david downton

David Downton is one of the most well renowned fashion illustrators today.

Importance of Designing a Brief

What’s in a design brief?

A design brief assists all the key stakeholders in the design project. The designer must have every bit of information possible in order to develop an effective design solution. It is rather like a relationship with a physician. If the physician isn't told about all of the patient's symptoms, then the physician cannot offer the best treatment for the problem. Similarly, relevant information must not be withheld from the designer, who needs it in order to design a useful solution.

A fully developed design brief for a major project must incorporate the background, needs statements, and tactical information such as time frames, budget, and desired outcomes, contained within both the RFP and the proposal. Once these two documents have been completed, they are melded together into a proper design brief, which will usually include more comprehensive data than had been included in either the RFP or the proposal. It is essential this document is written down rather than being in the form of a verbal agreement to avoid later disputes.
A truly useful design brief should be developed by two people - one representing the group with the business need for design and one person representing the design company that will execute the design work. Both individuals are equally accountable for the results of the design project.
A good design brief should answer the following questions:

• Why are we doing this project?
• What are we trying to accomplish?
• Why is this project needed?
• Why are we doing it now?
• What specific business outcomes, or results, do we expect from this design project?
• Who are we designing for (this requires a very precise and complete description of the target audience for the design project)?
• Who are the key stakeholders (eg sales, marketing, law, distribution, procurement, manufacturing, etc) in this project?
• What is the current and anticipated business environment for the results of this design project?
• What, precisely, are the phases of this design project?
• How much time must be devoted to each phase?
• How much will each phase cost?
• What is the competitive environment like?
• Who will approve the final design solution?
• What criteria will be used for this approval?
• How will the design solution be implemented?
• How will the results be measured? 

Example brief
http://www.graphicdesignblog.co.uk/sample-brief-design-packaging-for-a-box-of-dog-treats/

http://www.lizziefinn.com/index.php?id=0

Lizzie Finn uses http://www.lizziefinn.com/index.php?id=03D construction of hand made characters and stitched typography for Moloko album ‘Things To Make and Do’

design council

http://www.designcouncil.org.uk/resources-and-events/Business-and-public-sector/Guides/Briefing/Top-tips/

"The quality of client relationships is often cited the most important aspect of running a design business. If the relationship is good but something goes wrong in a project, it’s probably survivable. But if a project is completed to a high standard and the relationship is poor, the client may well take their business elsewhere."

Below is a video and information about mainting client relationships within design.

http://www.designcouncil.org.uk/resources-and-events/Designers/Guides/Managing-clients/

http://vimeo.com/14270756

Dan Matutina

Dan Matutina is a designer and illustrator based in the Philippines. His illustration style is a mix of handmade & digital, clean & dirty, old & modern aesthetics. His works is heavily influenced by sci-fi, film & Philippine folklore. Dan co-founded Ideals — a social enterprise design & communications agency. Just recently, he started Plus63 Design Co. a new graphic design studio.
He has worked with different companies in the Philippines & abroad. His client list  includes: Good Magazine, Ecomagination, Popular Mechanics, Wired (Italy), The Few Gallery, BBDO Guerrero, DDB, Publicis Manila, Rogue Magazine, McDonald’s, Bayantel, Nestle, & Coca-Cola Foundation, Inc.

Below is an interview about his work:
http://www.illustrationmundo.com/wp/8004

http://twistedfork.me/

Ben Normanton

Ben Normanton is an illustrator and designer who has worked for multiple clothing company's including my yard and is currently working for drop dead clothing.

A q and a taken from Bens ask tumblr
how did you get so well known? Do you think the rep monster squad gained is what has made you as big as you are? Just curious if you ever publicised yourself when you were starting out.

Hey, I’m glad you like what I’ve been doing mate. For those who don’t know ‘Monsta Squad’ was a small project I had going roughly 5/6 years ago when I became hugely inspired by the UK’s independent clothing labels/scene (notably Trapstar and A.in.T). Brands like Mishka, Rockers and The Hundreds where getting small drips of UK distribution and all this shit was exciting to me so I wanted to be involved in some way and make some shirts of my own. I enjoyed doing it and they sold ok….got to meet some awesome people through it (i was at uni then too) so it was a lot of fun and I’d recommend it to designers/drawers etc who want to provide people who like their work with something physical whilst making a little bit of money. I always got my close friend who was doing it with me to talk to ‘the man’ though so not much really lead back to me.

In my eyes to be ‘well known’ is a foolish pursuit. It really really doesn’t matter. The quickest way to be well known is to kill people ‘mental’ style or film yourself having sex and see if the internet loves it. Just do what you love doing without physically harming anyone else and whether people like it or not you’ll be happy. The internet is the greatest communicative tool we have, it connects people worldwide….I see it as our modern equivalent of a megalithic structure. It’s infinitely huge and gives you so many different opportunities to make your mark in different ways and share the shit that makes you tick with other people…..so just throw stuff out there and see what happens!

