Heart, Head and Hand - what is Graphic Design?
What is Graphic Design? What’s the value of a designer?
For me, we have a responsibility and an opportunity to make a contribution to the culture of our society. We can help to make things better, we can point out universal truths, we can amplify voices that have no megaphone. We can fight for human values and a better society. Justice for all. I also love type and image and wasn't going to wear a tie after school.
Creativity is the interaction between society that isn't commerce or logistics. It's the human voice, the side of us that isn't fearful or selling something. It is the space in which we grow as people and allow ourselves to appreciate life while we break free of the chains that shackle our inner growth, It is freedom, rebellion and celebration of all that we are and can be despite the forces that attempt to cut us down.
The Royal college of art - Richard Guyatt coined the phrase “Graphic Design” in the post war years after the great upheaval of the Second World War. Profound change and - tragically- extreme industrialisation - brought about a new world, racing toward an assumed future. It was the natural evolution of the commercial artist in a changing world. All the skills, learnings, cultural value, experience and promise of the artist, combined with a healthy dose of real world experience, values, awareness and responsibility brought about new possibilities and requirements.
The Heart of an artist, the head of a businessman, and the hands of craftsman.
The world had changed and a dynamic new attitude/awareness was needed to help a society emerging from the ashes and existential crisis of the abyss. Promise was restored and a better world was being built. Everyone had a job to do and communication was a key pillar in that mission.
No, we don’t just make things look pretty. Used correctly, the service of a serious, experienced graphic designer can add value to you and your organisation is many many ways. Understanding how a company operates, the landscape in which it moves, the people it depends on - both interior and exterior, how to converse and communicate its offers, values and mission… what is the best platform to deliver the best message for optimum effectiveness. It’s a little more than just typeface and colours.
Depending on the scale of the organisation these decisions are made at the top after being informed by a greater group of switched on professionals. Within that mix you should have a senior professional creative. We absorb, process and suggest. We offer a valuable viewpoint/perspective that often compliments, strengthens and translates group thinking and mixed messaging. We add value AND make you look good.
Consult, consider, create, communicate
Without communication we are all siloed individuals. Without common understanding we lose empathy. Without Empathy a society fractures and we fail to meet our promise - our best selves and the world falls further from utopian promise/vision to the dystopia that artists have been warning about for centuries. The battle to educate, increase understanding and build a better world is a fight that never ends. So we must all play our part. Now more than ever.
So, after twenty years in the industry I'm just as passionate about creativity and communication as ever before. Give me a shout if you need an experienced creative. 07957 692686
Really enjoyed this one. Lovely to work for a confident and successful client who knows what they want to achieve but respects your talents and experience enough to let us do our best work.
A good working relationship - plenty of back and forth and we’ve got a good result.
A comprehensive PowerPoint template that’s easy to use but has enough design input to keep things impactful.
I used some of my shots throughout and gathered examples of key historic/cultural figures to reinforce key cultural values.
The relationship between clean typography and bold imagery, a great colour palette and information hierarchy. This was a comprehensive redesign. I took existing copy and transformed the look and feel of the brand and primary comms document.
Give me a shout if you need a powerpoint template designing.
Poster designs of my favourite Author
John Steinbeck has been my favourite Author all of my life. So to finally create a series of montages of his life work was a labour of love.
The power of story, type and image and a visual celebration of a great artists work can serve to spread the lessons of the past to new generations. Given the unbelievable backslide in human progress in the last few years, it seems more important than ever to spread the word of great artists who charted our progress and promise.
My Dad got me into Steinbeck when I was pretty young, and as I devoured his main writings in the following years, my appreciation and understanding of his work increased as the years - and experiences - piled up.
Malcolm X Editorial montages
Obsessed with history and the civil rights movement, Malcolm X has always loomed large. After reading his biography while traveling around America and Australia I began studying the civil rights era.
With the unbelievable rise of white nationalism and fascism in 2020 it became more important than ever for us to highlight the stories and achievements of great civil rights leaders.
Being a freelance designer and a Dad
The life of a freelance designer can be busy. Very busy. Throw in two young children and chaos is always close.
Averaging 70 hours a week for the last 3 years, working on multiple complex projects for a wide range of clients. Fitting in design sprints for global ad agencies. I was expecting things to quieten down. But fortunately work has exploded.
