A Publication
Features & interviews
–
Introduction
3
A Publication is the documentation of publication designs and a study of the design processes by a selection of independent progressive creative design studios who has influenced & improved my practice and understanding of graphic design. This is the result of three years worth of ongoing research and development during my degree at Leeds College of Art. A Publication is dedicated to all the contributors who have spent their time to answer my questions on their practice, along with all the design studios and individuals who have inspired me and the people who appreciate typography, design and the compelling impact of visual communication.
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CONTENTS
5
Introduction
An introduction to A Publication
06-07
Design for the commercial sector
Brogen Averill/ C100 Purple Haze/ DesignUnit/ Glasfurd & Walker/ Mainstudio/ Modern Publicity/ Non-format/ Sea/ Silnt/ Territory/ Three60/ Tsto
09-29
Interviews
Felix Ng - Silnt Kristina Schouborg - DesignUnit
21-25 26-29
Design for the corporate sector
2br/ Artiva/ Bibliothèque/ Brogen Averill/ Coöp/ Heydays/ Keller Maurer Design/ Marque/ Njenworks Remake/ Studio Laucke Siebein/ Studio Makgill/ Studio Verse/ Toko/ Two Points/ Your Friends
30-55
Interviews
Mike Dyer - Remake Marcus Maurer - Keller Maurer Design
45-49 50-55
Design for the cultural sector
Build/ Design Project/ The Designer’s Republic/ Helmo/ IdN Magazine/ Node/ Onlab/ Project Projects/ Published by Process/ Spin/ Studio Brave/ Sundries/ Umlaut/ Unit Editions
56-95
Interview
Chris Ng - IdN Magazine James Littlewood - Design Project Matt Squire - Umlaut Nicolas Bourquin - Onlab
68-75 76-81 82-87 88-95
Design for the creative industry
Atelier Carvalho Bernau/ Jung Un Wenig/ Madethought Mainstudio/ Milkxhake/ Salutpublic/ Studio Ee/ Studio Luc Derycke
96-111
Interviews
Javin Mo - Milkxhake
106-111
Self intiated design
Music/ Qubik/ Studio Newwork/ The Entente/ Von B-C studio/ Working format
112-127
Interview
Joe Gilmore - Qubik
120-127
Credits & Acknowledgements
128-132
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Introduction foreword
7
The structure of this publication has been dictated by the content that was gathered through primary & secondary research based on the core concept of designing a publication to document the work of a selection of progressive creative design studios in the world, focusing on their professional practice, design approach & a single project that display a unique approach to designing a publication. The content of this publication attempts to explore the subject of graphic design as the process of designing as opposed to simply a showcase of finished resolutions.
A showcase on a selection of independent design studios and publication designs for the corporate sector aswell as an interview with Marcus Maurer from Keller Maurer Design and Felix Ng from Silnt
FEATURES & INTERVIEWS
commercial sector
9
Design for the commercial sector
Brogen AverillDE C100 Purple HazeDE DesignUnitDK Glasfurd & WalkerCA MainstudioNL Modern PublicityUK Non-formatNO SeaUK SilntSG TerritoryUK Three60AU TstoFL
Commercial Sector
territory
PROFILE
PROJECT
StudioMakgill is an independent design studio. We work with businesses and cultural organisations, large and small. Our focus is on the creation of brand identities and visual communication for a broad and discerning clientele.
We worked alongside the studio’s Design Director to produce a book that showcased the team’s work over the past two years.
Our philosophy is simple: to create succinct, innovative, beautiful solutions. Solutions that last, that inspire and that enable our clients to realise their ambitions.
Their work is highly confidential, so we developed and styled the book using the concept of a secret dossier with subtle technical details throughout. To encapsulate the secrecy and exclusivity of the work each book was delivered in individually number-stamped envelopes.
www.territorystudio.com
Commercial Sector
sea
PROFILE
PROJECT
SEA are an award-winning brand and design agency, founded in 1997 by Bryan Edmondson and John Simpson.
Colorplan/ GF Smith
Our international reputation for innovative and effective design touches all disciplines, from brand strategy and art direction, identity, interactive and advertising projects.
www.seadesign.co.uk
11
Commercial Sector
mainstudio
PROFILE
PROJECT
Edwin van Gelder is an award winning designer from Amsterdam, the Netherlands. After graduating from from Utrecht School of the Arts in 2004, van Gelder founded Mainstudio and worked under the name ever since.
Magazine like lookbook . Two different paper sorts .
www.mainstudio.com
Commercial Sector
THREE60
PROFILE
PROJECT
Three60 is a young, innovative and award winning creative communications studio based in Melbourne. We service a diverse range of local and international clients ranging from boutique fashion brands to large international corporations
Three60 designed retrospective publication, to not only showcase the highlights of past performances and exhibitions, but to also introduce the new identity and visual direction for the gallery.
www.three60.com.au
13
Commercial Sector
brogen averill
www.thingwebsite.com
Commercial Sector
Modern publicity
www.modernpublicity.com
15
PROFILE
PROJECT
Modern Publicity is a London based design consultancy established by Ken Leung, the founding Art Director of Monocle magazine.
Art direction and design for launch of Tyler Brûlé’s current affairs, business, culture and design title
creative sector
C100 Purple Haze
C100 Purple Haze is a Munich based multidisciplinary design consultancy founded by Christian Hundertmark (C100) and Clemens Baldermann (Purple Haze). The studio’s diverse output included projects for miscellaneous public and private clients on a variety of national and international projects including expertise in conception, art direction, typography, design and illustration. Specialised in delivering inventive and precise visual solutions we approach each project with enthusiasm, dedicated hands, and an individual style which is evident in our works.
PROJECT Siren Magazine — Magazine Art Direction, design and illustration for a Magazine. Limited to 100 copies. Hand bounded and printed on various coloured paper grades. With guest contributions by Vier5 and photographer Andreas Hosch, who shot an exclusive photo series including the cover theme.
www.c100purplehaze.com
Commercial Sector
non-format
PROFILE
PROJECT
Kjell Ekhorn and Jon Forss have worked together as the creative direction & design team Non-Format since 2000. They work on a range of projects including art direction,design, illustration and custom typography for arts & culture, music industry, fashion and advertising clients. They have art directed the independent music monthly The Wire and also Varoom: the journal of illustration and made images.
The Sanahunt Times Sanahunt 2010-2011 Art direction, custom typography and design of the bi-monthly fashion newspaper for Sanahunt Luxury Concept Store, Kiev, Ukraine
www.non-format.com
17
Commercial Sector
tsto
PROFILE
PROJECT
Tsto is a multidisciplinary creative agency serving in fields of graphic design, creative direction and consultancy in both digital and printed media.
We Are Helsinki is a free city magazine. It is published six times a year and distributed to nearly 200 distribution spots in Helsinki. In connection with our redesign of We Are Helsinki, the magazine grew in content as well. New sections include the Product Placement spread (a conceptual photographic story connected
www.tsto.org
with the different theme of each issue), the Portfolio section, articles by think tank duo OK-Do, and a follow up series on Helsinki World Design Capital
Commercial Sector
glasfurd & walker
PROFILE
PROJECT
Established in early 2007, Glasfurd & Walker offer multidisciplinary, conceptual and design services and innovative brand communication and design solutions. With each project presenting new challenges and demanding unique outcomes, strategic, idea driven design is key to their approach.
Catalogue for 11.12 Furniture by Jon Goulder exhibition
www.glasfurdandwalker.com
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Interview with Mike Dyer
Remake
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Silnt SILNT (pronounced as si’lent) is a design practice based in the republic of singapore.
FEATURES & INTERVIEWS
commercial sector
Established in March 2005, the studio is made up of two partners, Felix Ng (b.1982) and Germaine Chong (b.1985).
Interview with Felix Ng
www.silnt.com Singapore 17. 03. 2011
COMMERCIAL SECTOR
interview with FELIX NG
What is the design process of your studio when tackling a new project? To strip things down to it’s most basic and simplest form - by removing all the unnecessary items.
How do you see the impact on printed publications with the influence of new technology such as the ipad and ebooks? In a way, print publications have become collectible items. Digital platforms like the iPad, Kindle, etc allow content (music, books, magazines) to be distributed faster and cheaper. Which makes it more accessible than ever. So, in a way, technology has allowed print publications to evolve and spread further.
What do you think is the most important aspect of design, particularly in publication designs? Form follows function. Content comes first. Good design with bad content is still bad. Which project do you feel represents your practice and what Silnt is about most? I would say Bracket (www.brckt. com). It combines both our interest in developing critical content to improve our profession (as well as graphic design (as SILNT). What do you think is the most important attribute for a successful design team? Communication. Who would you say your main type of clients are and how does working for different clients affect the design process and finished design solution(s)? Most of our clients are one way or another related to the creative industry. That helps.
Inspiration: The energy in New York and graciousness of people in Tokyo. Both are important virtues that i feel designers can learn from. To be excited by what you do and to have respect for the person who will use your design
Could you briefly describe the brief, design/ thought process and solution towards this particular project? Bracket was conceived as a publication which covers topics that are rarely talked about but are pivotal in the things we do. As mentioned in question 1, one of the key steps we take with our design is to strip things down. By taking a D.I.Y. approach with the interviews, we remove the distractions of superfluous layouts and allow the contributors answers and personalities to come through. And what you get is an honest look at how these brilliant minds work and what gets them going.
SILNT WWW.SILENT.COM
COMMERCIAL SECTOR
SILNT started in 2005 with 2 partners, 2 macintosh computers and $800. Today, we are still made up of 2 partners with 2 macintosh computers and there are days where we still find ourselves with only $800 in the bank.
Silnt in 2 words: Considerate/ purposeful
interview with FELIX NG
SILNT WWW.SILENT.COM
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COMMERCIAL SECTOR
SILNT BRCKT
WWW.SILENT.COM
COMMERCIAL SECTOR
SILNT BRCKT
WWW.SILENT.COM
25
Interview with Mike Dyer
Remake
27
DesignUnit
FEATURES & INTERVIEWS
commercial sector
Designunit is a creative fashion and branding agency, founded in 2006. The agency is experienced in defining and building brands and creating intelligent, strategic campaigns and marketing solutions for our clients.
