Gary Day-Ellison http://day-ellison.posterous.com Design Works posterous.com Thu, 09 Feb 2012 04:49:00 -0800 Hibrow - images http://day-ellison.posterous.com/hibrow-category-images http://day-ellison.posterous.com/hibrow-category-images

Splash

'Splash' image by Gavin Turk, for www.hibrow.tv

At last I have been able to design a website without the miserable prospect of wrestling with Dreamweaver. Since it's absorbtion into Adobe Creative Suite I had hoped it would work as smoothly as Photoshop. But it doesn't.

Sorry but the simplest code makes my forehead bleed. And the Hibrow site is very ambitious. Joy of joys, the team had engaged the boffins at Code Circus to deliver the build, integrated with the systems of Ooyala. I was given free space to create in. Which, in turn, meant Tim & Tom, at Code Circus went through several meetings where they had clearly concluded I was certifiably bonkers. But hey, their site is 'under construction'!

Quite soon the muse and the crews began to dance in step. More the Mashed-Potato than a Waltz at the start but it worked . . . In fact it worked very well. I'd certainly work with them again.

Setting about the website design for Hibrow it quickly became apparent that the wealth of content would need good organisation to help the users' experience. One of the principal aspects to address were the six categories of the arts covered; Art, Music, Literature, Theatre, Dance & Cinema.

We wanted quick, easy to use navigation and, naturally, as few clicks as possible to get to the content desired. Colour coding helped in this. But pace is important. It is a given in Book, Magazine and Publication design but often overlooked in Web design. A dense, repetitive site can tire or bore a user. This is less of a problem for Hibrow, as the content is primarily HD Video, but the issue remains, especially over time, as the volume of content grows. With Hibrow it will accomodate around 10 hours of new material every month. So pace is a matter of much importance in forward design planning.

We developed category 'Title' pages, gathering some great talent to showcase each section and set the mood for the audience. We are really pleased with these launch contributions. I could easily over-gush with the adjectives for these talented people. Do check out their websites to see more of their terrific creative work . . .

Art

The celebrated Dan Fern allowed us to use a detail of 'Cantus 4' which uses painted threads on a linen-backed map. 'Cantus' is the title of a piece of music by Arvo Pärt. A favourite of the artist (and mine). Watch out for Dan's new Roots work. It is beautiful.

Literature

I had seen this image at the Degree shows at Plymouth University last year. It is by Graphic Design graduate Pippa Jupe and is one part of a series which plays with the printed book form. I love it when I can use or commission work for people early in their careers.

Theatre

A section of a painting from the work of Ian Walton 'X-11'. His large, wonderful canvases and installations have always fascinated me. I have bought several over the years.

Dance

A striking exhibition at the Bowie Gallery in Totnes prompted the choice of these crab claws by artist Ione Rucquoi. Thought-provoking images. Intrigued to see where they lead . . .

Cinema

Thanks to digital communications to Bangkok, Thailand for making delivery of this sumptuous shot from the wonderful photographer, Simon Larbalestier. Cineaste, Don Boyd cooed over this one!

Music

The Music category hit last minute snags! Well one out of six . . . But, not to be defeated I took my Höfner Violin Bass out into the garden and gently placed it in the sunshine, on an old gate. And shot it myself.

They make rather nice digital postcards too. But don't forget the link to www.hibrow.tv

Do you have a favourite?

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/857108/twitter.jpg http://posterous.com/users/5AGeIN3bHjvr Gary Day-Ellison Gary Gary Day-Ellison Tue, 31 Jan 2012 05:05:00 -0800 Hibrow – the Arts online http://day-ellison.posterous.com/the-arts-online http://day-ellison.posterous.com/the-arts-online

Hibrow-more-margin
Last summer Joanne Jacobs, introduced me to a new project called Hibrow that was yet to find the right designer. It immediately made me sit up and listen as, 1. Joanne is a highly focussed individual and, 2. The project was creatively led and the brainchild of Don Boyd, Film Director & Producer. At a great meeting I found a man fizzing with infectious enthusiasm and very determined to realise his dream of bringing HD video of the Arts online. His insistence on quality and  high production values was inspiring. I probably talked too much and doubtless made some inappropriate quips but common cause was quickly established.

I'll post about the wider project soon but, for now, I just wanted to say a word or two about the logo. After a huge effort from many talented people Hibrow just launched at The Crypt, St Martins-in-the-Fields, London and I determined to tap on the straining keyboard before the week was out. The party contained much grooviness and was richly sprinkled by luminaries including John Hurt, Gary Kemp, Floella Benjamin and, nah, I'll stop there. After all this isn't Hello! magazine.

Main-invitation-email

Sorry, back to the logo, dear design groupies. Well, I had a free brief, the passionate zeal of The Don, the force of nature that is Jo Jacobs, the shrewd young eye of Dominic Dowbekin – and the planet-wide lovers of Art, Music, Theatre, Dance, Literature and Cinema as the target audience. What pressure?

An initial introductory meeting helped me take the temperature of the venture. Soon I had the pulse of the beast. A classy wide-ranging labour of love and endevour. Click the 'Like' button. But I gave a lot of thought to the name itself to tease out the nuances. On the positive side it implies educated, up-market, sophisticated, informed and cultured – which Hibrow certainly is. But I saw a danger of jibes from naysayers at an implication of pretention or being a teenie-tiny bit up itself – which it certainly isn't! So my design takes a classical stance but with just a little humour. A dig in its own ribs, as it were. Ribs I look forward to mildly tickling as Hibrow grows. Such as the video lead-in which Chris Ennis skillfully helped me make move as intended!

HiBROW_Front_Bumper_WithPip_H264_WEB_MASTER_STEREO.mov Watch on Posterous

More on the website soon. For now please have a good old explore on the site . . . http://www.hibrow.tv

For now, just the logo.

Do you like it?

 

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/857108/twitter.jpg http://posterous.com/users/5AGeIN3bHjvr Gary Day-Ellison Gary Gary Day-Ellison Fri, 16 Dec 2011 08:40:00 -0800 What image made the most impact on you in 2011? http://day-ellison.posterous.com/what-image-has-had-the-most-impact-on-you-thi http://day-ellison.posterous.com/what-image-has-had-the-most-impact-on-you-thi

Untitled-2

Add your comment with a link to the image. Maybe say why it made such an impact. It can be personal, of global consequence or, well, you choose . . .

UPDATE: A review of contributions appears as a Guest Blog at IMPERICA: http://www.imperica.com/viewsreviews/gary-day-ellison-images-of-2011

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/857108/twitter.jpg http://posterous.com/users/5AGeIN3bHjvr Gary Day-Ellison Gary Gary Day-Ellison Tue, 18 Oct 2011 11:51:00 -0700 Ralph Steadman http://day-ellison.posterous.com/ralph-steadman http://day-ellison.posterous.com/ralph-steadman

Funny-money002

You don't so much commission Ralph Steadman as unleash him. The art direction is implicit in the decision to ask him for artwork. He is a force of nature. His acceptance of a commission is de facto an endorsement of a project – that adds value beyond even the illustration itself.

And I send my best wishes to the lame art director who tells him what, and how to draw. Actually no I don't send best wishes. They would be foolish. But I may send flowers as commiseration.

An example is at the top of the page. My adjectives would be, what is the word I am looking for? Pointless, that's the one.

His work has often been a rage against the system. A wildly exuberant hand and an acute, almost feral, venal eye. His symbiotic, yet combative, relationship with Gonzo writer, Hunter S. Thompson for Rolling Stone magazine is legendary. One of the great hoots being the way each blamed the other for the excesses of their exploits. And his biography is all over the web.

My simple prompt for this blog is just an urge to celebrate this man who has been a part of my life for such a long time. I could relate the time he burst into Stanley Studios demanding "Where's my fucking artwork?" Not because he thought we had any – but he did feel publishers were not returning his originals as they should – but mainly because he was living in Parsons Green. And we were the nearest. Lunch at 11 Park Walk calmed all. Fuelled by his mockery of his own wrath and significant amounts of Barolo.

