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FLUX WEBZINEISSUE 3, 17 AUGUST 2012

EditorsBen SmithMichelle StarkJeremy Swanborough

Production CoordinatorBen Smith

Magazine DesignBen Smith

SubmissionsWe encourage Brisbane-based readers to submit suitable artwork for consideration by Flux Collective. If you wish to submit artwork, please contact Flux Collective at mail@fluxcollective.com

Creative DirectorMichelle Stark

Digital ManagerJeremy Swanborough

ContributorsBen SmithMichelle StarkJeremy SwanboroughNeisha PhillipsJulia van Hameren

Special Thanks ToNeisha Phillips

Cover DesignJess Mengel

TypefacesPT Sans Pro RegularCatorze 27 Style 1 Book

Facebookwww.facebook.com/fluxcollective

Twitterwww.twitter.com/flux_collective

EDITORIAL4-5

DESIGNER PROFILE6-11

TYPOGRAPHY

12-13

ILLUSTRATION

14-15DIGITAL ART

16-17GUEST DESIGNER

18-21

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EDITORIAL

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Hi Readers,

The “Zone”. It’s a beautiful place. We’ve all been there – that state of consciousness where great design seems to flow so easily, and ideas jump around in your head like popping corn. Inspiration abounds and awesomeness results from little effort. A beautiful place indeed…But it’s not a place where we can reside all the time, and the flow we once enjoyed inevitably becomes blocked, bringing us to that big brick wall we refer to as Designer’s Block.

Fear not Flux readers, it happens to all of us (or so I’ve been told). And for what it’s worth, I’ve done some research and am presenting to you some tips to help break through that big brick wall, and emerge on the other side ready to tackle design briefs with renewed spirit and confidence.

1. Step away from the computer.Seriously – step away. I don’t mean >Hide Illustrator, or jumping on Facebook, or trolling through the Internet for inspiration. I mean get up and walk away. It doesn’t mean you have to stop working – pick up a pencil and some paper, create some physical mock-ups, dust off the X-Acto knife and design with your hands. It can work wonders. A cup of tea outside in the sun can also pay positive creative dividends.

2. Don’t search for inspiration by looking at Design Blogs.I have imposed a personal bar on Design Blogs. They can provide some beautiful eye candy, but many successful designers believe that when faced with a challenging brief, looking at current design work can sometimes limit your ability to generate new and client-appropriate ideas.

3. Change of sceneryIt’s amazing what a simple change of surroundings can do to stimulate ideas. Something as simple as changing your route to work or uni can shed a whole new light on your current design work. You may see a different sign, some new architecture you’ve never noticed, or a woman’s fluorescent yellow heels, and this may be the small spark you need to ignite the creativity you thought had deserted you.

4. Give yourself free time.Free time is possibly one of the best ways to combat Designer’s Block. Unfortunately it is also the one thing many of us do not have a lot of. But free time doesn’t have to be elusive. Try taking a 30-minute walk, cook your favourite dessert, play with your pet (French Bulldogs highly recommended!), watch some dodgy television. Taking as little as half an hour out of your busy day can be a solid investment in your prolonged creativity.

- M

NEISHA PHILLIPScreative director at creative emporium

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DESIGNER PROFILE

Neisha Phillips, founder and Creative Director at boutique

Brisbane studio Creative Emporium, makes the world a more beautiful

place. That sounds like a bold statement, but when you see the result of her expertise in design and Letterpress printing, you are sure to agree. A visit to Creative

Emporium makes Letterpress lovers drool. The workspace is covered in stunning tactile designs, vintage printing accessories, and the odd

sausage dog motif.

Neisha is passionate about sharing ideas and knowledge with clients

and peers, and shares a little about herself here for you.

What was your first design job?Working in a little print shop on

the Sunshine Coast during my last year of uni. It was voluntary work

experience and I learnt a lot about production, printing and specialty

print finishes. This was my first introduction to the Heidelberg Platen which was at that time

used for die cutting and invoice numbering rather than letterpress.

What is your career highlight so far?

Starting my own business and watching it grow gives me

great satisfaction.

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Who or what inspires you?Many things inspire me! Something

new gets filed away in my mind each day when I read design blogs

or attend an industry event. I have always loved art, namely

Michelangelo and Picasso and even drawings by Leonardo da Vinci. I

collect old books and random bits of old paper and posters etc so I find that if I am stuck for some inspiration I am often pouring

over them to freshen up my mind. I found an old Brisbane Railways

tram ticket that inspired my business card design and a 1940s

engineering book of hydraulic plans and other such drawings,

along with the letterpress, inspired the direction of the Creative

Emporium branding.

