Hasta La Ideas

Over the course of this year’s degree show season, CR readers will be guest blogging reviews of shows up and down the UK (and beyond). Here, Andy Welsh of MBL Solutions visits the Northumbria University Visual Arts 13 Degree Show

This event, at my old university, attracts hundreds of visitors every year and many of the students were on hand to talk through their work, which I thought was a really nice touch. If no students were around however, the nicely designed free guide books provided additional text and images on everything in the show.

Christopher Willis
I would never have imagined that producing art using a remote controlled tank would lead to successful pieces of art, but against all the odds, I thought Christopher’s large colour canvases were really striking. His aim was to bring some fun into the world of art and he has certainly done that.

Laura Hinshaw
Laura has an interest in the urban landscape and decay. Working from a photograph, she then creates these beautiful paintings, which show a really high degree of realism. I would have happily attempted to buy one if my wife had been a little more open to the idea!

Laura Dixon
“Contours” by Laura Dixon is a site specific print-making installation, featuring the most incredible hand-screen printed wallpaper, draped throughout a room. Although Laura does produce a “Colour Contours” series, her work at the show was predominantly monochrome and gave the funky, hand-made elements a really sophisticated edge. Again, something I would be very happy to see in my own home.

Thomas Temple
Thomas Temple’s “Forgotten Generation” shines a light on the elderly members of our society as they attempt to “escape their own loneliness” by staying active in a society that they’ve seen change so much. He believes this often leads them to look “isolated and lonely”. They certainly do in these impressive photographs, but I’m not convinced this can be applied to a whole generation of people. However, I really love art that provokes debate and this was certainly the case with what Thomas has produced.

Caitlin La
With another take on the elderly, Caitlin La has produced huge, incredibly detailed oil on canvas paintings that cannot help but have an impact on whoever views them. I thought the level of skill to produce these works and the sensitivity to the subjects shown by Caitlin was really impressive.

Vytautas Stankevicius
“Cultural Myth No.1” by Vytautas Stankevicius was one of the most memorable installations at the whole show and makes use of random items including cardboard boxes and wooden palettes. “Exploring the relationship between human civilization and nature” I found myself looking at the various pieces on show for a huge amount of time and really enjoying trying to work out exactly what was going on.

Charlie Harrison
Charlie mixes words and imagery with a high degree of skill and for some reason I kept coming back to the idea that this work would be particularly suited to some kind of animated music video.

Jacqueline Sewell
Taking a huge quantity of plastic shopping bags and making something strikingly beautiful, would at first seem an impossible task. However, Jacqueline’s lattice technique coupled with the colour and texture of the bags has resulted in just that.

Hannah Singleton
Hannah has produced several archival pigment photographic prints showing banal or forgotten locations. It would appear they have then been treated as postcards, with some brilliantly mundane messages written on the back “I’m pleased the wind has dropped, I’ve just been to Goole” and then posted to “Mam” in Hull! I thought this was such a clever and enjoyable idea.

For those in London, Northumbria University will be taking part in Free Range at The Truman Brewery.

For more on the show visit the Visual Arts 13 Degree Show website

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The July issue of Creative Review is a type special, with features on the Hamilton Wood Type Museum, the new Whitney identity and the resurgence of type-only design. Plus the Logo Lounge Trend Report, how Ideas Foundation is encouraging diversity in advertising and more

M&C Saatchi has created a striking campaign for new mental health charity MindFull, with an animated commercial from th1ng.

The new charity was launched by The BeatBullying Group on July 5 and gives 11 to 17-year-olds immediate access to online professional counselling and advice.

The 30-second TV and cinema ad, directed by th1ng’s Will Barras and Shay Hamias, visualises some of the anxieties that young people can experience – such as depression, anger, body image problems and loss of control. The visceral film features an animated head that morphs through different scenarios representing some of those emotions.

The ad draws on feedback from the charity’s target audience on how young people feel when something is worrying them, and the accompanying press and online campaign builds on this theme.

For the print ads, M&C Saatchi commissioned more than 40 artists and illustrators, including Barras, Finger Industries, James Joyce and Sam Brookes, to interpret what ‘having a full mind’ can mean (see some of them below).

by Will Barras

by James Joyce

by Sam Brookes

The agency decided to convey the campaign through animation, due of the medium’s visual impact, according to Orlando Warner, associate creative director at M&C Saatchi. “The reason we went for an animated/illustrative approach is because it’s a visually interesting way to bring to life the emotions we feel,” he says. “Animation allowed us to be more metaphorical about feelings.”

