At 11am UK time this morning, the #includedesign campaign to have creative subjects included in the UK Government’s new Ebacc qualification is asking everyone in the creative industry to devote six minutes of their time to raising awareness of the issue. CR is supporting this initiative by writing to Secretary of State Michael Gove
Why six minutes? The campaign calculates that this is the amount of time per day that may be allocated to creative subjects in schools if they are sidelined by not being included in the core Ebacc subjects.
Here is the text of the letter which we have sent to Mr Gove this morning:
Dear Mr Gove,
I am the editor of Creative Review, the leading monthly magazine for the visual communications industry. Our readers work mainly in the design and advertising industry and it is with their interests in mind that I write to you today regarding the exclusion of creative subjects from the Ebacc.
Successive UK Governments have held the creative industries up as a shining example to the rest of the world. We have been told repeatedly that the creative industries form a vital part of our economy and will play an increasingly important role in the UK’s push toward a ‘knowledge-based’, high-skill economy. In the fields of design and advertising we have a host of genuinely world-leading companies; education is the bedrock of their continued and future success.
I appreciate that you are under enormous pressure from various, competing interests over the make-up of the Ebacc programme. However, I urge you to consider the merits of the Bacc for the Future campaign, which advocates a sixth pillar of creative subjects for the Ebacc. You, more than anyone, will be aware of the effects that league tables have had on schools in encouraging them to ‘game’ the system to produce the best results. I am aware that schools will be able to offer subjects such as Design & Technology as a GCSE, but I cannot help but think that any subjects left out of the core Ebacc ‘pillars’ of study will be considerably disadvantaged, particularly when it comes to the allocation of resources.
In my position I am fortunate enough to be invited to attend conferences around the world; in the last two years I have spoken at design conferences in China, India, Malaysia and Singapore. These countries are working extremely hard to, in their eyes, catch up with what they see as the UK’s world-leading position in industries which they view as absolutely vital to their economic growth. Particularly in India and China, both government and industry leaders have expressed astonishment to me that we would endanger this position by neglecting the education of our next generation of Jonathan Ives, James Dysons and Terence Conrans.
Rather than condemning creative subjects to the margins, surely the way to ensure the UK’s future world leadership in this field is to put design at the heart of our education system? The Ebacc presents a once-in-a-generation opportunity to change the direction of UK education. In 20 years’ time, would you rather be remembered as the Secretary of State who had the vision to secure Britain’s future as a world leader in these important drivers of the new economy, or the man who threw it all away?
Yours Sincerely,
Patrick Burgoyne Editor
Our sister publication Design Week is also supporting the campaign. You can read the text of the letter sent by its editor Angus Montgomery to Mr Gove here.
Anyone wishing to support this campaign can find details of how to get involved at the #includedesign website, including a template for a letter to your local MP and a link to the Bacc for the Future petition.
Director Woof Wan-Bau’s latest animated short for Penguin Books retells the tale of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde starring the publisher’s famous flightless bird
The film promotes a new Penguin English Library edition of the story. Earlier this year, Penguin asked Wan-Bau to create a three-minute film launching the Library.
CR in Print The January issue of Creative Review is all about the Money – well, almost. What do you earn? Is everyone else getting more? Do you charge enough for your work? How much would it cost to set up on your own? Is there a better way of getting paid? These and many more questions are addressed in January’s CR.
But if money’s not your thing, there’s plenty more in the issue: interviews with photographer Alexander James, designer Mirko Borsche and Professor Neville Brody. Plus, Rick Poynor on Anarchy magazine, the influence of the atomic age on comic books, Paul Belford’s art direction column, Daniel Benneworth-Gray’s This Designer’s Life column and Gordon Comstock on the collected memos, letters and assorted writings of legendary adman David Ogilvy.
Please note, CR now has a limited presence on the newsstand at WH Smith high street stores (although it can still be found in WH Smith travel branches at train stations and airports). If you cannot find a copy of CR in your town, your WH Smith store or a local independent newsagent can order it for you. You can search for your nearest stockist here. Alternatively, call us on 020 7970 4878 to buy a copy direct from us. Based outside the UK? Simply call +44(0)207 970 4878 to find your nearest stockist. Better yet, subscribe to CR for a year here and save yourself almost 30% on the printed magazine.
