Stefan Sagmeister, Another exhibit about promotion and sales material

The exhibition is held in the shabby-chic 19th century ornate rooms of the museum, in which Stefan’s modern display cabinets and videos contrast perfectly. In some rooms the project’s title is spelled out in oversize letters set on shelves, decorated by postcards of the project – it’s left to the visitor if they take one or not – is it part of the display?

Levi’s billboard, 2010

Stefan has lived in New York for the last seventeen years and this show focuses on his commercial work over the last seven of them – from working with bands such as Talking Heads and fashion brands such as Levi’s to corporate banks such as Standard Chartered. In fact, Stefan draws no distinction between commercial and ‘cultural’ work.

The exhibition is one not to be missed, as it explains the reasoning behind the decisions made for specific briefs from clients. What comes though is Stefan’s love of typography and the clever way he distorts objects to create ever more adventurous type – the exhibition poster features locks of hair pressed into service as lettering and fancy scrolls.

Adobe Design Achievement Award call for Entries poster, 2003

You can leaf through (digitally of course) Stefan’s sketchbooks – whose liveliness show why he is such a talent. But students should take note of when self-promotion goes too far – too many images of Stefan’s naked torso, even if created in a spirit of irony, can become a little tiresome.

Wall of Bananas, Deitch Project, 2008

Image credits: exhibition photography by Luc Boegly – Les Arts Décoratifs.

Stefan Sagmeister, Another exhibit about promotion and sales material continues at the Les Arts Décoratifs, Paris until February 19 2012.

Our Way Design Academy Eindhoven; Transformation and Distribution Centre for Abandoned Household Items, Joost Gehem; In Vena Verbum, Tiddo Bakker

With mases of exhibitions to choose from, ARTS THREAD homes in on the student and graduate events on show starting this Saturday at Dutch Design Week in Eindhoven. Our reporter Like van Wijck will be out and about in the city to tell us what’s happening.

The key event is, as always, the Graduation Show at the Design Academy Eindhoven (DAE). Entitled Our Way, it is again curated by Ilse Crawford and showcases the work of 153 recent Bachelor and Master graduates from the academy, with exhibition design by Piet Hein Eek and Petra Janssen. The exhibition has seven themes Human, Nature, Nurture, Consious, City, Delight and Useful. Entry is 10 euros, but only 5 euros or free for students.

Modebelofte 2011; Mattia Akkermans

ID'11: Master graduates - De blijde gebeurtenis, Jeanine Kierkels; Morphing cutlery, Jeffrey Braun

With ID’11 being in the Central Station area, we move over to the Strijp area and the exhibition venue Klokgebouw where we find AKV|St.Joost who present a selection of work by recent graduates including Idris van Heffen (Animation), Helen Smits (Graphic Design), Moon Brouwer (Graphic Design) and Tim Cromvoirt (Interaction Design).

ABKMaastricht: Gravity Collection, Clara Scharping; Systemic Lupus Erythematosus, Iris Verstappen

The Art of Production, Willem de Kooning Academy Rotterdam

Soft Edges: On Tension, Eva Malschaert; Furniture, Hannah Sabapathy

Look out also at the Strijp for Fashion breaks Boundaries, a presentation by the ROC Eindhoven School for Fashion of graduation projects by the fourth-year students of Fashion Technology and Fashion Design.

Master and apprentice, SintLucas

Dutch Design Week runs from October 22 to 30 2011.

Image credits: DAE left to right: Copyright: Design Academy Eindhoven, Art Direction: Petra Janssen, Photographs: (Joost Govers).

Graduation Show 11: Design Academy Eindhoven
Modebelofte 2011
ID’11: Department of Industrial Design at Eindhoven University of Technology
AKV|St.Joost
Graduates 2011 ABKMaastricht Jewellery & Product Design
The Art of Production, Willem de Kooning Academy Rotterdam
Soft Edges
Fashion breaks Boundaries: ROC Eindhoven School for Fashion
Master and Apprentice: SintLucas

Design Elements: Cover; Colour Systems

Design is actually a question of taste and is developed through our natural ability to know when something looks both right and wrong. Nevertheless, there are those, understandably, who believe it can be taught and go to great lengths to do so. Sometimes, as in the case of Dennis M. Puhallam, they go further and write a graphic style manual.

Design Elements: The Identity of Colour - Temperature

The book is best suited to those with a good knowledge of visual design. Once you crack the code, there are a good deal of interesting observations, such as those on the nature of space attributes and bilateral symmetry. All good stuff. And on page 114, readers will find a short paragraph devoted to an explanation of the Golden Section, which is all you need to know about design.