Interview with Kristina Schouborg
www.designunit.dk Denmark 25. 05. 2011
COMMERCIAL SECTOR
interview with design unit
www.designunit.dk
COMMERCIAL SECTOR
interview with design unit
www.designunit.dk
29
What is the design process when tackling a new project? 1. Brainstorming and workshops on ideas. 2. Choosing the right elements, creating moodboards from these and integrate the trends of the time. 3. Meeting with the client presenting the plan, getting to an agreement. 4. Next, preparing the production. Getting hands on photographs, stylists, the location etc. 5. At last; implementation.
breadth of fresh and interesting design work predominantly within the fashion industry, how did you come across working for this specialist sector? What is the studio’s relationship with your clients? How does working for different types of clients affect the design process? Pure interest. Jesper and Majbritt has always made fashion. From the very begining. Our relationship with the clients is very important. We only have clients that we like and have good communication with. This makes our work better. Better dialog, better result. To have many different clients give us a good experience. At every project we get better, and the fact that we specialize make us stronger.
What do you think is the most important aspect of design, particularly in publication designs? For us it’s the compleet result. The graphic only works well when printet on the right paper. The style of layout only works with the right pictures ect. Which project do you feel represents your practice and what DesignUnit is about most? Definitely the magazine DANSK. Because of the estethics. That the graphic design is there for a reason – not only to ”make noice”. A white page can be as good as tons of text. Could you briefly describe the brief, design/ thought process and solution towards this particular project? Making DANSK we start by choosing the style of the layout. Then typography, esthetics and design. We let the images ”make noice” and the text stay clean and identical. Besides that we have editorial meetings choosing the style of the writting ect. What do you think is the most important attribute for a successful design team? Cooporation. To respect each others compentences and opinions. To be able to give and take. Your website showcases a strong
Key words that you would use to define the practice of DesignUnit Good design is as little design as possible. We don’t want to make noice with our work. Probably a very danish appoach. How do you see the impact on printed publications with the influence of new technology such as the ipad and ebooks? We like printet puplications, but it’s great with all the new options. We arn’t scared of it. We like to keep the books but to integrate our design in new technology. It’s interesting.
What influences/inspires you as a design studio? People around us and every-daylife. Trips, books, film, music are of course great for inspiration but we believe it’s important to be in presence and notice what’s around us.
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A showcase on a selection of independent design studios and publication designs for the corporate sector aswell as an interview with Mike Dyer from Remake.
FEATURES & INTERVIEWS
CORPORATE SECTOR
Design for the corporate sector 2brUK ArtivaIT BibliothèqueUK CoöpAU HeydaysNO Keller Maurer DesignDE MarqueUK NjenworksUS RemakeUS Studio Laucke SiebeinNL Studio MakgillUK Studio VerseAU TokoAU Two PointsES Your FriendsNL
Corporate sector
Artiva
PROFILE
PROJECT
Artiva Design is a creative studio located in Genoa (Italy) since 2003.
Energy Company corporate identity styleguide.
Artiva’s work is based on the interest of two designers, Daniele De BattÊ and Davide Sossi, in visual art, graphics, illustration and multimedia. In 2007 they started a sideproject called Take Shape, creating a vast choice of high quality patterns for different applications.
WWW.artiva.it
Corporate sector
Bibliothèque
www.bibliothequedesign.com
33
PROFILE
PROJECT
Bibliothèque are a London based design consultancy. We produce effective and captivating design solutions that are underpinned by conceptual thinking, meticulous attention to detail and innovative production. Please contact us if you would like to know more.
The MFI Padua project was launched in a selection of stores as a change to MFI’s strategic direction, retail proposition and customer experience. Bibliothèque were commissioned to produce a Brand Book to articulate the new positioning initiative and outline MFI’s brand portfolio.
Corporate sector
heydays
PROFILE
PROJECT
Heydays is an Oslo-based design studio specialized in printed media, creative direction and graphic design. Works include corporate identities, books, magazines, interactive websites, packaging and more.
Annual report for Anthon B Nilsen, an over 100 years old company that operates in the fields of property, education and recycling. What a man carry in his pockets can tell a lot about a person, and Anton B Nilsens largest resource is their employees, the individuals behind the scene. Documenting the company
www.heydays.info
from the inside by showing their emplyees belongings, rather than just their faces, we learn to know the company at a personal level. Print finishing includes black foil blocking and mainly recycled paper stocks. Art direction and design in collaboration with Martine Holmsen and Berit Bakkerud at Plastelina.
Corporate sector
2br
PROFILE
PROJECT
Studio 2br is an independent design consultancy working with clients in the UK, Europe and the US.
Ernst & Young 2010
We provide large organisations with clear thinking, plain speaking and graphic design craft.
www.2br.com
35
Corporate sector
marque
www.marquecreative.com
PROFILE
PROJECT
Marque is a branding consultancy with a contemporary view of the world who work collectively across studios. The branding division of Starworks Group, our specialisations are positioning, identity and communications.
Marque have developed an Institutional Style Manual and Guidelines for Edinburgh, London and New York fund managers, Baillie Gifford. Baillie Gifford is one of the UK’s leading independently owned investment management firms with assets under management exceeding £40 billion. The document was created to help build a coherent look and feel for the organization and develop a new communications strategy and visual identity system for Baillie Gifford.
Ultimately it has resulted in a wider set of design and brand choices for Baillie Gifford when producing new communications for their clients and the public – and ultimately result in maintaining a clear, unified and consistent voice. Marque’s digital team also played an integral consultancy role on the systems development for the automation of reports and data visualization and also developed the online blog for the firm.
Corporate sector
Coöp
PROFILE Coöp is the studio of designer Paul Marcus Fuog. Since opening in 2004, Coöp has undertaken a variety of projects ranging from small art-based briefs to expansive design contracts. Positivity and experimentation are at the core of the studio’s practise. Constraints are explored in optimistic and creative ways resulting in inventive new directions. Coöp’s work is always current and often personal informed by observation and a curiosity of contemporary cul
www.co-oponline.net.au
37
PROJECT ture. Collaboration with other designers is a constant source of renewal and inspiration. Pride and passion drive design innovation.
A layered corporate identity for mid-sized architectural studio, 1.1 Architects, consisting of a three-dimensional mark, logo, typography, colour, photography and written language. The collaborative practice was interpreted through the mark which was based on the geometric principles of the
tesseract where imagination and varying inputs can create many possible outcomes. Unique in its three-dimensional form the picture mark referenced the process of architecture planned, sketch and complete upon construction.
Corporate sector
Studio Makgill
PROFILE
PROJECT
StudioMakgill is an independent design studio. We work with businesses and cultural organisations, large and small. Our focus is on the creation of brand identities and visual communication for a broad and discerning clientele.
The GPC Visa (Government Procurement Card) is one of the most successful government purchasing card programmes in the world.
Our philosophy is simple: to create succinct, innovative, beautiful solutions. Solutions that last, that inspire and that enable our clients to realise their ambitions.
Continuing from the previous years report, we maintained the graphical approach to the statistics. Concerned that the document could easily end up feeling too cold and remote, we created full-page illustrations that instantly gave a strong visual impression of the key facts.
www.studiomakgill.com
Corporate sector
Studio Laucke Siebein
PROFILE
PROJECT
Studio Laucke Siebein is a design studio based in Amsterdam and Berlin. Its focus is on creative strategy, dynamic identities, graphic, book and web design within the scope of cultural and commercial projects.
SNS Reaal Fonds Annual report and series of invitations
www.studio-laucke.com
39
Corporate sector
two points
PROFILE
PROJECT
TwoPoints.Net was founded in 2007 with the aim to do exceptional design work. Work that is tailored to our clients needs, work that excites our clients customers, work that hasn’t been done before, work that does more than work.
HDL Publication Apart from the stationery, these three booklets are among the first items to which the new visual identity of the Helsinki Design Lab has been applied. Each of the booklets compiles information on different subjects. The booklets were handed to the participants
www.twopoints.net
of the HDL workgroups so they would all be on the same page when starting their work. The booklets were designed in very short time, which was possible due to the detailed definition of the visual identity system documented in the manual.
Corporate Sector corporate sector
Your friends toko
PROFILE
PROJECT
Toko is a multifaceted creative practice committed and driven by passion.
The Hague in Facts and Figures
Formerly based in Rotterdam, The Netherlands and since 2008 permanently operating out of Sydney, Australia. It’s creative output can be appreciated through their extensive portfolio of work realized for both national and international clients in a diverse range of fields.
When approached by the city of The Hague to design the DSO 2003 annual report we took the opportunity to explore and push the aesthetic boundaries of the conventional graph and turned all the graphs, including the content page, into works of abstract ‘art’.
www.yourfriends.no www.toko.nu
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Corporate sector
Studio verse
PROFILE
PROJECT
Studio Verse is a Melbourne based design studio. Specialising in typography, branding and print we hold experience in the disciplines of publication, brand identity, poster production, packaging, multimedia design and art-direction.
Profile Kitchen’s approached Studio Verse to assist in complete branding for this new kitchen start-up. Creating a name, identity and in-store branding, the brand guidelines reflect the honest price-point of Profile which is geared at a younger market.
www.studioverse.com.au
Corporate sector
Your friends
PROFILE
PROJECT
Your Friends is an Oslo based graphic design studio, founded by Carl Gürgens and Henrik Fjeldberg. We work in different fields of graphic design and develop solutions for identities, posters, music packaging, book design, editorial design, typefaces, exhibitions, curation etc. Our work is focused around both commercial and self-initiated projects, specializing in print.
Studenthåndbok 10/11 “ABC” Kunsthøgskolen i Oslo. ABC is a book helping students getting familiar with their school, rules and regulations upon starting their study year. Oslo National Academy of the Arts moved to new facilities this year and all courses are now situated in the same building. Glossy paper was used throughout, and we included a section highlighting the architectural qualities of the building, which relates to the rough feel on the cover.
www.yourfriends.no
The large industrial window, which is embossed on the cover, is one of the most essential architectural details and gives a good impression of the qualities of the building. The content was conveyed by working with hierarchies highlighting the most important parts of the texts and thus helping navigation and importance.
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Design shapes the world around us and mediates our experience of that world. Good graphic design is a powerful factor in improving the quality of communication and the visual environment in general. It can meaningfully influence how a corporation builds its image, how a nonprofit connects with its constituency, or how a person navigates a city. Successful design eschews the ephemeral and the trite; it connects with people in a fundamental way. We believe in clear, inspiring design with integrity and substance. We aspire to timeless design that is rooted in critical thinking and context, but that is also the product of an engaged dialogue — a dialogue with our clients, and, ultimately, with their audiences.
