Wednesday 16 September 2020


 A great article on the proposed branding for 2028 LA Olympics : 

https://www.designweek.co.uk/issues/31-august-6-september-2020/2028-la-olympics-logo/

Tuesday 15 September 2020


Check out this post from talented designer De2S who has re-imagined famous logos to refresh & update. 

https://www.demilked.com/famous-logo-redesigns-de2s/

Thursday 27 August 2020

Tuesday 11 August 2020

40 years of design culture...

2020 has undoubtedly been the most memorable year in a long while ...and as a design student its crucial to know about design history , culture & society - but where to start ? 

Creative Review have pulled together the most important (in its view..) of the last 40 years including MTV, the "like a girl" campaign and Fleabag. See what you would have added in or left out . Twin Peaks would be out for me - several hours of my life I won't get back. And if you haven't seen Fleabag, do. 

https://www.creativereview.co.uk/40-creative-moments-that-changed-culture/



Monday 15 June 2020

Now you see it..

Now you see it, now you ...well, see something different. Who is this an image of ? Think you know then check the link below to see if you're right !



https://www.grapheine.com/en/graphic-design-en/art-science-of-hybrid-images

Tuesday 12 May 2020

Be a hero. Be Boring.

mucinex noma bar illustrations

https://www.creativebloq.com/news/dull-superheroes
Noma Bar is king of the optical illusion, and he's recently used his talents to create a series of optical illusion posters encouraging people to be 'boring heroes', and stay indoors. The posters were created in collaboration with McCann New York, McCann Health New York and medicine company Mucinex. 
The series shows people in their homes lounging around, reading books, listening to music and using their phones, and these images are all cleverly combined with images of more traditional superheroes.

Tuesday 28 April 2020

Art is the best medicine (official)




Any of you who saw Grayson Perry's Art club last night on Channel 4 can't have failed to see the joy that people have in creating art - from the embroidered duster to the portrait plate drawn by Grayson of his wife Phillipa Perry. 

The link below is from an exhibition last year where famous comedians exhibited their work ,Joe Lycett comments 

Comedians have that spirit of ‘give it a go’ - do a new material night, try it out and see what happens,” says Lycett. “We're maybe more used to failing in front of lots of people. Failure is kept in the dark for a lot of other creatives - who only put out their best stuff, whereas comedians have to try and fail all the time, in order to see what works.”


Batman at Ease by Jim Moir aka Vic Reeves
Jim Moir's Batman (Vic Reeves) 


Monday 27 April 2020

Picmonkey

If you are missing Photoshop , try PicMonkey - which works well on phones as well as PCs etc. It uses a lot of the same features as Photoshop such as layers, dodge, burn etc. Worth a go.

https://www.picmonkey.com/home/signup


Thursday 23 April 2020

It's WORLD BOOK DAY !


Book covers are amazing pieces of design - they have to communicate the story (without giving away too much), hold a title, the author, the publisher ...it's a lot to communicate in a small space.
Have a look at this clip where a book designer explains how he works through the process.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/clips/ztv6yrd

Then maybe have a look at this :

https://www.penguin.co.uk/company/work-with-us/student-design-award/student-design-award.html

Carrie's War book cover design
which features award winner Lucie Williams who studied A'level Graphic design at ASFC a few years ago. (we're very proud !)

Finally, watch this where the presenter takes an image right through to Book cover design
https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/clips/zxfmsbk

Tuesday 7 April 2020

Forgotten password ?


FORGOTTEN PASSSWORD ? See the message below. 




If you have issues with your college password please Email techsupport@asfc.ac.uk for assistance. This can be from a private email address if your college email is not available.
Please include: Your full name, college email address, contact phone number and the last 6 digits from your student card. Someone will then contact you to reset your password after security checks.
Unfortunately we can only respond to password/account questions and cannot support the use of applications or other equipment.

Friday 3 April 2020

Creativity is NOT cancelled !