I could tell you of his soliloquy on how The History of Civilization all began with the Welsh. "The first man was a Welshman, Homo Boyo. And his wife, Homo Womo. Like a side of beef with arms she was . . ." But Ralph would probably defend his copyright but arriving with a Howitzer and obliterating my cats.

I am tempted to show you a photograph of his spare room. When working on I, Leonado he took to painting The Last Supper on the wall to get under the skin of the painter, hands on. When completed he changed all the bed-linen to white and pushed the bed against the painting so the pillows became the tablecloth of Jesus and his disciples. "That'll stop visitors getting up to any hanky-panky!" OK, here it is. It is called The Last Cuppa.

Last-cuppa

You can look for yourself for Ralph's antics destroying an iphone with an icepick live on stage. Technology infuriates him. Only mention any kind of Social Media if you wish to see your giblets up close and personal. So may tales and yet I have to tell you he has a big heart, can be the very best company and the world is a better, more vital place, with Ralph in it. he work is full of passion. The man cares. He should be knighted. Go on, Queen and Government, I dare you . . .

I have only spilled a few beans here. And, for your patience Dear Reader, I end with a glimpse of personal friendship. I think of it as belligerent affection, and love it for that. A letter received when we moved into a house in London.

Watch-it-come-down

No chance of a medal here of course.  But I can boast a mention in Ralph's book Doodaaa: The Balletic Art of Gavin Twinge. And I'm happy with that. He lists two pages of Honorary Doodaaists. And there I am. Somewhere between Johnny Depp and Marianne Faithfull.

I have said it before. Life is very odd. Don't you think?

You can buy prints and stuff from Ralph Steadman here: http://www.ralphsteadmanartcollection.com/ or follow on Twitter (A family member I suspect!) @SteadmanArt

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/857108/twitter.jpg http://posterous.com/users/5AGeIN3bHjvr Gary Day-Ellison Gary Gary Day-Ellison Tue, 27 Sep 2011 06:40:00 -0700 A Piece of China http://day-ellison.posterous.com/a-piece-of-china http://day-ellison.posterous.com/a-piece-of-china

Shenfan009
Against the advice of those who thought I should post every week I took a break from Blogging. I thought you had earned a rest from this place (sorry, Posterous – Space). But I just realised it has been a bit too long. Weeks in fact. Great Googly Moogly! as Frank Zappa would say, if he were still with us.

I could say that I write today about design and technology but that seems rather grand and pompous. The connection is China. Full of surprises they recently closed down several entire fake Apple Stores (yep, the whole sleek Geek temple). In fact not just one – but dozens. Extraordinary enterprise. Gasp here.

The design part is a cover of a book by William Hinton. It is an account of every day life in rural China. It is called Shenfan and it has a sister tome called Fanshen. The design is simple. Not much to say about it. A well-chosen photograph of a villager painting the name of the town on the end of a house. Long Bow. This is married to a fine choice of typeface by Joy Fox. Check out Joy's recycled jewellery.

The technology? Cow Gum for that cover to be honest. But I found a great use of current technology to amuse myself on the Devon/London train last week. I sat in the last seat before the area for luggage and seats for the disabled. Four young Chinese sat cross-legged on the floor playing cards. The two girls facing me. The two boys with their backs to me. The girls were losing every game.

Needing distraction from fretting over an important imminent presentaion at One Alfred Place I turned to technology. Taking my, now ancient, iphone surreptitiously from my pocket I channelled Spooks and started taking pictures of the boys cards. Then showed them to the girls. They stifled giggles and started winning regularly. A little creative mischief.

Eventually my cover was blown and they disembarked at Reading, amongst much laughter as a fair section of the carriage was by now in on the game on the boys blind-side. One of the boys came over trying to look menacing but grinning from ear to ear. "You owe me wun pownd!" he declared.

So there it is, China, Design and Technology. This Friday I shall use my phone to attend a feast probably at Wong Kei where fierce waiters will force march me to a table and interrogate menacingly me over a menu.

And I shall think of the kids on the train. And grin.

Iphone1

 

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/857108/twitter.jpg http://posterous.com/users/5AGeIN3bHjvr Gary Day-Ellison Gary Gary Day-Ellison Mon, 05 Sep 2011 10:11:00 -0700 Trey Pennington http://day-ellison.posterous.com/trey-pennington http://day-ellison.posterous.com/trey-pennington

How can I write a blog post about Trey? We only physically met on three occasions. A whole bunch of Skype time. Lots of twitter/facebook banter – when he would tease me for my delight in the lexicon. I doubt there is much I can add to the exceptionall tributes already paid by Scott Gould, Olivier Blanchard and others who knew him so much longer.

But how could I not acknowledge the passing of such a special individual? We called each other friend. So to not look for some words is unthinkable.

Like Minds Exeter Conference introduced me to Trey. Unusually I was taken by the straight guy in a preppy suit. He told stories with a beguilingly soft Southern drawl. Not for him the marketeers' jargon and sometimes specious generalisations. He spoke his truth with tales of real people who breathed the same air. He struck me as a kind of Garrison Keillor of Social Media. A vital part of the oral tradition. I liked him. He took time to talk to me without glancing over his shoulder to see who else was around.

We bounced things around quite a bit on twitter etc. and again he gave his time, with those special tweets that seem to make eye-contact. We hooked up again at Media 140 Bristol. Instantly comfortable in his company. And we talked then, and later, about the conventional way his website showed him. I saw him more conversationally, as a narrator. Not a businessman. A storyteller. Almost a Norman Rockwell character of our times. Maybe fanciful but I'll remember him that way.

A kind, personable, warm, honest, generous, open guy. A suicide? What pain must he have been suffering? I learnt he had big troubles and tried to get him to talk about it. Not hard enough I guess but it seemed wrong to press him when he wanted to be private. Even in Social Media not everything has to be 'out there'. I hope the God he believed in so surley is there for him now.

And I was so looking forward to seeing him this Friday in Lincoln. But not now. Farewell my friend of two years, I would have liked more time with you.

Who will tell the stories now?

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/857108/twitter.jpg http://posterous.com/users/5AGeIN3bHjvr Gary Day-Ellison Gary Gary Day-Ellison Tue, 26 Jul 2011 07:54:00 -0700 Geoff van Beek, gentleman dentist http://day-ellison.posterous.com/geoff-van-beek-a-gentleman-dentist http://day-ellison.posterous.com/geoff-van-beek-a-gentleman-dentist

Van-beek-for-web

I like working with overseas clients. It's stimulating and 5,000 miles can seem like next door. But it is not digital comms that excite me.  After all BT use a piece of hairy-string to link me to the exchange and the world beyond. It is this: To commission abroad a client shows a very deliberate choice. They want you. And that brings out the best in people. It's a game-raiser.

OK, Holland is not the other side of the world but it still applies. Geoff van Beek is at the top of his profession in dental surgery, specialising in implantology. In fact he was named Officier in de Orde van Oranje Nassau (Dutch equivalent of the OBE), for his lifetime contribution to dental science. His clients come to him from all over the world for his skills and he does the same to source his specialist professional needs. 

Although we attended the same Grammar school our paths had not crossed for decades. When they did it was a physical convergence on Devon. There are some very specialised motor-sport engineering skills that exist in England. A very rich vein of hidden talents. One very special outfit is on Dartmoor. Check out Bob Petersen. Engagingly eccentric Mr van Beek drives one of those Bentleys. And no one else may work on the beast . . .

What I didn't know was that, via a school blog, my design website had been visited and checked out. Mr van Beek's Rotterdam practice needed a fresh graphic look. So when the Bentley next needed mechanical TLC from Bob Petersen we met to discuss the graphics project. 

It is noticeable that Dental Practices are largely unadventurous in their visual identity. Strange, in some ways, as we all need our regular dental health visits – and many dread the experience and crave reassurance. But it usually stops at a mobile or something amusing on the ceiling above the chair. I set to thinking it through.

In my work I tend not to create a logo and set about its tidy deployment. Instead I seek to take the pulse of my client and build a graphic identity that reflects what makes them unique, special. The choice of vehicle gives the clue that Geoff van Beek is highly individual. Conversation confirms this characteristic. The surgery reinforces the impression of eclectic interests too. On one hand a beautiful collection of  antique dental equipment, on the other a state of the art 180º x-ray machinery. There is a highly advanced sensibility to engineering and process but it is always tinged with an inclination to humour, often self-deprecating.

