Week Two: How Did We Get Here?

Susanna Edwards in conversation with Maziar Raein.

Exploring the historical overview of graphic design, how it is fragmenting, how boundaries have changed, and how technology is changing practice by allowing us to connect and collaborate around the world.

For Maziar Raein the 1980’s was an interesting time, it was a spilt period. The early 80’s was still looking back to the past ways of producing graphic design, PMT camera’s and film, hand-set type, very basic compared to now.

The 80’s were culturally different, the 1970’s were dull and depressing, the 80’s felt like someone had ‘flicked on a switch’. The rise of politics and the individual in society was very different, artists from the 1960’s and 70’s were starting to find their way in the 80’s. Artists like Barney Bubbles (1942 – 1983) whose work in the record industry, designing sleeves with hidden messages and riddles became his most recognised.

There was a sense of independence from the graphic designer which wasn’t there in the early 80’s, in the later period people like Sister Corita Kent, ‘the Pop-Art Nunn’ who’s artwork was particularly popular in the social climate of the 1960s and 1970s, was ‘truly independent’, working for the poor and producing artwork which supported the society.

Pentagram formed in 1972 with an original approach to how a design company should be; five designers (hence the name) working together as equal partners in an independently owned studio. Later people like Phil Baynes and the Why Not Assoc. started to filter through, reacting against the modernist approach of ‘universal design’ and ‘one size fits all’ which was around at the time.

In the 1990’s the roll of the designer was changing again, the designer wasn’t so much a part of a stage-based production process, the computer came in and took away a lot of the production stages, keeping them with the designer, but that added to the need for the designer to understand about the different processes involved more than ever.

It is important to understand how we have got to the way we work today, history is fundamental and to ignore it would be wrong. Modern work still looks to the past for inspiration, showing a rich understanding of history makes for more interesting work. It brings different textures and methods which can be developed with new styles and technology and the freedom to explore and ask questions.

Contemporary design is sometimes seen as being lazy, or easy to produce because of all that is available through technology. I’ve seen that this can be true, but it doesn’t mean it’s universal, some designers still want to be different and have their reasons for being designers other than financial. Young designers are bringing in a higher level of craftsmanship into their work due to a wider range of knowledge gained through the use of global technology, everything is at their fingertips.

My Response

Evolutionary design steps that contributed to the identity of design culture today.

For me, music was always what sparked changes in design culture, modern era’s especially seem to be led by the music of their time: Punk, New Wave, New Romantic, Britpop, Grunge, etc. rather than a change in visual culture coming first.

Everyone’s favourite big leap is still the Punk era, the 70’s were glitz and glamour on the TV but grey in real life, punk explodes and, originally intentional or not, makes people try it for themselves – “here’s three chords, go and form a band” from the Sniffin’ Glue fanzine, the fanzine itself encouraging more fanzines: 999, Alternative Ulster. All DIY ransom-note and photocopies and nobody cared, that was the point – you do anything…

Punk for a Day: Graphic Design History and the Punk Aesthetic

It made more people think differently, instead of just waiting to be old enough to go and work in the same factory as your dad, it brought graphic design to the surface and, although we didn’t know it at the time, ‘ordinary’ people started to notice how things looked and how they they could be created. Fanzines became magazines; the Face, Blitz, Smash Hits (maybe :/ ) and record sleeves made music more than just music.

DBC – About Us:

We design and manage brands for business owners

Brands that people can relate to, fall in love with and want to invite into their lives and their homes.

We call these Living Brands – they are as complex, rich and real as the people that consume them.

We do this by putting people at the centre of everything we do.

Setup: Even though I know the owner I’m not quite sure how the studio is set up, there’s nothing in the room to suggest any of their work is actually done in there. I’ll try to find out more…

Services:

• Brand naming
• Brand strategy
• Brand identity
• Digital strategy
• Art direction
• Packaging
• Graphic design
• Photography
• Illustration
• Retail design

There’s a mixture of ways they describe themselves: a Brand Consultancy, Brand Agency, Food & drink branding & packaging studio. Again, the portfolio is ok.

thecurious.agency

By far the best looking from the street, they appeared from nowhere in 2011 but they look like they’ve been around for much longer.

