SHAZ MADANI
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______________________________________________________FINAL MAJOR PROJECT______________________________________________________
Tuesday, 31 January 2012
GRAPHIC DESIGN FOR FASHION- BOOK
‘Graphic Design for Fashion’
By Jay Hess and Simone Pasztorek
As the title implies, Graphic Design for Fashion opens the door to the world of graphic design for fashion bringing together a well-curated selection of contemporary work, accompanied by interviews in which the studios reveal something of their process for expressing themselves creatively and exclusive insights into the projects themselves.
I will use this book for my design context in FMP, it will broaden my understanding of how graphic design is used in the fashion sector and will build my awareness of companies who do this and also experimental ways of graphic design for fashion.
Companies found from this book:
-Acne Art Department
-Anothercompany
-DEEVA-HA
By Jay Hess and Simone Pasztorek
As the title implies, Graphic Design for Fashion opens the door to the world of graphic design for fashion bringing together a well-curated selection of contemporary work, accompanied by interviews in which the studios reveal something of their process for expressing themselves creatively and exclusive insights into the projects themselves.
I will use this book for my design context in FMP, it will broaden my understanding of how graphic design is used in the fashion sector and will build my awareness of companies who do this and also experimental ways of graphic design for fashion.
Companies found from this book:
-Acne Art Department
-Anothercompany
-DEEVA-HA
Proud Creative
IDENTITY DESIGN FOR A JEWELLERY MAKERS -LUXURY BRAND
We wanted to reinforce the unique nature of their brand; in particular the way they design their pieces. Max trained as a furniture designer and thinks about creating jewellery in a very non-traditional way. We researched all sorts of existing jewellery brands and felt like the Guy&Max identity should lean more towards fashion than the more traditional jewellery set. This opened the door to other creative innovations like the collaboration with Jason Tozer. He created sumptuous images that don't show the jewellery at all, but instead reflect Guy&Max's collective passion for both creativity and diamonds.
Internships- Mind Design
The dilemma with internships
We had many interns in our studio over the years and learned as much from them as they hopefully learned from us. We always treated them like everyone else in the studio and paid at least £350 per month (even at times when we were struggling). We followed their careers and are still in contact with most of them. Until recently I thought internships are good arrangement from which everyone benefits. However, nowadays there are so many student's, graduates, even post graduates entering the internship circuit that the situation has started to affect (and change) the design industry. Not necessarily for the better. So what is the problem with internships?
1) The industry is becoming dependent on interns.
Especially in difficult economic times design companies might recruit interns as a cheap short-term workforce. It is worrying to see how this has already developed in the fashion industry where there are sometimes 10 interns to 1 designer, working long hours and weekends. The other problem is that when the cost of 'staff' becomes less design agencies can charge low fees and undercut each others prices. It doesn't take long until even clients figure out how the game works. We have been asked to complete projects for ridiculously low fees where the clients have already suggested 'maybe your intern can do it?'. Those clients should approach graduates directly, not design studios. Without any overheads a few hundred quid might be ok for a graduate and could mean a first step towards self-employment. We all started like this.
2) Interns are killing off the very jobs they want.
I am not saying it is the interns fault, they are in a catch 22 situation. However, from a purely commercial perspective why should a design agency still employ a junior designer when they can have three equally qualified interns doing the same job for free? Many interns are far too qualified or have been doing their rounds for much too long. There seems to be real pressure on graduates too to complete as many internships as possible in order to increase their chances in finding a real job. This might not be about gaining additional experience anymore and becomes just a trade-off of adding another studio name to the CV in exchange for a bit of unpaid work. Especially internships of just a week or two seem completely pointless, what can someone really learn in a new environment in such a short time?
3) The colleges are not taking their responsibilities serious anymore.
Why do so many graduates still feel the need for more experience? Are the colleges not responsible for preparing students for 'real life'? Colleges nowadays are taking on far too many students in order to fund themselves through fees. Many courses have three times the number of students than they used to have 5 years ago but the number of tutors has not been increased. With that many students it becomes difficult to teach real practical skills, like designing grids, print preparation, etc. It is much easier to let students loose on developing ideas and concepts. Certainly this is an important point of studying but then again who needs so many clever little geniuses? In real life only around 20% of a project is developing the actual idea. I do not really see why design studios should compensate for the shortcoming of the colleges, neither should the colleges shift their responsibilities towards the design industry.
4) Small studios are not a training camp for the big world.
