Communicating in most instances is something quite unremarkable, yet when a saucer is passed your way, in sobriety, with “U SUX” delicately cast in the middle of a saucer, one can either become highly offended, or amazed at the lengths people will go to make a lasting or meaningful impression.

Sarah in local café takes it upon her self to move beyond conventional talk to get to the core of how she feels about a moment or person in a day.

Is this a case of speaking in china, or a waitress’s idea of having the last word.

As folded DL objects

Poster A

Poster B

These posters are the latest output for the 2010 National Architecture Conference held in Sydney in April 2010.

There are two kinds of posters that combine rabbits, divers, retro bikes, paper cups and oranges to make extra ordinary compositions with ordinary objects. The posters fold from A2 to DL allowing the Institute to make a big impression while keeping the mail out prices to the standard letter rate of 55 cents. We have specified cost effective two colour printing and printed the project on coloured stocks by Optix in Copa Green and Velo Pink. We are loving printing colour on coloured stock, very happy sexy.

The posters communicate the event while the back details the programme. They designed be an exciting piece of DL print that can be folded out and hung in the studio or any public place, so if you have one hung in your studio take a medium rez photo and send it to us – we’d love to see them in situ.

Thanks again to Melanie and Paddy at the Institute for your vision, proofing and guidance.

Visit the conference here

Dear Studio,

How do you maintain a high standard of work throughout your portfolio? The reason why I ask is because a lot of my designs are driven by the client and committees, who have no experience in design. I am always told to ‘give what the client wants’, even though I know it will end with poor results. What can I do as a junior graphic designer to improve the situation?

Kindest regards,

Vincent

It is not often we are asked questions like the following.

While we ponder over the answer, we want to follow up this question with another question, and ask what our readers they think is the answer to finding balance the of making quality communication and addressing the commercial needs of the client:

How do you maintain a high standard of work throughout a portfolio while maintaining a list of clients confident that what you (the studio) produce work that does what it is meant to – generate awareness, sell tickets, grow market share…?

If any one out there has a comment we would be happy to post the differing points of view.

Melbourne’s hottest Japanese bar is booked, copies of Astro Boy and Blade Runner are sourced too. We were tasked to develop event collateral designed to shake the woes of 2009 and welcome in 2010.

We started with exploring traditional Japanese symbols and images and developed an illustration of intertwined Koi that also is an abstract of the Ying and Yang symbol. Vertical type setting is exploited as well as a one off vertical Gunn & Taylor brand. The Japanese custom of new years postcard giving – nengajo, is called upon and range of Gunn & Taylor new year postcards are developed as a gift for the night. All we need is generous slabs of white paper, black and red ink.

Thank you Mr Gunn and happy new year!

Event brand variations 2 of 12 outcomes

Event image 1 of 8 outcomes

December AA colour ad

The 2010 National Architecture Conference held in Sydney is Australia’s most anticipated forum exploring architecture. The speaker and event programme is put together by a guest creative director who sets the tone of the event. The communication outcomes we have developed have come about in collaboration with this year’s director Melanie Dodd.

The thematic for the conference theme that Ms Dodd put together is as follows:

extra/ordinary will dwell on the culture of the extraordinarily ordinary. As an antidote to the incessant abstractions of globalization, we will be gathering together those who have an enthusiasm for engaging with the contingency of the everyday: inventing new ways of operating; embracing collaborative approaches and initiating direct action on the ground. Producing outcomes that are innovative and utilitarian, provocative and pragmatic. Resolving ordinary problems in extraordinary ways.

Lateral approaches, rather than a perpetuation of the status quo, characterise these overlaps and collaborations in practice. Improvisation is a critical component and contingency rules. Out of the morass of limited budget and intractable problems lies the seed of innovation. Rather than being the product of hopeless compromise, constraint provokes profound transformations at the limits of practice.

In terms of the work, all the outcomes we have developed communicate the idea of extra/ordinary. As a process we presented ordinary and available objects in extraordinary yet simple combinations. Our intention is to create contrast, variation and inventiveness in brands, paper stocks, type choices, images and layout so that every experience is varied yet linked.

The latest ad in Australian Architecture contrast pencil shavings, domestic animals, jet fighters, giant planets, abstract built forms pulled together by a crate oblique. Stay tuned for the event posters due for distribution in late February.

Visit the conference here

Carousel Café is situated on the foreshore of Albert Park Lake on the outskirts of the city of Melbourne. The foreshore is a popular spot for visitors to meet. On any day dogs, joggers, sailing craft, ducks, walkers will make it’s five kilometres of walking paths and subsequent green spaces a place to exercise, relax and take in the outdoors.

food&desire briefed the studio to develop a new image that adopts the venue’s existing brand and reflect the environment. We developed a new brand that ties in with an existing look, then developed a range of illustrations of people interacting with Albert Park Lake with which we brought together into a range compositions for use on cafe collateral, signing and uniform.

Thanks again to the food&desire crew.

