Third Time Unlucky; Branding edition

West Walls Artists; an art collective that wanted a re-brand for their 21st birthday so I obliged via a live brief from the university. It was only a few weeks ago I knew nothing of this art collective now I know one of my favourite lecturers was a member of this collective. The art ranges from video, to painting through to sculpture. So it was a challenge to fit such a diverse range of artists into one identity.

I chose to do this my using one font family but change to weight of the font for every other letter. Giving it a unity and mix up kinda feel. I was questioned on the decision of why it was orange and with an answer "I like that colour" made me feel like an idiot. That is a pre-school answer. Inital feedback daid that my work was looking a little flat so I don't know if you can see on your monitor but it features a subtle texture. Just enough to bring it out from being flat.

Below is the brochure, artifact, catalog (whatever you want to call it. This document had to feature all of the artists and their contact details (40 plus of them and at least triple as much contact details). It also had to feature the west walls story and exhibition details. So a small but effective little booklet.

But after all of that I didn't get the gig because of reasons that were never explained to me. The client did respond; saying there was a great amount of clarity to the logo and in the booklet. Simple but effective and it is still a great piece. It's now in my online portfolio as is my record sleeve for Back to Basics (whoever they are).

Wednesday's Weekly Write Down; Opinions

Its Nice to have an opinion or should I phrase that a bit better. Its good to have an opinion. Especially a rounded and justifiable one based on fact. There are lots of people who believe they have an opinion, when they just stole it from someone else. People who believe in untrue facts when the clue is in the word "untrue". And there are people who just have no opinion. I believe it is good to have an opinion as it adds to you as a character and makes you more human. You become interesting when you can debate and have a stance on devisive issues. There is too much emphasis on the clueless zombies who just believe what they are told.

If you grew up in a rascist household and you go around saying those sort of things around town without knowing that they are rascist. You are to blame. You can't blame your up bringing for your ignorance. Why do you think so many kids have left the west boro Baptist Church; because they got brainwashed in to thinking the wrong only to get educated and leave the brainwashers. Twitter is full of these clueless people; because a mate of a mate said something vaguely political about the Corbyn being a terrorist, a bloke thinks that is the truth. The facts are out there to prove he's not. Does this matter to the bloke who over heard this in a pub over a pint of fosters. No. It is easier to be ignorant.

Opinions shape you. It helps who you ally with because you can make a connection with a similar opinion. This works both ways. Some of these zombies have a collective opinion so they decided to form rascist groups called Britain First, the BNP & the EDL, as a collective veichle for no thinking, face value opinions. So have an opinion. Don't have a trendy opinion because its cool. Don't have a zombie opinion, it'll make you stupid. Don't Nick some else's. Have a justifiable one of your own. It will do you good.

Wednesday's Weekly Write Down; Odd Time

Its an odd time to be alive really isn't it (never mind be awake). News isn't just at 9, 1, 6 & 10. So at a moments notice we will get to know anything. Social media is a 24 hour news source of personal stories from your drunken friends , your mates holiday snaps or their latest vinyl purchases (or is that just me). These feature along side real and trending news. Real news posted by real sources and trending news which is a celebrity did something, look at that thing that they did & isn't it great/not so great that they did that thing.

We have a great system culturally. We as a nation have managed to have a fashion industry that does match the size of people who are buying it, thus making the really awful word, never mind trend, of body shaming. We, allegedly have a police force that does not match the cultural areas they police in. Sorry Teresa May but there is no way to fix that. You can't force people into policing roles/jobs just to make the numbers look good. And we have a press which outright refuses to accept regulation despite knowing without it they've made mistakes. Phone hacking should of been the wake up call and Mr Leveson should of made it mandatory. Regulation improves quality of the product. It happened in the US, with lifting legal restrictions on marijuana. It drove up quality so the users got the benefits and the idiots just got out of selling because there is no need to sell legal product in back alley's. While on the subject of our Atlantic cousins, I am impressed. Both by the idiocy of some Americans who think Mr Donald Trump is a viable option for election. Probably based on the crude assumption that money equals power and power can only be a good thing when you are a gun toting, sexist, racist toupe. I am also impressed to see a left emerging in the form of Bernie Sanders. I haven't heard a man speak so much since I last watched a Michael Moore film. Dangerous words as I am aware some Americans hate both of these guys; not going to mention any names but that channel owned by Ruppert ... IT'S FOX.

After that short skip across the Atlantic we end up home, I consider this whole land mass to be my home as I never thought I would ever move away from Sunderland and as I write in in Carlisle, I am wondering whether to go back to Sunderland (where the football team is rubbish but my heart is) or to stay here or to go to the bigger city. South or North. Its all up in the air.

Decisions, decisions, decisions.

