YCN Blog

Lizzy Stewart... [New from YCN]

Fri, 10 Jul 2009 11:23:58 +0100

Lizzy, a recent Edinburgh College of Art graduate, visited the YCN studio this morning to show us some of her latest projects. You can see more work from Lizzy here.

Moving Brands and the Lending Library... [New from YCN]

Fri, 10 Jul 2009 10:00:30 +0100

Many thanks to Camilla at Moving Brands who dropped by yesterday to donate a copy of 'Audio Branding' (to which Moving Brands' James Bull contributed) - and kindly mentioned us on the Moving Brands blog. The publication is now available to borrow from the Lending Library at 72 Rivington Street.

Innocent book... [New from YCN]

Thu, 09 Jul 2009 13:51:43 +0100

It was great to visit innocent at their Fruit Towers HQ this morning, to discuss possible projects. A copy of the excellent new book charting their first ten years can now be found in the Lending Library at 72 Rivington Street.

James Houston... [New from YCN]

Thu, 09 Jul 2009 12:45:04 +0100

James Houston popped by the YCN studio yesterday to discuss current projects and a possible collaboration. James was in London to see Johnny Kelly whom he has been partnered with as part of If You Could Collaborate, a project fronted by design studio, HudsonBec. Click here, or on the image above to see a video he recently created for MTV. You can see more of James's work here.

Books on etiquette and more... [New from YCN]

Wed, 08 Jul 2009 14:37:29 +0100

We have recently added a new wave of books to the Lending Library at 72 Rivington Street, among them Vogue's Book of Etiquette (1936), How To Make Money in your Spare Time and The Mini Story. There are some real vintage treasures on the shelves now, so come in and sign up for a library card to take them out.

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YCN at Flickr — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 04:47:50 PDT

YCN at Flickr posted a photo:

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YCN at Flickr — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 04:47:44 PDT

YCN at Flickr posted a photo:

Designer sought by BEcause in London... [News]

Wed, 08 Jul 2009 10:26:11 +0100

BEcause Ltd, a growing experiential agency based in Gloucester Road, London require a talented designer to join their busy team. More details here.

Sang Bleu in the Lending Library... [New from YCN]

Tue, 07 Jul 2009 10:38:08 +0100

Many thanks to Aida at Sang Bleu who kindly dropped by yesterday to deliver a copy of the publication, pictured above, which is now available to browse in the Lending Library at 72 Rivington Street.

UAL Alumni Weekend... [New from YCN]

Tue, 07 Jul 2009 10:05:49 +0100

Last Friday saw the opening of the University of the Arts London Alumni Weekend; with a colourful - and hugely popular - summer fête taking place on the parade ground at Chelsea College of Art & Design on Saturday. YCN was commissioned to design the programme for the event, featuring illustrations by recent UAL graduates; a case study of which can be seen here.

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YCN at Flickr — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 08:32:45 PDT

YCN at Flickr posted a photo:

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YCN at Flickr — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 08:32:36 PDT

YCN at Flickr posted a photo:

Adrian Fleet... [New from YCN]

Mon, 06 Jul 2009 10:28:53 +0100

Adrian has recently updated his website - which can be seen here - with a selection of great new work.

Jake Blanchard... [New from YCN]

Fri, 03 Jul 2009 13:34:39 +0100

Copies of Zine A, created by illustrator Jake Blanchard, are now available to purchase at 72 Rivington Street, or online from the YCN shop. You can see more of Jake's work here.

Chrissie Abbott... [New from YCN]

Fri, 03 Jul 2009 10:12:08 +0100

Illustrator Chrissie Abbott paid 72 Rivington Street a visit earlier in the week to tell us about her latest work, an example of which is shown above. You can see more from Chrissie here.

Matt Ivey in the studio... [New from YCN]

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 15:56:51 +0100

Recent Nottingham Trent graduate, and Commended YCN Awards entrant Matt Ivey, has been spending some time in the YCN studio this week working on the development of ideas he created in response to Arsenal FC's live award brief. YCN are working with the club to develop graphics for their community department's coming 25 year anniversary. More details of the project will be added soon.