Design Elements: Putting Stuff Into Space

The book is well illustrated, as you would expect, and now and again the author has used the insights of other more experienced writers to underline his thinking. The quote by Marcel Proust says it all:

‘The real voyage of discovery consists of not searching for new landscapes but having new eyes.’

Design Elements: Form & Space by Dennis M. Puhalla, published by Rockport

I Heart Design; Everlast logo, selected by Ralph Caplan, designed by Jacob Golomb

Iconic graphic designer Steven Heller has compiled some of the world’s greatest design pieces as chosen by himself and a panel of  leading industry professionals in his newly published book ‘I Heart Design: Remarkable Graphic Design Selected by Designers, Illustrators, and Critics’.

Published by Rockport, Steven Heller introduction notes how ‘the most common question asked of designers from design school students (usually to fulfill a class assignment) is, “What is your favorite piece of Design?” Oh, and what a dreaded question it is’ as Steven concludes that ‘Can there be just one? I don’t think so.’

Stedelijk Catalogs, selected by Adrian Shaughnessy, designed by Willem Sandberg

Poster for the 50th Aniversary of the Union Internationale de la Marionette, 1978, selected by James Victore, designed by Henryk Tomaszewski; Signs of Italy, selected by Louise Fili, designers unknown

Coca-Cola Bottle, selected by Tim Hossler, designed by Earl R. Dean; The @ Symbol, selected by Paola Antonelli, rediscovered by Ray Tomlinson; Pontresina, selected by Reto Caduff, designed by Herbert Matter

To read more I Heart Design: Remarkable Graphic Design Selected by Designers, Illustrators, and Critics

Emma King, Sheffield Institute of Arts

Sheffield Institute of Arts graduate Emma King created a beautifully bound swatch book full of amazing typographic patterns. Through experimentation, Emma has turned six iconic typefaces (including Helvetica, Baskerville and Futura) into a series of ornate and complex textile prints.

Dave Raxworthy, Nottingham Trent University

Dave Raxworthy showed strong branding and packaging skills in his designs for The Hub, a York-based bike rescue centre. Dave designed and produced an entire range of packaging for the company’s own in-house products as well as all the promotional material. The bold, simple graphics and subdued colour scheme breaks away from the stereotypical ‘biker’ aesthetic, appearing more mature and sophisticated.

Rob Hetherington, Glasgow School of Art; Luxy Hutchinson, University of Leeds

Robert Hetherington experimented with mono printing, letterpress and digital manipulation in his book inspired by the ideas of writer Samuel Beckett. Named after Beckett’s play ‘Krapp’s Last Tape’, the book is full of strange compositions and amorphous shapes. Lucy Hutchinson created an abstract and illegible typeface which emphasises the way in which digital communication can cause messages to lose their true meanings.

Melanie Findlay, Edinburgh College of Art

Edinburgh College of Art graduate Melanie Findlay drew inspiration from the work of Gustav Klimt to create a series of decorative drop caps. The ornate typography truly encapsulates the opulence of Gustav’s work – particularly his ‘golden’ phase in the early 1900′s.

Matt Crowe, Lincoln School of Art and Design

We very much admired Matt Crowe for his blatant and shameless self promotion as displayed on the homepage for his website. We took a look at his online portfolio and found some great work including a mapping project inspired by the theory that if you turn to page 99 of a book, it will perfectly summarise the entire storyline.

Petros Afshar, Middlesex University

Julie Bryden, Duncan of Jordanstone, University of Dundee

We loved Julie Bryden’s unique book designs which draw inspiration from the world of dreams. We did worry a little about the kind of dreams she was having, though, particularly the one portrayed in this bizarre book with pop-out teeth!

Alex Auld, University of Westminster

Alex Auld designed a very elegant book titled ‘Trees’ which was full of historical information and folklore stories (or rather, treelore) about such specimens as the mighty English Oak. The text is accompanied by some absolutely stunning photography of tree cross-sections which shows the rings of the tree in remarkable detail.

Emma King
Dave Raxworthy
Robert Hetherington
Lucy Hutchinson
Melanie Findley
Petros Afshar
Julie Bryden
Alex Auld

The Type House Tea Set & Girls Like Type Too, Lucinda Ireland; Time & Time Again, Sophie Garwell

Visual Communication stood out predominately this year at New Designers. The imagination and dedication of the graphic designers presenting their work shines through to the viewer and grabs your attention. Here ARTS THREAD takes a look at a few of the delights on offer.

