Blog
25.03.21
Virtual Exhibition: Where Are The Black Designers x Working Not Working
It's been a busy 12 months for the online platform Where Are The Black Designers. After gathering pace during the events of 2020 and the stark reality to the lack of equality in our industry, the initiative went from strength to strength, cumulating in a wonderful one-day live stream conference to over 10,000 attendees in June, and a growing Slack group of over 7,000 members. "Make no mistake: this is a movement, not a moment.", reads their mission statement, and they weren't wrong, as the latest stage of their journey launches; their first virtual exhibition in collaboration with Working Not Working.
"It started off as a conference to bring awareness of the obstacles that a Black person has to go through to even be considered a professional designer. Then, it became a conference to spotlight amazing Black creatives as well as discuss topics like allyship. Because we used Slack as a way for people to chat and react together throughout the conference, everyone just stayed in the channel afterward and then started doing their own thing. I was like, I'm going to roll with this.", says WATBD founder Mitzi Okou and artist Roshannah Bagley, in an interview with WNW (link below).
Over 250 submissions feature in the online gallery celebrating Black creatives, across 18 disciplines, and a multitude of experience-levels and ages. Every single submission has been included, each choosing an adjective to complete the question 'Black & ___’ alongside their work. From animators to industrial designers and photographers, the gallery is full of talent, and shouting proud. As Mitzi explains, "Going through some of the pieces and looking deeper felt like seeing their essays about what being Black means to them. It was just so beautiful, heartwarming, and emotional. I literally just wanted to scream because it was just so good and I'm just so glad that we get to share the work and that people trust us to amplify it."
What comes next is anyones guess, but you can count on another conference in June, as well as maintaining the ongoing conversation to level the playing field for Black creatives in our industry. We'll be keeping a close eye on it, and doing all we can to be a part of that solution too.
Huge congratulatons for a cracking collaboration with Working Not Working.
You can take a look at the virtual exhibition here:
wherearetheblackdesigners.workingnotworking.com/
Their interview with Working Not Working here:
magazine.workingnotworking.com/magazine/where-are-the-black-designers-staff-detail-the-purpose-of-the-new-exhibit
And follow them on Instagram here:
instagram.com/wherearetheblackdesigners/
Words: Joe Cooper
14.03.21
Final Call: A-Team Mentoring Programme by The Arena
It's the final few days to get your entries in to The A-Team Mentoring Programme by our lovely friends at The Arena. Not only that, but our own Jamies McLearie is part of the line-up, offering young creatives one-on-one advice, to point you in the right direction and to lend an ear.
"The A-Team are a collective of mentors ready to listen, guide and empower the next wave of creative talent. Each successful applicant will be partnered with a mentor from the team, for a 30min video call via Google Meet, between 1st & 11th April. After your intro call, it’s totally up to you whether you maintain an ongoing relationship with your mentor", says Dom, Ben & Lauren, founders of The Arena.
So far there's a stellar list of 24 mentors to be paired with, across every facet and experience-level the creative industry has to offer; from motion design to photography, graphic design to UX & UI, there's someone to help – whether you're out of university and looking for work, thinking of sidestepping into a new career, or even at secondary school tempted to make those very first steps.
At the back end of last year, The Arena interviewed our own James McLearie on the importance of external help. "A very simple idea, but one that I feel isn’t talked about enough is the ability to ask for support or help when you need it. This could be at work when you’re unsure about the best way to go about a technical task or not understanding a new brief the first time around. It's always quicker and easier to learn from someone else than trying to figure it out yourself (which is often the long way round).
It could be when hunting for a job, asking for help from a more senior designer in getting your portfolio up to scratch or asking a friend to help proofread your CV.
It could also mean asking for help when you're struggling with your mental health or factors outside of work. There’s a solution to most problems and the best way to find it is to work together.", says James, who looks after junior and middleweight graphic designers and art directors at Represent.
As the Arena say themselves, If you are between 16-25 years-old, based in the UK and passionate about working in the creative industry, then this opportunity is for you.
