June 22-26, 2013

San Francisco

Thanks to HOW Design, GraphicDesign.com has one pass to give away to ONE of our lucky readers! HOW Design Live is split into 4 different conferences but they all take place under the same roof over a period of four days:

Design Conference

Creative Freelancer Conference

The Dieline Package Design Conference

HOWse Managers Conference

For full information on each conference feel free to find out more here: http://www.howdesignlive.com. It will take place between June 22nd and 26th in San Francisco at Moscone West, located at 800 Howard Street, San Francisco, CA, 94103.

How do i get the free pass?
- Follow @atgraphicdesign on twitter if you haven’t done so already!
- Tweet the following:

“Thanks to @atgraphicdesign & @HOWbrand I just entered to get a free pass to HOW Design Live! http://graphicdesign.com/free-howLive”

It’s that simple! You don’t have to do anything else. Interactive Wive will pick a winner at random!

Rules:
- This will run from  Tuesday 11th June 2013 Until June 17th 2013 11:59pm EST
- http://interactwive.com will select the winner (at random)
- The winner will be announced on June 18th and will be contacted via twitter to get their email address in order to explain how to register for free for HOW Design Live San Francisco

The winner will be announced on June 18th so just make sure you do the above before then and you will automatically be entered to win entry to the conference. We do also have a $100 discount rate for all graphicdesign.com readers. The discount code and full information can be found here.

The creative process recognized the equity found in the star of the original logo and transformed it into the dynamic new star made of vibrant colored ribbons. The ribbons depict the multitude of the always fresh, exciting and new experiences at Mall of America which is the magic of the brand.

GraphicDesign.com

Primary Identity | Image

“The power of design is realized when a business challenge is solved. For Mall of America, we knew we had to harness the dynamism of their unique experience, the equity found in their American ingenuity and embrace all the ‘new’ that is their DNA. This dynamic identity system is a direct reflection of their invitation to the world to experience America’s leading retail and entertainment destination,” said Joe Duffy, founder and creative director at Duffy & Partners.

Brand Language | Image

The new logo is designed to interactively utilize colors for a dynamic representation of the heart of Mall of America. Pink for Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure, silver and gold for the holiday season and red, white and blue for Independence Day are just some of the colorful interpretations guests can anticipate.

As an animation, flowing ribbons of color streak across the screen to create the “star” shape. These ribbons are designed to be a nod to the ribbons of the retired Mall of America logo. The fluid motion of the ribbons represents the Mall’s constant change and innovation, while the ribbons themselves are more literally interpreted as a representation of shopping and gift-giving.

Interior Branding | Source

Branded Merchandise | Source

Accompanying the new logo is a new tagline, “Always New.” While maintaining the status of “The Place for Fun,” Mall of America constantly introduces new retailers, exhibits, rides and events. More than 20 new stores opened their doors in 2012 and similar numbers are expected to be reached in 2013. In the past five years, Mall of America has spent more than $25 million in renovations and upgrades, all in the pursuit of treating guests to the ultimate shopping experience.

Website & Social Media | Source

The vibrant new “star” logo will appear on everything from billboards to business cards, gift cards to garbage cans. Mall employees will receive new brightly colored uniforms, helping guests easily identify Mall staff. Mall gift shops will be stocked with updated apparel, accessories and merchandise to show off the new logo in style as well. (Press Release)

Before we dig into some of the most amazing pencil drawing artwork, let us learn some fun facts about pencil drawings that some of us already use without knowing the rule behind it.

Pencil Grades

One of the important factors that help artists to create realistic pencil drawing effects is the hardness of the pencil. Many of us see the letters HB or BB carved on the pencils, but only a few really know what they mean. The letters refer to the pencil’s grading which ranges from “H” for hardness to “B” for blackness. There is also “F” for Fine, which refers to pencils that can easily be sharpened.

