Old Romantic

Earlier this month I turned 29 and my very thoughtful wife kindly bought me Selling The Dream — The Art of Early New Zealand Tourism as a generous birthday gift. I love it. It is wonderful tome of posters and print, a collection too good not to share.

The book showcases a comprehensive range of artwork that was created to attract an early wave of tourists half way round the world to an unknown paradise. Long before Quark and even longer before InDesign these beautiful artworks were painstakingly hand-painted with great accomplishment and technique.

A selection of booklets and guides.

The posters are bathed in rich colour palettes and dramatic compositions. There are neat little typographic lock-ups, complete with handdrawn charms and imperfections. There is a romanticism to the scenes that captures the wonder of the great outdoors and the sense of adventure amongst an exotic culture.

Adventure beckons.

An island paradise.

Little of the poster text is set in traditionally recognisible typefaces. Instead, it appears that much of the type is hand-painted, perhaps loosely based on existing typefaces. There’s a lovely full-caps sans serif face that is used on Kowhai in Blossom and Natives of the New Zealand Forests that manages to stand strong, angular and proud while retaining a friendly charm. There is plenty of character in these artworks that communicates the wonder of New Zealand’s unique natural landscape and the friendliness of its people.

This one reminds me of an old school boys summer annual or scouts handbook.

Maori culture is also heavily documented.

The posters show how the pull of New Zealand has long been the majesty of the scenery and vastly varied landscape here. It’s easy to look back on these posters with rose-tinted nostalgia of a time gone by, but yet New Zealand’s landscape still remains largely the same.

An early poster for Rotorua and Hannah enjoying it unchanged this month.

Pick up a copy or a sampler here — http://www.sellingthedream.co.nz/

دبي Dubai: Synthetic Sim City

In February, whilst en route to New Zealand, we touched down for two nights in Dubai. It was our first experience of the UAE, we expected extravagance, over-indulgence and a clear display of wealth. Our experience was far from contrary from our expectations, but exploration of the city gave us a real insight into this unique metropolis.

The sparkling, glitzy Dubai Airport, flaunts massive classical columns, water features, fountains, and wouldn’t look out of place in a Beyoncé video. Although, the amount of flesh on display in such a video would prevent such an activity from ever taking place there.

Dubai is a fascinating blend of Arabic and Western culture. It’s built with man at the centre and men as a dominant gender particularly. The mix of cultures and religious ideals blend and clash in the customs of the city. Mosques mingle with malls, droves come to worship at both venues. Wayfinding and signage is always displayed in both Arabic and English, much like how many places are displayed in Māori and English in New Zealand. Except that in Dubai, I’m clearly the English tourist, in an Arabic country, it seems overly accommodating that all signage is in my language. As a result it is effortlessly easy to get around, it almost feels like you’ve ever really left the airport. Everything works for your convenience.

At the platform the tannoy announced the train information in English, upon alighting we followed an air-conditioned walkway connecting the station to the mall. Outside, six lanes of heavy traffic flowed fast below and beyond, Dubai looked flat and hazy, but buildings rose up all around us. A constant backdrop of architecture and the built environment engulfed the horizon line. At times, it felt a little like being part of a sci-fi movie. I liked to imagine we were in Blade Runner, but before it became endlessly dark and blanketed with constant rain.

For the graphic designer, Dubai was full of intrigue. Big brands such as Burger King and Marks and Spencer were a popular sight, but their signage was different to usual. Burger King retained their bulbous logo and fat, English logotype, but just above was the Arabic version in a thick bubbly Arabic alphabet. Marks and Spencer equally had their own slimline, elegant Arabic version. It was fascinating to see the familiar yet foreign theme played out in the realm of graphic design.

There was a clear lack of nature around the city. In the smooth, air-conditioned taxi journey from the airport to our hotel I looked out at the neatly trimmed grass banks and pink flowers along the road side. The manicured grass besides was a perfect as a golf course and the flowers sat upright so precisely that I half wondered whether they were all plastic. The long lines of hosepipes confirmed that nature was alive, but only at man’s control. So much of our experience was conditioned and controlled, everything was safe and everything was easy, but yet this didn’t mean that it was an enriching experience.

