TITLE PAGE
TITLE PAGE
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EDITORS LETTER 7
AFTER YOU HAVE CONSTRUCTED THEN PLAYED, YOU MUST COME TO A RESOLUTION. SEVN is a student publication which is shaped by the seven contributors who act as editors of each issue. SEVN aims to celebrate the work and interests of these seven individuals as well as the work that is being produced by the course as a whole. In this issue of SEVN we tackle the theme of resolution in all it’s different guises and states. This topic is a reflection of the new year, a new start, and a new brief. In order to better understand our theme, we take the opportunity to ask our peers and admired designers ‘what is the solution?’, which provided some insightful answers. In the Forward section we talk to graduates of graphic design about where they are now and how they got there. As an editorial team we saw looking to the future to be an important issue to address. At a point in our studies where we are deciding what we want to do next, there is no better time to see how other people have achieved their ambitions. Our shoot ‘In Your Hands’ is a metaphorical take on the theme. We aim to show how the resolution is in your hands, you have the power to change something if you want to. Our final section highlights digital inspirations of the contributors in the form of blogs. Inspiration is key a stage when working towards reaching a resolution, so we saw this as an apt parting note.
CONTENTS /01. THE DIGITS
The contributors and their responses to the theme resolution.
/02. SOLUTIONS /03. POINT THREE /04. IN YOUR HANDS /05. FORWARD /06. WRITTEN /07. VISION We asked designers and our peers; ‘What is the solution?’
A selection of work being produced on the course at the moment.
Photo shoot responding to the theme, the resolution is in your hands.
Taking a look ahead, we ask graduates where they are now and how they got there.
A detailed break down and analysis of written investigations undertaken by students.
The seven contributors showcase design blogs which they find inspirational.
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/O1. THE DIGITS
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THE DIGITS/O1.
Introducing the seven designers who had a hand in producing this issue, answering questions from Graham Jones and Clinton Cahill.
ADAM GRIFFITHS What would happen if we...? had no bones. What time do you call this? That.
ARIJANA MISIC-BURNS What would happen if we...? get to 88mph. What time do you call this? Time to get back to the future.
SAM HALL What would happen if we...? I don’t know, let’s try. What time do you call this? 16:04.-
What would happen if we...? flailed around.
DIGITS /0.1
KATIE HILTON
What time do you call this? Time to break out the French fancies.
OLIVER MANSFIELD What would happen if we...? were all actually allergic to oxygen. What time do you call this? Waaaay too early.
HANNAH THORNTON What would happen if we...? ran away to the circus. What time do you call this? Hammer time.
TESS HULME What would happen if we...? didn’t care. What time do you call this? he said.
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RESPONSES/
01.
01 ADAM GRIFFITHS My response is based simply on image making and how its evolved with the digital age.
DIGITS /0.1 SAM HALL New Year’s 960 x 640.
02 /11
03
OLLIE MANSFIELD Black Mirror Silhouettes.
DIGITS /0.1
04 ARIJANA MISIC-BURNS My response revolves around the idea of ‘solution’. No better feeling than overcoming a block and finding that missing piece.
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05
HANNAH THORNTON A long process = engrained in my memory.
DIGITS /0.1
06 TESS HULME Just be better.
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07 KATIE HILTON This year seems quite dazzling.
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DIGITS /0.1
/O2. SOLUTIONS
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SOLUTIONS/
02. We decided to ask students from all three years a question, which they could interpret any way they wanted. The question, “What is the solution?� was posed to all three years, and their responses were gathered on Post-It notes. The following pages show some of the most interesting answers. All the responses can been seen in an animation on the SEVN Vimeo page.
Y1
SOLUTIONS /0.2
WHAT IS THE SOLUTION?
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Y2
Y3
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SOLUTIONS /0.2
THE SOLUTION IS TO FIND OUT THE PROBLEM FIRST. ONCE YOU’VE FOUND OUT THE PROBLEM YOU CAN WORK OUT ANTHONY BURRILL THE SOLUTION.