Graduate of Nottingham Trent University, Lucinda Ireland presents ‘Girls Like Type Too’. Lucinda’s promotional poster, that won her the New  Designers Hallmark Award this year, came from her idea to create something that reflected her obsession with typography as a girl, sparked from a poster that read “when typographers were men and women were grateful”. Her creation flows beautifully, conveying both the feminine side of the designer while still maintaining a cool design edge, reflective of her subject.

From Pot To Plot, Megan Williams, Time & Time Again, Sophie Garwell; Pet Shop, Ian Upcott

Fellow Nottingham Trent University graduate Sophie Garwell has created a feast of old books and maps screenprinted with the letter T. Her work was designed for the in-store display of an independent shop called Time & Time Again that sells reclaimed and recycled books and objects. Simple but effective, Sophie’s work really reflected the nature of the store.

Also showing from Nottingham Trent University was Ian Upcott. Ian, a recent winner of this year’s Best New Blood Awards at D&AD, presented Pet Shop. Using products found in-store at his local pet shop, he has created some imaginative pet-themed illustrations. His series of posters are designed to make you think more about the animals you used to see in a pet shop, compared to the empty cages you’d find in one today.

Dark Horse, Hannah Rossiter

BA (Hons) Graphic Design graduate Hannah Rossiter from Plymouth College of Art exhibited an exploration of old English proverbs with a 21st century twist. Combining the old and the new, Hannah has created a series of outcomes for five well known proverbs. ‘Dark Horse’ shows the effect of scratched copper, very dramatic with its outcome demonstrating Hannah’s understanding of the true meaning of the proverb.

From Havering College comes graduate Richard Phillips. Richard’s work aimed to raise awareness and promote debate about various issues surrounding  today’s Capitalist society. His series of images individually represent a number of relevant statements that he found inspiring whilst studying the issue for his thesis. His work is very relevant to our present society and he has conveyed each statement creatively.

Image/Word/Sound, Dawn Gardner; We are the Product, Richard Phillips

Dawn Gardner, also from Havering College, displayed ‘Image/Word/Sound’ a series of visually inspiring images that explore the relationship between the three distinct fields. Dawn examines their ability to stir new multi-faceted narratives, provoking thought and further questioning. Like Richard Phillips, Dawn has drawn her inspiration from her thesis on Gestalt Psychology and her prints are the outcome of her explorations.

From Plot To Pot, Megan Williams

‘From Plot To Pot’ is the work of designer Megan William’s of Nottingham Trent University. Her branding design came from helping her dad market his own allotment goods. But the idea of branding the goods quickly turned into a business idea that would mean that anyone with an allotment could buy merchandising material to sell their goods with, to be a franchisee of ‘From Pot To Plot’. With this is mind, Megan’s design had to stay simple and neutral so that it didn’t clash with any other colours.

Displaying something slightly more unusual was Michail Vanis from Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art & Design with his work, ‘Acoustic Poetry’. His conceptual object allows deaf individuals to explore soundscapes in all types of situations. Through the use of the object, an individual can record and send an audio sample of the environment around them to a human interpreter who can listen to the audio recording and write back with a poetic description of the soundscape, which is then displayed on the object’s monitor.

Acoustic Poetry, Michail Vanis; Map Your City, Ruth Tullis

Such a beautifully unique take on improving an experience for a deaf individual and a great example of how technology can also be part of the concept, as well as something that helps towards a final outcome.

Ruth Tullis, a graduate from the same university, was researching New York when she came up with her design ‘Map Your City’. Noticing that a map should be a tool that connects you to a city rather than a way to navigate from A to B, Ruth decided to create a more personal map experience that links its user to a more memorable experience of a city. Her design, which enables the user to choose items of interest in a city then have this individual map printed and posted to them, adds a more personal touch to an object that has always been used as a practical tool rather than a link to an experience.

Each of these students have demonstrated the amazing graphic design talent that is on offer in the UK!

Richard Phillips
Michail Vanis
Ruth Tullis
Dawn Gardner
Megan Williams

Ian Upcott

Video Game Addiction from Reiss Cleal on Vimeo.

The Visual Communication department stood out with amazing and very inspiring project ideas. We were pleased to see how projects were the result of combining multiple aspects of digital design. The vast majority of the digital animation projects showed a clear understanding of the current issues and the amount of research and initial development was outstanding.

Reiss Cleal from Graphic Design at Havering College had a very well thought-through project: from the initial idea until the final solution. He was interested in 2D animation, so for his major project he decided to take this a step further and to combine elements of 3D animation with what he already knew. Reiss is also up-to-date with the current social issues, so the theme of his project was game addiction. All of this combined with his dedication ended up producing a fantastic animation - the music perfectly matched the theme and the script was precisely timed.