CR for the iPad Read in-depth features and analysis plus exclusive iPad-only content in the Creative Review iPad App. Longer, more in-depth features than we run on the blog, portfolios of great, full-screen images and hi-res video. If the blog is about news, comment and debate, the iPad is about inspiration, viewing and reading. As well as providing exclusive, iPad-only content, the app will also update with new content throughout each month. Try a free sample issue here
From January, the Hogeschool van de Kunsten Utrecht (Utrecht School of the Arts) is to be renamed HKU and will introduce a dynamic grid-based identity created by Amsterdam studio Thonik
Thonik’s scheme replaces the school’s original logo (above), which has been in use since its formation 25 years ago when various art, music and theatre colleges were brought together under one institution. According to Thonik‘s Thomas Widdershoven, over time the school became commonly referred to as the HKU, hence the decision to formerly adopt the abbreviated version as its official name and introduce a new identity scheme to reflect that move.
The scheme is based on a grid, out of which the initial letters HKU are formed. “The letters HKU form a strong graphic image. We tried to establish that image and open it up, at the same time,” Widdershoven says. “That is why we did not choose a typeface but constructed a letter within a grid. The letters are in that way part of a bigger structure of relationships. We think that that correlates to the position of the school, in the middle of the Netherlands, in the middle of society.”
The same grid can then be used to create patterns and illustrations so that a coherent identity system of type and image is derived from the same starting point. “If you form the H K U out of a grid of nine points, an interesting rhythm is the result,” Widdershoven says. “We did many tests on how to come from this nine point basis to a grid with enough detail and possibilities. By using an octagon around the points and connecting the side of these octagons we came to the right [mix of] simplicity and complexity. The grid is easy to identify and gives ample options. We have four strategies to design with the grid: random, accentuated, decorative and structural.”
We have seen a great many identity systems recently which have generative elements and systems for creating patterns to be used on supporting materials. Often, however, there is a disconnect between the core mark and the supporting elements. By using the same graphic system to create both the mark and the ‘brand world’ elements, Thonik has ensured a much greater level of cohesion while still allowing for the flexibility and dynamism that has become a staple of modern brand identity.
Is it right for the school? HKU director of communications Marieke Lauwrier says that “The new identity is appropriate because we have chosen a new position as an art institute in society. We not only want to educate talented arts students, we also want them to connect in various ways to our society and the creative industries. Working together with external partners is important for our students. Furthermore, we are an institute with various courses and programmes. We offer bachelor and master programmes and research degrees in fine art, design, media, games and interaction, music, theatre and arts management. All these departments have the need to communicate with their target groups.” Which presumably makes an identity based on an interconnected grid, where both lettering and type are derived from the relationships between the elements, an appropriate route.
It all sounds convincing in theory but, as we have seen so spectacularly with the recent University of California debacle (where an online protest led to a new scheme being withdrawn) creating and introducing new identity systems for educational institutions where staff and students take a keen interest can be fraught with difficulty. So we were intrigued as to how Thonik and HKU handled their design process.
“The design process was done in interaction with a project team and a response group. The project team consisted of HKU’s head of communications, a teacher of graphic design and two communication experts. The response group mainly consisted of students and employees,” Widdershoven explains.
Lauwrier further reveals that “We chose strong and communicative opinion leaders from our five faculties to attend this group. Each faculty had two representatives. We also selected three students to join the group, a music student, a graphic design student and a digital design student. So the response group consisted of 13 people. We had two sessions with this group together with the people of the web team (four) and of the communication department (11) in October and November. HKU did the introduction to the meeting (‘why does the HKU need a new identity?’, the details of our briefing of Thonik etc). Thonik presented the designs and afterwards there were discussions with these groups. The most important feedback we got was that the new identity shouldn’t be too decorative, that wouldn’t suit the HKU at all.”
Lauwrier says that “The response we got form this group was very positive” when presented with Thonik’s idea. “We did a final check up session with what we called the ‘feedback group’. [Here] we presented the new identity to 60 people from various departments of the HKU – students, alumni etc – to check if we were on the right track with our new identity.”
Although she says she was unaware of the University of California row, “we decided from the start that we had to involve our students and alumni in this process for several reasons. First they are opinion leaders about everything that’s happening in their institution. Second because they will be important users of the logo on their work. If they are proud of the logo, they will use it. Otherwise they ignore it. I think that nowadays with all these easy accessible social media, you have the be more concerned with your actions. Transparency is the new keyword.” When the scheme is rolled out in January, we will see whether HKU’s transparent approach has ensured a smoother ride for the new identity that that endured by the University of Caifornia.
CR in Print The January issue of Creative Review is all about the Money – well, almost. What do you earn? Is everyone else getting more? Do you charge enough for your work? How much would it cost to set up on your own? Is there a better way of getting paid? These and many more questions are addressed in January’s CR.
