Secret Solstice Competition Entry

I have entered two designs for a competition on the Talenthouse website for Iceland's Secret Solstice festival.

The Secret Solstice festival is a brand new festival that will take place over the summer solstice in Reykjavik, Iceland.  The organisers have announced a competition for designers from the USA and Europe to produce artwork for the festival that be used on merchandise.

My designs are inspired by Norse mythology and feature a stag and a wolf. I have stuck the existing colour palette of the festival, which I think works well with the artwork I've produced.

I had some T-shirts printed with my designs to further enhance my chances of doing well in the competition and to just generally develop my ideas further.

If you like what you see, you can vote for my designs on the Talenthouse website by clicking on the link below. Voting closes on Wednesday 30 April at 18:00 GMT.  Thank you.

Vote 

My New CV

I have recently updated my CV with a new look and content. I feel that this latest design reflects my character and my work very effectively.

Hopefully this will help kickstart my career in the design industry.

The PDF version can be viewed and downloaded from here.

Summer Rain

My friend and aspiring author, Lindsay Michaels has recently realised a book on the Amazon Kindle Store. She asked me to design the cover for her romantic novel called Summer Rain.

After some discussion with Lindsay and some market research I came with a simple sketch design of a couple kissing accompanied with bright pink script which contrasts well. Hopefully this cover will help Lindsay's book stand out from the crowd and be a success!

I am very proud and excited to be part of Lindsay's project and can't wait for the next book and to work with Lindsay again!

Summer Rain by Lindsay Michaels can be found HERE.

Follow Lindsay on Twitter.

Book Cover Design - The Guardian

My work friend has asked me to design a cover for her first ever book. The book is called "The Guardian" and is a teenage fiction novel featuring angels and demons.

With this knowledge in hand I created a mood board to show my client what ideas I had in mind.

The mood board featured various imagery of angels, artistic styles and various types of font that I believe would work well. My client was happy with what I had shown her and picked out her favourite font from the selection I had provided.


For the next step,  I created a mock up design using standard dimensions of paper-back book covers. I decided to to use my "crouching angel" drawing that I had created earlier, however I went over it with a brush tipped pen and water to create calligraphy effect.

I went for a grungy/dirty feel as I think it works well with the drawing style and the genre of the book.

I added the title and authors name using separate fonts, if the book is published I will have to make sure  that I've bought the licence to use these fonts.

After some feedback from my client I have created a second mock up design for the cover. 

My client wanted the cover to include a young woman's face as to reflect the main female character in the book. I drew a sketch of a face, scanned it in and manipulated it on photoshop so that I would be in the back ground of the image, but slightly faded so not to conflict with the rest of the images in the design. I also amended the author's name to her chosen Pen name.

I am now awaiting feedback of the second cover mock up.

Follow Lindsay's blog to find out more about the book and to keep up to date with developments.

Paul Smith Envelope Competition

Our group was tasked in creating a envelope design that could be featured in a new Paul Smith store in London. This is my entry for the competition:

Eye-catching Graphic Design

The main aim of graphic design is to appeal to the target audience while also reflecting the subject matter appropriately. This can be done by using various design techniques and strategies.

Typeface 

Typefaces are an extremely important component of graphic design and can completely change the way a person reacts to a piece of design. A typeface can change the way a person feels about a company or organisation and can attract a certain type of person or, in turn, repel a certain demographic of people.

Basic font structure like Serif and Sans Serif can completely change the whole feel of a piece of graphic design. Serif fonts give more of a personal and flowing feel and for that reason are commonly used in books. Sans serif fonts have more of a cleaner, modern feel and are often used for signage and advertising due to being easy read quickly.

There are many more font structures to be considered when designing such as; italics, boldness and kern. With over 200,000 typefaces to choose from it is very important that a graphic designer chooses one that will best suit the overall design.

Typefaces were an important device used in propaganda posters,

they communicate the message just as much as the imagery.

The bold, capitalised writing complements the whole poster design.

Logos

Logos are an extremely important aspect of graphic design, they can make a brand instantly recognisable to a person and reinforce a company's identity. The most effective logos are the simplest, a simpler logo is easier to recognise and sticks in a person's mind more so.

The ultimate aim for a organisation is to have a logo that sticks in the public's consciousness to the extent that a person would recognise anywhere at anytime and know what it represents. Some brands to achieve this feat include Nike, McDonalds, Apple and Disney.