Of course, the programme is 100% free and applications are open until Friday 19th March 11pm GMT!
You can view more about the programme and apply here:
thearena.org.uk/mentoring
More on their recent interview with James here:
thearena.org.uk/in-the-arena-with/james-mclearie
Words: Joe Cooper
07.03.21
Glasgow Film Festival 2021: A Technicolour Rebrand by O Street
Festivals, remember them? From music to the arts, they've certainly taken a hit over the last 12 months. And whilst some wait for the right moment to return, others have been adapting to a new way of re-positioning themselves and connecting their audiences. A lovely project to catch our eye recently – and remind the public they're here to stay – is the Glasgow Film Festival 2021 rebrand by O Street.
Scheduled throughout the end of February and the beginning of March, GFF has just completed its 15th year of the much cherished annual event, attracting over 37,000 remote viewers, tuning in to 10 World Premieres, 3 European Premieres and 49 UK Premieres.
"Glasgow is one of the friendliest film festivals on the planet with a wide-ranging programme that celebrates every corner of world cinema and provides a fantastic showcase for the best of Scottish film... The Festival has a long tradition of championing new talent and ensuring that the very best films from the annual submissions are given a platform in the public programme.", says GFF.
The identity itself, by Glasgow-based agency O Street, is an in-your-face technicolour and digital-first solution, with bags of character, and a playful nature at its core. "GFF brings together the highlights of independent and underground cinema alongside well-loved classics and emerging talent. O Street’s role was to bring the personality of the festival to life, showcasing the city at the heart of the action through the emotion, excitement and thrill of film.", says O Street's website.
Across brand, digital and motion, the design solutions are honest to both Glasgow, and the wider film industry itself; from playful illustrations to outdoor wall projections, it's confident and welcoming across each and every medium. "The new logo for GFF is minimal, adaptable, and most importantly, gives centre stage to the screen. The ‘online at home’ aspect of this year’s festival was key to include in the campaign too. O Street’s visuals highlight the playful juxtaposition between the glamour of cinema and watching movies in your PJs."
As O Street describe it themselves "It's nae Cannes", but it certainly has its place, and thankfully it's here to stay.
You can see more on the GFF website here:
glasgowfilm.org/glasgow-film-festival
And more about O Street here:
ostreet.co.uk/
Words: Joe Cooper
Images: O Street/GFF
28.02.21
Podcast: A Change of Brand by Matchstic
I think I'm a podcast kind of guy. I'm not great at multi-tasking, so, for example, I couldn't write this blog post and digest the content of a podcast at the same time. I wish I could, I try it all time, I can't make it work. So the ones that do make it into my daily routine, are often useful to what I'm doing work-wise, largely insightful/informative, and ideally contained into hour-long bursts. A recent one to tick those boxes is A Change of Brand by Matchstic.
Matchstic are an Atlanta-based branding agency, and producer of the show, who describe the podcast as being, "... about the world’s most loved consumer companies and their rebrand glory, drama, or disaster". Launched at the start of this year, and with a new episode dropped every week, each hour-long instalment chats with a different business owner or creative director to unpick a typically well-publicised rebrand, from the perspective of those involved.
"We go deeper than colour palettes and typography, talking with brand leaders and agency creatives to retell the story behind the change. Getting into the nitty gritty details, we learn about their leading edge work, creative process, and approach to change management. Regardless of fame or fail, our mission is to retell these stories to educate and inspire those facing a change of brand".
Presented by Matchstic founder and creative director, Blake Howard, and co-hosted by Sarah Gail Hughes, the series prides itself on being able to allow viewers from the outside a peak behind the curtain into the complexities and rationale behind design decisions, as well as the importance of context. Which, let's be honest, in times where 6 months of work can be torn apart online in a matter of minutes, it's a perspective often not told.
So far there's 8 episodes to sink your teeth into, starting with Mailchimp, before tackling Airbnb, Dropbox, GoDaddy, and most recently video messaging service Loom, to name a few.
As you'd expect you can find it anywhere you get your podcasts from, as well as on the links below! Enjoy!