Miguel Ornia-Blanco... [New from YCN]

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 13:54:24 +0100

Miguel Ornia-Blanco has some great new work including this illustration depicting the recent Glastonbury festival which was featured in Q Magazine. You can see more of Miguel's work here.

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YCN at Flickr — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 03:26:21 PDT

YCN at Flickr posted a photo:

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YCN at Flickr — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 03:26:15 PDT

YCN at Flickr posted a photo:

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YCN at Flickr — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 06:31:32 PDT

YCN at Flickr posted a photo:

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YCN at Flickr — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 06:31:27 PDT

YCN at Flickr posted a photo:

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YCN at Flickr — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 04:39:08 PDT

YCN at Flickr posted a photo:

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YCN at Flickr — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 04:39:04 PDT

YCN at Flickr posted a photo:

The Drawbridge; for sale at 72 Rivington Street... [New from YCN]

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 11:29:22 +0100

The Drawbridge is an independent, quarterly publication. Copies of the latest issue; entitled 'Horror', are now available to purchase downstairs at 72 Rivington Street, or online here.

Process Research; Manufacturing [A is for Awards...]

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 10:49:09 +0100

After conversations with a variety of manufacturers, we've found a nice and somewhat unexpected solution for the A. There seems to be two difficulties in making the two-toned A; the colours and the raw material. To get the different colours silicone seems to be the best solution. It would be possible to get the blue and red in the same mould, and the rubber would bond when it sets. But to get the white strip in the middle would be very difficult. It could be made of sheets cut and glued together, but to find an adhesive that works well with silicone is a bit tricky since one of the main features of silicone is that nothing sticks to it... And silicone does not have the typical eraser feel to it, and certainly not the smell! So we continued looking. We got in contact with J-Coker, a company based in Kent that makes rubber mouldings. Andy explained to us that they could make the mould, but only for one colour. Not what we initially had in mind but after getting the samples, which had the real rubber feel to them, and some re-thinking, we thought of making the student awards as a one colour rubber, and the large ones for the different disciplines in a different material.

Platform... [New from YCN]

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 10:47:03 +0100

Weiden + Kennedy London is searching for new talent from across the arts, sciences and technology to work at Platform, its new talent incubator. They will hire, teach and work with a diverse mix of people, from all over the world. The placement is paid, lasts for a minimum of 6 months and starts on 9th September 2009. You can find further details of this opportnity by clicking here, or on the image above.

Frame in the Lending Library... [New from YCN]

Mon, 29 Jun 2009 12:18:56 +0100

It was a pleasure to show Tom and Chris from Frame Magazine around 72 Rivington Street recently. Copies of Frame (and its sister title Mark) are now available to browse in the Lending Library.

Rainbow Dropshadow and a coming showreel... [New from YCN]

Fri, 26 Jun 2009 14:16:59 +0100

We're delighted to be working with Portland based duo Rainbow Dropshadow on a moving image showreel as part of some new content additions to the YCN website. A series of live action idents are being created to punctuate a collection of contributions from James Houston, Tom Scholefield and Daniel Britt among others. Shown is a work in progress image; more of which will be very shortly added to flickr.

I've lived in Hoxton for 81 ½ years... [New from YCN]

Fri, 26 Jun 2009 11:32:43 +0100

Martin Usborne has photographed Joseph Markovich, a resident of Hoxton for over 80 years, and published the resultant images in a lovely publication entitled 'I've lived in Hoxton for 81 ½ years' which is now available to view in the Lending Library at 72 Rivington Street. Alternatively, you can see documentation of the full project here, or by visiting Martin's current exhibition at the Hoxton Bar and Grill in Hoxton Square.

Simon Waterfall's Reading List... [New from YCN]

Thu, 25 Jun 2009 13:16:32 +0100

A big thanks to Simon Waterfall from Poke for being the first guest to introduce a collection of personally picked publications to the Lending Library at 72 Rivington Street yesterday evening. His selection can be perused daily in the space from 10AM and seen in full online here. Following Simon later this month will be Sir John Hegarty.

