Graphics-blog

Typo London

Just over a week ago I took twenty 2nd and 3rd Year students to this year’s Typo London design conference - 2 days of non stop talks from some of the best and most influential designers, illustrators, typographers and all round creative people in the world.

Things that I took from the conference were:

1. The theme ‘social’ wasn’t much of a theme. The general consensus from speakers was that graphic design equaled communication which equaled social. Therefore all design was social. A few speakers tackled the more tricky ethical issues that concern design. Sara De Bondt presented a selection of projects from her studio that were grounded in social responsibility whilst Caroline Roberts presented a more overtly political response to the theme. There was also a lot of general talk about social networks and co-creation.

2. Having two speakers on at the same time presented a dilemma, similar I imagine, to choosing between two stages at a music festival. I all too often appeared to make the wrong choice. I missed Visual Editions, Bibliothèque, Anthony Burrill, Vaughan Oliver and Erik Kessels. And that was just on day one. From feedback from the students Erik Kessels delivered the best talk of the whole conference too! I’ve now been charged with trying to get him to talk at LJMU next year! 

3. I’d forgotten how many times James Jarvis can say the word ‘drawing’ in one sentence - quite remarkable.

4. Kate Moross is a scarily talented and driven young woman.

5. Eike Konig made me want to start up a summer school designed and run by and for students here at LJMU having seen how he’d done a similar thing at HfG University of Arts in Offenbach in Germany.

6. You don’t tell Irma Boom what to do. Whether it’s trying to sack her as the designer of a book or asking her to finish her talk because everyone needed to go home. Her comic timing was exemplary when she said it would only take her 5 minutes to finish her talk and then got out of her suitcase the biggest book you’ve ever seen. A true genius non-the-less.

7. Some of the more interesting talks came from speakers who weren’t designers - in particular Peter Gregson, a cellist and composer, who presented The Listening Machine - an automated system that generates continuous music based on the content of 500 twitter users.

8. I didn’t expect to be moved to tears by KenGarland, the first speaker on day 2. At 10.30 on Saturday morning a silence came over the audience as Ken finished his introductory monologue of funny anecdotes about speaking at past conferences and began to recite five pieces of poetry and prose accompanied by images. The reflective and personal nature of the talk was genuinely moving and an honour to have witnessed. 

As I took this photograph I realised that both Adrian Shaughnessy and Ken Garland have been external examiners her at LJMU. Admittedly Ken’s time was in the late 60s when the Graphics course was a part of the old Liverpool Polytechnic.

Sardinia Summer School update

The first week of the Erasmus summer school that 5 of our students are participating in is drawing to conclusion. Jenny, Tom, Ananda, Alys and Isobel have been busy all week taking in lectures from speakers from universities around Europe; getting to know the students from Madrid, Sardinia, Athens and Cardiff; and developing ideas for a set of live communication problems.

Teams have now been formed. Alys is working on a Save the Chlidren project, Isobel for a Museum in Madrid. Tom’s project is about protecting turtles in Greece whilst Ananda and Jenny have projects local to Sardinia - disused lighthouses and wild boar control! The teams now have a week to produce a short film or animation to communicate and explain the particular issues relating to their brief.

The programme is intensive, but there’s also been opportunity for socialising and generally enjoying the seaside town of Alghero with its beaches and bars. We’re looking forward to a possible trip to the Asinara too - a donkey-inhabited island just off the coast of northern Sardinia.

Further updates next week. There’s also a blog with further details and photos.

The beach just across the road from the students’ residence.

From left to right; Nick Bentley (from design agency Uniform), Isobel, Alys, Tom and Ananda.

Alys bossing her team around!

Nick Bentley before his outdoor ‘public’ lecture.

Isobel giving a brief presentation about herself to all the group. They all did themselves proud.

Ice creams all round to celebrate!

3rd Year London Trip

Not quite as exotic as Berlin, but the 3rd Years still enjoyed their well earned day out in London to celebrate the submission of their final year research projects. The David Shrigley exhibition seemed popular, as were the local hostelries judging by the high spirits and white faces on the return train journey.

The David Shrigley exhibition at The Hayward. It was great to hear so many people laughing in an art gallery. My particular favourite was a stuffed squirrel holding its own head titled ‘Nuts’. Worth the admission price alone.

This sign on Brick Lane always makes me smile. Do they have a problem with people soiling the streets in East London?

The 2nd Year Berlin Trip

It was cold!!!

Oct 2011 : 2nd Year London Trip

We’re taking our 2nd Year to the big city next Tuesday. First up on the itinerary is a visit to The Design Museum’s This Is Design exhibition, followed by options to visit Kemistry Gallery, V&A, Gerhard Richter at Tate Modern, British Museum, Jerwood Drawing Prize, Whitechapel,  Falkner Fine Papers and Cass Art.

Let’s hope we can cram it all in! Here’s a sample of what we might encounter…