Kemistry Gallery: Private View — Gastro typographical assemblage

Gastrotypographicalassemblage

17 September — 30 October

Kemistry Gallery is celebrating the work of legendary designer Lou Dorfsman, art director for the CBS network.

The exhibition will centres on his most notable creation, the 11-metre wide handmade wooden typographic wall that he named Gastrotypographicalassemblage. Created during an era when designers were both artisans and well-trained communicators, the wall is the largest modern typographic artefact in existence, described by Michael Bierut as ‘an irreplaceable piece of design history.’ With custom type created by Herb Lubalin and Tom Carnase, the wall contains almost 1500 individual characters.

“There are few pieces that represent the typographic and design spirit that illuminated that moment of history, and certainly none on a scale as ambitious.” Milton Glaser.

I ink therefore I am

Soupa catches up with Carys Ink to talk inspiration and latest projects

Tell us a secret – is there one thing you find difficult or can't draw?

Not sure it's really a secret, but I do find people generally difficult to draw. I tend to cheat and go for a stylised or naive approach.

How do you work? Do you have a set work space or do you work in various locations?

I currently have a small workstation in the corner of our living room, it's not really ideal as I don't have space to spread out or have too much inspirational stuff around me. Thankfully we're having a bit of building work done at the moment and this is going to create a little area just for me, which can be hidden away when I'm not working.

Who are your top 3 illustrators/designers?

This is a tough one. There are so many amazing illustrators/designers whose work I discover and follow on Twitter, they are all a daily inspiration to me.

If pushed to narrow it down though, my top 3 would be:

1. Ben Newman - www.bennewman.co.uk I first came across Ben's work last year when I was starting out as a freelance illustrator – I love his style, characters and use of colour and shapes –brilliant work.

2. Serge Seidlitz – www.sergeseidlitz.com – some mad compositions with so many elements it makes your head explode

3. Sanna Annukka – www.sanna-annukka.com – beautiful, iconic shapes and designs

When illustrating a complex composition like the Whole Nine Yards illustration, where do you start?

The client is an event management company, they wanted to incorporate the different types of event they are involved with into one illustration which would act like a portal on their website – a 'hippy' style festival, a city event and a large scale, stadium ceremony. First step was mapping out the composition, where each section was going to be and where the logo would sit. Then I basically honed in on each section – drew the main elements first and just kept adding the smaller details – layer heaven in Illustrator!

I created 1 main illustration and 8 banner-style headers on various themes, all for use on the Whole Nine Yards website – www.wnyproductions.co.uk

Are you interested in collaboration? Have you undertaken and collaborative projects? If so, how have they differed from working on your own?

Yes, I am interested in collaboration. I have submitted work to a number of collaborative projects – Colonel Windpipe, Happy Journey Collective, Toe Fluff and most recently 'Thinking Caps' an upcoming exhibition of custom cycle caps ( I also have a few more on my list for when I have time.) I like the fact that these projects essentially offer up a brief, which can be interpreted in any which way – it is always fun to see what others do with the same brief.

I have not yet collaborated directly with another illustrator/artist on a project, though it is something I would be interested in. In my years working as a designer, I worked collaboratively a lot, within a small team of designers, directors, animators on a wide range of projects.

Check out more  of  Carys' work at www.carys-ink.com

Deck the walls

Soupa was invited to the private view of the Decked project exhibition, which is currently taking place at the Coningsby Gallery (just off Tottenham Court Road, London) which showcases a fantastic array of hand painted skateboard decks.

A really original exhibition, it was fascinating to see such a variety of styles all sitting side by side.

Carlos Garde-Martin of Soupa said: "Brilliantly curated, this exhibition features some of the best contemporary illustration on show. Go see it while you have the chance!"

The show is on until 28th August – so be quick!

New work by Soupa's Jamie Littler

Check out the Soupa profile of Jamie Littler to see some fabulous new works. Click here.

Perfect papercuts – Q&A with Mr Yen

We've been talking to, and admiring the work of Jonathan Chapman aka Mr Yen via Twitter over the past few months and as a recent graduate, Soupa wanted to ask him a few questions about his practice, how he disciplines himself and what inspires him.

