"Know Your Onions" by Drew de Soto

You might remember me talking about this book in a previous book wish list post. It's been something I've been meaning to get for a little while then went ahead and purchased it earlier in the week.

The book contains tips, useful things to remember and fantastic advice that I think all designers, no matter how talented they may be, can benefit from.

I think this book will definitely be on my work desk as a source for assistance and guidance on a range of matters - well worth buying if you're a relatively inexperienced commercial designer like myself.

This week I have been having a few problems with difficult requests from the printers,which can be stressful when you aren't used to performing these tasks a lot. "Know Your Onions" covers a whole wide range of useful topics, including printing and I'm sure it will be my go to reference on design matters from now on.

Book Wishlist

Previously I have written a few posts about design books (here, here & here). I like books. They're a great inspiration and there are varieties to suit every need, plus you can always come back to them. These are some of the books currently on my book wishlist.

"Know Your Onions: Graphic Design" by Drew De Soto £14.99 Amazon

After reading Lorna's review on this book I have really wanted to get my hands on a copy. I find many of the books classed under the design section can be visual and it's nice to have some that look at the theory of design and get you to think about the task at hand in a different way.

"Finger Print No. 2: The Evolution of Handmade Elements in Graphic Design" by The Chen Design Associates £18.55 Amazon

I own Fingerprint the original version, it was one of the first really creative design books I bought and it made me realise that you can't and shouldn't rely solely on the computer to create great design. If this book is anything like the first it should be a fantastic read.

"Hand Job: A Catalog of Type" by Michael Perry £17 Amazon

I've borrowed this book from the library many times and I'm sure most designers will be aware of it. Michael Perry's books have a childish, eclectic feel to them, much like a scrap book which means they are packed full of exciting examples of hand rendered type.

"Sign Painters" by Fayth Levine £13.59 Amazon

This book is right up my street; I love retro style typography and these examples look great. This is something I will definitely be purchasing and recommended for anyone with a strong interest in typography.

"Drawn In" by Julia Rothman £10.87 Amazon

I love books that look at designers sketch books because it feels like you're getting to look into their mind and see how their sketches develop into the finished product.

"Scripts" & Hand Rendered Type

Last week I got a copy of "Scripts" by Stephen Heller and Louise Fili, it was a book I had wanted for a while and eventually decided to buy from Amazon as it was pay day. The book is a fantastic example of vintage typefaces and elegant lettering from what the book describes as "design's golden era". The book itself is a whole selection of ads, notes, book covers and hand writing complied with useful notes and information to put the designs in context.

Another reason I decided to get a copy of "Scripts" was for my own personal project of developing my hand rendered type skills. I will be the first to admit that I am not naturally talented at drawing typefaces, but after looking at little more into the work of Jessica Hische I was convinced it was something I wanted to be good at.

A few months ago I created a campaign about lemons to send to design companies I really liked and admired. Although I received some positive responses I still don't have a job within the design industry, however, I have been playing around with ideas for a new self promotional campaign and I am hoping hand rendered type will give the project enough of a "wow factor" to land me that perfect job.

These are some photos of "Scripts" by Steven Heller and Louise Fili, a much recommended book. You can get a copy here.

Updates: Books & Website

This post is a general round up of a few things I have been working on, looking at and trying to do. My current main aim is trying to find a job within the design industry, balanced between some freelance projects and my less exciting day job. I am trying to make a conscious effort to keep integrated with design and new projects so this is a short round up of some thoughts and designs.

First up is a book that I was recently given by my friend Abbie, a friend and fellow designer. The book itself is a collection of six fairytales by The Brothers Grimm with illustrations from David Hockney, if you don't know who David Hockney is then you should definitely check out his work here (he's kind of a big deal).

The stories are very traditional and stick with the Brother Grimm heritage as some are quite gruesome. The main focus for me are the illustrations which are intricate and finely detailed; perfectly suited to the imaginative and magical stories. See some photos below.

Secondly I have been working on a new website; when I'm not trying to be a graphic designer I am working at my parents pub as a waitress and barmaid. Recently I was able to merge the two and create a new website for the pub using some of my basic, but improving web design skills.

The pub is called The Queens and you can visit the site at www.thequeensludlow.com. The site is mainly finished but subject to some tweaking so be aware that changes are being made to improve the site constantly.

