Designers/Design Studios + Possible Placements

The ideal location for a work placement would be at a London design studio that takes on projects focussed on print, digital and editorial within the cultural sectors of music, self publishing and photography. The studios I have interest in have a strong visual aesthetic that produce work within these areas and appeal to my personal interests within graphic design such as typography and image making.

To start I have looked at some studios I could visit/apply for placements in the North of England where I am currently based and make the most of my time here.


Qubik (Leeds)

www.qubik.com

Qubik is a graphic design studio founded in 1998 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.

I really like the modernist approach to their design work, not over-complicating anything but using effective layouts and typography to communicate the information. 

 

 

As Qubik is based in Leeds I sent them an email saying I liked their work and if they could give me any advice on where start with setting up my own studio and maybe start thinking about work placements over the coming months.  

Yoke (Leeds) 

Yoke is a duo based in Leeds with an aim to curate an exhibition space that spurs dialogue between creatives. Yoke held an exhibition called dialogue where they asked people to submit for a blind collaboration. Some of the work that came out of it was really striking and the juxtaposition of peoples ideas and styles made for really interesting prints. It was also a good way of finding out local artists and designers.   

 

 

Deep Hedonia (Liverpool)

www.deephedonia.com

Deep Hedonia is a studio focused on the music industry and putting on events in Liverpool. The musicians and DJs they have on appeal to me and would be interesting to see how they go about running events as the collective I am currently a part of (Jarg People) is interested in doing a similar sort of thing.  

Huck (London) 

www.huckmagazine.com

I have been keeping up with Huck magazine and buying their issues for a few years now and think it would be a great studio to experience as the content suits my interests. 

'Huck celebrates radical culture – people and movements that paddle against the flow. Inspired by DIY principles and rooted in the rebellious heritage of surf and skate, Huck roams the globe to document grassroots counterculture as it unfolds, seeking out freethinkers who are a wellspring of new thoughts and ideas.' - Huck

The magazines are beautifully designed and a lot of detail is considered for each uniquely designed issue. They collaborate with filmmakers, photographers, artists, illustrators, designers, musicians and anyone else who has a story that fits within their ethos.

Ditto Press (London) 

www.dittopress.co.uk

Ditto are a print based studio who run a lot of self initiated projects as well as working with clients. Many of their projects are centred around music, zines, posters, album covers and books. The print aesthetic is something that is really unique about this studio with the majority of their publications and prints being Risograph printed, a process I have become strongly involved with after printing my own zine of 50 editions this year, and is a method of printing I want to continue to be involved with in the future.  

Give Up Art (London) 

A unique aspect of this studio is its focus on the music industry. The minimal clear aesthetic combined with interesting content is something that also appeals to me - focusing on quality print finishes which have been well photographed.    

Kid. (Toronto) 

I haven't found much information on this studio although I can see from the work they produce they are very selective on which projects they want to choose. 

Personal Portfolio 2016

For my personal brand, as I want to show variation in my work and let it speak for itself, I have created and website design thats main focus is to showcase my work. I have chosen a simple but personally sourced sans-serif typeface that is best suited to go alongside my work and across all platforms of my personal brand. As of now these include: Web and printed portfolios, blog and social media accounts as well as including my name and website on all my work in the typeface I have chosen to represent me.

Elements of my personal branding that will remain consistent:

Typeface: Van Condensed (Regular, Light)  

Colours: 

#5dffb0

#000000

 

Website

The main function of the website is to immediately show visitors as much work as possible which I have achieved using a scroll down page with snippets of my projects as thumbnails, which when clicked with take the user to the entire project. 

When hovered over the thumbnail will be highlighted and the title and media will be displayed.  

Temporary Portfolio

As a my custom website is in the works I have a temporary website portfolio run through cargo collective. The layout is similar to my originally designed site and can show people snippets of my work if needed. I also plan to have a link to a pdf portfolio showing more detailed projects which can also be sent by email.

Links to blog and shop that create a network between my online presence. 

Social media and contact details.

Digital (pdf) Portfolio

DBA: Hyperloop - Initial Research

Existing Effective Transport Brands

NASA

A reason NASA's brand hasn't changed since its inception is the pure simplicity of it. It is devoid of cliche text effects that are often used in an attempt to portray futurism that typically become dated. The subtle manipulation of the letterforms form a rounded fluid logotype which can easily be applied to an array of media.

The graphics standard manual for NASA's shows how the logo can be seamlessly applied to a range of items that the company uses. The rounded serifs and stripped back lettering still hint to the futuristic style of sans-serif typefaces yet do not over complicate or do more than is needed.  

What is Hyperloop's main appeal? 

The are many reasons for travelling with Hyperloop that we could pursue as its main selling point and what would influence the branding. Together as a group we discussed which we found was the most interesting and provided enough interest to create an exciting brand.  

The first of its kind.

The Hyperloop is the fifth mode of transport and the first new form of transport the 21st century has seen. We want to show that this is new and exciting technology and inspire the public to use it. We are also conscious that it will not be new forever and want to create a logo that will stand the test of time. 

Below is our initial ideas and logo designs prior to the interim crit with DBA. 

Our main focus was on the new science and technology involved in making the Hyperloop work which has never before been used in transport.  

Outlined the elements of Hyperloop we should and shouldn't focus on

Must

- Hyperloop is for everyday use – it should be promoted as such.

- The greatest benefit to a consumer is derived from the speed

of the Hyperloop.

- It’s not intended to replace air travel but replaces ‘te- dious’ short

haul flights.

- The transition from traditional fuels to electric is one of the technology’s greatest attributes. 

Must Not 

- Basing the brand upon Hyperloop’s experience and cost cannot be justified, as these attributes are not certain.

- It is a new technology however we are to build upon attributes that are to survive in order to create a sustainable brand.