Hasta La Ideas

Our guest reporter, Callum Peters, paid a visit to the University of Chester’s degree show, Untitled, which is running until June 28 at the University’s Kingsway Buildings. Highlights of the show include some grow-your-own typography, a rethink of the traditional CV, and Interflora redesigned for men.

Nichola Watkiss had some really interesting ‘natural’ typography on show, as part of her 100% ecological publicity campaign – Buy Nothing Day – encouraging people to grow their own fruit and veg rather than going out to buy it. nicholawatkiss.blogspot.co.uk

These eye catching vintage-inspired typographic posters by Lorna Evans are part of her Cars & Comedy project, which uses quotes from famous comedians to illustrate people’s stereotypical attitudes towards different drivers. ldecreative.blogspot.com

Thomas Morris’ CV caught my eye, positioned on the back of his portfolio. Bucking the trend of the traditional CV he uses some detailed infographics to illustrate his skills and experience, as well as his interests. It shows that paying attention to your CV is just as important as having a tidy portfolio.
29morris.blogspot.co.uk

Emma Wilson’s rebrand for Beaumaris sweet shop The Penny Farthing is a fresh and endearing take on the traditional pic ‘n’ mix. The bright, youthful colours and simple logo make a refreshing change from the usual traditional sweet shops that are sometimes hidden away on our high streets.
emsypie.com

I was intrigued by David Yates’ project for Interflora, making flowers an acceptable gift for men and challenging the stereotype of them being something exclusively for women. He has designed more masculine packaging as well as a new name – Floriography – specifically for the male market.
lovethydesigner.com

Hayley Miles’ typographic film posters for the Wizard of Oz were refreshingly different to many of the over-processed movie posters we see today, with each one referring to a different character from the story.
hayleymiles.com

It was interesting to see how Laura Edwards’ Site Seeing Cities illustrations have been applied to other products such as pens, tea towels and notebooks. Laura has a really nice illustrative style.
lauraedwardsdesigns.com

James Matthews tackled the problem of design students failing to engage properly with typography. His solution was Hype for Type – an interactive workbook based around the principles of typography, to highlight its importance to first years.
jm-gd.co.uk

James Bingham created a complete Japanese Picnic range for M&S, including attractive packaging for Watermelon Lemonade, Sushi and Pumpkin & Honey Cake. It manages to fit perfectly with the M&S brand.
badda-bing.co.uk

Simon Farmer’s quirky typographic quote prints were created for the Three Sides of the Mersey exhibition, celebrating football around the Merseyside area including Liverpool, Everton and the often forgotten Tranmere Rovers, situated on the Wirral.
simonfarmer.tumblr.com

Leigh Woosey’s project aims to make gaming more accessible for those with impaired vision, through use of other senses such as touch. He created an instruction manual for an iPhone game to appeal to the target market, with audio instructions and high-contrast visuals.
leighwoosey.com

Alex Franklin’s self-promotional work was intriguing. He branded water bottles to give out to visitors entitled Refreshing New Thinking. The tagline on the rear of the bottle is a witty touch – “freshly sourced from Alex Franklin’s Kitchen Sink”.
franklindesign.wordpress.com

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CR in Print
The July issue of Creative Review features a piece exploring the past and future of the dingbat. Plus a look at the potential of paper electronics and printed apps, how a new generation of documentary filmmakers is making use of the web, current logo trends, a review of MoMA New York’s group show on art and type, thoughts on how design may help save Greece and much more. Also, in Monograph this month we showcase a host of rejected design work put together by two Kingston students.

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