Hey this is nice ! 
Welcome to the ‘Art is where the home is’ activity pack! On the following pages lots of artists have designed lots of fun activities for you to make and do at home. You can choose to do one or two of them, or all of them. You can do them on your own or with other people, morning, noon or night. We are adding more artists’ designs every week. To find out when these are being shared, sign up to the Firstsite mailing list on our website www.firstsite.uk/newsletter When you have made your artworks, we’d love to see them. Share your creations by posting on your chosen social media channels, and don’t forget to tag us! Facebook @firstsite Twitter @firstsite Instagram @firstsitecolchester

Artists such as Jeremy Deller  Ryan Gander  Antony Gormley Idris Khan Michael Landy  Annie Morris  Harold Offeh   susan pui san lok    Bob and Roberta Smith  Mark Titchner   Mark Wallinger  &  Gillian Wearing have contributed. 

ARTISTS PACK LINK HERE

Saturday 28 March 2020

A nun inspired by Warhol ? Go Sister Corita !

Corita Kent (1918–1986) was an artist, educator, and advocate for social justice. At age 18 she entered the religious order Immaculate Heart of Mary, eventually teaching in and then heading up the art department at Immaculate Heart College. Her work evolved from figurative and religious to incorporating advertising images and slogans, popular song lyrics, biblical verses, and literature. Throughout the ‘60s, her work became increasingly political, urging viewers to consider poverty, racism, and injustice. 
Her work is particularly relevant now - its optimism and hope are keener than ever before. Have a look especially at her early 1960s work & distortion of typography.

66-14 | daisy | Corita.org

https://corita.org/collection

Monday 23 March 2020

BEAR

So, are you all feeling a bit wobbly? It sounds like there are an awful lot of people having reactions they don’t really understand.

This was written by a mental health first aider/therapist and is called Pandemic Anxiety 101!......

IN CRISES, WE START DOING WEIRD STUFF: Over the last week I have struggled to sleep, stayed up late into the night reading endless news articles, bought pasta I don’t even like very much, got angry with my mum for not staying home. My spelling is a disaster and I’ve been a bit teary, and all I really want to eat is cake, cake and more cake. From what I hear, I’m not alone.

If you’re having a wobble, you may also have noticed all sorts of weird stuff going on. Are you arguing more, talking faster, struggling to sleep, restless, desperate for information? Or are you teary and overwhelmed, perhaps feeling a bit sick? Struggling to make decisions? Just want to stay in bed? Tummy upsets? Having palpitations, butterflies, headaches? Ranting, picking fights or getting into arguments? Laughing unexpectedly or saying random, inappropriate things? Developing Very Strong Opinions on epidemiology overnight? Or have you just completely gone to ground?

If you are feeling any of these things: good news! You are not going mad. And you are 100% not alone. You are, in fact completely normal: a fully emotionally functional human being. Congratulations! Why? I’ll explain: take a seat and put the kettle on.

WE ARE LIVING IN TURBO-ANXIOUS TIMES. Well, no kidding. We’re in the middle of an unprecedented crisis that has showed up unexpectedly (they do that) and which presents a mortal threat to ourselves and everyone we know and love. It’s frightening and it makes us feel totally out of control. And this is on top of anything else we have going on.

HERE’S THE SCIENCE BIT. When we are exposed to threats and need to deal with them, our brain springs into action. Specifically a tiny, innocent-looking thing buried behind your ear called the amygdala (fun fact: it's the size and shape of an almond). It’s the bit in charge when we are frightened and right now, it’s in full tin-hat klaxon mode. Unfortunately, it’s a very ancient bit of kit. It came into being when threats basically consisted of being eaten by large scary animals like bears. You know that thing about when you have a hammer, everything looks like a nail? Well, to the amygdala, everything looks like a bear. It’s also pretty basic, so it really only has two settings. They are ❤ no bear ❤ and BEAR!!!. Image result for bear