You can see more on their website here:
achangeofbrand.com/
And more on Mathstic here:
matchstic.com/
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Words: Joe Cooper
20.02.21
Interview: Tackling The Creative Industry with The Arena
Furlough. I’d never even heard of the term two years ago (yes, I work in recruitment). A buzz-word since 2020, a cap on ambition and progression for most, and a delicate term to feel creative about, let’s be honest.
But in that chaotic label, typically loaded with negative connotations, there has been some glimmers of a prosperous future for the creative industry — The Arena is one of them.
Set-up in 2019, but kicked into gear by the events in 2020, the digital platform was born out of collaboration and a need for change, to embrace vulnerabilities, and the power of sharing knowledge.
A website, Instagram account, newsletter, you name it, The Arena has grown a healthy following in the last 12 months. From industry interviews, to dealing with rejection, founders Dom, Ben & Lauren offer a vital window for graduates and juniors, into an often tricky sector to crack.
A few weeks ago they interviewed our own James McLearie (link below), so we took our opportunity to do the same. In it we chat how it started, how it’s shaped their own futures, and what’s to come. This one's a cracker, so stay tuned.
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Talk to us about The Arena; what it is, who's involved, how it came to be, and who it's aimed at?
We are a creative community and platform, made up of Dom, Ben & Lauren, for students, grads and young professionals working in or aspiring to be a part of the creative industry. Our focus is on bridging the gap between education & industry, whilst candidly discussing the struggles we all face as creatives. Dom & Ben met way back at the University of Portsmouth, whilst studying Graphic Design and have been plotting The Arena since then really!
Having mulled over the idea for several years, we finally bought the web domain in November 2019, and debated the branding and website religiously most evenings after work. It wasn’t until Lauren was twiddling her thumbs whilst on furlough though in June 2020 that we really got our arse in gear and focused on bringing the then ‘idea’ to life.
That’s probably quite a good segway into what we all do day-to-day. Lauren is the Project Manager of the team and marketing guru, whilst Dom & Ben take the lead on all things design and web. But we approach every decision as a team, and where possible, interview all our guests together.
Often the opinion of design education is that it doesn't fully prepare a student for life in the creative industry; what's been your own experiences of that, and where can we improve?
That’s a great question and one that keeps coming up. We worry that it might be an impossible task, to fully prepare someone for the creative industry. But we do believe there is plenty of room for improvement. Dom and Ben had a fantastic experience at Portsmouth university and owe so much (not including debt) to the lecturers and students on the course.
Our biggest struggle was with the adjustment to the reality of a creative career. University is an incredible place to experiment, work on things you’re passionate about and stick to whatever schedule you fancy. We left with big ambitions to work on world-saving projects, but day-to-day isn’t really like that.
There are a few key ways though, we believe both universities and studios can help change this:
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Encouraging placement years in industry.
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Inviting recent grads back to talk to students about the realities of life after graduation and share their advice.
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Open studio access so that current students can demystify what really goes on behind the scenes.
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If you’re a studio presenting to students, find an honest balance between your amazing projects that inspire and the day-to-day, less sexy stuff which has it’s place within the role too.
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Speak candidly about the hurdles you overcame to get where you are now.
The Arena's ethos is to "support, elevate and inspire creatives, so that we can all reach our full potential." – with that in mind, how has being a part of The Arena shaped your own idea of the future and your careers? Have they changed at all?
This is a really interesting question! The interviews and chats we’ve had with fellow creatives have been so, so inspiring and has definitely made an impact on our personal aspirations.
It’s taught us just how powerful collaboration is and that self-promotion isn’t a dirty word. If you don’t put yourself out there, how will anyone ever know you exist? We’ve learnt that we all struggle with the same things and 99% of the time, just asking goes a long way. Whether that be for help, a recommendation or an opportunity.
What advice would you give others looking to set-up their own side project? How do you manage your time with other commitments, etc?
As side projects become increasingly popular, we think it’s important to point out that there is no pressure for you to have one. But if there’s something you’re genuinely passionate about - just start.
