Number9Dream

Some of you might remember my post on the creative duo known as Kai & Sunny, two of my favorite Illustrators and Designers. Recently I finished the novel 'Number 9 Dream' by David Mitchell, the cover of which designed by Kai & Sunny. I originally picked up the book purely based on the cover design because lets face it we all judge a book by its cover, as we should, and I am very glad I did so in this instance.

Now there's no need to worry, I'm not turning my blog into a source for book reviews. I've decided to dedicate a post to this book because it's one of the few books in which I feel the cover art perfectly matches the content. Most book covers I feel miss the mark when it comes to capturing the essence of the story but this is not the case with 'Number 9 Dream'.

The story is of a young man and his journey to Tokyo Japan in search of the father who abandoned him as a child. Having never lived in the city before he is very unfamiliar with how things work within the social order. Needless to say he stumbles into many little scenarios that make the book an interesting read (lets face it, it's how all stories go. If they didn't no one would be interested in them).

I believe the cover perfectly illustrates the vast size of the city and just how difficult the task is ahead of the central character. Not only do Kai & Sunny use the proportion and angles of the buildings to emphasize this but also the very creative design of the title. Hundreds of little dots form the title, which (I believe) represents the millions of people that live in Tokyo, going about their daily lives. Indicating that the main characters mission will be like trying to find a needle in a haystack.

The use of colour and general style of the illustration is also very interesting as it is clearly linked to the style of writing used by Mitchell within the story. The modern and almost techno appearance links with several topics highlighted in the story, one of which includes Video (or computer) Games.

I am curious as to whether Kai & Sunny were given a copy of the book to read before designing the cover, or if the process was similar to my own experiences where the majority of information comes from the books synopsis. Perhaps they were lucky enough to have the opportunity to sit down and discuss the novel with the author themselves (since it would seem a strong friendship has formed between them). Either way I think Kai & Sunny did a fantastic job with the cover design and would say that this is what book design should be about; truly capturing the feel of the story as well as the viewers eye from a bookshelf.

While searching for an image of the books cover I stumbled across the below designs. I'm not sure who the designers are and take no credit myself for their work but felt they were interesting designs that came close to touching on what the book is about, however fell down when compared to Kai & Sunny's excellent design.

Commune

"Eat to create, don't create to eat!" words all designers should live by. This is one of the cornerstone beliefs of Japanese Design Company Commune.

Some of you may already be familiar with the work of Commune, as I discovered them last week and felt the need to force them upon the world around me. So for those of you who have already perused their site and are sick of me forcing their work down your throat, I'm sorry. For the rest of you though you're in for a treat.

Commune are a small design group with big ideas. Not content on having a niche style or even profession (by which I mean being known solely as a packaging design company, etc) Commune's portfolio is vast and varied with an abundance of different projects. It would seem they take the opportunity to design whenever they can, no matter what the subject. Any chance to spread their creative wings, they take.

Unfortunately I know very little about the actual work of the company (because their site is in Japanese, and I'm too lazy to learn how to read it), so I will just showcase work of theirs I really like and talk about why.

My favorite pieces by Commune have to be their Identity Designs. As I mentioned they dable in many areas of Design but it would seem that they really enjoy creating logos and finding fun ways of using them. This is a playful company that create work that just makes you want to smile.

Below is a new business card they designed for themselves which not only informs the recpiriant of their recent relocation, but also shows a new approach and style they hope to bring forth in their work. Light hearted but still controlled in design Commune show with ease that they know 'how' to deisgn; it's the fun element they really like to focus on.

I absolutely love the Happy Tree & Co business cards. Commune have done their best here to create a business card that the recipient would want to keep by turning into a sort of sculpture. Having the tree pop out of the card may seem very simple and obvious but I know if I was given one of these cards it would be sitting on my desk for a long time. Something about the design just brings a smile to my face. I also really like the inclusion of photographs of the staff on the personal side of the card. I have never seen it done before but it makes a lot of sense as people are likely to forget who exactly gave them the card. This way the recipient will be able to assign the business to a memorable and friendly face. 

Commune have an abundance of projects on their website, so instead of have me rambling on I strongly suggest you go explore it yourselves (bare with it, it can take a while to load due to its format). The studio have worked for dozens of different companies from restaurants to football teams, and many more. If you're not a fan of the somewhat 'cute' work I have show here don't let that put you off looking at the rest of their work. I grantee there is something for everyone in there. 


Below I've included a few samples of some of my favorite projects of theirs. Enjoy.

Another innovative business card design.

Benoit Ollive

It does seem just that easy these days.

Previously my Designer of the week posts have been focusing on Designers that either inspired me to study Graphic Design, or that I discovered while attending University. Well this week I'm looking at a designer I stumbled upon soon after graduating but wished I had known of when starting my first year.