And that is what led me to a sleek typographic look - but with a bite out of it. 

As an aside, Mr van Beek persuaded me to abandon my Braun electric toothbrush in favour of a Philips Sonicare. It works at much higher speeds with noticeably better results. And I have a challenging set of gnashers. Product placement, moi? Well, I am not on a sales commission but it is brilliant and I thought you might like to know about it. It even starts to replenish the battery as you approach the charger. Spooky.

I leave you with this question. Should Dentists fear going to the Graphic Designers?

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/857108/twitter.jpg http://posterous.com/users/5AGeIN3bHjvr Gary Day-Ellison Gary Gary Day-Ellison Wed, 06 Jul 2011 03:31:00 -0700 A Positive+? http://day-ellison.posterous.com/day-ellison http://day-ellison.posterous.com/day-ellison

Day-ellison
At the moment here is much hoopla about Google+. The new rival to Facebook. It may well be the best thing since the last thing and those who know about such things are happily looking under the hood. There will be reviews aplenty, which will be useful and interesting, but that is not why I write today.

I have a question for you . . .

Those who have worked with me will already know that I think avoiding plagiarism matters. I also care about giving accurate credit to illustrators, photographers, designers and other contributors. Not claiming perfection but I came into this game via pro bono art direction of The Association of Illustrators magazine and think it is an important principle. In the melée that followed my departure from Pan, a lifetime ago, I was peeved that the crew failed to credit Helen Chadwick on one of my last commissions for Picador, The Second Sex by Simone de Beauvoir.

In March 2011 I reformed my website with the splash page Design Works. The eagle-eyed amongst you will have noticed that it also changed the nomenclature to Day-Ellison+ to do three things: Firstly to acknowledge that creative direction involves other contributors. Secondly, reassure client misgivings about hiring a one-man band. And crucially to set up for a forthcoming addition of skills to my store (more in a future post). I also like the way that it typographically developed my hyphenated name to an electrical – & +.

What is on my mind is this. Should I drop my new name now that Google+ has come along? My '+' was unveiled 5 months ago and planned around Christmas. I certainly don't want it thought that I am mimicking Google. Because I am not. And they are a behemoth whilst I am a minnow. Is it fair enough to keep my +? Is it a good idea to? 

In short, is my Day-Ellison+ a positive now?

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/857108/twitter.jpg http://posterous.com/users/5AGeIN3bHjvr Gary Day-Ellison Gary Gary Day-Ellison Sun, 12 Jun 2011 09:30:00 -0700 The Fellowship of the Ring, de Doelen, Rotterdam http://day-ellison.posterous.com/the-fellowship-of-the-ring-de-doelen-rotterda http://day-ellison.posterous.com/the-fellowship-of-the-ring-de-doelen-rotterda
Concert
There is a fair amount to say about design, its inception, creation, execution, reactions and reception. (Let's skip occasional perdition.) Strictly speaking this blog is intended to highlight the back-stories to some of my design projects. This one ends back stage.

But the fact is that the more involved you become with your work the more the work/life thingy blurs. One good part of life celebrates another. That is how it seems to go with me and The Lord of the Rings. Every time I get involved there seems to be a coming together of events. I have put iQuill to App before about Doug Adams' splendid book and you can read more about it via this link. And those of you who are as yet unaware the enormity of this book/film/music project may well have just missed the point, possibly got sniffy about Middle-earth and gone off to watch celebrity wrestling. Bear with me.

For my curmudgeonly disposition slips into pleasure at the thought of this past week in Holland. Eurostar to Brussels was superb. And through ticketed to Rotterdam for less than a train from Exeter to London - shame on you First Great Western. Towards the end of that leg of the journey we chatted with a charming Dutch cellist who had just completed her music finals in London. Onwards, switching to regular trains as we hurtled onward through the Belgian countryside I became aware of the chap next to me. As did fellow passengers. A young man with tousled curly hair was peering at an unopened Tupperware lunch box. Through a crack in the lid he stared intently and the salad within. Frequently putting it back in his bag before nervously re-examining it at frequent intervals.

"When the going gets weird the weird get going"as someone once said (who was it? Hunter S. Thompson?). For just as I was praising the efficiency of mainland European railways the announcement came over the Tannoy that there was a problem ahead and we were to disembark at the next station and begin a convoluted re-routing involving several trains and a coach. Our cellist companion, the chap with the cracked salad box obsession and ourselves formed a small fellowship of travellers collectively trying to fathom out the increasingly complex travel itinerary in mixed languages.

And that, patient reader, is how I came to find myself in Antwerp as minder to a cello and a box of stick-insects. The owner of the aforementioned Phasmatodea (a unique gift for a friend) was in fact David Buckingham, an accomplished classical guitarist and composer currently appearing in Zorro the musical. You couldn't make it up.
Together we chuckled and chatted our way through to Rotterdam where we were greeted by our hosts, Geoff & Doris van Beek. Once work was taken care of (signing-off the graphic identity for ace dentist Geoff van Beek – more on that in a future post) we looked forward to celebrating his birthday. And the fates had conspired to have the band in town that very weekend and, as their guests, we shared with the van Beeks the amazing experience of  a river taxi to Hotel New York for a superb fish lunch followed by a Live to Projection The Lord of the Rings Concert. Converging these dates had depended on the warmth of reception to both the design and the availability of  concert seats. Both went well. Phew!
The concert? Think of the early days of film. Can you picture silent black & white films with musical accompaniment from some berserk crone at the piano? OK. Now forget it. Completely. This is the movie projected in a concert hall with enough musicians performing live, for the whole 3 hours, to constitute a vast sonic army of orchestra and choirs.
De-doelen
The venue, the impressive Rotterdam venue called de Doelen, in the heart of the city, flanking Schouwburgplein. A concert auditorium and a great conference venue (Like Minds?) There was the familiar, handsome LOTR banner outside. But no people. Well, usual busy city weekend people, but not the usual Tolkein throng. These events draw very large crowds. Seemed odd. Eerie, even. Once inside I realised why. Our host is very well connected and had thoughtfully arranged to introduce us to the de Doelen Director, Mr Gabriël Oostvogel and his team. Such delightful people. Design is a largely back-room activity but they made such a generous fuss of us. Their hospitality was peerless and shared, during the intermission, with the beautiful people of the city. And me such a scruffy English creative!

The concert itself, The Fellowship of the Ring, was sublime. Powerful. Expert. Moving. I dare to say the acoustics may even surpass the more venerable Royal Albert Hall. The industry and power of the event was so impressive. The sheer talent and quality from all concerned was impeccable. And I love the diversity of audiences these concerts attract. Dinner jackets on one side. Shorts and Gandalf T-shirts on the other. But overwhelmingly the power of the emotional resonance of the music of Howard Shore triumphed again. After The Return of the King in London I was not expecting to be quite so moved again by The Fellowship of the Ring in Rotterdam. But we were, of course!  And the van Beeks loved it. The whole audience was ecstatic. Do check this link for YouTube footage, music, review and photographs.

And back stage? Permit me a little pride as we were invited back after the performance by the extraordinary conductor Mr. Ludvig Wicki (who is just beaming, joyful and indefatigable off-stage as he is in performance) and his charming wife Beatrice. How he manages to be so bubbly and excited after such an exhaustin and brilliant performance I will never know. So good to have made his acquaintance and I hope we meet again. And the night produced yet another treat as we met the singer, Soloist Kaitlyn Lusk. Wow! What a voice. 
Ludvig-wicki
An amazing day. I shall remain forever grateful to Doug Adams inviting me into the world of The Music of The Lord of the Rings in 2009. Next Year? Tickets are booked for the de Doelen and The Two Towers concert. See you there?