I was aiming for a clean look punctuated with images which I think has been achieved. My next step is to make the gallery more user interactive as currently the images can't be selected.

Thirdly, I have been searching for jobs and following up contact I made with companies regarding my lemon letters and lemon post. Last tuesday I went to visit one of the companies who kindly invited me for a portfolio review which was great to feel like I have made some kind of impression and getting positive feedback. Finding a job, especially your first job after graduation can be tricky but I'm hoping persistence will pay off and I will get somewhere in the near future.

"Write On" Writing Set

This is a slightly unusual post for me (especially as I'm getting to grips with writing on an iPad) about a product I recently came across at Oxfam.

If you follow me on twitter you will know I am always collecting old, interesting books to scan and use in projects. While hunting for some of these old books I found this cool product and I thought it was deserving of a blog post.

The product itself is a writing set made out of recycled wrapping paper and includes 10 sheets and envelopes in a neatly bound package. I always tend to think of charity products as quite bland and far from exciting design wise, but this definitely caught my eye. It's not unlike something you might come across in fashionable stationary shops such as Paperchase (if fashionable stationary is even a thing?)

The product is not only beautiful it is also environmentally friendly, charity supporting and functional. Attributes that I think all designers should be aware of in their own work.

With the dominance of emails today, handwritten letters can convey a personal touch not achieved through digital communication and a pack like this definitely encourages me to write a bit more and type a bit less. 

Tips for Student Designers

If you follow me on twitter or have read this blog before you will know that I have just finished my BA (hons) in Graphic Design. During the three years of the course I learnt a few things: graphics is expensive, time consuming, and at times frustrating.

But it doesn't have to cost a fortune, take up all your time or drive you insane when a project just. won't. work. These are some tips I picked up during the three years that can be useful and helped me to become more professional about my design career.

Books


I find books and essential part of my design process as they can give so much inspiration from simply flicking through them. As I have said before, I love adding to my expanding collection with new examples of great design that I can come back to over again. The usual staple for online book purchasing is Amazon, but I find Play.com is equally extensively stocked with  great design books, usually a few pounds cheaper than Amazon, and always with free delivery. This doesn't sound a lot, but when I come to order five or six books the difference can mount up.

Scrapbooks


I take a lot of photos when i'm out and about (see here & here). Instead of leaving them languishing in files on my desktop I get them developed and stick them into old sketchbooks. This is another inventive way of providing yourself with some inspiration from exhibitions or places you have visited. I have a number of scrapbooks with photos from 2011 and 2012 degree shows I visited to remind me of the most influential pieces.

Cameras

My DSLR is used for many things; photographing final pieces, blog posts and just taking my own photos. The quality and vibrancy of the images far our weighs that of my compact camera, which isn't quite up to taking good final piece shots. But with them both being Sony the memory card is can easily be swapped between the two without having to purchase a second, which is extremely convenient when you are a poor student.

Printer

Admittedly my printer is a beast and takes up most of my desk (annoying) but it is probably one of the most useful things I have ever bought so I can forgive it. I have a Brother MFC-5890CN which is capable of printing anything up to A3 and anything as small as a 4" x 6". This was amazing as at uni we had A3 sketchbooks so I could print my pages straight out instead of faffing around with glue/scissors/paper/trying to make it look professional. Along with this it scans, faxes, copies and can link directly to a USB or memory card. This meant that I could complete most tasks myself without having to out source more equipment and just focus on my work.

Although it is not advised by the manufacturer, I tend to use recycled ink for day to day printing. The quality is comparable and recycled ink is SO much cheaper. I get ink from INKcredible, an amazing site where you can get C, M, Y and K for £10 and the speed, service and quality is awesome. If you print as frequently as I did during the three years then this will definitely persuade you to swap to recycled ink.

Sketchbooks


My last bit of good advice would be to always carry a sketchbook with you to note down or sketch down ideas. Some of my best ideas just dropped into my head when I was on a bus or walking somewhere. It helps clarify ideas, keep records and develop concepts into a functioning solution to a brief.


These are just a few things that I find useful to inspire me when i'm stuck with a project or just save some money on things that I use all the time like printing. Either way I hope somebody finds it useful.