Don’t be afraid to dive in at the deep end. We waited too long to start, mostly in fear of failure and getting lost in our ideas. There’s no such thing as the ‘perfect’ time.
To manage your time effectively you need to look seriously at how you currently spend it. Count up the hours spent on essential stuff (like sleep & work), then see what’s left. Can you get up any earlier? Use your commute more productively? Or ditch the nightly Netflix binge?
However, all of that being said, the most important thing to remember is we are humans, not robots. It’s so easy to work crazy hours on something you love. So to avoid something like burnout, you have to account for downtime. Otherwise, it’ll creep up and bite you in the arse when you least expect it.
How can people get involved, and what can we expect from you guys in 2021 and beyond?
We’re most active on Instagram & LinkedIn so follow us over on there to join the conversation. We’re always looking for contributors, so if you’ve got a story to share that can inspire the community, get in touch!
We come up with new ideas and projects nearly every day, so our biggest challenge is rationalising what we can feasibly achieve whilst spinning multiple plates. However, 2021 is looking very exciting and we’re excited to be launching our ‘A-Team’ mentoring programme in the Spring.
Buddying up members of the community with some of our past interview guests and trusted collaborators. That’s something we’re really excited about, as it’s an opportunity we’d of killed for as grads.
And if everything goes to plan, we’re hoping to be able to create more opportunities for young creatives. Potentially expanding our team and being able to commission members of the community for specific projects and briefs.
So the best is yet to come!
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Thanks so much, guys!
You can follow them on Instagram here:
instagram.com/thearenauk/
See their website here:
thearena.org.uk/
And their interview with our own James McLearie here:
thearena.org.uk/in-the-arena-with/james-mclearie
Words: Joe Cooper
12.02.21
San Francisco Symphony: A Harmonic Identity for A Digital Age by Collins
I half-made a promise to myself at the start of this year: that I'd try to focus less on widely-publicised branding projects, and more on the other, more locally-impactful stuff, buuut this recent identity revamp by COLLINS is a corker, so.
The US-based agency sums up the challenge perfectly themselves in that, "‘classical’ music suffers from an ongoing and ruthless PR problem: it is too often perceived as an unchanging, dusty, old-world music for elite audiences only", a sentiment difficult to disagree with for most people.
What is easy empathise with, however, is the ability music has to unite, entertain and inspire, and that each genre should be seen as accessible regardless of its perceived level of status from the outside. "Music is one of humanity’s most powerful creations — it meets us at our emotional center. Like all great art, it both inspires and reflects the times we live in.", writes COLLINS.
So how do you go about making a 108-year old cultural monolith, such as SFS, relevant in a digital age? Well, for a start it begins with a culture shift within the institution itself as Music Director, Michael Tilson Thomas finished his revered 25 year tenure. In his place, a somewhat shock-appointment in Esa–Pekka Salonen, whose task is to reposition the brand and genre for the 21st century. This is where COLLINS steps in.
"COLLINS was invited to help clarify, define and express this new vision for the Symphony, and help them re-assert classical music as a crucial, global contemporary art form — all while staying rooted in our community and strengthening the bonds that have made them so successful for over a century."
The design solution begins with a wide range of collaboration; from board members to audiences, across each facet and viewpoint, finally focussing on a dynamic and ever-evolving system of branding, with digital at its core. The logomark and typeface, for example, is routed in the genre's incredibly rich history, but with a 21st century twist. "we used responsive and variable font technology to add an unexpected contemporary behavior — giving each typographic character the ability to immediately change form in reaction to sound and music."
Regardless of it's application – whether physical or digital – the final outcome oozes contemporary sophistication, reinstating a cultural icon, whilst blowing the dust off a vibrant genre fit for the future.
You can see more imagery and information on COLLINS' website here:
wearecollins.com/work/sf-symphony/
And the San Francisco Symphony website here:
sfsymphony.org/
Words: Joe Cooper
01.02.21
Represent Joins Right Aligned, A Series of Talks from Coventry Design Festival
We’re teaming up with Right Aligned, the sister platform to Coventry Design Festival, to offer a portfolio-focussed online talk with an interactive Q&A included too, you lucky things, on Wednesday 21st April.