 

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/857108/twitter.jpg http://posterous.com/users/5AGeIN3bHjvr Gary Day-Ellison Gary Gary Day-Ellison Tue, 24 May 2011 09:33:30 -0700 Salman Rushdie http://day-ellison.posterous.com/salman-rushdie http://day-ellison.posterous.com/salman-rushdie

Midnights-children Midnights-art Midnights-notes002
See the full gallery on Posterous
A headline on the BBC website caught my eye, "A secretly filmed adaptation of Salman Rushdie's novel Midnight's Children has finished shooting in Sri Lanka."

But there was trouble again for the author.

It turned out that Director Deepa Mehta chose the island location over India or Pakistan, where the story is set, to avoid religious protests. Iran had objected to Sri Lanka's Premier and filming came to an abrupt halt. You will recall Iran's former leader Ayatollah Kohmeini was the source of the misguided (potty) Fatwa on Rushie for The Satanic Verses. I have never believed the author sought controversy or intended offence. He is an exceptional writer who sets his work in complex societies he knows well. He was a soft target for zealotry.

I leave this well-worn topic and return to more innocent times, at Stanley Studios, London SW10, as I set about designing the original paperback cover for Midnight's Children. Not for the first time Pan's commitment to the significance of the book was to be reflected in the point-size of the typeface. The trouble with a brief of 'Big Author + Big Title' is that it can be a typographical blunt instrument. But Sonny Mehta's unerring literary judgement had picked another great. In fact he saw it as a possible Booker Prize winner. So the task was to work with it and bring some character to bear. Devouring the tome hungrily in my West London flat I found there was a feast on offer. I was particularly struck by the doctor who when visiting a young woman is confronted by female family members protecting her modesty with a sheet. The sheet has a carefully placed hole through which only local examination of the immediate medical problem is possible. Over time the various local areas build an overall picture for the doctor who has gradually fallen in love with her. The film-maker's must have had a such an amazing time with such rich narrative.

Potential bestsellers on the mass-market list at Pan Books (parent to the Picador imprint) endured relentless pressure, in cover briefs, to parade 70s film-poster style collages of heroes and helicopters exploding or some such chaos. It was clearly dated even then and I fought the good fight for better graphics where I could. On Picador we worked to develop ways to set the mood and entice interest with the visuals in subtler, but no less effective ways. Midnight's Children was seen to have huge sales potential yet its target audience is inclined to more nuanced sensibilities. (Read between the lines people, work with me here) As some scribbled notes on the inside of the hardback edition reveal (just unearthed from a box emptied to fill yet another new bookshelf) the 'just before midnight' clock hands were my first idea but survived scrutiny. The execution would provide the character. I would handle the type differently now but remain happy with my apparently perverse choice of Ian Pollock to create for me the pealing paint/ faded opulence wall. He was widely celebrated for his brilliantly bizarre, idiosyncratic characters at that time. And we incorporated one big peel in case it won the Booker Prize. In that space I could announce its triumph and avoid a Daz-style corner flash. And if it didn't, well it's a peeling bit. The illustrator gave me the original painting (shown) and that recently emerged from another box.

I keep reading that blog posts should be kept short. Shame. Because coincidentaly that was the title of his next novel. I took the painted wall route again with the cover. This time with 'Shame' as graffiti, in Urdu I recall and Salman popped in to Stanley Studios to write it for me. Hard to imagine within a few years he would be in hiding.

Sonny Mehta left London for New York. I left Pan (well it was important for me!). Salman Rushdie went to Penguin with The Satanic Verses. Midnight's Childen went on to win the 'Booker of Bookers' in 1993. Time sure keeps moving after midnight . . .

Can't wait to see the film of Midnight's Children. Or whatever else turns up in boxes come to think of it.

 

 

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/857108/twitter.jpg http://posterous.com/users/5AGeIN3bHjvr Gary Day-Ellison Gary Gary Day-Ellison Wed, 04 May 2011 09:44:00 -0700 Steve Jones http://day-ellison.posterous.com/steve-jones http://day-ellison.posterous.com/steve-jones

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I was struck this week by the occurances of the mis-typing of Obama and Osama. In particular the spectacularly dim Breaking News headline from Fox News who announced 'Obama Bin Laden Dead' across the world's TV screens. Of course predictive text often throws up howlers. My recent attempt to say 'baubles' was replaced by 'Bibles' to unfortunate effect. The problem, more often than not, is that the rogue word is missed by spell-checkers that leave the wrong word as long as it is spelled correctly.

And then there is the time you use the right word and the spelling is tip top – and you still get a very wrong outcome.

In the days of Dial-Up (when download speeds were about the same as BT's rural broadband but with a bing-boing-chirruppy tune worthy of the late, great Delia Derbyshire) I found myself hunting a photograph that had previously made a strong impression on me. Henry Steadman, at Transworld at the time, had commissioned me for a book jacket for Almost Like a Whale. Author and Professor of Genetics, Steve Jones revisits the massive impact of Charles Darwin's On the Origin of Species. He carefully re-traces the steps of Darwin's arguement with the Clarks Wayfinders of contemporary scientific knowledge.

Darwin had speculated that a bear swimming and catching fish might be the first transitional stage of evolution towards becoming 'like a whale'. Put that way way it almost makes evolution sound as improbably potty as Creationism. But not quite. But on discovering the source of the enigmatic title I remembered a great shot I had seen of a Polar Bear swimming. It was shot from below with the the light streaming down throught the icy waters. A huge beast made even more graceful by buoyancy. I find it very moving. Especially Hippos and Elephants. But maybe that's just me.

So, into a creaky bakerlite search-engine went the words 'Polar Bear'. No room for error there. Could have been a child doing a homework project. Nothing can go wrong.

And it didn't for a while. Page after page of the predictable and over-used as I sought the slippery Ursus Maritimus image that had stimulated my synapses and squirrelled it away for later. Cuddling, sleeping, eating, fighting, performing in case David Attenborough dropped by. Flogging Glacier Mints. All was well, if time consuming.

And then it appeared.

Slowly, line by line, the assembling pixels of one huge image whose very sloth demanded attention. It was one big beast. Lots of white fur. And, not in the heraldic sense, erect and rampant. It was a nude Pin-Up. And I learnt something new to add to my meagre education. 'Polar Bear' is gay slang for a septugenarian naked man with lots of white body hair. And a hard-on.

I'm not easily shocked but I nearly dropped my Liquorice Allsorts.

What have you found by mistake in a picture search? How has predictive text complicated your life?

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/857108/twitter.jpg http://posterous.com/users/5AGeIN3bHjvr Gary Day-Ellison Gary Gary Day-Ellison Fri, 01 Apr 2011 08:28:25 -0700 Maxine Hong Kingston http://day-ellison.posterous.com/maxine-hong-kingston http://day-ellison.posterous.com/maxine-hong-kingston

Mhk002 Mhk001
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You may have noticed I often let the serendipity of events determine the subject on this blog. This is no exception. In fact three strands converge to weave into a single plait. It is some relief that Maxine Hong Kingston wears her magnificent long white hair loose, as otherwise I am sure that I would be tempted into a tortured follicle metaphor. See how close it was?

The first strand is the recent publication of I Love a Broad Margin to My Life which is a memoir, in verse, by Maxine Hong Kingston. She is Senior Lecturer for Creative Writing at the University of California, Berkeley. Her memoirs and fiction have won numerous awards, including the National Book Award and an American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters Literature Award. I recommend a quick search for her podcast lectures available from BBC and itunes/Berkley/Yale.

The second strand is the arrival on the mat of an invitation to the Lifetime Achievement Award in International Publishing at the London Book fair in a few days. It has been awarded to Sonny Mehta, Chairman and Editor-in-Chief of the Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group. Regular readers her will know that I worked with Sonny for a decade and I count him as a mentor. One day I will summon up the courage to write about the influence of this fabulous man had on me. But that is for another time.

And the third strand is the first 'Guest Blog' on here which is coming soon. It will be from an art director in New York who worked with us at Stanley Studios in the 80s as an intern. The eccentric Stanley Studios was our Art Department sanctuary from the steel and glass Pan head office in London. More on that later too.

These are the elements that prompt me to show two of the very first of my cover designs for Picador Books with Sonny at the helm. China Men and The Woman Warrior. She has a special voice and you know I am not going to give you a cheat-sheet on here. They are both a great read. Seek them out and see life through the eyes of a Chinese-American.