According to the original brief to the contributing artists (see more of their artwork below), the head shape is the main visual property of the campaign, and MindFull hopes it will grow into a strong brand cue for the charity, to be used across all its communications.

By Denis Carrier

By Amy Harris

By Karlie McCulloch

By Stuart Whitton

The full collection of illustrations will be shown at an exhibition coinciding with World Mental Health Day on October 10. Funds from an accompanying silent auction of the work will go towards MindFull.

Credits:
Agency: M&C Saatchi
Copywriter/Art Director: Orlando Warner and Joe Miller
Production company: th1ng
Directors: Will Barras and Shay Hamias
Design Direction: Will Barras, Shay Hamais & Yui Hamagashira
Producer: Milana Karaica

Buy the current print issue of CR, or subscribe, here

The July issue of Creative Review is a type special, with features on the Hamilton Wood Type Museum, the new Whitney identity and the resurgence of type-only design. Plus the Logo Lounge Trend Report, how Ideas Foundation is encouraging diversity in advertising and more

There were two Student of the Year-winning projects at this year’s D&AD Student Awards plus a host of student Yellow Pencils. Our round-up of all the winners is here

The D&AD Student Awards revolve around briefs, some of which are set by partnering brands, some by D&AD itself. Here we showcase the Yellow Pencil winners for each brief (where there was one) but first, the Student of the Year prizes.

This year’s Graphic Designbrief was from the V&A which asked entrants to “Explore the ‘Albertopolis’ and design a hoarding for the V&A’s Exhibition Road redevelopment. Work will begin on the redevelopment in 2013 and will open to the public in 2016. While the work is being undertaken, a hoarding will be erected around the site to shield the building works and inspire the public. Your brief is to imagine a design for the hoarding, inform the public about the redevelopment and also reflect the local community and history of the cultural quarter.”

Christopher Algar of University of Lincoln won a Student of the Year award with his response, The Ribbon of the V&A

Tutor: Glen Robinson

This year’s other Student of the Year award went to the team behind BBC Suitcase in the Digital category which asked students “What does it mean to be ‘alive’ online? How might we turn otherwise static websites into pages that feel updated, dynamic and relevant?”

The winning team are BBC Suitcase Luke Patton, Malin Hassel, Callum Best, James Smith and Joshua Ogden of Arts University Bournemouth

Tutors: Sally Hope, Amanda Jackson

Here are the Yellow Pencil winners in the rest of the categories:

Advertising

Ted Baker

Brief: Introduce Ted Baker to a country of your choice. When opening a new location in another country, it’s not easy for a brand like Ted to translate its unique cultural flavour. It’s your job to bring its British sense of humour and unique approach to fashion to another country – which country is up to you. Your campaign will need to activate potential shoppers to visit Ted Baker stores and Ted Baker online; interact with the brand; and most importantly to shop and share.

Yellow Pencil: This is Our Fault

Gustavo Crespo, Jara Dominguez.
Tutors: Juan Carlos Alonso, Curro de la Villa, Carlos Font
College: Miami Ad School, Madrid

Applied Graphics

Batiste dry shampoo

Brief: Create a trend-led graphic identity for a limited edition range of Batiste products. How can the graphic identity work harder to sell the varieties of Batiste in an instant, whilst also clearly demonstrating the full potential of the product?

Yellow Pencil: Invisible Crown

Morgan Swain.
Tutors: Lucy Blazey, Maria Fletcher
College: Norwich University of the Arts

Copywriting

RAB

Brief: Write a radio campaign that sells the power of radio as an attractive advertising medium. Show how well radio adverts can provoke an emotional reaction in their audience, whilst having significant impact as part of a campaign.

Yellow Pencil: Awkward

Charli Plant, Michael Venner.
Tutors: Chris Hill, Marc Lewis
College: School of Communication Arts 2.0

Digital

Yellow Pencil: BBC Mobius

James Greenaway, Max Seabrooke.
Tutor: Louise Prideaux
College: Ravensbourne

Digital Advertising

Yamaha

Brief: Digitally bring the Yamaha story to life. Create a campaign using digital media that generates global brand awareness for Yamaha’s full range of products.