More q and a from his site
http://asksuckout.tumblr.com/

http://www.suck-out.com/

Also a short video showing a one of his designs going from the sketch to the final product.
http://vimeo.com/31847673

Adam Dedman

These drawings were commissioned by JDK for Burton Snowboards. They were later used in the design of Burton's 2010 "Clash" snowboard.

adam dedman - nike 6.0

Adam Dedman is an illustrator and graphic designer based in the south-west of England. In 2010 he graduated from University College Falmouth with a degree in graphic design. He has worked on projects for clients such as Burton Snowboards, Nike 6.0 and The Washington Post.

http://www.adamdedman.co.uk/

anthony yankovic

embassy skateboard design

Anthony Yankovic is a professional Illustrator and Graphic Designer with 9 years experience specializing in Art Direction, Design, and Illustration on a multitude of projects including all aspects of the casual apparel industry, skateboard and snowboard graphics, plus numerous album cover, editorial and packaging illustrations. Key clients include: Alien Workshop Skateboards, Foundation Skateboards, K2 Snowboards, Burton Snowboards, Tokion Magazine, Complex Magazine, Nylon Magazine, Dentyne Gum, Alive! Records, Tee Pee Records, Jansport Outdoor Products, 55DSL Clothing, Nike, and Upperplayground.

http://anthonyyankovic.com/section/52898_Illustration.html

Good Wives and Warriors

We are Good Wives and Warriors. GWAW is the creative partnership of Becky Bolton and Louise Chappell, who met while studying at the 
Glasgow School of Art. Rebecca means ‘good wife’ and Louise means ‘warrior’, and together they create weird and wonderful illustrations and sprawl-
ing wall paintings. We have participated in exhibitions in Europe, the USA, South America and Australia, and we continue to work on illustrations using 
our experimental collaborative approach. They are currently based in London.

Find the interview below
http://thedesignfiles.net/2009/02/interview-becky-bolton-of-good-wives-and-warriors/

Jon Burgerman http://jonburgerman.com/

  
Jon Burgerman makes vibrant, neo primitive scrawls of shapes and colour. Jon Burgerman has pushed his monster-like characters into compositions where cartoon-like forms are crammed on top of each until they create a screaming mass of energy. Intensely prolific, Jon Burgerman has pushed the character obsession of the late 90s into a far more interesting and strong direction. Think Walt Disney at an Incan monument on mescaline.

  Jon Burgerman has built a strong reputation through his unique and colourful artworks of swooping, intertwining lines and hyper-emotional characters. Working across a variety of media that includes drawing, painting, print, animation, large scale murals and toy design, Jon Burgerman art retains a hand-made, hand-drawn quality. A sense of British self-deprecation, dry humour and modern-day anxiety imbues his work along with an enthusiasm for salads.

Papering over the cracks Museum installation commission.

http://jonburgerman.com/work/papering-over-the-cracks

The following link is a full interview with Jon Burgermanhttp://jonburgerman.com/
http://www.thunderchunky.co.uk/articles/jon-burgerman-talks-doodles/

Gordon ‘Middle Boop’ Reid

Poster for the Royal ballet

Deerhunter-GigPoster

 In less than 2 years, Gordon ‘Middle Boop’ Reid has already established himself strongly in the design and illustration scene.

Do you have any advice to give designers/illustrators wishing to target the music industry? 

It’s always a tricky one working in the music industry, as I’m finding out more and more how so many people in bands or who work in the music industry actually did design/ illustration courses at uni therefore do a lot of artwork themselves or are so protective over their music that it can become a real challenge working together. My best advice would be if you’re friends with a particular band, ask to do some artwork for them, album covers, t shirts, posters etc,  even if they’re just playing to a handful of people or playing the local pubs you never know who’s going to become the next XX or Foals. Also if you can work into the agreement total creative control or thereabouts, it will save a lot of hassle on your side. Either that or make sure the band in question sits down and writes you a brief. I’ve had too many people asking me to do album covers  without any proper ideas or knowledge using buzzwords like ‘we want something that’s minimal’ and you just know whatever you send will never be right. Take it like any other project, just make sure you set out an agreement before hand with the client.

Below is an interview with the artist about his working processes."

http://www.thunderchunky.co.uk/articles/the-middle-boop-empire-has-begun/

http://www.middleboop.com/

Nicole Gustafsson

 Nicole Gustafsson was born and raised in Nebraska. Much of her youth was spent playing in the park across the street from her family home. These outdoor adventures helped form Nicole's love of nature and fueled her imagination. It is this spirit of discovery and adventure that she conveys in her artwork.

