Nathan Beddows

My friend Nathan got in touch today, here he is!

Nathan is an illustrator and freelance photographer that I've worked with a good few times doing contributions for 'Ride BMX Magazine'. He has just set himself up a blog, you should have a look. Here is an animation I've made from from our most recent collaboration; a trick how to article for the december 2007 issue.

It seems people in BMX have a really weird idea about how the magazine industry functions. They seem to have the idea that Ride Magazine just goes to different places around the country to find people to photograph. The whole article involved a few weeks of planning, emails, phone calls, location scouting, traveling, photo shooting, writing, photoshop work, uploading photos to servers ect. I'm not really the subject of the article but a collaborator with Nathan and the magazine. People never seem to understand that! haha

Anyway, Nathan plans to have a full website sometime soon with his illustration work on as well. I'll keep ya posted!

Recent Activity!

I've been working hard and fast on our typography project at college, I'm making a pamphlet that gives a basic guide to typesetting. It folds out, and on the reverse side their is a poster. This is my first draft for it.

Some minor fettling and that should be ok. I'll post some pictures of the whole printed thing when it's finished.

Found these this week,

illustrations by Linzie Hunter, the inspirations comes from spam emails she receives. It's nice to see somebody turn something so annoying and invasive into something fun and pleasant! I'm getting really into hand drawn type recently, it's so fun and lively, a visual rarity.
Have a look at her website here.
See more of the spam illustrations here.

On the subject of hand drawn type, this was left unused from my recent batch of work for Dig Magazine. Thought it would be nice to show it on here.

Still needs a bit more work to be honest, but I like it.

Been really into to these guys recently, discover upnorth.

Great selection of original type styles. And an interesting mix of clients. It's good to see small commercially successful type design agency's like this, I want to get into doing more stuff like this!

Finally... Here is a Xmas card I've been designing to send out to a few friends and family members who feel similar to the way I do about Xmas! I love spending more time with my friends and family, I'm into eating lots of food and drinking sherry, but... I'm really not a fan of everybody buying each other useless presents because they feel they "have to". So for the last few years I have boycotted Santa Claus, and told everybody I know not to buy me anything. Instead I try and do a "monthly special act of thoughtfulness & generosity", where I treat my friends or family because the opportunity is right, not because "it's the done thing". So anyway, here is my fictional characters birthday card (aka Christmas). (I much prefer the pagan idea of celebrating the summer and winter solstice, at least it's tangible!)

Oh yeah, and Santa Clause used to be green before coca-cola turned him red. Oh and coca-cola created the Fanta brand for the nazis (true story). In other Christmas trivia, a few centuries ago, Christian fundamentalists tried to ban Christmas! They asserted (quite correctly by their own lights) that the 25 December had no biblical connection with the birth of their messiah and that the Christmas festival was therefore essentially pagan.

Win some, lose some.
xx

Good things...

Found this article of the creative review site, documenting 'the day in the life of a designer'. It got quite a bit of bad feedback on the site, but as a student I found it really interesting. I'm pretty sure I want to be a designer, yet I have only have a vague idea of what this actually entails on a day to day basis. The designer they focus the article on is a guy named Micheal from 'build' there stuff is ace.




Also recently found a website called typophile,

where they host little type competitions every week. Looks like good fun, going to have a go at one when I find the time! Check it out here.

Finally, this weekend was Cat from our courses' birthday party, with a mask theme. Me and my house mates decided to avoid spending money, and to get our hands dirty.

Some interesting looks going on there... Needless to say a good time was had by all!

magazines and fonts!

The new 'Shut Magazine' is now available. Launch party was ace, although I feel a bit hungover today!

I was really pleased with how my stuff came out, plus the rest of the magazine looks top notch, so highfives all round.

Also this week, as part of an 'RSA' competition brief I'm doing, I made a new display typeface.

This might also be sneaking its way into the Jan/Feb issue of 'Dig Mag', no promises though!

Weekly Round Up!

Ok, first of all went down London on Monday for the launch of the 'Young Designers Program'. I'm really excited to get started fully on this project, it is truly beneficial to a lot of people. A rare thing these days. To find out more check out their website.

Other good news this week, I've been in contact with Alex from 'The Consult' and he is into me doing a work placement there at some point in the new year. Also been speaking to George Marshall, the art director of a 'Nature Magazine' journal focusing on DNA research. I'm going to be spending a week with those guys next summer learning more about the technical side of magazine publishing. Needless to say I'm really excited about both of these opportunities, us students really appreciate it when were given the time of day by such busy people!



