Jun 11

Talent Spotters: Brighton

Posted in: Uncategorized

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). Clare Plumley visits this year’s Brighton shows

Sunny Brighton, and actually, it really is today which means I get a bit of peace and quiet to meander around this year’s Brighton Degree Show in a little late afternoon sunshine.

The first work to really make me beam (and with a suitably Brighton colour palette to kick this off with) is ‘Data Analysis: Smarties’ (below), a room full of colour prints, showing the amount and colour ratio of smarties found in varying package sizes. These are by Printmaking graduate, Sophie Newman. Being a data visualisation junkie I really want to leave the building with one of these beauties tucked under my arm.

She presents more data analysis prints on the ground floor based on student surveys of the university’s performance with titles such as ‘94% satisfaction’ (shown top).

I find more food related works in 3D Design. Poppy Wilson St James presents a series of objects which bring into question the origin of the food we consume and how those products impact on us. She has made jelly moulds of pigs trotters, sweets in the shape of rotting teeth and promotes the nutritious value of bugs and insects.

 

Earlier this year I saw a preview of 3D Design student Isobel Goodacre‘s work as part of the Brighton Science Festival. She investigates geographical and interpersonal boundaries, and I was intrigued by her app which presents invisible wi-fi signals as tangible floating objects.

 

Another online investigation came in the form of ‘Google Christ’. Illustration graduate, Philippe Nash, on a quest to find Christ, his/our souls online, has presented a wall full of his search results. He has also asked others to send in pictures of themselves disguised as Jesus. This raises all sorts of interesting questions regarding the sanctity of an image, information, truth and personal belief.

His very own floor based shrine (full of paper and felt-tip pens, naturally) contains the lovely ‘Book of Grateful’ in which we are invited to write about or draw the things we are grateful for. A drawing of ‘love and brokeness’ (below) was an entry that caught my eye.

 

There is more soul-searching around the corner from film-maker Theo Davies in “I Could Have Been So Much Better: the acute social awkwardness of being a virgin”. It’s a very intimate, rather uncomfortable, up-close portrait, and is very funny. I highly recommend a watch, and, sexual content ‘with bacon’, that’s an image hook. He’ll go far.


 

Regarding portraiture, I’m rather drawn to the striking portraits on the ground floor by Photography graduate Tom Field, very topically, looking at the issue of gay marriage and identity.

 

Robyn Aubrey takes photographs of herself alongside her sister, beautifully presenting the closeness and tension that often resides between siblings.

 

Photography graduate Angela Murray‘s photographs are lit like Dutch Golden Age paintings and have a clarity and scale which draws me in. These portraits, mainly of children, are based on ideas of Jungian psychoanalysis, science and alchemy.

 

Back in the Graphic Design and Illustration department I’m really impressed by the interpretation of children’s drawings by Jamie Eke. He takes their drawings and works them up in his own style, it’s clever, original and very insightful.

 

Illustration graduate Kathy Lam produces very strong, dark drawings of animals exhibiting hidden human attributes, she had some very cute cut-out animal business cards too, which were a nice touch. The work on her website and blog is playful and diverse, I can see a lot of potential for animation there somehow, go check her out.

 

I was delighted to stumble upon a series of Maggie placards entitled ‘Tweets and the Streets’ by Graphic Design graduate Jo Satchell. In addition to making me wistful for student days of old they highlight the power of twitter for political commentary. Each placard contains a tweet including such gems as “I don’t even like milk anyway” and “Hang on, she was responsible for Mr Whippy”. Great stuff.

 

Other type-based work within the Graphic Design department which grabbed me was by Sam Greenway, who has created a typeface from his own fractal vector. He also used the typeface to produce abstract prints which are quite beautiful, I imagine these have almost unlimited permutations. www.behance.net/samgreenway or

 

The Fine Art Department had some slick design going on too in the form of their catalogue entitled ‘Unbound Bound’, presented on a large table with individual sheets for the visitor to collect, curate and pull together in any order they like. Very smart and engaging, it made for a striking display.

