The Kiln.

So, A little bit of back story…

Not that long ago I found my job had relocated to the other end of the country so I took redundancy and went alone into the world of freelancing. When you start freelancing it can be quite lonely and isolating at times and I remember at the time thinking how good it would be to be in touch with like minded creatives to share the ups and more likely downs of going it alone. Short time after that I found myself without an office or anywhere obvious to work (that’s another story…) and thought whilst I was sat working in a combination of libraries, coffee shops and friends kitchen tables how good it would be to have a space, again, with like minded people where you could comfortably work without the hassle and expense and long time commitment of renting an entire office…

Fast forward to 2018 when I was asked to tender for a project designing a co-working office space. I have previous experience of working within store fitting and interior design and so with that and for the reasons I mentioned above I jumped at the opportunity. The project founders were very lucky to have stumbled upon an old Police station which we then spent 12 months+ converting into the co-working space. Once we had worked out the possibilities of the space and come up with a plan with the appointed Architects ( KKE Architects ) we were ready to go…

Bracket made by Respoke Designs.

Why this looks like that.

When I started the project the building was a wreck (as in practically falling down) and I wanted to restore some of the heritage and feel of the Police Station. After research it soon became apparent that Police Station interiors of the past didn’t really have a strong identity which made me realise - the identity (as we know it) of the Police force generally comes from vehicles and uniform and so with that came up with chevrons through the site that were designed to be 2 things. Firstly a homage to the chevrons that appear on Police vehicles and secondly as a motivational device of pointing upwards for the current users of the site. The blue and yellow throughout the site is also our more subdued take on the high-viz colour scheme of Police vehicles. I wanted it to look utilitarian throughout, hence the exposed conduit and reinstating the original cells, rather than just losing the character of the building with carpets and magnolia paint.

Keeping it lean.

Theres always a budget and this build was no exception. I wanted to save money wherever possible, as long as it meant no compromise to the overall aesthetic, in fact, if possible, I wanted to use those budget limitations to actually enhance the project. The parquet floor above is actually OSB board hand painted, cut and laid in the herringbone pattern - again a homage to the high-viz chevrons on Police cars. 

Cell doors would become hanging light installations. See also reclaimed wood chevrons.

Police bonnets were hung over fireplaces in the same way Deer heads with antlers historically would be hung over fireplaces but would be bespoke art pieces or magnetic noticeboards.

Remember the mural painted on the hoardings of the site? <Video here>

I had the mural taken down and digitally cut into room signs, shelves, coasters and props throughout the site.

All the plant pots were the used paint cans throughout the project resprayed and repurposed. The large pots were the old hot air pipe flue system that got ripped out at the start of the build. 

And so that was it, done, open!. More images in my work gallery (above on the left) but what will be great is to see now is the owners developing the space into a thriving community of creatives and business start ups. Lots of people to thank but in particular F8 Creates, Respoke Design, Jessica Antley, Croft Building and Conservation, KKE and Janet Yates for their help and support

Images by the amazing James Greenoff Photography

Beyond Tellerrand. Dusseldorf, Germany May 2019

Just returned from Dusseldorf where I was talking at the Beyond Tellerrand conference. From event to event I go to there is always a different feel and pace overall and Beyond Tellerrand was no exception. After I spoke at the Reasonsto conference in London last year I was introduced to Marc who, little did I know at the time was the owner of Beyond Tellerand and when I finally arrived in Dusseldorf it became obvious why the event is so successful and how much passion Marc injects into his event. See below for Marc on stage (and my graphics!)

The event itself had sold out weeks before and had a waiting list of over 200 people and when I saw the line up, adding to my nerves I noticed a pivotal figure in my graphic design career - David Carson. As a University student studying Visual Communication in the mid 1990’s David’s work completely changed my mindset. Suddenly type could be image and Davids approach was fresh, new, brimming with vitality and completely influenced my work when I became a magazine designer. (See below for my work in the Design Museum London, 1996). David was great to meet and discuss his work and was great to still see him relentlessly pushing that style, making his work creative and unique.

Image: Florian Ziegler / florianziegler.com

Storm Magazine. Design Museum, London 1996.