Reiss Cleal, Havering College - Graphic Design

Looking back, he states that there are ‘bits that he would like to change’, but overall he is very pleased with the final result. In the future, he would like to continue developing his 3D animation skills and to produce more refined movies.

Below from Laurence Dawes on Vimeo.

The Brunel University showcased excellent projects, one of them being Laurence Dawes’ animation. Laurence is a student passionate about 3D arts and wanted his major project to relate to current news, so his animation theme was newspaper sensationalism.

His video is based on alienation from society, having a single character obsessed with the news. ‘Upon hearing of swine flu he is convinced it will finally wipe out the human race and so descends into a bunker beneath his house where he stays for years, isolated and cut off from the world.’ The animation sends a very powerful message and makes us wonder: Is news actually keeping us away from reality?

Laurence Dawes, Brunel University London - Multimedia Design and Technology

Laurence impressed with the complexity of his project and the attention to detail. He wanted to make everything seem realistic, so he combined software packages, such as 3D Studio MAX, Photoshop, Zbrush and After Effects. Laurence is very passionate about his work and now is looking forward to get involved in this industry.

Reiss Cleal

Laurence Dawes

Winner New Designers Best Stand Award, Debut by Northumbria University

ARTS THREAD takes a look at the best stands and how the graduates at New Designers 2011 are showcasing their work. Firstly, the winner of the New Designers Best Stand Award is Northumbria University, Product Design and their concept Debut and it’s not hard to see why.

The students want to convey the start of their journey into the design world as debutants. The detail of their display is very polished, from the use of recycled materials, flat pack furniture and vinyl printed posters detailing each students work. Their stand really allows them the freedom to showcase their designs and engage the viewer into looking at them.

'Questions and Answers' by 3D Design, University of Brighton

3D Design Furniture & Product, Northumbria University; Best In Show' by Nottingham Trent University

Richard Whittingham’s concept for the 3D Design Furniture & Product course for Northumbria University is designed to reflect the nature of the course. The images used in the background reflect the materials used within the products showcased. The white line on the ground leads visitors into the stand encouraging them to view more of what the university has on offer.

'Allsorts' by UCA Rochester Art & Animation

Another highlight is UCA Rochester’s Art & Animation display in the Visual Communication area. Their group idea is to convey how all students use the same technology but in a different way to create something unique and personal to them, this is demonstrated in their theme of ‘Allsorts’. Like the sweets, they all come from the same place but they’re all different. Their sponsorship from printers Diginate, provided them with large printed decals to stick to their boxes and allows them to keep their theme running throughout.

'Keep Calm and Stay Creative' by New College Nottingham

Bringing the best of British to their visitors is New College Nottingham and their showcase ‘Keep Calm And Stay Creative’, playing on the well known war-time slogan ‘Keep Calm and Carry On’. The students have brought with them a live screen printing feature that encourages visitors to interact with the students and learn more about their work. This of course leads onto their promotional material that is screen printed and handed out in the form of white paper bags- very effective!

Images courtesy of Stacey Rivers.

UCA Rochester
University of Brighton
Nottingham Trent University
New College Nottingham
Northumbria University

Lucinda Ireland, Nottingham Trent University - Hallmark Award

The second week of New Designers 2011 award winners include Lucinda Ireland from Nottingham Trent University who has won the Hallmark Award this year for her innovative typography designs. These emphasise the love of type by women through chocolate, ceramics and imagery that can be applied to interiors.

Lucinda’s work has been a personal response to a stereotypical comment made about the link of men with typography; this has pushed her to apply her creativity and passion into a vast variety of award-winning ideas ready to fit a modern lifestyle.

Luke Diaz, Bucks New University - Habitat Innovation Award

Luke Diaz from Bucks New University won the New Designers Habitat Innovation Award for his ecological furniture design made by only natural materials. Luke Diaz has integrated textiles within his designs by using hemp twine as joinery instead of glue, buttons and toggles with smooth finishings and organic styling.

Luke Newman, De Montford University - Sky Award

Obtaining all its power from natural resources such as solar panels that supply hot water and electricity to the home, a filtered rain reservoir for clean drinking water and a compost toilet, Luke Newman’s design allows for a thought-provoking place to appreciate the luxurious lifestyles of the the Western world and our natural environment.

Brinley Clark, University of Hertfordshire - Virgin Atlantic Award for Graphic Design

Brinley Clark of the University of Hertfordshire won the Virgin Atlantic Award for Graphic Design for his playful and visually exciting observation work. He has created worked based upon ‘fakery’, searching across the nation for tanning salons and using their names to make up a map of the UK.

