Snask's Away!

Tomorrow i am going to be flying to Stockholm. Tuesday is day one interning with the nobel prize winning international playboys at Snask in sunny/snowy Stockholm. It is going to be a great two weeks of not sleeping, being terrified, excited, confused, overjoyed and worried, often all at the same time. But, as the ancient Scandinavian proverb goes "if you're not tired, terrified, excited, confused, overyjoyed and worried all at the same time, what are you? some kind of god damn sissy?". I carry that proverb with me wherever I go. Snask's away!

Musical Interlude: Memoryhouse "Lately (Deuxième)"

Memoryhouse - Lately from Jamie Harley on Vimeo.

I am currently obsessed with this song and this band. You may recognise the sample from "phonecall" by Jon Brion aka that really pretty song from the Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind soundtrack. If not, i highly recommend you get familiar with it!

Also, why is vimeo not more ubiquitous?

New Work!: One night, two gigs, two posters.

The Lucid Dream & Black Market Karma at The Source

Vivian Girls & German Measles at the Brooklyn Bowl

Pow! Right in the kisser! In one night i managed to do two posters and i'm pretty pleased with that. The top image is for The Lucid Dream & Black Market Karma gig at The Source in may (put on by the good people of Holy Are You) and the second is for the Vivian Girls gig at the Brooklyn Bowl which was actually last night. The idea behind that poster is a sort of punk-meets-cops-meets-stalker clippings collected about the mysterious behaviour of a mysterious band. I also wanted this one to be deliberately a little on the experimental side. If you click here to view the large size image on my Flickr you can read the copy and hilarious jokes i added in. I enjoyed getting a chance to go back and do some of my lo-fi punk and psych influenced work that i've not really done much of for a while now (a post about two great designers in that area will be coming soon, hold tight!)

The details for the Holy Are You gig are:

Holy Are You presents:

The Lucid Dream

Black Market Karma

Plus Holy Are You DJs playing a velvet evening of mind expanding, foot stomping psychedelia.

Saturday 8th May

8pm - 1am

The Source Arts Cafe, Nelson St, Carlisle

£5 on the door

www.myspace.com/holyareyoucarlisle

get yourselves down there, it'll be a lot of fun. Besides The Source is a massively underrated and overlooked place to hang out!

some Mac icons circa 1985

!!!

Untitled, 1988 by Bernard Voïta

Nice one, Bernard.

Musical Interlude: The Besnard Lakes "albatross"

Absolutely phenomenal and criminally underrated band, The Besnard Lakes, have a song from their new album "the besnard lakes are the roaring night" available for free on itunes. It's called "albatross". It's a slightly slow burner, but once it connects, damn is it good.

Work: Saison De La Nouvelle Vague Au Le PCC

detail of print

detail of print

Poster series for a french new wave film festival at the PCC cinema. Bon bon!

Gordon

My house mate gordon is the man. Seriously. I can hear him doing the washing up right now and he is half signing half rambling to himself and it sounds a bit like he is possibly pretending to be the vampire from the muppets. If you don't believe me, check out the photo i took of him above. Proof.

Happy St. Patrick's Day

T: "Mine's a pint of the black stuff"

M: "...you can't drink a pint of bovril."

Birds & Bee

Here is a little letterpressed type a made a couple of weeks ago but only just remembered about. If you've not already i hiiigghhllyyy recommend that you go down to Caldewgate and hang out with Smiling Alan and use the print making facilities down there. It also a much better fine art silk screen printing facility than what is available at Brampton, which is much better suited to textile printing. Speaking of printmaking, get this book, you wont be disappointed, it teaches a hell of a lot and is an awesome reference:

Printmaking: A Complete Guide to Materials & Processes

Logorama!

Watch the Oscar winning 15 minute short film "Logorama" at the link below. It'll make you think, and/or bring a wry smile to your face, i promise. Definitely worth your time!

Logorama

New Work: The Secret History of Free Market Capitalism

A 28 page booklet printed on newsprint for the ISTD Student Awards 2010. I chose to work on the brief simply titled "Imbalance". Fingers crossed I pass and win membership! Part of the entrance criteria is a "strategy" (aka, explanation) of what you have done and why. Read mine below:

(Warning, its about 700 words long)

"As designers we are gifted with skills and opportunities that allow us to communicate with a great number of people. This gift should not just be confined to projecting brand values or persuading consumers to purchase products, but instead to give everyone the possibility to engage with politics, thought, debate and ideology. Design with a conscience is key to a progressive society and culture – a society that is always aware and always questioning the institutions and regimes that are trying to influence, control or oppress us.

