Just Have to Share - Things Organised Neatly 2

In April this blog highlighted 'Things Organised Neatly'  one of those simple Tumblr sites that will change the way you look at things forever.  If you haven't  experienced this site yet take look By simply showing pictures of things organised neatly, it is a fantastic way to show off products, art, or simply just to give visual serenity and bring out everyone’s secret OCD.
Take a look at:
http://thingsorganizedneatly.tumblr.com/press

Just Have to Share - The Richard Balzer Collection

Richard Balzer has been collecting for more than thirty years, and his collecting wanders around the theme of visual entertainment - almost totally dating from before 1900. You will find magic lanterns, peepshows, shadows, transparencies, thaumatropes, phenakistascopes and a variety of other optical toys.

http://www.dickbalzer.com/

http://dickbalzer.tumblr.com/

Creative Artworker - Bulldog Skincare for Men

Creative Artworker Job Specification

Salary – Competitive
Contract – Full Time
Location – West London

Meet The Bulldog
Bulldog Skincare For Men makes award-winning skincare products that are purpose-built for men using natural ingredients that really work.

Bulldog is available in 10,000 stores worldwide and is one of the fastest growing FMCG brands in the world.

The Role
As the brand continues to grow and establish itself globally, our challenge is to build the Bulldog brand through a clear visual language across all of these markets.

Bulldog is looking for a talented Creative Artworker to develop inventive, inspired and creatively excellent communication across a variety of media platforms (print, online, in-store etc.) that will help support our growth and maintain brand consistency.

Working as part of a small, creative and enthusiastic team, the successful applicant will show creative flair and have a strong appreciation of typography, and an excellent understanding of layout in print and online.

In return you will not only become a huge asset to the Brand and have an enviable portfolio of global work, but also the person who influences the brand’s creative direction and really moulds this role around them.

What We Are Looking For
• Able to work in a fast-paced environment and adhere to strict deadlines
• Confidence in laying out all sorts of print and online including: newsletters, brochures, product packaging, adverts
• Very strong InDesign, Illustrator and Photoshop skills
• Have a knowledge of the print process from brief through to final output
• Be proactive and take responsibility for accuracy, quality and delivery of work

Indicative Projects
• Pack design, visualization and artworking
• Development of online creative assets for the brand website, online ads, brand e-newsletter and e-commerce special offers
• Seasonal Gifting concept development, design and artwork
• POS design, visualization and artworking
• Sampling collateral design, visualization and artworking
• Retouching pack and lifestyle photography
• Artworking of print advertising and other brand collateral

How To Apply:
Email CVs and Portfolio to ben@meetthebulldog.com

Graduate Success update from Richard Braham

In autumn 2011 this blog posted details about Vis comm Graduate  Richard Braham and his company Mocha Dick's see here.
Since this time Richard's company has changed and is now called Whale Submarine.

"The Whale Submarine is a little design studio & apparel workshop located in the back streets of Newquay town, Cornwall, UK. Here we design and manually print all of our own apparel, produce our own artworks as well as working with some other interesting companies and artists too." says Richard

You can find The Whale Submarine workspace / shop at THE OLD BAKERY to the rear of 33 Crantock Street in amongst a great little community of local businesses with handmade jewelery and clothing from HOBO , wetsuits by Elsie at NEON, surfboards from W.E. , creative works from MACKIE STUDIO and photography from ADJ BROWN. The kettle is always on so pop by if you fancy a cup of tea or coffee!

"I grew up in the Midlands, originally in the west and then my folks up and moved over to the east with my fathers industrial steelworks job.
I enjoyed growing up in the heart of England. There is so much heritage and culture back home from all the historical buildings, canals and waterways of the industrial revolution to the choice in so much worldly food and restaurants. The people are great and I have a lot of friends and family back there. That said Cornwall has been my home for years now and I am grateful of the views and lifestyle I have here and the new friends I have made."

There is a strong graphic element to your work – do you enjoy being able to use these tools, like illustrator and photoshop, to transform an image?

"I find the more you do with pencil & pen the better, even the mistakes you make add their own element to the piece. I like to use parts of the creative suite later on, mainly to experiment with colour more than anything."