In it we'll be talking all things PDF, interview, email, and Zoom, hosted by James McLearie, our junior and middleweight design consultant, and resident do-gooder.
A couple of weeks ago, we spoke to Chris, founder of both CDF and Right Aligned, to find out more about the schedule of events, and how they’ve had to adapt in the last 12 months.
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Talk to us about Right Aligned, what it is, and who it's aimed at?
Right Aligned is a series of monthly, creative conversations. It’s designed to inspire people of all ages and abilities. However, we fully understand the difficulties students, graduates and early–stage professionals face right now. Right Aligned gives us the opportunity go behind the curtain and explore some of the most exceptional creative teams working in the UK today.
It's in association with Coventry Design Festival; is there a reason for splitting out the two, and how have you had to adapt during COVID?
Yes, Right Aligned is the sister–project of the Coventry Design Festival (CDF). We have a number of projects running as part of the festival and Right Aligned is one of them. They are all designed to support creative communities and we see CDF as a culmination of them all. It’s a celebration before we do it all again in 2023.
What can we expect from both Coventry Design Festival and Right Aligned in 2021?
The Coventry Design Festival will bring together inspiring talks, hands–on workshops and educational mentoring. We want to develop a social, inclusive environment that everyone feels comfortable in. The Right Aligned sessions are designed to go behind the studio curtain to discover what goes on inside.
Where should people be following your schedule and how can they get involved?
You can follow the Coventry Design Festival on Instagram and Twitter @cov_design_fest and the Right Aligned sessions on Instagram and Twitter @RightAligned1.
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Right Aligned begins on March 19th, with an ever evolving line-up. There's some big-hitters scheduled already, starting with industry heavy-weights Studio Koto and Two Times Elliot, as well as range of other diciplines including writer Lisa Hassell, and author Anu Verma.
Tickets are a mixture of early bird freebies, as well as donations. All can be found in the links below!
As for our own involvement, we'll be giving our portfolio & CV advice on Wednesday 21st April.
You can pick up your tickets here:
eventbrite.co.uk/e/right-aligned-x-represent-uk-portfolio-and-cv-workshop-tickets-140306182569
You can see more on CDF here:
coventrydesignfestival.squarespace.com/
As well as the Right Aligned schedule and Eventbrite page here:
eventbrite.co.uk/d/online/coventry-design-festival/
Words: Joe Cooper
26.01.21
Live Event: The Middle School in conversation with Elise Santangelo-Rous
This week (tomorrow!) see's the return of The Middle School; a series of live events aimed at "providing honest advice and practical skills to designers in the middle of their careers".
Originally launched in 2019 by Accept & Proceed design director, Alison Haigh, the newly-adapted-for-life-in-2021 format swaps the physical for the digital, starting with a series of Instagram Live conversations – the first tomorrow at 7pm.
The school's aim is to target the often forgotten portion of a designers' career when "professionally, you are starting to lead projects, mentor juniors and build client relationships, all whilst balancing new responsibilities in your personal life".
Alison found, "There are lots of amazing initiatives and resources out there for designers at the start of their careers, but far fewer options tailored to more senior designers. The Middle School aims to fill that gap by providing open, affordable events and online content."
That could include anyone from a "middleweight to creative director" level, with a focus "on the skills you need to succeed as a designer, beyond the design basics. We will cover topics such as presenting, leadership and mental health, through to art direction and strategy."
Tomorrow's first online event see's Alison in conversation with Elise Santangelo-Rous, creative director at DesignStudio, and an old candidate of ours at Represent. In it they'll discuss "the differences between the role of a DD and a CD, how living around the world has changed her approach, and the power of being kinder to yourself". You can tune in from 7pm (GMT) tomorrow via their Instagram account. Links below!
And what can we expect from The Middle School going forwards? "The plans for the future are to do a few more Instagram Lives, launch a new initiative called The Lunch Table (more info coming soon!) then work towards getting a podcast out, and then eventually getting back to live events!", says Alison.