Most interns want to work in a small studio because they assume that those are more 'creative' and somewhere between art college and the big agencies. What they often forget is that small those studios hardly ever employ new staff and usually struggled quite a bit themselves to achieve their 'creative' status. All small studios started at some point with very little experience from nothing with just one or two semi-reliable clients. They took risks, made many mistakes, worked through quite a few bad jobs and put up with difficult clients in order to pay the bills. Instead of assuming that there is a shortcut to great creative freedom or a half-way house between college and the big world graduates should just be braver and start their own thing. It actually seems easier nowadays to find your first client than getting a full-time job. The more small design studios there are the better and we have always been happy to help if someone asks for a printer recommendation or how to structure an estimate. The sad thing is that many interns after they have done their rounds through the small studios end up in a big commercial agency because they need to earn money and those are the only ones hiring (and firing once the project finishes). In a way small studios come into a position where they are training the future staff of their own competitors who put profit before creativity.
We have not fully decided where we stand on the subject of internships but felt the need to expresses some general concern in the interest of the interns themselves and the design industry. Many interns we spoke to had very positive experiences. In future we may only accept interns while they are still in education, or try to introduce real 'mini' jobs, or organize a regular pop-in portfolio day. In the meantime, while we are still making up our mind here some general advice for consideration:
- If you do an internship but you are actually after a real job always ask if there is a possibility of employment and clarify things from the start.
- Do an internship at a print workshop, an accountants office, a sign maker, learn really practical stuff that might become incredibly useful.
- Never work for free. Even if the studio is small and has little money there should be some sort of payment.
- Forget about internships, get real, find some clients, start working, start making mistakes, start enjoying your achievements.
— posted by Holger
We had many interns in our studio over the years and learned as much from them as they hopefully learned from us. We always treated them like everyone else in the studio and paid at least £350 per month (even at times when we were struggling). We followed their careers and are still in contact with most of them. Until recently I thought internships are good arrangement from which everyone benefits. However, nowadays there are so many student's, graduates, even post graduates entering the internship circuit that the situation has started to affect (and change) the design industry. Not necessarily for the better. So what is the problem with internships?
1) The industry is becoming dependent on interns.
Especially in difficult economic times design companies might recruit interns as a cheap short-term workforce. It is worrying to see how this has already developed in the fashion industry where there are sometimes 10 interns to 1 designer, working long hours and weekends. The other problem is that when the cost of 'staff' becomes less design agencies can charge low fees and undercut each others prices. It doesn't take long until even clients figure out how the game works. We have been asked to complete projects for ridiculously low fees where the clients have already suggested 'maybe your intern can do it?'. Those clients should approach graduates directly, not design studios. Without any overheads a few hundred quid might be ok for a graduate and could mean a first step towards self-employment. We all started like this.
2) Interns are killing off the very jobs they want.
I am not saying it is the interns fault, they are in a catch 22 situation. However, from a purely commercial perspective why should a design agency still employ a junior designer when they can have three equally qualified interns doing the same job for free? Many interns are far too qualified or have been doing their rounds for much too long. There seems to be real pressure on graduates too to complete as many internships as possible in order to increase their chances in finding a real job. This might not be about gaining additional experience anymore and becomes just a trade-off of adding another studio name to the CV in exchange for a bit of unpaid work. Especially internships of just a week or two seem completely pointless, what can someone really learn in a new environment in such a short time?
3) The colleges are not taking their responsibilities serious anymore.
Why do so many graduates still feel the need for more experience? Are the colleges not responsible for preparing students for 'real life'? Colleges nowadays are taking on far too many students in order to fund themselves through fees. Many courses have three times the number of students than they used to have 5 years ago but the number of tutors has not been increased. With that many students it becomes difficult to teach real practical skills, like designing grids, print preparation, etc. It is much easier to let students loose on developing ideas and concepts. Certainly this is an important point of studying but then again who needs so many clever little geniuses? In real life only around 20% of a project is developing the actual idea. I do not really see why design studios should compensate for the shortcoming of the colleges, neither should the colleges shift their responsibilities towards the design industry.
4) Small studios are not a training camp for the big world.
Most interns want to work in a small studio because they assume that those are more 'creative' and somewhere between art college and the big agencies. What they often forget is that small those studios hardly ever employ new staff and usually struggled quite a bit themselves to achieve their 'creative' status. All small studios started at some point with very little experience from nothing with just one or two semi-reliable clients. They took risks, made many mistakes, worked through quite a few bad jobs and put up with difficult clients in order to pay the bills. Instead of assuming that there is a shortcut to great creative freedom or a half-way house between college and the big world graduates should just be braver and start their own thing. It actually seems easier nowadays to find your first client than getting a full-time job. The more small design studios there are the better and we have always been happy to help if someone asks for a printer recommendation or how to structure an estimate. The sad thing is that many interns after they have done their rounds through the small studios end up in a big commercial agency because they need to earn money and those are the only ones hiring (and firing once the project finishes). In a way small studios come into a position where they are training the future staff of their own competitors who put profit before creativity.