Hold up your Hooples... [New from YCN]

Wed, 24 Jun 2009 17:25:14 +0100

Many thanks to everyone who attended the business ideas workshop, hosted at 72 Rivington Street for Hoople this morning. A selected number of enthusiastic entrepreneurs came along to share their business ideas as part of the workshop which was led by founders Rod Fountain and Marvin Aristotle. Hoople is a new resource which will provide young entrepreneurs with access to advice, support and funding when it launches in Spring 2010. The workshop culminated in an evaluative peer review session during which the boys from LOVEBOX delivered the winning pitch.

Love Mirror by Deadgood... [New from YCN]

Wed, 24 Jun 2009 11:55:31 +0100

The Love Mirror, created by Newcastle based designers Deadgood is now available to look in and buy downstairs at 72 Rivington Street. To coincide with its arrival, Deadgood director Dan Ziglam has answered some questions, and shared some likes. Read the feature here , see the mirror here.

Dumbo feather, pass it on... [New from YCN]

Tue, 23 Jun 2009 15:40:30 +0100

Dumbo feather, pass it on is a 'mook' - half mag, half book which is published and edited by founder, Kate Bezar. Many thanks to Kate for the latest issue of the publication which is now available to borrow from the Lending Library at 72 Rivington Street.

Didn't See It Coming... [New from YCN]

Tue, 23 Jun 2009 14:55:30 +0100

Didn't See It Coming, pictured here, is the charming by-product of a collaboration between illustration students from Kingston University and Stockport College. We were lucky enough to meet a number of the students involved in the project when they visited the YCN studio earlier in the year. Many thanks to Ian Murray at Stockport who kindly sent us a copy of the publication which is now available to browse in the Lending Library at 72 Rivington Street.

Caught by the River is an antidote to indifference... [New from YCN]

Mon, 22 Jun 2009 13:08:18 +0100

“In an age of blackberrys, mobiles, and time is money, fishing is an increasingly eccentric sport. We often sit for hours and nothing happens. There really is no point to it. Coarse fisherman don’t even ever eat their catch. However, if you fish, you have the time to think again, to appreciate and savour the moment. Fishing enables you to take stock, gain perspective, remember great books, hum a tune you haven’t thought of in years. It makes you human again. Sitting with your own thoughts is good for the soul, and you never know, a float might go under, an alarm sound and there’ll be a flurry of activity. Then again, maybe not. It doesn’t matter, you’ve taken time out of the rat race. That’s the key.” Caught by the River is a lovely new book, currently available for loan in the Lending Library at 72 Rivington Street.

Simon Waterfall's reading list... [New from YCN]

Fri, 19 Jun 2009 17:42:39 +0100

Simon Waterfall, co-founder of digital agency Poke, will be kicking off a series of personally introduced reading lists for the Lending Library at 72 Rivington Street. Simon will talk through a selection of his favourite books, magazines and other periodicals to an invited group of library members at 7pm on Wednesday 24th June. His picks will from thereon be available to freely borrow from the library's collection. Further details on the visit can be found here. Those interested in attending such sessions can freely join the library, which is part of the ground floor at 72 Rivington Street; and open daily from 10am. Following Simon in July will be Sir John Hegarty, co-founder of worldwide advertising agency BBH.

Design Indaba in the Lending Library... [New from YCN]

Fri, 19 Jun 2009 17:23:09 +0100

Thanks to Nadine at Design Indaba magazine, based in Cape Town. A copy of the colourful publication is now available to view in the Lending Library at 72 Rivington Street.

Valero Doval... [New from YCN]

Fri, 19 Jun 2009 12:09:08 +0100

Valero Doval stopped by 72 Rivington Street today to chat about shortly selling some of his new work downstairs. Valero has also recently updated his website, showcasing personal projects alongside commercial projects.