There is no perfect recipe for all book covers but some choice ingredients can be found here: Genuine original writing, crackling, inspiring publisher, a slightly bonkers studio space and an art director who reads, having the time of his life. And thrilling at the wealth of illustration talent to be discovered and enjoyed. llustrator Cathie Felstead took her maiden voyage with us. And what a debut she made!

In China Men we are taken into the world of workers migrating to America (the Gold Mountain) for work to enable them to send money home to their families. How they are seen as one amorphous group but who, by turn, see the caucasians as all looking alike. For their white-skin they call them ghosts. The Postman Ghost, the Carpenter Ghost . . .

Cathie's beautiful artwork was the first commission where I bought the original for my home too. There are few objects, except books and music, I treasure but this sure is one. The colour is built up with layers of collage tissue. The rough edges kept for character. Background off-white as in Chinese culture white associates with death. The fish, which appeared elsewhere in Cathie's glorious portfolio were added as a migration motif and to draw the eye to an early "First British Publication" slogan without destroying the cover with graphic devices more commonly linked to Daz.

Today there are so many references to Branding. Here the distinctive artwork is the success. It worked in a tough, competitive market-place. It's all about character, identity and paying due attention to the very special. Human appeal counts.

Hear Maxine Hong Kingston reading from her new book here: . . . and follow @RandomPR on Twitter.

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/857108/twitter.jpg http://posterous.com/users/5AGeIN3bHjvr Gary Day-Ellison Gary Gary Day-Ellison Sun, 06 Mar 2011 10:01:00 -0800 Design Works Site http://day-ellison.posterous.com/design-works-site http://day-ellison.posterous.com/design-works-site

New-site
As designers it is our stock in trade to bring an experienced eye to our clients' identities. We seek to present a clear message for them. We deploy our Visual Communication skills to show them in a confident, poised stance. Their goods, whether books, music or widgets made sparkly and their services reflecting their best qualities.

Look at me! The graphics cries. I'm shiny, appealing, loaded with character. Desirable, charming company you can enjoy doing business with. My shelves are bursting with must-have goodies. A veritable wizard's quiver of skills and talents. Resplendent in cool, sharp livery and clearly the dog's dangley bits in their field.

We have listened closely to ourclients' problems and aspirations. We have compared the competition and teased out what makes them special in our minds and performed our voodoo on the Mac.

We designers bring focus and objectivity. And hopefully some fun too!

But what about our shop windows? I reflect on this as I have just re-vamped my website www.day-ellison.com. Frankly it is torture! Andrew Butler at DesignCredo calls it The Cobbler's Shoes. Personally, I can't see the shoes for wanting to strip out the cobblers. All your inner conflicts rush to the fore like anarchists at the barricades. Is this piece relevant? Am I being vain? Are SMEs as well represented as the celebrities? Should I make something more prominent? O, the human condition! One minute a carefree Creative Director setting out a succession of successful projects, the next taunted by the Demon Doubt, asking if you know how to re-organize the deck-chairs on the Titanic. Physician, heal thyself!

If you have dallied on my Blog before you will know that I love the English language. Marvelling at its power for clarity and delighting in its potential for whimsy and unruly playtime. But not on my website! I don't want boastful adjectives and purple promises traipsing through with their out-sized muddy boots. I mean, I must think the better part of my work is good or I could not, in all conscience, release it to any the fab folk whose tags adorn this blog. But I certainly don't want to lather the pages with sales-pitch. It's just not me. But do I hamstring my own sales efforts in so doing? Arrrgghh! The Demon Doubt again. Fact is you are not there to apply the same cool-headed objectivity that is your normal daily stock in trade. You are trying to deftly negotiate that minefield of hopes and fears. Alone. With Arvo Pårt doing his level best to be a calming voice through the speakers.

So you try to be as objective as you can and ask other people's opinions. And listen. Then act on what seems the best advice to you. I am grateful for advice from Joanne Jacobs in particular.

I have worked with a lot of great people and the site shows a good selection. And I have kept it simple. It is tailored to the iPad – that seems the way to go. I am working on a WordPress bridge between the website and this blog. That will have a database where youcan search by client/author/title etc.

Could I have your help too? I would love it if you would leave comments/feedback below.

Have a look here: www.day-ellison.com

What do you think?

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/857108/twitter.jpg http://posterous.com/users/5AGeIN3bHjvr Gary Day-Ellison Gary Gary Day-Ellison Tue, 15 Feb 2011 05:31:00 -0800 Dick Francis http://day-ellison.posterous.com/dick-francis http://day-ellison.posterous.com/dick-francis

Proof Danger Odds-against Twice-shy Dead-cert Risk
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You cannot live in a rural community, as I do, without observing what an all-encompassing interest horses are to many. Not only racing but riding, owning, grooming, breeding and showing. The equestrian fan is totally absorbed by their pastime. Quite an industry too. It's not my specialst subject – only ridden twice, once on the Guinness Estate as a guest (good), the other in Algeria (bad). Amazing creatures though. Equine athletes. Limited expertise here. Must say I prefer Delacroix to Stubbs. But do check this stunning volume, Horses by Yann Arthus-Bertrand, Jean-Louis Gouraud. The sheer beauty of the animal does not escape me. Also the fertilizer is very impressive for the garden.

And I do enjoy reading a good thriller . . .

. . . Who could not help but be gripped by the extraordinary events at Newbury Race Course last weekend? In the viewers' enclosure several of the race horses suddenly became extremely distressed. And two died instantly. Ghastly, even on the radio. Possible cause is suspected to be an electric shock from an under-turf source. Not only was it an attention-grabbing news item but I was struck by how many reporters said the event was 'like a Dick Francis novel'.

A select few authors become synonymous with a sport. Norman Mailer on boxing leaps to mind, but more often than not it is sport as a major strand of popular culture that inspires the novelist, rather than sport per se. Short story writers, however, do favour the activity. But I digress. So you see why I value great writers so highly - for their skill and craft eludes me.

Dick Francis was a serious achiever in British National Hunt racing before he started writing about that world. He won over 350 races, becoming champion jockey  just as Noddy was entering my consciousness. He quit racing as the result of a serious fall. His most famous moment as a jockey came while riding the Queen Mother's horse, Devon Loch, in the 1956 Grand National when the horse inexplicably fell when close to winning the race. Wikipedia just told me that bit. '56 is the year I acquired a hyphen.

At Pan Books Dick Francis sales were cantering along nicely. But the feeling was that he should be read beyond his devoted fans in the horse-racing fraternity. "Whether you followed the gee-gees or not they are a good read" they said. And we need covers for his books that stretch his appeal to include them. I was skeptical (the description of jockeys as dwarves dressed as clowns always tickled me) but gave it a shot. I read a few. They were right. He writes at quite a clip. Fast paced, accessible, one sitting reads. All made credible by his wealth of insider knowledge. So the challenge was to package his novels without overt equine imagery to keep the thriller appeal wide as possible. OK marketing peeps.

The design shown is about nefarious deeds with counterfeit vintage wine against a racing backdrop. I designed two dozen or so with photographer Colin Thomas. A few are shown above.

A graphic design snippet for you: See the bubbles on the meniscus? When photographing drinks you need to be able to control the bubbles. Especially with wine. Too many will appear oxidized. Too few looks flat. And, whilst there is some settled wisdom, opinions differ on the ideal size and number with the wine producer. An air-filled syringe is a time consuming option and as bubbles burst they splash colour on the perfect glass. Solution: you can buy plastic bubbles in unlimited configurations to drop into liquids. They pick up the colour by reflection. Life before PhotoShop.

Thrillers are often referred to as 'electric'. Maybe that was the cause of the Newbury tragedy? Time, and Clare Balding, will tell.

Will they ever find Proof?

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/857108/twitter.jpg http://posterous.com/users/5AGeIN3bHjvr Gary Day-Ellison Gary Gary Day-Ellison Sun, 30 Jan 2011 09:58:00 -0800 Art Students Plymouth 2011 http://day-ellison.posterous.com/art-students http://day-ellison.posterous.com/art-students

Plymouth-uni Alistair_nimmo Jordan-rogers-2 Jordan-rogers-1 Jamie-bradford2 Claire_knight
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Project work, from left: Alistair Nimmo, Jordan Rogers, Jamie Bradford, Claire Knight

I was an art student once and, over the years, I have delivered the odd lecture, set some projects and frequently been engaged as External Assessor/Moderator at Art Schools. They have had various guises as Institutes, Colleges and Schools. Many are now part of a University, some were UK, some in New York and one was even Royal. But whatever the nom de guerre they are all basically art schools. The home of wisdom for, and the nurturing of, students of Visual Communication.

And, expecting a minor flurry of contradictions, they are not fundamentally different from my sojourn at Brighton Polytechnic, now a University. An energetic seaside town awash at the time with such talents as Michael Hodgson, Julian Powell Tuck, Helen Chadwick, Raymond Briggs, Rob O'Connor, Charlie Hooker, John Kippin, and Dick Jewell.

For this art student it was both a lifetime ago and just yesterday. Two weeks ago I stepped into University of Plymouth and half expected John Lord (my long-suffering tutor back in Brighton) to loom over me with that big red beard and chase me up for an unfinished project!

On a cold Monday morning the University's Head of Illustration, Ashley Potter, had called me to help out with a problem. 45 First Year Illustration students were booked into a week-long project (they call it a module) to introduce them to type and layout. Unexpectedly there was no tutor and it began the next morning. "OK, I'll help." Eek!

I hurriedly assembled images for an introductory lecture for two key questions the students would need answers to, "What is typography?" And "Who the hell is this bloke?". Through the door, lights out, showtime. 45 young faces, a mixture of the eager, shy, curious, sceptical, anxious and interested. And just one hour to show and tell. 60 minutes to hopefully raise their sights yet put the subject within their reach. Then a live crash course in how the institution set its modules. Ashley smoothed the path expertly and we all cracked on with it.

They had a whole heap of questions about the project. In fact it was in danger of becoming a bit of an avalanche so, after checking that it wouldn't ruffle any feathers, I modified the inherited brief a little so they could focus on the core of the work. Meeting constantly in groups or individually over the next few days I got to know them, and where they work. 

My experience was just one week with first year illustration students. Bearing that in mind, these are the impressions of the University I came away with. Campus is a few minutes walk from the railway station and very central so it felt an integral part of the city of Plymouth. Though densely populated its aspect is open and organised. It was busy. Facilities appeared very good, from what I saw, and working spaces were pleasant. The canteen pasta bake did not kill me - in fact it wasn't bad at all! There was a steady buzz of activity. I really enjoyed the principal exhibition, in the foyer, Dominion by Angela Cockayne & Philip Hoare. 

First Year Illustration impressed me. As a large group of developing young adults they are undergoing fresh influences, change and all sorts of pressures. But, in at the deep end, with a stranger  temporarily at the helm, they were terrific. They were open and fun. A little distracted at times but they still, mostly, got the project completed. I am not one to be phased by a student earnestly attending a critique with a drawn-on curly moustache! A few had English as their second language and many were soft-spoken and shy. Yet they were comfortable in teams and work groups and became increasingly articulate as nerves subsided. Generally the attendance was good. They took software in their stride but I would like to have seen them use the Library a little more, they will find that so rewarding.

Did they have concerns about fees, accommodation, friendships, health, love and politics? Undoubtedly. Did it stop them enjoying their drawing, their designs, their lives? No. They were involved with the course and engaged with each other and the staff. They were on it.

Look at some of the project work above. And then those young faces. These great people played with the project constructively, were lively to work with and produced some surprising results. And made me feel pretty welcome. Good work.

What is, or was, your time at art school like?

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/857108/twitter.jpg http://posterous.com/users/5AGeIN3bHjvr Gary Day-Ellison Gary Gary Day-Ellison Sat, 15 Jan 2011 11:01:00 -0800 Cecilia Bartoli http://day-ellison.posterous.com/cecilia-bartoli http://day-ellison.posterous.com/cecilia-bartoli
Italy at its very finest. Emiligia Romagna, Tuscany and Umbria in June. I have been lucky enough to be taken along as a pal and support vehicle driver by Greg Hart who is competing in the Modena Centro Ore Classic, Edizione 5a. Greg is racing a 1964 Lotus Elan and winning nearly every event until the diff is killed by an over-zealous marshall at a hill start. The particular moment I want to take you to is a break in a road race stage at an unfeasibly beautiful restaurant in the Umbrian countryside. There is languid heat and hurried linguini for lunch (the race cars tend to arrive at food stops earlier than a Mercedes Van full of equipment and tools! Outside are parked the highly-strung petrol-fed stallions. I am beside a Ferrari 275 GTB. A mechanic listens closely, like a surgeon to the tick-over of its V12 engine. That engine has 300 Horse Power before it ever sees a spanner. A low brooding rumble. Hold that thought . . .

London a few years earlier, working at Decca as Creative Director. Shaking up classical music packaging a bit. The Partners had laid great ground-work on the design front. In-house art director, Ann Bradbeer, in particular, is embracing our drive for more adventurous commissioning of photography and illustration. I am enjoying bringing in good creatives like David Smart who went on to spend so many successful years there. But I am having to spend much too time throwing open the windows on working practice, scaring the natives and re-organizing my departments; Art, Editorial & Production. Missing more hands-on creative work.

A challenge presents itself and I need to get away from dull desk work. Rossini Arias. I confess I am not big on Opera. Mostly too overblown for my puritan tastes. But one Opera singer moves me. A lot. She is a mezzo-soprano called Cecilia Bartoli.

You need to work around some pretty major egos in book publishing. But you gingerly hotfoot in a whole new field of coals and eggshells with the maestros in Classical Music. Prima donnas and prima uomos get their tags from that world after all. Vladimir Ashkenazy was an exception, as was Cecilia Bartoli. It frustrated me to see such characters under a blanket of convention. Subsumed beneath stiff DJs for the men and the woman decorated like some upholstered baroque confection. But, as with many conventions, stepping into new territory can be a risky business. 

We set up a morning photo-session in the Blackfriars studio of ace photographer Tony McGee. TV-AM turned up as the Press Office had tipped them off about us using a high-flyer fashion photographer. But a quick interview and I shooed them away before the session. That dealt with Tony and I talk. On the wall behind us is a print by Robert Freeman, the shot for the With The Beatles album. I still covert it. We chatted about keeping the session relaxed and seeing if we could ease away from some of the formality of an opera CD. What we didn't want was to impose any false trendy veneer but extract something from the artist's look when we met her. 

And our artist arrived. Wow. Having worked with a lot of models and being married to my lovely wife, Sandy Nightingale, it takes quite a bit for a woman's looks to take breath away. Picture Cecilia in her leather jacket and a white T-Shirt. That'll do it. 

Two minutes discussion and we agreed we must shoot her in her own clothes. Thankfully she agreed. Just a beautiful young singer. Perfect serendipity. More traditional shots as insurance which were used on the CD. Marketing took fright. Maybe, at that time, it would have looked too much of a stunt to use the leather-jacket shot on Arias, but we got the leather shot and it made to the poster. And it got talked about. She was getting all the attention she deserved. 

So what about the Ferrari? Did she arrive in one? No, a black cab. But I need to describe something very special to you. 

As we took the costume shots I wanted to ease more vitality into the images and I asked her if you would possibly sing. Just a little for animation. And she did. So softly but the latent power was beyond words. Well beyond my words. The hairs are going up on the back of my neck as I recall it. Such a sense of limitless power, life, passion – everything. So close, just the other side of Tony's lens. All at such low volume.

And the nearest I can get to describing it is my memory of standing next to that Ferrari in Umbria. Purring. Stationary. With the potent certainty that a mere breath on the throttle would unleash unlimited, almost frightening power.

 

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/857108/twitter.jpg http://posterous.com/users/5AGeIN3bHjvr Gary Day-Ellison Gary Gary Day-Ellison Thu, 09 Dec 2010 06:19:00 -0800 Like Minds magazine http://day-ellison.posterous.com/like-minds-magazine http://day-ellison.posterous.com/like-minds-magazine

Likemindsmag-cover2 Likemindsminding-what-i-like Likemindsfuture-of-news Likemindswhile-my-guitar Likemindsbench-copy
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Some of you will have seen this recent job at the Like Minds Conference, Exeter 2010. Or in the club. Partners Scott Gould and Drew Ellis wanted to upgrade the quality of the magazine and appointed me as Art Director on a continuing basis. 

They were aware that the magazine needed to make a step change, an upgrade in quality to match their organisation's growth. But how? Drew's brief was to make it look like Monocle. Aside from my being naturally allergic to looking over the shoulder of the boy on the next desk, this was unworkable. Let me expand to explain. Monocle is information dense, has regular features with sections themes (Affairs, Business, Culture, Design, Edits, Travel) It is intensively researched, cross-referenced, has a couple of dozen staff and 200+page editions. Like Minds had commissioned great articles but had no other sophistication in its editorial structure. Maybe one day. For now it had a target of 72 pages, with only the assistance of a copy-editor who did not materialise. Another brief was the direct opposite direction of 'lots of white space'.

Hmm. Of course this wasn't the first muddled brief and it won't be the last. A little thoughtful archeology was required. If the the content was a series of articles, without that rich info-graphic density, it was best to address the client's aspirations instead. Amongst a plethora of Social Media outfits Like Minds wanted something classy, a touch cool. Something to be proud of. Understandable, and this art director has experience of how to produce a quality 'look and feel' from limited resources. The editor had asked Peter Stephens to provide Exeter photography. I love the image (above) of the bench. Great example of the photographer's eye instinctively understanding the industrial designer's concept. The other images were to come from iStockphoto library. A low cost option but I found if I selected carefully and cropped well, they fit the bill. I devised a 3 column grid using cross-heads, drop cap intros and picture sign-offs. I recruited my beloved Baskerville, for the text. Justified and leaded it provides the clean, readable feel that I knew would work if I counter-balanced it with a clinical sans-serif font. In the right weights Helvetica Neue cuts the mustard. At an early stage, I tried it for the headlines on a hurriedly assembled dummy, using Like Minds colours but it resembled Orange literature and was rightly binned. Instead I opted for alternating Baskerville with the LikeMinds font, Asbuka and that gave me a good balance of classic and fresh.

There was a problem when the contributing authors' biographies came in. They varied wildly from one line to two pages (no, I won't tell you who's that was!). But I remembered that the editor had told me about the use of QR codes projected onto the side of of a store in Japan, long before we worked on the magazine. I knew he was itching to use QR codes somewhere. So, when we hit this problem, I proposed we used QR codes to resolve the biog-inconsistencies – and add an element of innovation that seemed to fit the magazine's audience. The editor readily agreed and directed the code to the LikeMinds alumni page. A brand tether, no bad thing.

Initially the cover was left open to me. Then the editor wanted it reserved for a head-shot of a major retail expert. A coup – but it didn't come off. So it was back to me . . . I had an idea. As you do. Mark Jennings, of Freshnetworks had shouted out the work of Johanna Basford, on Twitter, earlier in the year. Amazing line artwork. Exuberant, elegant, lush. I yearned to use her work one day. Aha! Now was my chance. With no time or funds I asked if she had any existing artwork we could re-use. Johanna kindly offered several. A star. There was a really wild one that I would love to have used (and spot varnished too) but it was not to be. However we agreed on the drawing above. Splendidly entitled 'A Tree of Monkeys'.

With less than a week to press the magazine was at 72 pages including 10 pages of advertising. But there was a 3 page hole. Big headache. I volunteered to write an article to plug the gap and Drew was relieved at that. Knowing my neighbouring articles were by smart Social Media savvy pros, I worried into the night about how to come up with the goods. Until the penny dropped to just write a simple, personal account of my experiences of Social Media to date, rather than any self-promo puff. Rather fun writing direct into a Quark layout. Still waiting to be found out as an author but noodling away until such time. Feel free to comment on that!

With the deadline upon us enough of Drew's anticipated advertising evaporated, making the magazine uneconomic. The final version had to be radically cut. Articles from many luminaries were regretfully lost. My article's retention in the truncated magazine was a pleasant surprise since it was an emergency filler. I wasn't hired as a writer! Happy to be able to help, and thanks.

This frantic, last minute re-structure threw up several issues but had one positive outcome that stood out to me. In a three-way Skype call I pointed out that our final cover now had a gap in the nice neat rows of author names. Any of you who work with me will know I think credit attribution is an important principle. Scott suggested that our cover artist be included on the cover. That kind of generous instinct is key to Like Minds future, in my view, and I applaud you, Scott.

But too much had been left to the last minute and an irritating casualty was a missed lo-res scan spotted on press by the helpful Ashley House. Rapidly fixed. But a lesson to us all: Skipping a wet proof is always a false economy.

Just under the wire. And looking quite spruce, considering. Anybody need a magazine Art Director?

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/857108/twitter.jpg http://posterous.com/users/5AGeIN3bHjvr Gary Day-Ellison Gary Gary Day-Ellison Fri, 19 Nov 2010 08:52:00 -0800 David Baldacci http://day-ellison.posterous.com/david-baldacci http://day-ellison.posterous.com/david-baldacci

Last-man-standing Absolute-power-packshot A-simple-truth-packshot The-winner-packshot Saving-faith-packshot Total-control-packshot Baldaccispines
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Well, after all the excitement, celebrations and hoopla over The Music of the Lord of the Rings Films I took a little breather from the Blog. Starting to gush.

So with feet firmly back on the ground I thought I would dig out something grittier and Hobbit free. David Baldacci is an internationally-acclaimed best selling thriller writer. They all say that in publishing but, with 100 million books in print no less, it is a very fair claim. And I have to say having read six of them they are actually great, fast-paced page-turners. Hailing from Virginia USA, Mr. Baldacci practiced law for nine years in Washington, D.C., as both a trial and corporate attorney. This informs the credibility of his story lines. You may recall his debut novel Absolute Power which was filmed, starring Clint Eastwood, Gene Hackman and Ed Harris.

The design work I undertook for Simon & Schuster UK was a complete author make-over, comprising the new hardback, Last Man Standing and fresh covers, in the new livery, for his paperback backlist. Interestingly the commission came from S&S art director Glen Saville (now freelance). Interesting because Glen worked for me at Pan Books in a former life. So the first move was a quiet sober lunch to catch up and make sure the old roles threw up no problems in working together with Glen as 'The Boss'. It was a wise investment of a couple of hours and roles and functions were clear. Initially I produced covers for Douglas Coupland and Seth Godin – which I can't find for the life of me. Bald head, tight crop, bright colours.

The David Baldacci make-over was based on a very dramatic use of white space working off the bottom of the page. And, sorry to bang on about it, attention the spines as display areas. Glen was great in giving me space to work and championing the look through the publisher's processes, a real ally to the project. It is worth pointing out that within a strong publishing genre, such as mainstream thrillers, you can stretch things to a certain extent but must not lose the instant recognition factor for your audience. I'd love to try it but publishers do not warm to thriller jackets/covers that reference literary fiction or cookbooks! Publishers, I dare you to let me try!

We tackled the photo-shoot in one – very long – day. As so often, my first choice behind the lens was Colin Thomas. Colin is a tall thin, sometimes bearded, odd sock wearing fellow who has quite the easiest manner you could wish to work with. His skill and adaptability are superb. We have worked on hundreds of assignments together, from Ed McBain and Dick Francis to wild PhotoShop forays where Colin is a master. He does great location, advertising and portraits and catalogue work. Damn, he's talented. You would love working with him. Check the Digital Imaging on his website. It's insane.

By the way, the model on A Simple Truth was a cracking fellow who appeared as an actor in a Guy Ritchie film. I think due credit is so important and I am maddened I cannot remember or find his name to check him. Maybe you can help, film buffs?

Anyway, returning to the 'internationally-acclaimed best selling thriller' schtick and the commercial imperative, the David Baldacci make-over exceeded the publishers' expectations winning prime display and shelf space everywhere. His industry currency soared and the auction value of his next book went stratospheric.

What I would like to know is what thriller covers have appealed to you? Why not leave a comment and tell us why you like them?
And I'd love to hear what you think of Colin Thomas portfolio . . .

 

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/857108/twitter.jpg http://posterous.com/users/5AGeIN3bHjvr Gary Day-Ellison Gary Gary Day-Ellison Fri, 08 Oct 2010 09:29:00 -0700 The Music of the Lord of the Rings Films (Part Two) http://day-ellison.posterous.com/the-music-of-the-lord-of-the-rings-films-0 http://day-ellison.posterous.com/the-music-of-the-lord-of-the-rings-films-0
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Some times you deliver a job and never hear another word. This can be disconcerting. One minute you are intensely focussed on a mission. The next you are alone watching your child cycle off, without the trainer-wheels, suddenly redundant.

Other times it is very different.

Last week a finished copy of The Music of the Lord of the Rings Films arrived. The next day the author, Doug Adams, arrived in England. We had worked together so intensely over many months. Often under serious pressure. A mutual respect and friendship had developed. Would meeting in 'real life' be the same? And the mighty composer, Howard Shore who had gathered three Academy© Awards for his Tolkien Movie compositions. The next day would be the UK Publication Day and I was about to find out . . .

The venue was Chappell of Bond Street, which is in Wardour Street. Of course it is. Chappell's is where you go to buy serious musical instruments from people who know one end of a Tuba from another. Downstairs is the sheet music section. As one often to be heard muttering darkly against the cloned retail outlets in our cities I feel I should, by turn, celebrate the very existence of such specialist havens of expertise, knowledge and craft. Thrilled they survive the relentless steam-roller of the bland. And I do.

Picture this. Pitch black 7pm on Monday and we could barely get in the shop. Strands of the disparate tribes of Tolkien Fans, Movies Fans and Music Fans threading together in an eager queue to hear Doug Adams and Howard Shore discuss the project and sign some their treasured books. We oozed through the throng, slid to the wings and lurked behind a speaker. And listened to the presentation as the poised, humble young author chatted carefully and informatively with this soft-spoken Canadian composer. Shore has worked with many of my favourite directors. Martin Scorsese, David Lynch, Peter Jackson . . . Blimey!


Then I can only remember a bit of a blur. Doug recognised me from the inflated version of my avatar which is the reality and called me to the front for introduction. I got a round of applause! Hell, often the best you get is to be told is that the Sales Director's mum thought you should have done it in green. Applause! Real applause from real readers who really care. Really. I bowed to the maestro and   Doug and I hugged. On their gentle but firm insistence I said something about the design approach into the mike, Lord knows what, and we three signed many copies of the book - together. 

The devil makes me do things sometimes at very proper events. And, later, I found such demonic possession commanding me to proffer the Susan Boyle Songbook to Mr Shore to sign. Fortunately he is a gracious man and there was much laughter.

It seems I got away with it as those very nice people from the distributors, Alfred Music, took us all for supper at The Langham Hotel, opposite what I think of as the British Embassy, BBC Broadcasting House. Conversation pinged from noise-cancelling headphones to Lennon & McCartney, from Radio 4 to the graphic beauty of music. Teenage cassette compilations, Thom Yorke, file-sharing, Apps and beyond.

Next morning, while Howard took rehearsal we had promised the morning to showing Doug and his lovely girlfriend, Jill Smith a sample of the delights of London. On the steps of St Paul's Doug told me the news that the book had sold out on Amazon in UK & Germany on Day One. We took The Millennium Bridge to The Globe Theatre and Tate Modern. Chicagoan have stamina, I am here to testify, and love their coffee is infinite. The original instruments in The Globe exhibition were of great interest to Doug. And I love that it is just 50 yards from Joseph Beuys.

All good. And then it got better. Remember reading that a pianist that used to accompany old silent movies? Frantically fingering the keyboard as some hapless heroine was tied to the railway tracks by a nefarious villain? That night, in 2010, we were part of a sell-out audience at The Royal Albert Hall to witness the spectacle of a full screening of The Return of the King. Technicians kept the Voices and the Sound Effects but stripped out the Sound Track Music. And beneath the screen The London Philharmonic Orchestra plus male choir, children's choir and soloists, some 250+, performing the full score live to screen. It blew my socks off!. My inner sceptic always wriggled at some of the most sentimental moments of the movie. But with the full impact of perfect live vocal presence the swell of the music transformed the saccharine to sweet moments. And I have to tell you that, at The Lighting of the Beacons, my heart filled-up with Shore's Music, Alan Lee, John Howe, the Movie and the project with Doug in ways that any attempt to describe would only invite a cackling of derision from the cynical reader. And the tears rolled down my face. 

At the Interval all I could do was stand and look around the impressive venue, vast audience, massed performers and just marvel at the epic scale of the whole thing. (Then we had Ben & Jerry's - Chocolate Chip.) After the performance, and rapturous applause, Howard Shore & Doug Adams signed books into the night, The line stretched from Gate One to Gate Six. I had been asked to join them signing but it seemed strangely inappropriate and we slipped into the night. Tired, emotionally drained, happy with my wife, Sandy Nightingale.

This creative director may not have the most cash in the world. But sometimes life makes him feel very, very rich.

(Continued from Part One . . .)

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/857108/twitter.jpg http://posterous.com/users/5AGeIN3bHjvr Gary Day-Ellison Gary Gary Day-Ellison Thu, 26 Aug 2010 09:14:00 -0700 The Beatles http://day-ellison.posterous.com/the-beatles http://day-ellison.posterous.com/the-beatles

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Just like Jacques Tati's car, I used to have a blog but it wasn't  a good blog. Since I let Scott Gould verbally mug me about my lack of self-promotion I have this shiny new one that people actually read. There are several ideas distilling that I am keen to write but still bubbling. In the meantime I wanted to bring this story forward into the light.

My step-father, Ron, was Marketing Director at British Eagle airlines during my early school days. So when The Beatles flew with them I got to paint (yes, paint) "Beatles Fly" above the British Eagle logo, in matching type, on four bags. But I didn't get taken to the airport to see them and I have lost the photo. My early introduction to the benefits of free work. See how I got over it and moved on? Anyway it was Klaus Voorman's design for Revolver that proved to be the Damascean drawing for me. It was fab and it seemed distantly achievable to a schoolboy with a short version of a Beatle haircut and dreams.

Last summer saw lots of media coverage for the anniversary of The Beatles' Abbey Road. Just as their music was instantly ubiquitous, all their album graphics became iconic.  You can often gauge how much album art has been absorbed into popular culture by the number of parodies. The Red Hot Chilli Peppers, The Simpsons, Booker T & the MG's, Lego, and just about everybody else have paid homage to Abbey Road. Only spell-checker software, it seems, has not heard of The Beatles.

In 1984 Pan Books published Pete Brown's account of his time with The Beatles. As Creative Director for Pan I wanted the cover to show the exact spot with the band now missing. The record label would not permit the re-touching of the original sleeve. So one Sunday morning it was off to St.John's Wood with delightfully gentle photographer Peter Williams and a set of step ladders to shoot from scratch. With a very limited budget for models or props the were Hitchcock cameos by myself, Sandy Nightingale, Richard Moon, Creative Director of The British Council at the time, and his VW. We left the 'For Sale' sign in for Beatles' fans to spot.

The zebra crossing itself is an international pilgrimage destination for fans of The Fab Four braving the London traffic to get that souvenir shot of themselves on location.

Visually, I am quite taken by the wit of the tank on The Beatles Bike that puts the motorbike in Abbey Road wherever it's true location may be. A shame the airbrush artist went on to pepper (apologies) the machine with so many other references too. Smart tank idea though.

And, with all the lyrical wit of a McCartney bass-line, life threw up the location in a project this year. This time, as I rummaged through the archives for material for The Music of the Lord of the Rings. While using the hallowed recording studios, Director, Peter Jackson and Composer, Howard Shore stepped out to get their own snap. Then English Heritage got the studios listed. And I still love The Beatles music.

And in the end . . .

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/857108/twitter.jpg http://posterous.com/users/5AGeIN3bHjvr Gary Day-Ellison Gary Gary Day-Ellison