For those wanting to get involved, or keep up to date, you can take a look at The Middle School's website here:
themiddle.school/
Their Instagram account, where tomorrow's interview will be streamed (7pm GMT) here:
instagram.com/the_middle_sch/
And their Twitter account here:
twitter.com/The_Middle_Sch
Words: Joe Cooper
16.01.21
New Year, New 'Grams
Perhaps we had more time on our hands to pay attention, but it did feel as though 2020 was the year independent social media platforms exploded. From BLM resources, to finding your feet in the creative industry, there's shed loads of incredible people doing incredible things — all using their phone, their fingers, and an Instagram account.
As a team we've pulled together a list of the main ones that have caught our eye over the last few months, and who we'll be keeping a close eye on in 2021. At first, my intention here was to keep this list focussed on the creative industry, but in the end it's impossible to leave some out. Enjoy!
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Not Only – But Also
Co-founded by strategist Maddi Hutchinson and developer Guy Munday, Not Only – But Also celebrates non-graphic design roles and plans to "open the conversation by exploring the other roles that exist, who does them and how to get there".
You can view their Instagram account here:
instagram.com/notonly___butalso/
And their website here:
notonlybutalso.org
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Out of Hours
A cracking platform that champions the art of the side hustle; across design sprints, events, and even a podcast.
"We exist to remove barriers in the way of starting and progressing a side project. We want to help everyone work on things they love out of hours, before they run out of hours.".
You can view their Instagram account here:
instagram.com/out.of.hours/
And their website here:
outofhours.org
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A Change of Brand
"Produced by Matchstic, this is a show about the world’s most loved consumer companies and their rebrand glory, drama, or disaster.", most recently with Jowey Roden of Studio Koto LA, on their famous Airbnb rebrand.
You can view their Instagram account here:
instagram.com/achangeofbrand/
And their website here:
achangeofbrand.com
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Fuse
It's been a huge topic in recent months. How can we make our industry more inclusive, and why has it taken so long?
At the forefront of that change is Fuse, a platform dedicated to championing under-represented talent in the creative industry. Supported by Craig Oldham, and founded by Manchester-based designer Jaheed Hussain, it's a must follow for 2021.
You can view their Instagram account here:
instagram.com/fusemanchester/
And their website here:
fusemcr.com
Our own interview with Jaheed from 2020:
represent.uk.com/blog/fuse-a-chat-on-inclusivity-with-founder-jaheed-hussain/
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The Arena
Founded in 2019 by University friends Dom Edwards and Ben Thornton, The Arena is a community that pushes every individual to reach their full creative potential – sharing successes, failures, guidance, and opportunities.
You can view their Instagram here:
instagram.com/thearenauk/
Their website here:
thearena.org.uk
And a recent interview they did with our own James McLearie here:
thearena.org.uk/in-the-arena-with/james-mclearie
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ThinkFoodBank
ThinkFoodBank is a crowd-funding campaign and sticker project created by designers Holly Kielty and Maisie Benson, aimed at urging shoppers to donate more items to food banks.
You can view their Instagram account here:
instagram.com/thinkfoodbank/
And their crowd-funding page here:
justgiving.com/crowdfunding/thinkfoodbank
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There's bags more we could add here too, including BLC* Directory, Service Abnormal & Brands In Motion, to name just a few, and thanks for your suggestions so far! Keep 'em coming.
Words: Joe Cooper
08.01.21
Burger King's Mouth-Watering Rebrand by JKR
What better way to celebrate a diet-ridden and detox-laden Veganuary, by indulging in the juicy new Burger King rebrand by JKR New York.
It's been 20 years since their identity was last revamped, and a lot has changed since. The rebrand – a collaboration between Burger King's in-house design team and JKR New York – intends to not only highlight their playful personality, but future-proof themselves for a digital age. In a statement, BK described the new design as "mouthwatering, big and bold, playfully irreverent and proudly true".