Graphic Design for Fashion & Internships

During the three years I have been studying graphic design at uni I have acquired a number of great design books and magazines. I really enjoy adding to my collection because books are a great reference and I always find myself coming back to them for inspiration, like in this case.

A few months ago I got Graphic Design for Fashion by Jay Hess and Simon Pasztorek. I don't consider myself into fashion, but was interested in the freedom for experimentation allowed to these designers in order to produce something theatrical for fashion houses such as Preen and Kenzo.

The book is a beautiful example of branding, lookbooks and invitations in a range of styles and concepts. One of my favourite examples is an invitation by Roanne Adams for Bodkin. The Bodkin show was set at the Horticultural Society in New York and the invitation held a small plant in a paper tetrahedron which could be folded flat (pictured). 

Examples of such clever design inspired me to come up with some exciting ideas to send to potential employers and internships to showcase my conceptual thinking. It has become essential to present yourself as a designer in a diverse and exciting way in order to stand out from the crowd. Hopefully I can achieve this by creating something fresh and exciting. 

Dissertation: Branding & Books

Recently I haven't been posting as much on the blog because I've been busy doing things such as my dissertation and research for various projects, this subsequently does not make for very visually aesthetic blog posts. Despite this, what I have been working on over the past few weeks has been pretty fun and informative.

Right now I'm writing my dissertation which is on the topic of supermarket own brand labels and how they have been branded and marketed in order to dispel the stigma of poor quality, focusing particularly on supermarkets' own premium ranges. This year I have worked on three modules regarding branding and really enjoyed the process of identity management and creating suitable concepts for clients. Branding is an area I would like to get involved with in my career because of the diversity and depth of understanding involved in creating an effective solution for a range of clients.

While working on my dissertation I have used a load of books; this is just a pick of some of the best ones I found. I would really love to hear about any useful branding books people may know of so please comment or email me.

Own Label by Jonny Trunk: I have talked about this book before; it's a great resource for retro packaging designs and just a pretty interesting read. The number of packaging examples within this book is so extensive; it's worth buying just to see them all. It also goes on to talk about how supermarkets responded to social change such as the post WWII consumer and developing quality control.

Trolley Wars by Judi Bevan: This book is very descriptive and written in such a way that the information becomes woven into a kind of story, so much so that you forget this book is about facts. It reads like a Hotel Babylon of the supermarket world which is weirdly absorbing and questions the integrity of some chains.

Buying In by Rob Walker: Like Trolley Wars, this book is written in smooth prose which makes it easy to forget you are reading for research. Walker uses great examples to break down some of the confusing terms in a way that even I can understand, using theory and case studies to determine why we buy what we buy.

Supermarket Own Brand Guide by Martin Isark: I got this book because I thought it would be a good supplement to my essay, it include prices and nutrition of products at a range of the leading supermarkets. After reading through it really does show that all the supermarket price war is over a few pence and that effective branding, marketing and packaging are the real reasons for choosing the products that we do.

Ruban & Books

Currently i'm working on a collaboration with my friend Abbie, a graphic designer from Bristol. The idea came about through a shared love of the work by Ciara Phelan and an interest in digital collage, so we decided to produce something together we could both work on and add to our portfolios. The project is called "Ruban", using found, taken or hand rendered imagery to produce a collage on the benefits of rural life in my case, and Abbie working on urban. Each sunday we exchange a piece with a 250 word rationale and then other person reacts to this in a style of their choosing. The brief is pretty interesting because it is short, creative but allows us to develop new styles based on the inspiration of each others work.

This week I had a few ideas in mind but when it came down to opening illustrator nothing seemed to look right. I have no problem using images from the internet when they are copyright free but finding or taking your own means you have so much more control on the outcome. With this in mind I went out looking for some images that would be suitable for this project and fit the design idea I had in my head. Living in the middle of a city means the chances of encountering a forest to photograph were pretty slim so I went out to find books I could scan images from and manipulate in photoshop.

I'm not suddenly a massive nature enthusiast but I got these books from Oxfam because old encyclopaedias like these have loads of great images with a retro vintage wear to them. I managed to get three old books and my knowledge of british hedgerow flowers is on fire which is a win win situation. I think they make for really good scans to give a retro instagram style appearance to the project which will fit really well with the design I planned for this week.