My talk went well (I think!), the crowd were so warm and receptive, I love speaking to people after and hearing about their situations, outlook and creativity and the overall conference went great, you really do get the feeling that Beyond Tellerrand has been built and built over the years to become this welcoming family of creatives in the organisers, the speakers and the audience. It was also a great opportunity to watch the rest of the speakers over the conference and spend lots of time with them and make some new friends - Mike Hill, David Delgado, Stephen Hay, Red Hongh Yi, Doro Ottermann, Shirley Wu, Zach Leatherman and many more - There are some very talented people out there…

Image: Florian Ziegler / florianziegler.com

It was also a real privilege to get asked to design the shirt for the show along with the staff shirts and digital graphics through the day.

So pulling it all together, can completely see now why the event was so popular, Marcs passion is everywhere and its not hard to see why the event is such a success, I now feel like one of that family and I'll definitely be back…

Image: Florian Ziegler / florianziegler.com

The Golden Globes 2019

As a freelance artist and designer clients coming back to you is great. And when that client is one of the worlds biggest brands that is really, really great. I first worked with the Golden Globes 3 years ago, During 2016 I had a quite tough personal year navigating the pot holes in lifes roads and remember sat in a public library over Christmas 2016 drawing up the proposals for 2017’s show and it really was like some sort of weird beacon of positivity for my mindset at that time. To say I was honoured when they got in touch the year after would be an understatement and we developed some animations and branding based on it being the 75th edition and was a great moment to see it playing on loop at the Red Carpet at the show

So, when end of 2018 came around and I was asked again I couldn’t have been happier, it truly was (and will always be) a dream come true but this year there was a challenge… 

Golden Globes 2017, Golden Globes 2018

Year 1 & 2 were a slightly different approach, I was drawing the ornate flourishes and details a lot in my personal work and that seemed a really good ‘fit’ for the Globes brand and we opted for the ’stop frame’ animation style which from a technical point of view is a more straightforward approach to production. However, this year felt like it was time to push things on and we wanted to try something a little different. 

My Flickr Account, 2010

Back in 2010 (Pre-Instagram for me!) I was publishing type work to Flickr and I had began experimenting with a style of repeating lines around text, giving the lettering warped abstract 3Ds (see above). I revisited it a few times then, fast forward to about 18 months ago I was approached to work for a big brand (Sadly, I’m not allowed to say who or show the work) to design a mountain bike and after some research I decided to try and mix this lettering and lined 3D concept with the gradients found on mountains and hills on maps - You know, those big fold out paper things before Google maps took over everything. Anyway, They matched really well and you could blend the gradient lines seamlessly with the lettering and it seemed a perfect fit. The bike got designed and at the last minute the project took a completely unexpected different direction and the bike never saw the light of day. It happens.

…But, I had developed this ‘thing’ now that didn’t really have a commercial home that I really enjoyed producing so I just keep revisiting it through personal works waiting for a project that would be a good fit. Social media can be a great ‘sketchbook diary’ for me at times where you have the freedom of publishing experiments, some that work, some that don’t, some you revisit, some you bury there and then. 

I always really liked how the lines give such direction and movement and wondered if there was anyway I could animate the lines I was drawing to enhance that movement further and further so had started experimenting with that to see how far I could take it….(The videos of these are on my Instagram page here.)

Anyway, after getting the call and working through December with the Globes team and coming up with a selection of directions we opted for this treatment for this years show as it had a really nice connection - gradient lines for the Globes.

Production was a real challenge this time around, it was the first time I had ever combined animations with stop frame as we wanted the ‘bouncing’ warped perspective but also wanted to include the realtime movement of the sheen of gold leaf and glitter as they were applied to the lettering. I used a light box and A3 paper to draw each frame, before scanning and lining up every frame in Photoshop. It has meant that I did very little else for the last few weeks as the deadline got closer and closer.

A selection of the individual drawn frames.

And that was that - saved, sent, the kettle turns on and the waiting begins… Check my Instagram account here to see the finished videos…

So I guess, if there has to be a moral of the story or something I have learnt along this journey it is that just because you develop something, it doesn’t necessarily mean there will be an immediate home for it and even when it seems it finally does find a home (The mountain bike) that then doesn’t work then that still doesn’t mean it is over…

Relentless dreams, Hard work & Wi-Fi.