My lasting impression of Dubai, a place made on a leveled desert with obscene wealth, was that of a synthetic Sim City. The whole place was like a computer game city, buildings quickly built upon request on a blank canvas weak to man’s influence and desires. Very little of Dubai’s historic culture squirmed through. Nature and landscape were anonymous, but for the heat of the sun, just a faint whisper amidst the loudness of Dubai’s synthetic metropolis of malls and hotels.

Goodbye England, covered in snow.

Anthony Gormley’s Angel of the North.

Snow on snow, on snow. Whether you find these arctic conditions a beautiful wonderment or simply inconvenient, it doesn’t stop the snow from coming. As Newcastle and Gateshead are covered in a blanket of white, it seems a good time to share some winter illustrations with you.

Although I designed these posters late last year I didn’t manage to get them online. Perhaps the snow is beginning to become more of an annoyance than a natural spectacle, these illustrations hopefully evoke memories of how picturesque the world can be when covered in snow.

Next month I’ll be leaving for New Zealand, arriving in the tale-end of their summer, these illustrations serve a little ode to my time in Newcastle. While it has often been good, it has often been cold too. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t looking forward to fairer weather. Maybe I’ll design some warm alternatives of Auckland icons bathed in sunlight soon!

The Sage Gateshead.

Grey’s Monument, Newcastle.

The iconic Tyne Bridge.

Euro 2012 Poster

Limited Edition Euro 2012 A1 Poster

Welcome, Bienvenue, Willkommen, Dobrodošli, Boas-vindas! The European Championships are here again and what better way to keep track of the winners and losers than with this beautifully designed poster. Follow all the action, whether you’re a crazy Croat, a gregarious German, a super Swede or an enthusiastic Englishman.

The design is inspired by the pattern on a traditional football and takes the rub of the green from those appetising European football pitches.

Detail showing England’s group.

There’s space to fill in all the scores and also the teams that progress from the group stages. You might even be writing ‘England’ in one of those spaces!

Detail showing country names in native European.

Designed completely in Replica Bold, each country is represented by it’s native name.

All typeset in Replica Bold.

 

Design in decline?

Are digital developments leaving traditional design in decline? As digital design thrives it would seem branding and print are being left for dead – as graphic designers, how do we respond?

I’ve blogged before about the shift in reading, from the traditional printed page to e-reading. Reading is currently experiencing a boom that has nothing to do with beautifully designed book covers, but with the affordability and convienience of reading in a digital context. With the prolific rise of the iPad, Kindle, smartphone and humble PC, coupled with the internet, we have the ability to read almost anything, anywhere.

I recently read an article on A List Apart about digital publishing, unsurprisingly, on my iPhone using Readability. The author, Nick Disabato, described how digital publishing has a long way to go before it reaches the level of web standards. The article goes on to explain how the traditional process of; writer, to publisher, to reader, has been completely disrupted by digital publishing.

Historically, writers were dependent on publishers, who would edit their work appropriately for their audience, provide a suitable design and cover for the physical book and then market the book to the masses. The result of this process was that the writer’s work would reach a larger audience and make a profit.

Cut out the middle man.

But now there are easier ways for writers to connect with readers without publishers. Writers can upload text via Amazon to be released as ebooks, or use Blurb or Lulu to instantly create a physical book. Both of these routes mean that publishing houses are being bypassed and writers are connecting with their readers directly. Because of such digital advancements, publishers are now scrambling to reinvent their service and claw back some custom.

There are parallels between the publishing service and the graphic design service. Let me explain;  we can swap writers for clients, publishers for designers and readers for audience. Clients approach designers to connect with customers, much in the same way that writers traditionally approached publishers to connect with readers. But now there are numerous methods available for clients to connect directly to their customers without including designers.

Self publish… Self design?

There’s plenty of easy-to-use software for creating posters, flyers even logos and websites, there are also new ways of marketing yourself through social media which is much cheaper than producing tons of printed material. I think cost is also an important factor to remember here.

Apple has made it incredibly easy to edit photos with iPhoto, so no need for a Photoshop expert. Blogging platforms like WordPress, Blogger, Tumblr etc. allow us to create free websites in seconds, so no need for a web designer. There are even places you can get a logo for £25, see the experiment performed by Matt Dolphin, posted on the Creative Review blog.

These are extreme examples and not all clients are completely bypassing designers. Such solutions and DIY services are affordable, quick fixe, but they don’t provide a creative or personally tailored design. There is still need for good, professional design. The problem is that clients won’t always realise the value of professional design or be willing to pay for professional design during a recession. The flip side is that we, as designers, also need to accept that there are cheaper alternatives for clients – and then develop our service competitively.

How lo can you go? Matt Dolphin.

It’s not all doom and gloom though, plenty of studios are still producing a high level of branding and design, digital agencies are thriving too. But, like publishers, we need to reinvent our service. I’m open to suggestions and debate, please comment below or tweet me @graybu

Doing it for the kids?

London 2012 Olympics logo, designed by Wolff Olins.

Everybody has an opinion on the London 2012 Olympic logo. Few would herald it as great design or even confess affection for the marque, the design community and self-depreciating British press have given it a battering. But is there anyone who actually likes it?

It looks clunky, ill considered, awkward and amateur. It possesses none of the finesse of regal British refinement and it’s completely different to any other Olympic logo. But maybe that is just the point. We could also say that it is edgy, vibrant and alternative – these qualities are also true.

When I first saw the logo a few years ago, I was surprised and initially pretty unsure about it. My visual palette has more of an appetite for clean, orderly Swiss design, but I must admit the brand, if not the logo is beginning to grow on me.

The many colours of the Olympic logos.

It wasn’t until talking to my fiancée that I truly looked at the logo from a different perspective. My fiancée is a primary school teacher with a class of six year olds that simply can’t wait for the olympics to begin. The whole school, it seems, are anticipating the games with great excitement.

An Olympic themed version of Guitar Hero featuring the Mascots, presumably aimed at the younger generation.

Further Olympic promotional material aimed at kids.

When I thought about the logo and identity from a kid’s perspective, I realised that it must look pretty dynamic and exciting. A quick browse of the official website reveals a vibrant colour palette, a quirky, angular typeface and energetic, abstract shapes at play across their promotions. The energy and irregularity of the identity must appeal to kids because of it’s liveliness and unorthodox approach.

I remember that as a kid I loved anything that was different from the norm or looked extra cool. School text books were grey, formulaic and stank of uniformity… They were boring. Whereas this radical logo for the 2012 Olympics is like the super cool, slightly cheeky kid (with the sweet new sneakers) that stands out amongst a bland bunch of glasses wearing nerds and grown-ups. Unrestrained from, seemingly, any real regulation, the olympic logo is completely different from any other major event logos.

It might not be popular with us  sophisticated designers or even amongst many very sensible grown-ups. But the logo and identity might be very successful when inspiring the next generation take an interest in the Olympics. It might not be completely to my taste, but I’d guess that the logo is doing it for the kids.

A City Style

Barcelona skyline, from the Montjuïc cable car.

With its own unique mix of cosmopolitan culture and bohemian edge Barcelona is a melting pot of creative diversity. The Catalan city with a rich arts history has many talented designers in residence and it’s no wonder that Mario Eskenazi and Patrick Thomas have chosen it as their home too. The work of both designers reflect the city itself – bold, graphic, creative and expressive. So does where we live affect the style of our work?

We can paint a picture, with broad brush strokes, of the style of work that comes from London and the UK. Witty ideas are celebrated and sharp, concise executions are popular. The style of Dutch design is often more colourful and playful, they seem to use illustration more lavishly. American design is often fond of ornamental elements, graphic devices and bold condensed typography. Of course these are all very generous generalisations, but they help illustrate that different locations seems to be more conducive to different styles of design.