To say the brand has been "simplified" perhaps doesn't do it justice, but as far as bold, flat re-brands go, it's comfortably one of the best. "We were inspired by the brand’s original logo and how it has grown to have an iconic place in culture. The new logo pays homage to the brand’s heritage with a refined design that’s confident, simple and fun", says JKR.
With that in mind, there's not a touch-point that hasn't been considered; from the new 60's-inspired logo and groovy 'Flame Sans' typeface, through to revamped packaging, staff uniforms, photography and even illustrations by Cachete Jack.
JKR describes the latter as being "an in-your-face photography style that uses big, dramatic close-ups to get people to crave the food and to communicate its freshness, flame-grilling perfection and above all, taste. A playful illustration style allows the brand to tell memorable stories like never before."
The reaction online has been almost unanimously positive since the news dropped earlier in the week, which is refreshing itself. In particular, the fantastic "mini" BK Monogram – in collaboration with Stephen Kelleher Studio – hasn't gone unnoticed. "The Burger King rebrand is great. But this little avatar/monogram is next level lovely. Wish I’d done that.", says one user, and "Mind. Is. Blown. @BurgerKing‘s new monogram design. Kicks fu^*%ing ass!", from another.
Now comes the long task of roll-out, which Burger King themselves admit will take a few years to fully implement. We'll be keeping a close eye on it over the coming months, and we're excited to see it in the real world.
You can see more on the JKR website here:
jkrglobal.com/case-studies/burger-king/
And more on the Stephen Kelleher Studio monogram here:
instagram.com/stephen.kelleher.studio/
Words: Joe Cooper
20.11.20
Kickstarter: Weapons of Reason hardback by Human After All
London-based design agency, Human After All, have launched, and now successfully funded, Weapons of Reason, "A hardback book exploring the world’s most pressing challenges, and what we can do to fix them".
Now, In an attempt to avoid the obvious theme of "that sounds handy, it has been a strange year", we're going to file this lovely new kickstarter publication under 'Christmas Gifts Ideas 2020', or something, instead. And it's a good one at that.
Over the last 6 years, across 8 issues, Weapons of Reason magazine has tackled a lot; from environmental to societal issues, economics, and technology, across 120 stories and 150,000 words.
"Short-term thinking is at the heart of the challenges facing the melting arctic, the social issues that beset our exploding megacities, the crisis of loneliness in modern society, the dominance of corporations over our lives, the ecological damage inflicted by industrial agriculture, the discrimination inherent in our developing technology and the unequal distribution of wealth between and within nations. Short-term thinking prevents action on the most complex challenges facing the world."
Making these often hard-to-reach topics accessible, this new 260-page hardback book brings all of this important content together, updating on previous topics, as well as identifying common themes along the way.
Kicking-off with a forward by Tim Brown, Executive Chair of IDEO, the publication also offers column inches to acclaimed author and journalist, Maryn Mckenna, as well as journalist and lifelong activist, George Monbiot, as well as tonnes more, and even more to be announced.
Unfortunately, the early bird pricing has now gone, and they've quickly smashed their funding goal with weeks to spare, but current prices start at just £5 (e-book version), rising to £60 (including book and a print of your choice). And, it'll arrive in time to wrap-up and give as a gift!
Told you it was a good idea for Christmas.
You can view more on their Kickstarter page here:
kickstarter.com/projects/humanafterall/weapons-of-reason
And more about Human After All here:
humanafterall.studio
Words: Joe Cooper
13.11.20
Lockdown Q&A: Josh Epstein-Richards on Secret 7", Furlough, and a Leap Into Freelance
As we bundle our way into *hopefully* the final act of national lockdown, we’re back with another candidate Q&A. It’s safe to say things do feel a little different this time – in a good way – but we’re still here to celebrate the amazing talent on our books, and offer some communal insight into a pretty turbulent year.
As always, this series hopes to take a candid peek behind the curtain at the realities of creative’s working lives, and offer a platform to chat through their practice.
Our first candidate of lockdown pt.2 is Josh Epstein-Richards, a 2015 graduate from the University of Brighton; a course with a rich reputation of producing some of the best. He joined culture-focused design agency UTILE in 2015, after a successful internship stint the year before, and has pretty much been there ever since, until unfortunate redundancy earlier in the year.
