/ An independent creative studio blog.
Friday morning + fake wool beard + camera and some of Manchester’s finest – Natalie Gray, Matt Booth, John Owens, Andy Myers and myself… fun project targeting designers and creatives by design student Oyunga, check her site at www.ongidesign.co.uk
nice.
I met Adrian 9 years ago when he was heading up Intro and I was a bright-eyed student; they were at a turning point from finishing working with Primal Scream to starting work with Deutsche Bank. I remember the studio being packed with staff and Adrian proudly showing us work they had undertaken for the NHS, a far cry from the Roni Size sleeves I had back home but a real wake up call to what commercial design meant to a studio and the chances of me designing a record sleeve when I graduated were very slim.
So fast forward to May 2010 where last week we attended the D&AD Lecture by Adrian Shaughnessy and Tony Brook of the newly formed Unit Editions. I bought Unit Edition’s first publication ‘Studio Culture’ and many of Adrian’s previous books are on the eskimo shelves so I was interested to see how two figureheads of British design started such a venture and how their careers had landed in publishing.
The talk consisted of them both explaining their careers and studios respectively and then realising after designing many books (Logo, Sampler series) for other publishers the real challenge was creating your own; not to mention financially it makes more sense. Both designers are in a position where they can call upon great designers to collaborate and also promote virally about new works so the business model seems pretty solid. Their recent ‘Design / Research’ papers show a real passion for design, unearthing unsung heros of design and showcasing some hidden gems.
Overall it was a great lecture for fans of Adrian and Tony’s work and their passions, not too sure it gave a real insight to running a publication but more touched on it but I left feeling that I’m glad someone is putting the effort into producing really good design publications to counter all of the crap out there.
A massive welcome to John Owens who joins eskimo creative as Senior Designer.
John is an award winning multi-disciplinary designer and brings a wealth of experience and knowledge to the studio. He has extensive experience designing for many sectors from architectural to the public sector including design for print, web, exhibitions, illustration, typography, signage, branding and apparel. Most recently John has completed works for recent Imperial War Museum exhibitions, worked on the Metrolink brand and re-branded Arts About Manchester.
email John at john.owens@eskimocreative.com
The studio is buzzing at the moment and gaining momentum. We have been working hard, meeting new people, working on new creative relationships, winning new clients and work and expanding our creative offering. Can’t reveal too much at the moment but will have exciting news and some great projects to shout about soon.
A little late posting this but we recently launched a micro-site for Visit Manchester’s January Sale campaign. An effective 3 & 4 column page design able to accommodate and display plenty of information on all that’s happening across Manchester in January. Check out the events on the what’s on page, still lots happening early this year.