Nic's Picks

17/08/2021

Tatsuya Tanaka – Tokyo 2020

Tatsuya Tanaka is a Japanese miniature and mitate artist who explores everyday life scenarios. What makes his art so unique is his novel use of common household objects such as toilet paper rolls, cartons of eggs, fruit and veg, sugar cubes, the list goes on.

Everyday since 2011, Tatsuya has been adding to his ‘Miniature Calendar’ series by creating mini landscapes using these common objects, while photographing them and uploading the end results to his social media. He has gathered quite a following, with his Instagram account having a whopping 3.1 million followers.   

A more recent project is his piece “Tokyo 2020”, where he has recreated Olympic events using face masks and household items. Tanaka cleverly used medical face masks to represent different surfaces and equipment you’re likely to see at the Olympic Games. In one piece, he turns a blue mask into a swimming pool by lining up tiny swimmer figurines posed to look as though they’re about to dive in. What I love most about this artwork is his ability to take a challenging situation being experienced all over the world and convey it through art, hopefully bringing a smile to those who need it most.

28/01/2021

Image courtesy of Denomination

Denomination’s ‘Ouvo’ – Wine packaging that breaks every branding convention.

There is more to someone (or a wine bottle) than meets the eye. A wine label for some people (probably most), is just a pretty picture stuck on a bottle. But it can completely change people’s perception of the wine, even the taste! Denomination’s ‘Ouvo’ label breaks almost every branding convention, and that’s why I love it.

The simplicity of the label is astonishing. The creative team’s insight was born when three hulking ‘egg’ tanks were delivered to Larry Cherubino’s winery. The originality can be seen in the warm white egg-shelled textured paper, and the lack of graphics on the label perfectly represents the authentic winemaking process. To add to this, the shape alone and the egg carton packaging is like no other and a unique identifier.

Larry Cherubino said “consumers love the packaging, then they taste the wine, and it all ties together… the pack, the method, the wine. It’s so simple but effective” – This sums it up perfectly.

Image courtesy of Denomination

23/10/2020

Image courtesy of Frost*collective

Frost Collective’s ‘Delivering Net Zero’. A brand launch
for Pollination (a global investment and advisory firm with a single purpose: accelerating the transition to a net zero, climate resilient future). 

Talking about climate change isn’t easy. Large business organisations and governments are aware that defying solutions are rapidly needed, but many choose to ignore it. The way forward can sometimes be unclear, Pollination are a global investment and advisory firm that have a purpose to accelerate the transition to a net zero, climate resilient future. What I enjoy most about this campaign is the meaning and drive behind it. Pollination are big-picture thinkers, driven to get the ball rolling. Frost Collective had a vision to launch an identity for Pollination, based on working collectively towards a net zero carbon emissions future.

Technically, the branding aims to drive the net zero campaign even further. The black and white colour palette highlights that climate change shouldn’t be a grey area. The circular, zero looking graphics within the logo are a nice way of conveying their mission. Photographic direction is something that can be easily overlooked when designing for a brand, although in this case it champions the role of Pollination which can be seen at the centre of the climate change story – to show the bigger picture.

Images courtesy of Frost*collective

28/09/2020

Image courtesy of Turner Duckworth

Turner Duckworth's 'Breaking the chain' - A creatively driven system to support EJI's (Equal Justice Initiative) message in a bold and exposed way.

Hey! I’m Nic, Freckle’s new(ish) junior graphic designer. I am creatively driven and a bit of a design geek. One aspect that fascinates me about design is the ability to combine creative talent to artistically problem-solve. This particular campaign is one I have recently drawn inspiration from.

Having had the privilege to meet Bruce Duckworth, I know he aims to design for purpose and that is what is so admirable. Due to recent events (Black Lives Matter movement), this campaign stood out for me in support of EJI. It highlights the challenging racial and economic injustice. The campaign acknowledges the protection of basic human rights for those who are most vulnerable in American society.

Technically, the artwork is strong and loud. The branding contains bold fonts, backed up with a powerful black and red colour pallet. The print collateral is simple, clean and importantly lets the message of EJI be told.

