Friday, 11 May 2012
Tuesday, 8 May 2012
A bunch of us designers decided to pay respect to Adam Yauch through our craft.
Cause You Can't, You Won't And You Don't Stop
'Each participant picked a line from a Beastie Boys song and designed it on a solid background'
Here is my contribution from Fight For Your Right
Tuesday, 1 May 2012
Monday, 16 April 2012
Wednesday, 11 April 2012
Photographers
This post is dedicated to my photography friends. I get asked on numerous occasions to recommend photographers, so I thought I would include them in a post. Obviously, they all come highly recommended.
Simon James
www.shotbyjam.com
Simon James, otherwise known as Jam, is a photographer who lives in Stoke Newington, London. He specialises in portraits for editorial and commercial clients and shoots his own artwork. Simon was part of the Alien Nation Exhibition I curated in 2010 – Photograph below.
And here is another example of his work:
Man Cheung
http://www.mancheung.com/
Portrait and editorial photographer based in London. Man was also part of the Alien Nation Exhibition I curated in 2010 – Photograph below.
And here is another example of his work:
Mikael Johansson
http://www.mikaeljohansson.co.uk/
Mikael Johansson is a Swedish Photographer now living and working in London. I adore his work.
And here is another example of his work:
http://www.ruperttapper.info/
Australian fashion, portrait and editorial photographer based in London.
And here is another example of his work:
Adam Tiernen Thomas
http://www.straighttothe.com/
All-round snapper based in London. Adam was also part of the Alien Nation Exhibition I curated in 2010 – Project below.
Tuesday, 27 March 2012
Instajournal
Instagram – Addictive isn't it?
I love Instagram. Over the last year or so, I have tested a few different Instagram viewers and blog themes/services including:
But, haven't been particularly impressed so far.
UNTIL TODAY!
This morning my friends over at MatDolphin recommended me the Instajournal Tumblr Theme designed by the superb Mark Boyce – and I was straight away convinced to start yet another new tumblr.
(Grab the code here to follow suit!)
Check out some of my fellow designers using it too – here!
Oh – and mine of course...
Saturday, 24 March 2012
Thursday, 22 March 2012
To SPLAMP™ or not to SPLAMP™
Last night, I attended the 'An Evening With Berg’ talk St. Bride’s Library. Jack Schulze and Timo Arnall held court and introduced us to some of the agency’s inventions and creations. But this blog post is not about them. This blog post is about all of us creative polymaths.
Working (and living) as ‘a creative’ – horrible term – we constantly create a plethora of hypothetical ideas, of which very few are made into reality. Hands up who has a whole catalogue of inventions, innovations, thoughts just sitting gathering dust!
BERG’s 50/50 approach to client work and R&D is admiring, but unfortunately, not everyone has the means or the ambition to follow through with a new idea, regardless of how good it is. And it, inevitably, just ends up being added to the long list of brilliance stashed in your head.
So, I guess, it’s all about priority.
When I was 14, I was a pretty good skier. But, all my friends were cool snowboarders! I asked my brother – who was a ski and board instructor at the time – “Shall I try snowboarding?” “No” he said. “Get really bloody good at skiing first, otherwise, you might just end up being average at both.” I still haven’t tried snowboarding.
I’m not a product designer either, but I have had this product idea in my head for a very long time. I managed to get it to some kind of conceptual stage, with prototype designers and illustrators lined up to help me try to sell it. It’s called The SPLAMP™ – a headphone-shaped speaker-lamp aimed at the young professional design aficionados. The SPLAMP™ would come in three different sizes, as pairs and/or individual and be controlled through your iPhone. A series of customised SPLAMPs would also be available, illustrated by a group of amazing artists. That’s the idea anyway.
I don’t think it’s a bad idea, I am just, unfortunately, not Goddess Kali. And, the technical aspects of designing a speaker-lamp are quite overwhelming, so without proper support (financial and partners) it will probably die a slow death. Or, shock horror, somebody else (who's rubbish) will produce it.
The problem with trying to do ‘everything’ is that you lose focus and end up not working at your full potential, especially if you are doing something completely new to you.
So, how do we prioritise when our natural thought-process gathers new ideas every day?
The only way I know is to make lists and get organised. It sounds cliché, but writing a good pro/con lists really does work. They will help you filter good vs. bad ideas – and will provide you with a set of criteria to judge them against (strategic and/or financial value, ease, time, cost etc.) Further more, it also allows you not to forget about some of the gems you’ve come up with. (One day, you might make them reality!)
It sounds quite dramastic, but I have started living my life through the philosophy of ‘all or nothing.’ You want to do something, just go for it! No half measures.
You can’t fail if you don’t try. And there is nothing wrong with ‘wanting’ – go for it.
The problem with trying to do ‘everything’ is that you lose focus and end up not working at your full potential, especially if you are doing something completely new to you.
So, how do we prioritise when our natural thought-process gathers new ideas every day?
The only way I know is to make lists and get organised. It sounds cliché, but writing a good pro/con lists really does work. They will help you filter good vs. bad ideas – and will provide you with a set of criteria to judge them against (strategic and/or financial value, ease, time, cost etc.) Further more, it also allows you not to forget about some of the gems you’ve come up with. (One day, you might make them reality!)
It sounds quite dramastic, but I have started living my life through the philosophy of ‘all or nothing.’ You want to do something, just go for it! No half measures.
You can’t fail if you don’t try. And there is nothing wrong with ‘wanting’ – go for it.
Saturday, 3 March 2012
Wednesday, 29 February 2012
Book Contribution
Just completed a contribution to David Airey's new book 'Work for money, Design for Love.'