FEATURES & INTERVIEWS
corporate sector
Remake
Interview with Mike Dyer
www.remake.com New York City, America 17. 03. 2011
CORPORATE SECTOR
interview with mike dyer
remake www.remake.com
What is the design process when tackling a new project? I think our process is, broadly speaking, fairly consistent from project to project, and fairly typical. First, we always meet with our clients to discuss their objectives, their thoughts, their audience, and their content. We try to do this in as much depth as possible. We then often focus on independent research and information-gathering to augment the discussions with our client. Once this is complete we begin design ideation and sketching, which is usually a very broad, iterative process, resulting in many directions. We then begin to narrow down the best ideas and refine them further until we have something that is resolved enough to present. This process of taking rough ideas and working on them, over and over, is usually the most demanding, time-consuming, and rewarding. About half the time we later make adjustments to the presented design after reviewing it with our client, and, finally, we implement and produce the work.
What do you think is the most important aspect of design, particularly in publication designs? There is no single formal aspect that can be isolated and deemed most important - they are totally interdependent and their prominence in a given hierarchy would change somewhat on each project. That the design is developed by people who are intelligent, that the content is good and sound, and that the relationship with the client is a productive one and for a good, common goal - these are the the fundamentals that are most important. Which project do you feel represents your practice and what Remake is about most? I don’t think any one project necessarily represents Remake more clearly than the others - I think the practice is more about the aggregate body of work. Although I do feel some projects are simply better than others. The 2010 Design Awards program that we designed for the American Institute of Architects was a strong, systematic piece of work, for example.
Could you briefly describe the brief, design/ thought process and solution towards this particular project? This was the second time that we designed this prestigious architectural award program’s visual identity, print materials, and exhibition system. The key was in developing a conceptually relevant visual language that was both flexible and identifiable across many varied applications. It had to be very scalable, and feel purposeful in many different contexts. The design addressed this by placing typography in a dimensional space suggested by a framework of thin lines. The lines were meant to connote building as a process, scaffolding, or perhaps architectural sketches of planes and junctions. The typography fitted into this linear framework in a way that could be different on every single piece, but was always instantly recognizable. Exploiting the production processes of each application also helped to underscore the materiality of the design. So on print pieces we often used a tinted spot varnish to heighten the quality of spatial depth,
CORPORATE SECTOR
interview with mike dyer
and we correspondingly specified a high-gloss paint to contrast with a matte paint in the exhibition. The exhibition translated the linear graphic as a physically extruded system where the lines became “shelves” into which project boards were inserted. Arriving at this solution was a constant process of refinement and of knowing when to say when, and when to push thing further.
How do you see the impact on printed publications with the influence of new technology such as the ipad and ebooks? I think that the influence, in terms of what these formats have done to books, has been profound and incredibly negative. I fall into the category of people who find iPads, ebooks, and other similar devices rather pointless and unsatisfying when it comes to experiencing books. Beyond this there is a more general cultural critique involved. Much of what is wrong with our world can be attributed, in a very broad sense, to the alienation between us (people) and that which we create and consume. This goes for the food we eat, the cars we drive, the cellphones we talk on, and the energy sources upon which we are totally reliant. We are alienated both physically and psychologically from most objects (even when they are spatially near), their meaning, their lifespans, their value, their utility, and their consequences. Digitizing books adds to this problem by alienating us from books and the experiences they transmit the quality of the experience suffers, but the relationship with the physical object, with the author and his or her thoughts, is affected too. At all levels alienations should be resisted. Books are too important to allow to die digitization reduces them to a cold, alienated shadow of what they once were. Understanding physical objects and their places in our lives is part of curing the state of things, and books have been one of the few objects that we, as a civilization, have created that have done more good than harm in the long run. For that fact alone they should be defended.
What do you think is the most important attribute for a successful design team? Again, I find it very difficult to isolate a single trait. In terms of a team, paradoxically, the single most important element might be diversity. Your website showcases a strong breadth of fresh and interesting design work with a various range, materials and disciplines. Who would you say your main type clients are? How do you think working for different clients affect the design process and ultimately the finish design solution(s)? Remake really works with all scales and types of clients, and this broad scope is part of what keeps the work interesting. We do tend to work with a number of architects and arts organizations, for example, but we also work with fashion clients, manufacturing clients, retail clients, etc and I’d prefer to keep it a heterogeneous mix. Our process does have to adapt a little from client to client, but I try to keep the basic steps of the process as consistent as possible. The inputs (client, audience, content, objectives, etc) are where the real variety is introduced. The process is and should be the process.
remake www.remake.com
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Remake in 5 words: Critical/ process/ rigor/ refinement/ clarity
Inspiration: The biggest influences for me personally are interesting thinkers, writers, artists, and architects. I am less interested in graphic design, but there is, of course, some excellent graphic design being done, especially in Germany and Switzerland. These are all positive influences; there are negative influences as well. The relative disorder of everyday life encourages me to seek ordered design solutions, in order to introduce that back into the world around me - even if just a drop. The cheapness and disposability of much design encourages me to resist transient or fashionable solutions that will date quickly or last for only a limited amount of time. Your entire life is an influence on your work, of both positive and negative factors; it’s this way with everyone.
featured work design awards
CORPORATE SECTOR
remake www.remake.com
2010 Design Awards 18
Architecture Honor
Knut Hamsun Center Hamarøy, Norway
Nordland Fylkeskommune Steven Holl Architects With Guy Nordenson and Associates, Landskapsfabrikken, L’Observatoire International, LY Arkitekter, Rambøll Norge, Skanska Norge AS, and Veidekke AS
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The Architecture category recognizes design excellence across multiple building typologies and for various scales of work. This category of completed architecture includes new buildings, restoration, preservation and adaptive reuse.
featured work design awards
CORPORATE SECTOR
remake www.remake.com
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Design by Remake
AIA New York
Design Awards Architecture Interiors Urban Design Un-built Work
Schedule
05 Feb 2010
6:00pm
Submission Deadline (Fees and full online submission due)
01 Mar 2010
6:00pm
Winners Announced at Design Awards Jury Symposium
14 Apr 2010
11:30am
Design Awards Luncheon at Cipriani Wall Street
15 Apr 2010
6:00pm
Design Awards Exhibition Opening For submission instructions and more information, visit www.aiany.org/awards
Keller Maurer Design Munich
construct delete structure shape control adapt compose order recommend comment collate understand visualise develop listen consider learn research think ahead invent combine love hate express add indicate save deďŹ ne plan mediate detail reassure clarify differentiate name change promote explain distinguish imagine look communicate merge search refer modify produce ďŹ nd solve create help simplify
design
Keller Maurer Design is a graphic design consultancy based in Munich. Formed in 2002 by Martina Keller and Marcus Maurer after working several years abroad, we have over 16 years of experience in delivering design of the highest standards. Our approach to communication is one of simplicity and clarity, allowing us to create content-driven, original and relevant design strategies for our clients. While placing an emphasis on creativity we have a pragmatic outlook in finding intelligent design solutions that really work. We work across a wide range of disciplines and media with a tailored network of specialists and partners.
name excite write rewrite make sense explore resolve illustrate study compare choose arrange enlighten read
FEATURES & INTERVIEWS
corporate sector
Keller Maurer Design
Interview with Marcus Maurer
www.km-d.com Berlin, Germany 17. 03. 2011
corporate sector
interview with marcus maurer
keller maurer design www.km-d.com
What is the design process when tackling a new project? When we start a new project we usually follow a design process which we have used for quite some time and adjust it to the individual requirements of the job. This design process is based on several stages. It helps not only us in tackling the project especially if it is a large project, but it also makes our work and the way we approach the project for clients more understandable.
Stage 5 Production monitoring Overseeing litho and proofs Production coordination Press passes Coordination of delivery/dispatch Checking finished products
Could you just briefly describe the brief, design and thought process towards this particular project? There was no briefing from the client. We hardly ever get proper briefings and in most cases we have to write briefings ourselves. However there was a clear set of functions the requested brochure had to fullfill: communicate the place in the best way possible and cover all important facts. This would typically be an image brochure.
Stage 1 Research, planning Start up meeting Questionnaire Defining the contact persons Briefing Research/Information gathering Review of existing material Adapting the brief Draft of objectives and goals Setting up the timeline Stage 2 Initial concepts, design Defining the key messages Photography and illustration research Detailed draft of the creative strategy and design concept Development of basic elements and design parameters Design and layout of initial concepts Exemplary design of various media Review meeting and presentation Stage 3 Design execution and finalisation Adjustment of stage 2 Artdirection of photography/illustration Copy writing Development of designs with specific content for all media Detailed presentation Selection of suppliers Stage 4 Artwork Execution in all details Correction phases Artwork Specification for print production or programming Transfer to production house
What do you think is the most important aspect of design, particularly in publication designs? The most important aspect is understanding the content. If you don’t understand what you will be designing it will not work. Secondly you must get a sense for what your client wants to achieve and how you can transfer his message into a visual language. Thirdly you have to communicate your initial ideas in a way so that clients will trust you and see the logical reasons behind your design. Which project do you feel represents your practice and what Keller Maurer? The work we do is mostly corporate and often quite specialised in a particular field like the development of corporate design manuals or corporate design management. We also do culturally related projects from time to time. However the project we have chosen is a brochure for a seminar centre, Schloss Hohenkammer, a client we have worked for several years. We developed the corporate design in 2008 and have since designed all kinds of communication material in print, online and 3D. Schloss Hohenkammer is an old castle north of Munich which is owned by Munich Re, one of our clients. The restoration of the property and the construction of new buildings make this place a worldclass seminar centre. Our corporate design and communication reflects the exceptional quality and the visionary approach of this place. The set of brochures we have chosen is interesting as it covers a lot of disciplines like copy writing, photography and printing. Also we think it’s typical for us in its clarity, elegance and straight-forwardness.
This was not what we had in mind, though. We wanted to do something a bit more interesting so it could stand out. First we had a magazine in mind, but we soon realised that the client was not willing to generate new content as often as we hoped. That’s why we approached it differently. We split the content in several parts, temporary information like prices or rooms and long-term content like architecture and philosophy. By this process a conceptual and visual structure developed which guided the following design. The set consists of four leaflets which fold down to third A4, a main brochure in A5 and a folder which can hold all this plus a business card. The brochure is designed in two formats, text pages on third A4 and image pages in A5. By separating both parts we were able to have stunning full bleed images without any type but still have accompanying text. The overall small format makes the brochure not only easy to mail and keep but also rather unusual compared to similar brochures by competitors. The next steps were to commission photography and select a copy writer. We already had some photography from earlier shootings which we could use and it was important that the new material covered certain aspects we were missing. The copy writer is someone we have worked with a couple of times before. The final brochure is printed on sustainable uncoated stock and uses matt silver foil-blocking.
corporate sector
interview with marcus maurer
What do you think is the most important attribute for a successful design team? Never do work you wouldn’t want to be identified with. Sometimes you have to be able to say no if the client or the project doesn’t seem right. We get most of our work by recommendation through projects we have done in the past. So it’s really important to do outstanding work.
your time with them. However we managed to find a few smaller clients that are very open to bold design solutions and are great to work with although budgets are often tight.
