© Aaron Miller, 2010

Congratulations to all winners and runners up who each receive  four posters from the Brand Nu studio. The winner receives the four posters, as well as a set of iphone stickers.

Winner
Oliver Hoff – Norwich, Norfolk

Runners up
Stacey Olsen – Fleetwood, Lancashire
Cameron Singh – London, Middlesex
Wayne Johnes – Southampton, Hampshire

**

It’s unlikely that you haven’t yet come across the creative, vibrant, highly technical and highly satisfying illustration and design work of Radim Malinic. Radim is an award winning art director, illustrator and graphic designer based in London, UK, operating under the studio name, Brand Nu.

Through his work on various household brands and key advertising campaigns, including the recent prolific London Film Museum brand identity seen all over London, Radim has become one of the most well known and successful commercial illustrators active today.

I was recently sent a copy of his recent book: ‘Book #Three by Brand Nu’, which is a sleek and inspiring account of much of the work he has produced over the last 18 months.

Beautifully designed and printed, the book offers a refreshing collection of illustrations that should not be absent on the book shelf of any aspiring and dedicated illustrator, graphic designer and student. Photographs of the book are further on.

Brand Nu has provided Ape on the Moon with an exclusive offer, giving away four sets of four A3 posters worth over £400/$575 in total to one winner (who receives a set of iphone stickers in addition to the four posters) and 3 runners up each receiving four posters. Photos of the posters are below.

To be in with a chance of winning the posters and stickers, enter into the ‘notes’ box the code apeonthemoon when you buy the new book (BOOK #THREE).

This offer is available on Ape on the Moon until June 16th 2010, when winners will be announced.

The relevance of well designed representations of often highly complex and convoluted information in an information-rich world is now more than ever.

One of the heroes of this industry is New York-based Nicholas Felton, who has been profiled in publications including the Wall Street Journal, Creative Review and Wired. Nicholas found some time to respond to some questions after wrapping up a project designing annual reports.

Were you formally trained in graphic design, and if so, did you enjoy the process?

Yes, formally and informally. I attended the Rhode Island School of Design where I received my degree in graphic design. Prior to that, I scrimped and saved for a Macintosh in high school, so that I could start tinkering with Photoshop, Illustrator and Quark.

I helped some friends back then produce a comic book, doing sundry layouts and production work on the project.

How did you develop into specializing in data and information graphics?

It all began with my personal project The Feltron Annual Report. After a few years of producing them, I began to receive requests from magazines for similar assignments.

Since then, I have been able to experiment and hone my approach to information design through more professional and personal projects.

How do clients normally communicate to you the way in which they want their data to be graphically represented?

Typically, they give me the information and ask me to come up with the best way to present it.

What is the typical work process of your diagrams, graphics from brief to completion and what are the tools you use?

These days, my approach has become a little more high-tech. I like to use Processing to get a sense for the shape of the data I’ve been given, whether it be a mapping or a graphing assignment. By writing or adapting a little program, I can sketch out the data and then determine how bold or nuanced to make the keying or labeling.

If a project is highly typographic, it will be produced in inDesign, while more graphic layouts are produced in Illustrator.

© Nicholas Felton, 2010

What are you currently working on?

I’m working on a graphic for Popular Mechanics, a few other magazine assignments and the Daytum iPhone application.

1. What got you illustrating in your specific style?

I do try to get close to the world where I would like to live. Illustrating is actually a therapy for me. It helps me to focus and let me forget about thinking for a while. I can’t stand a day without drawing.

2. What are the tools you use and the work process behind what you do?

I used to waste so much paper (I don’t feel great about this, but it’s the truth), sharpening my favourite pencils til they are almost running out, and keeping those that are 3 cm tall inside a tin. After the briefing from the client I take down the strongest ideas that keep in my mind.

Think about them twice before I begin to draw or try a sketch. My sketches are very easy and most of them don’t look like the way they look at the end. I’m used to drawing with my Wacom.

Once I get to that process, finally most of the time I spend on erasing, simplifying and correcting mistakes, leaving the idea as pure as I’m able to do it.

3. Who inspires you most at the moment?

I’ve been inspired by the work of animator and illustrator Chuck Jones.