The range of pencil hardness to softness includes 20 grades, which are 9H, 8H, 7H, 6H, 5H, 4H, 3H, 2H, H, F, HB, B, 2B, 3B, 4B, 5B, 6B, 7B, 8B, and 9B. Where the 9H is the hardest pencil and 9B is the softest. Each of these pencil grades has the capability to produce a specific range of shades at different hand pressures. So, many artists prefer to use a specific range of pencils in their drawings.

Pencil Drawing Techniques

Through a quick look at the pencil drawing artwork below, you can notice a difference in how each artist uses the pencil. Even in the same drawing artwork, some artists mix two or more drawing techniques. Although a pencil is a very simple tool, you can create multiple effects with it using your imagination, talent, and experience. Generally, there are four main pencil drawing techniques, which are described briefly below:

Smooth Shading

In this style, the artists draw the lines softly and gradually produce smooth shades that hide the pencil lines. This technique can be done using different pencil grades, but generally soft pencils can give you more dramatic and realistic effect. Soft pencils can help you add darkness to the artwork unlike hard pencils.

Cross-Hatching

This method uses hatching to create the contrast between light and shades. The artist starts to draw cross-hatched lines with different density based on the light and the shadows in the artwork. For example, the artist draws fewer cross-hatched lines to reveal the white paper in the lightened areas and increases the hatches to make it dark in the shadow areas.

Circles and Scribbles

In this technique, small circles and scribbles replace hatches. This technique can produce a more artistic look and feel as it adds a texture to the artwork.

Contour Lines

Unlike the above, the contour technique uses simple and clear lines to create the object and give it volume. For example, the artist can use the lines to create curves or edges. After reviewing these pencil-drawing facts, the question that comes to mind: What is the secret behind people’s attraction to pencil drawing, even in the age of the digital world? It may be because of the dramatic effect of black and white drawings, or the ability to create amazing artwork using hand-drawing and simple drawing tools. Share your ideas with me and if you think pencil drawing still has the same grace it used to.

While you think of an answer to this question, I would like to share with you some super realistic pencil drawing examples that can give you a preview of the techniques we have discussed in this article.

Anne Teubert

Henrik Moses

Mark Stewart

Diego Fazio

In addition, Crescenzi’s other projects include pieces for contemporaries such as designer, director and illustrator Adam R Garcia.

We wanted to find out more about the inspiration behind Darrin Crescenzi’s work, exploring brand positioning and future projects…

Darrin Crescenzi

How did you become a graphic designer?

I grew up in central Oregon, where my parents owned a restaurant and my father was a painter. He had a lifelong appreciation for aviation history, and much of his work was about researching and painting famous air battles. We had stacks of books about the history of military symbols, aircraft nose art, and visual design of aircraft throughout history, which he used to ensure accuracy in his work. As I got older I began to understand the complex and sophisticated political motivations and histories embedded in each symbol. Because of this, from a very young age, I was fascinated with semantics and the ways in which meaning could be implied through simple form.

In my small rural town, though, there wasn’t much exposure to consumer brands or art and design culture, so I didn’t know what to do with this fascination. I went to college at Oregon State University to study civil engineering, because building bridges seemed cool enough, and it wasn’t until a chance encounter in the art building that I discovered there was an academic major for people with my affliction. I quickly changed majors, and that was that.

The Houses of Westeros poster 2012 | photo credit: Darrin Crescenzi

You describe yourself as a “brand-centric communications designer”, tell us about the importance of brand positioning?

Though it may have a different name at different places, essentially brand positioning is a distillation of what you stand for as an organization: your values, how you want to be perceived — it’s everything. Great brand-led organizations are very good at vetting decisions through the filter of their positioning.

What I like about Prophet, the agency I work at now, is the intense focus on on-brand creativity. As a designer I’m paired up with strategists, engagement managers, brand innovation specialists and business analytics types — a wildly diverse group of brains who all inform on different aspects of a client’s needs — to actually help author these brand positioning concepts in addition to executing against them. This means being involved much earlier on in the process than is standard, bringing an end-in-mind mindset to the forefront when helping our clients establish the guiding principles for their business.

