ashspurr.com
chris-clarke.co.uk
stoneandspear.com
maddisongraphic.com
banditodesignco.com
timbasmits.com
minicubby.com
stefanglerum.com
daleedwinmurray.com
scttcmpbll.com
bureaubruneau.com
bennewman.co.uk
ashkahn.com
For the purposes of this task I have selected two of the names above to analyse and determine what it is that sets these designers apart from myself, and therefore what I can do to try and compete on the same level. I have settled on picking one designer that I feel whose standards are achievable within the next few years, therefore the most realistic, and the designer whose career I wish to emulate in the long run, therefore a lot more ambitious.
Firstly I will be focussing on Ash Spurr and his efforts within the graphic design community. He is a recent graduate from LMJU, a university that happens to be just half an hour away from my own residence. After looking at his website it is clear to see that he is just establishing himself, yet his work is already of a very high standard. The website itself is very easy to navigate and has a clean cut and professional look. Instead of links to other pages containing individual projects all the information you need is on just the one home page. This idea has the potential to cause confusion if the page where to crowded and displayed unnecessary imagery. However he has obviously stuck to a grid and therefore the layout works very well. Underneath each section is a brief description of what you are seeing and how he about participating. His website is very impressive and is a clear strength. On the other hand it does not provide the viewer with much information on the artist himself. It states he works in the north of England but that's pretty much it. I think a little background on his ethics or his design process, maybe even an image of the artist would increase interest. Alternatively his work does speak for itself, therefore leaving out that information was perhaps a conscious choice to create an air of intrigue. He has an obvious advantage over myself already, being an earlier graduate and having branded himself before I have even thought about it. However we are based in the same part of the country meaning there is always the possibility that one day we could be competing for the same commission and perhaps his style could be getting stale, whereas mine would be fresh and exciting. A clear advantage of mine. Below is a screen shot of Ash's neatly designed website and an example of his work that I think is really effective.
The second designer who I have chosen to look at is a lot further along the career path than Ash Spurr; Timba Smits. An artist who was born in Australia but decided to move to our little country to make a name for himself, something he has certainly done. His style is strict and upon seeing his style now I am confident I would recognise any future creations of his. My first impressions on the designer have obviously been formed by visiting his website, a very well put together hub. He has his 'branding' present on every page in the exact same position, ensuring optimum promotion of the man himself. His work is assembled into clear categories; illustration, logo and type and design in general. When you click each link you are taken to pages displaying incredible quality product pictures, and large amounts of them. This is all well and good for getting a feel for his style, but I do think that a little bit of explanation as to what each picture is showing would be clearer and give us an insight into the mind of this fascinating artist. He does have an 'about' section which is helpful and I can learn something his approach to design. He is very humorous, something reflected in his work, but also incredibly professional detailing long lists of clients, awards, workshop participations, testimonials and exhibitions. It is clear from this page that the man is very well accomplished and has a lot to offer, a hell of a lot more than me anyway. What drew me even to this artist even more is that besides from the fact he is an amazing freelance designer, he also created one of the best zines I have ever bared witness to 'Wooden Toy Quarterly'. This man has the career that I want. I guess a disadvantage to this however would be his constant struggle to keep up to date with so many projects, pulling him in every different direction. Below is a screen cap of Timba's site, clearly shown is his branding in the top left corner, which is found on every page on the website. Below that is an image of the latest edition of Wooden Toy Quarterly magazine. I think it becomes incredibly apparent after looking at that image that there is a staggering amount of effort put into every edition, it's a good job it only comes out once a year then.
No comments:
Post a Comment