Got this guy as a new work-day neighbour!

Got this guy as a new work-day neighbour!

GFSmith - Beauty in the Making

A sneak peak inside the outrageous goody bag on offer at GFSmith’s Beauty in the Making event that took place all last week at the Victoria House Basement.

The event itself was meticulously well put together with a whole range of interesting exhibits on show from the actual paper making itself through to letterpress, envelope making, a brief but informative typography section from the archives of type giants Monotype (including original unseen drafts and corrections by Eric Gill) and a selection of work facilitated by the British Council.

September Industry have put together a great article with a much more in-depth look at the recent collaborations between GFSmith and MadeThought (who are behind those gorgeous paper books) with more great photographs of the event here.

Queen Elizabeth II by Cecil Beaton Managed to catch this exhibition at the V&A on the day it closed and I’m glad I made the effort, there was a real sense of how Beaton managed to bring together the private and public image of the queen. The Queen and my gran are of the same generation and the more relaxed portraits definitely conjour up a special sort of nostalgia; for me one of the best parts of the exhibition wasn’t even a photograph but a letter from the Queen Mother expressing her gratitude for him having “produce[ed] us, as really quite nice and real people!” There’s a much more detailed and eloquent write up here. 

Queen Elizabeth II by Cecil Beaton

Managed to catch this exhibition at the V&A on the day it closed and I’m glad I made the effort, there was a real sense of how Beaton managed to bring together the private and public image of the queen.

The Queen and my gran are of the same generation and the more relaxed portraits definitely conjour up a special sort of nostalgia; for me one of the best parts of the exhibition wasn’t even a photograph but a letter from the Queen Mother expressing her gratitude for him having “produce[ed] us, as really quite nice and real people!”

There’s a much more detailed and eloquent write up here. 

MultiAdaptor

I’ve just finished an amazing 8 week internship at MultiAdaptor, they’ve done great work like this, this and this, and they let me loose on real client briefs from day one.

It was a big change of pace from RY, being part of a smaller team meant more responsibility but ultimately a lot more job satisfaction when the work I did was actually used or presented.

On top of all that they’ve managed to set me up with some freelance work for the next few months, AND they even got me this beaut as a leaving gift!

Altogether a pretty fantastic experience.

More than a little unsettling to realise but it’s coming up to that time of year again; last night the newest crop of soon-to-be NTU graphic design graduates showed off their portfolios in the vaults of the RSA for a pre-degree show taster. Some great work as always, including (in no particular order) cool considered illustration from Emily Darby, a classy and understated cocktail selection by Toni Medina, and well crafted typography and branding across a range of projects from Rachael Whale. Looking forward to seeing a lot more from everyone come June.

More than a little unsettling to realise but it’s coming up to that time of year again; last night the newest crop of soon-to-be NTU graphic design graduates showed off their portfolios in the vaults of the RSA for a pre-degree show taster.

Some great work as always, including (in no particular order) cool considered illustration from Emily Darby, a classy and understated cocktail selection by Toni Medina, and well crafted typography and branding across a range of projects from Rachael Whale.

Looking forward to seeing a lot more from everyone come June.

Pick Me Up 2012 Last night I made the seemingly obligatory trip down to somerset house for this year’s pick me up.  I absolutely loved Sarah Maycock’s charming watercolour pieces and I think they really stood out against the other types of illustration on display. Highly recommend checking out more of her work here.

Pick Me Up 2012

Last night I made the seemingly obligatory trip down to somerset house for this year’s pick me up.  I absolutely loved Sarah Maycock’s charming watercolour pieces and I think they really stood out against the other types of illustration on display.

Highly recommend checking out more of her work here.

Received this little beauty in the post today, it’s the follow up promo to this bad boy from last year, and this time there was a £3 donation to Barnardo’s so it doesn’t feel quite so much like blatant theft.

Received this little beauty in the post today, it’s the follow up promo to this bad boy from last year, and this time there was a £3 donation to Barnardo’s so it doesn’t feel quite so much like blatant theft.

Beautifully simple little bit of branding for Moxham by The Consult.

Quite aside from the branding, the pieces are awesome. 

Wyvern Bindery

I got to visit this place to research binding options for a penguin project with RY, and I WISH I’d had the chance to take a few cheeky snaps; they’re full to the brim with bookbinding leather, old books and traditional tools.

It’s not exactly an affordable option, but it’s still amazing to see.

Just spent a month at Radley Yeldar, a branding and communications agency that deals with some pretty huge clients. It gave me a great insight into how design can work alongside strategy to produce results that are not only creative but effective.

Just spent a month at Radley Yeldar, a branding and communications agency that deals with some pretty huge clients. It gave me a great insight into how design can work alongside strategy to produce results that are not only creative but effective.