Lunatic | photo credit: Darrin Crescenzi

I see one of your recent projects was for a friend of yours, Adam R Garcia. The piece illustrates the history of the word “lunatic”. Could you tell us more about it and how you went about your piece?

Adam is one of my all time favorite humans, an unbelievable collaborator and dear friend. I’ve always admired the way he is able to apply the same high level of passion and drive to personal projects and curiosities as he does to his client work. He’s very diligent about creating tangible manifestations of his interests, of which his Illustrated Etymology project is a great example. I learned a lot about prioritizing self-authorship from working alongside him at Nike, and I ramped up my own commitment to personal work partially out of a sense of design-envy of self-initiated projects just like this.

I selected the word lunatic because it provided an intriguing visual challenge: needing to illustrate the cyclical story behind the word’s origin in a single frame. Using the phases of the moon as a way to “reveal” a hidden nature wasn’t my instinctual response to the brief, but through design methodology and many iterations I found it to be the most effective solution — which I guess is my way of saying “beautiful.”

What project are you working on at the moment?

Never a dull moment. For clients, I’m currently working on a refreshed visual brand for a major pharmaceutical company, as well as a couple of really exciting identity projects which unfortunately I’m sworn to secrecy on, for now. Then there is a couple of passion projects I’ll be sharing very soon — a brand identity for a Brooklyn-based charter school with a focus on art and design, as well as a fun personal foray into digital experience that I’m extremely excited about. I just need more time in a day to get it all done.

Which brand would be your dream client?

I’ve been very fortunate in my career thus far to have had a few “dream” projects — designing Team USA’s Olympic uniforms, creating immersive experiences as a part of one of the most revered brands in the world. These days, I’d rather be helping something fledgling become ubiquitous or helping to expand iconic brands in new directions — create the next brand du jour rather than simply maintaining the current one.

For me, the dream project is one in which I work alongside talented people on a complete vision; from initial positioning and portfolio strategy of an organization through how the visual and experiential design can reinforce and express the positioning in exciting and unprecedented ways. I’ve really enjoyed my limited forays into hospitality and retail design for this reason, so hopefully there’s more of that coming.

Team USA | photo credit: Darrin Crescenzi

Do you have any advice for aspiring design talent?

I get asked this a lot, and have been trying (unsuccessfully) to compile a list of things I wish I would have known coming out of design school. In lieu of that, here’s the gist: Set impeccable type, and be the type of person that others want to have around.

Darrin Crescenzi’s drive and passion for design is undoubtedly mirrored in the brilliant work that he does, with the underlying sentiment that “real fulfillment comes from never being content and having the passion to grow both as a designer and as a person”. Crescenzi’s design career is a creative evolution that we at GraphicDesign.com are sure to follow…

Check out Darrin Crescenzi’ portfolio and tell us which of his designs are YOUR favorite!
Gather more design inspiration from Darrin over on Twitter, or visit his website HERE.

In 2000, she left academia to dedicate herself wholly to The Creativity Workshop, which she founded in 1993 with Alejandro Fogel when they were cultural ambassadors for the United States Information Agency. (Source)

We had the privilege of interviewing Berc with some questions that have been on our mind about The Workshop pertaining to how the program can have an effect on the everyday Graphic Designer.

When was the first Creative Workshop?

They started in Tuscany in 1993. then became a full semester course at The University of Iowa where Shelley was a professor in the international writing program for professional writers and the playwriting MFA program and Alejandro was a professional visual artist.

How did The Creative Workshops come about?

We believe that there are plenty of places teaching specific art techniques but no one concentrating upon where imagination and creativity come from in each individual and how to keep it alive over time in a career. we wanted to address that central aspect of art.

I see the workshops take place all over the United States and Europe. Do you have a member of staff in each location?

Yes, we have local assistants but our in-house staff teach all the workshops

What can a designer gain attending one of these workshops?

