Pearl Café, the latest project from famed Pearl Restaurant and Bar in Richmond, asked the studio to develop an image for their inaugural and collateral for their winter menu. Chilly, clear, and deep winter sky came to mind, which was applied to this menu supergraphic, take-a-way menus and and business cards…

Richmond with its over supply of greasy spoon cafés and average coffee houses; the opening of Pearl Café is a welcome addition to Church street casual dining scene. Open 7 days, next door to Paperpoint, it pays to get in early – as many have caught the Pearl Café bug.

Visit pearlrestaurant.com.au

Simon Pemberton, designer, educator, past National President of AGDA, has embarked on putting together a documentary of thirteen designers who shaped the graphic design profession in Australia. During 9-10 May 2008, Ken Cato, Mimmo Cozzolino, Garry Emery, Trevor Flett, Myriam Kin-Yee, David Lancashire, John Nowland, Brian Sadgrove, John Spatchurst, Neil Turner and Harry Williamson spent two days in Melbourne exploring their work, influences, and thoughts of the past, present and future. (Ian Kidd and Barrie Tucker were later filmed in Adelaide).

The filming has been supported by Swinburne University Film and Television School and the still photography by David Pidgeon and Andrew Ashton. The project is in need of financial support for the production of the final documentary and book. If you would like to support this project, please email Simon Pemberton at simon@graffiti.net.au

These stills were shot in low light at Lynch’s restaurant in South Yarra. Rather than formal portraits a voyeuristic approach seemed appropriate. The dining room was terrific – rich textures, mirrors, a crackling fire, velvet, high ceiling, a hostess and dim smoky light presented a curious collection of people in an engaging, honest and strange light.

Andrew was recently invited by the Design Institute of Australia to be on the judging panel for graphic communication for the QDOS Awards. In between commitments there was a little time to steal a little Brisbane.

Two Pools developed in August 2002, featured in Area_2, is a self initiated publishing project that came about from a last minute request. David Lancashire was putting Andrew forward for consideration for Alliance Graphique Internationale membership and wondered if one had some sort of print piece to give delegates at the AGI Congress in Helsinki. One could have developed some sort of portfolio print piece, or tell a story using design, photography and writing.

At the time he had just left Precinct Design and had started Studio Pip and Co. working out of his third bedroom in West St Kilda.

One half of the project is a piece of writing investigating the place that disabled people have in our community, and the other is a photographic survey of public swimming pools in Sydney and Melbourne. We sold the first lot wrapped in string and housed in an window cut envelop. Completed in one take the hand lettering was again executed in watered down gouache with a fine sable brush.

A small run of this piece was printed by Gunn & Taylor in Melbourne. It is available for $10 plus postage, simply email the studio for your copy.

The Area_2 publication published the AGDA 2002 Call for Entries poster, this project was a love job, the concept, image making, writing, typography and artwork was developed by Andrew Ashton.

In 2001 Andrew was appointed to head up and develop the communications collateral for the 2002 Australian Graphic Design Awards in Melbourne Australia. To pull the work together Andrew developed general theme – outside in / inside out, an event brand was resolved and a typeface, a free font, were the design elements that bound all of the collateral.

The project depicted is a call for entries poster / brochure. Twenty four Melbourne based designers were invited to respond to the theme and create a hero image. Also four designer were invited to prepare a type based back.

At the time the graphic design of John Melin, collages by photographer Robert Frank, Bukowski and Slessor poems were kicking around as inspiration.

The photograph was taken in an empty paddock next to Melbourne’s West Gate Bridge. There was no budget and in typical fashion Andrew left the production of the image and artwork to the very last minute, to ensure Andrew’s fundamental design element was in place – to set a strict time cap, in this instance two weeks from concept to artwork. There were two photographic sessions, the first female model didn’t want the image to go to print and a life model was hired for second sunny shoot. One always wanted the first image to be published; with its approaching tempest, muted light and saturated greens and browns, yet it was never to be.

At the time Andrew was interested in exploring the tension of opposing forces, so much can happen when you strap opposites together.

The type on the back is playful. One wanted the reader to turn the piece up side down and back again. The copy was meant to fox the reader too, while delivering practical information.

The final piece was presented as an A1 poster that housed two portrait A2 posters, each split by a single course perforation parallel with the short edge. The piece was printed on 100gm2 uncoated paper that was folded down to A5 to fit in a C5 purpose designed envelope. There were twelve A1 posters that made up the complete set displaying the work of twenty four designers.