"This book project aims to help those who dream of starting their own design business, or those who’ve already joined the ranks of the self-employed, and now need help reaching the next level", describes David on his website.
My piece is inspired by Franklin D Roosevelt's brilliant quote:
“Happiness is not in the mere possession of money; it lies in the joy of achievement, in the thrill of creative effort.”
Watch this space!
Watch this space!
(Draft cover design ©David Airey)
Friday, 3 February 2012
Sloppy words on #wordswordswords
Last night I attended the first of a series of talks hosted by It’s Nice That in the Selfridges Ultralounge. The evening was set up with three lectures, each delving into areas where language plays a pivotal role within communication.
First up was the eccentric artist, coder, writer and publisher James Bridle who spoke about many things, but I found the bit about the Wimbledon 2010 live blog most fascinating. Online journalism seems to be taking a new turn and this example, ‘tennis-blogging' about the tennis if you like – is just the start.
On a similar topic, Paul Lewis, the Special Projects Editor at the Guardian, and award-winning journalist, took us through the journey of tweets that told the live story of the London Riots. It’s fascinating to observe the way journalism and news broadcasting is transforming into a dialogue and collaboration between the broadcaster and the consumer. Addicted to the instant, Twitter provides us with anything breaking, and not only do we feel part of the story, we can add to it as well.
Back to James Bridle. He introduced me to the term Slash Fiction. Boy has this opened a new door for me. Defined by Wikipedia, ‘Slash fiction is a genre of fan fiction that focuses on the depiction of romantic or sexual relationships between fictional characters of the same sex.’ Wow. Mind blown.
In-between James and Paul, We All Need Words took center stage. This talk was all about copywriting for the branding and advertising industries. Molly and Rob are two writers trying to revolutionize the way we write for brands. No more ‘brand slop’ was the focus, highlighting the ridiculous words and phrases being used in presentations, brand books and guidelines. Pepsi has a phrase called ‘share of throat’, which they use when describing the drinks market. Really?
I think it would be extremely difficult to eliminate the ‘brand slop’ because it has been so ingrained in our clients’ world, that removing it devalues our creative. Unfortunately, sometimes you just have to play the game in order to win new business and/or sacrifice a few pages to diagrams in order to seal a deal. Within the creative itself, simplicity and directness seem to be trending, long copy is making a return and jargon is becoming moribund. Hopefully, however, the pun will never die – if I have something to do with it!
To sum up, I think platforms like Twitter are making us better writers. 140 characters make us think, rethink and edit out thoughts. And we can try to eliminate brand values, triangles, keys, visions and diagrams – but in order to succeed, our clients and consumers need to be re-educated first. Not all brands can be ‘challenging’ and ‘different’ – and if they claim that they are, aren't those words just as sloppy?
What do you think?
Some interesting links / references:
Image from It's Nice That.
Tuesday, 24 January 2012
Wednesday, 18 January 2012
Let the brain take the strain
Since then, I have been asked on numerous occasions how I am doing and how it has affected my job as a designer. Latest one, today actually. This spurred me on in writing this short blog post to sum up my experience. And also ask, how are you all feeling?
In summary, after 10 years of hunching over my computer, I got RSI. Badly. So drastic, I actually had to alter my career direction. (For the better it turned out!) No more the Graphic Designer – Hello Art Director! The difference between the two can be huge, or insignificant, depending on agency. In my case, the main difference was the drastic cut down in heavy-duty computer-time in conjunction with a completely different approach to both process and work-style. RSI? Managed.
Since my problems started, I have been listening to more and more designers/computer-users telling me that they too are feeling strains in their hands/arms/shoulders/back – and it is very worrying. Once the problems start, it is very hard to rid. Unless you completely stop whatever it is you are doing to cause the pain in the first place.
I still stand by everything I said in my article. And, if anyone is having problems, I am more than happy to talk you through the science and preventative measure you can do to avoid what happened to me happening to you.
My RSI comes and goes, but is no where near as bad it was then. (I couldn't chop vegetables, let alone flick TV channels!)
Take care of yourselves!
Pic via http://weheartit.com/entry/1442998
Monday, 9 January 2012
My New Identity - Me
Please to meet you, I'm @JennyTheolin
It's 2012, and as a part of the new year, I decided to refresh my online persona. Out with GraphicDrip, and in with... well, me! Below you will find a little insight into where the new logo has come from.
I have gone back in time and created a little mark based on my roots; Viking Rune Stones and my heritage, the Sami People.
Rune Stones
The tradition of the Rune Stone began in the 4th century, and it lasted into the 12th century, but most of the runestones date from the late Viking Age. Also, they were usually brightly colored when erected, though this is no longer evident as the color has worn off.
The Sami People
Also spelled Sámi or Saami, the Sami people, are the Arctic indigenous people inhabiting Sápmi, which today encompasses parts of far northern Sweden, Norway, Finland, the Kola Peninsula of Russia, and the border area between south and middle Sweden and Norway. The Sámi are Europe's northernmost and the Nordic countries' only officially indigenous people. Just recently, we have established that these are my direct roots. (Photograph by Erika Larsen.)
The Result:
The two 'droplets' symbolise the two parts of what I do (Designer / Curator) and are/will be used to create various icons – even my aviator specs!
Thursday, 5 January 2012
Monday, 12 December 2011
Identity WIP – Pixel Bros.
This is some work in progress on the mark/marque/whatever for a new exciting 3D/Design agency named Pixel Brothers.
Sunday, 11 December 2011
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