Pray for Paris

There is far too much senseless hate in this world. These attacks in Paris have made me feel angry and frightened. Angry that these people have no respect for human life. If you disagree with people, you don't gun them down or blow them up. That's not how society works. & Frightened because this could happen to me. These people were not in a war zone. They were at a gig, in a pub, at a football match. Enjoying themselves wishing no harm on anyone and they are the victim. Thoughts go out to friends and families of these people who lost their lives, doing what they enjoy. ‪#‎PrayforParis‬

We are gather here today to remember the New Musical Express

To commemorate the sad, final nail in the coffin for NME (having JB on the front) I wish to share one of my favourite covers. #RIPNME

A photo posted by James Alexander Reay (@jamuggins) on Nov 12, 2015 at 2:21pm PST

NME, you had a good life. From Jazz to grunge, Punk to Reggae & Jungle to Beat music. but you have died today, by putting Justin Bieber as the new front cover.

Sell Out, NME.

Sell Out.

I Swear I was There

I had to make a zine in my last project. So here it is. It was to be linked to the ISTD brief; Eyewitness. A brief where we as participants had to create an exhibition space and sell-able item for said exhibition. Simple really.

I chose the eyewitness account of the Sex Pistols at the Lesser Free Trade Hall as written by one of my favourite bassists, Peter Hook, in his book Unknown Pleasures: Inside Joy Division. The exhibition is bright and beautiful so wanted a zine to be in an almost cliche style to contrast the space. So I did, abused the photocopier, cut up letters from news papers and scribbled some words on a page.

Write Down Wednesday; Freedumb of Speech

Have you ever watched something so crass for comfort and still watched it just because the act has the right to do it. Well yep you are looking at (reading this) from a man who has been watching a lot of Doug Stanhope shows on YouTube and some of the things he says are utterly foul but you've got to take the rough with the smooth, most his jokes are great but some border tasteless. Its a good test of faith in the western world, that you watch it because you can. I don't say that I do this for everything but when you consider that if you said some of his set in other parts of this world, he would be killed, jailed or in more liberal places protested against.

We all have the right to an opinion and we should all have the right to say that opinion. Some people's are opinions are part of there act, if comedy, for example, you should take everything with a pinch of salt. And even if you still take it with a pinch of salt and you are offended, express that opinion. As well as the right to say your opinion, you have the right to be offended. Instead of everything just being safe. The parameters of safe are flexible, depending on the person so its much easier to have it other way round.

Censorship of people deemed offensive is foolish because it causes more problems. Censoring all appearances of Anjem Choudary, is just going to flare up tensions between the radicals and liberals. Have an open debate with him as a true vehicle of democracy, and let people choose which side they are on. It is not illegal (or shouldn't be) to have a certain opinion because only if the person who holds those beliefs acts on them; by killing, that is illegal. So believing ISIS are right, is not a problem, to me. But killing members of "the west" is.

The clue is in the name; freedom of "Speech".

stadium (bar) fillers

It's quite good when a company you have contacted in the past comes back to you for work. quick work. The Mighty Boof is a promotions company based out of Whitehaven &  wanted two posters doing. One for a comedic songwriter, the bloke on the left looking sad and a member of former indie band, Jonny Brown or Twisted Wheel fame.

I could of done better but I am thinking starting off functional and simple/safe with a client and then once they return, try something different. He seemed impressed with the speed of the turnaround so fingers crossed. Mighty Boof; if you are listening drop me a line if you need any posters doing for your comedians/bands/anything.

I've got my spine, I've got my Band Crush

This is the final NME internship related post I will post. This is the first thing that I was asked to do when I got there. It was to design a logo for a Radar feature; Radar being the NME's new up and coming band section and the feature was to show what artist, another artist and/or band they had a crush on. It was to be named "Band Crush". 

It only made sense for it to be a typographic solution, using heart image would just look cliche. So I started off safe and then went on a tangent of madness. Which I was actively encouraged by Mr Tony Ennis, My mentor for the first week at NME. So that's why some of them are not usable in the slightest. 

PS The one below on the bottom right, is essentially just the Just Eat Logo.

Wednesday's Weekly Write Down; The Truth is nothing to be ashamed of

The Truth is what is most important, the truth will set you free but if we were to know the truth in certain incidences there would be a rebellion against powerful people. Seeking the truth does not make you a conspiracy nut, it just makes sense. If you have a suspicion that something is off do your research and see if it adds up.

Who honestly thought this was a good magazine subject? #911 #Conspiracy #Magazine

A photo posted by James Alexander Reay (@jamuggins) on Sep 26, 2015 at 12:23pm PDT

14 years on there is more evidence that 9/11 was an inside job/false flag operation than there is supporting the "official story". There is no doubt that it was a tragic event with many lives lost but the fact that these people were killed by there own country makes it worse. If the "truth" was accepted by the majority rather than the minority, those involved would be held to account. Mr Bush & Mr Blair would be convicted as the war criminals they are. It was meant as a false flag operation so that "the people" would support an invasion of Iraq; to topple Saddam and get Bin Laden (the man supposedly responsible for the terror attack.

Call me mad, call me silly but I am a man who wants the truth. The truth matters more to me than corporate interests/political associations. People of power need to be accountable for actions and that is the truth.