SOLUTIONS /0.2
DEFINE THE PROBLEM MORE INTERESTINGLY, MORE INTELLIGENTLY, THINKING YOU HAVE MORE INFLUENCE. ITS BECAUSE MOST DESIGNERS DEFINE THE PROBLEM THEY ARE TRYING TO SOLVE SO NARROWLY THAT THEY COME UP WITH BORING SOLUTIONS AND THEY DON’T FEEL THEY CAN AFFECT SOCIETY.
JONATHAN BARNBROOK
PROBLEM+RED/WHITE/BLUE= SOLUTION CRISPIN FINN
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/O3. POINT THREE
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POINT THREE/
03.
ANNA HERON - TREE MUSEUM
LAURA JACKSON - PENTAGRAM
CHANTELLE KING - SELF DIRECTED
CLARE MERRICK - SELF DIRECTED
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FAYE LEADBETTER - THREE MUSEUM
EMMA LACEY - SELF DIRECTED
NICK HANDLEY - PENTAGRAM
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MEGAN YOUNG - TREE MUSEUM
ZAC CROMPTON - SELF DIRECTED
DAN JOHNSTON - SELF DIRECTED
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/O4. IN YOUR HANDS
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/O5. FORWARD
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FORWARD/
05.
John left Manchester Metropolitan University with a masters degree and now teaches there part time. Co-founding the popular northern zine ‘OWT’, he is also a freelance graphic designer. What were your aspirations in third year? I realised quite early on in the third year that I wanted to continue my studies after the degree and the Masters allowed me not to worry too much about what came after graduation. Part of the reason I decided to continue studying was that I didn’t know what I wanted to do when I left. I had several bad placement experiences and realised that a junior designer role at an agency wasn’t for me, but setting up my own practice and having people come to me with work seemed like something completely unattainable. Having the extra year to understand my own work better gave me the confidence to go through with it. Did you have your own style in third year? By the mid point of the year I was working with an aesthetic that I was enjoying and was allowing me to work quickly and effectively. I think sometimes people can become obsessed with the pursuit of a style and possibly neglect the more important consideration of concept, it’s more important to have good ideas.
JON HANNAN What is your style now? Through my Masters study I now understand my practice and have identified key ideas that are present throughout it in all my experiments in various media. I have gained an understanding of what my practice is. I’m interested in editing and not telling the audience what to think, but instead letting them create their own interpretations. This permeates through all the different aspects of my work. It’s an ongoing process that will evolve and which I will work on constantly as a designer. How did you get to where you are now, tell us your journey from graduating up until now. After graduating Sarah and I started OWT creative as a way of staying active creatively. We didn’t have any grand designs on where it would lead or what we would produce. I then started my Masters study and OWT provided a good vehicle for my research. OWT has grown from a zine that we would create between friends into something that has allowed us to have a studio taking on ambitious jobs that none of us could have tackled alone.
FORWARD /0.5 Where do you want to be in ten years time? I’ve never been one to think so far into the future. If I’m still happy designing and teaching then that’ll be fine. Looking back, what do you wish you could have done differently? There are always thing you could have done better in hindsight but I don’t think I would change anything. Perhaps enjoy the research and creative process more and worry less. What do you wish you knew back in third year that you know now? Taking a step away from a piece of work and looking at a piece of work with fresh eyes in the morning can be more beneficial than pulling an all-nighter. Are you able to live off being paid for your design work? Short answer would be yes. The first year out of university was a real struggle though before I had built a client base and secured a teaching assistant position.
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BEN KITHER Another MMU teacher and Co-founder of ‘OWT’, Ben has worked on projects for Adidas and has established himself as a freelance designer. What were your aspirations in third year? I had the pretty standard design student aspirations. Get a portfolio good enough to get me some decent internships and then find work in a design studio. Towards the end of the year I was finding that I was increasingly interested in design for print and book design and wanted to find out more about this area. Did you have your own style in third year? I had a pretty similar aesthetic and ideology about design in 3rd year, but it wasn’t as considered. What is your style now?
one of the biggest steps for myself. Now I spend my time working on the zine, freelance work and in a few different teaching positions. Teaching was something I had always thought about, but imagined I would have worked for longer before managing to move into it. Where do you want to be in ten years time? I’d like to carry on building on what I currently have: working as part of OWT and with the University full time. In ten years I’d like a position with more responsibility within a University and I’d like to have a larger studio with better facilities so I could design, print and bind on a large scale all in house, as and when I fancy it. Working with a whole variety of creative types to make books of varying types on anything and everything, I just don’t want to be bored. Looking back, what do you wish you could have done differently?
