Studio initatives and news

A Valentine’s Day post

Valentine’s Day is as good as any day to inspire a little love and adventure in the community.

To celebrate our new name and adventure (Work Art Life by Studio Pip and Co. : more to come soon) we are calling artists, designers and creative people to create an A3 poster run, and post up in their local area for everyone to enjoy on and around 14.02.2012.

Entry is free. Spread the word. Take back Valentine’s Day – its the thought that counts.

Email us, FaceBook, Twitter – Be my real Valentine’s, make create, tweet yours and found pix of – Be my real Valentine – posters discovered on 14.02.2012. #bmrv2012

Download brief and sample poster here

For examples – see our effort last year here.

The rough – a typical corner in a café displaying free cultural promos

Come see our exhibition, bring friends, colleagues, interested strangers – a slice of OZ design awaits

26 August to 17 September 2011
Wed to Fri – 11.00am to 6.00pm
Sat – Noon to 5.00pm

Lamington Drive
15-25 Keele Street, Collingwood, Australia 3066
Telephone 03 8060 9745

Visit Lamington Drive here

Exhibition statement :

A memory of (print) design envy
1988 to 2011

Every year millions of tonnes of printed matter are developed to sell, promote, inform, catalogue, tell stories, or all of the above. A small percentage of this printed matter satisfies commercial needs while exploring creative practice.

The appeal of the projects displayed depends on the viewer. Beyond an individual’s likes or dislikes, these works demonstrate special qualities of creative play, idea generation, craft and detailing of image, form, type and layout development that makes them shine from the rough.

Australia lacks a diverse resource of its graphic design. This memory of printed work provides a rare opportunity to take in the diversity, vision, expression and skill developed by a truly talented bunch of (mostly) Australian designers and imagemakers. An Australian creative style, or way of making work may well be here somewhere.

Andrew has collected this work over 20 years. It was available for free (from cafes and bookshops), sent in the post, gifted, stolen, or purchased (for less than fifty dollars). This collection has the odd Studio Pip and Co. project for the cultural and design sectors, or it has been influenced in some way by these works.

This collection (be it a small slice) has no awards or formal merits attached to it, it is here for your enjoyment and reference.

I dedicate ‘Diamonds in the Rough’ to all my peers and their ability to consistently make fine and (often) enviable work. Aa

Production notes :

Lamington Drive contacted the studio in February to hold an exhibition mid year. Many ideas were tossed about, a studio retrospective etc, however in an age that seems to be about the self, liking something and generally placing oneself in the middle of everything, we struggled to find an idea that would appeal to us, as well as a broad audience.

Months passed nothing came to mind, however during the process of getting together content for desktop magazine a conversation with Stuart Geddes (Chase & Galley), over a beverage or too, hatched an idea which fit our needs and was accessible to a broad group of people. The exhibition was originally going to be called – So Annoying – an in joke with Stuart and a few other designers, however, an in joke, is a ‘in’ joke and new name was needed.

Diamonds in the Rough came together when working out the headline for our desktop 16 page pictorial piece. Diamond Dogs by David Bowie was kicking around the studio, and a colleague Marco Gjergja had recently name his studio Sawdust & Diamonds in homage to alt pop harpist diva Joanna Newsom. Diamonds seemed to need a context, home or presence.

The studio pulled together the exhibition in three weeks, off the back of Andrew’s Sydney talk, August 01. A Sydney now Berlin based colleague, Graeme Smith, used hand bag sealing process for a flat paper based exhibition for the Italian Chamber of Commence. We thought this process would be perfect for hand sealing, protecting and presenting physical printed objects across a range of sizes and thicknesses.

The project started with reviewing, sorting and shortlisting hundreds of pieces. After inspecting the space we felt there was an opportunity to present the objects hanging in the space, rather than being hung on the walls. With the print pieces in hand and some ideas, a plan was made, materials were sort, 8 to 14 objects were sealed in purpose made bags sealed to a sturdy yet simple coat hanger, 30 hanging bags were made including the prototypes.

A simple rig was purpose made for the space defining a 24 point 80 x 80 cm grid, the structure was made on site, garden hooks completed the presentation, allowing each hanger to move yet full into uniform perpendicular line. Flat A2 posters devised for the Desktop 25 year edition wallpapered on the short walls, Andrew handed applied the show graphic freehand, with a roller and a ten of red acrylic paint. Three days of collating, sorting, source and bad making and a day of assembly, brought together this simple yet very effective public show. A special thanks to Sam, Aimee and Piers for all your help.