Extract from Richards recent interview with Daisy Campbell for Hickory News to read the full article click here 

www.thewhalesubmarine.com

Letterproeftuin - The Smallest Printing Company

Tired of desktop printers then take a look at a new miniature printing press designed by the traveling open source design studio Letterproeftuin from the Netherlands. The presses were created for the International Poster and Graphic Design Festival Chaumont earlier this year, specifically to allowing Letterproeftuin to produce smaller prints while on location. For more detail see, Printeresting

Michael Salu - New Curzon Film World Animated Ident

Visual Communication graduate Michael Salu has just released a new animated ident created with Jess Kanda for the new Curzon Film World brand identity. This ident appears at the beginning of Curzon Film World films and trailers.

"I've developed and implemented a multi-faceted brand for the various activities of Curzon from arthouse cinema venues, on demand video and film production and distribution. It’s an update of the original Curzon brand identity I created a few years ago." says Michael

"The square brackets are a playful and versatile feature of the identity, that can be applied in myriad ways as demonstrated by the brilliant Kanda."

More of Kanda’s work: jessekanda.com/

The original Curzon identity concept: 

brand-identity-essentials.com/33-brands-surprise

curzonfilmworld.com/

Level 5 Visual Communication Students

Are you interested in a paid one year Sandwich placement?

Kyrstina Nosek from the University Placement Unit will be talking to Visual Communication students about a range of placements they have available and how you can take a paid year out working industry. 
Thursday 5th December Room MK312 1.00pm - 1.30pm

Graphic Designer - Harrow School

We are seeking a Graphic Designer to work closely with the Communications Manager on marketing and communication projects for Harrow School and its associated entities.  This appointment supports our aim to protect and enhance the Harrow brand, through internal and external communications that are consistent, distinctive and in-keeping with the School's reputation.

The Graphic Designer's work will embrace the entire design process across a variety of print and digital media, from concept creation to the preparation of final files.  With the Communications Manager, the post-holder will be expected to develop the Harrow School brand guidelines and oversee the work of a Typesetter on light-weight design jobs, creating templates for these items in the first place.  The Designer will also work directly with pupils on the production of their own posters, programmes and catalogues.

The remuneration package will be competitive and reflect the significance of the role.

To apply for the post please complete and return the application form and provide a sample of relevant work either as a pdf or via a link along with a covering letter to Claire Hampton either by email to personnelsecretary@harrowschool.org.uk or by post to The Bursary, 5 High Street, Harrow on the Hill, Middlesex HA1 3HP.  You may enclose a CV in addition if you wish.

Closing date - 03/12/2013

For more information and to apply visit

http://intranet.harrowschool.org.uk/sites/allstaff/vacancies/default.aspx

Tirana bound...

One of Jeff Leak’s artists book designs was selected for the exhibition Love British Books, an international exhibition of the best examples of contemporary British literature, book decoration and design sponsored by the British Embassy in 2012.

The exhibition has since travelled to different venues and has been on display this month (November 2013), at the Palace of Congress, Tirana, Albania. The exhibition seeks to showcase work by practitioners representing a cross section of the contemporary art of British publishing craft and invention and also features the work, among others, of: Phil Baines, Jonathan Barnbrook, David Crow, Marion Deuchars, Jamie Hewlett, Angus Hyland, Alan Moore, Adrian Shaughnessy, Jeremy Tankard and Johnson Banks.

Jeff’s design work is featured in the exhibition catalogue and you can find out about the current exhibition here: British Council

Pop-ups & Movable Books: The Art of Paper Engineering from Abe books

Paper engineering is the cutting, gluing and folding of paper to create books and ephemera with pop-ups, pull-tabs, flaps and a variety of other moving parts.  Pop-up and moving books are most commonly associated with children, but some of the earliest movables were academic titles that used the technique to explain anatomy and astronomy.

It wasn’t until the Victorian era that publishing pop-up books became more affordable and they were marketed toward children.  Much of their popularity can be attributed to Ernest Nister or Louis Giraud.  Nister worked in both Germany and England in the 1890s and his publications became well known for the high artistic quality of the pop-ups and illustrations.  Nister introduced many techniques including three-dimensional scenes that lifted into view with the pull of a tab – he also held a patent for the revolving picture mechanism that first appeared in Twinkling Pictures in 1899.

