 1987, Perth, Australia. They also have three more designers working for them to produce branding, signage, website and packaging. Bickford is passionate about exploring new possibilities. They state that as a company they work closely with their fellow designers and clients to get the best outcomes. The design team all come from different cultural backgrounds, religions and travel experiences which they feed off.  

Wolff Olins has been around since 1965 in London by Michael Wolff and Wally Olins. They have studios all around the world such as New York, San Francisco and Dubai. They stated that when they work for a client, they want to create a brand that lasts forever. They created the controversial London 2012 Olympic logo and have worked for huge companies such as EE, AOL and Virgin. Personally, I think this company is thinking ahead and creating successful and smart outcomes which we probably see daily. 




I am surprised by how small the teams of people are in the majority of the companies and the scale of some of the projects.