With Black Mirror: Bandersnatch the talk of the internet, illustrator Butcher Billy has seen his comic-style imagery incorporated into the film’s UK promo campaign by Netflix.
Sarah was asked by fashion label Glamorous to draw at the launch of their AW18 collection last week, drawing quick fashion portraits of fashion bloggers and stylists live onto phone cases.
As part of The London Design Festival, Regents Street hosted a series of in store and on store events, installations and talks. Angelica, commissioned by the Communication Store, was centre stage capturing sartorial shoppers in Ted Baker and Aquascutum, creating unique portraits to take home.
Viktor Koen and Istvan Banyai are part of a select grouping of 53 illustrators, cartoonists and animators featured in “Art as Witness: Political Graphics 2016-18” at the School of Visual Arts in New York. This powerful and inspiring exhibition shows us how, in today’s political climate, artists are using satire to record and respond to the current state of affairs.
Lucia Emanuela Curzi is invited back to Covent Garden's second annual Beautython
Following the success of Lucia's, Beautython campaign for Covent Garden last year she has once again been commissioned by Mission Media for Beautython 2018, this time to design a map of the shops of Covent Garden which will be used across all social channels and also in a print campaign.
To kick off the start of Beautython 2018, Covent Garden is pairing up with Glamour Magazine to launch an exclusive panel discussion, the Future of Beauty, at The Shop at Bluebird on Thursday 13th September.
From Thursday 13th September until Sunday 23rd September, over 30 beauty brands will host in-store events, exclusive product launches and Thursday late night shopping.
The map paired with her other illustration have been used to promote the event that sees a partnership with Glamour magazine for tomorrow's event. A video showing the making of the illustration has also been posted on Covent Garden's Instagram with much applaud.
Bright’s Senior Licensing Agent, and newly-appointed director, Hannah Curtis, was honoured to be invited to join the small-but-select panel of judges to decide the award for SAA New Talent in Illustration Associate Prize at the prestigious New Designers Awards, taking place at London’s Business Design Centre this week.
We caught up with Hannah after the ceremony to hear about the exhilarating - but also slightly daunting - process of appraising the assembled new illustration talent on display, and selecting just one winner…
HANNAH CURTIS, NEW DESIGNERS SAA NEW TALENT IN ILLUSTRATION ASSOCIATE PRIZE JUDGE 2018: REPORT
New Designers is renowned for launching the next generation of design talent in the UK. The breadth and wealth of skills is extraordinary and exciting. Graduates are transitioning from the comfort of their degree into the commercial world of design. Specifically looking for illustrators, the appointed SAA agents met to discuss their criteria and how best to sift through the pool of talent.
New Designers Show 2018, Week 2 (4-7 July), inside the Business Design Centre; the SAA judging panel roundtable (literally!); smart stationery, and helpful button badge, for the selection process
We all agreed we were looking for fresh, inspired, new and exciting design. So many trends just keep filtering through, and there is an air of ‘I’ve seen it all before’ despite the creative skill and execution demonstrated. We wanted something new, something that stood out and something that no one else is doing. We were also interested in the commerciality of the work and the illustrator: as Agents we are promoting our illustrators’ work to clients on a daily basis, so they need to be professional, personable, hard working and driven.
Initially scouting alone, the judges came back together to discuss and put their favourites forward. The five creative minds really came together and gelled as a team, helping each other see things in the artists’ portfolios that we might have otherwise missed. We then set off as a team to revisit our shortlist - possibly a slightly terrifying experience for the graduates who saw us coming, mob-handed!
Just a sample of the creativity on display at the show in Week 2
It was clear when we looked again at Ella Rose Brown’s work that we had all fallen in love. Her vibrant use of colour immediately draws you in; inspired by fashion and textiles, she creates beautiful work with an emphasis on detail and a love for culture. Ella was passionate, well-presented and very determined. Her portfolio was vast and, although varied, it was consistently strong. It was clear from the judges’ excitement that we had found our winner!
Ella Rose Brown, Manchester School of Art, proudly displaying her richly deserved SAA New Talent in Illustration Associate Prize
We also had three commendation certificates to distribute, so it was back to the judges’ lounge to decide on our three runners up. Again we wanted to concentrate on originality, fresh ideas and a potential commerciality. George Goodwin from Plymouth College of Art offered a well-executed, fun and expressive style: with huge amounts of detail and bold use of colours, his work really stood out for the judges.
George Goodwin: ‘The Jungle’, excerpt from a crowd-funded illustrated picture and activity book,Don’t Shoot the Long Tailed Tiger.
Maisy Summer Lewin-Sanderson, also from Manchester School of Art, demonstrated a fresh and exciting technique; her mixed-media approach used illustration and collage in sensitive proportions. Maisy’s portfolio showed a strong use of colour, expressive characterisation and a clear narrative.
Maisy Summer Lewin-Sanderson: ‘Night and Day’, spread from a self-directed publication about the bar and music venue of the same name in Manchester’s Northern Quarter
A portfolio that kept drawing us back in, and provided interesting discussion, was Carl Tai Thompson. Carl’s illustrations depict serial killings perpetrated by a murderous alter-ego, ‘Snake Eye’s, stalking India and Pakistan. His interest in culture and colour was obvious, and his conceptual ideas - which were passionately displayed - was inspiring.
Carl Tai Thompson: ‘Yard Sale’, 7-colour screen print.
A HUGE congratulations to all the graduates who took part in this year’s New Designers, and especially to our winner and runners up: you are at the beginning of a very exciting road, one that will offer beautiful opportunities doing what you love - and hopefully excelling at it. Choose the job you love and you will never have to work a day in your life!
ABOUT THE AWARD
New Designers SAA New Talent in Illustration Associate Prize
The SAA Associate Prize is awarded to a graduate specialising in illustration who is judged to have the most fresh and inspiring work within the Visual Communications zone at the show.
The prize will be six months career development by one of the SAA’s member agents which will include mentoring, portfolio advice and promotion through the SAA’s website and social media channels.
During May half term Lindsey was asked to create some live illustration in response to ‘Imagine a story,’ workshop with storyteller Lucy Walters. The workshop was based on Queen Victoria’s life growing up at Kensington Palace.
Tobias Hall was recently asked by Stroke Art Fair in Munich to create a 8x4 metre mural for its main sponsor, Cadillac. The brief was pretty open, so Tobias set about focusing on words and phrases associated with the car (a Cadillac XT5) and the brand as a whole, then employed varying lettering styles combined with illustration to bring the piece to life.