I use illustration and strong, simple typography and found imagery. I try to let the job dictate the style, rather than shoehorn a preferred aesthetic to fit.
I’m pretty happy with my lot. There have been timing issues with trying to juggle different jobs and the masters but its all worked itself out. The only thing I’d have done differently is get the studio running sooner.
How did you get to where you are now, tell us your journey from graduating up until now.
What do you wish you knew back in THIRD year that you know now?
Just after graduating I was asked whether I’d like to be part of a collaborative project. At the time there wasn’t any agenda, it just seemed like a good way to carry on working creatively. Shortly after I applied for the MA and OWT produced it’s first zine, I got a position at Adidas, working within the Olympic Games team. A few months later I got my first teaching assistant position, helping 3rd year students.
I wasn’t sure about what I wanted to do right until the end of 3rd year. It would have been pretty useful to know earlier in the year. I think all students currently in the third year should have a look at the work they enjoy doing, the area of design they’d like to work in and make efforts to tailor themselves to that area. A rounded portfolio with print, digital, animation etc. may be impressive, but if you’re confident that you only want to work in one of those fields why not focus your work towards it and properly investigate and experiment with the medium?
For the better part of my MA, I was working two days a week with Adidas, doing my two taught days on the course and working with Jon, Sarah and Ste on OWT. Since graduating I had always taken on extra freelance work, but getting the studio helped everything become more professional. Getting the studio has been
Are you able to live off being paid for your design work? Yes.
FORWARD /0.5
“MAKE EFFORTS TO TAILOR THEMSELVES TO THAT AREA“
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STEVE WARING Steve Waring is a senior designer at Creative Lynx, he graduated from MMU back in 2004. What were your aspirations in third year? To get a job at the end of it all – a foot in the door. That was it for me. The course has changed dramatically from my time there. I have been lucky enough to continue my relationship with the School of Art in a professional capacity and I have seen the transformation first hand. I was always very conscious that the end goal was getting a job, but I think some of the students didn’t foresee the importance of this. That is where the course has changed from what I see, there are key principals now central; presentation of ideas for example that were not focused on in my time. I realised this and tried to make my folio as commercially appealing as possible, whilst trying to keep some ‘edge’ of course. Did you have your own style in third year? I suppose I tried to emulate my design idols in my student years, and in some ways that did give my work some form of ‘style’ – whether or not it was truly original I am not sure. I think by year three I realised that wasn’t the way to go about things. Some of the stuff I did was intentionally confrontational and non-conformist, but when I look at it now its just a bit dated. My business card at the time had a Bill Hicks quote on that told the advertising industry to “go kill themselves”. Not sure what point I was trying to make, I think I was just being a smart-arse and trying to stand out. What is your style now? I don’t think I have a style that I could define. I have interests in certain areas of design, and they can lead a thought process (typography for example) but I don’t think I have a style that defines what I do. Creative Lynx has never had
a house style either, we always try and convey the idea in the most appropriate way and hope the quality of output defines it as our work. That for me is the most important thing – being recognised for the quality of the idea rather than the aesthetic execution. How did you get to where you are now, tell us your journey from graduating up until now. I was quite lucky, at my final degree show I had interest from two agencies. I did a placement at one, then had an interview at the other, Creative Lynx. I got offered a job as a Junior Designer at Lynx and have been here ever since. Over that time the company has had quite a few incarnations whilst growing from a 19 man company to 101 (at last count). I have worked for a great range of clients, across a range of sectors and disciplines. The interesting thing at the moment is the variation in mediums the studio works across. Brand identity one day, concepts for a viral game the next. It is a fantastically talented studio and we are producing some great work. The last 8 years in summary? A massive blur. Where do you want to be in ten years time? In simplistic terms I think you can divide up decades. Teens; decide what you want to do. Twenties; learn your craft. Thirties; make a name. Forties; reap the rewards. I’m 29, so ask me in a year or two! Looking back, what do you wish you could have done differently? In a way, everything and nothing. Every job you look back on you realise that it could have improved here or there, but that’s just a learning process, makes it exciting and keeps you motivated. In terms of big decisions though, nothing really, I cant complain about the situation I am in. Are you able to live off being paid for your design work? Of course. Being a designer will never be the best paid job in the world, but you can make a reasonable living from doing something you are passionate about. Plus, you have the opportunity to have constant hassle from friends and family who want a “quick wedding invite”. Wedding invites are never quick, and never easy. I’ve learnt my lesson on that! That’s the best piece of advice I could give; don’t do freebies unless its for your Mum.