SETTING: BEAR!!!. Because all threats look like a bear to the amygdala, it preps you accordingly. There are really only two reactions to a bear about to eat you: fight it, or run away really really fast. So this is what the body gets you ready to do. It’s called the Fight or Flight response (there’s also freeze, meaning you just get paralysed). It does this by flooding your body with chemicals like cortisol, and adrenaline. Your heart rate goes up, you feel super alert, your breathing goes shallow, your muscles are ready for action. These chemicals are also largely responsible for a huge range of other cognitive/physical/emotional reactions like this in my intro. l In a group fear situation like a pandemic, this tends to happen whether you think you're scared or not - anxiety is even more infections than COVID. Your body reacts even if your conscious mind doesn't.

BEAR V VIRUS: Obviously this is all great if you really are running away from a bear. But we’re now in a situation where we’re being asked to do the EXACT OPPOSITE of running away. We are being told to sit tight. Literally stay still. Process large amounts of information, make complicated decisions, and stay calm. All while a bit of your brain is running around yelling BEAR! BEAR! BEAR! This isn’t easy. The result is an awful lot of stress and anxiety. And if you’re anything like me, you end up feeling really overwhelmed and having all sorts of reactions.

SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS: Anxiety isn’t just mental – it’s also physical, cognitive and behavioural. You will notice all kinds of things: stomach upsets, headaches, insomnia, changes to eating, changes to the way you talk. It’s also cognitive: it’s very difficult to think straight when you’ve got the BEAR! BEAR! BEAR! thing going on – so we also become very bad at making decisions, absorbing information and generally thinking rationally. Which is EXACTLY what we need to do.

SO WHAT TO DO: well, the good news is it is possible to calm down. We can turn the amygdala from BEAR!!! to NO BEAR 😊, and not just by distracting it with cake and tea. Her are some solid, scientifically proven things you can do.

BREATHE. It’s so basic, but breathing exercises are basically magic. They work in minutes and you can do them anywhere. They work because of all the physical reactions the amygdala triggers, rapid breathing is the only one over which we have conscious control. Control your breathing and you are basically telling your body: it’s OK. There is no bear. Your body will then start to dial down the adrenaline and cortisol and all the other reactions will slow to a halt. How to control your breathing? It’s easy – and if you want help just put "two minute breathe bubble" in into Youtube. The golden rules are these:

• In through the nose, out through the mouth. SLOWLY
• Make the outbreath longer than the inbreath – imagine there’s a candle in front of you and it mustn’t go out
• Breathe from the tummy not chest – really make your tummy go out when breathing in.
• Do it for two minutes and see how you feel

Seriously, try it – this technique is used by everyone from top athletes to the US military to help stay in control while under stress. There are all sorts of versions – from yogic breathing to box breathing to 4-7-8. Google them, mess around, figure out what works for you.

CALL A FRIEND: Don’t suffer alone. Call a mate - someone who’ll listen while you have a bit of a rant, or a cry, or a general wobble. Someone you can trust not to judge you and who’ll just sympathise. And if you get one of those calls, just be nice to them. You only need to be kind. You can’t fix what’s going on so just give them a bit of space to rant. And if you’re OK, call your friends and check in on them. Especially if they’ve gone silent.

LAUGH: it doesn’t matter what is funny – laughter is a huge releaser of endorphins. Silly memes, silly jokes, stand-up, rolling around with your kids – videos on youtube. The sillier the better. Also v good for bonding with friends, which will also help you feel less alone.

DO SOMETHING WITH YOUR HANDS. Yes you can meditate if this is your bag, it’s amazing. But if it’s not, and personally I’m rubbish, then trying to start when you’re already anxious is really hard. So do something instead. Draw, design , cook. Tidy. Knit. Bake. Garden. Mend things. Learn a new skill. This is what nice middle class therapists like me call Mindfulness.