But if money’s not your thing, there’s plenty more in the issue: interviews with photographer Alexander James, designer Mirko Borsche and Professor Neville Brody. Plus, Rick Poynor on Anarchy magazine, the influence of the atomic age on comic books, Paul Belford’s art direction column, Daniel Benneworth-Gray’s This Designer’s Life column and Gordon Comstock on the collected memos, letters and assorted writings of legendary adman David Ogilvy.
Please note, CR now has a limited presence on the newsstand at WH Smith high street stores (although it can still be found in WH Smith travel branches at train stations and airports). If you cannot find a copy of CR in your town, your WH Smith store or a local independent newsagent can order it for you. You can search for your nearest stockist here. Alternatively, call us on 020 7970 4878 to buy a copy direct from us. Based outside the UK? Simply call +44(0)207 970 4878 to find your nearest stockist. Better yet, subscribe to CR for a year here and save yourself almost 30% on the printed magazine.
CR for the iPad Read in-depth features and analysis plus exclusive iPad-only content in the Creative Review iPad App. Longer, more in-depth features than we run on the blog, portfolios of great, full-screen images and hi-res video. If the blog is about news, comment and debate, the iPad is about inspiration, viewing and reading. As well as providing exclusive, iPad-only content, the app will also update with new content throughout each month. Try a free sample issue here
Want to 3D print, but don’t have the scratch for a 3D printer? A Polish company called Pixle has released a fun-looking iPad app called Foldify, which lets you print 3D designs out of a regular printer…sort of. Check it out:
Obviously the $1.99 app is not going to revolutionize your design firm’s rapid prototyping capabilities, but at the very least, Pixle has just cut the homework time in half for every design student taking Package Design 101.
The Somerset House show on the work of Italian fashion designer Valentino has an appropriately elegant identity, exhibition graphics and accompanying catalogue courtesy of Studio Frith
The show features 130 haute couture designs as worn by the likes of Grace Kelly and Sophia Loren, preceded by a glimpse into Valentino’s rarefied world via his archive and, finally, a section on the painstaking process of creating the garments on show. This last section provides the inspiration and name of a bespoke typeface used for the show named ‘Les Petites Mains’ after the ladies who hand make all the couture dresses.
Above is the die-cut private view invitation with pages like petals to show the line from the poem by Gertrude Stein ‘Rose is a rose is a rose is a rose’. (The rose is the emblem of the fashion designer Valentino.)
Timelines trace Valentino’s career to date
Signage in the show makes reference to the dressmaking process, using dress pattern paper and pins as fixings
The catalogue is designed to be read and held like a personal photo album, featuring images never before published from Valentino and his partner Giancarlo Giametti’s private albums, as well as a portfolio of images given to Valentino by the photographer Deborah Turbeville.
CR in Print The January issue of Creative Review is all about the Money – well, almost. What do you earn? Is everyone else getting more? Do you charge enough for your work? How much would it cost to set up on your own? Is there a better way of getting paid? These and many more questions are addressed in January’s CR.
But if money’s not your thing, there’s plenty more in the issue: interviews with photographer Alexander James, designer Mirko Borsche and Professor Neville Brody. Plus, Rick Poynor on Anarchy magazine, the influence of the atomic age on comic books, Paul Belford’s art direction column, Daniel Benneworth-Gray’s This Designer’s Life column and Gordon Comstock on the collected memos, letters and assorted writings of legendary adman David Ogilvy.
Please note, CR now has a limited presence on the newsstand at WH Smith high street stores (although it can still be found in WH Smith travel branches at train stations and airports). If you cannot find a copy of CR in your town, your WH Smith store or a local independent newsagent can order it for you. You can search for your nearest stockist here. Alternatively, call us on 020 7970 4878 to buy a copy direct from us. Based outside the UK? Simply call +44(0)207 970 4878 to find your nearest stockist. Better yet, subscribe to CR for a year here and save yourself almost 30% on the printed magazine.