On Friday got asked to talk at the British Library in London as part of Reasonsto about what I do, why I do it and why i do it more when everything goes wrong. Want to thank everyone who I met on the day who gave me feedback and for the comments I’ve seen online over the weekend. The subject of my talk is below...

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Today i’ll be telling 2 stories. The first is how I got here - How did I end up doing this and why do I draw on things? Its a peculiar story that I wouldn’t believe unless it had happened to me. After unexpected redundancy of my perfect job I felt I was at a junction - leave behind a 20+ year design career and re-train or go it alone, not turn anything down, try new things and see what happens. 

That approach left me setting up a cycling brand, working in a high security prison and spending my spare time drawing on coffee cups. The second story is how once finally some of my dreams came true they nearly all fell to pieces. I found myself watching the worlds biggest film stars walk past my animations on the red carpet at the Golden Globes while I had no studio, no office and ‘home’ was living on a camp bed in my Sisters front room next to my 11 year old Son and how this has shaped me, my work and my outlook.

I suppose its basically a story of relentlessly pursuing dreams when at times the odds are stacked against you and how sometimes that goes right, sometimes it goes wrong but its what you learn and take forward that matters…

All Beef, New Drama...

Hand painted mural for Hanbao. The whole mural was 25 metres (80ft) long and was designed to celebrate the build of their next site. For more information and an interview, see the feature on US based Good Type <click here>

The Hanbao story...

Hanbao was one of those projects that hit a real ‘sweet spot’ - a great brief and scope for creativity. I was called in initially earlier in the year to create a screen printed artwork that would be displayed through the restaurant (this also became the foundation for the ‘All Beef No Drama’ wall painting).. As the process continued Sebastian and Alexander, the brothers behind the brand came up with more requests to get further involved and the initial screen print turned into almost a ‘residency’ - spending more and more time moving from one artwork placement to the next - floors, walls, toilets etc etc. Including some additional process shots - The large ‘H’ started as a quick idea in my sketchbook that developed into a 6ft high concrete statue that took 5 men and an industrial ’skateboard’ to move into place. 

The ‘All Beef, No Drama’ prints were signed and limited to 150 each colour way and given out on launch night.

I’d really like to thank Sebastian and Alexander from Hanbao for the opportunity to work on the project, Greg from Design Religion for initially bringing me in and DJC building for all the help, in particular managing to not even flinch when I proposed making a 6ft concrete statue of an ‘H'...

Karl Lagerfeld & Faber Castell - The Karlbox.

Last week was a great week, It involved the usual mix of ink, work and coffee but I was also invited to the the launch of something pretty special. Launched on September the 1st 2016 the Karlbox is a collaboration between Karl Lagerfeld and Faber Castell. The Karlbox is limited to 2500 sets worldwide and features a lot of stuff - a real lot of stuff...

In fact if you want the full story... <click here>

…and heres a piece in this months Vogue… <click here>

The Karlbox was simultaneously released around the world to be sold exclusively at Karl Lagerfeld boutiques worldwide, Faber-Castell stores and Harrods London and it was great to be invited to the launch at Karl Lagerfelds Regent Street store in central London to first-hand see the level of detail and quality throughout the entire product which is outstanding. 

One of the things I really enjoy as part of my work and travels is meeting other creatives and finding what drives them and where they want to that drive to lead them and the launch was a really good opportunity to meet some new artists and creators and catch up with some old friends (more on that in a minute...). 

Some of the guys I met with on the night were…

Claudine O'Sullivan

Eleni Karlokoti

Linzie Hunter

Minty Sainsbury

Vic Lee

Miss Led

Tomasz Mrozkiewicz

Wanted to say a big thank you to all the family at Faber Castell and Karl Lagerfeld for taking care of every part of my trip and letting me see such a unique, special product.

Secondly, the trip was a great chance to catch up with an incredibly talented friend, Kelvin Okafor. Thats Kelvin and Carlotta from Faber Castell below. If you haven’t seen his work, have a look here… www.kelvinokaforart.com

Kelvins takes photo-realism with a pencil to the next level. (actually, the next-next level) and he’s been working for the last 12 months on a solo show called ‘interludes’ which is on from 14 September to 1 October at Albemarle Gallery on Albemarle Street in West London. I’ve seen some printed copies of the works which will feature in the show and can’t wait to see the real thing when the show opens. If you get the opportunity, go along as this will be an absolute essential visit….