They’re located in a quieter part of town but walk 20 yards and you’re on the high street. Three doors down is where the expensive part of town starts, an area is called Town Walls where the larger Georgian townhouses are. In terms of perceived success, this place has it.

The Curious – About Us:

Our mission is to launch and grow businesses that challenge the status quo.

Working closely with our clients, we strive to push the boundaries of design and in doing so, define what’s new and what’s next. From startups to established brands, we create new, exciting brand and web experiences like no other, leaving customers wanting more.

Setup: There are 12 staff, I doubt anyone is over 30. They’re recruiting for five new positions. They also list studios in London, Manchester and New York.

Services:

• Branding
• Web Design
• Online Stores
• Marketing + Activation

Nice work, they seem to have a style when you look through their portfolio. Out of the three, their website makes them seem like the most approachable if you were looking for an agency.

Task 2: Design Production

Select three places for design production in your city (letterpress, screen printing, web development, litho printers, 3D manufacturers, commercial printers, Risograph printers, bookbinders, signwriting, laser cutting, video production, audio production etc);

Collect a link to their website, list what they do and geo-tag the location on the map platform overleaf; tagging it as a place of ‘design production’;

‘Artisan’ is a keyword in Shropshire. There are a lot of traditional artists, smaller craft-based studios making jewellery, painting, glassware, trendy gin, craft beer and eateries who have a lot of opportunities to sell at fayres and festivals. These studios are more open and integrated than the design studios.

1. Participate Contemporary Artspace cic

www.participateart.org

The group occupy what used to be a small supermarket in a soon to be demolished shopping centre on the edge of the town centre. There’s a real mix of artists and a positive vibe that they’re just doing whatever they want to.

They’re a key part in an open studios event which takes place in Shrewsbury town centre every two years, artists in and around town invite anyone into their studios to take a look around and see what they do.

2. English Bridge Workshops

www.englishbridgeworkshop.org.uk

The site is used for a huge variety of things: life drawing, exhibitions, art festivals, Tai-Chi, Wargames, etc. The artist studios are occupied by ceramicists, glassmakers and enamellers.

History (taken from their home page):

The English Bridge Workshop began in the early 1980’s and has been located at the former Abbey School Building since that time. The EBW became a Company Limited by Guarantee in 1984 (no.03002566) and a Registered Charity (no. 1048288) in 1985. It was established to “promote, maintain, improve and advance education, appreciation and understanding of the arts in the County of Shropshire”. It does this primarily through offering eight artist studio spaces and two halls for rental, at affordable rates.

Owned by Shropshire Council, the Victorian building was built as a school and dates to the 1860s, with major additions added in 1896. The charitable Abbey School was founded in 1708, moving to the purpose built premises in 1896 and becoming Shrewsbury National School in 1898. During the twentieth century it operated as an elementary school until 1957, after which time it was used by the Shrewsbury College of Art. It became redundant in 1980. In 1985 the English Bridge Workshop was founded. The EBW then continued the building’s educational and artistic role. Credit is due to Shropshire Councillor Mansel Williams who oversaw this process and ably managed the Workshop from its inception, until his death in 2016.

Reflection

There is a divide in Shrewsbury between designers and artists. Any events such as exhibitions, open studio events or art festivals in the town only show the work of the design production and craft-based venues. I’m involved with the Shrewsbury Open Studios event held every two years and, through this project, have realised that it’s not aimed to include any of the design studios in the area. They don’t receive details of the event and they are not asked to take part.

A way to involve both sides of this divide might be to introduce a design festival as the ones in Birmingham or Bristol, where events and talks by artists and designers would be included.

Rather than just exhibitions where people known by the artist get invited to private views, the talks might bring together individuals with the same interests from the different studios around the town, rather than the same groups of people every time.

Task 2: Design Production

Select three places for design production in your city (letterpress, screen printing, web development, litho printers, 3D manufacturers, commercial printers, Risograph printers, bookbinders, signwriting, laser cutting, video production, audio production etc);

Collect a link to their website, list what they do and geo-tag the location on the map platform overleaf; tagging it as a place of ‘design production’;

‘Artisan’ is a keyword in Shropshire. There are a lot of traditional artists, smaller craft-based studios making jewellery, painting, glassware, trendy gin, craft beer and eateries who have a lot of opportunities to sell at fayres and festivals. These studios are more open and integrated than the design studios.