“The Secret History of Free Market Capitalism” is based around “The Shock Doctrine”, a book and short film by Naomi Klein & Alfonso Cuaron. Klein is a highly regarded left wing political writer who often engages with topics such as consumerism and globalisation. “The Shock Doctrine” deals with what she describes as “disaster capitalism” – an economic policy of exploiting human suffering (through wars, natural disasters, massacres, coups etc) to implement free market economies on to societies whilst they are in a state of shock – allowing right wing and emphatically capitalist governments to reap the financial benefits. Inevitably, great divides and imbalances between the wealthy and the poor are created, highlighted by fissures of death, violence and suffering. I wanted to promote Klein’s perspectives and criticisms of these policies, as well as the serious issues and largely overlooked facts that she draws attention to.

“The Secret History of Free Market Capitalism” is fundamentally based on the short film version of “The Shock Doctrine” which is highly succinct and straight forward with its presentation of the facts and ideas that Klein discusses. I feel it is important to offer people who may not have any knowledge or prior interest in economics or politics, relatively short, interesting and easy to digest pieces of information which do not patronise the reader, but also do not require a great deal of knowledge on the subject to gain their attention. Politics, education and information are important and should be accessible for everyone – and that is the fundamental intention of “The Shock Doctrine” and therefore “The Secret History of Free Market Capitalism”: to inform, to educate, to create discussion and to create thought.

For the design of the booklet I took influence from newspapers and inexpensive, easily distributed political posters and pamphlets, their “lo-fi” production and cheap printing methods – referencing them through matt paper, headline style display type and images with heavy halftone dots applied. It was also important to reflect the stark, bold and serious nature of the topics discussed in the copy, shown through my choice of the bold, austere condensed typeface, Trade Gothic Condensed No. 20. For copy I chose to use Aksidenz Grotesque regular, complimenting Trade Gothic with its clean neutrality, but also acting as an attractive replacement for the often over-used Helvetica. Trixie, a typeface designed to look like the letters printed by an old typewriter, was also used in small sections of copy which are quotes from CIA interrogation handbooks published during the early 1960s. Horizontal lines are used throughout the spreads of the book as a graphic device to help create structure within the pages, but also to add an element of discomfort and dissonance, in particular on pages 2, 3, 7 and 10 where they collide with the text and do not comply with the grid formatting used on the columns of type. Their vertical placement down the columns of type is also used to allude to missing sections of the CIA manuals the quotes are from, as if there is even more to the story than what is being presented here – hinting back to the secrecy suggested in the title. This device is also used on pages 5 and 4 where the display type scrolls off the top and bottom of the pages, suggesting that the list of torture methods is far longer than what has been shown on the page. The book is essentially split into three sections: the first, between pages 2 and 13 act as the “Set up” of what the book is about, explaining the details, ideas, economic perspectives and theories about free market capitalism. The second section, spreads between pages 14 and 23, act in contrast to the controlled and collected style of the first section, communicating the facts and realities of the disaster that capitalism has exploited with much more vigour and energy. These spreads are designed to be loud and immediately engaging. The final, and shortest section (pages 24-27) is a deliberate and sharp jump from the noise of the spreads that come before, creating a sudden return to silence, emphasising the shocking and harsh content dealt with in the previous section."

and here is the short film that the entire project was based on (highly recommended viewing):

Musical Interlude: King Khan & The Shrines "Welfare Bread" (live at SXSW)

If this video doesn't make you want to party, then you're dead inside/dead to me (same thing)

Ian Mackaye

Everyone knows that Ian Mackaye is the man. Seriously. But did you know that he is also really good at creating hilarious facial expressions in response to really dumb questions relating to Minor Threat and hardcore punk? 24 seconds is particularly good.

Thanks to Alex aka Jesus Beard

New Work: Summer Exhibition 2010

Poster, private and general view invitations and signage system for the University of Cumbria Summer Exhibition 2010. This is a live competition brief, and a few people have entered: prize is £100 (i am totally gonna blow it all on stuff i dont need) and obviously they then use your work to promote the exhibition which would be pretty neat. I am pleased with what I've produced, not least because i did it all in one day. So tired now though.

To view the invitations and signage please check out my flickr! (the images are too wide to fit on here unfortunately)

Musical Interlude: The Strange Boys "be brave"

one of my favourite bands right now, garage rocking, country-fied goodness. This is a hell of a song to drink a beer to.

The Digital Economy Bill

Incase you havnt heard already, The Digital Economy Bill is being forced through and should be law, unamended by may the 6th. It will rob EVERYONE of their copyright over any image they choose to publish online and will also prevent people from taking photographs in many public places. Much like "Section 44" (which allows the police to stop, search, harass and arrest pretty much whoever they like by accusing them of being a terrorist) it will hand powers over to people who do not deserve it and who will not use it fairly or rightly. It is a disgrace and an insult. Maybe we will see some kind of neo-luddite internet exodus in the near future. That would be beautiful.

RIP flickr!

Read more about it here:

http://www.photoactive.co.uk/archives/7061

London Shop Fronts

Come on in!

This photoblog of London shop fronts makes me sentimental and warm and fuzzy. Although most of the photos are taken in east or south london. I spit on east or south London. Everyone knows north London is the best of the Londons.

