We have designed a new Apprenticeships Directory for Edexcel which targets training providers, large employers and Foundation Education colleges. With training providers and employees being the primary audience the aim of the directory is to show the breadth of apprenticeships Edexcel offer from Health & Social Care to Retail. Edexcel is a well-known and respected name, offering a wide range of flexible apprenticeships, with its key message of ‘more support, for more successful apprenticeships’ running through the directory. Each apprenticeship sector is colour coded to make them more accessible to readers, with large, glossy, cut-out, colour photography to bring the information to life.
Last month we attended the Camberwell BA Illustration degree show where one of our work placement students, Hollie Theedam showed her work. The 2010 external degree show was impressive, with a diverse range of students demonstrating a wide-ranging approach to illustration. The show, Save Our Souls, challenges the boundaries between illustration, design and art and students showcased self-initiated work, from painting, drawing, typography and printmaking to film, photography and animation. Although a diverse range of work was shown the students were united by their commitment to innovation and integrity. Now it’s time for these young graduates to make their mark on the creative world, without losing their souls in the process!
Portillion Ltd was formed in 2009 and has financial backing from RIT Capital Partners plc and philanthropic interests associated with Lord Rothschild.
Portillion are in the process of preparing to launch in the UK offering good value financial products, service and distribution management, together with techniques to achieve better quality business.
The Portillion name derives from the French word “portillon”, meaning the security gate in front of a castle. We are working with the business to develop a B2C and B2B brand that reflects their commitment, culture and values.
We have also developed a corporate micro-site for the business during the pre-launch phase.
Sophie from our studio and her little sis (bless!) ran the 5K Race for Life in St Albans park to raise money for cancer research at the end of July. They finished in the impressive time of 36 minutes, 7 minutes faster than last year! Even better they raised nearly £300. They have stepped up the pace and have signed up to run a half marathon in October for cancer research and Macmillan cancer support. Donations to Sophie can be made at sophie@silverchair.co.uk.
We get through lots of coffee at Silver Chair so we have started buying Kenco Coffee Refill packs to do our bit for the planet! When we have finished with a packet we can post it, free of charge to Terracycle, an international ‘upcycling’ company, who turn our packs into new products.
Terracycle believe recycling is good, but upcycling is better. When you recycle a lot of energy goes into breaking down the waste and creating something new, whereas upcycling uses more of the waste in its original form to create a new product! This way Terracycle can turn our refill packets into bags, pencil cases, plant pots and more! You also get points for the amount of packets you send in and for every point Terracycle donate money to your favourite charity :-) Our upcycled bag and pencil case have just arrived at Silver Towers, very stylish and great to see our waste going to good use, enjoy your coffee break!
Chris had a fancy dress party to go to last week and a Top Gun outfit that was too big, so he decided to alter it himself! He was, weirdly, quite a dab hand on the sewing machine, if a little wonky on the stitching!
The final result is below, lets hope it wasn’t too restricting and he could still throw some shapes on the dancefloor! As Iceman would say, “you can be my wingman any day!”
A report on this weeks BBC’s Newsnight programme saw graphic designer Neville Brody and Information is Beautiful’s David McCandless debate the growth of data visualisation. Originally from a journalist background, David McCandless found himself swamped by information on a daily basis and decided to experiment with different ways of seeing this information visually, using colours, design and illustration. However by visualising data in this way does it become less informative? Neville Brody seems to think so, in the report he commented that data visualisation was creating little more than pretty pictures, fit for hanging on a wall rather than drawing information from.
So would we be more inclined to read and take in data in its original form of numbers and text, or in this age of information overload do we need to see our information displayed in a different, more visual way. Some would say it’s all about the balance, give someone a table of information to read and they will take it in, but may find the experience dull, but ignore all rules of graph making completely and create a visually arresting image and the lines become blurred, are you asking someone to look at a a graph or a piece of art? Another question to address would be, is the data being accurately presented, or while creating these pieces is some of the core information lost in the creative process? But are we all missing the point? Graphic design is about communicating information, but it is also about style and grabbing peoples attention, and if an info graphic in a newspaper makes someone stop to read an article they were otherwise going to flip past then surely it has done the trick!
Our very own Sophie rocks the Alice in Wonderland look in the What Katie Wore project, only one of THE best fashion blogs. “She looks a bit mischievous and we like that” tell us something we don’t know!
NHS Hertfordshire asked us to create A2 and A3 posters for their GP surgery’s and A&E’s. The aim of the posters was to stop people going to A&E for minor injuries and to utilise the full range of services the NHS offer. Our solution was to use large, striking typography mixed with strong photography to create maximum impact. Each poster targets a different injury, e.g. Bites? Cuts? Grazes? positioned in a star, with the message “you don’t need to be here!” Alongside we used large, colour photos of objects that could be a cause of such an injury, such as a dog, football boots etc. The posters then have different tips on each illness/injury, telling you where you should go and what you can do to help yourself rather than wasting your own time or NHS resources at A&E.
The challenge of this brief was to subtly make people think about how they use the NHS and reassure them that minor injuries, in most cases, can be treated much more quickly and efficiently away from A&E, which is there to treat much more serious illnesses. At the same time the posters needed to be engaging and bold enough to stand out amongst lots of other information on GP surgery walls and in A&E waiting rooms. We think this has been achieved with our choice of striking photography and a strong message.