There could be many reasons for this. The popularity of a dominant trend amongst heavy spending clients dictating the increase of a certain style in a single area. A type concentration of a similar type of client to a certain area, all requesting a similar style. Maybe the arts history of a place effects the designers disposition? I’m more interested to pick at whether the general way of life and cultural experience of living in a certain place effects design styles on a more subconscious level.

Fundació Joan Miró

I’ve visited Barcelona twice. On both occasions I’ve found it an intoxicating place. Bustling, vibrant and full of life, my memories are tinted a hazy yellow. The glow of the sun warms up street scenes, graphic posters plaster dusty walls and overlay gratuitous graffiti. Glamorous residents pace past quickly, tourists bumble in stop-start fashion. Wafts of olive oil from local tapas bars and last nights stale beer hang in the air. Against this stodgy backdrop of overstimulation a plethora of art galleries and cultural attractions tempt any graphic designer into exploring. Gaudi, Miro and Picasso are just a few big names that Barcelona can claim. Barcelona is an attractive place for anyone even slightly creative.

Park Güell

The first time I visited was with University. We were fortunate enough to meet Patrick Thomas at his studio. Originally from the UK, Thomas had swapped the grey of London to the sunnier skies of Barcelona. Printed ephemera and stencil experiments lay atop most desktops, it was a mix of artist’s workshop and designer’s studio. Thomas was, and still is, producing bold, graphic screen printed alongside managing Studio laVista. He showed us some recent work and told stories of random encounters in the city that had inspired screenprinted posters. He seemed laid back in person and at home with where he worked.

Burrro, Barcelona. Patrick Thomas

Thomas appeared to be inspired and influenced by the city he lived and worked in. He’d been moved by random encounters and observations to create illustrations and posters. He’d once stumbled across a donkey near his studio, waiting by a traffic cone, it seemed the perfect subject for a poster. He also showed us an identity he’d designed for a local pizzeria called La Veronica’s. The identity was bold red had been created from old woodblock type he’d found locally. Like the city itself the identity had an expressive yet informal feel.

Identidad visual del Departamento de Medio Ambiente del Ayuntamiento de Barcelona

Last summer, I was in Barcelona again, this time for a city break with my girlfriend. As we explored the city we spotted graphic, halftone ‘B’s everywhere. Like a subversive logo for the city they appeared on trucks, signposts, bins, prolific in appearance. When travelling on the underground we collected the metro timetables because they featured an unusual stencil typeface on the covers. It wasn’t until returned to the UK that I discovered that these little ‘B’s and the metro timetables were the work of Mario Eskenazi.

Identidad visual del Departamento de Medio Ambiente del Ayuntamiento de Barcelona

In a blog post on the AGI site, Marian Bantjes begins “Designers in Barcelona joke that Barcelona IS Mario Eskenazi.” It certainly seems that way when you realise how much of a mark he’s left across the city. Eskenazi’s work has a playful side to it. His solutions are creative, yet simple, designs are use only what is necessary. His design’s don’t feel stifled or over-controlled, like some corporate work often does. You get the impression that he takes his work seriously, but isn’t afraid to have a laugh along the way.

I’m drawing parallels between the style of the design and the city loosely, there is no concrete proof that any design is directly influenced by the city it is conceived in. But for me, the bold, graphic work of Thomas and Eskenazi reflects my experiences of Barcelona. Like the sunny, anything-goes attitude of the city, there’s a cheeky and bohemian style to their work; a step away from modern trends and slick, overworked vectors. They’re also happy to use more traditional methods like woodblock type or screen-printing. Barcelona is an inclusive and eclectic place, full of characters, which could be why more expressive design is more widely accepted.

It’s not fully clear how these solutions come to bear, whether both designers have a very effective method of communicating the strength of their ideas to clients. Or if the clients are more at home with a more creative and edgy design from the norm. I’d guess that it’s a bit of both.

I wonder whether Patrick Thomas and Mario Eskenazi were drawn to Barcelona because they felt that the city complimented their way of life and design philosophy? I think most designers also have a design philosophy and a unique creative outlook and that both are sensitive to the environment they find themselves in. Perhaps the places we live affect the style of our design more than we realise?