We have not fully decided where we stand on the subject of internships but felt the need to expresses some general concern in the interest of the interns themselves and the design industry. Many interns we spoke to had very positive experiences. In future we may only accept interns while they are still in education, or try to introduce real 'mini' jobs, or organize a regular pop-in portfolio day. In the meantime, while we are still making up our mind here some general advice for consideration:
- If you do an internship but you are actually after a real job always ask if there is a possibility of employment and clarify things from the start.
- Do an internship at a print workshop, an accountants office, a sign maker, learn really practical stuff that might become incredibly useful.
- Never work for free. Even if the studio is small and has little money there should be some sort of payment.
- Forget about internships, get real, find some clients, start working, start making mistakes, start enjoying your achievements.
— posted by Holger
Monday, 30 January 2012
Brief 4- Independent Event
Brief
Branding and promotional for a one week conceptual independent culture festival in Leeds.
Concept
20-25 artists, musicians, film makers, food enthusiasts, fashion designers have been given a word in which to base a piece of work on. Each artists interpretation of the word will be displayed in a one week event exploring the themes and concepts over a range of media.
Mandatory Requirements
Deliverables
Brand
Identity
Tickets
Publication
Signage
Posters
Invites/ Mailers both print and digital
Innovative promotional material
Deadline studio/ Deadline Module
Branding and promotional for a one week conceptual independent culture festival in Leeds.
Concept
20-25 artists, musicians, film makers, food enthusiasts, fashion designers have been given a word in which to base a piece of work on. Each artists interpretation of the word will be displayed in a one week event exploring the themes and concepts over a range of media.
Mandatory Requirements
Deliverables
Brand
Identity
Tickets
Publication
Signage
Posters
Invites/ Mailers both print and digital
Innovative promotional material
Deadline studio/ Deadline Module
Info on scotch whisky
What is a Single Malt Scotch Whisky ?
A Single Malt Scotch Whisky is the product of one specific distillery and has not been mixed with whisky from any other distilleries. The greatest concentration of malt whisky distilleries can be found in the Speyside region of north-east Scotland, with Highland, Lowland and Islay being the other main malt whisky producing zones. Each of these regions has its own particular distinctive style of malt whisky and although it is not possible for two malts to be identical, even if the distilleries that produce them happen to stand side by side, it is usually possible to distinguish in which region of Scotland a particular whisky was made.
A Single Malt Scotch Whisky is the product of one specific distillery and has not been mixed with whisky from any other distilleries. The greatest concentration of malt whisky distilleries can be found in the Speyside region of north-east Scotland, with Highland, Lowland and Islay being the other main malt whisky producing zones. Each of these regions has its own particular distinctive style of malt whisky and although it is not possible for two malts to be identical, even if the distilleries that produce them happen to stand side by side, it is usually possible to distinguish in which region of Scotland a particular whisky was made.
What is a Blended/Pure Malt (Vatted) Scotch Whisky?
A Vatted Malt will contain a number of malt whiskies that have been skilfully blended together or "married," to create a consistent whisky with its own distinct, identifiable character. Such a malt can also consist entirely of malt whiskies of various ages from the same distillery. However, vatted malts will never contain any grain whisky. A fairly uncommon type of whisky, it is often well suited to those who prefer their whisky to be less challenging, due to the fact that the blender's skill will more often than not produce an unvarying malt with highly definable traits.
What is a Blended/Pure Malt (Vatted) Scotch Whisky?The Scotch Whisky Manufacturing process
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In the production of Malt Scotch Whisky the basic raw materials are limited and consist of barley, water and yeast.
 The process comprises five distinct stages.
In two of the above stages the distiller is concerned with the behaviour of living organisms. In MALTING the involvement is the controlled germination of the barley corn and in FERMENTATION the action of the yeast when placed in a solution rich in fermentable sugars and growth factors. All living organisms are susceptible to conditions of their environment and many of the distiller's problems arise therefrom.
To read the full Manufacturing process (7000 words) please visitwww.scotchwhiskyresources.com
 It should be noted that there is no “right” or “wrong” way to drink Scotch whisky – it is very much down to a question of personal taste. However, let us offer a few basic suggestions and, for those interested in pursuing the pleasures of “nosing” and “tasting” further, we provide a link below to a detailed introduction to “nosing and tasting” scotch whisky.
Many who drink Scotch whisky neat say they do not want to spoil the taste by adding water. However, equally as many will say that adding a touch of water, particularly if it is pure, soft spring water, (ideally the same spring water used in the making of the particular whisky!) serves to enhance the distinctive aroma and flavour of a whisky. Tap water may contain high amounts of chlorine and therefore would not complement any whisky - your best bet is to opt for bottled Scottish mineral water!