June 1st. New month, New Pens.

I've mentioned it before and get asked about it quite often but I get through a lot of pens. A real lot of pens. Over time the nibs grind down a little so they lose the 'sharpness' a little but still have lots of life (or ink) left in them so they can be relegated to filling in, or as trial pens for the drawing on food which is an absolute pen killer. 

It can get really confusing as I can have tens and tens of them around me so have taken to marking up the caps as a new batch comes into circulation rather than take hours taking and putting caps back on looking for a fresh nib!

The Kiln. 'How panic, necessity and coffee found me in the Daily Mail’

This week I had the pleasure of speaking at The Kiln. The Kiln is an enthusiastic, collaborative community supporting creative, craft and tech small businesses in Worcestershire and I had been asked to speak at the event based upon the theme ‘How to be Innovative’.

The title of my talk was 'How panic, necessity and coffee found me in the Daily Mail’ and discussed a particular aspect of what I do, why I do it and where it all came from. It was a great opportunity to meet part of the ever growing creative and tech community and to catch up with some old friends and I wish the guys at the Kiln the best of luck with securing a permanent co-working creative hub space.

All photography of the event covered by the excellent James Greenoff

Every beginning is the start of an end...

Experimenting with lettering on a continual loop for a project...

Obsessed. Create More....2016.

To Go? Cups launched...

Really pleased to finally announce these. Its a range of double walled ceramic cups with silicon lids. These are now available across Europe and will be launched in the USA and rest of the world in January.

This also seems a really good time to thank you all for your support. Seeing the cups grow from a quiet day doodling alone when I started freelancing and had no work on to this range being produced is amazing, and the project has largely been spurred on from the feedback I get. The support I've received has been incredible from every corner of the world, so sending you all a big thank you. Many more pictures of the range on the To Go? gallery. Please contact Lifeofjay.com for any sales enquiries.

Cheers

Create More.

I really enjoy putting these together, watching how the layers and layers of detail come together to create the final piece, walking the line between just enough and too much detail....

Faber Castell / Nuremberg

Last week was a funny week. I've been a big fan of the Faber Castell PITT series of art pens for a long time so when Faber Castell contacted me with an invite over to Nuremberg as a guest to their International Drawing Awards and to visit the production processes and team behind the products I jumped at the chance. It was also a great chance to draw on some coffee cups and abandon them around Germany to run the gauntlet of claimed and taken home or trash bound.

It was a creative fuelled adventure that the Faber Castell staff organised and made me feel like a PITT pen carrying pop star. One thing I did pick up from talking to all the staff, from the web manager, the PR team all the way to the guy who is responsible for the pigments and testing how much pressure to put on the pencil lead before it breaks (yep - they even do that) was a passion for the heritage, the company and the products they create.

An added bonus was the company Faber Castell had put me with. Worldwide talents such as...

Kelvin Okafor

Jack Ede

Graham Bradshaw

The Drawing Pencil

We Love Hand Made

Cizen Bayen

...which made me realise, after some time spent together how important (and how hard it can be at times) to follow your passion. We all had different paths, struggles and goals but there were many parallels that ran through us all, truly inspiring people.

Big thanks to Carlotta, Sandra and Teresa and all at Faber Castell.

Will hopefully see you again soon...

The Process 4.

 More fun with the process and paper plates, everydays aim....Create.

The Process 3

Starting to have some fun with these now and hopefully helpful to the feedback I get to highlight my process and how some of my designs come together.....

The Process 2

See below, in response to feedback and requests some 'stop motion' style animations of how some of my pieces come together...

The Process

I get a lot of great emails, calls and requests for videos and to see my 'process'. The truth is, I don't have a strict process I work to, often the lettering i'm drawing and the surface I'm drawing it on end up dictating the process and time always plays a key factor too but I thought i'd create some 'stop motion' style videos of how some of the finished pieces come together to hopefully give you an idea.

Hope you enjoy....