Benoit Ollive is a multitalented designer. Originally from France he is now based in London, a bold step he had hoped would further his career. Benoit originally studied Fine Art and much like many Artists he has looked for other outlets for his creativity, so as not to stifle it. It just so happens he's a natural designer. As a self taught Graphic Designer he chooses to focus his style on making a statement about the urban world and society surrounding him. His designs are culturally aware and very witty in conveying his message. I would not necessarily say his technique is phenomenal but the messages he puts across are strong, interesting, well thought out, and very funny.

Just like an artist to create something beautiful only to trash it in the end.

Upon moving to London Benoit hoped to make a statement in the design world and become a notable character. To first achieve this though he knew he had to grab the attention of the studios of London, so he concocted the Throw Bricks Mailer. Using his knowledge of screen printing Benoit created this well designed CV to several studios. He wanted the design to have an impact on the recipient much like a brick through your window create (hence the theme and design of the mailer). A tad aggressive way to say "Hi" to the industry but if he were to throw one through my window I would defiantly remember his name.

As I mentioned Benoit's background may be in Fine Art but he chooses to dabble in many different disciplines. Never one to limit himself or his ideas Benoit also creates: urban paintings, Graffiti, Screen prints, as well as experimenting with photography and ceramics.

This sculpture is actually a map of one of London's most dangerous areas. 

A bit of tongue and cheeky with this Urban Art.

Admittedly not an original idea but Benoit has explored with different 
environments and font faces to create some really nice images.

It is hard to pin Benoit Olive as merely a Designer, he is in fact an artist in its truest form. From the start of every project his focus is on how best to convey his message and opinion, and if this means he must dabble in the other Arts to best express it then so be it.

Truly an amazing and creative mind, Benoit shows us that it is not necessarily the craft to the design that grabs the viewer but the core message behind the design. His messages are silly and fun, and this is how they best connect with the viewer. Take a lesson from him and go create silly and fun designs, it works. I know if I was highering, no matter what my company designed, I would want a mind as beautiful, open and creative as Benoit's on my team. 

An Ice scrapper that helps you get out some of that pent up aggression.

Studio Newwork

I was reminded of Studio Newwork this week while chatting with my good friend Leanne Swift at our recent graduation. Leanne and myself have always shared a love for great layout design and Newwork were a company we ALWAYS thought of and went to for inspiration when working on our own designs. I can't remember which one of us stumbled across them first but ever since then they have been a huge influence on both our styles.

Newwork are known for their self produced magazine (now up to issue 6) which they use to showcase artists, designers and other creatives they like and admire. The magazines are beautifully designed and show the careful craft and skills possessed by Newwork. To help maintain a crisp and sophisticated feel all the magazines are produced in black and white, with the occasional spot colour (usually on the cover) to help the design 'pop' in certain areas. These magazines are filled with creative and flowing layouts; achieved thanks to their heavy use of white space.

No I did not upload this image incorrectly. Newwork keeping their readers on their toes by throwing in a different angled spread from the rest of the magazine... because they can!

A full bleed image showing that Newwork know just what to do to help create impact in their spreads and showcase fantastic photos like this at their best.

For anyone unfamiliar with the term 'White Space' it is a way of designing which involves creating a spacious and open design by giving the content a respectful amount of room on the page. Usually it means having a lot of paper (normally white in colour) occupy the design instead of cramming the layout full of text. For example a Newspaper is not usually considered to have a lot of white space because the designer is trying to fit as much information as possible into the available space on the page. The samples below are perfect examples of using White Space as a key factor in your designs.

White Space galore!

Showing that White Space doesn't always have to be white.

As one might imagine, with such fresh and clean layouts Newwork are considered a very fashion aware studio and therefore have landed themselves several jobs designing for companies in the fashion industry. Look Books are a huge part of their business as the studio is known for their speciality in print work. They work carefully to make each Look Book a bespoke piece of design and not merely a catalogue thrown together. Each book they produce has its own individual design to compliment the personality of the clothes featured within it. No two books are the same just as no two fashion lines are.

Once again because the studio solely work in design for print they are a go to company for invitation design. Having a strong knowledge and understanding of different print techniques helps them produce lovely and cherished designs. Everything Newwork produce is designed with the intention that the recipiant will keep it forever; the magazines they design will occupy coffee tables for many years to come.

Showing no fear Newwork experiment and print on different materials

You can view all of Studio Newworks magazines here.

Below are a selection of standout projects by Newwork that differ from the rest already featured in this post. Showing that although they are known to work on specific types of projects Newwork are still very flexible and open to new and challenging projects.

 An Art collaboration showcasing the companies versatility and the level of detail they bring to every project. More info can be found about this project at here, and don't forget to checkout the Process video to see just how much work went into the planning of this one off piece of art. 

 A couple of logos the studio have designed. A key feature in all their work is a strong knowledge of typography and this stems through everything from their magazine layouts to their logo designs.