The Art of Handwriting

It's been quite a while but my degree show project was featured in the blog of Blueprint magazine... in August. Yeah this has been a while.

そういえば・・・な話なのですが、英国の建築雑誌Blueprintのブログに作品が８月に載りました。卒業生特集。

http://www.blueprintmagazine.co.uk/index.php/architecture/best-of-student-shows-2012/

I'm pleased that my work somehow made it to the eyes of prestigious architecture magazine. Maybe my pseudo-intellectual affection for architecture has finally paid off. That was worth it.

スクリーンショット、殺風景すぎる・・・。クールなサイトだなあ。
建築好きとしては、建築の雑誌に気に入ってくれて嬉しいです。この雑誌ちゃんと読んだことないけど、賢そうな雑誌です。

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Also, I was fortunate enough to expand this project into larger community of people. i.e. even to the people who don't attend graphic design shows. Thank you to the publisher Pan Macmillan for running this campaign with me.

そんでもって、出版社Pan MacmillanとPhilip Hensherの新しい本、"The Missing Ink"のキャンペーンをやったりしました。

http://www.panmacmillan.com/missingink

The new book by Philip Hensher The Missing Ink is for handwriting lovers. The book explores the history and different stories/aspects around handwriting. Because the subject is handwriting, which is rather a hart-warming subject, the book makes a perfect gift option for Christmas. Available in Kindle too, which is definitely a big plus (making international gifts easier). A bit of a biased promotion aside, and even though I felt some bits more interesting than other, you can show off knowledge such as how much Hitler hated writing by hand, just like how I've been doing.

Well the only thing I can say is, I hope Mr. Hensher didn't mind my photo being featured rather large next to his book for the campaign site. It's a complete honor really.

You can see the handwriting of people who have participated here:
http://storify.com/zoldie/the-missing-ink
It's just great communicating with people like this way, especially since graphic designers don't usually get to see the faces of our audience and don't have opportunity to hear their reactions.

自分の顔がキャンペーンサイトに大きく載ってびびった。Hensherさんの本なのに、わたしがこんなに目立ってよかったのでしょうか。

キャンペーンは（たぶん）もう締め切っているものの、わたしは今これを納品している最中。頑張ってます。

キャンペーンを通じて色んな人が、ツイッターを通じて、自分の手書き文字を送ってくれて、なかなか面白かったです。わたしは、こういう作品を通じた交流が好きだなあと、手書きフォントプロジェクトの一連を通じて思ってます。

みんなの手書き文字の記録はこちらから見れます。
http://storify.com/zoldie/the-missing-ink

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Some great feedbacks include like this one here by Gwyneth Holland:
こんなブログにも取り上げていただき、嬉しい限りです。

http://howthingsaredone.wordpress.com/2012/10/19/penmanship/

ちなみに、このプロジェクトが賞を取ったと書いてありますが、わたしの知る限りではなにも取ってません。もしわたしの知らないところで取っていたとしたら、誰か教えてください（もしくは、賞ください）。

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To those who participated at my space in degree show, the project is very slowly progressing. I'm possibly one third done? If you send me an email with your name (and preferably which day you attended if you remember), I can work on yours first.

Note* I am not creating any more handwriting fonts unless you have taken part at the degree show.

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I just realized I haven't really blogged about this project in full detail. I guess I've been thinking I should finish it before writing about it, but it's taking more time to complete than I have initially anticipated back in June. I'll really try to write about it sometime though. It has been one of the most exciting project I have ever done, and one of my favorite projects ever.

Degree Show 2012 Photos

It's hard to believe it's been almost 4 months since the degree show. The degree show and the end of university life were rather emotional, but they feel so distant now, I can't even recall my precise feelings. Time flies, but also the past 4 months have been very satisfying both for my personal life and professional life. I've been lucky throughout my life but the amount of luck I had in the past 4 months surprises even myself.

It's already 4 months but school still owes me money for the show. I still need to chase that cash over; not cool. (I probably refused to be a freelancer for the pain of constantly chasing money from clients.)

Finally with some time and right equipment, I am currently in the process of slowly finishing up my degree show project, so please be patient to those who know what I mean.


６月に行われた卒展の写真。もうすぐ、４ヶ月が経つ。早い！でも、人生史上、最高にツイてる４ヶ月で色々ありすぎて、大きな感動があった卒展すら、もはや上手く思い出せない。過去の感動より、今の感動！

Post-Degree Show

It's been unexpectedly incredibly busy after the degree show. From looking at previous years, our year seemed to had believed that "the design industry hunts for new talents at degree shows is a myth that rarely happens". But many from my year seem to already found jobs through the degree show, it seems like degree show as a place to get jobs could work. So if you are in second or first years, keep your hopes up, it can work.

