Hasta La Ideas

Our guest talent-spotter, Paul Ross, visited Leicester’s De Montfort degree show, which included some great pieces of illustration work, as well as an interesting use of sculpture.

Beginning my tour in Graphic Design & Illustration, I was immediately taken by Chris Goodson’s work. The bold linocuts and muted colours really stood out, particularly in his visualization of a child’s pondering on old wives tales. Ingeniously compelling!
goodsonillustration.blogspot.co.uk

Alisia Bufano’s designs for some of Edgar Allan Poe’s works were also a pleasure to see in this part of the show. There’s a beautiful depth and simplicity in the ‘cut out’ approach to these pieces, and the shadows they cast set the tone just right for gothic fiction.
alisiagazelle.tumblr.com

Finally in this area, it was Sarah Nash’s work that caught my eye. The Evolution of Kodak (a campaign to celebrate the history of the brand and help sell 35mm film) shows her versatility, and great attention to detail in the research and execution.
sarahnash.webs.com

You might find it interesting that nothing particularly digital made its way into my choice of designers/ illustrators. I can only say that from working in a Digital Design Agency it was refreshing to see work that embraced the more traditional, mechanical approach to producing the work.

Moving through the Photography show, it was Archit Patel’s work that stood out for me. The staged cinematic stills, based on true crimes, are very evocative and atmospheric. But I would have really liked to have seen them presented on a larger scale.
flickr.com/photos/sacredsoul

In the Fine Art Show, Lindsey Archer’s work exploring 3 dimensional space and architecture was very refreshing. Using card and paper these were displayed as wall and floor pieces.

Samantha Stubbs’ large scale collage portraits of celebrities dominated the room with their visceral nature.

Megan McMullen’s versatile paintings emphasised colour and perspective, and created a subtle tension and narrative.

Sculpture was also represented by Jessica Castle’s wall pieces made of discarded cardboard packaging. These organic forms seemed to grow out of the wall like writhing giant paper mache.

Last but not least Nigel Oldman’s work in the Design Crafts Show had me mesmerized. Sadly the photo doesn’t do his kinetic sculpture justice. The metal blades scissor, causing the wooden spheres to gracefully rise and fall creating a hypnotic feeling of weightlessness; fantastic!
nigeloldman.co.uk

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

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.

Please note, CR is no longer stocked in WH Smith high street stores (although it can still be found in WH Smith travel branches at stations and airports). If you cannot find a copy of CR in your town, your independent newsagent can order it for you or you can search for your nearest stockist here. Alternatively, email Laura McQueen (laura.mcqueen@centaur.co.uk) or call her on 020 7970 4878 to buy a copy direct from us. Based outside the UK? Simply call +44(0)207 292 3703 to find your nearest stockist. Better yet, subscribe to CR for a year here and