Remake/Re-model

This is my new old logo and my new logo. Yes, I know it looks very similar to the last logo but I promise you it's different. It is a redraw of the hairstyle that has made me famous. Well by Famous, I mean unique and by unique, I mean it's my USP. It smooths out the rough edges of my old logo making it look more tidy. It has a different typeface (yes it looks very similar to the old one) but this is a much more usable typeface. The hair is more orange and the text is blue this time. I have also made it smaller. 

I have tried to make it look the same as before, so my buiness cards remain valid. [Yer a bit of a cheapskate aren't you, James.] It was only a draft logo originally for a uni project and it has done me really well so far but this is now the first re-cut and revision. 

Hope you like it...So many changes in one go...eek it's exciting stuff.

Have Logo, Will Travel

Transport, we have all used it. Depends if you are a car person, bus man or train lady. We have all used some form or another or used all three maybe even trying more obscure methods. My latest project was transport related which is the reason that I have have done this riff raff of an introduction.

Doit.org had a request for some help as a "Corporate Identity Designer" for the ERTA (English Regional Transport Association). I contacted them and they wanted a logo and a banner to go on the top of their office stationery. Below is the response.

The plan being that the circle was the wheel of the chosen method of transport (they mainly deal with the railways and motorways) and the initials were cut out of the wheel. The final version includes an image because they wanted an image to go next to it so instead I combined the two instead. Have a look and leave your comments below (if you want);

Logo dump; #RedesigningNE

This River is Wild

Do you all remember how mad I got about the Within the walls logos I got and how far my design was off the mark compared to the final thing. Do you? Because here is example two. Down by The Riverside is due to be a festival of music by Carlisle's Riverside. The Same promotion company asked me to come up with some logos for that.

Above are the only ones I am happy with. Because on second draft the idea was diluted so much that on the third draft I was just trying make the client say yes but as with most of these stories they never do. Let's go through them and explain the merits of all of them shall we readers.

1. Nice and simple. Wavy effect of the text reminiscent of that thing water does. and the subtle touch of the R having a steam in the negative space. Green being the land (by the riverside and blue the river).

2. Slightly more mysterious. The hills and grass surrounding the lake are making a guitar shape and the water is water shaped. Vague quote of Woodstock. Green being the land (by the riverside and blue the river).

3. The Best logo, is this one, I think. In graphic design circles this would get kudos. In Music promoter circles, it's meaningless and we shouldn't hire this guy anymore.  

At the Record Company Meeting, on our hands are new star.

 

Punk has always been a source of inspiration for yours truly. But for this project it was it's after effect that inspired this project. Post Punk was just incredible; I am still finding new albums that just pushed the punk's spirit so far that it became jazz. Punk and Jazz are just opposites who would of thought they'd work so well. The Contortions, The Pop Group even X Ray Spex with honking of sax on Oh Bondage, up yours! just seems still illogical but it works.

Post punk seemed to reject the punk look but keep it's spirit and that is what I have tried to do here. It's lo fi enough to have been done in the budget restraints of a punk group but keeps it's class by not been a photocopy of a photocopy with a coffeee stain see punk fanzines. A lot of post punk was about bright colours; the work of Barney Bubbles could only of existed in this limbo between scenes but this was just meant to be simple and cheap.

I have created the base set of everything you really need to start a record company; the logo, the company sleeve in which your records go & the label that goes on the record. I have done a poster with my made up bands names that are on the label. Bands Like; The

  Ex Music, Tempo//Tempo and Higgs Boson.

 

 

         

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).

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.

Last night a DJ Saved My Life

Have you ever felt so proud of a piece of work you want to shout it from the rooftops, well that is something that I have just made. In uni I got given the job of developing a TV ident for a new TV channel that I have made. It won't get to telly but hey I wish it was a channel.

I chose to make a TV channel of vinyl records because they are my life outside of graphic design. Style wise it was initially based on the google play logo it has turned into an MTV bright light show. The dots are my love of litchenstein, most of the elements are hand drawn and the bright colours are because I have a little soft spot for design that visually attacks your eyes.  In the words of Miss Sophie Taylor (my bro) "I like it but it hurts my eyes"

ever get the feeling you've been cheated?

 I have been cheated but I am trying not to get down hearted because I made some great work for someone but they just couldn't see it. I have been messaging various companies for work and this gymnastics club got back to me and were very interested in my work, but they liked NOTHING i did for them, not one logo had one redeeming feature. Above and below are my favourite examples of work which I am more than welcome to change the name and words to meet a request if any gymnastics club owners are reading this.