Ironically each shade of orange used within each district reflects the amount of salons there are within an area. A tongue in cheek humour is contained within his work that reflects his character; standing out amongst many as a fast forward glance at contemporary graphics. In particular his book ‘Shit or Miss’ – Brinley himself took to the streets in a canary yellow mac and sat outside, under trees, bridges and parks waiting for the moment for a bird to strike.

Neil Conley, Northumbria University Graduate - One Year On Award

Neil Conley from Northumbria University won the One Year On Award with his BP oil spill inspired snow globes. Neil created a series of globes to represent the damage caused in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010. His aim was to produce a novel plastic gift, symbolic of ‘one of the oil industries many parasites’. Inside the globes are hand carved statues of the animals directly affected by the tragedy. Materials used are ‘luxurious’ and ‘tasteless’ in context and sales of the product benefit the region, with 18% assisting the clean up.

Martin Jordan, University of Huddersfield - Wilkinson Award for Product Design

Suzie Button, UWE - 100% Design Award

Oksana Akishyna, American InterContinental University - Interior Design Association Award for Spatial Design

Oksana Akishyna from the American InterContinental University takes this year’s Interior Design Association Award for Spatial Design for her Urban Music Hall. ‘Music is the universal language of the world’ – a fitting tagline for a project all about connecting people through music. Oskana aims to bridge the gaps in society, help children from deprived areas and mostly make classical music more accessible to all. Her design is as energetic as the music it was inspired by and includes performance spaces, including a roof top terrace as well as rehearsal areas and a cafe.

Steve Green, Arts University College Bournemouth - Virgin Atlantic Award for Product Design

Steve Green takes the Virgin Atlantic Award for Product Design for his indoor air pollution extraction unit, which he designed for the developing world. Steve was inspired by the current global issue of air pollution from cooking stoves which causes over a million deaths per year. His design solution is an extraction unit that can be easily mounted to a variety of roof tops. The product can be wind or solar powered and ‘incorporates an internal smoke sensor to self-trigger its operation.’

Buster Palmano, Brunel University - InterContinental Hotels Group Award

The Wing Fan by Buster Palmano and Tom Dixon wins the InterContinental Hotels Group Award. This project aims to show how ceiling fans can be a first choice for those who want to avoid the uncomfortable dry air that comes with an air conditioning unit. The Wing Fan operates ‘both silently and at half the speed of existing fans’ due to its newly adapted ‘twisted aerofoil shape’ that was inspired by bird wings. ‘At optimal speed the fan exceeds energy star airflow requirements by over 180%.’

Neil Conley
Suzie Button

Golden Sun Movement Presents 'ON'

Music can be a huge influence on art and design, from the psychedelic 60′s through to the raves of house music in the 90′s and ‘ON’ exhibition demonstrates just that. Working under the collective of Golden Sun Movement, London based artists Luke Insect, Leo Zero and David Little have come together for their first exhibition to showcase their work at East London’s Idea Generation Gallery.

Arched Enemy, Luke Insect, Four Moons Of Babylon, Leo Zero, Acid City, David Little (2011)

It is not hard to see how heavily inspired by 60′s psych their work is, each piece is a true portrait to that movement. Over the past few decades the three artists have worked on high profile campaigns for Time Out, MTV and Nike. The exhibition will display both artist originals and back catalogue pieces of work.

Each artist has their own inspiration that influences them towards the overall psychedelic feel of their work. For Luke Insect it was the influence of his father’s records from the beatnik scene. Dave Little’s work developed from working with artists such as Paul Oakenfold and designing flyers for club nights such as The World,  whereas Leo Zero’s experiences at seminal clubs like Shoom, led him to create not only original work for flyers and sleeves but original music and remixes too!

The Time & Space Machine, Luke Insect (2010), Balearic Beats, David Little (1988)

Pieces such as The Time & Space Machine and Balearic Beats have an almost authentic 60 psych vibe to them, through the use of mixed media, bright colours and eye-bending perspectives. Some of their creations date back to the late 80s but they stand out just as much as their more recent companions. Although showcasing together, each artist’s unique perspectives of their running theme really shines through.

‘ON’ will display not only  the artists’ originals but also new work inspired by the converted warehouse space of the Idea Generation Gallery through the use of mixed media, made both collectively by the trio and also individually. This visually inspiring exhibition will be at the Idea Generation Gallery from April 20 to May 08 2011.

Golden Sun Movement

Idea Generation Gallery