Wednesday 17 October 2012

Standing to attention

Networking is so much easier when part of your portfolio is standing spotlit in the corner of the room. More often than not I encounter confused looks when I say I'm a graphic designer and I design for print. Not today though. I was able to point to the banner in the corner and say I did that! That's the sort of thing I'm talking about.

I don't very often get in front of the camera but here I am beside the banner stand with my client, Helen Warburton(left).


The bright splash of green across the middle means the banner will stand out in any room and be a very clear voice for Creation Social Media wherever they go.

Thursday 4 October 2012

Pinterest

It's the social media site that everyone's talking about and the place to be if you're creative. For those of you not in the know, it's a site where you can gather images/ideas together from all over the web onto virtual mood boards.

Visit at your own risk as you may lose many hours scrolling through all the pretty things. A veritable endless magazine to be flicked through. For me it's a great tool for staying creative.

My only hesitation in using it for client work is that all my boards are public and design for a client seems like a more private process. There are a few alternatives out there but I've not found any with the wealth of great images/ideas that there are on pinterest.

So you can check out all the stuff I'm interested in over at pinterest and you'll not see anything you shouldn't at juxtapost.


Tuesday 25 September 2012

ebook cover design

My favourite clients over at Airthrey Ltd have just published their first ebook. It was a first for me too as I was asked to design the cover image.

It's different from a paper book cover as it takes a lot less information and has to be readable at a very small size. I used the thumbnail size on Amazon as a guide when designing so that the title could be read the smallest.


Anyway hope you like the cover...and the book!

Wednesday 12 September 2012

Old style type


My recent presentation on type for business has re-ignited my passion for all things type. As an exercise I asked everyone to spend a bit of time looking for examples of great type or even just give type a bit more thought.

These are a couple of examples I found while out and about in Newcastle (I'm discovering the joys of constantly having a camera available on my new smart phone!)

Tuesday 4 September 2012

Happy 100 posts

When writing my last post I noticed that I was about to reach 100 posts. In recognition of the point of this blog (yes there is a point even although it has maybe wandered off recently) - it started out as a showcase of my creative experiments - I created this illustration using some old elements along with some new. Happy 100 to me - here's to many more of my random experiments!

Monday 27 August 2012

Mark Wallinger at the Baltic

On a recent trip to Newcastle I visited the Baltic gallery. One of the main exhibitions was by Mark Wallinger a former Turner prize winner. His work included a numbered wall and 65,536 stones laid out on chess boards.

I particularly liked his explanation of the giant "I" on the front of the building. A self-portrait in Times New Roman which is as simple as it is large. Wonder which typeface others would consider to represent themself?

Thursday 23 August 2012

Read but not seen



This week I've been sharing some of my design knowledge with the ladies over at E-LLE. It was fun sharing a few basics about typography to a group of  women who will hopefully find it useful for their businesses.

So here's my presentation slides if anyone has anything to add or to ask about the subject of typography I'd love to hear from you in the comments box below. And if it's whetted your appetite for type head over to my type pinterest board to see some fine examples!


Wednesday 13 June 2012

Pat's Bags

Pat's Bags come in so many shapes, sizes and colours that they're perfect for any occasion. The bags are handcrafted by Pat Doran and sold at Craft fairs around the north of Scotland. Inspired by Pat's original hand drawn logo and the bags themselves I created this colourful textural logo.

The layout of the business cards and labels makes use of the flowers to create a really strong brand for the business. It's always great to see my designs being used and here is the bag label attached to a bag and ready to be sold.


For more information and to find out where the bags are being sold visit the facebook page - Pat'sbags Aberdeen

Wednesday 6 June 2012

June Calendar


As the summer holidays approach it's time for an update to the design calendar. The month of June signals the end of free reign on design projects for students and an opportunity to impress the industry before embarking on their chosen careers.

So for design inspiration I'd recommend a visit to Edinburgh Telford's College graduate show which is taking place from 13th to 17th June at the Dovecot studios.

And then for relaxation packing a tent and some marshmallows to toast on the campfire somewhere in the Scottish countryside.

Wednesday 30 May 2012

Bumblebees

I've been so busy designing that I've just realised that this year is flying in fast. It seems like just yesterday that I was asked to sit in on the pitches for the design work for the Bumblebee Conservation Trust's brand and yet here it is -


Red Stone have done a great job at bringing the look bang up to date but also keeping it as scientifically realistic as design allows. Plus how cute is the Bee Kind bee?

 
There's a great buzz about the work the charity are doing to help the bumblebee population. Find out more about what they're doing on their new look website - bumblebeeconservation.org

Thursday 12 January 2012

January Blues


A busy festive period for designjr always finds her much distracted by the forces of cake for birthdays and events. January seems calmer with resolutions and plans for the forthcoming year still feeling fresh and possible.

Plans for 2012 include a wee update for the designjr website, more work on tactile graphics for Fife Society for the Blind and hopefully lots more opportunities to produce beautiful designs that speak for themselves.

As always please feel free to use this month's calendar as your desktop and if you have any problems give us a shout.