 

Just down the corridor I popped my head in to check out Digital Music and Sound Arts. It was a lovely wind down to the show. I came across a wonderful stop-motion animation called ‘Sounds Are Objects’ by Leon Radschinski-Gorman which follows a trail of ink as it winds itself around and over a variety of surfaces. The ink picks up the resonance and perceived sound of each object as it goes. Lovely, poetic, watch it here.

 

I like a little minimalism so was lulled even further by Sound Arts graduate Rebecca E Davies who likes to create sound via the imagination. A print on the wall invited me to imagine ‘the sound of thinking about an object thinking’. Her work is about ‘listening through inaudible media’, so, whilst ash moved around the space via inaudible sound coming from white speakers, so too, feathers and inaudible singing bowls were set up atop speakers.

So, I left the building, sadly without that smarties print tucked under my arm, but entered the throng of Brighton on a Friday night with ‘the sound of thinking about an object thinking’ whirring through my mind, well, that and ‘bacon’. All in all ‘94% satisfaction’.

Clare Plumley
@interpl8

 

Many thanks to Clare. If you would like to review a degree show in your area, please let us know here


Pink Floyd fans may recognise the cover of our June issue. It’s the original marked-up artwork for Dark Side of the Moon: one of a number of treasures from the archive of design studio Hipgnosis featured in the issue, along with an interview with Aubrey Powell, co-founder of Hipgnosis with the late, great Storm Thorgerson. Elsewhere in the issue we take a first look at The Purple Book: Symbolism and Sensuality in Contemporary Illustration, hear from the curators of a fascinating new V&A show conceived as a ‘walk-in book’ plus we have all the regular debate and analysis on the world of visual communications.

You can buy Creative Review direct from us here. Better yet, subscribe, save money and have CR delivered direct to your door every month.

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 updates with new content throughout each month. Get it here

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Jun 10

After Hours: setting problems, rules and limits

Posted in: Uncategorized

The After Hours exhibition at the Jerwood Space on London’s Bankside is a diverse compendium of personal projects from graphic designers working without a client or a brief. But are there any common threads to be found?

Running until June 23, After Hours is curated by Nick Eagleton of The Partners. The exhibits in the show are deliberately diverse – driftwood sculptures, clocks, chess boards, flags, films, prints, wardrobes and remote control drawing machines – the idea being to celebrate the variety rather than imposing a single narrative.

(Some of the After Hours contributors will be talking about their work tonight at a free Pecha Kucha event at the gallery, 6.30pm-7.30pm – places can be booked here.)

But there are inevitably some common themes that come up when you look at the work, and which arguably keep it closer to ‘design’ than ‘art’, or at least give a clue that the people behind it come from a design background. Perhaps the main one is this sense that, in the absence of a prescriptive brief, many designers tend to create their own.

This is literally the case with Michael Johnson‘s Arkitypo project, which sprang from a relationship with Ravensbourne College of Design and Communication. They approached johnson banks suggesting they’d like to do something to showcase their 3D prototyping skills.

Johnson explains what happened next: “Once we’d had the initial thought of using 26 different letters, our first explorations were, well, just a bit weak,” he says. “There seemed to be no genuine substance to it – it was just 3D prettification.

“But then we worked out how to tell stories within each letter (where a letterform came from, how it came about, why it existed). So we’d created a limitation that made the idea stronger.”

This instinctive aversion to “prettification” and tendency to gravitate towards rules and structure is arguably a classic designer trait. According to Johnson, “We’re so used to limitations that we build them in when they’re not there.”

Jim Sutherland of hat-trick design has a self-confessed obsession with rules. One of his exhibits is Deck (above), a set of typographic playing cards developed from an idea he sketched out while on holiday.

“I started doodling a few ideas,” he says. “Very quickly, I found it necessary to lay down a few rules. No repeated typefaces. No redrawing of typefaces. It’s the rules that bring the whole thing into focus.”

Another of Sutherland’s exhibits is an ongoing project called 8×8, exploring the the different configurations that are possible if you rearrange the 64 squares on a chessboard (example shown, above): a case of exploring the creative possibilities within tightly defined limits.