Every project we do has to at least fullfill two of the following criteria: 1. It’s an interesting project 2. It’s a nice client 3. It’s well paid and profitable You seem to have worked on a number of projects for a range of different types of clients ranging from corporate companies to culturally driven exhibitions; from your experience, how does your design process adapt to the demands of different types of clients? Are all clients the same? Do you have any ideal clients you’d like to work for? Our projects and clients are very different. Even the corporate clients of course differ a lot since some are very large corporations and others are small companies. But that’s never been a problem or an issue. You just have to be able to adapt to the expectations. Large corporations are fixated on process so you have to always step very carfully. Often politics are more important than design. At the same time you’re able to realise large projects once you have got everyone on board. Smaller corporate clients are sometimes quite clueless and you have to explain a lot and take
The cultural projects demand a totally different thinking than corporate work and that’s exatly why we do them. They are payed badly and they take time. Cultural clients or artists can sometimes be difficult to deal with. But in the end you’re able to realise projects that add spice. Tibor Kalman said: “Good clients are smarter than you.” I think that’s true. How do you see the impact on printed publications with the influence of new technology such as the ipad and ebooks? New technology like the iPad will lessen the importance of printed media which is bad news for printers but not for designers. I don’t think print will die but both types of media will coexist next to each other for quite some time. Designers shouldn’t be too fixated on the technology. Technology can change, the rules for visual language will always remain the same no matter what the medium is. You just have to be open to change and the way how one approaches projects. What influences/inspires you as a design studio? Art, architecture and science in general Books of all kinds Modernist designers London My kids
keller maurer design www.km-d.com
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corporate sector
featured work Schloss Hohenkammer
keller maurer design www.km-d.com
corporate sector
featured work Schloss Hohenkammer
keller maurer design www.km-d.com
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A showcase on a selection of independent design studios and publication designs for the creative sector aswell as an interview with James Littlewood, co founder of Design Project, Chris Ng, director of IdN Magazine, Matt Squires from Umlaut and Nicolas Bourquin, founder of Onlab.
FEATURES & INTERVIEWS
CREATIVE SECTOR
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Design for the creative sector
BuildUK Design ProjectUK Designer’s RepublicUK HelmoFR IdN MagazineHK NodeDE OnlabDE Project ProjectsUS Publshed by ProcessAU SpinUK Studio BraveAU SundriesFR UmlautSE Unit EditionsUK
CREATIVE SECTOR
BUILD
PROFILE
PROJECT
We believe in the importance of intelligent design, the integrity of original design, and the virtue of beautiful design. We believe exceptional design is all of these things. And this is what makes people take notice.
‘Trvl’ supplement for IDEA [issue 290] magazine Japan.
WWW.WEAREBUILD.COM
CREATIVE SECTOR
published by process
PROFILE
PROJECT
Founded in 2009, Published by Process is the Melbourne-based publisher of quarterly publication Process Journal and other various design publications. Process is dedicated to capturing beautiful work in print, stepping back and allowing the design to do the talking. Published by Process proudly supports the Australian design industry and all publications are printed and produced to the highest possible standards on Australian supplied paper stock in Melbourne, Australia.
Process: 4.5 Essay and Conversation with Radim Peško by Brad Haylock, Type specimens of Replica (Norm) , Theinhardt (François Rappo) Tiempos (Klim Type Foundry), and Graphik (Christian Schwartz) as well as responses from Brett Phillips (3 Deep Design), Michael C. Place (Build), Mason Wells (Bibliothèque), Tom Crabtree (Manual), Tony Brook (Spin) and more.
www.publishedbyprocess.com
Size: 32pp 250mm x 360mm Production Process: 1 Colour Newsprint Stock: 70gsm Marathon Bond
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CREATIVE SECTOR
sundries
PROFILE
PROJECT
Sundries is a graphic design studio established in 2010 by Julien Hourcade.The studio works in cultural and commercial fields and specializes in editorial design.
Collection L’écriture photographique
WWW.SUNDRIES.FR
CREATIVE SECTOR
helmo
PROFILE
PROJECT
Thomas Couderc Clément Vauchez
Gaîté lyrique
www.helmo.fr
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CREATIVE SECTOR
project projects
PROFILE
PROJECT
Project Projects is a design studio focusing on print, identity, exhibition, and interactive work with clients in art and architecture. The studio was founded in 2004 by Prem Krishnamurthy and Adam Michaels; Rob Giampietro joined as a principal in 2010.
Project Projects co-curated (with Elizabeth Thomas) and designed this comprehensive book on the 30-year history of Berkeley Art Museum’s MATRIX project series; the book itself constitutes MATRIX Project #229. Presenting archival documents, ephemera, and images in addition to newlycommissioned interviews, the resulting 560-page volume reflects the experience of navigating an archive. Throughout the program’s three decades, each MATRIX show had a corresponding brochure produced; the book systematically presents each brochure as thumbnails throughout the book, as a focused means of tracking historical changes in design, technology, and institutions.
www.projectprojects.com
CREATIVE SECTOR
project projects
www.projectprojects.com
63
CREATIVE SECTOR
unit editions x spin
PROFILE Unit Editions is a new, progressive publishing venture producing high-quality, affordable books on graphic design and visual culture. We combine impeccable design and production standards with insightful texts and informative commentaries on a wide range of subjects. Unit Editions is a collaboration between Tony Brook (Spin) and Adrian Shaughnessy (ShaughnessyWorks) and brings the notion of the book as a highly designed artefact with rich visual and textual content to an international
audience of design professionals, design students and followers of visual culture. Unit Editions produces books for graphic designers by graphic designers.
www.uniteditions.com www.spin.co.uk PROJECT
Specification
Wim Crouwel Catalogue
152 x 230mm 144 pages Paperback (3 different covers)
A pioneer of the new modernity, Crouwel’s early work anticipated the current computer era, and caught the sprit of early space age futurism. His programmatic approach to graphic design, his innovative use of grid systems, and his hunger for typographic experimentation, is as relevant today as it was when he first began working as a graphic designer in the 1950s.
CREATIVE SECTOR
studio brave
PROFILE
PROJECT
Studio Brave is a design studio driven by brand identity and visual communication that differentiates.
Marc Buckner Photo
www.studiobrave.com.au
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CREATIVE SECTOR
the designer’s republic
PROFILE
PROJECT
The Designers Republic was a graphic design studio, founded on 14 July 1986 by Ian Anderson, and based in Sheffield, England. It was known for its anti-establishment aesthetics, while simultaneously embracing brash consumerism and the uniform style of corporate brands, such as Orange and Coca-Cola.
The Designer’s Republic Vs IDEA
www.thedesignersrepublic.com
CREATIVE SECTOR
node
PROFILE
PROJECT
NODE is a Berlin and Oslo based graphic design studio, founded in 2003 by Anders Hofgaard and Serge Rompza. The studio works for international clients and on self initiated projects across various media. The Oslo office was established in 2010, with Dag Henning Brandsæter and Andreas Rød Skilhagen. Vladimir Llovet Casademont was part of the Berlin office from 2007-2010.
The Auto-Kino! book features combined stills from more than 100 titles by some 70 artists, surrounding the program and texts relating to the installation at Temporäre Kunsthalle. A perforation allows any page, including the cover, to be ripped out of the catalogue.
www.nodeberlin.com
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Interview with Mike Dyer
Remake
69
IdN Magazine
FEATURES & INTERVIEWS
CREATIVE SECTOR
IdN (International designers’ Network) is an international publication for creative people on a mission to amplify and unify the design community. It is devoted to bringing designers from around the globe together to communicate with, learn from and inspire one another. It has truly become what the initials of its title proclaim it to be — an international designers’ network.
Interview with Chris Ng
www.idnworld.com Hong Kong, China 17. 03. 2011
creative sector
interview with Chris ng
idn magazine www.idnworld.com
creative sector
interview with Chris ng
What do you think is the most important aspect of design, particularly in publication designs? Content is king. Good publication design accentuates the works of artists and creators.
IdN magazine seems to experiment with different print processes and special finishes such as embossing, spot varnish and numerous different stocks for each issue, how was this realised? Our boss is from a graphic arts background. He is very knowledgable about printing procedures & paper stocks.
Which issue of IdN magazine do you feel represents your practice and what IdN is about most clearly? The next issue. Could you just briefly describe the brief, design and thought process towards this particular issue? We’re looking for the most progressive and interesting selection of art that is happening in streets around the globe.
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How do you see the impact on printed publications with the influence of new technology such as the ipad and ebooks? Although eBooks and APPS are the inevitable future.... print will still be around. The scarcity of printed media will make them even more valuable.
What do you think is the most important/unique attribute of IdN magazine that sets it apart from other design magazines? We care about what we print. We are not advertising supported. We have no marketing team. All resources are dedicated to making the magazine.
Inspiration: We are fascinated by beautiful things, and the people who created them. We are equally fascinated by the art of printing, where new generations of designers are not too in touch with.
creative sector
FEATURED WORK IdN v18n2: Street Art Issue
idn magazine www.idnworld.com
creative sector
FEATURED WORK IdN v18n2: Street Art Issue
idn magazine www.idnworld.com
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creative sector
FEATURED WORK IdN v18n2: Street Art Issue
idn magazine www.idnworld.com
creative sector
FEATURED WORK IdN v18n2: Street Art Issue
Specification 102 pages 6 varying paper stocks 4C process + flourenscent pantone + vanish
idn magazine www.idnworld.com
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Interview with Mike Dyer
Remake
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Design Project Design Project have a history of creating distinctive visual communications that deliver outstanding results for clients in industry, the service sector, media and the arts.
FEATURES & INTERVIEWS
CREATIVE SECTOR
Across brand identity, print and digital media, our multi-disciplinary approach ensures that every project, regardless of scale or budget, results in a functional, effective and crafted solution that fulfils the communication objectives of the client.
Interview with James Littlewoord
www.designproject.co.uk Leeds. United Kingdom 29. 02. 2011
creative sector
interview with james littlewood
design project www.designproject.co.uk
What is the design & thought process of your studio when tackling a new project?