TREAT YOUR BODY: We hold stress in our bodies at least as much as our minds. Take a bath or a shower. Put on things that feel good on your skin. Use nice smelling body creams. Stretch. Skip. Do yoga. Dance. Eat healthy but delicious things - fresh if you can get it. All of these will help calm you down.

SUNSHINE. It’s SPRINGTIME amid this horror – enjoy it. If you can’t go outside, open the windows and feel it on your face. If it’s safe for you to go outside (maybe you live in the country) do it, while of course observing social distance. Go for a walk. Being outdoors, connecting to nature, is hugely calming. 

STEP AWAY FROM SOCIAL MEDIA/THE NEWS: All it will do will scare you more and make things worse. Turn off the telly and for gods sake avoid the psychopathic digital wild west that is Twitter. Stick to sensible sources like the BBC and the NHS, and limit yourself to short need-to-know bits a day. You’ll feel better immediately.

STEP AWAY FROM TERRIBLE COPING MECHANISMS: They will all translate as BEAR!! to your poor brain. Especially don’t get drunk, especially if you’re alone (BEAR!!), take drugs (BEAR!!), stay up all night reading (BEAR!!), get sucked into conspiracy theories (BEAR!!), pay attention to ANYTHING Donald Trump says (BEAR!!).  See? Stress levels going up already. Breathe.

BE KIND: to yourself and others. Now is not the time to go on a diet. Nor is this the time to start on Proust or makeover your life. You'll probably struggle to concentrate, fail and make yourself feel worse (hat tip Laura Gordon for this bit). Don’t make this more stressful than it already is. Think comfort books, comfort telly, comfort everything. Everyone is wobbly, everyone is going to have a meltdown at some point. Understand that if someone is angry or aggressive, then they are also just scared. And eat more cake. Cake makes everything better.

So, there we go. Hopefully a bit less BEAR!!. Now, that kettle should have boiled by now. Go make a nice cup of tea, sit by a window and drink it in this lovely morning sunshine. We are British after all. And save me some cake ❤

Thursday 19 March 2020

Be calm....

Hello, 
Just a message to say that (if you haven't heard) college will be closed as from Friday 4pm til further notice. If you have not yet picked up your sketchbooks, PLEASE do so either today or tomorrow. If you can't pick your book up yourself, ask a friend to do so OR I can leave it at reception to be picked up.
Please continue to work on your projects & upload work to the google drive
In the mean time, please look after your physical health but it is also hugely important that you look after your mental health. Please email me if you are struggling (our college counsellors are available  online. Do get out in the fresh air  for a walk (its about the only thing we're still allowed to do !) & eat / sleep healthily.

Take care, stay safe & happy, Helen

Sunday 8 March 2020

SHOW YOUR PROGRESS !

 Do remember to show your progress in the sketchbook to get the A02 & A03 marks - like the filling in a sandwich ! Have a look at the sketchbooks on the link below or on Pinterest  & the youtube channel.
SKETCHBOOK SHOWCASE LINK

Monday 3 February 2020

Face it ...


Have a look at this amqazing animation by Sam Gainsborough on how Social anxiety manifests itself on melty plasticine faces in "Facing It"

The multi award-winning film uses a hybrid of claymation, pixelation and live action to paint a visceral portrait of internal struggle.






https://www.itsnicethat.com/articles/sam-gainsborough-facing-it-animation-310120


Tuesday 7 January 2020

Climate Hope

https://bowseat.org/gallery/more-plastic-than-fish/

Congratulations to Emily Schofield - a student currently on our foundation course who studied Graphics & Fine art A'levels last year. 

She has recently been informed that she is a winner of the International Bowseat contest with her piece "more plastic than fish" which she created as part of her Graphic Unit  2. 

The global Ocean Awareness Contest is a platform for young people to learn about ocean issues through art-making and creative communication, and where teens can explore their relationship to a changing world and become advocates for environmental action. Students ages 11-18 from are invited to participate.

Have a look at this years Contest Overview: 

2020 Theme | Climate Hope: Transforming Crisis