Although superficially miles apart, it’s not dissimilar in spirit to Found Folk – a series of driftwood sculptures by Phil Carter of Carter Wong, and one of the exhibition’s highlights. Like Sutherland’s 64 squares, it’s the prescribed nature of the source material that defines the project. Each sculpture is shaped by whatever the tides happen to throw up.

Carter says he never consciously imposed any parameters on the project, but some have naturally evolved.

“Nearly all the figures are made entirely from found pieces from the same place of origin, because it feels more authentic that way,” says Carter. “What is really noticeable is the variations in colour in different parts of the world – beachcombing on a Greek island or Malta yields much more colourful finds than the drab colours of UK beaches and rivers.”

When it comes to painting the pieces, Carter has similarly inclined towards authenticity, leaving most of the pieces untouched by brushes, although he has recently taken to using a blowtorch on some to give a blackened finish. “It tends to unite the parts into a whole.”

That said, Carter sees all these projects as being mainly about creative release rather than limitation – finding a medium and a language, then letting yourself go.

For him, the medium is wooden sculptures, but it could equally be the joyful letterpress creations of Alan Kitching (above), the delicate screenprints of Alex Swatridge (below), or the mesmerising comic-book illustrations of Robert Ball (below).

Other projects here spring from the enforced limitations of daily life. Journeys to work are a particularly fruitful area for designers.

Steve Royle’s Antigraffiti project (above) arose from countless train journeys last year, where he observed the concerted efforts to cover up trackside graffiti as the Olympics approached. He began to wonder if the roller paint itself could become a kind of language, communicating something despite itself.

Royle explains: “I think a lot of designers are interested in the idea of subversion, or turning things on their head. It becomes a habit of thought, so you find yourself doing it even in idle moments.”

When designers aren’t creating their own limits, they’re often looking for problems to solve. And you don’t need a client or a brief to find a problem – they’re everywhere.

David Azurdia’s ABC Rule is a simple 30cm ruler (below) adapted to contain standard paper sizes – an answer to hours of head-scratching beside the cutting mat.

Fellow contributor Ben Christie produced For a Rainy Day (above) – a money box where the slots double as raindrops – while Jamie Ellul goes for a similar play on a proverb with Time is Money (below).

In the latter two cases, there’s not exactly a problem being solved, but there is a distinctive strain of graphic wit in evidence.

Christie describes it as “a graphic designer’s approach to product design – I like the idea of making people smile with everyday objects.”

 

This sense of playfulness runs throughout this exhibition – from Craig Oldham‘s philosophical flags (above) to Jack Renwick‘s moth-eaten wardrobe (below), which turned a wardrobe crisis into a chance to celebrate the beauty of moths.

At first sight, this playfulness might seem to contradict that whole obsession with rules, limits and problems. But games need rules, and you have to agree them before you can start playing.

The whole thing is summed up in Joe Phillips’ Remote Drawing (below): a large canvas laid out on the floor, with adapted remote control cars that you direct in order to make drawings.

Phillips says the idea behind the project is to “force people to draw in unconventional and almost ridiculous ways – it removes the pressure that can be felt with drawing, and frees people from their usual inhibitions.” It’s a project about the liberating power of limitations.

Problem-solving, an obsession with rules, a liking for subversion and witty ideas. It’s possible to overstate these as common threads in all the work – you will find many of the same traits in pure ‘art’ projects.

But they are undeniably there, and it gives the exhibition an extra appeal that you don’t always find with art shows. There are ideas to ‘get’, messages to ponder, things to smile at, hooks that draw you into the work.

Anthony Burrill’s wall piece (see top of post) is the presiding spirit of the exhibition, with its larger-than-life message: ‘I like it. What is it?’ Whether it’s design or art, it’s worth visiting the Jerwood Space before 23 June to see for yourself.

Nick Asbury is an exhibitor in After Hours with ‘Pentone’ (Twitter edition shown, above) – an artificial system for dividing language into different tones of voice, with several rules of its own. He is a freelance writer and one half of Asbury & Asbury.