CR for the iPad Read in-depth features and analysis plus exclusive iPad-only content in the Creative Review iPad App. Longer, more in-depth features than we run on the blog, portfolios of great, full-screen images and hi-res video. If the blog is about news, comment and debate, the iPad is about inspiration, viewing and reading. As well as providing exclusive, iPad-only content, the app will also update with new content throughout each month. Try a free sample issue here
What do you earn? Is everyone else getting more? Do you charge enough for your work? How much would it cost to set up on your own? Is there a better way of getting paid? These and many more questions are addressed in January’s Creative Review: The Money Issue
We’ve devoted a 15-page section of the January issue of CR to the all-important, yet seldom discussed, topic of cold, hard cash. With the help of the Guardian Digital Agency (who also designed our cover) we begin by looking at the cost of a creative education around the world
Next, we examine the design landscape – what the average UK designer looks like, where they work and what they earn, comparing this to other professions and to US pay
Then, we asked small studios around the world to take part in a survey for us, telling us how much they charge, what it cost to set up and what their outgoings are – as well as how much they spend on coffee, of course
Next, we look at the world of advertising – pay and biling rates, including what a Mad Man (or Woman) costs today
Then, in a series of expert pieces, we cover issues including day rates v project fees, how to price your work, and how to earn while you are sleeping and why usage, not day rates, determine the value and price of photography
And finally, three studios – Karlsson Wilker (shown), Six and Crispin Finn – have shared their secrets with us, discussing their costs, their strategies for bringing in work and working out what to charge for it and how they maintain their businesses. Plus, DBA expert Gary Baxter lists ten warning signs that your studio may be in financial strife
And if money’s not your thing, there’s plenty more in the issue. Gavin Lucas meets photographer Alexander James who has devised an ingenious method for preserving flowers while removing all their colour pigment, creating stunning, ethereal images
Anna Richardson Taylor meets German designer and art director Mirko Borsche, whose work straddles, and often combines, the conservative and the cuttng edge
And Patrick Burgoyne reports on Neville Brody’s progress as Dean of the School of Communication at the Royal College of Art
In Crit, Rick Poynor enjoys a new collection of the cover art of Anarchy magazine
Gordon Comstock leafs through the collected memos, letters and other writings of legendary adman David Ogilvy
John Mecklin of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists no less traces the influence of the atomic age on comic books
In his regular column on art direction, Paul Belford dissects a classic from the great Derrick Hass
And, in his latest Designer’s Life column, Daniel Benneworth-Gray finds that when you’re stuck for an idea, the answer may lie right in front of you
Plus, our Monograph this month features Sam Roberts’ collection of wonderful handpainted sings from Cambodia, a fast-disappearing artform which, as well as advertising local businesses, documents the turbulent history of the country
Please note, CR now has a limited presence on the newsstand at WH Smith high street stores (although it can still be found in WH Smith travel branches at train stations and airports). If you cannot find a copy of CR in your town, your WH Smith store or a local independent newsagent can order it for you. You can search for your nearest stockist here. Alternatively, call us on 020 7970 4878 to buy a copy direct from us. Based outside the UK? Simply call +44(0)207 970 4878 to find your nearest stockist. Better yet, subscribe to CR for a year here and save yourself almost 30% on the printed magazine.
In October we showed some spreads from Black & White, the first tome in Victionary‘s series of Palette books which collate graphic design projects that utilise a particular approach to colour. Here’s a look at the second book from the series, entitled Multicolour…
Above: Pentagram‘s colourful design of the 17th issue of the Typographic Circle’s Circular magazine – which came in eight different coloured covers
Above: Production company Revolver’s colourful identity by Holt.
These Jack Kerouac book covers were conceived as a personal project by Torsten Lindsø Andersen
Anagrama‘s packaging design for Mexican confectionary company Bermellón
This spread shows two projects, PR company GR Communications identity by Ascend Studio – and also the Sirio colour book by SEA (for paper company Fedrigoni) which we featured earlier this year on the CR blog
Above: Oslo-based design studio Heydays‘ campaign for Operation Day 2011 targeted Norweigan youngsters, challenging their preconceptions about opportunities in Africa
This identity for Chilean production company, Film Commission Chile by Barcelona studio Hey uses bold striped ribbons and is very possibly influenced by the work of Franco Grignani
Above and below: photography of vintage stationery finds by blog and online shop Present & Correct
Multicolour, New Rainbow-hued Graphics ($40) can be bought direct from victionary.com.
CR In print
In our December issue we look at why carpets are the latest medium of choice for designers and illustrators. Plus, Does it matter if design projects are presented using fake images created using LiveSurface and the like? Mark Sinclair looks in to the issue of mocking-up. We have an extract from Craig Ward’s upcoming book Popular Lies About Graphic Design and ask why advertising has been so poor at preserving its past. Illustrators’ agents share their tips for getting seen and we interview maverick director Tony Kaye by means of his unique way with email. In Crit, Guardian economics leader writer Aditya Chakrabortty review’s Kalle Lasn’s Meme Wars and Gordon Comstock pities brands’ long-suffering social media managers. In a new column on art direction, Paul Belford deconstructs a Levi’s ad that was so wrong it was very right, plus, in his brand identity column, Michael Evamy looks at the work of Barcelona-based Mario Eskenazi. And Daniel Benneworth-Gray tackles every freelancer’s dilemma – getting work.