FORWARD /0.5
“DON’T DO FREEBIES UNLESS IT’S FOR YOUR MUM“
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JOHN McPARTLAND John Mcpartland graduated from MMU in 2011. After graduation he did several placements, his first was at Creative Lynx, which is where he is now a junior creative. What were your aspirations in third year? Like everybody else I wanted to get a job, I had narrowed down the studios that I wanted to work for that I felt did the type of work that I would enjoy doing. Did you have your own style in third year? I wouldn’t say that I had my own personal design style, rather a way in which I preferred to work and the type of project that I preferred working on, I loved working with type and branding so if I was to say I had a ‘style’ then that would be it. I was always conscious that I wanted to be able to adapt my work to fit with any brief rather than have a style and put that to it as this would possibly restrict what I did. What is your style now? I wouldn’t say that I have a specific style yet, a style can take years to develop and I wouldn’t say that if I had one it was being done consciously, maybe in a few years when I look back on the work I have produced then I will be able to see that a style has developed. How did you get to where you are now, tell us your journey from graduating up until now. After I graduated I did several placements, I started with a 2 week placement at Creative Lynx and then moved to London for 2 months starting with a placement at NB Studio and some freelance work at ad agency Addiction Worldwide. I then came back to Manchester and do a placement at C21 and then following my placement previously I did a further 4 weeks
at Creative Lynx. During that 4 weeks I had an interview for a job back in London and was also offered a job at Creative Lynx, for me there was no real choice, although my time in London was good it never really felt like a place that I would be indefinitely happy working there. There is so much more going on in Manchester than we are given credit for and I wanted to be involved in that. Where do you want to be in ten years time? I haven’t really thought about it to be honest, at the moment I am more than happy where I am and just concentrating on developing myself as a designer and see what happens from there, things may happen that I haven’t planned or thought about, I would say just to take the opportunities that arise when and if you want them. Looking back, what do you wish you could have done differently? I wish that I had experimented more during my first few years and was a little less afraid to make mistakes rather than trying to get something polished from the start. Its not until you start working to tight briefs and guidelines that you realise how free you were at uni, you may have one or two restrictions to work to but you can do whatever you want. What do you wish you knew back in 3rd year that you know now? There is so much that I have learned during my first few months working it is staggering. That is nothing to do with the quality of the teaching I received but there is no substitute for experience you cannot teach it, looking back then I wish I had known everything I do now but it is just not possible, it is something that you can’t teach. I would say that as I left 3rd year that I had a very good knowledge of everything that I was expected to know by the industry. Are you able to live off being paid for your design work? Yes, I am now working full time so am able to live off that. When I was doing placements I had a few freelance jobs that paid well enough to get me through but it wasn’t a great amount.
FORWARD /0.5
“THINGS MAY HAPPEN THAT I HAVEN’T PLANNED” /53
/O6. WRITTEN
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06. WRITTEN/
The Historical and Cultural Context unit was undertaken by every third year student, and its culmination was this term. This primarily written investigation, allowed for extensive research and therefor a greater understanding of one subject area. All titles were written by each student as the unit’s aim was to reflect their
personal aspirations for the future. As these investigations have been a major part of the new year studies, we have decided to delve deeper into a cross section of titles. This breakdown and analysis of the subjects explored, the words used and the length titles shows a different side of what is traditionally seen as graphic design.
TYPOGRAPHY 4% Legibility.
BRANDING 4% Brand Placement In the youth market.
OTHER 8% Brand New Eyes. Devious Fun.
HAND MADE 8% Defining DIY media. In Good Hands? The recent uprise in hand-made graphics within the graphic design industry.