After Hours continues at the Jerwood Space until 23 June, with an evening of talks by the contributors on Monday 10 June. Places can be booked here.

Pink Floyd fans may recognise the cover of our June issue. It’s the original marked-up artwork for Dark Side of the Moon: one of a number of treasures from the archive of design studio Hipgnosis featured in the issue, along with an interview with Aubrey Powell, co-founder of Hipgnosis with the late, great Storm Thorgerson. Elsewhere in the issue we take a first look at The Purple Book: Symbolism and Sensuality in Contemporary Illustration, hear from the curators of a fascinating new V&A show conceived as a ‘walk-in book’ plus we have all the regular debate and analysis on the world of visual communications.

You can buy Creative Review direct from us here. Better yet, subscribe, save money and have CR delivered direct to your door every month.

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 updates with new content throughout each month. Get it here

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Jun 10

Charles Burns: Believer portraits

Posted in: Uncategorized

Alan Moore

The Believer magazine is known for producing some of the most distinctive covers around, thanks in part to the portraits artist Charles Burns creates for them. His collected work for the publication now forms a new exhibition in New York…

The Adam Baumgold Gallery is showing Charles Burns: Cover Portraits for The Believer 2003-2013 until July 26 and includes over 300 small ink drawings of artists, writers, musicians, the occasional animal, historical figures and characters.

Burns, a graphic novelist and author of the Black Hole series, usually creates four portraits for the cover of each edition of The Believer, often drawing more for special issues.

And at his new show there’s even more of his work to see, according to the gallery. “Alongside this vast series of Believer portraits is a group of Before & After drawings from Charles Burns’s seminal graphic novel, Black Hole. In these comic grotesque portraits, themes of adolescent alienation and sexual awakening mingle with imagery of mutation, disease, and violence. Each smiling, yearbook-style portrait is accompanied by a Dorian Gray-like counterpart, picturing the same teenager with some troubling facial alteration”.

Tracey Emin

David Byrne

Ahmir Thompson

Kristen Schaal

A Jawa

Two pairs of ‘Before & After’ prints from Burns’ Black Hole series, also on show at the gallery

The full series of Believer portraits can also be viewed at adambaumgoldgallery.com.

The Adam Baumgold Gallery in at 60 East 66th Street, New York, NY 10065. Gallery hours are Tuesday – Saturday 11:00am – 5:30pm, during June, and Tuesday – Friday during July.


Pink Floyd fans may recognise the cover of our June issue. It’s the original marked-up artwork for Dark Side of the Moon: one of a number of treasures from the archive of design studio Hipgnosis featured in the issue, along with an interview with Aubrey Powell, co-founder of Hipgnosis with the late, great Storm Thorgerson. Elsewhere in the issue we take a first look at The Purple Book: Symbolism and Sensuality in Contemporary Illustration, hear from the curators of a fascinating new V&A show conceived as a ‘walk-in book’ plus we have all the regular debate and analysis on the world of visual communications.

You can buy Creative Review direct from us here. Better yet, subscribe, save money and have CR delivered direct to your door every month.

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 updates with new content throughout each month. Get it here

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Jun 09

Andrew Lyons Illustrations

Posted in: andrew, Lyons

Basé en France, l’illustrateur Andrew Lyons propose de superbes images colorées et créatives avec notamment la série « Strong Packaging » présentant de très élégants oiseaux et personnages. Des créations rafraichissantes, qui sont à découvrir sur son portfolio et dans la suite de l’article en détails.

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Jun 07

Talent Spotters: Wolverhampton

Posted in: Uncategorized

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). Andi Rusyn of Space + Room visits the University of Wolverhampton show

Most of the best work at this year’s School of Art & Design show was in Fine Art, for which the students produced a small newspaper as a guide. The ‘Conceptual Times’ carries the headline ‘It Ay What Yow Think’ which made me laugh. Even though I don’t speak like that… (mostly…)

 

The best piece was Laura Onions‘ installation which was simple yet mesmerising. It consists of a projector projecting light onto a screen through suspended A4 sheets of acetate printed with pages from ten year old Laura’s school books. The effect is an ever changing green-tinged image on the screen surrounded by an immersive changing purple pattern created by the projector light reflecting off the acetate sheets. The overall effect is mesmerising and a little melancholic, much in the way re-awakened memories can temporarily take you over. An ambient soundtrack with the sound of chalk on a blackboard completes the ‘time travel’ and immersion.