In a designer’s point of view, what the main thing that draws your attention into publications? I supposed it’s subject matter and your physical relationship with it, you know, what it feels like, what size it is, what’s it made of, what the visual aesthetics of it, but primarily it’s the subject, am I interested in the subject.? From my personal designers perspective, I might be interested in a book that is of a subject that I’ve got no interest in purely because of some design reason. I mean that’s why we collect all bits and pieces of ephemera because we’re not looking at those because we like booklets on gardening tips, it’s because there’s something in there in terms of either content, or aesthetics or format or process that we find of interest. So as I suppose with publications initially it’s am I interested in the subject? Does it look interesting, does it look engaging, I’m sort of building a physical relationship with it in some ways because that’s what books are about, you have a very hands on relationship with it as an object. But key things is subject matter.
Number of projects for printeres clients, how does this differ to other design work. It just means that you’ve got a little bit more room with mouvrering in terms of doing something that’s a bit more visually challenging because you communicate into a very visually literate audience. The difficult thing about it is that you’ve just got to be careful that your message is very clear and straightfoward. You can be a little bit more creative and challenging with it in terms of the information, but your central information needs to be incredibly straightforward, and that allows you to be a bit more expressive with it. The other thing I suppose working with paper companies and design related organisations is that if you want to do something good you kind of need to avoid cliches, one thing we do is that we always avoid looking at / we avoid solutions that you can deam as being anyway current trend lead, so we look for inspiration from other places to try and make something as original as it can be I suppose.
It’s the same with any project, it’s understanding what needs to be communicated, you’ve got to understand what the route of the problem is because that’s what visual communication is. The more you can distil that down and understand the heart of the problem then you can use that as the starting point for creating some kind of response to it. It’s actually very rare that you’ll get a formal brief from a client, they’ll just come to you and you’ll have a meeting, you’ll sit down and talk about the project, but they don’t sit down and talk bout a project in terms of design, but what they need to do, in terms of we need to get this message out to a certain customer, or a book on a certain kind of subject, ths is what needs to go into it, this is the market we’re aiming at etc. You know, basic questions really that come up that are a discussion point, and that’s where as a designer you’ve got to bleed the information out of the client as to what you know in order to set your parameter to determining what you see the brief as being. Important aspect of desiging for publications? It’s encapsulating the tone of the publication, what it’s market is, what it’s use is, again very basic straightforward things.
Which project do you feel represents Design Project? It’s a book that catalogues a project that was put together by an artist collective called Proto Academy. Threre’s a number of artists involved in the collective which is called proto academy. The book is sort of split up into individiaul artsist responses to the subject of privacy.
Could you list a few keywords to define Design Project? Considered, methodical, interesting, crafted, something that works
creative sector
interview with james littlewood
How do you see the impact on digital to printed publications? I think it is going to change, but that change hasn’t taken place yet, if you’re talking about specifically digital platforms for books, that’s pretty much all they’re doing at the minute, just re-presenting text in a digital format and putting it on a device that’s dead easy to carry around like an ipod is for music. You can see what the ipod has done to the music industry and the fact that what the internet has added into that in terms of free transfer of information and all that kind of thing. I think it’ll be interesting what it does to books but my gut reaction at the minute is that it’s not going to replace them, the industry needs to evolve and it needs to settle on what kind of books or publications are most suitable for that kind of format. Until we’re at the point where new content is generated specifically for those platforms it’s difficult to say where it’s going, but i think that’s something that’s going to be lead as time goes on, but people of mine as probably
your generation , there won’t be a cut off where books aren’t going to be printed anymore, because / I think they’re going to have to work harder in terms of design, materials, in terms of everything that goes into them, I think you see it, if you go to look at the art sections in Waterstones, there’s some real elaborate books appearing because you’ll need to give people a reason to buy. People buy books to put them on shelves, people who are into books just love the look, the feel, the smell and everything about them, you don’t get that from stroking your ipod. I think it’ll be interesting to see what happens.
design project www.designproject.co.uk
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creative sector
featured work privacy
design project www.designproject.co.uk
With that job specifically we were given a whole mix of info that has no design aesthetics attached to it, there was no structure at all so it was entirely up to us to put something together to present this subject of privacy and the response that these artists gave we had to put into some kind of format that communicated. So we started off by analysing the information that was given, we started to realise that some of it was visual content, some of it was written content, and we then had to formulate a way to put that together in some kind of cohesive manner that presented the subject to the world really. With this project, we had to come up with a visual theme for it because the book’s made up of different artist’ response to the central subject of the book, so we had to do something that blanketted that, and also gave a distinct visual appearance to the book so we came up with this. There’s a couple of ideas in there really, one is this central theme on the cover with these two overlapping circles which was then used throughout the book to punctuate the different sections of the book, so it appears in the cover, it appears in the back cover and everytime you see those circles inside the book you realise that it’s denoting a section to the book. So just getting into the specifics of that, we took the idea of using patterns from the inside of security envelopes. So we took the idea that they’re shielding private information and we like the idea of representing those in a different way so we got a load of different types of envelopes that had these different patterns on them, redrew
the patterns and then overprinted them on top of each other so you get these crazy patterns in different colours, so eventhough it looks like there is a very graphic design type of response, theres something that is very much part o the central theme of the book in the patterns, so we kept the typography very discreet, we liked the idea that the ISBN is almost like a private number for the book. The other thing that we took into consideration with that one is that because its an artist book, we didn’t want it to look like some kind of formal reading noval, or just some book full of photographs and boring texts, so the text is broken up and animated in terms of set columns and colour is an important thing, in a novel you wouldn’t . There’s all sorts of little design quirks built in there, the book’s printed in 4 special colours, it’s not CMYK, it’s fluorescent CMYK, apart from the black which is a non standard black. If you look at the photographs at the back of the book, there’s an enlarged halftone on shot so you can see the halftone coming through, just simple little things like that, that we played around with process because we liked the idea of the dot that sort of relates into the fact that there’s patterns that we’ve used throughout. fluorescent CMYK is quite an interesting process actually. With the covers, it’s the idea of pages pretuding outside the cover, again something quite different.
creative sector
featured work privacy
design project www.designproject.co.uk
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Interview with Mike Dyer
Remake
83
We are a Stockholm based design studio that are well versed in brand identity, print, art direction & packaging. We are a company that believes in hard graft & constructive processes in order to obtain pure, creative, individual answers to briefs. We draw upon our extensive network of creatives that enables us to deliver bespoke solutions to our clients’ needs. We are known for our fun approach & delivery in each project, using bold colours & typography to reflect our individual character which is becoming more & more imiporant in an every increasing competitive market.
FEATURES & INTERVIEWS
CREATIVE SECTOR
Umlaut
Interview with Matt Squire
www.umlaut.se Stockholm. Sweden 17. 03. 2011
creative sector
interview with matt squire
Umlaut www.umlaut.se
Umlaut are a design agency based in Stockholm. Although the people who work here have a strong background in branding we dont tend to focus on that when looking for clients and work, rather we use the methods that are involved in the branding process and apply them to the projects we take on. It helps us to present work in such a manor that is simple and easy for the client to understand, where they are able to see the whole journey from initial briefing to final production and delivery. Branding is a process of specific stages, usually more obvious than say something like producing a brochure. we have managed to condense these stages into a working blueprint that we can apply to every client no matter how large or small the project.
are no hidden costs. More importantly to us it means that we are creating fresh new original work all the time. We dont pretend that we know everything and so we dont try to do that under one roof, we will quite happily outsource people if it means that the quality of the product is at its maximum. We are finding that there is a growing trend for clients to choose smaller agencies these days, they dont have the huge budgets that once existed and so are looking for alternatives, the smaller agency model is their answer, they reduce costs because it is never as expensive to run an agency of 10 people as it is 40, and they are also assured of a very personal, exciting and quality experience. The name Umlaut actually comes from a project my missus did at Brighton University, she was working in a cafe at the time and handed out postcards to all the customers asking simply “what is an umlaut”, the results were somewhat shocking, funny, strange and scary. This together that I personally have been influenced greatly by the bauhaus and german design, (something that I kind of fell into at University after refusing to follow the pack and copy David Carson and Vaughan Oliver and opting for DaDa).
What is the design process of your studio when tackling a new project? I covered a little of this above but basically it starts of with a lot of sketching, chatting, (a few beers), more chatting and a few laughs. But what we do ensure is that the initial start to a project is fun, and we never throw an idea away despite how far fetched. Its then a case of condensing those ideas down into a little cooking pot of good ideas, and ideas that we think have potential.
We like to keep ourselves quite tightknit, we are only a studio of 4 people but we usually find ourselves in projects that require more. Our method is to create a bespoke team of people for every separate project, bringing in people that we have worked with before and we can trust. This means that firstly the processes and working methods are very transparent, the client can see who is working on what and there
There are given questions we always consider, budgets, time frames, do they really want what they are asking for? Eventhough the client may want a book, is a book the best way of presenting what they are trying to say. Educating the client is always a large part of the process for us, we want then to see things from our perspective, why we have chosen certain colours, typefaces, formats, materials etc but of course, teaching a client the experience we share at Umlaut in a couple of hours is a pretty hard thing to do, but we try our best. We like to keep meeting times with the client to a minimum, we feel that too many meetings can become a little claustrophobic to the design process, too many distractions can mean a wandering mind and so we try to only meet at specific stages along the way. We always go in with a couple of far fetched ideas, you never know when the client might say yes, and usually we find that even though these ideas may not become final concepts, they act as great talking points and some of the ideas within them can be seen in many of our final designs. we want to have fun when designing, its one of the few jobs where you are paid to make people smile, and so of course we want people to smile a lot. If we smile at an idea then we think thats valid enough a reason to put it forward.