Images 

The use of images in graphic design is very important. Whether it's an illustration or a photograph an image can catch a person's eye and make them notice the design. Imagery can be used to make a piece of design almost look like a piece of art, which in turn makes it more personal and memorable for people. It can help communicate a product or an idea in a way that words could never do. Imagery allows an organisation to evoke emotions and feelings in people to it's benefit. It cannot be denied that images play a powerful role in graphic design.

Photography has been used in graphic design since the invention of the camera. It allows realistic and detailed images to be used and has become an art form in it's own right, with the advent of digital manipulation it is possible to create amazing images that turn heads but still have a sense of realism.

Illustration has been used in graphic design in some form for hundreds of years, such as the first illustrated bibles of the middle ages. Illustration can take any form, it can be realistic or completely fantastical, it is truly up to what the designer is trying to achieve. In recent years, illustration has been used more in many large companies' marketing  campaigns as the medium tends to feel more personal and friendlier, which is qualities often sought by massive, faceless corporations.

Photography can used to communicate a powerful message.

Illustration can add a unique style to a design.

Graphic design, like all design, is used to engage with people and to communicate ideas and concepts. The use of typefaces, logos and images allow the designer to connect with people effectively and hope fully catch their eye. It is very important that designer thinks about these components when creating.

Logo Design

I have created a logo for myself using Adobe Illustrator, it's a very simple design that incorporates my initials. I intend to display it on all my future design work and any promotional material I make for myself.

The Big Sleep Book Cover - Final Design

I have created the final design of the The Big Sleep cover for the Penguin Design Award and I have just submitted it to Penguin. I am happy with the overall design, even though I had difficulty creating it on Adobe Illustrator.

I now have to just wait for the competition to close on the 9th April and for the entries to be judged. Fingers crossed I get through to the next round!

You can view the full Final Design here.

Gravity-Defying Lamps

A dutch design company called Crealev, which specialise in high-concept levitation technology, have created these amazing levitating lampshades that seem to defy gravity.

Source: designtaxi.com

The lamps use electromagnetic technology to suspend the shades in mid air, if the shade is ever so slightly knocked off balance it will attach itself to the base thanks to magnetic attraction.

Source: designtaxi.com

Source: designtaxi.com

Source: designtaxi.com

I think these are absolutely amazing and I love levitation technology such as this,  I just wish I could afford one!

View the video below to see how they work:

More information can be found here.

Retail Display Design

source: retail design blog

source:retail design blog

The appearance of a store and how it's products are displayed are very important in the Retail sector. The right feel and atmosphere must be created that reflects the style of clothing and the company's image.

All Saints is a prime example of a store that uses strong design in it's retail displays. All Saints takes their inspiration from the industrial revolution and the designs of Isambard Kingdom Brunel e.g. Victoria and Paddington railway stations. 

The very industrial, utilitarian design of the stores complements the vintage feel of the clothing. Items such as cogs, gears and bare metalwork are used to decorate the space. Dozens of vintage Singer sewing machines are displayed in the store window, this design has become somewhat of a signature technique for All Saints.

The design as a whole gives the store a very stylised, vintage feel which is able to attract the kind of person that would want to buy All Saints clothing. 

More information and images can be found here.

source: retail design blog

source: retail design blog

source: retail design blog

The Big Sleep Cover Mock Ups

source: Penguin

I have made another step in designing my entry for the Penguin Design Award competition.

I have created 3 book cover mock ups using Adobe Illustrator, I am trying to determine which font combinations works best with the overall design.

The dimensions are to Penguin's specifications and I have included the Penguin Logo.

Click on the links below:

Mock Up 1

Mock Up 2

Mock Up 3

Home Front Mood Board

I have created a mood board for the project on the National Picture Theatre in Hull, which was bombed during the Second World War. It is the last bombed civilian building still standing in Europe.

This mood board looks at the Home Front themes of WW2.

Colours in Photography

I have made a collage of some of my more colourful photographs I've taken. Colour is a very important factor in design and photography, it can affect the whole mood and feel of the piece.

 One of my favourite things to with photographs is to remove all colour except one, this effect can really change the whole atmosphere of the photograph and guide the eyes onto a key feature within the image.