1. Participate Contemporary Artspace cic

www.participateart.org

The group occupy what used to be a small supermarket in a soon to be demolished shopping centre on the edge of the town centre. There’s a real mix of artists and a positive vibe that they’re just doing whatever they want to.

They’re a key part in an open studios event which takes place in Shrewsbury town centre every two years, artists in and around town invite anyone into their studios to take a look around and see what they do.

2. English Bridge Workshops

www.englishbridgeworkshop.org.uk

The site is used for a huge variety of things: life drawing, exhibitions, art festivals, Tai-Chi, Wargames, etc. The artist studios are occupied by ceramicists, glassmakers and enamellers.

History (taken from their home page):

The English Bridge Workshop began in the early 1980’s and has been located at the former Abbey School Building since that time. The EBW became a Company Limited by Guarantee in 1984 (no.03002566) and a Registered Charity (no. 1048288) in 1985. It was established to “promote, maintain, improve and advance education, appreciation and understanding of the arts in the County of Shropshire”. It does this primarily through offering eight artist studio spaces and two halls for rental, at affordable rates.

Owned by Shropshire Council, the Victorian building was built as a school and dates to the 1860s, with major additions added in 1896. The charitable Abbey School was founded in 1708, moving to the purpose built premises in 1896 and becoming Shrewsbury National School in 1898. During the twentieth century it operated as an elementary school until 1957, after which time it was used by the Shrewsbury College of Art. It became redundant in 1980. In 1985 the English Bridge Workshop was founded. The EBW then continued the building’s educational and artistic role. Credit is due to Shropshire Councillor Mansel Williams who oversaw this process and ably managed the Workshop from its inception, until his death in 2016.

Reflection

There is a divide in Shrewsbury between designers and artists. Any events such as exhibitions, open studio events or art festivals in the town only show the work of the design production and craft-based venues. I’m involved with the Shrewsbury Open Studios event held every two years and, through this project, have realised that it’s not aimed to include any of the design studios in the area. They don’t receive details of the event and they are not asked to take part.

A way to involve both sides of this divide might be to introduce a design festival as the ones in Birmingham or Bristol, where events and talks by artists and designers would be included.

Rather than just exhibitions where people known by the artist get invited to private views, the talks might bring together individuals with the same interests from the different studios around the town, rather than the same groups of people every time.

Task 2: Design Production

Select three places for design production in your city (letterpress, screen printing, web development, litho printers, 3D manufacturers, commercial printers, Risograph printers, bookbinders, signwriting, laser cutting, video production, audio production etc);

Collect a link to their website, list what they do and geo-tag the location on the map platform overleaf; tagging it as a place of ‘design production’;

‘Artisan’ is a keyword in Shropshire. There are a lot of traditional artists, smaller craft-based studios making jewellery, painting, glassware, trendy gin, craft beer and eateries who have a lot of opportunities to sell at fayres and festivals. These studios are more open and integrated than the design studios.

1. Participate Contemporary Artspace cic

www.participateart.org

The group occupy what used to be a small supermarket in a soon to be demolished shopping centre on the edge of the town centre. There’s a real mix of artists and a positive vibe that they’re just doing whatever they want to.

They’re a key part in an open studios event which takes place in Shrewsbury town centre every two years, artists in and around town invite anyone into their studios to take a look around and see what they do.

2. English Bridge Workshops

www.englishbridgeworkshop.org.uk

The site is used for a huge variety of things: life drawing, exhibitions, art festivals, Tai-Chi, Wargames, etc. The artist studios are occupied by ceramicists, glassmakers and enamellers.

History (taken from their home page):

The English Bridge Workshop began in the early 1980’s and has been located at the former Abbey School Building since that time. The EBW became a Company Limited by Guarantee in 1984 (no.03002566) and a Registered Charity (no. 1048288) in 1985. It was established to “promote, maintain, improve and advance education, appreciation and understanding of the arts in the County of Shropshire”. It does this primarily through offering eight artist studio spaces and two halls for rental, at affordable rates.

