Hello all,
Over the summer period we have decided to give you a new project. We would like you to work on 50 Ideas…
…This should be as easy as Paris Hilton for second years, right? Just fill a sketchbook with as many ideas as possible – carry it around with you if you have to, you never know when an idea critter will strike. They can be as ‘off the wall’ as you like, but do have in mind that you may begin to pull from this sketchbook when developing your projects during the second year. It will be a very important foundation. All we need to see are sketches and annotations.
I would also like to remind you of the official Blogspot we have set up for you all, which has now been changed to – www.fdadesign.blogspot.com. We would like to encourage you more to use this area of the tinterweb throughout the year instead of hiding behind closed doors and being your normal, guarded selves. It is the perfect place to help each other out with research and even brainstorm ideas.
In the meantime, have a great summer and I look forward to seeing you all in September.
Regards,
Richard Johnson
Graphic Design Course Leader
Friday, 11 July 2008
Welcome Year One FdA
Hello all,
I’d like to welcome you to Year One of the FdA Design course and hope you are enjoying the weather so far. We’ve decided to send you a summer project to keep you company and hopefully give you a little something to discuss during induction week.
I would also like to introduce you to the official Blogspot we have set up for you – www.fdadesign.blogspot.com. We would like to encourage you to use this area of the tinterweb throughout the year. For now, it is the perfect place to introduce yourselves and hopefully help each other out with the project. Perhaps you’ll share ideas, research, or even some of the final pieces.
In the meantime, have a great summer and I look forward to meeting you all in September.
Richard Johnson
Year One Course Leader
I’d like to welcome you to Year One of the FdA Design course and hope you are enjoying the weather so far. We’ve decided to send you a summer project to keep you company and hopefully give you a little something to discuss during induction week.
I would also like to introduce you to the official Blogspot we have set up for you – www.fdadesign.blogspot.com. We would like to encourage you to use this area of the tinterweb throughout the year. For now, it is the perfect place to introduce yourselves and hopefully help each other out with the project. Perhaps you’ll share ideas, research, or even some of the final pieces.
In the meantime, have a great summer and I look forward to meeting you all in September.
Richard Johnson
Year One Course Leader
Monday, 30 June 2008
Thursday, 26 June 2008
Branding Youth in the Totalitarian State
Interesting article about Hitler's youth and the influence of power over Germany's children of the future. Both a frightening and compelling read over at Design Observer.
Tuesday, 6 May 2008
Oliver Jeffers
Check out Oliver Jeffers new website which delivers an eclectic showcase of his beautiful illustrations and fine art.
Friday, 2 May 2008
Portrait of the Designer as Author
Heralded as one of the most influential and sort after book cover designers around today, Chip Kidd is as much at home writing about his musings and adventures as a designer. His debut novel The Cheese Monkeys - a semi auto-biographical tale reminiscent of The Catcher in the Rye was an honest statement on the challenges we often face as individuals, more importantly creative individuals. His follow-up The Learners is out now.
Four Feet From a Rat
Comic book veteran Liam Sharp has banded together some cream of British talent for Mother London's advertising venture Four Feet From a Rat. Liam's award winning publishing label Mam Tor was given the task of bringing together Chris Weston, Dave Kendall and Kev Crossley to produce four tales based in and around London. FFRAR will be published quarterly in Time Out then brought together as a collection at the end of the year.
The first issue released last month has already appeared in Creative Review, Computer Arts and ImagineFX - and both Mam Tor and Mother hope this will become the start of something very special.
Dangerous Beauty: The Art of the Shiv
'A shiv is a weapon crafted from the limited resources of a prisoner's closed world. Crudely constructed from such things as spoons, shoelaces and upholstery tacks, shivs lie somewhere between the graceful and the grotesque. They're primitive, too — like outsider art, but produced deep on the inside.'
A little pointer to an old article from Design Observer. I find it fascinating how beauty can be found in anything if you look hard enough, and that it's human nature that is often responsible for using such devices in ways that are truely unforgiveable.
Friday, 25 April 2008
The Dark Knight
The whole marketing campaign behind this summer's sure fire hit has been more than just a joke. With mock elections and www.whysoserious.com having images added everyday of jokers all around the world. The latest international poster is yet another example of quality graphic design. Batman has never been more grounded.