Commended: Michael Pusey... [News]

Fri, 19 Jun 2009 12:00:49 +0100

Big congratulations to Michael Pusey who was commended as part of this year's YCN Awards for the work he submitted for the Kleenex Packaging brief. Apologies to Michael for the belated recognition of his commendation on the site. Final preparations are currently underway in the YCN studio for the production research of the new physical A awards; some of which will be presented to all those commended; a list of whom is available here.

Bruce Lee in the Lending Library... [New from YCN]

Thu, 18 Jun 2009 12:32:28 +0100

Many thanks to Hannerie and Peet at Bruce Lee for the array of goodies we received in the post today. Bruce Lee Magazine is a quarterly publication for the music channel MK, and is published in Cape Town. Copies of the publication will be available to browse in the Lending Library at 72 Rivington Street. You can now see more images of any exciting post we receive on Flickr.

Karolin Schnoor... [New from YCN]

Thu, 18 Jun 2009 10:30:02 +0100

Karolin Schnoor has just launched her new website which showcases a great range of her latest illustrations, and can be seen here. We recently collaborated with Karolin as part of a project with University of the Arts London; a case study of which can be viewed here.

Lincoln School of Art and Design... [New from YCN]

Wed, 17 Jun 2009 16:50:19 +0100

'Wait and See' is a collaborative project by Third Year Graphic Design students at the Lincoln School of Art and Design. Many thanks to Senior Lecturer, Barrie Tullet who kindly sent us the impressive degree show catalogue, pictured here, which was designed by Simon Mortimer, David Marsh and Tom Lovell. You can see more work from Lincoln here. Also, a big congratulations to the outstanding number of Lincoln students who were commended as part of this year's Awards; names of whom can be seen here.

The Drawbridge in the Lending Library... [New from YCN]

Wed, 17 Jun 2009 15:13:43 +0100

Many thanks to Bigna at The Drawbridge for the fantastic selection of back issues now available to browse in the Lending Library at 72 Rivington Street.

David Sparshott... [New from YCN]

Wed, 17 Jun 2009 14:55:18 +0100

We were lucky enough to be joined this week by David Sparshott; helping us illustrate some city scenes for a client project. David has recently created some new self-promotional items out of recycled sketch books - a couple of which he can be seen modeling here. More of David's work can be seen here.

Process Research; Model Making [A is for Awards...]

Tue, 16 Jun 2009 17:34:35 +0100

The silicone had cured overnight (it takes 8 hours), so the A was ready to be taken out of the mould when I came in to Rivington Street this morning. It's always exciting to see how the piece will turn out when casting, and it often takes a few times of casting and fixing the mould before one is happy with the result. This time it turned out ok, the mould cracked a bit from the pressure where I'd fixed it before, but no major drama! I just trimmed off the excess silicone around the edges and did a bit of sanding to finish it. So here it is; the A in soft silicone rubber.

Riitta Ikonen for ActionAid... [New from YCN]

Tue, 16 Jun 2009 12:02:41 +0100

Riitta Ikonen was commissioned earlier in the year by global charity ActionAid to create a large scale installation as part of the Put Your Foot Down campaign. You can see a newly edited film documenting the project here, or on Vimeo; here. We are currently working on another project with ActionAid, as part of the Bollocks to Poverty university tour. Further details to appear here shortly...

Vorn in the Lending Library... [New from YCN]

Tue, 16 Jun 2009 10:07:52 +0100

Many thanks to Agnes at Printkultur, the publishing house behind Vorn magazine; multiple copies of which are now available to borrow from the Lending Library at 72 Rivington Street.

Sam Blunden... [New from YCN]

Tue, 16 Jun 2009 09:58:57 +0100

East London based graphic designer, Sam Blunden kindly sent through an impressive pack of printed materials (pictured here), and will be popping by soon to discuss a potential future collaboration.

Process Research; Model Making [A is for Awards...]