Our Monograph this month, for subscribers only, features the EnsaïmadART project in which Astrid Stavro and Pablo Martin invited designers from around the world to create stickers to go on the packaging of special edition packaging for Majorca’s distinctive pastry, the ensaïmada, with all profits going to a charity on the island (full story here)
Please note, CR now has a limited presence on the newsstand at WH Smith high street stores (although it can still be found in WH Smith travel branches at train stations and airports). If you cannot find a copy of CR in your town, your WH Smith store or a local independent newsagent can order it for you. You can search for your nearest stockist here. Alternatively, call us on 020 7970 4878 to buy a copy direct from us. Based outside the UK? Simply call +44(0)207 970 4878 to find your nearest stockist. Better yet, subscribe to CR for a year here and save yourself almost 30% on the printed magazine.
CR for the iPad
Read in-depth features and analysis plus exclusive iPad-only content in the Creative Review iPad App. Longer, more in-depth features than we run on the blog, portfolios of great, full-screen images and hi-res video. If the blog is about news, comment and debate, the iPad is about inspiration, viewing and reading. As well as providing exclusive, iPad-only content, the app will also update with new content throughout each month. Try a free sample issue here
No need to panic: The deadline for this year’s Annual has now been extended to Friday, January 11, 2013
From the 2012 Creative Review Annual
The Creative Review Annual is our major awards scheme. It showcases and celebrates the outstanding work of the previous year in visual communications. It is your chance to be seen amongst the best in the industry and get your work in front of a large creative community.
The deadline for this year’s Annual has been extended until January 11 so there is plenty of time to get your entries in. More details here
Nic Hughes was a designer, writer and educator who died of cancer in October, aged just 44. As well as fighting the disease, Nic’s last few months were also spent battling insurance company Friends Life which has refused to pay out on his critical illness policy leaving his family in great difficulty
Thanks to the actions of his friends and family, Nic’s case has been picked up on by the wider media, with supportive stories in the national press and on Channel Four News. A petition on Change.org asking Friends Life to pay out has now attracted nearly 58,000 signatures (details here).
As well as highlighting Nic’s case, we’d like to remember his work. Steve Collins, a friend of Hughes, has put together some examples of his work on a Flickr collection here. Steve has given us permission to reproduce the images in this piece.
In common with a great many designers of his age, Hughes created a lot of club flyers in his early career, especially for the London club Abundant, for whom he also produced a zine (below)
Logo for Grace church, with rejected work for dbass records above. 1996
Vaux flyer 1999
Vaux flyer, 1999
Projection for Vaux, 2002
In the late 90s, Hughes moved to the in-house design studio at Getty Images under the creative direction of Chris Ashworth. Among other projects, he worked on the book Soon, a visually-led investigation into the future of brands edited by former CR editor and publisher Lewis Blackwell.
Hughes also worked at Spin and at Saturday, after which he studied for an in MA Critical Practice at Goldsmiths which led to a teaching position at LCC. In 2011 he left LCC to join Andy Campbell at Norwich University College of the Arts, teaching on the Graphic Communication course. He also wrote frequently and intelligently on design via his Haunted Geographies blog.
Nic Hughes photographed in 2005.
Everyone at CR would like to pass on our condolences to Nic’s family and wish them all the best in their fight with Friends Life. To sign the petition, go here
Terms such as “book” or “graphic novel” fail miserably at labeling the latest creation of cartoonist-cum-wizard Chris Ware. His Building Stories (Pantheon) may well be a high watermark for print culture: open the boardgame-sized box to discover 14 discrete books, booklets, magazines, newspapers, and pamphlets that comprise an infinitely satisfying choose-your-own-graphic-adventure. Meanwhile, having spent twelve years working sporadically on the project, Ware is the picture of modesty, describing Building Stories as “follow[ing] the inhabitants of a three-flat Chicago apartment house: a 30-year-old woman who has yet to find someone with whom to spend the rest of her life; a couple (possibly married) who wonder if they can bear each other’s company for another minute; and finally, an elderly woman who never married and is the building’s landlady.” Trust us, there’s more. Last week, Ware joined fellow story builder Zadie Smith, whose latest novel is NW (Penguin), for a conversation at the New York Public Library. Pour yourself a fresh cup of nog, sit back, and enjoy the below audio recording of the two discussing the role of space and place in their work.
This is site is run by Sascha Endlicher, M.A., during ungodly late night hours. Wanna know more about him? Connect via Social Media by jumping to about.me/sascha.endlicher.