By the 1920s, Giraud burst onto the pop-up scene in Britain.  He had been working in the Daily Express book department where he produced its Children’s Annual, which contained popular cartoons as well as nursery stories and, of course, moving pictures.  Seeing the success of books with spring up models, he formed his own publishing house that would produce the highly successful Bookano series (a combination of Book and Meccano).  Bookano combined popular children’s stories and nursery rhymes with the same pop-up illustrations from the Daily Express annuals.  Like Nister, Giraud’s greatest success came with movable books, but his crowning achievement was producing the Bookano series at affordable prices that would appeal to a mass audience – he pretty much defined the modern children’s pop-up book. Browsing the pop-ups offered by Columbia Books of Missouri, in the United States, will give you a fascinating selection of moveable books.

Abe books

Just Have to Share - Circuit Scribe

Electroninks Incorporated has just launched a Kickstarter project for a new variety of pen that draws functional electronic circuits instantly. Called the Circuit Scribe, the device works like a ballpoint pen and releases a non-toxic conductive silver ink that dries instantly. Via Kickstarter

Poster Heroes.org competition

The international communication and social graphic art contest Posterheroes has just launched its forth edition. This time Posterheroes proposes a debate on Systemic Food, which aims at investigating the theme of food in its social, environmental and economic nature.

Economic development and the changes of lifestyle towards a sedentary and urbanised society, led to a radical change in the food habits. This phenomenon, called the nutrition transition, together with the loss of the culinary traditions and the demand for low-cost products has led to a standardization of food and the loss of the concept of quality .

Today it is necessary to renew the way in which the food theme is addressed starting from our choices. How can the consumer change the food system? What choices the citizens are called to do? These questions are declined in four different aspects, with a common social impact:

• The Challenge Of Biodiversity
• Obesity And Malnutrition
• Emigration And Immigration
• Territorial Interconnected System

The creative people around the world are therefore called to express their sensitivity and their ideas through the creation of a graphic poster 50x70 at 150dpi (2953x4134 pixels), max 5 MB, vertical layout, jpg or pdf format.

There is no entry fee.

Eligibility

There are no age, nationality or profession limits, the contest is open to all graphic designers, creative people, illustrators, social communicator, world-changers.

Prize

For each categories, the jury, composed by international experts in the field of graphics and communication, will identify the top ten proposals, for a total of 40 selected posters.

After the closure of the contest the posters will be published in the catalog of Posterheroes and they will become part of future exhibitions and events that PLUG will organize. Moreover, the selected posters will be included within the events organized by Biennale Democrazia in order to create a traveling exhibition through the streets of Turin (Italy).

 For more information visit here

Typography Day competition

Typography Day will be organized for the seventh time on 28th Feb, 1st, 2nd March 2014 at the Symbiosis Institute of Design, Pune (India) in collaboration with the Industrial Design Centre (IDC), Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IIT Bombay) with support from India Design Association (InDeAs) and Aksharaya.

The event will feature a day of workshops on Typography and Calligraphy followed by two days of conference dedicated to ’Typography and Culture’. The international conference will be devoted to addressing issues faced by type designers, type users and type educators.

Beside workshops and conference, Typography Day will also host a poster design competition. The theme for the poster competition is "Across Opposites". Design a poster to express two opposite or conflicting meaning words (antonym). Each of these words should be from a different language. You can make use of two different types faces from two different cultures.

Calligraphic or digitally created letterforms or existing fonts, or a combination of these can be used for the poster. Size of the final poster: 420mm x 600mm only in portrait format. Resolution: 300 dpi - File type: JPEG or PDF - Color Mode: CMYK.

Each participant is allowed a maximum of three entries.

There is no entry fee.

Eligibility

This competition is open to students, faculty and professionals all over the world.

Prize

Twenty five winning entries will be published and displayed in an exhibition during the event. The winners are entitled to free participation (workshop expenses and food) during the Typography Seminar and Workshop on 28th Feb, 1st, 2nd March 2014.

 For more information visit here

A new card trick...

Our friends in Oslo have sent over information about a new wallet that is proving to be extremely popular  for the style-conscious in Norway.