Designers are one of the primary profession groups that take this workshop. P and G hired us to work with their product designers for health and beauty to keep them in touch with their imagination, originality, and the ability to keep seeing in new and exciting ways. We do a lot of work with guided visualizations, envisioning, exploring images of the imagination and working with visual metaphors–all of which are very fruitful and exciting for designer specializations from industrial to graphic to interior.

Designers will also :

• Learn practical techniques to stimulate creativity, imagination, and innovative thinking

• Get over creative blocks, writer’s block, and paralyzing self-criticism

• Find new sources of inspiration in everyday life

• Establish a 15 minute a day creativity practice to accomplish these goals

That sounds great, can you tell us more about what goes on during the workshops from a designer’s perspective?

In addition, designers can experience Moving Between Visual, Visceral, and Language-Based Exercises. We believe that working back and forth between writing, oral storytelling, drawing, collage, and visual imagery stimulates the full spectrum of human cognition in a way that working within just one discipline does not. Working outside our discipline and therefore out of our comfort zone can release us from stultifying perfectionism and give us the freedom to experiment, and make mistakes. We are free to discover new concepts, new projects, new possibilities.

Don’t forget you can receive a discount to the workshop courtesy of GraphicDesign.com for $200 off Europe and Dubai and $100 off NYC. All you have to do is enter discount code GD2013. Simply go to www.creativityworkshop.com and select the workshop you wish to attend. You then simply need to enter GD2013 when registering. (Source)

Here are upcoming Creativity Workshops for 2013/2014 (Source):

New York
June 7 – 10
August 16 – 19
August 20 – 23
October 18 – 21
December 21 – 22 Intensive

Crete June 23 – 29
Barcelona July 4 – 10
Provence July 16 – 22
Florence July 25 – 31
Dubai December 4 – 7

2014
Prague March 23 – 29
Dublin March 31 – April 6

We spoke with Ilise Benun; founder of Marketing Mentor and the Creative Freelancer Conference (with HOW Magazine) about what new developments attendees can look forward to at CFC this year.

The first change is an expansion of CFC to three full days. A change that Benun described as providing a day for “the 2 days’ worth of intense information sessions to sink in” as well as creating more time for post-conference workshops, networking and roundtables. At the time of our interview, early bird registration had already reached 380 registrants—close to surpassing last year’s total attendance and putting it on track to be bigger than ever before.

Another change this year is more peer-to-peer exchange. Attendees can find it “so much more powerful to have someone speaking from their own experience” Benun said explaining how the new peer-to-peer focus had come out of attendee feedback asking to hear more from peers as well as experts. A request which new sessions such as “CFC Lab: Freelancers Speak on their Best Business Practices” and “Peer-to-Peer Mentoring” seem designed to fill.

Last but not least of this year’s changes to CFC is “matchmaking” with the in-HOWse Managers. Benun, described how this idea came out of an “aha moment” at last year’s conference when managers from the in-HOWse conference kept coming over to CFC to ask her for freelancer recommendations. So this year, there will be a joint happy hour where the two groups can meet and get to know one another. Aside from the benefits mentioned above I’d like to add that the Creative Freelancer Conference community of attendees and speakers was one of the most welcoming, encouraging and talented I’ve ever experienced.

To register for the HOW Design Live Creative Freelancer Conference or get conference details visit HERE.

GraphicDesign.com readers receive a $100 discount. Get the promo code HERE.

Listen to interviews with 2013 CFC Speakers HERE.

Connect with the Creative Freelancer community on LinkedIn or visit the blog HERE.

HOW Design Live Logo Credit – Eiseverywhere.com
Ilise Benun Headshot Credit – Marketing-Mentor.com
2011 Conference Image Credit – HOW Conference Blog

It does, however, require an annual commitment that is billed monthly. The company also offers pricing levels for students and teachers, single application only, team pricing and discounts for users of CS 3 or later.

So, what are the benefits to this head in the cloud quandary?

For Adobe, this certainly works well. Subscriptions are a much more predictable source of recurring revenue.