Adding ice to a whisky can provide a refreshing drink but it should be noted that it will dull the fine taste and wonderful aromas and so should never be contemplated when conducting a “whisky nosing and tasting.” Similarly, carbonated water is not an ideal accompaniment for whisky as it will also interfere with the aromas.
The addition of mixers such as ginger ale, soda and even coca cola, is a popular trend, however it does beg the question - why drink whisky at all if you need to mask the taste?
"Nosing” and “Tasting"
The sense of smell is one of the most sophisticated of all the senses, and the pleasure that can be gained from “nosing and tasting” the many wonderful and varied scotch whiskies available today is an experience that should be treasured. This is particularly true if it is experienced in a convivial atmosphere with a group of friends – old or new.
If you are interested in pursuing further recommendations regarding ;
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Companies to look at for retail branding
http://minddesign.co.uk/
http://www.whynotassociates.com/
http://www.the-partners.com/
http://www.whynotassociates.com/
http://www.the-partners.com/
Topshop supporting Vogue
Introducing the work of Shaz Madani a former designer at The Partners, Why Not Associates, Mind Design and the Topshop Design Team who is currently looking for freelance/permanent opportunities as well as the chance to collaborate with other designers and artists.
Urban Outfitters
http://www.underconsideration.com/brandnew/archives/too_urban_urban_outfitters.php
UO constantly re-brand themselves subtly to keep upto date and fresh with the current style of design.
Urban Outfitters
Contributed by Stuart Reed who oversees design, identity and branding for Urban Outfitters Europe.
Urban Outfitters has an incredible lifestyle concept which is a reflection of the way our customers shop, their wardrobes and their lifestyle objects. As we believe in the honesty of that concept it is important that we as a company, constantly evolve to reflect these changing needs. The brand message follows this evolution, and as such Urban Outfitters completely rebrands itself every six months (as a minimum). Everything is refreshed, from logo, to bags, to point of sale to the store environment and it’s an exciting environment to be in. I have been producing and working on these designs for 11 years and you can see the many changing faces of this concept on my site http://www.stuart-reed.com.
The logo designs you see here were produced for the Spring/Summer campaign for 2011 and were a return to the more tactile and hand-drawn roots of Urban Outfitters. The hand-rendered elements grew from sketchbooks and collaborations within the team, through test stencils and window treatments to the finished articles sent with direction across the 22-store European network, where they were painted directly onto the glass by our multi-talented store display teams.
Keep a lookout for the great Autumn/Winter stuff on it’s way early- to mid-August at your nearest Urban Outfitters.
http://identitydesigned.com/urban-outfitters/
Design Bridge
This is the company that have set the D&AD Whisky brief, I thought I'd have a look at the work they do to get an insight into their background. They have done a lot of branding and packaging projects for alcoholic products each with a strong concept.
A lot of their work is for luxury brands and use numerous printing process and special printing techniques such as embossing/ debossing, foil blocking, use of numerous materials - wood, leather to show the luxury aspect of the brand.
Investigating how typeface can be used to create a luxury brand.
Saturday, 28 January 2012
Ideas for Design Context chapters
'A conceptually driven practice investigating luxury and trend retail branding with a focus on promotional material.'
1.
2. Trend and culture for contemporary branding
-how trends have influenced design used for retail
-Trend brands supporting artists/ music new culture/ sponsorship of events.
-Use current design trends, upto date style.
Brands to investigate
-Topshop
-Urban Outfitters
-American Apparel
3. Print and Processes for luxury branding
-Stocks
-Special processes
Brands to investigate
-
-
-
4. Promotional Outcomes/ Retail Outcomes
-Investigation into experimental ways of promotion
-In store
Packaging, tags/ labels, signage, POS, wallpaper
-Out of store
Web, lookbooks, mailers, events,
5. Events and exhibitions
1.
2. Trend and culture for contemporary branding
-how trends have influenced design used for retail
-Trend brands supporting artists/ music new culture/ sponsorship of events.
-Use current design trends, upto date style.
Brands to investigate
-Topshop
-Urban Outfitters
-American Apparel
3. Print and Processes for luxury branding
-Stocks
-Special processes
Brands to investigate
-
-
-
4. Promotional Outcomes/ Retail Outcomes
-Investigation into experimental ways of promotion
-In store
Packaging, tags/ labels, signage, POS, wallpaper
-Out of store
Web, lookbooks, mailers, events,
5. Events and exhibitions
Friday, 27 January 2012
ArualLight-
A quick experiment with the font Arual Light showing how the lines can be exaggerated to created the idea of structure. The lower ones go abit too far but it was fin to see what could be created through this technique.
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