Yellow Pencil: Lost & Sound

Creative Team: Filip Callas, Frida Thunholm, Anna Werkell. Support Team: Ebba Brasch, Frida Karlsson, Emelie Wiberg, Andreas Zannin.
Tutor: Charlotta Rydholm
College: Berghs School of Communication

Yellow Pencil: Yamaha Garage

Julia Artamonova, Kir Khachaturov, Sergey Pleshkov.
Tutor: Anton Yarusov
College: British Higher School of Art & Design

Yellow Pencil: Yamaha Sustainable Sound

Creative Team: Emelie Leijon, Pontus Levahn, Fredrick Lewandowski, Andreas Sandberg, Ebba Körlof Sundberg
Support Team: Peter Hammarberg, Johan Malmberg, Jacob Olofsson
Tutor: Charlotta Rydholm
College: Berghs School of Communication

Moving Image

Channel 4 (supported by MPC)

Brief: Create a motion graphic ident for 4seven, Channel 4’s new to air channel.

Yellow Pencil: 4seven Loop

Liam Alexander Campbell, Matthew Hill
Tutor: Marion Morrison
College: Kingston University

Open Brief

Unilever

Brief: Exploit a brand’s power to make the world a better place.

Yellow Pencil: The Simple Steps Campaign

Joshua Cunningham, Thomas Fenwick-Smith
Tutor: Marc Lewis
College: School of Communication Arts 2.0

Open Craft

It’s Nice That

Brief: Promote It’s Nice That to students.

Yellow Pencil: Screen Tour

Thomas Fitzmaurice
Tutor: Alexis Taylor
College: Coventry University

See it here

Packaging Design

L’Artisan Parfumeur supported by JKR

Brief: Re-envisage the L’Artisan Parfumeur brand for the 21st Century by creating a design solution for a new unisex range of scents.

Yellow Pencil: Phrases de l’Amê

Creative Team: Erik Hellquist, Emelie Jinhee Johnsson, Claes Lovén, Carl-Johan Ostrom, Anna Turdell
Support Team: Caroline Ernsth, Carl Lundgren, Sara Rehioui
Tutor: Charlotta Rydholm
College: Berghs School of Communication

Photography

Dazed and Confused

Brief: Create a portrait of contemporary youth.

Yellow Pencil: Lev

Anastasia Korosteleva
Tutors: Dmitry Karpov, Tim Simmons
College: British Higher School of Art & Design

Yellow Pencil: Photobooth

Luke Evans
Tutor: Zelda Malan
College: Kingston University

Noticing that people in the Kingston Apple Store were taking pictures of themselves and uploading the images to Facebook, for this project Evans spent several months going into Apple Stores and scouring the computers on show for images left behind by customers in this way. He then either mailed the images to hilmself or took photos of the screen

Yellow Pencil: Martyn, Sean and Jacob

William Lakin
Tutor: Paul Duke
College: Middlesex University

Product Design

Oakley

Brief: Take Oakley to the leadership position in everyday cycling performance by designing a range of products for cyclists and urban commuters.

Yellow Pencil: DENIM – Hidden Performance Cycling Jeans

Kehan Yu
Tutor: Charlotte Lo
College: Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design

Make Your Mark

D&AD

Brief: Make your dream job a reality. Picture your dream employer. If you were given a ‘once in a lifetime’ chance to impress them, how would you do it?

Yellow Pencil: Popkinson’s Miniature Marvel

Leanne Watkinson
Tutor: Andy Edwards
College: Leeds Metropolitan University

Yellow Pencil: Designer with a Unique Perspective

Calum Middleton
Tutor: Kathryn Coates
College: Nottingham Trent University (NTU)

Yellow Pencil: Come Home Droga

Shannon Crowe, Luke Falkland-Brown, Jackson Harper, Millicent Malcolm
Tutor: Cangie Contessa
College: RMIT University

Yellow Pencil: Megabus Book

Callum Prior, Marc Rayson
Tutor: Keith Nevens
College: University of Sunderland

See more images from each project plus the other nominated work here

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The July issue of Creative Review is a type special, with features on the Hamilton Wood Type Museum, the new Whitney identity and the resurgence of type-only design. Plus the Logo Lounge Trend Report, how Ideas Foundation is encouraging diversity in advertising and more

L’artiste argentin Julian Pablo Manizelli, mieux connu sous le pseudonyme Chu Doma, superpose ses illustrations construites autour de personnages aux formes courbes s’inscrivant dans un paysage géométrique dense et en fait d’étranges et superbes sculptures en 3D. À découvrir en images.