For users, it’s handy. You can access your files across a myriad of devices from your desktop system to your laptop, tablet or your phone. Collaboration and sharing seem pretty straight-forward and easy, even if your clients don’t have Creative Cloud or know what the heck it is. Updates are built-in, if you choose to update. Creative Cloud has Behance integration and a subscription comes with the pro features of Behance, including ProSite — a fully customizable professional portfolio with your own unique URL. Adobe also offers product support and a library of video tutorials. Creative Cloud for teams also includes another level of support. Each member of a team gets two one-on-one sessions with an Adobe product expert per year.

Still, there are many concerns for a lot of people. Probably the biggest concerns are needing to be connected to the Web to use the software and working on your files in a browser. Adobe says those are common misunderstandings. The applications live on your hard drive, not in the cloud. They are installed just like any other application. And, although you do need to connect once per month to verify your subscription, being connected isn’t required to use an application. Being connected most likely isn’t an issue for many graphic designers, anyway. If you’re at all like me, and I suspect you are, you pretty much live on the ‘Net’.

Nonetheless, there will probably come a time, usually the worst time possible, when your connection goes down for this reason or that. It’s part of Murphy’s Law and akin to your hard drive spinning its last right at deadline time.

Another concern is not owning a real physical disk(s). Having something to hold in your hand or spill coffee on is reassuring. But, when it comes to Adobe products, or most software for that matter, you never really owned them. You simply licensed the right to use it on your system.

What about deciding to jump ship after working with Creative Cloud? What happens to your files and all your hard work? It’s still yours and you can open them with a previous version. The caveat is remembering to save the file down to a compatible version. As you likely know, Adobe isn’t really big on backward compatibility, but it can be done.

Then, there’re are always instability issues and bugs to deal with, such as Adobe needing to take down it’s sync feature a few days ago. The company provides system status updates where users can check on how healthy Creative Cloud is at any time.

Many new graphic designers, as well as some veterans and, of course, students aren’t known for being on the affluent list. For freelancers and others, adding yet another item to the monthly budget isn’t all that appealing. That was pretty apparent in a CNET and Jefferies & Co. survey from last year. The companies conducted a follow-up survey which showed users are getting a bit more used to the idea of digging into their pockets on a monthly basis.

For the cash-strapped and rebels out there, there are other options. Gimp, for example, is an open source (read: free) Photoshop clone of sorts. Inkscape is a lot like Illustrator and Scribus is similar to InDesign. Odds are, these aren’t perfect solutions and there are some compatibility issues. Scribus can’t open InDesign files natively, but you can save an InDesign file as postscript to get it into Scribus.

At the end of the day, it’s every Abode Creative Suite user to decide whether or not to jump onto the cloud. It’s the way things are going and it’s not likely to change. The world around us is moving and changing at break neck speed. Do your homework, learn as much as you can and make an informed decision for your particular needs and situation.

Progress is impossible without change, and those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything.
~ George Bernard Shaw

Kitching spoke as part of Monotype’s Pencils to Pixels series—a lecture series which talked about the history and future of graphic design, although he said in referring to his work, “Pencils to picas would be better name.”

Photographed by Phil Sayer

So back to that poster: Kitching didn’t mean that it didn’t have merit, that the design wasn’t skilled, it’s just that when describing the work of Alan Kitching, foundation is a very important word. While he’s well versed in software and speaks highly of digital printing, Kitching’s work hearkens to an older tradition—one when typesetting was a blue-collar job and the size and style of type you used was filed away, letter by letter, in boxes. He left school at age 14 to become a typesetter, after realizing that he wanted to make posters for a living—an odd career choice in his hometown where most people built bridges.

“I loved it, I loved setting type. But I knew there was more to it.” A discovery of Jan Tschigold lead to an early appreciation of more sophisticated approaches in typography and layout, and soon Kitching found a successful career in design, working with legends like Pentagram founder Colin Forbes and illustrator Bob Gill, becoming known for his expertise in typography.