How long have you been paper cutting? I started papercutting just over a year ago and have been doing it ever since. While at University I tried to incorporate it into as many briefs as possible or adapt it to fit what I was doing.

Papercuts seem to take a lead in your portfolio - what influenced you and keeps you going? My initial influence for papercuts were Rob Ryan and Peter Callensen. I loved the detailed and delicate designs of Ryan’s work and the 3D element of Callensen. The need to explore paper to its full potential keeps me going and as there are so many things you can do with paper I don’t think I will be stopping anytime soon! I have lots of ideas that I would like to try out. Once I create a design I like to see how many ways it can be reproduced in different contexts and how this affects the design. So far I have experimented with book covers, bookmarks, greeting cards, posters and notebooks and feel as though I have barely scratched the surface.

When designing a papercut, how do you consider the 'absent' space? Does light come into it or do you make a design and go with it? When initially designing an idea I don't think about the space as I feel this limits my creativity. I start to think about the negative space in the design and how things connect, once I have my idea down on paper and that is the interesting part. If something needs to stay as part of the design I will tweak the design slightly, but it is only ever slightly needed.

How long does it take you to cut something intricate such as a spirograph design or lettering? To actually cut an intricate spirograph design can take me about an hour depending on the size of the design. I find intricate pieces can be cut quicker if they are larger as no matter how detailed a design it is always easier to cut something on a larger scale. Lettering is the same, especially serif fonts as the added extra bits on a typeface are the bits that cause the most trouble as they are likely to get accidentally torn or ripped on a smaller scale.

What happens if something rips? I start again! I always start with the most detailed, intricate parts of a paper cut, as this is where accidents are likely to happen, that way if something does rip I haven’t almost finished a design but only just started it.

Where do you source your paper? Do you use a specific weight or type to avoid ripping or wear and tear? At the moment I source my paper at a local art shop and I use 150gsm Daler Rowney Canford paper at an A1 size. I buy the paper at this size so I can cut it down to the required measurements for each paper cut I create which are all usually either A4 or smaller, making sure I get my moneys worth out of the paper. At the moment I am looking for sources where I can buy paper in bulk as now I am doing this fulltime I need a more reliable, more economic source for paper.

Do you have any plans for future projects or anything you would like to share? In the future I plan to experiment with getting my designs onto as many different paper products as possible, such as notebooks and greeting cards. I also created a series of typographic lampshades at University that I would like to develop to a professional standard.

How did you come up the name 'Mr Yen'? I have always had an affinity with Japanese design and simplicity in the Japanese lifestyle which is where the ‘Yen’ part came from and the ‘Mr’ part was added as I felt it made it sound more friendly and approachable, while being professional.

When commissioned - what is your design method - do you draw your designs first and ok with the client, or do you go straight into cutting? When I receive a commission for a paper cut I create initial ideas to show my client, which then get developed and altered to work for a paper cut – making sure all the bits that need to be connected to make the design work are all connected and this is then sent to the client for approval. Once the illustration is approved I start cutting the design. The illustration and the developmental stages are the most important bit, as this is where flaws will appear and can be rectified. Once a design is cut there is no going back, so I need to be sure about the whole design before I get out my scalpel.

You have only just graduated? How did you discipline yourself whilst studying? As a lecturer myself I know a lot of students find it hard to discipline themselves. Having recently finished University I am now trying to keep myself in a routine to make sure everything that needs to be done gets done on time and as I am the only one to do it there is no one pushing or helping me to do everything, it is all about being self disciplined. I find that if you know the best times you feel creative you should take advantage of this, if that is in the early hours of the morning or late at night, go with it. To me this is one of the best parts of working as a freelance designer as I get to choose my hours and do certain types of work when I feel I will best get them done.

Check out Mr Yen at http://www.mr-yen.com/ or follow him on Twitter. You can also buy his paper cuts from his Etsy store

Lazy Oaf and Tate present Let’s Face it

Matthew The Horse PV at Nobrow Gallery Thursday 22nd July

Matthew The Horse and Jon Boam will be showcasing their marvellously outlandish take on the absurd, the humorous and the colourfully horrific in forthcoming show Doom 3.0 at the acclaimed Nobrow Gallery, London. The exhibition will feature new work including original paintings, screen prints, 3D and digital work and runs from 22nd July- 23rd Sept.