ADVERTISING 8% Investigate the effects of advertising on consumerism and popular culture. Disruption: Its use in issue-based advertising.
IMAGE 8% Reflections on Photography in Design. The Recontextualisation and Subversion of Imagery.
WRITTEN /0.6
THEORY 26% The relationship between Graphic Design and Art. Original: An examination of the boundaries between originality and plagiarism. Exploring how influences affect creative thinking and ideas generation. Ambiguity vs. Clarity in Graphic Design. Is Graphic Design good? An exploration of socially responsible design. Can Graphic Design make a positive contribution to society? An investigation into the impact and ethics of political design in Britain.
PUBLICATION 22% Penguin: Adapting to the new age of digital publishing. ‘Beyond the Baseline’ An Investigation on the Survival of the Independent Magazine. Disruption: It’s use in issue-based advertising. In an age of digital dominance, is printed media nearing its extinction? With the advent of digital viewing platforms, such as the kindle or IPad. Do traditional editorial publications have an immortal future?
DIGITAL 8% An exploration into how digital technologies have shaped the creative process for graphic designers since the 1980’s. ‘Project BAB’ (blog about bloggin’).
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LENGTH OF TITLE 26-30 WORDS
DS WOR 21-25
16-2 0 WO RDS
S D R O W 5 11-1
0-5 WORDS
6-10 WORDS
WRITTEN /0.6
THE WORD OF FREQUENCY ANDIN AN DESIGN GRAPHIC INTO DIGITAL EXPLORATION ON TO STUDY HOW PERSONAL
18 11 10 10 9 9 6 4 4 4 3 3 3 3 3
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/O7. VISION /61
VISION/
07.
Blogs inspire us and have a huge impact on us as young designers. Here are a few of our favourites, which we would like to share with you, and hopefully they will inspire you to make beautiful design and lots of money.
WWW.THINGSORGANISEDNEATLY.TUMBLR.COM The title says it all! Austin Radcliffe curates a blog of things organised neatly. Some of the submissions show visually stunning artworks, whilst others simply show the natural organisation around us. I love the variety of images that are posted daily, which inspire me (and hopefully you) to become that bit more ship-shape!
WEBSITES /BLOGS THINGS ORGANISED NEATLY
LETTER HEADY
AISLE ONE
WWW.LETTERHEADY.COM Letterheady; adjective, overcome by a strong emotion due to a letterhead design. An amazing blog full of letterheads from countless famous people and organisations. This blog shows the past and present of letterhead design, and how these designs have changed over the years. I see this blog as an inspiration as it proves how creative you can be with a blank sheet of paper. How it can be given a personality and taken out of the ordinary into the extraordinary.
WWW.AISLEONE.NET A1 / AisleOne — An inspirational resource focused on graphic design, typography, grid systems, minimalism and modernism.
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WWW.THREEFRAMES.NET Threeframes.net hosts a collection of .gifs that takes three frames from a film and loops them to infinity. The method serves to highlight a split second of the given film and reveal to the audience subtle actions or cinematography which may otherwise be missed. The result is an often eyrie, jittering snap shot.
WWW.BUAMAI.COM Buamai is collection of random images and videos, ranging from graphic design, typography, architecture, photography and WTF type images. With the option to shuffle the subjects it covers all your inspirational needs.
THREE FRAMES BUAMAI
BUT DOES IT FLOAT DAVID AIREY
WWW.BUTDOESITFLOAT.COM A blog/site dedicated to all forms of visual inspiration. Stemming from experimental 60s graphic art to contemporary illustration and photography, you’ll find yourselves lost for hours delving further and further into depths of imagery.
WWW.DAVIDAIREY.COM David Airey is a brand identity designer working with clients across the globe. His blog also contains a large variety of topics such as advertising, art, books, graphics, typography, printing, many more, and extremely inspiring design pieces. There are also a number of helpful links dedicated specifically to logos and identity designed featured projects. Airey also dedicated a section of his blog to design students, which contain useful advice and things such as lists of iconic logo designers.
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VIMEO/
SEVN magazine now has its own dedicated Vimeo page. Here we feature video’s and animations made by students on the course as well as videos relating to the current issue Resolution.
http://vimeo.com/user10157434
@ SEVNm
agazine
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