Enjoy procrastinating to this one!

London Shop Fronts

Fun fun fun in the number one place for fun

Just thought id quickly mention that me and the one and only Tony Moore (no regrets) will be taking over and playing lots of awesome records tomorrow night at The Brickyard, so if you're in Carlisle please please come down and have some fun and maybe drink a load of jagerbombs then puke outside or something. We promise to play atleast one song about trans-genderism, at least one song about taking LSD and looking at a girls boobs and at least one song about being so high you forget its christmas eve.

p.s it's free entry before 11

UPDATE: tony will play at least one song that contains reference to a microwave oven

Copyright, right?

please please please read the following:

http://www.copyrightaction.com/forum/uk-gov-nationalises-orphans-and-bans-non-consensual-photography-in-public?page=1

Musical Interlude: Beach Fossils "daydream"

Disclaimer: the following is an obscure, geeky ramble.

Let me just take a minute to tell you about one thing: Captured Tracks. This label has been dropping hot little vinyl gems all over the shop for a while now. Beach Fossils might well just be my favourite band putting out records on this tiny little label and the above tune is a beast (although my favourite by them is probably "youth") The label has also put out records recently by The Beets, Grass Widow, Woods, Brilliant Colors, Christmas Island, Blank Dogs, Thee Oh Sees (Dog Poison LP i managed to pick up from Mono) Ganglians (a 7" with a green pyramid on the cover i cant remember the title of, also i got in Mono) Dum Dum Girls and a few others, all of which are incredible. Along side In The Red (Vivian Girls etc) aaannd maybe PPM (No Ages label, although i probably wouldn't care that much if they hadnt put out Mika Miko's records) this is probably the label i get most excited about at the momet. Sub Pop recently signed Dum Dum Girls and obviously nabbed No Age a while ago (bet they're kicking themselves Matador picked up Times New Viking though)- seeing as Sub Pop are the greatest label in the world, this can only mean good things for the delicious lo fi noise that has been gracing/abusing our ears in the late 00s and the current year.

If none of the above made any sense please ignore, if it made kind of sense but you have no clue what im talking about please google the above names aaaaaand if it made perfect sense then please come to the brickyard on the 26th for Show & Tell were me and tony will be playing lo fi garage, gangster rap and maybe a little "chillwave" whatever that is (please come even if it didnt, itll be fun!)

RIP Mr. Alexander McQueen

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2010/feb/11/alexander-mcqueen-dies-fashion-designer

Another shitty death for 2010. Rest in peace, sir.

New work (preview): Skoud "Dag 80" EP

I have one again been lucky enough to work with the good people at Motive Sounds, this time on the sleeve for their latest release, which is the "Dag 80" EP by young whipper snapper and creator of exceptional electronica Skoud. The reason this is a "preview" is because the work is not actually yet finished: a die cut outer white card outer sleeve is going to be made up for the print run, which hopefully will look pretty fantastic, so more of that (and therefore the finished design) to come! The designs shown above are for a booklet which will sit inside said sleeve, along with the CD.

All photography is by me, by the way (click on the images to get a better look!)

Dissertation

I have finished my dissertation. 5,962 words, some complicated, some confusing, some questionable, some nonsensical, but all gold. It includes (but is not restricted to) content relating to Andy Warhol, french philosophy, references to cocaine, genitil mutilation, two separate photographs of people being given blowjobs, Emigre the magazine, Emigre the type foundry, a quote from Myra Hyndly, a drawing of a vagina and some elephant dung.

Where did it all go wrong?:

Times they are a changing

So today i signed up to twitter! You can follow me here. I never thought i would get on twitter but after some enthusiastic persuasion by a Mr. T (Moore) i took the plunge. The main benefit of this i suppose is that it will allow me to focus the content on here a lot more, making it a lot more in depth and interesting (something i've wished to do for a while now), since i can fire the ramblings and mini posts (microblogs eh?) over to twitter. Neat huh? Anyway, follow me!

I should apologise

I am sorry, from the bottom of my heart. I have not posted any Deerhunter related content in ages and i feel that i owe to you, them, me, everyone, that i do so now. Here is a video of them playing "white ink" and a punked up version of "wash off" live in a record store. Niice.

Experimental Jetset

Experimental Jetset are geniuses, true design with thought. Here is a very long video of a lecture of theirs, talking about their work and their influences. It is titled "Friendly Ghosts". Enjoy.

(p.s you have to skip forward about 5 minutes to get it started)

Cool

Some cool posters by Hort for Nike. I'm not going to pretend like i know anything about basketball!

Augmented Reality

Just wanted everyone to go over the the CR Blog today and read about/watch the video titled "An Augmented (Hyper)Reality" by Keiichi Matsuda. I think i will write a much longer post about this really soon (not only because hyperreality is one of main parts of my dissertation!)