 

Next door to Laura’s installation was Thomas Heather, whose hypnotic video was almost as good. It’s a series of ‘shards’ of yellow light moving serenely across the screen to a incredibly atmospheric sound scape created by slowing a guitar riff to the point it becomes something altogether different. The lights themselves were created by shooting through a prism. There’s a test of the movie on Heather’s Vimeo page

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Another piece in the fine art show which caught my eye was a ‘clockwork’ heart by Stephanie Bannister entitled ‘Cor’. It’s both creepy and witty and is quite fascinating. The very real looking heart expands and contracts seemingly driven by a chain which is connected to a hidden motor via two sets of cogs. It’s an engrossing piece which makes you think about your own physiology.

 

Caroline Bailey‘s line sculpture didn’t take me back to childhood, but it is very well conceived and provoked me to stand a while and ponder the dynamics of space.

 

Julie Price‘s ‘piles’ of upholstery foam off-cuts precariously balanced on old side tables also made me think, and took me right back to my childhood. We never had tatty cushions or the like, but I do have strong memories of bits of foam, for some reason… Where they came from, I do not know, just as I don’t know where Julie Price’s foam comes from, except it does, somehow, come from my own memory.

 

Of the rest of the show, Illustration was the next strongest discipline with some particularly lovely pieces by Amy Louise Evans, especially the charming ‘The Erl King’, and the Bluebird album booklet by Amber Rushton (below) which is a lovely moody combination of illustration and hand-drawn typography.

 

I also liked Anja Istenic‘s ‘Be visible’ quartet in the Photography show. It’s another piece which makes you stop and think; this time time about your own place in the world and how others perceive you. Or don’t…

These are the highlights for me. Overall, I thought it was a reasonable show. The only shame for me, as a graphic designer, was the graphic communication show. It lacked any real imagination or adventure – a creative degree is surely the time to be adventurous.

Many thanks to Andi. If you would like to review a degree show in your area, please let us know here


Pink Floyd fans may recognise the cover of our June issue. It’s the original marked-up artwork for Dark Side of the Moon: one of a number of treasures from the archive of design studio Hipgnosis featured in the issue, along with an interview with Aubrey Powell, co-founder of Hipgnosis with the late, great Storm Thorgerson. Elsewhere in the issue we take a first look at The Purple Book: Symbolism and Sensuality in Contemporary Illustration, hear from the curators of a fascinating new V&A show conceived as a ‘walk-in book’ plus we have all the regular debate and analysis on the world of visual communications.

You can buy Creative Review direct from us here. Better yet, subscribe, save money and have CR delivered direct to your door every month.

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 updates with new content throughout each month. Get it here

 

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Jun 07

Interview: Sam Arthur of Nobrow and Flying Eye Books: This London publisher rejuvenates the children’s book market with a collection of beautifully illustrated stories

Posted in: childrensbooks, onlinestore

Interview: Sam Arthur of Nobrow and Flying Eye Books


by Gavin Lucas Independent publisher Nobrow has built a solid reputation since its inception in 2008 as a purveyor of beautifully produced image-based books. Now, from its headquarters in a shopfront studio in London’s Shoreditch, it…

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Jun 07

Talent Spotters: Sheffield Hallam

Posted in: Uncategorized

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). To start us off, Alex Szabo-Haslam and Michael Lindley of TruthStudio visit Sheffield Hallam University’s Creative Spark 2013 show

We attended the Creative Spark exhibition at Sheffield Hallam University, and were both impressed not only by the range of work across disciplines, but the quality of the work itself. What follows is a selection of projects which we felt, for one reason or another, stood out the most.