What do you think is the most important aspect of design, particularly in publication designs? Communication and idea are our main focus when tackling any project. If it doesnt communicate its not doing its job. Its the result of all the things you mention in your question. Being an English designer who has studied and worked in England, as a few of our other designers have we have been brought up on the ‘idea’ being the stronghold of the design. In Sweden the idea is not usually the focus, they are a trend led nation and so the design tends to follow this, its the look of the design that is most important, does it fit into the trends that are apparent at that time? We hope that our methods let us stand out a little form what is going on here. We dont mind using a typeface that may not be at the height of fashion, because we choose it for its communicative elements relevant to the project, what it portrays and what is says. Elements such as format, content, production all follow on from this, they have to be relevant with what we are trying to say and not what people will find fashionable. Which project do you feel represents your practice and what Umlaut is about most? I hope you will let us off here but its the project that I have included as an example, its not directly a publication project but was for a publication, the release of a new book. This truly is a result of how we run our company in all aspects, a strong conceptual idea, presenting an idea that the client might not go for but we strongly believed in, having a client that trusted us in what we do. Its also a perfect example of a project where although the budget was pretty much non-existent, we took it on because we felt it had great potential and we could have some fun, also because when we read the brief its one of those projects that took us back to the way we used to work at university. Oh and it was a poster, and you cant say no to those.
creative sector
interview with matt squire
Inspiration: New things/ New techniques/ Old techniques/ A tomato plant just in flower/ Open briefs/ Well paid briefs/ Sunny days/ Rainy days/ good and bad films
Umlaut in 5 words: Conceptual/ Fun/ Logical/ Relevant/ Now
What do you think is the most important attribute for a successful design team? You gotta have fun, and you gotta be fun, everyone in that room must have the ability to bring out the best in everyone else, we are all there to inspire each other, bring fresh ideas to the table. But you have to be able to take criticism well, people have always said to me that if you give criticism then it has to be constructive, we dont live by that rule but what we do understand is that we know each of us can live with that. Its not always peace and love, sometimes we get pissed off and sometimes we arnt in the mood to give constructive criticism but we are friends above all, and all friends have disagreements. Its also important to us that we dont live our lives by the type rule, inspiration can come from the most mundane things or the most unexpected moments in time, its capturing those instant moments from a plethora of thoughts and recoginising them as potential solutions that makes you a designer, not just because you can tell helvetica from akzidenz. How does working for different clients affect the design process & design solution(s)? Why thankyou very much, I wouldnt say we have a certain type of client in the sense of them being in the building trade, or hotel industry, its more of a personality thing with our clients. I think if you sat them all down in a room you would get a good understanding of the clients we like to work with. Clients who may not totally understand the value of design but who are willing to trust us in the fact that we do know. We work with people who give us as
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much respect as we give them, we want them to put in as much hard graft as we do, its about creating personal relationships and if one or the other is not pulling their weight then the relationship wont work and the project suffers. Our most successful projects are those where we have challenged the clients in terms of delivery of information as much as they have challenged us in terms of creating something great.
I love books, to me its everything about them that is exciting, not just the content. I love picking them up, having a flick through, smelling the pages of fresh ink, feeling the weight and paper. Ordering them online brings a whole new set of experiences, you make that order then you have that tense few days of waiting for the package to arrive, then it arrives and its like being a kid again, opening the box, taking the book out, opening it up and hearing the paper crack from being pressed for so long. Dont get me started on ordering rare classics, the smell is amazing, I tend to order around 5 books a month depending on how far the budget goes.
We dont really alter the way we work with different clients, we go in with the same attitudes and aspirations to every meeting. The process only really changes when the client has a specific way of working, most of the times though we say how the process will be and they respect that, if we wanted a wall put up we wouldnt tell them how to do it, so we dont expect them to presume the same. You obviously have to be a good judge of character when meeting clients, how far you can push them in terms of ideas, how far can you push them in terms of making them laugh and having a giggle with them. Things like this help ease the tension and ensure that you will have a good journey. Get it wrong and it can all go pair shaped. How do you see the impact on printed publications with the influence of new technology such as the ipad and ebooks? This is a tricky one and we have many a discussion about this topic. I dont own an ipad, and would like to say that I never will, at least for reading books, but I guess there will be a time when I make that switch. But to be honest it wont be soon.
I mention all this as I truly believe that there are many people out there who feel the same. Technology is a great thing and we are in one of the most exciting periods of time known to man with some crazy stuff going on, so I am all into that. But I like to think that there will always be a time for paper, it holds so many emotions, happiness in receiving a wedding invite in the post, sadness in reading someones true story and heartache, anger in getting your tax bill and excitement in carrying a little print out of your newborn in your wallet. Paper, publications are personal, warm and alive, if you can get all that from a computer screen then sign me up, until then, pass me that soggy paper beer mat so I dont stain my table.
creative sector
featured work nan dar
Umlaut www.umlaut.se
nån där?
texter om framtidens kommunikation
Karolina Ramqvist (redaktör) Lawen Mohtadi Erik Zsiga Andreas Malm Maja Brisvall Johannes Forssberg Katrine Kielos Margret Atladottír Johan Höglund Sakine Madon Nisha Besara Caroline Ringskog Ferrada-Noli Daniel Boyacioglu Rasmus Fleischer Carl-Fredrik Sammeli Sigrid Dahlberg-Krajewski Elin Alvemark
Nån där? är utgiven på Premiss förlag Premiss förlag är en del av Arenagruppen
creative sector
featured work nan dar
Umlaut www.umlaut.se
87
The project was simply to produce and design a poster and invitation for the release of a new book ‘NĂĽn Där’ roughly translated as ‘Anyone There’. Now this book was basically a book about the communication of tomorrow and contained opinions and essays from loads of experts in their field. Our job was to produce a poster that reflected and represented what was being said in this book.Â
paper. Colours, materials, typefaces were easy, set the typeface in the colour of the book, materials followed suit. Format worked out nicely as it was an A5 book, so we just chose an A1 size for the poster. Words and letters then, it would have been a little boring just to print all the text on a poster, we wanted this to be something visually exciting, something that stood out and got people thinking. We counted every character in the book, from front to back, every question mark, ampersand, full point and every letter. Each of these letters were then represented as a circle on the paper, the more letters there were the larger the circle. The largest being the letter A then every letter after that was a percentage size of that circle. It all got very confusing and none of us had taken maths at school. But we got there int he end.Â
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This was our our first problem, how do you create something that reflects the opinions of a number of people who all have their own opinions about the given subject. Somewhere along the way you are bound to offend, upset or misunderstand one of them. So that was it, we would steer clear of all of these opinions and concentrate on something else. More a case of, lets not get involved with all that and just do our own thing. Umlaut are very much in touch with old school techniques, letterpress, screenprinting and one could say we are quite traditionalists, we dont want to see the book being taken over by the ipad and such, our tomorrows communication in this sense is a book, whatever form it may come in as long as its made from paper, so the solution was this. Instead of trying to reflect the content of the book in the design we thought we would take the book, as a physical object and present that as our design. How was this actual, physical piece communicating to us, at that moment in time. So pages, colours, format, letters, weight, materials etc. How could we get all this information on one side of
So what you are left with is this page of overlaying circles, a visual representation of the book itself. The circles are all related to each other and they tell the story, you visually understand that it is telling you something, that there must be a reason for the circles being different sizes and tones, the names to the right have a direct relationship to these shapes and so your mind starts to wander. The invitation was simply produced in the same way. The final piece was intended to be screen printed but it worked out at around 70 different screens, which kind of put the budget a little bit out of reach, so we simply printed it.Â
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Onlab
FEATURES & INTERVIEWS
CREATIVE SECTOR
specializes in graphic design with a compelling story to tell – is not an ordinary design studio. Based in Berlin, it both works with clients and creates its own books, and operates around a single philosophy: that design is a narrative that can change how people approach the world.
Interview with Nicolas Bourquin
www.onlab.ch Berlin, Germany 17. 03. 2011
creative sector
interview with Nicolas bourquin
onlab www.onlab.ch
of the needs of your clients and to create a relationship with your client. This is what we did for example with Domus, because it was a very strange commission, we were commissioned to redesign Domus which is an 80 years old magazine, which was created in 1928 with a huge history and huge cultural heritage, and we were asked to redesign the magazine within 2 months, which was actually almost impossible to do, so we decided to ofcourse focus on some topics we wanted to work on and let a lot of different topics on the side, but what we decided regarding the working process is to firstly to get to know the chief editor and we went one week at his place, private home, I asked him if it’s possible to get to know him a little bit closer and to spend time with him, it means we were out together, we cooked together, we spent free time together outside his office outside our office and try to understand how he is thinking, I wanted to discover what kind of music he’s listening to, what kind of food he’s cooking and this kind of stuff, and be able to create a relationship with the client. The good thing was he was very open to that and he invited us, two of us from our office would spend one week with him, he took us to his friends, we drove together from A to B, during the drive he would tell us his position or philophy of what’s happening now, and we were also able to see what kind of newspaper he’s reading and so on, and based on that we understand a lot not just about the magazine because learning about the magazine, you can do it by doing the research and through the history, but also trying to understand how the guy is actually thinking and acting, his position also towards the actual political situations for example. We did that in a different project, also regarding Domus, we decided to rent the flat in Milan, in Italy, so we
rented a flat there and 5 people from the office went there, I was there aswell for one month, so it was also kind of emerging outselves int the culture aswell as the social aspect of the magazine, not just working for them as a normal client but also trying to understand in which context the magazine is made and who is making the magazine and who is also reading the magazine. We did the same when we worked for a city in Switzerland, this project where we made a corporate identity for this city, we worked 4 years on this project, we were regularly there, we made workshops where 4-5 people was there for 1 week, we emerged really into the topic aswell as we spent alot of time with the client, we used to rent working space there to be able to understand who is living there, we went out, in restaurants and so on to catch the atmosphere aswell. So this is actually the process of how we start a project, it’s really based on the context and dialogue we have with our clients. I hate pitching because you have to design something without having any relationship with your client or the product. This is really bad because the client is choosing something based on their background and needs, and during the pitch, you have no chance to get to know them.
What is the design process when tackling a new project? Design process of studio: Because there is different scenarios because It is depending on whether you are commissioned to create something completely new, for example a new publication that is not existing at all, we have several cases like that in our history and right now also, we are working on a new magazine that doesn’t exist at all and nothing comparable is existing or for a product where we have to design the corporate identity for a new product which is also not existing on the market, this is something specific or what we also have a lot is redesigning. If you redesigning something like we did for the Domus magazine for example, here there is a totally different approach because you have to consider what was made before, analyse it and put it into a perspective, this is two ways of working. Regarding the process I’d say we are trying to base our working process on the dialogue, dialogue with our clients and it means for example, we did a few pitches the last week that’s why we’re super busy right now. This is a totally different way of working and different process because you have to develop something without ... so you get a briefing for the competition, but you have no actual dialogue with your client, you have to design something base on a quick briefing and on some brief guidelines, and actually, everything, all your working practice and decisions are defined by that, and you’re actually working like a blind person you know, you don’t really know what the client is expecting and if I’m honest, that’s a really bad way for us to work because aswell as the product is also losing the quality because in the other way around, if you’re able to have a discussion and dialogue with the client, if you’re able to make a workshop with them and spend time with them also, I think you’re also able to understand much more
We did 2 pitches in the last month, we came 2nd for one of them, but we knew in the beginning that our proposal would probably be refused because we made something really innovative. We decide to produce waste, so we decided to make something that was all virtual, based on a smart phone navigation so you move into the space with your device and you see nothing. Everything you see if through your device. This was our proposal and I thin the jury liked our proposal very much in terms of it being very innovative and something
that they’ve never seen before, but they chose something more conservative because they wanted to have the classical exhibition devices, but it’s ok and the thing is this is exactly what I don’t really like, I’m sure if we had the opportunity to speak more with the client and spend more time with them, we could try to make them understand that it’s not just an exhibition, but a statement regarding the waste production. So you guys work pretty closely with your clients and what you do is informed by the people you work with. How big is your studio, how do you delegate who does what between your team? We are 3 partners, I’m the founder of the studio, Thibaud Tissot is the art director Niloufar Tajer does the project management and coordination with the client and we have 1 fixed designer. So we are basically a true of 5 people, but we are always 7-9 peopel depending on the size of the project. So we are a team of 5 people working with interns and freelance designers. As soon as we receive a commission, everybody is participating during this first stage of analysing and brainstorming, normally we always ask the trainee to make some research on the topic before, whether it’s a formal or content research so we have enough idea on the topic, we’ll get everybody together to try to make a workshop where everybody is trying to bring ideas and develop ideas and then we decide afterwards who is responsible to sort what out, try to bring the ideas together and try to formulate them. Normally I’m doing the creative direction, it means that I’m responsible for the concepts, contact with clients also the selling of the project, but actually responble internally to be sure that the essence of the idea is respected. As soon as
creative sector
interview with Nicolas bourquin
onlab www.onlab.ch
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we have an idea to formulate and sell to the client Thibaud Tissot, the art director is responsible to try to formulate the idea visually and he’s working with the designer to be able to find the proper direction in terms of visual language.
the mid 60’s and then from the 60’s they decided because he was too old and he was not able to make the magazine that they decide to change every 5 years, the chief editor, that’s exactltly this moment where they changed the editor changed and actually the chief editor, is free to do almost what he wants out of the magazine.
but mainly this was the 3 main topics we worked on during the 2 months, during that period we were also responsible for the art direction of the cover design. For that job, we were commissioned to design 20 pages of the magazine each month, so that was a very interesting commission.
Do you guys intentionally work for these clients, or did they come quite naturally.
One very important thing regarding our practice is that we are also using the walls of our office, for me it’s very important that we keep on the wall each steps of the developmenf of the project so that if you’re working on a project that’s 3 months long, then you’re able to see on the wall the first ideas, because it helps alot if after a few months, you’re too deep into the materials/topic, it’s always important to have the opportunity to see what the initial idea and to keep it in mind, the whole process of the development. Which project represents Onlab? I would say Domus, it’s a good representative of our way of working. This ones interesting because in Domus, you can actually see the process of our thinking and development in the final product. Could you briefing describe the brief process of Domus? Domus is a magazine which was created in 1928, it was one of the first architecture magazines in Europe, the 1st in Europe wasn’t an academic magazine, but for the public. The founder of the magazine is also the architect of the big tower in Milan right near the main station. He was thinking that everything is architecture from a spoon to the city, so he wanted to create a magazine which speaks not only about architecture but also about interior, design and art, it was actually his skill, he tried to cover everything between spoon and the cityscape. So he made it till
It was a very difficult decision to take when we were asked to redesign Domus because we are a really small team. For us it was a huge task to do, at the beginning we were thinking about refusing the job, but on the other hand I’ve always wanted to work for a big magazine so it was an opportunity to do it. The big thing was that the editor told us that they wanted the 1st issue to be done within 2 months, which was impossible, so we decided to focus on 2/3 main topics, the 1st one was to dissolve the structure of the magazine, because the last one was in 4 chapters; architecture, interior design, design and art. We decided to go back to the idea of everything is architecture so we tried to dissolve the chapters of the magazine and create a flow between the stories. We decided to dissolve the rigid structure of the magazine, we had to mix all the stories, so we tried to create a flow, so this ofcourse had a huge influence on the design and the way we structured the stories in the magazine, and for that because of the time scale, we couldn’t work on all aspects of the magazine, so we decided to divide the advertising side with the content radically, you can see that in the pictures, we decided to redesign the font, which was very strong and exclusive for the magazine, this was the 3 main things we worked on, ofcourse there is a lot of other things we had to work on, for example the visual language, the picture editing and all the stuff,
You seemed to have worked for a wide range of clients but more towards cultural sectors, how does this compare with working for more commercially lead clients? There is the strange relationship between the money you get and the expectation with the client, from my experience, you are paid a lot of money to develop really low ideas. It’s amazing that I get a lot of money to develop some design ideas that we’re actually really down or not happy with, because big brands and big companies have really large target groups, they are not able to create something which is not necessarily new but challenging, on the other hand if you work for cultural institutions, you get less money, it’s also more of a problem with that because you’ll have to have more projects at the same time to pay the rent and all the salaries, but you get less money to be able to make a challenging design, this is a strange thing. I was thinking as a student that big company’s pay a lot of money to make challenging things , it’s no the case at all. We experiencing that nowerdays if you’re working for a big brand, yuo should reduce the complexity of your ideas to be able to sell it to the clients and to be able to make the most money out of it, this is a little bit cliche, but something I learnt after my studies. In working for big company’s you have to develop small ideas, and if you’re working on small budgets you’re having to develop big ideas .
I must say, for my experience with working for big brands, I had a huge problem as a designer to identify myself with the product where I don’t believe in the product itself. Or where I have the feeling that I had to make the design to sell something that didn’t necessarily into. And working with cultural projects, it resolves this problem, because you’re working with more political or socially relevant topics aswell. This is not the general view on this ofcourse but from our experience. It was very frustating when working for these type of clients, I had to develop a new shop concept for a big shoe company, we developed something very innovative but was shot down by the clients straight away because of this, so we were constantly trying to reduce it down to something as boring as all the other ones. So I decided after that, that it it wasn’t the way that I wanted to work. The thing is that you’re paid well to do something less interesting. Are there any words that describe your practice? 1. Content is king We always try to take position, regarding the content we always try to understand the content and topic to try to take position. What is our position regarding this topic? 2. Try to understand and not to just read the brief and produce what is expected. Try to think smart and produce something beyond what the brief asks. 3. Try to change the perception and try to make our readers, users, visitors change their opinion/perception regarding the media.
creative sector
featured work domus magazine redesign
onlab www.onlab.ch
creative sector
featured work domus magazine redesign
onlab www.onlab.ch
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creative sector
featured work domus magazine redesign
onlab www.onlab.ch
creative sector
featured work domus magazine redesign
onlab www.onlab.ch
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A showcase on a selection of independent design studios and publication designs for the cultural sector aswell as an interview with co founder of Milkxhake, Javin Mo
FEATURES & INTERVIEWS
CULTURAL INDUSTRY
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Design for the cultural sector
Atelier Carvalho BernauNL Jung Un WenigDE MadethoughtUK MainstudioNL MilkxhakeHK SalutpublicFR Studio EeSL Studio Luc DeryckeBE
cultural sector
SUNDRIES
PROFILE
PROJECT
Sundries is a graphic design studio established in 2010 by Julien Hourcade.The studio works in cultural and commercial fields and specializes in editorial design.
Collection L’écriture photographique
WWW.SUNDRIES.FR
cultural sector
atelier carvalho bernau
PROFILE
PROJECT
Atelier Carvalho Bernau is an independent practise for graphic design, typography and typeface design. We are based in The Hague, The Netherlands.
Twan Janssen: Index of Cloudless Skies ‘A series of 16 collages of cloudless skies, sourced from magazines.’
www.carvalho-bernau.com
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cultural sector
salutpublic
PROJECT
PROFILE Salutpublic est un studio de graphisme fondé à Bruxelles en 2002. Résolument tourné vers l’international, Salutpublic forge sa pratique autour du design de livres, des identités architecturales, du design graphique et de la conception de sites web. Fort de ses expériences pluridisciplinaires, le studio lie durablement la forme au contenu et élabore des stratégies structurelles et narratives à des fins de médiations artistiques et culturelles. À ce titre, le studio s’est vu décerner
www.salutpublic.be
plusieurs prix nationaux et internationaux. En 2009, le studio a ouvert Salutpublic Paris.
Cissite Faux frères - Vrais amis Juan d’Oultremont 16 x 23 cm 248 pages Collection (Re)Vision Wolu-Culture
cultural sector
madethought
PROFILE
Project
MadeThought is a multi-disciplinary design consultancy that is adept in brand identity and development, art-direction, packaging, printed matter and interactive design.
JAM:Tokyo-London was an exhibition of contemporary urban culture at the Barbican Art Gallery. Its aim was to showcase work from two creative communities, bringing together emerging and innovative practiioners in the field of art, fashion, design and music.
www.madethought.com
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cultural sector
mainstudio
PROFILE
PROJECT Cissite Faux frères - Vrais amis Juan d’Oultremont 16 x 23 cm 248 pages Collection (Re)Vision Wolu-Culture
Edwin van Gelder is an award winning designer from Amsterdam, the Netherlands. After graduating from from Utrecht School of the Arts in 2004, van Gelder founded Mainstudio and worked under the name ever since.
www.mainstudio.com
cultural sector
PROJECT Book acommpaning the exhibition at the National Museum of Slovenia. The publication is a simple index of all the items exhibited.
studio ee
www.ee-grupa.com
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cultural sector
Jung Un wenig
PROFILE
PROJECT
jungundwenig is a studio for design.
Design for the Theater Magdeburg. Design of an annual and monthly program, and the development of a word mark.
Founded by Christopher Young (1975) and Tobias Wenig (1976).
www.jungundwenig.com
cultural sector
studio luc derycke
PROFILE
PROJECT
Studio Luc Derycke is a Ghent based design studio with a focus on book design. It was founded in 2005 by Luc Derycke who started as a freelance graphic designer in 1993, after having worked as a publisher for Imschoot, Gent setting up an imprint of artist books. The studio is now comprised of Luc Derycke, Thomas Desmet, Ellen Debucquoy and Jeroen Wille
Multiple / Readings 51 kunstenaarsboeken 1959-2009
www.studiolucderycke.be
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Milkxhake
FEATURES & INTERVIEWS
CULTURAL SECTOR
Milkxhake is a young Hong Kong-based design unit co-founded by graphic designer Javin Mo & interactive designer Wilson Tang in 2002, mainly focuses on graphic & interactive mixtures.
