The first speaker of the event was an artist called John Lee. Growing up a huge sci-fi fan watching shows like Thunderbirds and Captain Scarlet, he was enamoured by Practical effects in film. Not being established like it currently is, he pursued his passions independantly creating model scales and photographing them before being invited into the industry for his first project 'The wind in the Willows'. His most well known works include The Martian, Star Wars Episode 7 and Into the woods. He said the reason he was hired was simply because he was seen as " Enthusiastic, Young and Cheap.
His speech reminded me of the love for practical effects and how irreplacable they are.
The Second Speaker Was a Type Designer. Tom Foley went through the history and roots of type. Originating as cave paintings and the evolution of scribe from egyptian symbols to the more modern depiction of the alphabet. He mentioned the progression from hand written scribe to a more legible and clean format of font and what makes a strong shape for type.
His indepth description into the anatomy of letters made me a lot more considerate of the general width and different aspects of my individual characters.
Talk three was about Eve Warrens work. Working currently as a packaging designer, she talked about her work within the local community and the importance of colaborating with other designers and the power of play.
Chris Nunn was next, a war photographer who worked in Ukraine, he tried to avoid conventional war photography and focused on the people living within the war zones. He photographed young summer love and all the optimistic and peculiar people he witnessed. He also did a series based within the hospital in Ukraine as something to do while recovering from the war damages he had taken.
His story was interesting and gave a more authentic and intimate representation to the wars of ukraine in 2004. His adaptive ability to immerse himself into social situations and create a more intimate narrative has inspired me to try and create the same level of intimacy in my own work in the future.
The fifth speaker was a James Summerfield, Coca Cola graphic designer. He talked about the origins of Coca Cola and how it pivoted from its intended creation into what it is today. He discussed the values of Coca Cola and the messages they like to portray in their marketing and design. They showed how they innovated older concepts from Coca Cola and gave them a new breath of life with a more modern approach.
The final speaker Craig Oldham was a colourful character who liked to show his pride in his upbringing and culture. His work he showed was very personal and drenched with political context. he used the term "Hairdressing design" to describe work that was all style with no substance. This statement stuck with me along with his idea that anyone can become a graphic designer in the right political movement. It doesn't have to be clean or orderly. It's about conveying a visual message with impact.
Each speaker gave a wonderful insight into their area of expertise and I left the event feeling very invigorated for the new year at university.
These are my scribings from the talks of the day:
