Laura & her work in progress graphic blog

Tweet!

2010-11-09T11:04:00.005Z

Yay, Tweet Towel (a project we co-designed with WAWWD) got a mention on Swiss Miss. Great job guys! Worth every tiny hand-drawn x (even if they are still burnt into my retinas).

"Hey, that's me!"

2010-10-27T15:54:00.003+01:00

It's weird to find your work reviewed when you're procrasta-browsing in the office.

update Geez louise, now represented on Jezebel. Life dream realized.

Number 10

2010-08-06T23:53:00.006+01:00

So a piece of my work made it into the hands of the PM (and my, DC has aged a bit). Not the most exciting thing that happened to anyone anywhere today, but at least it got name-checked on Mock the Week (!!).

Media Blitz

2009-11-16T22:15:00.004Z

The Visual Miscellaneum is out and about in the States now, and gaining a bit of press!

Fast Company

Gawker
(alright its a link of a link but you can imagine how I jumped out of my chair after lazily blog browsing before bed).

Bedbound

2009-11-11T23:21:00.001Z

I did a bit of graphic work for LittleEverywhere's new production of Bedbound (not the poster, unfortunately). And surprise! It's gotten quite a good bit of press. Congratulations guys! I'm sure it'd due to your creative yet professional press packet :).

Antidote

2009-10-12T22:19:00.002+01:00

Hello, just a quick note that I've started a temporary position @ Antidote today. So far, so good! A bit overwhelmed but hopefully will have some work to show off soon.

Gold Star

2009-09-17T01:04:00.013+01:00

Happy surprise in the mailbox today: a new issue of Applied Arts featuring award winning work by yours truly (horn, blown). If you are so inclined, grab a copy and take a peek. It is the student awards issue so you'll get a great overview of some of the young Canadian and American that's coming up. Or, you know, if you're more of an internet person...

Literary Atlas
Student Winner, Editorial Design in a Series

Poetic Mapping
Student Winner, Corporate & Collateral in a Series

Peek Part One

2009-08-11T15:31:00.008+01:00

Our feature article: Paul Smith (from Maxïmo Park) ruminates on art in the north east. A very personal piece, Smith also gave us some images from his talented friends & artistic inspiration: Laura Lancaster & Peter J. Evans (whose art is pictured in this example) & Rachael Lancaster.

It's Bananas!

2009-08-10T19:33:00.005+01:00

Well, The Illustrated Ape will be in shops any day now. We were supremely lucky and got some great talent in for our issue. It was lovely to have free reign over the visuals (and for me, type & grid). If you ever get the chance, I highly recommend it.

Anyway keep your peepers peeled & pick up a copy! James & I are determined to make it a bestseller. Its a complete labour of love by all the writers, illustrators and especially the editors, Michael & Christian. Show 'em you care!

More peeks to come!

Ape illustrated by the lovely Holly Wales

Information is Beautiful

2009-08-10T19:18:00.003+01:00

Hello chums. Here's a peak at the book to be published in October... It's now called "The Visual Miscellaneum" for those of you in the States (Hi Aunty Ausra) and "Information Is Beautiful" in the British Empire (and hopefully Canada...not to take sides but I think the UK is stuck with the better title).

If you are really keen, visit the website, where the author, David McCandless (aka 'the boss') shows off interesting visual infobits.

New talent!

2009-06-05T10:24:00.001+01:00

I've taken up bread baking (to the delight of everyone I know with a mouth). Its the new knitting, but more delicious/less wool fiber in your teeth.

For a visual scrapbook, there is a certain lack of visuals lately. It's not legally advisable to post work that hasn't been published yet (magazine & book design work).

Otherwise, enjoy the weather!

Happy News: Student Award Winner!

2009-06-04T11:15:00.000+01:00

Just received word that some of my MA work won two Applied Arts Student Awards under the Editorial and Design Collateral section. Woo hoo!

Now Kavya and I can hang in the winner's circle.

(Congratulations to Kavya Shivashankar, 13, who won Scripps 2009 National Spelling Bee).

Orange you glad I didn't say banana...

2009-05-19T10:07:00.003+01:00

Big news! I'm going to be art directing the summer issue of Illustrated Ape! James, my illustrated flatmate and co-conspirator has lined up some amazing visual talents. It's really awesome/refreshing to see the experienced members of the creative tribe helping out us fledgling creatives. Brings on a little tear. Thanks, creative community!

Also just received a new freelance project: creating an identity for a firm which designs cemeteries. First (and probably last) brief ever to include the words...

"On top of all of this, you will also need to integrate, without too much clutter, the idea of deceased Catholics."

Cliplet

2009-01-21T13:58:00.005Z

I'm getting a little nostalgic for some pixel work again... especially after formatting some older work for the online portfolio. Here is a little clip from a typographic experiment. I was always so afraid of After Effects... turns out its just Photoshop with a timeline!

Elegies for Angels

2008-12-06T11:09:00.003Z

A quick, emergency promotional piece for the debut production of a new independent theatre company. As a World AIDs Day event, the single night performance of "Elegies..." hoped to raise money for the Terrence Higgins Trust. While the producers wanted to take advantage of existing symbolism they insisted that the posters should avoid a sober tone. In the end I believe the spontaneous form and handwritten typeface reflects the energy of the performance, while also paying respect to the memory of its entertaining characters.

Business Cards

2008-10-24T11:38:00.005+01:00

Just sent my new business cards off to print! During all my network wheeling/dealing, I have two choices... nerdy double-sided design humour:

Or the simple ‘regular joe sixpack hockey mom’ flavour:My design friend & type guru made a good point... design in-jokes are fun until someone pokes out an eye/has to be explained to a potential freelance client. Thanks, Scott!

Good News Comes in Twos

2008-10-24T11:08:00.003+01:00

I am a busy bee these days...

I've been fortunate enough to do a bit of work experience on a information design book to be published by HarperCollins next year. Due to my love of information design books (a disease with no cure) this opportunity produces a lot of excitement around here.

I'm also in the process of designing an identity for a new theatre company as well as their winter promotional material. Can't say much yet, but it provides a slight possibility of meeting everyone's ideal 'favourite uncle', Stephen Fry. In fact I made them write this minuscule chance of an opportunity into the benefits package of the job.

Information design & Stephen Fry... sigh. Sometimes the universe just works.

Manual Labour

2008-10-16T12:19:00.006+01:00

Book binding reminds me of craft time at primary school.

Space Invaders

2008-10-08T14:35:00.010+01:00

Rediscovered: some mini-books from my first week in London. They aim to document that anxious feeling of a stranger standing too close (usually on the tube).

One book is pure image with each book page being cropped shorter and shorter to create a claustrophobic layout.

Fun fact: my camera broke during the shoot so the photographs were taken with a cell phone & then the webcam of the macbook. To maintain quality, the image layouts had to be rethought and then creatively photoshoped.

The type book was much easier.

Sample spread.

Edinburgh Fringe Festival

2008-09-01T14:04:00.003+01:00

Poster & flyer design for Kings Players’ surrealist murder mystery ‘Just’ by Ali Smith. A really quick job but it was sort of fun after the intense projects from my MA. Unfortunately I never got the opportunity to travel up to the festival, but I heard both the play and the poster received great reviews :).

A2 & A6.