But as he told the crowd, “I came to the end of the line, as far as I wanted to go . . . I had to go back to where I started.”

Alan Kitching
Broadside 4
1990
Letterpress print
Artist’s Proof
Sheet size 53 x 76cm

And so, Kitching returned to setting type by hand, creating an experimental series of broadsheets or posters that explored type and his connection to it. A broadsheet dedicated to the typographer Dr. Berthold Wolpe, the creator of the typeface Albertus; a broadsheet explaining where his letterpress studio was; and unusual maps that used only type and color to describe locations. He made maps using just type and color; making them look more like poems than maps.

Doing this well on a computer would be hard enough, doing it on a printing press and setting the type by hand brings a new level of difficulty. And part of what’s so impressive about these broadsheets is the sheer size of type. Kitching wasn’t using just any type, he was also using typefaces from a theatrical poster company that had gone out of business. Imagine making a poster with metal letterforms as big as cereal boxes.

Alan Kitching
A Thing of Beauty is a Joy Forever
2012
Letterpress print
Edition size 25
Sheet size 75.75 x 56.5cm

But just as important as the size is his use of color — Kitching doesn’t rely on high-contrast color schemes to get his point across, rather, the colors seem to blend and emerge from each other. “I’m trying to get away from this,” he said, pointing to a large elegant logo on the painted wall behind him, perfectly scaled, rendered black and white, “I’m trying to move things forward. I don’t want perfect.”

But frequently the results are perfect. They’re eye-catching and expressive, they pull you the reader in because the reader is often trying to determine how to read them while still appreciating the design—and then there’s that moment for the reader when everything comes together.

Kitching’s experiments with letterpress led to commissions for magazines, the National Theatre of London, Saatchi and Saatchi, as well as more unlikely clients like AOL, and after seeing it, I would have to say that using a centuries-old printing technique to advertise for an internet service provider has resulted in easily the only America Online advertisement that is still worth looking at today. His work has been on billboards and postage stamps — and all of this success discovered after having decided to leave graphic design behind.

Alan Kitching
Hamlet
2001
Letterpress print
Edition size 12
Sheet size 84 x 59cm

I was lucky enough to bump into Kitching in the West Village the day after his talk. He was wearing a field jacket with a few pens in the front pocket, and told me that he was walking around as research for a map of New York. I couldn’t help but smile, knowing this map would be like nothing I’d ever seen before.

Monotoype’s Pencils to Pixels talk series concluded May 9th. A more in-depth and recommended profile of Kitching from 2001 can be found here.

View more of Alan Kitching’s work and sign up for updates HERE.

Since its inception, the Foundation has served 2.5 million people affected by the disease and raised more than $500 million to support cancer survivors. One of America’s top cancer non-profit organizations, the Foundation enjoys a four-star rating from Charity Navigator and has been recognized by the National Health Council and the Better Business Bureau for its excellent governance, high standards and transparency.

Press Release

Executive Vice President of Operations, Andy Miller, today charted an assertive vision for the Foundation’s path forward on behalf of those living with a cancer diagnosis, delivering the “State of the Foundation” address at the annual LIVESTRONG Foundation Assembly. Miller delivered the remarks in place of Foundation President and CEO Doug Ulman, whose arrival in Chicago was delayed due to weather.

LIVESTRONG Foundation Executive Vice President Andy Miller delivering the the ”State of the Foundation” address at the LIVESTRONG Assembly in Chicago

In the speech, Miller outlined strong 2012 results for the Foundation, announced robust, ambitious goals for programmatic expansion in 2013 and beyond, and reaffirmed the organization’s commitment to helping those affected by cancer today to deal strongly with the practical, emotional and financial challenges they face.