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Set up images

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Opening night and Desktop 25 years launch, 01 September, images by John Deer with thanks

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Documentation images by Lynton Crabb with thanks

Twelve years ago Ashton left Sydney to turn his first decade of design practice on its head, with the hope of finding something more than doing work, making money and moving up. Exploring design practice, Ashton has put together a dialogue which investigates change, freedom, curiosity, along with other tall stories, pictures of design outcomes, half baked manifestos, tales of excess and assorted heady exaggerations.

When
Monday 1st August 2011
6pm for 6.30 start

Where
Australian Museum
Entrance in William Street
Corner of College and William St

Tickets
Members $30
Non members $55
Student members $20
Student non members $30

Enquiries – Anita Lyons 9975 4008

David Band – artist, designer, music lover, father, partner, friend, teacher, colleague and collaborator passed away today. Born in Scotland in 1959, moved to Melbourne in 1986, David produced a wonderful and unique body of work, in fine art and design. David’s art and design work in hospitality and dining changed the way in which food people around Australia presented their establishments and fare including the revered Rockpool, Bistro Guillaume, The Melbourne Wine Room and Icebergs. It is no coincidence that David’s mark on the food & wine in Australia will always be present every time The Age Good Food Guide Awards give out their coveted Chef Hats to Melbourne and Sydney’s best restaurants – as David created the Chef’s Hat mark/symbol used by the Good Food Guide programme. Quite literally, pieces of David’s work, visions and marks are in homes, businesses and studios everywhere.

Our thoughts and love goes out to David’s loved ones, family, friends, admirers and peers. We established and shared our studio in Balaclava with David and his passing is a loss we will never forget. David loved and enjoyed discovering music – The Faces were often played in the studio while making art work, loud.

Cheers Bandy, may there be a nice red, good nosh and some fine tunes wherever you rest.

Enjoy David’s art here
Enjoy David’s design work here

Friends, supporters, clients, peers and service partners of Studio Pip and Co.

In its ninth year Studio Pip and Co. is looking for a business partner, with a head for business, to complement and communicate the potential of our creative services to leading clients, brands and organisations. We are calling for expressions of interest from Melbourne based marketing, PR and business development professionals, from branding, design, communications, advertising, marketing, strategic and PR sectors looking to evolve their business practice.

We are seeking a proven professional to work with designer and director Andrew Ashton, to bring together skills, networks and experience, to develop a leading creative services studio which thinks, works and makes creative and thoughtful outcomes for leading clients, brands and organisations in the Asia Pacific region.

The studio over nine years has developed a professional, friendly and innovative reputation. Successful candidates will be determined by :

• Cultural fit and values
• Vision for creativity and communication services
• Experience and networks

The successful partner will contribute to shaping a new creative services group, bringing together studio products, developing studio’s communications channels, and will help shape new ventures such as, digital products, boutique creative recruitment services and a new region wide creative services model.

Next steps

• Interested candidates are invited to forward introductory letter and credentials
• Suitable candidates will be invited to a series of discussions exploring vision, financial steps, product and service and operational vision
• The potential partner will be invited to co-develop a probationary partnership model and business plan, heads of agreement and partnership roll out.

We invite our friends, supporters, clients, peers and service partners of Studio Pip and Co, to pass on this Expression of Interest to suitable people with a head for business – we are ready to develop, evolve and transform our creative practice.

Applications can made to Andrew Ashton via email only, toward(at)peoplethings(dot)com.

Many thanks

Andrew Ashton
Director

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Further information about the studio:

Visit our new website

http://peoplethings.com/

Visit our online store

http://studiopipandco.bigcartel.com/

Become our fan on FaceBook

http://www.facebook.com/studiopipandcoforever

Explore colour with us

http://www.thecolourcollective.com

Thanks to the Art & Design crew in China for the wonderful eight page Studio Pip and Co. piece in issue 134 titled “Surprise, not for creation”. Our copy arrived in the post today and it was a very pleasant surprise and wonderful way to end the week.

Visit Art & Design here

To coincide with our exclusive open studio night AGIdeas have developed a multi studio event … to celebrate we have put together a series of bespoke invitations for 16 invitees. To be a part of our night register with the AGIdeas crew at the 2011 AGIdeas website. Thanks again Kristen, Eleni and crew.

If you have one of our invitations please visit our password protected space here, with your password of course.

