www.lagrafica.co.uk Fri, 09 March 2012 14:19:00 Fri, 09 March 2012 14:19:00 Dan /blog/2012/march/designing-out-of-my-comfort-zone/ Most designers will eventually settle into a particular 'style'. Some find that illustrative graphics are their thing, others develop a very clean minimal style, and everything inbetween. Good designers are usually able to move between styles depending on the client, rather than enforcing their own prescrpitive style on a job.   I like to think that I've been able to do what's right for my clients, finding the right approach for each client. However, I recently found myself a little bit out of my comfort zone on a recent project - a 180 page coffee table book for lovers of a vintage lifestyle.      The book is Pretty Nostalgic Home, and was written by Nicole Burnett and Sarah Legg, who run a vintage and artisan market in South Wales. The book is a must for those interested in developing a vintage home, from the kitchen to the garden via celebrations and tips for buying the right stuff.     As you'll see from the images, the book required a very distinct visual identity. The writers wanted to create a  'scrapbook' approach, with the photos and annotations appearing as if they've been stuck in with love. To further develop the scrapbook illusion a handwritten font and cut out bits of paper were used to good effect.     However, as most of my clients have had at least some semblance of a corporate edge I had become accustomed to certain 'givens' in my design approach - I expect everything to line up nicely where required, I still enjoy using white space to direct the eye (my instructions for this even included not leaving any white spaces!), I expect there to be a distinct focus on each page - but on this project I almost had to unlearn many of the things i've learned in my professional career and take a step back to my days of keeping a sketchbook on art A-level and the like.     Having gone through that process I'm very pleased to add the project to my portfolio, not only as a creative success, but as a lesson that an old dog can learn some new tricks, making sure I keep on my toes and not take any styling issues for granted. You can purchase the book on Amazon  http://www.amazon.co.uk/Pretty-Nostalgic-Home-Happy-Vintage/dp/0957133901/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1331300928&sr=8-1  . Please let me know what you think of it.   /blog/2012/march/designing-out-of-my-comfort-zone/ /blog/2012/march/designing-out-of-my-comfort-zone/ Fri, 09 March 2012 14:19:00 Dan /blog/2011/december/uktv/ I'm often asked what my favourite logo of all time is, and as there's so many great identities throughout history and with different reasons I find it difficult to say. However, a current brand I find really effective is the UKTV brand. You may not be familiar with the name or the company logo, but you're bound to be familiar with the product. They're the company behind digital channels Dave, G.O.L.D, Watch and many others. Why i like the brand is not for the UKTV identity in its own right, but how each channel is represented by its own individual icon, but is tied together through one common element - the circle. You may not have openly noticed it before, but this subtle iconography reassures you that you're watching a 'proper' channel, while also remaining individual enough to represent the subject matter or content of each channel appropriately. Essentially, the lesson is that sub-brands and divisions need not be simple colour change variations of the masthead logo, but can be interesting and vibrant entities in their own right while remaining true to the parent company's values. www.uktv.co.uk /blog/2011/december/uktv/ /blog/2011/december/uktv/ Wed, 07 December 2011 20:51:00 Dan /blog/2011/november/the-first-of-many/ I'd like to welcome any readers to the new Lagrafica blog. I plan to upload interesting images I come across, write about things that interest me in the design world. Hopefully you'll find it useful and stimulating too! Let's see eh... Dan /blog/2011/november/the-first-of-many/ /blog/2011/november/the-first-of-many/ Fri, 18 November 2011 19:48:00