Visit the site above or click on the image for a full size version.
The Design Observer Playlist
'I’ve never worked in a design studio where music wasn’t played pretty much constantly. Nor can I recall visiting a studio where music wasn’t being played, or where designers weren’t wired up to headphones and bobbing rhythmically to unheard sounds. What is it with graphic designers and music? Is there a symbiotic relationship between the two? Are there studios where music is considered a hindrance? Or does music aid creative thinking and make us better designers?'
Read the rest of the articles here - www.designobserver.com/archives/035704.html#more
Friday, 22 February 2008
Excercises in Style
I've already mentioned Matt Madden's book 99 Ways to Tell a Story: Exercises in Style - check the official website here www.exercisesinstyle.com
Many variations on what is the most mundane story you will ever read, from Monologue, Subjective and Personification to name a few.
Countdown has begun!
Entering Semester two can be a stressful time with multiple projects, less contact time with staff and the looming deadline of May 21st - the final date for all projects to be finished. By the following friday (23rd) all your work will be mounted for your Final Show. This leaves just 13 weeks - so Time Management has never been so relevant.
Final Dates
Wed 21st May - All work finished
Fri 23rd May - All work mounted
Tue 17th June - Final Show (Private View)
Wed 18th - Sat 21st June - Final Show
Wed 18th - External Verifier
Sun 22nd - Travel down to London
Mon 23rd - Wed 25th D&AD New Blood
Final Dates
Wed 21st May - All work finished
Fri 23rd May - All work mounted
Tue 17th June - Final Show (Private View)
Wed 18th - Sat 21st June - Final Show
Wed 18th - External Verifier
Sun 22nd - Travel down to London
Mon 23rd - Wed 25th D&AD New Blood
Scott McCloud
If you still haven't read Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art by Scott McCloud you can view his site here - www.scottmccloud.com
There are many useful sections, including Inventions which comprises of a number of lateral thinking exercises. www.scottmccloud.com/inventions/inventions.html#
Enjoy.
There are many useful sections, including Inventions which comprises of a number of lateral thinking exercises. www.scottmccloud.com/inventions/inventions.html#
Enjoy.
Wednesday, 23 January 2008
Friday, 11 January 2008
i love typography
Thursday, 10 January 2008
Friday, 14 September 2007
The Raw Shark Texts
'First things first, stay calm.'
An absolute MUST buy. If you enjoy a good metaphysical read that makes you question the very fabric of conscious thought, then you will find no better debut novel from local author Steven Hall. One of the most original novels I have read in the last 5 years - this is a postmodern tale that could only be read by us post millennium culture junkies. You are challenged as both reader and consumer as Hall literally breaks down the very barriers of the written word - through typography and basic animation to name but a few devices.
After the death of his wife the second Eric Sanderson now suffers from amnesia only to be guided by the first Eric Sanderson by a string of letters. All the while he is relentlessly pursued by an imaginary shark. Along the way we are introduced to Mr Nobody who may hold the answers he is looking for, and Scout the one woman who is connected somehow to the mysterious conceptual fish.
By exploring the official site http://rawsharktexts.com you will discover many different levels to the novel - rumour has it there are even clues that the author has left in various locations around the country. This is more than just a book but an international phenomenon that dares to lay its influences out on the table - right to the nail-biting, daringly familiar conclusion.
Jaws meets the Matrix meets Memento.
Enjoy,
Richard.
Thursday, 13 September 2007
Charley Harper
Charley Harper's work can be viewed over at http://www.designobserver.com - scroll down and view the slideshow.
Design Observer has plenty of other articles to read and is regularly updated from key design writers such as Steven Heller and Adrian Shaughnessy, to name a few.
Enjoy,
Richard.
Thursday, 16 August 2007
The Dog Ate my Sketchbook
We will be looking for work to publish in a new NCN publication. All you need to do is supply an excuse of why you haven't got your sketchbook (something which we never need to ask for) accompanied by a sketch or graphical / 3D representation.
To give you an idea of what route we are going down, check out the work of Oliver Jeffers at www.oliverjeffers.com
To give you an idea of what route we are going down, check out the work of Oliver Jeffers at www.oliverjeffers.com
The file should be emailed to richard.johnson@ncn.ac.uk as a 300 dpi jpeg.
Richard.
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