Exentri's mission was to create a small, practical wallet with multiple card storage but most importantly: instant access to those cards with the flick of your thumb - no more fiddling around at the checkout!

Exentri developed a unique system, keeping the wallet slim and stylish while at the same time highly functional. Exentri wallets are made of high quality genuine cow hide leather, lined with nylon to optimize the cards sliding movement and a flexible lock in stainless steel.

If you're interested to find out more then check out this link

http://exentri.com/no/store.html

Library of Lost Books exhibition and conference success

The LOLB reception on Saturday 16th November – Susan Kruse thanks artists, sponsors Sheaffer and supportive partner the University of Wolverhampton 

The highly acclaimed Library of Lost Books exhibition within the new Library of Birmingham is proving very popular. Thousands of visitors are coming to see the new landmark building everyday and the exhibition is frequently the first stop. 

Housed in the Pavilion and showcasing the work of numerous renowned artists, designers and illustrators the Library of Lost Books show has just one more week to run. 

Workshops a running side by side with exhibition, each one is free and more details can be found here. 

The Library of Lost Books have instigated of the ‘Resurrecting the Book Conference’ which has taken place from 15th – 17th November. The 3 day event has attracted International experts from 14 different countries, who have come together to discuss the state of the book - past, present and future. Speakers have included Susan Kruse of the Library of Lost Books and Jessica Glaser from the Visual Communication Department of the University of Wolverhampton Faculty of Arts. 

Susan Kruse with Pat Dillon of the University of Wolverhampton Faculty of Arts

Student Success - Emma Smart

Level 6 illustration student Emma Smart, is one of just 4 runners up in the prestigious  A.M.P. ART PRIZE 2013. Celebrating the work of late Kent artist A.M. Parkin and introducing the charitable foundation set up in his honour, The Monty Parkin Memorial Trust has established an art prize to support aspiring artists who have demonstrated particular skills in the field of drawing. 

After a successful career spanning over five decades, A.M. Parkin (also known as Monty) died in June 2012. He was still drawing and painting right up until this time as well as working on his book, A Village Artist (published posthumously in September 2012).

 To find out more Emma's success click here

Congratulations Emma

The Modern Magazine: Visual Journalism in the Digital Age: Visual Journalism in the Digital Era

The Modern Magazine: Visual Journalism in the Digital Age: Visual Journalism in the Digital Era is the new book by Jeremy Leslie

The last ten years of magazine publishing have been a period of rapid innovation, providing a vital record of the eras diverse visual trends. The Modern Magazine features the best editorial design, looking in particular at how magazines have adapted to respond to digital media. Encompassing mainstream and independent publishing, and graphic and editorial design, The Modern Magazine explores the issues now facing the industry, examining changes to the basic discipline of combining text and image for the global, Internet-savvy consumer. The book looks at key developments in the field, interviewing a broad range of specialists to discover their understandings of the current state of the industry and how different areas of publishing influence each other. Incorporating great visuals and genuine insight into the process of their creation, The Modern Magazine chronicles these exciting changes, providing a resource for designers, with interviews with major figures, summaries of new developments and trends, links to blogs, and more.

Just have to share - Collage Culture: Nostalgia and Critique

Richard Hamilton, “self-portrait” for the cover of Living Arts no. 2, 1963. Photograph: Robert Freeman

Martha Rosler, Photo-op from House Beautiful: Bringing the War Home, New Series, collage, 2004

Linder, Untitled, collage, 1977

Most studies of collage published to date have tended to treat the subject in art historical terms. Today, collage is thriving but its enduring attraction goes largely unexplained. In a new book, Collage Culture: Readymades, Meaning, and the Age of Consumption (Rodopi), David Banash develops a theory of the origins and meaning of collage that views the combination of readymade elements as central to 20th-century culture.

Artists in every medium, he argues, “turn to collage to respond to the possibilities and limits of an inescapable consumer culture.”

 To read the full Design Observer interview by Rick Poyner click here

Free font Neris

Free front Neris comes in a very useful 9 styles from thin to black. It is a sans serif font designed by Eimantas Paškonis. You can download your copy from Font Squirrel or by clicking here

IdeasTap Tube Advert

Calling all budding advertising gurus!