Nobrow Gallery 62 Great Eastern St. London EC2A 3QR

Private View: Thursday 22nd July, 6.30-9.30 pm

Blisters blackout - Print Club London (call for submissions)

Print Club are bringing together a mixture of established and emerging illustrators for BLISTERS BLACKOUT a winter feast of hand pulled, screen printed posters.

This year they are asking every one to add a ‘glow in the dark’ element to their poster design. They will be ‘Blacking Out’ the venue at points during the opening night so your posters can really GLOW!

Click here to find out how you can submit your work.

Birdwatching - women in graphic design

BirdWatching website launch party!

Friday 16th of July 2010

BirdWatching is a socially driven, young organisation that connects, shares and recognises the work of female graphic designers.

They are ruffling their feathers for the launch of the new website and will be hosting a celebratory event on Friday, 16 July in the heart of London’s creative nest.

Second Floor - Netil House 1 Westgate Street E8 3RL London

The event on Facebook

Ok-Jo's custom cover for Wallpaper

So, I tweeted a while back about my Wallpaper mag custom cover. Well I received my cover in the post yesterday (as did few other thousand people) and what a treat! The paper stock is lovely, and it was very cool to have the self designed Wallpaper - with the help of design elements from James Joyce, Nigel Robinson, Hort, Anthony Burrill and Kam Tang. Check out the project here http://www.wallpaper.com/custom-covers

Here is the final product. I was also chuffed to have my cover printed in the back on the Wallpaper favourites' page!

Jo (www.okjostudio.com)

The Doodlecar at the Doodlebar - tonight!

Designers North Alliance

LCC FdA Design for Graphic Communication Show

Soupa's Spanish talent in Etapes Magazine

Soupa member Oscar de Castro's work has been featured in the latest issue of Etapes Magazine.

You may recognise these works as they were on sale at Soupa's Christmas stall in the Truman Brewery last year.

The magazine is distributed in Spain, Portugal and throughout Latin America in more than 15 countries. It's considered one of the most important and respected publications in Graphic Design.

Here is the extract translated from Spanish:

"Oscar de Castro is a conceptual graphic designer. He takes all the sense of one idea to smash all the small elements in a precise shape, on the one hand very simple and subtle, but on the other hand, the creations are a mixture of details very calculated. In his new vision of the old human masks, he had used contemporary shapes based on maths to show images related with legendary myths."

See more of Oscar's work on Soupa : http://www.soupa.co.uk/showcase-oscar.html

Cockpit Arts - open studios

Project10 – June (graduate) edition

Steve Price (Plan-B Studio) has set himself a rather intriguing challenge; 10 projects in 10 months with 10 NFP/NGO organisations or projects that are 'fun'.

When he first began in January he thought Project10 would be ten projects for ten charities. But Project10 has become much more than trying to create ten projects in ten months. As ever it is about quality, not quantity. It’s also about something fundamentally more important; collaboration.

Rather than send out press releases to promote his endeavor, he had the bright idea of using the Newspaper Club to create a limited-edition mail-out to 100 industry leaders and press people. The content is contributed to by writers, designers, artists, illustrators and other generous people, who often team up and work collaboratively on the content itself.

Steve’s dedicating June’s issue to the newest graduates. Not all 16,000+ of them; Steve’s picking ten for a carefully created issue that celebrates the best of the design industries newbies.

Applicants will not just be selected on their work, though. Oh no. In order to get yourself and your work in to the paper you must (off your own back) source, organise and interview your design industry hero/heroine for the paper SPECIFICALLY about the notion of collaboration in today’s industry (N.B. Steve might be able to help you get the interviews).

Applicants need to contact Steve with their plan and then supply up to 500 words of interview, images to support the interview and/or examples of your own work. Deadline is Tuesday 8th June 2010.

For more information contact: project10@plan-bstudio.com

Bunch of stars - TONIGHT

Clerkenwell Design week starts today

Design Museum talk – Bibliotheque long lunch

Craft Central - Made in clerkenwell