Alex Szabo-Haslam and Michael Lindley, TruthStudio

 

Adam Woolley & Gurtekh Singh
The double act of Adam and Gurtekh produced an advertising campaign for the Toys for Tots Foundation, a charitable organisation whose aim is to collect unwanted toys and distribute them to less privileged children in the community. The campaign shows a group of toys looking for a new home.

Becky Matthews
Becky had some wonderfully textured illustrations on show, but this 3D typeface for small children was my favourite. Becky used animals to further link the letterforms with their sounds – a sort of visual alliteration. Her website also shows a lovely illustration for James and the Giant Peach.

 

Chris Taylor
Chris’ delightful illustrations left us wanting more, and his prints really stood out at the show. Hopefully he’ll be updating his website with more work soon.

 

Daniel Reed
Daniel is musically-minded, something that really shines through in his design, and it’s worth exploring the work of this seriously talented designer further. His Behance profile shows examples of his beautiful typography and print making.

 

Dash Patel
As print designers we gravitate towards well-finished books, which is why Dash Patel’s work stood out. Dash’s self-directed cricket project hopes to communicate basic cricketing techniques to young players and their coaches. The book is hand made out of real red leather, sewn together, and the pages are finished with matt.

 

Eve Hodgkinson
With beautiful typography – and calligraphy, Eve’s work was a pleasure to view. Her striking biology textbooks, intended to make science more interesting, would look great on any shelf.

 

Jennie Clark
Jennie’s punctuation project, which explored how punctuation should be used, was beautifully made with interesting content. Her website shows a range of styles, and shows some great printed work.

 


Jenny Longland
Jenny Longland is a furniture designer. She created this wonderfully simple, beautiful sofa for compact homes, which extends to accommodate guests with a lovely sliding motion. Deceptively comfortable, Jenny explained she had picked up tips from manufacturers such as ensuring back rests were softer than the seats. Her attention to detail was evident in this superb project.

 

Joe Mason
We fell in love with Joe Mason’s low table, aptly named Reincarnate, the second we lay eyes on it. Lovingly crafted from various hardwood offcuts, it even has a secret compartment. (Alex’s note – Now, all I need do is persuade my partner to let me have it in the living room)

 

Lewis Gray & Esra Guldal
Lewis Gray & Esra Guldal – aka Smoking Robot, two motion specialists studying MDes Graphic Design, created a charming animation named Sasquatch, a tale of friendship, loss, and… fulfilment.

 

Peter Larkam
Peter, studying Mdes Product Design, created an elegant, branch-like modular lighting system which can be extended to climb up walls.

 

Siobhan Golby
Siobhan created this lovely project exploring the relationship between metrology and design. The project is a construction of golden ratio shapes, with colour choices informed by the fibonacci number sequence. Bold, colourful, and elegant, this piece caught our eye from right across the gallery.

 

Tracy Gelder
Tracy’s illustrations of spam and cuckoos greeted vistors on the way into the show, and the die-cut book jacket meant we had New Order’s ‘Blue Monday’ in our heads for half an hour, which is a good thing.

 

Many thanks to Alex and Michael. If you would like to review a degree show in your area, please let us know here


Pink Floyd fans may recognise the cover of our June issue. It’s the original marked-up artwork for Dark Side of the Moon: one of a number of treasures from the archive of design studio Hipgnosis featured in the issue, along with an interview with Aubrey Powell, co-founder of Hipgnosis with the late, great Storm Thorgerson. Elsewhere in the issue we take a first look at The Purple Book: Symbolism and Sensuality in Contemporary Illustration, hear from the curators of a fascinating new V&A show conceived as a ‘walk-in book’ plus we have all the regular debate and analysis on the world of visual communications.

You can buy Creative Review direct from us here. Better yet, subscribe, save money and have CR delivered direct to your door every month.