Be my valentine Roger, because you gave the world a typeface called Mistral. Better than any writing, any name under Mistral’s spell is the “designer” factor for any willing hairdresser or night club no less

Be my valentine Paul, with your mind and silk screen press running over time, we wish we could design book jackets like you with their familiar visual served with playful wit

Be my valentine Koons, why make art when there are creatures like Popples need to live

Be my valentine Kos, is the picture art or the process? That ice cracking and splitting, microphones standing there as witnesses to something stark, unremarkable and still

Be my valentine Jim, your music is heaven and the covers you commission are at times just strange and a little warped

Be my valentines Irma and Anette, we are insanely jealous of your design in print – with inspired books and posters that make us sing, please, please send us the secrets of your design thing

Be my valentine Vince, how come you like using fluro and why do your t-shirts rock? Offices everywhere, a name that is a thing, you hang with Carlo and Ray, can you send us some of your t-shirts – girls medium and guys xxl, is that cool?

Be my valentine Brian, yes we are devotees of the art rock parade too

Be my valentine Orpheus, the father of song, an ancient story yes, yet times don’t seem that different at all

Be my valentine Drew, you made Donnie Darko happen in 2001. A film shot in 28 days, with a rabbit named Frank and a plot that foresaw that in 28 days, 6 hours, 42 minutes and 12 seconds, the world will come to an unknown end, fueled by the tunes that made people reference the 1980s again.

Be my valentine Maurizio, keep messing up the art world and crunching out your amazing magazine – Permanent Food

Be my valentine Beck, may you come to Australia soon, we want your dance moves now as well as your tunes

Be my valentine QE II, as on the Beatles’ Abbey Road, that odd song by Paul McCartney that sounds the Fabs’ last gong

The studio has spent the last few months developing a range of brands for the business and government sectors. Spring Osteo Clinic is a new osteo practice located in Surrey Hills, east of Melbourne’s city centre.

The brief called for a robust mark and type treatment that communicated a new professional and contemporary clinic. The research process was again invaluable, as we discovered that a human graphic form strapped with the clinic’s name was a no go for this new brand – as it appeared that every osteo practice in Melbourne used the human form - realistic to abstract, in their brand identities.

At the concept and design stages a range of outcomes were presented – people and spring based, along with type and colour options. A clean custom typeface was approved and developed from scratch along with a spring symbol. We recommended a bright colour palette to assist with setting a positive mood for patients. The spring symbol was developed to convey notions of activity, growth, and positivity. The whole package enforced that Spring is a clinic that assists patients to start, or maintain a path of well being and good health.

The brand mark is being applied to signing, apparel, digital and print applications.

Thanks again to Catherine for your vision, excellent briefing and guidance.

Make an appointment with Spring here

The Sticky Institute, Melbourne’s mecca for Melbourne’s wayward, diverse, inventive and compelling zine culture is over February hosting the Festival of the Photo Copier – a space for zine lectures, launches, chat offs and exhibitions.

The Undiscovered Press (unleashed on the masses) is a hands on exhibition that makes every effort to overwhelm visitors the zine making pursuit. Entry is free and well worth an hour or so of your attention.

The Undiscovered Press (unleashed on the masses)
Opens 12 February
Platform
Degraves Street Subway / The Campbell Arcade,
Enter via Flinders Degraves Street,
Melbourne Victoria Australia

Curated by zinemaker Melissa Reidy, twelve zinemakers from all around Australia have shared their unique vision for telling stories, creating narratives and dreaming up objects made of paper, photocopies and binding material. Ziners include Androniki Douramakos, Arlene TextaQueen, Marc Martin, Brendan Halyday, Fergus, Mary-Helen Daly, Sarah Foster, On Wednesday, Cameron Baker, Pat Grant and Michelle Vandermeer.

Drop into the Institute while you are there

Visit the Sticky Institute here, visit Platform here

Flinders Street Station circa 1953, Public Record Office Victoria.

January 2010 marks the 100th year of Flinders Street Station. Flinders Street Station, Australia’s oldest central railway station located on the South Western corner of Flinders and Swanston Street along side the Yarra River.

The building which stands today is the result of an architectural competition in 1899. The winning design named – Green Light, which includes a large dome and tall clock tower, was the design of railway employees James Fawcett and H. P. C. Ashworth in French Renaissance style. Building works commenced in 1900 and the complex was officially opened in 1910.

The depicted lettering samples can be found on mass in the Degraves Street subway. The system looks to be the original wayfinding signing system developed for the station in 1910, however this statement needs historic clarication. When one first came across this lettering it reminded one of coming across pieces of broken blue china at the bottom of my grand parent’s garden. Hand painted in vibrant cobalt, or China blue, on glassy white porcelain tiles, this now distressed signing system stands quietly, incomplete, broken and somewhat redundant amid the current mix of hanging signs, light boxes, and folded metal panels with vinyl, silk screen and illuminated type.

We hope that the Victorian Department of Transport historic archive, or the Department of Infrastructure has a pictorial record of this signing system as time is taking it toll on its presentation. As it is Flinders Street Station 100th birthday year a comprehensive documentation project may be the perfect birthday present.

Visit the Department of Infrastructure’s modest historic web presence here