Goodness me. I’m so bored of seeing silhouettes being used in design. The first time I used them was over 20 years ago when I drew the outlines myself with the aid of Adobe Illustrator – or was it Macromedia Freehand (the precursor to Illustrator?). It was when I was working for an agency in the Docklands. The client was the London Borough of Barnet and I designed an exhibition stand for a jobs fair. The design was brilliant (if I do say so myself) and quite innovative for it’s day. I traced round images of people in different professions and then interspersed these images with job titles to illustrate the jobs that Barnet council offered. I distinctly remember getting really positive feedback about it and I felt chuffed to bits.
36 Days of Type
Personal projects don’t come along very often with me but when they do, it generally means that I want to put my all into it and really push the boat out creatively.
I’ve always loved typography and I stumbled across the 36 Days of Type project on instagram on the day that it started (29th March). Now in it’s third year it has a very healthy amount of contributors and followers. I didn’t think twice about doing it or worry about how much of my time that it would take up. I just jumped head first and thought that no matter how busy I was that I was going to finish this project and that it was going to be good. And I’m so glad that I did it.
Illustrating The Trust and Enfield Market
Following on from the logo design branding blog published last week, let’s move onto the marketing aspects of the project. If you haven’t managed to read the rebranding story yet, please read it first as it forms a really good base for this follow up blog.
Enfield Market promotional material
As there were no actual photos of the new market (it hadn’t relaunched yet), I was asked to do some illustration as an aid to promote it.
The Trust branding story
The client
The Old Enfield Charitable Trust is a charity which serves the community of the Old Parish of Enfield. With the aid of grants, they aim to support families, individuals and community organisations in financial need. They manage Enfield Market which runs every Thursday, Friday and Saturday.
Design tender
I was approached in mid July by The Trust and asked to tender for the branding and design of their work. The project entailed logo design and marketing material which was going to culminate in the relaunch of the Enfield Market on 1st October in time for British Food Fortnight. The main brief was that they wanted three logos.
- The Old Enfield Charitable Trust: established to aid the community. They award grants and welcome donations
- Enfield Market: There’s been a market in the square since 1303
- The Market Place: The square that Enfield Market resides in. There will be different events hosted in it and The Trust want to promote it as the place to be.
Ready, steady, Instagram
So I’ve finally succumbed to the power of Instagram and to date, I have four photos on there. Woot woot! I’m going to be using it not only to showcase photos but also illustrations and graphic design stuff. It takes a bit of getting used to though and I’ve resisted joining for so long for a number of reasons:
2014: Top three projects
Hamilton Chase
Coming in at a very high number three of my top projects for the year is the Hamilton Chase Rebranding project. I really love getting my teeth into rebranding a business. But it's not for the faint hearted. A lot of trust is put into you to get it right. I feel privileged to have been an integral part of this project. It wasn't just a new logo but redesigning all of their marketing material, including stationery, brochures, signage and adverts. What a project and what great clients! Honestly, if you're looking to buy or rent in Barnet, check out these people first. They can be found at hamiltonchase.co.uk. They really are top notch property experts. Read the blog.
Redesigned logo
The Edmonton Summer Festival
Oh my days. Where do I start? I had to write three blogs to cover this one. From the bespoke illustration and design/branding of the entire festival to the three day photography fest. I loved every minute of it. Read the first blog.
Design & Illustration
The Palmers Green Triangle Clock
Coming in at the top has to be The Clock situated in Palmers Green. What an amazing project to be part of. How many graphic designers can say that they've designed a clock that will be in situ for many years to come? Errr, I guess that there aren't many but my hand is riding high. You can read the blog here.
The clock
Hamilton Chase rebranding project
The brief
Since the beginning of the year, I’ve been working with an amazing business called Hamilton Chase – a family run estate agents based in Barnet.
They approached me with a view to rebrand their business (see original logo left). They had bought the company almost a decade ago and had inherited the logo and the shop décor. and now thought that it was time to make their own mark and celebrate their tenth year anniversary.
Edmonton Summer Festival: People
This is the last post in the trio series for the Edmonton Summer Festival. From music to dance, and crafts to henna and face painting. There was something for all the family to do. A relaxing time could be had by all by bringing a picnic basket and letting the kids try the free sports activities situated next to the music tent. And not forgetting the ducks. Did anyone remember to bring some bird seed for them? Whoops! I didn’t. Here’s a selection of photos that I took over the three days. See if you can find a photo of yourself.
Edmonton Summer Festival: The Artists
Gosh, I am a greedy moo. I had the pleasure in designing the posters/banners for the promotion of this amazing festival AND also being the official photographer but I am certainly not complaining!
I spent a lot of time in front of the music stage getting snaps of the artists in the red and blue tent, which cast a hue over their faces but it made it all the more atmospheric and sort of…intimate. Unfortunately, I wasn’t there for the entire duration so here’s a quick snapshot of what happened over at the music stage.