We're looking for a creative individual, or team, to come up with a new poster campaign for IdeasTap. We've rented a six-sheet, backlit poster site at Old Street tube station in London, and we want you to design the poster to fill it.

Not only will your ad be seen by thousands of passers-by each day, you'll also receive a design fee of £300 plus a credit on the poster itself.

To begin with you will need to research IdeasTap - find out who we are and what we do, in order to inform the best solution.

We're looking for a talented individual or creative team to come up with the concept and artwork for the poster. IdeasTap will cover all production and installation costs. The chosen poster design will be installed in January 2014, and will be in situ in for a minimum of two months. Apply by 13 December at www.ideastap.com/briefs

LOLB - Screen Printed Persian Patterns free workshop

Saturday 23^rd November : Screen Printed Persian Patterns

Learn an exciting printing technique and make some beautiful prints inspired by ancient Persian art.

Artist: Karoline Rerrie

12.15 - 2pm

Room 105

Age range: Adults and children aged 7+

Come and screen print a series of colourful Persian patterns inspired by illustrations from an antique book of Persian art. Use the prints and some basic book binding to make your own booklets with patterned covers.

Materials: All materials will be provided.

Booking: The workshop is free. Please email The Library of Lost Books on thelibraryoflostbooks@gmail.com to book your place

LOLB - Oh Fortuna! free workshop

A glimpse of Stephen's work for the LOLB

Wednesday 20^th November : Oh Fortuna!

Inspired by his successful summer exhibition and residency with the Lindisfarne Gospels, artist Stephen Livingstone is giving two workshops on collage techniques and bookmaking.

Artist: Stephen Livingstone

12.15pm to 1pm = workshop 1

1.15 pm to 2pm workshop 2

Room 105

Age range : Adults

Let Lady Fortune control your art in this inspiring collage/bookmaking workshop using recycled, found and salvaged books and paper. You will be rolling a dice and flipping a coin to make design decisions. Your finished collage can be loosely bound into old book covers.

Materials: All materials will be provided.

Booking: The workshop is free. Please email The Library of Lost Books on thelibraryoflostbooks@gmail.com to book your place. Please note, you can book both sessions together if you would like to spend more time on your creation.

LOLB - The Postal Project free workshop

Thursday 14^th November : The Postal Project workshop

Mail art is for everyone and everyone is welcome!

Artist: Melanie Alexandrou and Jade Blood

6.00pm to 6.45pm

Room 105

Age range: Everyone over the age of 7

Jade and Melanie invite you to make postcards using drawings, stamps, letraset, stickers, typewriters etc. These postcards (and addresses) are added to their Postal Project archive. Find out more about the project at http://postalproject.tumblr.com/

Materials: All materials will be provided.

Booking: The workshop is free. Please email The Library of Lost Books on thelibraryoflostbooks@gmail.com to book your place.

LOLB - Zine-making free workshop

The first glimpse of Melanie's work for the LOLB

Thursday 14^th November : Zine-making workshop

Make your own fan magazine or ‘zine.’ Print, colour, write, type, draw, fold, staple. Everyone welcome!

Artists: Melanie Alexandrou and Jade Blood

5.00pm to 5.45pm

Room 105

Age range: Everyone over the age of 7

What do you love? What are you obsessed with? What makes you laugh? Make a zine about it and share it with the world!

Materials: All materials will be provided.

Booking: The workshop is free. Please email The Library of Lost Books on thelibraryoflostbooks@gmail.com to book your place.

LOLB - Altered Books From your Library free workshop

A section of Christina's work for the LOLB

14th November : Altered Books From your Library - Sculpture /Image making. A hands on workshop in which you will explore various materials and learn some exciting visual methods and techniques. 

12.15 to 2.pm

Artist: Christina Mitrentse

Age range: Adults

Take an existing book and adapt it, alter it, deface it, using cut-up, collage and mark-making techniques to create completely new structures and visual texts/images.

For inspiration, you'll examine a selection of altered books made by artists and writers and you'll discuss poetry beyond the text including visual elements, invisible elements and the role of chance in writing and publishing book within the digital era.

Come prepared to think in three dimensions, and forget all you were ever taught about not scribbling in books.