Recently I've produced, directed, shot and edited a ten minute corporate strategy film for a global client and a brand manifesto film for a global product. I've been commissioned to shoot headshots of the staff for a global agency. Been one of the designers working on the successful pitches for Channel 4 and Compare the market for OMG. Designed and delivered over 20 print items for a management conference in South beach Miami. I've also been approached to rebrand a few exciting consultancy groups. All this with a 3 year old boy and our new daughter - now 9 months. Both of whom refuse to sleep, so the Daddy night shift is taking it toll. As wonderful as it is sitting up with either - or both - little ones, the multiple wake ups and averaging 2/3 hours sleep a night is a brutal price to pay for the joy of being a Dad.
The lesson here is to make sure you get away from the screen and grab as much life as you can in-between design sprints.
Why we work.
None of us have a choice but being self employed does - occasionally - enable a level of control over the priorities in life. Intense design sprints and crushing deadlines do leave you a little wiped but also a lull in bookings that provide perfect opportunities for classic family time.
I’m more passionate about quality creative comms now than I’ve ever been. A little more exhausted than I’ve ever been but still driven to tell stories and create impactful design for my clients.
Here's a few recent projects.
I'm always looking for new creative challenges and am happy to chat about potential projects. Give me a shout if you're looking for fresh creative talent.
Art directing 3D product range for Hive
How to market a product that doesn't physically exist.
I was tasked with selling in and project managing the 3D route for the new Hive product range.
The client was understandably nervous about going down the 3D route over photography in situ.
Fortunately I was working with a couple of the best 3D guys in the country and knew that we could get the best results possible.
Timing was a factor and given the range and variations required it was a no brainer. So I sourced reference and presented mock ups to walk the client through the process. All the time checking in with my team and managing expectations and timelines.
So instead of booking in multiple shoots, or buying in library shots we presented a series of options and locked in the final shot list. Buying the team un-interrupted time to crunch the pixels and deliver the image bank for Hive to go to market with the new range.
I'm really experienced at walking the line between client expectation and quality delivery. I work well with creative teams and pressured clients - give me a call if you need any creative direction or art direction.
Mercedes Campaign creative
I frequently freelance in Ad agencies working on above and below the line campaigns. This summer I got to work on the Mercedes account whilst joining the team at eg+worldwide.
Once these designs were submitted the account handler said that we should scrap the old creative and run with my new work.
I designed the campaign graphics you see here along with support graphics for the showrooms and road car liveries.
Shooting Bacardi's new product for one of my top clients.
A rush job for a leading agency - we had to get the only bottle in the UK shot and returned in 24 hours.
Fortunately I'm based in one of Brighton's best photography studios and Paul Winter was able to fit us in at short notice.
Taking a quick brief I was able to arrange the shoot with Paul and 24 hours later a very happy client received these excellent shots, a retouched final key visual and the precious bottle returned in one piece.
Working with Paul Winter takes the risk out of these jobs. A wealth of experience and talent and I could rest easy that we'd deliver the finest work for my client. There's infinite ways to light a translucent bottle and we made sure we shot coverage and delivered options for future creative and campaign work.
If you have a product to take to market, give me a call and I can deliver the best images available.
Poster Designs for the National Career Service
I designed this series of posters for the National Careers Service.
The challenge was to inform and inspire young people about the career options ahead of them. I designed them as a collection so they are immediately identifiable as a campaign. The design rules for information posters is simple. Step one - the title/subject should be readable from across the room and immediately identifiable. The hero image backs up the headline to connect with and inspire the target audience, then the secondary information can be read when the viewers interest is caught and drawn in.
It was great working with the team at www.prospects.co.uk They're totally dedicated to inspiring and developing potential in people to help increase they're employment opportunities and it was a pleasure to help out.
JSD wins WDT Website commission
Phase 2 of WDT Brand and comms gets the go ahead
A few years ago I was approached to design a logo for Nicky Searle’s new venture – We Do Talent – a broadcast TV recruitment company based in London. The budget was modest and I was happy to put in the extra days to get something polished off the ground to arm Nicky with a strong, fresh, creative identity for moving forward in a crowded and high powered industry.
The identity has been received really well and WDT has been going from strength to strength. Now, there’s a budget for us to expand the brand as we discussed and work is starting on the new website.
Its great to take on a modest brief with hopes for the venture to grow down the road and have our faith rewarded…
Here’s some of the creative development.
I’m always on the look out for a new Identity or Brand publishing project to get my teeth into. Give me a shout if you have a new venture that needs to make an impact.