What is your dream job?Working for myself and running my own studio.. Oh yeah that’s right I am already doing that!! Hmm, next dream job.. not sure, after-all, what

could beat graphic design and letterpress!

Do you have any advice for juniors?Work and study hard, pay attention

to the small details, spell check and look for work experience

to build on your skills and gain practical experience outside of

study hours. Importantly, don’t be afraid to ask questions when you are stuck, you are learning and

your teachers, bosses or industry mentors are there to help!

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DESIGNER PROFILE

a selection of images from creative emporium

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a selection of creative emporium prints designed by various local designers

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DESIGNER PROFILE

SCREEN or PRINT

PEN or MOUSE

TEA or COFFEE

SUMMER or WINTER

EARLY BIRD or NIGHT OWL

SERIF or SANS-SERIF

THE MEDIUM or THE MESSAGE

GRID or NO GRID

NEVILLE BRODY or MILTON GLASER

UNI or INDUSTRY EXPERIENCE

WORK TO LIVE or LIVE TO WORK

TUMBLR or PINTEREST

we asked neisha...

follow us!pinterest.com/creatvemporium

there is a fine .25pt line between the two

here, when you work for yourself the line

seems to get blurred!

loads of coffee!

of course! silly question!

...sailing season!

...neutral

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TYPOGRAPHY

Inspired by retro signwriting and sketchbooks, Two-B is an imperfect

modern slab serif whose concept and development occurred using a 2B pencil and quad-ruled exercise

book. Designing this typeface brought back the joys of scribbling playfully as a kid, and this shows in elements of Two-B such as uneven

slabs, the odd wobbly line and restrained irregular alignment.

To clean up the typeface, and prepare for digital use, exercise

book pages were scanned, put into Illustrator and traced over with a graphics tablet. The letterforms

were then placed in Fontlab Studio 5 to program the kerning and

prepare for final export.

Two-B is strong and classic, but also childishly charming. It is suitable for use wherever you

need to inject a sense of subtle playfulness.

- M

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ILLUSTRATION

Illustration to me has always been about attention to detail, hiding a meaning in plain site

and telling a story. Surprisingly I always find myself telling my own story in some way. Each

time I get motivated and inspired to create something, the same

process happens even if I go about it differently. This time though I

set out to do a surrealist painting about clouds and dreaming. I

sketched out some thumbnails but ended up finalizing a self portrait.

Not only that, but I felt the need to leave the photoshop brush out.

I almost never go for a minimalist style, and I definitely never get the desire to do a self portrait, but this process has taught me a lot about myself and the art direction I have

been drawn to as of late.

The thing is that I don’t need a complicated illustration to

communicate an idea or story. I just need the desire to continue to communicate those ideas and narratives and let the style sort

itself out. Hopefully I will continue to develop and explore other

styles, while I try to find that ever elusive signature style.

- J *

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DIGITAL ART

Love. Death. Despair & Ecstasy.

This design is one of somewhat mixed messages as it portrays the co-existence of various emotions. Ultimately, the various elements

included simultaneously unify the design and create some contrast

within the design itself.

From the very first concept I knew that I wanted to include a lot of symbolic elements within this

design. Nevertheless it was still important that the symbology

behind these elements was subtle enough that people could still

develop their own interpretation and meaning.

Finally, the creation of this design involved designing each of the individual elements, arranging them into a visually appealing composition and then addingthe finishing touches to the design by overlaying some

self-made textures.

- B.

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julia van hamerenCurrently in her final year of a Bachelor of Creative Media (Graphic Design) Julia enjoys

swooning over luxurious stationary designs and paper craft. Although she has a passion for graphic design, Julia’s ultimate goal is to design wedding stationary or be a children’s book illustrator. Her first greatest achievement in design was winning a contest at high school where her creation became the logo and t-shirt design of the school play. When she isn’t

working or studying Julia loves anything crafty; scrapbooking, embroidery, sewing, quilting, painting and anything DIY, she does it all. The rest of the time she loves to spend playing

board games with family and friends.

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GUEST DESIGNER

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GUEST DESIGNER

we asked julia...SCREEN or PRINT

TEA or COFFEE

EARLY BIRD or NIGHT OWL

SERIF or SANS-SERIF

NEVILLE BRODY or MILTON GLASER

TUMBLR or PINTEREST

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next issue...31 AUGUST 2012

another excitingdesigner profile

: : : :new branding design

: : : :new illustration

: : : :new digital art

: : : :& guest designer

featuring...