Materials: Please bring a book that you are happy to alter! All other materials will be provided.

Booking: The workshop is free. Please email The Library of Lost Books on thelibraryoflostbooks@gmail.com to book your place.

Into the Light

'Five Windows' - Short Edit from Ross Ashton on Vimeo.

Barclays Bank in Wolverhampton becomes an animated canvas


Wolverhampton witnessed a graphic festival of light on 26-27 October 2013

The Enchanted City was a free event that featuredprojected and animated graphic light displays on two landmark buildings around Queen's Square, St Peter's Church, and even MA building - the University.

The main displays were created by the artist Ross Ashton of Projection Studio.

Ross Ashton said "I am delighted to have been invited to work in Wolverhampton city centre for the first time, illuminating city centre buildings with large scale projected images as a visual poem to the city as part of the Enchanted City event".

While the weather was not the best, the quality of the work and the spirit of the city shone through.

You can see more of Ross' fantastic work here:

http://www.theprojectionstudio.com/

Looking forward to LOLB workshops and exhibition

The LOLB exhibition officially opens at 10am on the 6th November and ends on the 23rd. It is open from 10am to 4pm Mon to Saturday and 11am to 4pm Sundays

During the show,The Library of Lost Books - book art workshops will take place in room 105 Library of Birmingham 

The 14th of November is The Big Art Day at The Library of Lost Books. Come and explore a range of workshops that use old books, recycled materials, pens, print and even typewriters to make your own book art.
Spend your lunchtime exploring collage techniques with London based artist Christina Mitrentse, or while away the afternoon making some beautiful and unusual Christmas decorations with award-winning artist Catherine Scriven. After work come and make your own zines with Postal Project founders Melanie Alexandrou and Jade Blood. The last session of the day offers you a chance to join Melanie and Jade at their mail station and make your own contribution to their Postal Project archive.

On the 20th of November you can come and work with Durham based artist Stephen Livingstone. Stephen’ exhibits widely in the UK and internationally; his books Moths and Moon, made of graphite and pulverised rock samples on discarded library books was commissioned by the British Library. Join Stephen to create collaged books inspired by the Lindisfarne Gospels.

Join us on the 23rd of November, last day of our exhibition at the Library of Birmingham as we celebrate with a wonderful screenprinting workshop.

More details to follow

SPEED Plus

Business start-up project, SPEED Plus, has begun its October 2013 cohort. SPEED Plus help current students, graduates, alumni and staff to help set-up and run their own business whilst offering help, advice and support.

Applications for January 2014 are now open, however, places are limited!

Applications can be downloaded via http://www.speed-plus.org/ and should be sent in by Friday 22nd November 2013.

If you have any further questions, e-mail SPEED Plus at speed@wlv.ac.uk.

SPEED Events

SPEED Plus Ent Fest – FREE ENTRY

Meet guest speaker Nick Holzherr, former Apprentice 2012 Finalist.  There will be an opportunity to ask questions and network.

* Refreshments and lunch provided

Date:  Tuesday 12^th November 2013

Time: 10.30am – 14.00pm

Venue: WV1 Restaurant, Molineux Stadium, Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club, Waterloo Road, Wolverhampton, WV1 4QR.

Places are limited and are on a first come basis.

To confirm your place, please respond no later than 6^th November 2013 by email toginger.nijjar@wlv.ac.uk

International Work Placement Opportunity

Following the continued success of International graduate placements, 2014 looks like it will provide even more opportunities for our graduates to spend a period of time living and working in a foreign country.

Visual Communication graduate James Mcardle is enjoying  his Leonardo placement in Seville - to learn more about his experience click here

The Leonardo Scheme is now providing opportunities for graduates to work in Italy as well as Holland and Spain in a wide variety of disciplines and for those who want to try their hand at teaching English to speakers of other languages: China is our latest destination.

So, whether you are looking for some international experience to make your CV stand out or would like the opportunity to teach English in China regardless of your degree subject area or classification,

What next?

This is a fantastic opportunity to experience a different lifestyle in a foreign country.

Please contact David Edwards by:

Sending a copy of your CV to TheWorkplace@wlv.ac.uk Or calling on 01902 321031.