Press Release

A Livestrong Foundation Promo about the people inside the organization

“‘Will the LIVESTRONG Foundation survive? Yes. Absolutely, yes!’” Miller exclaimed to more than 500 of the Foundation’s leaders, partners, grantees and advocates gathered in Chicago from across the U.S. and around the world. “Our work is too meaningful, our role too unique, the need too great to stand for any other answer.” The LIVESTRONG Foundation also unveiled its new logo at the Assembly, a visual change designed to underscore that the LIVESTRONG ethos — the belief in fighting for people affected by cancer today — is not abstract and, in fact, drives all of the Foundation’s work.

The new logo is a natural next step in the Foundation’s evolution and is intended to provide the Foundation’s corporate and marketing partners — and the public — with an unmistakable way of communicating that buying LIVESTRONG-branded gear or supporting the Foundation equates to helping those affected by cancer right now.

LIVESTRONG Day will take place this year on May 17, 2013, the 9th anniversary of the launch of the iconic yellow LIVESTRONG wristband, announced Miller. It will represent another key milestone in the Foundation’s history, following the 2012 celebration of its 15-year anniversary and the departure from the organization last fall of its founder, Lance Armstrong.

Press Release

Tell us about yourself- when did your graphic design journey begin?

I’m a graphic/web designer and self-proclaimed design addict. I love designing all sorts of things from logos to posters but I’m particularly passionate about branding & web design. I’ve been designing for as long as I can remember but I’ve been a professional graphic designer for just 3 years.

My design journey begin as soon as I learnt to draw and I’ve been addicted since. I think it really began when I first got a computer and started to play around with manipulating images and designing my own CD covers and magazines just for fun. I’ve always loved how imaginative you can be with design and how you can make your ideas come to life as visuals.

Academic Diary Cover | Photo credit: C J Hancocks

Freshers’ Week Logo | Photo credit: C J Hancocks

Where do you find the inspiration for your work?

Generally I find the inspiration for my work on the internet. There’s so much amazing design work accessible through a few clicks of a mouse that it seems the obvious place to go to when looking for inspiration. My favorite website of the moment is pinterest and I use it to build moodboards for all my projects. It’s great for being able to easily share my moodboards with clients too.

If you could choose only one, which would be your favorite area of design?

My favorite area of design is definitely branding. I love designing logos as I find it a real challenge to come up with something original that doesn’t look the same as any other logo out there and also portrays the right image for the brand. I really enjoy branding projects as I love designing for a variety of different medias, from printed business cards to websites and graphics for facebook.

Who do you think of as your dream client, be it for a re-brand or a collaborative project?

I’ve always thought my dream client would be Coca-Cola. It’s the ultimate iconic brand that everyone in the world recognizes and I imagine designing for them means you’ve made it! I love everything about the brand too as it’s so happy and feel-good and I love working on projects with that kind of feel, where I can just have fun and be expressive with my work.

Live & Loud Logo | Photo credit: C J Hancocks

Tell us a bit more about your Live & Loud project. How did it come about?

My Live & Loud project was for the University of York Students’ Union Freshers’ festival in 2012. The inspiration behind the logo and design for the posters was 90s popular culture as I figured that most fresher’s joining the university that year would be 90s babies. 90s fashion, which is also back in, was so vibrant and busy with lots of clashing colors and patterns and I thought these things would portray a really fun and ‘loud’ feel for the event.

Live & Loud Poster | Photo credit: C J Hancocks

What are you working on at the moment?

At the moment I’m working on a couple of projects in my free time including branding and website design for a naughty gift company which is really fun and also a logo and website for a local start-up charity. In my full-time job I’m currently working on the new website for Timberland UK – the first project I’ve done proper html & css coding for which is a huge learning curve!

Mat Davis Foundation Logo | Photo credit: C J Hancocks

Charlotte’s design story showcases the journey of a multi disciplinary creative with the drive and perseverance to succeed. The bold and striking imagery displayed by Creative Juice offers an insight into the future work of this fantastic designer.

We will certainly be watching this space for upcoming projects from Creative Juice.

Vinteas Shop Illustration | Photo credit: C J Hancocks

Follow Charlotte on Twitter and Pinterest for further inspiration. See more from Creative Juice HERE.