© Laszlito Kovacs, 2010

4. What are you working on right now?

Now I’m working on a graphic-poem book called ‘Mi diente de oro’ (‘My Gold Tooth’) by a Spanish musician called Remate. I’m also finishing a Poolga App for the iPhone and iPad, my second one for iPhone as well after what I did for Qr Love Code. I’m excited about those two projects.

Thanks Laszlito!

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In my view reminiscent of Eastern European design, but also even American Indian artwork, these skillfully crafted images have a strong appeal in their balance and the striking shapes within them.

This post features a fairly in depth interview with Jonny, discussing how he got into illustration, his work process and current projects.

What got you into illustration?

I have never had a doubt that I would end up in the creative industry but just never knew just what area I would end up in. Throughout my foundation course and even on my degree course I was never limited to a single discipline. Ive experimented with graphic design typography and learnt practical skills such as screen printing and book binding.

After all the experimenting I settled on illustration because it was simply what came most naturally to me. They way of working, mark making and conveying an idea through visual imagery appealed to me the most and its since developed from there.

The great thing is illustration is not governed by any solid rules and is more about how imaginative and expressive your work can come across whilst conveying an idea.

What’s the work process behind your precise and symmetrical designs?

I have always been a kind of control freak and I’m that kind of person that needs to know whats happening when and where. The symmetrical aspect of my work is simply an extension of my personality. Every shape has its place and the design has to have balance throughout, the same also applies to colour.


In terms of the working process it really depends on what the illustration is for and what context its placed in. If its for personal experimentation I will jump straight onto illustrator and start creating shapes and looking at photographs whether it be of people places or objects and I will try to re-create what is see using a combination of shape experimentation until its perfect.

If its for a client they generally know what to expect given the style of my work so its just the same working process with the second opinion of an Art Director.

ⓒ Jonny Wan, 2010

What are you working on at the moment?

At the moment I have just finished a few editorial illustrations and finished up writing a tutorial which will hopefully come into print soon.

Aside from that I am still experimenting and working on full body character designs, I want to be able to apply my style to as many contexts as possible which means moving out of my comfort zone and challenging myself so I can apply my style to a variety of commissions. I’m also fine tuning my portfolio and getting ready to contact agencies for some representation.

Thanks Jonny!

MoonApe on Twitter.

I asked her about her work process in creating these and what she’s busy with at the moment.

Katie’s work process:

‘Typically I brainstorm some ideas, first starting with lists of elements and then moving on to quick sketches to help figure out the layout. If I have the time, like with my personal work, I love to have a couple days to have it just roll around in my head. I feel like it is this time that really helps to form what the concept is and how I want to illustrate it.

I then move to Adobe Illustrator and start working away. Every time I hit a tier, a point of refinement, I usually save another copy (art1, art2, etc). This helps to keep track of where I’ve been but also work in stages of importance: Concept > Layout > Refine shapes > Refine colors, and so on.’



ⓒ Katie Kirk, 2010

Katie is mainly working on design work currently and finds herself between illustration jobs. She’s about to get started on a new personal print, so keep an eye out!

Thanks, Katie!

MoonApe on Twitter.

His work certainly reflects this, as well as demonstrating an interesting combination of technical knowledge with strong artistic talent in the characters and scenes he creates.

Brett has responded to a cluster of questions on the art he does and reveals some interesting insight into some of the things that inspire him.

How did you get into illustration initially?

I get asked this question a lot and it’s always hard to define the moment I got involved in illustration as it kind of just happens. I guess it starts as a kid, at a time when you don’t think of it as anything more than drawing pictures; there were no clients, briefs or deadlines involved back then. My choice to use illustration in my career happened at university; around the point where my studies in graphics were mixing with the illustration I was doing in my spare time.

What are the tools you use for your work?

I mainly use Photoshop and Illustrator although there are a load of tools that aren’t as evident in my work including my cameras, pencils, scanner, watercolours, inks and paint pens. I just picked up a 1960’s TLR camera and plan to shoot some stuff over the winter break which I can use in my work and am looking forward to a more hands-on approach.

What is your work process in completing your illustration work?

If it’s a piece for a client I’ll draft out the whole image first as it often needs to be presented to a team of people before its signed off and re-worked on screen. If it’s a personal work or a client piece with complete freedom then I’ll make rough sketches and draw straight onto the screen using them are reference combined with the image in my head and a stack of pantone colour samples.

