Band Identity development

Below is a new self-initiated project I have been working on for Leeds-based rock band Relapse. The following images dhow the new band identity and two experimental promo posters


Band Identity:
This new identity has taken influence from the 'nu-wave' type style where letterforms take on more symplistic geometric shapes. I decided to watercolour the type rather than digitally producing them to create something new and slightly less structured in aesthetic value (to represent the nature of the band).

Promotional posters:



Here are two promotional posters experimenting with the layout of the band identity as well as the inclusion of my own illustration taking influence from the music of the band as well as the work of Alphonse Mucha.

Please let me know what you think...

Alberto Seveso

www.recycledarea.co.uk

After looking at the work of Neil Deurden I found a Blog of Michelle Almond's about Alberto Seveso's work. It is really similar to Deurden's illustrative work but takes it one step further by allowing the illustration to flow and dictate what parts of the female figure are revealed and what parts are left forthe imagination to 'draw'.

What I love about the above images is the way the illustrative shapes curve and mimic the shape of the human form and almost latch around the features of the model's face. The work creates a very delicate and femenine feel but at the same time images like the first one can still suggest a vibrance and playfulness which I admire and would lend itself well to animation.

Neil Duerden - Ingulf

www.neilduerden.co.uk

Above are a collection of fashion pieces named 'Ingulf' by Neil Duerden combining photography and illustration. What I like about these images is that the illustration has been overlayed onto the skin of the model, her body becomes the canvas and the contours created by her body in turn define the shape of the illustration. This is in contrast to alot of design using photography and illustration where the photograph is left unchanged and the illustration either floats on top or in the background.

However, it would be nice to see how this image would look if the illustration were painted directly onto the skin becuase although the illustration has been carefully placed around the limbs and contours of the model I can't help but think it may be more successful to do it for real

Life is a Laugh by Brian Griffiths

Above is an image of the latest installation for 'Platform for Art'; London Underground's public art programme designed to showcase and celebrate a rich and vibrant art scene.

"For this new sculptural installation Life Is a Laugh, commissioned by London Underground’s art programme Platform for Art, Brian Griffiths has constructed an epic 70-metre long site-specific artwork. Conscious of the transitional nature of both the site and its occupants the work taps into the character of this fleetingly captive audience, exaggerating a sense of expectation tinged with boredom, mental doodling and day-dreaming."

http://www.tfl.gov.uk/tfl/corporate/projectsandschemes/artmusicdesign/pfa/artists/lifeisalaugh.asp

The purpose of this piece seems to be to make the eye run along the vast span of the artwork and to have an almost abandoned feeling. It leaves you thinking 'what do these objects have in common?' or 'why is there a 7.5 m panda face in an underground tunnel?'

I think this is a fantastic installation by Brian Griffiths using unconventional objects for the surroundings and combining them to create something different and exciting. His installation wants to be a strucuture but it defies the basic principles of architecture. There is also alot of humour in his work which shows through and turns what is initially dead-space into a visual experience.

Chester Subway Murals

Recently there has been a movement in my hometown to improve city elements like subways and try and lift some of the current stigma associated with them. Above are four murals developed by volunteers with input from some of the churches in Chester. The murals represent different elements of Chester i.e. The Roman and Victorian influences as well as showing some of the famous architectural elements of Chester like the Eastgate Clock and the Fountains Roundabout.

I really like the idea of using design like this to brighten up the area and improve elements of the urban environment. My only concern is that although the murals look fantastic they aren't that big in real life and don't really cover up enough of the subway walls, if the murals stretched across a full wall I think they could create an even bigger impact than they do already.

However, these murals are a vast improvement to Chester's subways and it is refreshing to see artwork being put into use in an urban environment (this is not a new thing but seems to often be forgotten about).

My response to James Joyce Illustration

Below is my own illustration work loosely influenced by the work of James Joyce. The message 'making a difference' within the tree is refering to a recent tree-planting initiative set-up in my local area by the City council and I wanted to try and raise the profile of the event with the illustration.I have also tried the same image with colour, please let me know what you think.

Magnus Berg - Manatees CD Cover

This is a fantastic CD cover designed by Magnus Berg and featured in Computer Arts' Graduate Showcase 2007. This is a really good example of how good illustration and design can be enhanced by knowledge of printing techniques.

"This album cover was printed with a spot varnish and then foil-blocked in bronze. It shines!" - Magnus Berg

Graphic Design in the Middle East

Since my travels to Damascus last year I have become very interested in Graphic Design and the development of Design in the Middle East. Alot of the design produced by Arabic speaking countries is based heavily around typogrpahy as Arabic is a beautiful language with alot of elegant contours that work well on posters.

I was delighted to find work from the East that I haven't seen before on Anna Stratigaks' Blog today. The work of Reza Abedini is really interesting becuase it combines arabic typography with illustration to produce Graphic Art, this was something I have been experimenting with and my illustrtation for D&AD New Blood was probably the most successful example of this:
This was a combination of my father's Arabic (handwritten) and my illustration influenced by Middle Estern Photojournalism.

Below are some example's of Abedini's Graphic Art:


I love the juxtaposition of the elegant contours of the Arabic typography with the almost 'urban' imagery and English Caps.

Martin Hill

I saw Martin Hill's work on a postcard and felt the need to research his method and reasoning fo his sculptures. On his website he describes his work as being

'informed by cyclic principles on which nature works,'

In other words, his sculptures use natural elements but are temporary sculptures and the elements return to nature.

Here is one of his first sculptures 'Stone Cirlce'...

The sculpture uses pumice stones threaded onto a bent willow stick. When seen at the right angle the reflection of the arh creates a full cirlce. Once the photograph was taken the sculpture would have been taken apart.

Also, here is Hill's 'Floating Stones'...


Porous pumice stones can float and Hill has taken advantage of this. Small sticks were placed in the sand beneath the surface of the water to keep the stones in place. I feel this is more successful than the previous sculpture becuase this formation is very delicate and can be naturally destroyed and taken back by nature (which is Hill's ethos) whereas the 'Stone Circle' would have required some physical construction.

Night of The Marabou - Gig poster

I really like this gig poster. It is a screenprinted poster for an electric night of bands and dj's held by The Evening Tweed design company. The artwork on the poster is by Sarah King.

I really like the splattered paint effect with the hand-rendered text cut out of the paint (through simple layering in Photoshop). The detail in the screenprint also shows the 'scratchy' and incomplete pain surface which is visually very interesting.

The typography is simple hand-rendered caps but works really well; I really like the use of scale to fit longer lines within the negative space created by the large copy.

Seripop

This is a poster from the two person design company Seripop. I really like the hand-rendered typography and think it really works with the image of the cathedral.

Sarah King... continued.

Here is another exampleof some of Sarah King's work with illustration and scanned images. These three images were produced as invitations to The School of Historical and Critical Studies' Degree show.

I really like King's use of the basic typographic shapes but then turning it on its head by only filling the elements in part creating unusual geometric shapes that the eye then interprets as the letter in the searh of meaning.

Sarah King of Evening Tweed

I was browsing the Evening Tweed website when I found this image called 'Scanned and illustrated hands' by Sarah King. I really love the combination of illustration with actual hands, it is not too subtle but creates a really beautiful image.

Etched Vinyl

I found this image on Black and Ginger's blog. It is a 7" vinyl for Gallows' 'Abandon ship' with some beautiful etched illustration over the top. I thought this was a great piece of embellishment and really works as a visual element. Below is the illustration for Gallows by Dan Mumford which was the basis for the etching.