Draw, Copy and scan. Part two

Process, I created a cover for an EP I wrote using a certain process. So deemed it a good use of my time to use the same process for the promotional material around that.

The process: draw the image that you want and photocopy it onto coloured card and then scan in back in so that it can be shared digitally. For the cover of the release, I drew the design and photocopied it onto yellow card as seen below;

What do bands do to promote there albums? A print poster campaign, a songbook and "limited edition" poster to overcharge fans for. Okey Dokey, sounds like something that I should do.

Taking cues from the book I got for christmas "Oh So Pretty: Punk in Print 1976 - 80" I set about advertising the release. The majority of the book features self published gig posters and single covers done by the bands, very few had studied design so they took an novice approach.With a low budget a lot of the ads featured in Sniffin' Glue were scribbled words in permanent marker.

Below is my version. Words scribbled on paper.

 I took a different tactic with the other 2 versions. featuring the release. So I came up with some really catchy slogans because that's how advertisers work (really James I never would of gotten that). They are personality driven, being sassy as I am. (I once addressed myself as being sassy to a lady at party and she burst out laughing...Is it really that funny?)

Insulting the audience and asking the audience a question are two ways to engage a potential audience so that's what I chose to do. Notice how they feature the album cover but it is no longer yellow, this wonderful effect was given by the photocopier.

Without People You're Nothing

The Clash, Give' em enough rope, London Calling, Sandinista, Combat rock, (Cut the Crap). 5 (6) albums, many more singles, few hits, they were the reason punk died (apparently) and they are my favourite band of all time. I have thought long and hard about this and it's true.

Photo by Bob Gruen

The Clash formed when my dad was 16 and I think (probably earlier) that is the age I first heard them at and it was amazing. I had put some "classic" music on my Sony Walkman mp3 player for the night or two i was staying at my grandmother's house namely The Smiths' Strangeways, here we come ( because my dad had the CD) and The Clash's US debut ( along side Give em enough rope, which again my dad had on a double CD). That weekend spawned a love of Girlfriend in a Coma and love of Janie Jones. That song "He's in love with a rock and roll world" I wanted to be in love with that world too. Just over two minutes later and I was.

I don't know how fast it developed but I got the Clash's London Calling and combat rock in a double CD, while on holiday in the US of A I got The Clash book in a Borders Sale (that's a book store) which for those of you who don't know is a mammoth book with tour info, history, photos, posters, interviews. The latest significant Clash piece is the Sound system box set off my mum and dad for A level passing ( I think). It has most of everything they ever did and more, completing the deal.

They had politics, energy and a message. The were punk, Surf, rock and roll, dub, funk, R & B, ska at the same time but never on the same track. They were real and that's what impresses me most, none of this was playing to an audience. My dad always reminds me the dub tracks they did, the fans weren't keen on on them. They did what they did regardless. They had nerve two; a double album was a push for the label so to ask for s triple, they must of been mad. ( They still haven't made any royalties off that album despite being released early 80',)

This is what I want y'all do for me, if you haven't heard them start with London Calling, if you have heard them and want more From here to Eternity is an extension of the band or if you are a fan keep on rocking.
 
Today would have been Joe Strummer's 64th birthday. Happy Birthday legend.

Where's Your Head at?

Me and my Buddy have been given the job by the brickyard to redesign their regular indie night poster because it has not changed in over two years. So since the brief was given we have both tried different layouts and approaches. None of which have been confirmed so far. but we will get there eventually.

so  I have been Trying out new designs and layouts for this indie poster because no one is sure what they want for the end product. I have applied my current favourite type positioning to the idea of people losing there head over the music that they love. Collage has to be some where according to the brief that we have been given

Well you tried it just the Once (nsfw)

 and found it alright for kicks, and now you finding out that it's a habit that sticks... The opening lines from the Buzzcocks debut single.The front cover which was very controversial and very famous for featuring a nude lady with an ironing board for head and hearts for nipples. A song and piece of design I value very highly as one of the finest pieces of punk graphic design. The collage originally created by Linder Sterling, but designer Malcolm Garrett change it to blue monochrome.

This piece being the influence it was I decided to do a pastiche of it to sharpen up my photo collage skills, something I have not done in a while. So if you are in a place of work or just don't wanna see something that could be considered distasteful don't look below. Only problem is these images is they look very dance orientated instead of my punk pastiche but I still feel that they are funky. The colour choices are available here two different varieties.

No Future

I am gonna set the scene. what if four of the countries most hated politicians formed a band and put party differences aside to play politically charged songs for the people. what would they be called? who would play what? what songs would they play? actual answers don't exist. because this could not and will not happen. but if it did the above would surely be the result.

Band name: No Future
Members:

• Ed Millibanned : Vox
• George the Unborn : Guitar
• Nigel Sabotage : Bass and Vox
• Theresa My Not : Drums

Songs: TBC

Read All About it, whatever it maybe.

 Satire causes endless amusement, Politics helps me make an eduacted opinion of people and places and Political satire got me the best grade that I have ever gotten. So to do a set of pieces inspired by political satire as well as humor made so much sense to me. Having previously been inspired by the cut out style of Jamie reid I thought first to attack news papers. The Press is the enemy as it makes so many people look bad but to cut them up and rearrange the words means I can make the people I hate personally seem like the enemy. I have tried to be controversial like my heroes Jamie Reid.

as a side note = Words can express so much but verbalizing things has always been hard for me. so to write them down is a much simpler and makes me feel less anxious about what I am going to portray.