Around 70 courses are represented at this year’s D&AD New Blood graduate show in London’s Spitalfields market. We pick out a few highlights

Last year’s New Blood – D&AD’s annual group graduate show – was overwhelming, with a huge amount of content packed into a very tight space. This year brings an improved layout, with bigger stands and more space allowing a little more room for the work to breathe and the indivudal colleges to make an impression.

Southampton Solent’s Illustration stand (above) did just that. Branded as The Woolly Bully Illustration Show it combined some great work with really impressive display.

Each illustrator had their own badge, plus there were free posters and a very well-produced catalogue.

I particularly liked this from Dan Murphy

This print by the intriguingly-named Rake

And this by Char Cox

Check out the course’s Tumblr site here

Along with incoming D&AD President Laura Jordan Bambach and Rob from It’s Nice That, I was judging ‘best stand’ at New Blood yesterday. We all thought Solent’s was brilliant but in the end gave the top prize to Sheffield Hallam Graphic Design which managed to tie a lot of disparate work together with its clever use of background graphics.

They’d also thought the whole stand experience through really well, from the individual cardboard boxes housing each student’s work to the orange stands for printed work.

Check out our review of the main Sheffield Hallam show here

Ulster’s Design for Visual Communications course took a novel approach, showcasing its students’ entries to the D&AD V&A brief in these architectural models

And Gray’s School of Art tackled the ‘massed ranks of black portfolios’ conundrum with this plywood carousel

A word too for Norwich Graphic Communication. Showing any screenbased work in this environment is really tough – particularly when you have stands full of screenprints and type to compete with. Norwich attempted to make the whole experience a little more playful with this control device to switch between films randomly. You just wanted to press it.

There’s a separate review of the main Norwich show here

On the Staffordshire Univeristy Graphics & Illustration stand I liked Helen Player’s porcelain ampersand, part of her response to the D&AD V&A student awards brief. In fact, here were a lot of great physical objects this year, including this amazing boat by Thomas Wightman at Edinburgh Napier. It’s his final project, entitled Anchored, and is aimed at helping “helping OCD sufferers stopping the tide and disruption that is associated with the obsessions and anxiety related with the illness”.

And what about this ‘chest’ of drawers by George McCallum of University of the West of England Illustration

At the Arts University Bournemouth Graphic Design stand, Lewis Simper displayed this oddly fascinating device for warning of imminent attacks in South Korea. “Taking inspiration from Gustav Klutsis’s Maquette for Radio-Announcer, I designed and produced a public announcement system that would be placed in public areas around Korea as a warning for those to evacuate at a time when there was extreme tension between the countries, in April 2013,” he says of the project.

On the same stand, I also liked Grace Bond’s Imprint, Bruise, Graze, a series of three shirts embroidered with each

On the Arts Uiversity of Bournemouth Visual Communications course, a team of Joshua Ogden, Callum Best, Malin Hassel, Luke Patton, and James Smith tackled the D&AD BBC brief, creating BBC Suitcase, by which users of BBC online services can customise the experience. “Think of the Suitcase as a vessel for all the sites’ content, your own personal case in which you can pack all your favourite programmes and categories. The Suitcase also automatically updates its contents so you can use it to follow stories and articles as they develop. Whether the content is new or old, with Suitcase you can engage with the BBC in a style that feels alive and relevant to you.”

A couple of projects at the University of Greenwich caught my eye: toilet roll packaging from Angela and Luca (aka We Are NOone)

Angela Hayrabedyan of NOone, Rita Sulaman and Benjamin Butler also created this Innocent campaign

And at the Kingston Illustration and Animation stand, amid a lot of great work, I liked Alix Holden‘s DIY blocks

and Milo Targett‘s film

And finally there was James Dyer of Huddersfield University who hooked up a keyboard to a monitor to create a ‘playable’ animation whereby a figure moved according to which key was pressed

This is just a smattering of the work on show, and I’ve treid to stick to courses that we have not already covered elsewhere on the site this year. If you are based in London, or can get there before the show closes tomorrow night (July 4), I heartily encourage you to do so. It’s a much better experience than last year with a huge amount of exciting work to see. Details here

Oh, and some really nice exhibition design by Kin

Buy the current print issue of CR, or subscribe, here

The July issue of Creative Review is a type special, with features on the Hamilton Wood Type Museum, the new Whitney identity and the resurgence of type-only design. Plus the Logo Lounge Trend Report, how Ideas Foundation is encouraging diversity in advertising and more