What is inspiring your art most right now?

The overcast weather, a Japanese band called Toe and the amazing books by Tao Lin. I’m also into using photography as reference material and have a whole stack of new and old camera’s. I guess the one thing that always sticks with me throughout all my work is nature because it has so much to offer; other things include old arcade machines, science, theories, space and dreams.

ⓒ Brett Wilkinson, 2009

What are you working on at the moment?

At the moment I’m working on a couple of new publication illustrations, some repeating wallpaper patterns for a design boutique, band posters, a range of snowboards which may/may not go ahead but I’m keeping my fingers crossed, a stack of new prints and posters, some traditional graphic design stuff and also loosely thinking of the next Inkthis exhibition having taken a break from the event in 2009.

Can’t wait, Brett!

MoonApe

Keep these coming, Matt!

MoonApe

In an interview-style tutorial, Ben is back to teach us how he makes them, showcasing one of his brand new patterns in detail.

For those that don’t know about him, Ben the Illustrator (Ben O’Brien) is based in Cornwall, England, working on numerous projects with the help of his wife Fi. Ben always seems to be busy on something intriguing, so I’m very pleased he and Fi have found a bit of time to share their digital design expertise with us.

I’ve asked Ben a few questions as part of this pattern tutorial.

Tools required: Pencil, paper, scanner, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator

How do you come up with a new idea for a pattern?

It’s pretty much the same as an idea for a regular illustration, it’s a matter of our mood, something that’s inspired us, or something we’ve not done before. Pretty much everything I create along with Fi is landscapes, from the natural to the man-made, whether it’s for a pattern or an illustration, for a client, for fun or for our homewares products.

We will generally have the theme or subject matter before we’ve figured out how it will work as a pattern. You could flip that and set out to think of something that will work as a pattern, but I relish the challenge of creating these patterns, it’s not something I have been doing for a long time, probably around a year now.

The key things I’ve learnt is to start fairly simple. Playing with crazy angles or textures and trying to get them to repeat, can be a nightmare if you’ve not got your head around the basics. So we’ve done repeating patterns of mountain ranges, terraced houses, cable cars and sea otters, but we didn’t have one of perhaps one of our favourites views, hills, trees, lakes and cabins! So now we’re creating one…

Firstly, it’s often easier to work within a square, it will make your pattern a lot tidier once repeated (although a pattern will still work if the single tile is rectangular).

You’re going to draw your artwork, your one single pattern tile inside a square.

The golden rule is that if a line goes off an edge, then it has to continue in from the opposite edge. So if you draw a flat piece of land, and it goes off the right edge of the square, then that line has to continue into the left side of the tile. So in Figure 1, you can see the 7 lines that go off the right hand side, all come in again on the left.

Figure 1:

The same applies to the 4 lines that go off the top and bottom of the square.

To get these lines to always meet perfectly you could draw a measured grid, or work on a lightbox with a grid underneath.

If you have a line heading for an edge, but you don’t want to bring it into the other side, make sure it concludes right at the edge, like points A and B on the right hand side of the drawing. The artwork in the middle of the square can do whatever you want it to!

I might clean-up the drawing a bit, especially if I’ve draw in my own guidelines or rulers all over it, then scan it in to the computer.

I’ll take it into Photoshop first, crop the page to the exact requirement and test the repeat, by just copying and pasting the square once on either side and above and below. The quickest, neatest way to do this is to ensure the layer you are drawing on isn’t a background layer (if so, double click the padlock in the layers panel then click OK to make it a normal layer).

Click ‘Image > Canvas Size’ and enlarge both dimensions by 300%.

Select the ‘Move’ tool (the black select arrow) and hold down ‘Shift’ and ‘Alt’ while dragging the image to one side, it will pull a copy of the image and keep it in-line, snapping into place along an edge. Repeat the copy/drag until you’ve got a cross, which will enable you to see every side of the original, central image tile, with repeats on every side as in Figure 2.

Figure 2:

Figure 3 shows the final, coloured single pattern tile.

Figure 3:

Below is the completed repeated wallpaper pattern, done and dusted!

ⓒ Ben O’Brien, 2009