Image courtesy of Turner Duckworth

Strategically, this campaign is outstanding. The broken chain logo accompanied with slogans such as "justice for all” and “slavery didn’t end in 1865, it evolved”, I believe represents EJI's commitment to ending mass incarceration and excessive punishment in the United States. Turner Duckworth has created a powerful visual identity to support a humanitarian non-profit organisation.

Adobe ‘Make It’ Conference 2017: Design. Passion. Sharpies.

I spent my Thursday blissfully binging on inspiration at Sydney’s beautiful new ICC, a kind of in-the-flesh ‘Netflix & Upskill’.

Adobe has expanded its product range and community massively over the past few years and its annual Asia Pacific ‘Make It’ conference has grown to match. This year featured an eclectic array of exhibits, workshops, speakers and demonstrations, great food and drink, and even a live musical/dance performance.

The vibrant festival of creativity reflects our gradual shift into what James Noble, founder of Carter Digital and awesome speaker, calls the Design Age. Already, we’re seeing that it’s no longer about the technology nor the information, both of which seem to be outpacing us all. Now there are few gatekeepers and few limits. The personal video recorder in your pocket is probably better than what professionals used in the 80s, and much smaller too. Technology is merely a conduit and our approach to projects should reflect this. We need to take the technology considerations away, design a solution to the problem and then add back in the technology required.

I attended ‘Adobe Make It’ as a graphic designer, but the attendees I met were from a range of professions — I even found an accountant! And why not? In the Design Age, creative problem-solving is becoming more important for all of us, because, let’s face it, when the friendly robots take our jobs, some of the only roles left for Homo sapiens will be the creative ones. But whether you’re a creative or not, I think some of the things I learnt at ‘Make It’ can be applied to your career. In the Design Age, we are all becoming creative problem-solvers with abstract, multi-directional-hyphenated titles on our business cards. So here’s what I wanted to share – and it’s all about passion, a running theme at this year’s conference.

It’s great to be passionate about what you’re working on, but Gareth O’Brien from animation agency Buck asserts that it has been an important business metric for his team. The difficulty lies in justifying so-called ‘passion projects’ for a busy individual or team, especially when there is business to be done and money to be made. But for Buck, 'passion projects' have been important in creating new revenue streams: Gareth notes that when you look at the agency’s work, there is often a clear line from passion project to similar paid client work immediately after. The underlying message: Make what you want to make more of and you will proactively define your career. And that’s not all. By pursuing a passion project, you can win design awards, learn, do something you believe in (like help a non-profit with a campaign), improve team culture, and have fun, too!

Watch the talks from the main stage speakers as well as the pre-conference Sessions on demand here.

Sounds good, doesn’t it? But how on earth are you going to fit passion projects into your already-packed calendar? Gareth offers some advice. The project needs not be something you just made up. You can use a real brief from a real client; the ‘passion’ part can be you going above and beyond to explore an exciting angle or add value beyond the budget. In fact, having the boundaries of a real brief can be creatively beneficial. And also, passion projects need not be huge undertakings: we can all think about ways to work on tiny side-projects every now and then.

Of course, the concept of passion projects is nothing new: many creatives have created careers by investing time in exploring, playing, and honing a style or a craft they’re naturally interested in. Two speakers were striking examples of this because of their niche specialties. Kitiya Palaskas ultimately made up a new job description for herself: she’s a ‘craft-based designer’ who makes designs out of felt, and piñata-esque props for various creative applications. Meanwhile, Timothy Goodman has recently become well-known for his illustration work using his preferred medium, the humble Sharpie. Both designers used passion projects to build a habit of constant practice and experimentation, and kept one eye open for opportunities to create unique income streams in their personal businesses. And both have published books to showcase their success: Piñata Party and Sharpie Art Workshop.

All the speakers at ‘Adobe Make It’ made the case for stoking your creative fire, not only because life is sweeter that way but also because creativity can make a difference to what your business looks like moving forward. So whether you’re a graphic designer or an accountant, whether you work on them in your personal or professional life, passion projects have a place — more so than ever as we enter the Design Age. I left ‘Make It’ with a recharged inspiration to, well, just make it. I’m going to brush the dust off my Wacom tablet and start making something, for fun and for profit. And I’d encourage you to do the same. Not sure where to start? Just pick a place — any place — and go from there. To quote Tim Goodman: “You gotta make a lot of stuff before you start making stuff like yourself.”