Mon, 15 Jun 2009 16:36:31 +0100

After the moulds were ready I started mixing the silicone with the catalyst and some blue oil-paint. Since the silicone is quite hard to pour I filled the two halves and then put them together, and just added some through the pouring hole. Now it'll stay clamped together until tomorrow morning...

Process Research; Model Making [A is for Awards...]

Mon, 15 Jun 2009 16:01:01 +0100

The two halves are done! Unfortunately the second one had to be sawn apart since the A got stuck in the mould. As there are no angles on the 'walls' of the A, this was going to be a tricky one, even though the A was covered in a layer of vaseline. I put the pieces together with plaster and worked on the inside of the mould to make it smooth and even.

Process Research; Model Making [A is for Awards...]

Mon, 15 Jun 2009 15:49:47 +0100

At the same time as we're contacting manufacturers, I'm also making a silicone model of the A. From a wooden prototype I've made a two part plaster mould. The pens and knife creates channels to pour silicone into the mould, and to let air out. After building a frame of clay, the A is covered in plaster.

The ODD Experiment... [New from YCN]

Mon, 15 Jun 2009 14:55:01 +0100

The ODD Experiment is an ongoing collaboration between YCN and design agency ODD to create artwork for the the front of their new building on Berry Street. To kick off the project, Elin Svensson and Johanna Lundberg have produced a 'static animation' to adorn the windows. The illustrations will change frequently to reveal a new element within the series once every couple of weeks. A case study will be added here shortly.

This is a Magazine in the Lending Library... [New from YCN]

Mon, 15 Jun 2009 14:34:00 +0100

Many thanks to Karen at This is a Magazine for the fantastic publication which arrived in the post this morning, and which is now available to borrow from the YCN Lending Library at 72 Rivington Street.

George Myers... [New from YCN]

Mon, 15 Jun 2009 10:15:24 +0100

George Myers was recently commissioned by publishing group Redwood to create a series of illustrations for Royal Mail publication, 'Sort It'. You can see a case study of the project here. George has also kindly agreed to share his current favourite 5 Things as part of an interview which is available to read here.

Daniel Britt... [New from YCN]

Fri, 12 Jun 2009 15:29:56 +0100

Daniel Britt visited the YCN studio this morning to discuss a potential collaboration as part of future motion graphics work. Daniel presented an impressive showreel of personal work and is also part of collective This Is It, who have produced a small publication, pictured here, which is now available to borrow in the YCN Lending Library.

Ling in the Lending Library... [New from YCN]

Fri, 12 Jun 2009 13:05:24 +0100

Many thanks to Kati at Ling magazine who kindly donated a number of issues to the YCN Lending Library at 72 Rivington Street. The team behind Ling are also responsible for the fantastic le cool publications, again available to borrow from the Lending Library.

A is for Awards contributor 06; Jennie Hancock... [A is for Awards...]

Fri, 12 Jun 2009 13:01:53 +0100

The final artist to create a 'surprising' print to be used to promote our new A Award is Jennie Hancock, who recently set up the multi-disciplinary design studio TomorrowStudio in East London. We're very much looking forward to presenting the final six pieces of work in July as they're looking very promising already!

Jens Janson... [New from YCN]

Fri, 12 Jun 2009 12:35:37 +0100

It was great to meet Jens when he popped by the YCN studio yesterday to talk about a coming motion graphics project. Jens recently agreed to share his current favourite 5 Things and you can read the full interview here. The image above is a still from his recent animation entitled 'Venustation'. Click on the image, or here, to view.

A call for illustration submissions... [News]

Fri, 12 Jun 2009 09:50:14 +0100

A reminder that Grant Thornton International are looking to commission illustrators through YCN as part of their growing illustration roster, to create work for their image bank. All portfolios are welcome, so please submit yours to sarah@ycnonline.com if you'd like to be considered. Further details of this opportunity can be found here.

Print Club London... [New from YCN]

Thu, 11 Jun 2009 18:03:49 +0100

Print Club London will be hosting their summer screen printed poster show, Secret Blisters in Dalston on 26/27/28 June 2009. You can find full details of the event here.