Interview with Javin Mo
www.milkxhake.org Hong Kong, China 17. 03. 2011
cultural sector
interview with javin mo
milkxhake www.milkxhake.org
cultural sector
interview with javin mo
milkxhake www.milkxhake.org
What is the design process when tackling a new project? Take the brief from client carefully, do the research and communicate with client, find out the uniqueness of the project, define problems and solutions, and finally start the design.
The festival bought artists and scientists from all over the world to Hong Kong, provoking deeper thought into issues that lie hidden in our society, while inspiring the city with extraordinary creative uses of today’s technology.
Key words that you would use to define the practice of Milkxhake? Small studio, interesting clients
What do you think is the most important aspect of design particularly for publication designs? Publication involves numerous aspects or we can simply call ‘publication identity’. Content gives the form of design and determines the most important role as it affects the whole identity such as format, design direction or printing. Which project do you feel represents your practice and what Milkxhake is about most? It is hard to say just a project represents Milkxhake most, as each project basically try to follow our approach. For instance, ‘Transient Creature’ was a festival event identity for Microwave International New Media Arts Festival in 2008. The project involved from visual identity to all promotional printed matters including festival publication and website. The festival publication was an extension and conclusion of the visual identity for its editorial direction and design. Could you briefly describe the brief, design/ thought process and solution towards this particular project? ‘Transient Creatures’ was the theme of Microwave International New Media Arts Festival in 2008. It aimed at examining the relationship between human and machine, taking a long, hard look at life technologies and biotech from the point of view of art, and exploring ‘life’ in our technological age, under the title.
Milkxhake was commissioned to create the visual identity for the theme. The approach was to create a series of ten illustrated creatures existed in the virtual space, from past to present animals or living creatures. The main visual identity was simply black and white across all promotional items from posters, stickers website and the festival publication to deliver a strong visual impact. The festival publication followed the main visual identity with die-cut creatures inserted in the book. What do you think is the most important attribute for a successful design team? Team spirit and sharing For a Hong Kong based design studio, it’s quite rare to see a design studio who works predominantly within the creative and cultural sector. How have you managed this and how do you think this influences your practice and work produced by Milkxhake as opposed to working for a more commercially lead / corporate clients? The commercial environment in Hong Kong was fully developed in the past decades. In recent years, resources have been put more on local creative and cultural sectors, somehow in response to the West Kowloon Art District issue. I think it is another opportunity for Milkxhake to develop into broader clients. However, Milkxhake is not merely focus on individual client sector, but more into clients who have insights and believe design.
How do you see the impact on printed publications with the influence of new technology such as the ipad and ebooks? As a graphic designer, you would be really fascinating by the technology. But indeed, I quite believe the printed publications could have the unique role of existence. The ebooks could just provide alternative for the reading habit but could not totally substitute it. At least, I could imagine in the near future, only with high quality of contents could be printed in the form of publication. What influences/inspires you as a design studio? Inspiration comes from everywhere. Sometimes meeting with nice people is much more interesting than merely going to a design bookstore.
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cultural sector
featured work transient creatures
milkxhake www.milkxhake.org
cultural sector
featured work transient creatures
milkxhake www.milkxhake.org
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A showcase on a selection of independent design studios and self initiated publication designs. Interview with Joe Gilmore from Qubik.
FEATURES & INTERVIEWS
SELF INITIATED
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Self initiated
MusicUK QubikUK Studio NewworkUS The EntenteUK Von B-C studioCH Working formatCA
self initiated
von b und c
www.von-b-und-c.net
design, visualization and design research for national and international clients as well as self-initiated and noncommercial projects.
posters, corporate identities and information material. Specific and targeted graphical concepts are being developed – always based on the content which has to be communicated – and realized with accuracy and high diligence.
PROFILE «Von B und C» is a cooperation between Barbara Hahn (B) and Christine Zimmermann (C) – we have been collaborating and realizing projects since 2004. In February 2008 we founded our own graphic design studio «Hahn und Zimmermann» in Berne. Within this framework we are working on projects in the fields of communication
In the field of communication design we are conceiving and designing predominantly printed matters such as books, annual reports, magazines,
In the area of visualization we are mainly concerned
with the development of new presentation forms for quantitative and qualitative data and information. Adequate visualizations can help to analyze and communicate complex information and thus enable a new approach or generate new knowledge about a subject matter.
self initiated
working format
www.workingformat.com
PROFILE
PROJECT
Working Format is a Vancouver based design studio founded specializing in graphic design, art direction and type design for print and screen. Working Format collaborates with creative agencies and clients throughout North America and Europe, producing a diverse body of work across cultural and commercial fields.
Arietta is a typeface intended for short subject and nonfiction books, the family consists of a transitional roman with multiple italics that provide modulating degrees of stylistic contrast from the roman. Arietta Book has a serious, unobtrusive and reserved tone while the three italic companions each
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produce a distinct character and textural density. Designed by Abi Huynh. The process and specimen book shows the development and current status of the type family. Produced for the final examination of the Type and Media masters course in the Hague, Netherlands.
self initiated
PROFILE ‘The Brookyln-based design company was originally formed in 2005 by Ryotatsu Tanaka and Ryo Kumazaki. Later, Aswin Sadha and Hitomi Ishigaki joined the team, and then the four of them started Studio Newwork in 2007. They were all classmates at the Fashion Institute of Technology, majoring in Graphic Design.’ Process Journal
studio newwork newwork magazine
www.studionewwork.com
self initiated
studio newwork newwork magazine
www.studionewwork.com
design students to curators, NEWWORK’s contributors are united in their passion to push the boundaries of their disciplines. Among the magazine’s special features are bold, custom-designed typefaces and a twist on the traditional newspaper format, offering a stimulating juxtaposition of
striking design and everyday simplicity. Since pages can be separated, each layout can be hung on the wall as an individual art piece.
PROJECT NEWWORK magazine is a largeformat arts publication for Connoisseur of fresh ideas. Designed and published biannually by studio NEWWORK, each issue features new work from a wide range of artists and creators in the worlds of fine art, design, high fashion, culture, and politics. From art directors to business leaders,
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self initiated
PROJECT Stuff we really like
music
www.designbymusic.com
self initiated
the entente / colophon
PROFILE Colophon is an independent type foundry set up by Brighton based design studio, The Entente As well as distributing and acting as a platform for fonts designed by The Entente, it selects fonts designed by other designers to distribute and create products for.
www.the-entente.org www.colophon-foundry.org
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PROJECT Working in a similar way to that of a publishers, some typefaces that are released by Colophon will be in a limited edition. These fonts will be unique in its edition, ranging from 50-500.
Apercu Specimen This specimen catalogue gives an overview of the Aperรงu family, and includes a small essay explaining the concept and ideas which led to the creation of the typeface. Each catalogue is posted in a sturdy corrugated cardboard envelope, with a numbered compliment slip.
Format 170mm x 240mm 4pp Cover + 12pp Text Designed by The Entente Printed in two spot colours by Aldgate Press
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Qubik
We are very passionate about graphic design. Through developing collaborative relationships with our clients and partners we aim to create original, functional and distinctive work that engages users, satisfies the objectives of the client and meets the high standards & creative innovation that are central to our studio practice.
Interview with Joe Gilmore
www.qubik.com Leeds, United Kingdom 17. 03. 2011
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What is the design process when tackling a new project? First, I try to get down any initial ideas and thoughts as quickly as possible. Sometimes ideas that arise during the first discussion with the client are the most intuitive. I then work quite quickly, generating a lot of different ideas, experimenting with type, colour and layout and also thinking about formats and appropriate stocks. I work generally in multi-page documents, saving every stage of this process so I can always refer back to what I did earlier.
following spread. The design plays with the idea that a book is a sort of continuous surface which is printed on, creased, bound and trimmed. I feel this project represents my practice the most because it sits somewhere in the grey area between art and design.
Your website showcases a strong breadth of fresh and interesting design work predominantly within the cultural and creative industry, how did you come across working for this specialist sector? What is the studio’s relationship with your clients? How does working for different types of clients affect the design process? I am also an artist, so to work within the context of galleries, festivals etc. comes naturally to me. I’m not only involved with graphic design, I work with a lot of different media and in different contexts. You have to be able to adapt and work with different clients to suit their particular needs. For me the design process is pretty much always the same, I’m trying to solve a problem through a creative process.
Qubik in 4 words: Typographic/ minimalism/ process/ pattern
Qubik is a graphic design studio founded in 2000 by Joe Gilmore. Specialising in typographic-led design for branding, print and digital media, the studio works with a variety of clients in the commercial and cultural sector. Our work includes design for: branding; content managed websites; books; catalogues; brochures; posters; leaflets; signage; and packaging. In addition to client-based work, the studio initiates and produces independent curatorial and publishing projects which focus on typography and graphic design.
What do you think is the most important aspect of design, particularly in publication designs? I don’t think you can isolate one aspect over any of the others, they are all equally important. A good piece of work is a fine balance between all these elements. Which project do you feel represents your practice and what Qubik is about most? I’m working on a book called ‘Void ( )’ for a local small press called Yoke Books. ‘Void ( )’ consists of a selection of found images taken from an image blog of the same name (www. qubik.com/zr). Because the project is self-initiated, I had the freedom to use quite an experimental, conceptual strategy to determine the layout. The images are displayed in a formalised pattern across different pages. One half of an image appears on one page and the other half on the
Could you briefly describe the brief, design process and solution towards this particular project? I was interested in how the found images relate to each other and so wanted to play with the idea that the images represented a sort of constellation of meanings. I came across a photo of an installation exhibited in Korea by Robin Kinross, called ‘Modern Typography’, in which photos of book spreads are arranged in a somewhat similar fashion. This gave me the idea for the process used in ‘Void ( )’. The main focus was then really the development of the system which would determine the final layout. What do you think is the most important attribute for a successful design practice? To be true to yourself and work hard. You have to live and breathe design in order to produce good, original work.
How do you see the impact on printed publications with the influence of new technology such as the ipad and ebooks? There is probably a massive impact, I don’t know. I’ll always love printed matter though. I’m still buying books all the time. Having said that I read a lot of papers in a PDF reader on my iPhone. They are just different media, I don’t see why one has to supersede the other really... but they probably will, that’s ‘progress’.
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Credits & Acknowledgements –
credits & acknowledgements
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This publication is the resolution of the Design Context module as part of my major project during my final year studying BA (Hons) Graphic Design at Leeds College of Art. Research & design Tim Wan / www.timwan.co.uk Typefaces LL Replica Light LL Replica Regular LL Replica Bold Mono Regular Print www.lulu.com