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 updates with new content throughout each month. Get it here

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Jun 06

Interview: Raymond Biesinger: The self-taught Canadian illustrator on the sometimes blurry line between corporate and personal work

Posted in: printmaking

Interview: Raymond Biesinger


Montreal-based Raymond Biesinger is a self-taught illustrator. His work has featured in publications including the New Yorker, Monocle, the Guardian, Time, GQ, Dwell, the Globe & Mail. With such immense…

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Jun 04

Degree Show Talent Spotters Wanted

Posted in: Uncategorized

It’s degree show season again. In order to cover as many as possible, CR is once more looking for volunteers to attend degree shows in your town or city and recommend the most interesting work

Last year, we appealed for readers’ help in covering as many degree shows as possible and, thanks to you, it was a great success. So we’re doing it again this time.

We cover as many degree shows as we can here on the CR website but there are only a handful of us. Time and money dictates that we cannot travel the length and breadth of the UK visiting every degree show. So, we would like your help.

We are looking for volunteers to cover any visual communications-related degree shows, whether BA, MA or any other level. We can’t pay you, sorry, but we’re hoping people will enjoy the experience. All we need you to do is to go along to the show of your choosing, photograph or otherwise gather images of the work you think is the most interesting and write a line or two on why you think that particular work is of note, making sure you credit the students involved and providing links to any relevant web addresses.

We will then publish your recommendations here on the CR website as part of our degree show coverage, alongside reviews from CR staff.

If you are interested in taking part, please leave a comment below with an email address and the show or town/city you are interested in attending, or email us direct at patrick.burgoyne@centaur.co.uk and we will contact you.

Please do not put yourself forward to review shows with which you have a direct professional link (if you’re an alumnus, that’s fine, but no tutors or visiting lecturers etc please).

Many of the shows are listed here

Happy talent spotting!

Pink Floyd fans may recognise the cover of our June issue. It’s the original marked-up artwork for Dark Side of the Moon: one of a number of treasures from the archive of design studio Hipgnosis featured in the issue, along with an interview with Aubrey Powell, co-founder of Hipgnosis with the late, great Storm Thorgerson. Elsewhere in the issue we take a first look at The Purple Book: Symbolism and Sensuality in Contemporary Illustration, hear from the curators of a fascinating new V&A show conceived as a ‘walk-in book’ plus we have all the regular debate and analysis on the world of visual communications.

You can buy Creative Review direct from us here. Better yet, subscribe, save money and have CR delivered direct to your door every month.


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May 31

Alan Fletcher archive goes live

Posted in: Uncategorized

A few minutes ago the Alan Fletcher archive, Work and Play, went live online. It looks to be both a fantastic resource and tribute to the late British designer’s work…

The site covers Fletcher’s design work from his student years in the 1950s right up to work completed shorty before his death in 2006.

There are sections dedicated to his work at studios Fletcher Forbes; Fletcher Forbes Gill; Crosby Fletcher Forbes; and, of course, Pentagram, formed in 1971 when the expanding studio realised it could not simply keep adding surnames to the company name.

The site also includes various pieces of writing on Fletcher and his work by, among others, Emily King, Mike Dempsey, Craig Oldham, David Bernstein, and Steven Heller.

“We want this to be the very best collection of Alan’s creative legacy,” runs the brief introduction to the archive, which is maintained by Fletcher Studio, the company set up in 2010 by the designer’s daughter, Raffaella.

On a brief first look around, it certainly looks like it will be. See for yourself at alanfletcherarchive.com.

Pink Floyd fans may recognise the cover of our June issue. It’s the original marked-up artwork for Dark Side of the Moon: one of a number of treasures from the archive of design studio Hipgnosis featured in the issue, along with an interview with Aubrey Powell, co-founder of Hipgnosis with the late, great Storm Thorgerson. Elsewhere in the issue we take a first look at The Purple Book: Symbolism and Sensuality in Contemporary Illustration, hear from the curators of a fascinating new V&A show conceived as a ‘walk-in book’ plus we have all the regular debate and analysis on the world of visual communications.

You can buy Creative Review direct from us here. Better yet, subscribe, save money and have CR delivered direct to your door every month.


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 updates with new content throughout each month. Get it here.


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