Click the images below to see them full size.

The Photocopier is my Screen

 The Photocopier is my screen. Andy is my hero so I combined the too. Having been crowned king of the photocopier by illustration station cos I am always photocopying things. I decided to experiment more with the potential of the copier. Using the one colour filter I made the above. it simply screens a colour cast over the image. The image of Andy was from the i Paper as it was a review of his exhibition in Liverpool, which I must must must go to.

Now Andy's probably most famous piece is Marilyn and these are Andy as the Marilyn's , at least my interpretation. Using a photopied image and a marker pen set. One is the colour version, when he was in the star light and the other, the black and white as his starlight starts to dwindle as well as his mortality, having died twice.

Digital Punk

 Digital DIY. Punks would of hand drawn these and hand coloured them using felt tip pens and then photocopied the life out of them. In modern times. Punks if they want this aesthetic can just use a computer tablet and a pen. No Photocopier. No Cost. You loose a little of the style but is an easy way of getting hand drawn text and images onto the computer. 

I did these flyers to promote records in general as i do consider them to be a marvelous invention. It has since become a status symbol for hipsters who want to look fashionable. Punks would of made flyers like this themselves to promote the new single or EP as it was the cheapest most cost effective way of doing so.

These Fallish Things

The Fall. MES. Mark. Edward. Smith. singer. Lyricist. Poet. National Treasure. Legend. 

This is what I made to show off him as a writer and as an awesome front man. It is a rough and ready fanzine using a one font and the style of Russian constructivism. A band with politically motivated intentions would I feel would not be offended by this. If you are a fall fan; please comment the songs that you discover on each page and we will have a competition.

http://issuu.com/jamesalexanderreay/docs/the_fall

Elvis is King

The other Elvis. Not Presley. Costello. The man who wrote one of the best Debut albums of all time with lyrics that will ring true with every generation of love, lust and "Dancing". In this image I have tried to capture the the essence of said album. The colours are the same as the album, the checkerboard design is one that is from the border of said album and the image is of a similar stance to the album.

Everything is a Conspiracy

 I am skeptical bout everything, I source every like on Social media to see if it is from a REAL person or just a spam account used to generate more likes or comments. I have become more skeptical in recent years about who is ruling the people of this earth. In an age of wiki leaks and Secret services it's hard to take things as they come. So when  had the chance to design for an album about this very interested. It's a home grown project but that makes it no less credible.

The iconography of war first came to mind when this was brought to my attention. hence some parts of the design depicting war. I feel very passionately about the mistakes that the UK made to go into Iraq. The monoo chrome style came very much out of the punk politics and fanzine culture around that time. Saying stand up and have a voice, Print your message using the cheap photocopiers and a pen. The display typeface is Helvetica but the other one is called Karton and it looks like the font Crass (the Band) used to use.

Look Dad, I Design

 

Designing for the funniest, Non Commercial but absolutely brilliant band had to be a hard task. They've been hard at work since the post punk years and have made a number of classics without the recognition they deserve. I give you Half Man Half Biscuit. My Papa put together this compilation of all of their "No Tunes"and it is great listen. So I was enlisted to design the cover and insert. Typography was the best option as the approach they have to design is one that is intentionally quite terrible. The Colours are from the Football Club Dulka Prague because one of the song they have is called "All I Want for Christmas is a Dukla Prague Away Kit"which is a classic. The Font is Helvetica in case you hadn't noticed. The Title itself is a play on the album titles that they have themselves, who's names range from Four Lads Who Shook the Wirral, Some Call It Godcore and Achtung Bono.

It's a simple design for the most complex of bands. 

Give'em a listen if you haven't already.

I AM NOT A GRAPHIC DESIGNER

All Typography Posters *Sung in a Nico Style*

I know it's all very fashionable to say that I am a fan of the Velvet underground and it is also very fashionable to say that the Velvet Underground and Nico album is one of the best albums ever made. But I am not saying it because it is fashionable, I am saying it because it is true. I did these posters to pay tribute to that great band. Ever since Lou Reed's passing I wanted to make something that I could be proud of to say how awesome he was (Metal Machine Music and all).

The Velvets lyrics are almost as important as the ground breaking music that they made. I have taken a snippets from a selection of the best and most interesting lyrics. Dare, I say it one of these songs is sung by Nico. I tried to get a typeface match for the albums but this was not easy.

If you have not listened to any of their albums, do it now.

Punk Rock + Stamps = Obvious Combo

A rare glimpse at some work that I did prior to university now. This is some work that I did at A2 level. It shows me during my punk phase. I got heavily obsessed with The Clash, Sex Pistols and Buzzcocks as well as all of the classics (not that I ever got out of it or intend to). The design of all of these bands were all very different but also very similar. They were all founded on the DIY ideals. Entranced my this new (to me) music I applied it to the next project that came along a college which was stamps design. STAMPS! Yeah I know but hey I'd buy these stamps.

The work of Jamie Reid Heavily inspired me on these as he was the one who pioneered the type style of the Sex Pistols. Size, Case or order or font were never considered too important. The designs on these are song titles from four famous punk bands all from the US of A. Make a guess and answers will be in the comments section

Speaking With Typography

 

 The Talking Heads are a great band. A fusion of Punk, World and funk music doesn't happen everyday. there movie Stop Making Sense is a flawless masterpiece showing the band the the peak of their creativity and musical diversity. All of them were art students and they all took calls from the arts for the music as well as the packaging. Bearing this in mind I made these posters influenced by 4 very different art styles as well as different designs that they have made.