From what I see, it seems like the industry doesn't really go to degree show actively searching for the new talent. But rather they go to degree shows just for fun, and they see some work that fits with their current project, and they contact the student if he or she would like to do some work for them. So there is already a nice fit from the very beginning, that students' works are relevant to the studio's. That's my personal experience and I do see that's the case for few others around.

For that reason, it helps to put work that really represents you. My space demonstrated no skills or no design sensitivities, but as I look back to it now, it really reflected my personality and my long-time interests. That was a happy accident and I'm grateful now, as I am currently enjoying the post-degree show times.



ご無沙汰してます。卒業式を半月後に控え、卒展後の充実した日々を過ごしています。

去年の卒業生の様子から、「卒展がきっかけで、仕事が降ってくるなんてことはない」という共通認識があったのですが、多くの友達が卒展をきっかけに仕事をもらっており、どうやら卒展で仕事って決まるものみたい。なので、今まだ大学に在学中の子たちは期待してもいいと思います。

結局、グラフィックデザインの場合、アートやファッションのように「よし、卒展で素晴らしい才能を発掘するぞ！」と出かけて、卒業生に声をかけていく、というわけではなく、趣味で行った卒展で、今自分たちがやってるプロジェクトに合う生徒をたまたま見つけたので、声をかけてみた、という形が多い気がする。私もそういった感じで声をかけてもらっており、最終的にお仕事を引き受けるかどうかは別として、自分と似たプロジェクトをしている会社の方々と話をするのは、お互いにとって有意義。


In any case, post-degree show consisted of watching a lot of football.
Followings are fabulous images from The Green Soccer Journal specially dedicated blog for Euro 2012. Art direction is rather slick (wearing football uniform with Burberry jacket and Acne jeans is totally great), but also successfully tell a lot of story within each image. 

(All images from The Green Soccer Journal)

#csmgraphics2012 Industry Private View

Positive press reviews all the way, great feedbacks from industries and friends, happy tweets continues to come in, and most of all we are all satisfied with the outcome and I think we can call the show as a success.
The private view was a great opportunity to thank tutors that I owed a lot from. It was a rare opportunity that people I love gathered together. Thank you all for the special evening.

プレスからの記事でネガティブなものは一切なく、業界関係者、及び友人知人からの評判も良く、ツイッターのコメントの嬉しいものばかりで、そして何より自分たちが満足する卒展となりました。
業界用のオープニングパーティーの際は、一部の子たちが、プレスや業界関係者に必死に自分を売り込むのを横目に、そういうのが苦手な私と私の周りの友達は陰でずっとビールを飲んでいました。自分が思っていたよりも、自分はナイーブで、いきなりビジネスに頭を切り替えることが出来ず、業界の人と話すよりも大好きな友達といたかった。
イギリスで仕事を見つけようとしていたら、もうちょっと違うメンタリティだったのかもしれないけれど、イギリスで就職をしないという選択が逆に功を期した気がします。最初から、自分を売り込むことなんてまったく考えておらず、今までお世話になった方々が集まる貴重な機会として、本当に特別なオープニングパーティーとなりました。

作業中は忙しすぎて、パーティーの際は感傷的になりすぎて、まったく写真を撮らなかったので、この写真はすべて友達のクロエの写真。あまりにもそのときの雰囲気がそのまま撮れていて、みんな大好きで、逆に切ない。

Due to overload of work and sentiment, I took no photos for past few days.  But thanks to Chole True, who has been a diligent photographer, documenting behinds the scenes and making of the show.

Her photographs here capture the spirit of the show as truly as I remember. Here are my loving people making the show we love:

(All photographs by Chole True.)

Degree Show Signage WIP

Signage for the degree show is slowly but surely taking shapes.
Above is sexy Boo promoting Illustration pathway.
Bellow are the initial tests:

While Duarte is mainly responsible for the digital side and Esa for print, I have been in charge of signage for the degree show.
It is a rather slow process. We have already used 1.2km (!) of yarn so far and still counting. This signage idea could not have been executed by myself and is really a collaborative effort of people involved in this show. Thank you everyone who worked on it, I am especially grateful because I know everyone's all so very busy preparing for your own space for the show.
The signage is created by: JT, Alessia, Lillian, Boo, Clare, Kate, Kristina, Matt, Pietro, Duarte, Nathalie, Sara and Renata, Together, we are Cool Calm Collective.

It turned out, this is such a nice collaborative outcome to finish the course with. It involves a lot of people that I've never worked with before.
Still in a process of finishing up, but getting positive feedbacks around, we are pretty excited about it.