Over the course of 5 years at UTILE, he progressed from a squeaky-clean graduate to a senior hand, working across multiple disciplines, sectors, and clients, crafting beautiful work along the way, for the likes of Second Home, Waterworks Festival & fashion sales agency Polly King & Co.
On top of that he’s a serial side-hustler too (not that kind). Regularly contributing to Secret 7”, including this year's final exhibition, as well as co-founding 12b, a side-studio venture with long-term collaborator William Lyall.
Below Josh chats us through where it all started, from typography sketches in secondary school to his new-found life as a freelancer.
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Tell us about yourself, your working experience, and your creative practice...
Graphic design was something I knew about and aspired to do from an early age, as I grew up around a very design-orientated family. I was told off at school once for drawing type rather than painting a still-life in the style of Monet, which says it all!
I’ve spent the last 5 years as a designer at UTILE, working with a wide range of clients across art, music and contemporary culture on a broad range of projects including books, motion, record sleeves, exhibitions, packaging, posters, pitch decks, websites and brand identities.
My creative practice has evolved over time — having access to processes like screen-printing, letterpress and book-binding was invaluable at university, but now I mainly create work using a computer. I also have a Risograph printer that I bought with my friend Will, which we’ve used to self-publish books and prints, and now regularly use as a tool to add a layer of tangibility to my design work through printing and scanning to generate texture that can’t be replicated via vectors.
I try to get off the computer whenever I can, whether it be taking a photograph for a project or sketching up ideas — I always have a notebook and have a big collection of books that I always refer to for inspiration.
How have you found 2020, and how has the working climate affected you?
Of course it’s been a very strange year and I certainly didn’t expect to be in the position I’m in now. I was put on furlough at the beginning of April and unfortunately made redundant at the end of July, so a quick change to freelance life begun and since then I’ve been working with friends (old and new) on some exciting projects; including Our Place’s rebrand to All Purpose and designing the new look and feel for New Look with ODD London.
For my entire working career I’ve worked full-time with a rigid day to day structure. Furlough was tough because that structure and creative output was taken away so once redundant I tried my best to jump straight back in to be as busy as possible, though I’ve learnt that as a freelancer some days can be quiet.
Have you got a daily routine in place? How have you been keeping motivated?
I think it’s important to stick to routine — my daily alarm has stayed the same throughout the year. I get up and follow my morning routine regardless of whether I have work booked for that day or not, which also allows me to be on the ball when I do have work to do. I’ll be up in front of the computer checking emails by 9am and playing music through the speakers by 9:30.
Music has always been a big motivator for me, every Friday I collate a list of new albums that I think I’ll enjoy listening to regardless of genre and share it with a few close friends so they can listen too and then we chat the following week about stand out tracks, albums we weren’t into, artwork we love etc.
Any side-projects/hobbies you’ve picked, or intend to? Ways of keeping sane?
During furlough I followed the trend of baking and got really into it — many banana breads, lemon drizzles and chocolate brownies. To balance out all the sweet treats I’ve got into running which helps clear my head — something that I’ve found really important during this year.
As for side-projects, I took part in this years Secret 7” exhibition creating artwork for the Aretha Franklin song ‘One Step Ahead’, using a photograph I took in Tokyo last year. I’m also looking at ways to share my weekly new music lists to a wider audience and create a bigger conversation — watch this space!
Looking forward, In an ideal world, what would next year look like for you, creatively?
Next year will be the busiest I’ve had and by the end of the year I’d hope to look back and reflect on some really amazing projects that have been well received by both the client and the wider design community. I want to continue pushing my craft and gain more experience working with new people in new places… Roll on 2021.
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Too right. Thanks a lot Josh!
You can view Josh' website here:
jepsteinrichards.co.uk
His Instagram account here:
instagram.com/jepsteinrichards/
More on 12b here:
12b.co.uk
As well as his Secret 7" entry here:
secret-7.com/gallery/2020
Words: Joe Cooper