Visit AGideas here

Visit our Australia Day words and picture piece here

Cartell Music / 2011 So Frenchy So Chic / Australia wide
Curated French music compilation / type mark and symbol /
colour and mono / applied to packaging, advertising and print
Developed 2010 / 6 week project

K5 Transport / Australia wide
National transport and logistics group / type mark and symbol /
colour and mono / applied to livery, collateral and web
Developed 2010 / 30 week project

Burger Monster / Melbourne
Fast food outlet / type mark and symbol /
colour and mono / applied to packaging, signing, advertising and print
Developed 2011 / 12 week project

Australian Graphic Design Association / 48 Event – cross roads theme / Melbourne Brisbane
Design Event Brand / type mark and symbol /
colour and mono / applied to packaging, signing, advertising and print
Developed 2011 / 12 week project

Kere Kere / product marks / Melbourne
Sub brand for cafe / symbol /
colour and mono / applied to poster, signing, instant print
Developed 2011 / 12 week project

Bistrode CDB/ Identity / Sydney
Brand variation / type mark /
colour and mono / applied to bill folds, cards, advertising signing, instant print
Developed 2010 / 4 week project

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The call for new brand identities is one way we occupy ourselves. The emphasis on brand in contemporary culture, or brandmania, has brought about a little confusion of – what is a brand, what is a logo, what is a trade mark?

Our take on the situation is that a brand is the overall sensory presentation of a commercial or cultural entity. A brand identity, corporate identity is the visual collateral programme, inclusive of print, digital, advertising and action. A trade mark, brand graphic or logo is the symbol, graphic and type based presentation – the little thing in the corner of a layout that we are often asked to make bigger, smaller, wider, happier, otherwise the whole marketing campaign will fall in a heap.

The work above is a selection of trademarks that we have produced in recent months. As with all our work we start with the most basic outcomes from which we can apply colour, effect and filters. As mentioned previously; clarity, design craft with the potential conceptual twist, is the basis of all of the above work. Some works are reworkings of existing brands, new works, or outcomes that are developed to work within a set graphic framework or marketing approach.

Animated sample of identity

Why do we keep our work simple?

The creative process is often influenced by materials and tools. This statement is indeed relevant in the marketing and branding of today. Sophisticated graphic software allows today’s designer to embellish, fluff up, and bling their work now more than ever. With all the new tricks and toys one can’t help reflecting on the idea, that the outcome needs an idea, and the idea of decoration, is still only the idea : to decorate. I can hear my Grandfather mumbling… just because something exists doesn’t make it good, or a good suit can’t make a fat man look thin. In this situation one has to find comfort from the market, whom without fail have knack of spotting the fraud, embracing the original and then vote with their feet, wallets or attention. often without too much fuss.

The history of identity and brand is founded on simple and clear principles.

As designers raised in the late 1980s we can’t help being romanced by the pioneering brand identities of Paul Rand, Chermayeff & Geismar, Saul Bass, Michael Wolff, Gert Dumbar, in Australia : Tony Lunn, John Spatchurst, Brian Sadgrove, Garry Emery and Ken Cato. These people discovered and defined brand identity and had a vision for brand identity as clear, graphically robust, uncomplicated, backed up by a conceptual twist, a meaningful idea or dialogue.

Our communication response to Artwalk

Above and beyond the look, or the mark, or the brand, clients come to us because they want to create a visual point of difference, so that they can help customers choose their products, create a commercial story and ultimately develop enough interest and awareness to create new and repeat transactions. In other words, for the CFOs, business owners, our work helps clients to create more income and grow market share.

The commercial aim of this project is create a new brand identity for this programme, develop a distinctive commercial visual, foster the growth of awareness and stimulate new customer transactions. The market are people of all ages who appreciate art, walking and Melbourne as a cultural precinct.

The identity for Artwalk Melbourne was a gift for our designers. The name, the distinctive visual clichés held by the broader community, helped us to define the idea of artwork; portrait canvas, then strap onto our canvas legs made up of a capital ‘A’ and there you have a symbol for “Walking Art” or “Moving Art”. We mixed typefaces to contrast traditional and contemporary themes. The differing scales of the typography suggest, depth and potential movement. We have also created a range icons to strap onto our legs which include art concept and artists themselves. Colour and images are not fixed allowing the idea of diversity to come through. See the following concept images and visuals.

Concept visual used to illustrate the "Walking Art" concept

The brand identity proposal in visual context

Concept drawings "Walking Art" marketing images

In the early days of this project we have assisted the client to develop the brand identity and marketing story, develop a marketing proposal and collateral shortlist which starts with a modest range of print collateral, and to focus upon developing a robust web presence and social media campaign.

Thank you Artwalk for a wonderful collaboration, watch this space for further development of the brand identity and market collateral.

Visit Artwalk here

Type and graphic detail

Mono identity

Colour identity - orange option

Mono symbol