実際の空間（メタルのグリッド）とアイデンティティー（プリントとウェブに使われている黒い線）を繋ぐ、標識や看板のシステム。アイディアとしてはとてもエキサイティングなのだけれど、やり始めて自分ひとりでは絶対に終わらせることが出来ないということを悟り、Facebookで助けを求めたら、あまり親しくない友達までも助けてくれて、かなり感動。既に１.２キロメートル（！）もの毛糸を使い切り、ゆっくりではあるものの、卒展までには間に合いそうなので、一安心。

When you work in a pair, one needs to play a chicken in a cage role.

Five Days until the Degree Show

Central Saint Martins graphic design has 180 students this year. With such a large number of students, there are so many different relationships within the course. That variety of relationships is what makes us and the characteristic of our year.

So, we have developed this identity system that looks into the relationships between students. 

セントマ、グラフィックデザイン科は一学年１８０人。それだけの人数がいれば、少人数制の学部ではあり得ない様々な人間関係がある。そういった関係性こそが、うちのグラフィック科の特徴で強み！

と、いうことで、生徒同士の関係性に目をつけた、アイデンティティーでグラフィックデザイン科の卒展のブランディングを展開しています。

Website is in a good state. Lines look supa sexy.

Twitter background looking cool. (It is the official CSM Graphic Design twitter background, as well as some students' twitter accounts including mine)
Which by the way has impressive 6,000+ followers. I bet CSM BAGD is the most followed graphic design course twitter account in the world.

Facebook event page has a nice graphics too.

Cards sent the industry looked amazing. So was the press releases that were sent. Maps have been sent to the printer. Signage taking shape. It's progressing alright! I really am happy the way things are turning out that they have the same visual language, but are adopted in different situations and medium.



In the part of the website where the public cannot see, this is what happening among students. We calculate 'closeness' between students by gathering data on their pathways, choices of briefs, as well as students make their own groups and a little bit of social networking is going on. Using this data, leads the graphic. Genius programming and data visualization by Duarte. He is a genius.

卒展のサイトは、生徒しかアクセス出来ないページがあって、そこで今までにやったプロジェクトや、クラスに関する情報を集めました。生徒同士もみんな勝手にグループを作ったり出来て、ソーシャルネットワーク的なことが背後では行われています。内輪ネタや変なグループを色々作ったり出来て、楽しい。ちょっとした「卒業アルバム（yearbook）」的な役割を果たしていると生徒からの評判も上々。
「線と点」がただの「人と人の繋がりの象徴」ではなくて、ちゃんとどの生徒とどの生徒が近いというデータに基づいた自分たちを描き出しているのは、すごくエキサイティング。こんなことが可能なのは、いつも通りDuarteのおかげで、彼の頭の良さに、未だに日々驚く。

As mentioned before, this BAGD identity project is a collaboration project with Duarte and Esa.
This is a very rare degree show that is completely student led and all this couldn't been possible to be realised by amazing organisation by Kate.

Two Weeks until the Degree Show

Being busy with the work for the degree show. Not at all for my space, but for website and branding of BA Graphic Design.
Working with Esa for the first time, and as always Duarte. Also working closely with Kate and Agostino.

Visit our degree show website, which is currently looking like this:

You can check Facebook event page.

If you are in London, you'd notice massive digital billboards promoting our show. Designed by Kate, Agostino and Krista.



It's nice to be in a year that we feel that people, both our year group and the college, actually do care about the show.

Other parts of the college is looking exciting too. It will be fun!

Baby CURA is born!

Our lovely lovely little baby CURA is finally born!
Born, signed, sealed, delivered from Calverts in East London.
Our amazing team with publications and also Jasmine's wallpaper in the background (it was only a coincidence that Jasmine was there but hey it's nice). And yes wow I am tiny.

400 copies received at CSM. And this being CSM, we are equipped with a supermarket shopping trolley, specially for occasions like this one. This is me running with the trolley with full happiness on my face:

The moment of truth.

Check out the happy times.

Going around the building in style.

Duarte's signature pose.

自分たちがデザインした本が４００冊、届いた！
すっぴんで小学生みたいですが、やるときはやります。

デザインに強いクライエントと多く仕事をしてきた、一流の印刷所カルヴァーツでの印刷。彼らは株式会社ではなく協同組合。ビジネスモデル的にも、共感出来る印刷所だったのですが、そんな理屈抜きにしても、印刷過程はすべてスムーズに行ったので、満足。

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Also, here's another nice photo from the proofing at Calverts.
JT and I are a happy bunch, and Franek looking... fierce?