The new 'Shut Magazine' is due back from the printers in a day or so, I'll put some pictures up when I get them. They are having a party to celebrate it this saturday (17th Nov) at the Faversham in Leeds. Should be ace!

Started work this week on some layouts for 'Dig Magazine' (unfortunately I can't show any pictures for a month or so). A few friends of mine are photographic contributers to magazines, and I know how mad they get when their work is misrepresented by the layout in the finished publication. I decided to talk to the photographer of the article, Ricky Adam, and wasn't surprised when he some strong opinions of how his photos should be used , their sizes and sequence. I often feel the importance of this element of dialog in design is overlooked. This strongly relates to the growing crazy of pitch work in the design industry. Have a look at this blog to see what Erik Spiekermann and a few others think. To be honest I think I have to agree with them... we'll see how that one pans out, it's definitely an interesting area of discussion.

Found a cool website this week. It's an archive of interesting, good and experimental magazine covers. A great visual reference.





The work for wire magazine was done by multi award winning London based design studio 'non-format'. I've been flicking through their book 'love song' this week as a reference for a couple of college projects, the work is amazing.
I'd give it a 9 1/2 out of ten on 'the worth-checking-out-o-meter'

My friend Simon Whitlock got in touch this week, I typeset a CV for him a few weeks backs, and after some successful networking at the Sheffield documentary festival he has landed himself with a work placement with the company that makes 'panorama'. He also feels he really needs a online portfolio site to showcase his reportage photography. I'm going to be working closely with Simon, developing the identity created for his CV, with the hope of getting the site up and running before Christmas.

Also illustrator Gus Farnes has asked me to design him a portfolio site as well. Gus's work is lively and colorful, and he has worked for several big clients including Gravis and done live instalations at events like the Ski Show.
I'm looking forward to working with him, I'm sure we can come up with some pretty super ideas.

Finally... my website of the week!

Brooklyn based designer Mike Perry has some amazing hand drawn type, and some good illustrations. He runs a small studio and works for a variety of print based clients, one day hopefully, I will be like him! haha.

Thats all for now. Take care xx

Thumbs up and another CV

Just found out my application for the Sorrell Foundation 'Young Designers Program' has been successful! I'm off down to London next Monday for a full briefing on the project, I'm really quite excited!

Also my friend Simon is off to the new comers day at Sheffield Documentary Festival this week, hoping to get himself a job as an assistant to a film company. I offered to re-do his CV for him.

Its plain, professional and neat which is what he wanted. Fingers crossed it will do him well!

Also spoke to the guys at Dig magazine today, and they want me to do some layouts for their next issue. I've only ever done art work for them before so I'm excited about that too.
Right I'm off to bed, Night x

Weekly Round Up!

Ok, so I've been miserably ill with flu all week, but, having said that I've still got quite a bit to report on!First up is a couple of films I've seen this week. Above is 'Mischief Night' which is filmed and based in the Hyde Park area of Leeds, where I live. Its one of those amazing films which manages to raise really important and topical issues, yet remain light hearted, and at times is extremely funny. A must see!

The above and below images are from 'Heima'. It is a film documenting Icelandic band
Also while I was at the cinema I picked up this flier designed by 'Qubik Design' .I recognised the type style from somewhere, then remembered it is from 'How to be a graphic designer without losing your soul' which is the book I've been reading this week while sulking in bed.

It offers really down to earth, practical, honest advice about the simple every day problems faced by designers. How to find work, what to charge, how to deal with awkward clients and so on. Essential reading for any young designer (like myself) trying to a get into the industry.

Also this week I met Alex Atkinson. He is the creative director of 'The Consult' who are a Leeds based graphic design agency. There work is ace, and using my inside contact I'm going to try and persuade them to give me some work experience sometime this year. Fingers crossed on that one.

Also this week the new ride bmx magazine came out. It features a four page interview with myself. I talk about design, my involvement with dig bmx magazine, progress made in bmx film making and large corporate companies such as Nike trying to get involved with bmx.



The media side of BMX continues to improve and videos like this one are a great example of that.

Talking of my involvement with dig, I'm talking with them at the moment about doing an interview with musican, actor and BMXer jme. As well as being one of the better MC's on the UK grime scene he has also made appearances in channel 4's 'Dubplate Drama' which is this countrys first interactive drama show.
Listen to his music here.
Find out more about Dubplate Drama here.
Watch him ride BMX then do a rubix cube here!
If it goes ahead it should be a fairly interesting article!

While were on the subject of magazines, the new 'Shut Magazine' with my illustrations in is currently at the printers. Will be available next week, I'll put some pictures up on here.

Right thats enough for one post, I'm off to bed. Taaa-raaa.