Nicole currently lives in Lincoln, Nebraska and works as a freelance illustrator and designer.



5. What are three great ways you’ve found to promote your work and interact with potential customers?
The best way I have found to promote my work is through the Internet. I started a blog when I was in college, and more recently I started a Facebook fanpage and Twitter account. Blogging has been really great for tracking my work and events in my life. I like looking back a year ago and remembering what I did and where I was. Twitter and Facebook have been really beneficial to connecting with others, where as people may be shy to post on my blog. When I update twitter or post new projects to Facebook, minutes later I can have comments and reactions to my work. I have found it very supportive and encouraging.

Below is a full interview about her work
http://www.handmadeology.com/interview-with-illustrator-and-graphic-designer-nicole-gustafsson-of-nimasprout/

On/Off Collective

On/Off Collective are a group of young creatives from the worlds of fashion, art, illustration, graphic design, creative writing, music, radio and producing. 
http://www.grafikmag.com/turn-on

Michael Murdock

Client: co: Year: 2010
After seeing my sketchbook work, NY agency co: asked me to do illustrations of their founding members based on their role in the company. Given the organic development of my sketchbook drawings, and only a (very) rough sketch as a direction, I suggested jumping right into the final illustrations, creating as I went, to capture the raw energy and creativity of the founding team. 

 Below is an interview with Michael Murdock

http://photoshoptutorials.ws/creative-inspirations/digital-art/interview-with-illustrator-and-designer-michael-murdock.html

http://www.mjmurdock.com/

Adam Haines

This is the artwork and studio space of Adam Haynes


And an insight into his create process
http://vimeo.com/22207341
http://www.hellonekko.com/blog/interviews/adam-haynes-interview/ 



http://stickfort.com/

The power of packaging design

Packaging on a supermarket shelf has less than three seconds to grab the attention of a consumer.

Those three seconds are exceedingly important when you consider that more than 70% of purchasing decisions are made at the shelf. Add to this the fact that supermarkets can contain on average 40,000 packs to choose from, then that pack has got to work hard.
Packaging’s role is threefold:
          To sell the product
          To protect the product
           To facilitate the use of the product

Illustrator: Belle Mellor
Title of work: Ogopogos
Brief: Images of people pretending to be The Ogopogo, a Canadian mythical beast, to be printed on a Wine bottle.

Below is an interview with Belle Mellor


http://lizstration.posterous.com/interview-belle-mellor


and her personal site :


http://www.bellemellor.com/index.htm

The Dandy Warhols

This album combines two different Andy Warhol (The Factory) designed covers for two different music artists, The Rolling Stone’s Sticky Fingers and The Velvet Undergrounds self titled album. Both classic covers in their own right. So for a band with the name like Dandy Warhols it just seems fitting.

Sony design process

  The Sony design process

The origin of the design projects undertaken by the Sony Design Group varies. An idea may originate with design centres themselves, product planners or marketing. Design briefs vary considerably in their level of detail and sometimes projects are run on a competitive basis given to several studios simultaneously. The centres then compete to be chosen to deliver the final project

The leader of a design project is the interface between the design centres and the rest of the Sony organisation. In this role, that person negotiates the terms of each project.
When a project is sent to a design studio it will be assigned either to an individual or to a team of designers who will then be responsible for the design until completion. During the design process, the designer or designers report their design at weekly crits and review meetings at the design teams to ensure that designs in progress are extensively judged and tested.
During the evolution of a design, Sony Design generally uses a four step process for its industrial design.
User analysis - Designers and product managers will occasionally use information about the product’s market. This may cover user behaviours, the environments they operate in and the lifestyles they enjoy
Image sketch - Initial concepts are presented as 2D sketches so that the direction of the design can be commented on and agreed quickly
Rendering - Once the concept is approved, Sony uses the latest 3D CAD technology to construct a detailed model of the design. This allows the designers to ensure that the concept will accommodate its mechanical and electronic elements properly and will allow the cost and ease of manufacture to be evaluated
Mock-up model - A physical mock-up model allows a proper understanding of the design in context, identifying potential usability issues.
It is emphasised that the design process for product design as described above is necessarily flexible, and has to adapt both to different projects and contexts in Sony. Also, this process is currently under review, so that Sony can assess how best to plan and carry out its designs going forward.

Jenny Saville

Tom Gaul http://www.tomgaul.com/

This is the work of Tom Gaul, London based creative with a passion
for making eye catching images. The brief was to produce a series of illustrations based on classic BBC comedy characters. 

He graduated from the University of the West of England studying illustration . Since then he has picked up a client list including BBC worldwide, Radio Times and Guardian. His work was featured in the Association of Illustrators Best of British contemporary illustration for years in a row, in the design section (Images 29 Annual,Images 30 Annual, Images 31 Annual, Images 32 Annual - Bronze Award )

Toms work is firmly grounded in life drawing, striving to capture likeness through a range of techniques including constructing computer manipulated collages for reference photos and experimenting with various ways of mark making.

Aside from is commercial work, Tom enjoys constantly filling sketchbooks with a variety of found objects, random thoughts and doodles, often using these books to inspire and develop his illustration further. 

http://www.tomgaul.com/

Official poster for The German festival Oktoberfest

Oliver Weiss is a designer and illustrator that focuses on many aspects of design. Below is an insight into his art
http://www.sprayblog.net/2010/10/spraygraphic-interview-with-designer-oliver-weiss/

http://www.oweiss.com/

Sleevage

Sleevage is a blog all about music cover art. From the LP’s of the 60′s to the digital artworks of now.

We’ll post the best or most interesting covers everyday (well every week) in an effort to become the world’s best resource for great music artwork.

Sleevage is another blog by Soap Creative a digital creative agency based in Sydney, Australia and Los Angeles.

If you like online advertising then you might also like our other blog Bannerblog.

Tj Schiller pro ski design

T shirt design for a charity project curated by his friend Brandon Ilenstine

Jared Nickerson is a 26 year old illustrator based out of Seattle, WA and has been in the industry 5+ years.

Q.   Considering how many tees you’ve done in the past yourself and witness so many at lafraise.com,    how do you approach a new design? What do you think works / doesn’t?

A.Honestly you’d think there would be a science to it, but essentially there isn’t. Depending on the community and area of the world, certain things work and don’t work. Some communities love their character designs, others like their big abstract prints, while others even like their tshirts with a “punchline”. What I find works best for me though is an assortment of elements mixed together. Those seem to be my most popular designs

Q.     As well as tees, you’ve got your work plastered all over Ryzwear sneakers, hoodies, websites and even ski’s. Would you recommend up and coming illustrators to stretch their design skills and work to these different canvases?

A.     Essentially in any design industry it’s great seeing your work on any medium. I definitely suggest experimenting with different companies. It really helps reach new audiences as well. People that might be avid skiers would have never seen my work if it wasn’t for their favourite skier using a pair of my skis, the examples can go on. Essentially the more platforms and mediums you use, the better coverage you get.

Q.    Your logo work is excellent too, the majority of your approach to logo design goes against the grain of standard identity design, being quite detailed, intricate but yet quite beautiful. What do you consider your favourite logos, and do they influence your logomarks?

A.    Logos are one of my least favorite things to design/illustrate. I always find it’s too much pressure to sum up a whole company or organization in one simple graphic. I think my favorite logos though are the ones that are a small artwork in themseles. Ones that tell a short story, instead of just a letter in a box. Mind you, the logos that seem to work the best are the ones that are the simplest. Someone mentioned to me that the best logos, are the ones that anyone could recreate on a napkin. That shows true branding.

more of his work can be found here http://www.jthreeconcepts.com/#
/

Parris wakefield Additions

Studio Parris Wakefield Additions

Additions is the design blog of Studio Parris Wakefield a graphic design
studio who have worked in music, fashion and interiors. Our creative director,
Howard Wakefield, worked with Peter Saville for many years and has worked with
many prestgious clients including New Order, EMI and Pringle of Scotland. As part of
our studio's work with long term client Kvadrat we designed a brochure and adverts for
Tord Boontje's first textile collection as well as Packaging and posters for the product
launch of Clouds - the award winning architectural fabric tile by Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec.

http://www.parriswakefieldadditions.com/

mulheres Barbados

This is a mural by spanish artists 'Mulheras Barbados'.
The 'I'm here' mural is based on the short story by Spike Jonze. It was made while the movie was screening at the museum

This is another piece of design by the duo. A custom piano made for fritz dobbert's 60th aniversary.

Below is an insight into the artists intentions and thoughts:
http://www.sprayblog.net/2007/11/spraygraphic-interview-with-mulheres-barbadas/

"What is the hardest part of being an artist?
The ladies. They be fierce"

The team at Howies selected 14 artists to paint reclaimed wardrobes. Each was placed within a howies store For the howies and they each highlight social or environmental issues.

Thanks to the following artists: Brian Cairns, Paul Blow,
Richard Beards, Billy Jean, Aldous Eveleigh,
Roderick Mills, Marion Deuchars, Ian Wright,
Graham Carter, Andrew Mockett, Eduardo Rosa,
Paul Davis, Jeff Fisher and Phil Carter.

Here is a timelapse video of all the artists at work:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1N7InA7q2G4