Owned by Shropshire Council, the Victorian building was built as a school and dates to the 1860s, with major additions added in 1896. The charitable Abbey School was founded in 1708, moving to the purpose built premises in 1896 and becoming Shrewsbury National School in 1898. During the twentieth century it operated as an elementary school until 1957, after which time it was used by the Shrewsbury College of Art. It became redundant in 1980. In 1985 the English Bridge Workshop was founded. The EBW then continued the building’s educational and artistic role. Credit is due to Shropshire Councillor Mansel Williams who oversaw this process and ably managed the Workshop from its inception, until his death in 2016.

Reflection

There is a divide in Shrewsbury between designers and artists. Any events such as exhibitions, open studio events or art festivals in the town only show the work of the design production and craft-based venues. I’m involved with the Shrewsbury Open Studios event held every two years and, through this project, have realised that it’s not aimed to include any of the design studios in the area. They don’t receive details of the event and they are not asked to take part.

A way to involve both sides of this divide might be to introduce a design festival as the ones in Birmingham or Bristol, where events and talks by artists and designers would be included.

Rather than just exhibitions where people known by the artist get invited to private views, the talks might bring together individuals with the same interests from the different studios around the town, rather than the same groups of people every time.

Task 2: Design Production

Select three places for design production in your city (letterpress, screen printing, web development, litho printers, 3D manufacturers, commercial printers, Risograph printers, bookbinders, signwriting, laser cutting, video production, audio production etc);

Collect a link to their website, list what they do and geo-tag the location on the map platform overleaf; tagging it as a place of ‘design production’;

‘Artisan’ is a keyword in Shropshire. There are a lot of traditional artists, smaller craft-based studios making jewellery, painting, glassware, trendy gin, craft beer and eateries who have a lot of opportunities to sell at fayres and festivals. These studios are more open and integrated than the design studios.

1. Participate Contemporary Artspace cic

www.participateart.org

The group occupy what used to be a small supermarket in a soon to be demolished shopping centre on the edge of the town centre. There’s a real mix of artists and a positive vibe that they’re just doing whatever they want to.

They’re a key part in an open studios event which takes place in Shrewsbury town centre every two years, artists in and around town invite anyone into their studios to take a look around and see what they do.

2. English Bridge Workshops

www.englishbridgeworkshop.org.uk

The site is used for a huge variety of things: life drawing, exhibitions, art festivals, Tai-Chi, Wargames, etc. The artist studios are occupied by ceramicists, glassmakers and enamellers.

History (taken from their home page):

The English Bridge Workshop began in the early 1980’s and has been located at the former Abbey School Building since that time. The EBW became a Company Limited by Guarantee in 1984 (no.03002566) and a Registered Charity (no. 1048288) in 1985. It was established to “promote, maintain, improve and advance education, appreciation and understanding of the arts in the County of Shropshire”. It does this primarily through offering eight artist studio spaces and two halls for rental, at affordable rates.

Owned by Shropshire Council, the Victorian building was built as a school and dates to the 1860s, with major additions added in 1896. The charitable Abbey School was founded in 1708, moving to the purpose built premises in 1896 and becoming Shrewsbury National School in 1898. During the twentieth century it operated as an elementary school until 1957, after which time it was used by the Shrewsbury College of Art. It became redundant in 1980. In 1985 the English Bridge Workshop was founded. The EBW then continued the building’s educational and artistic role. Credit is due to Shropshire Councillor Mansel Williams who oversaw this process and ably managed the Workshop from its inception, until his death in 2016.

Reflection

There is a divide in Shrewsbury between designers and artists. Any events such as exhibitions, open studio events or art festivals in the town only show the work of the design production and craft-based venues. I’m involved with the Shrewsbury Open Studios event held every two years and, through this project, have realised that it’s not aimed to include any of the design studios in the area. They don’t receive details of the event and they are not asked to take part.

A way to involve both sides of this divide might be to introduce a design festival as the ones in Birmingham or Bristol, where events and talks by artists and designers would be included.

Rather than just exhibitions where people known by the artist get invited to private views, the talks might bring together individuals with the same interests from the different studios around the town, rather than the same groups of people every time.

Task 2: Design Production

Select three places for design production in your city (letterpress, screen printing, web development, litho printers, 3D manufacturers, commercial printers, Risograph printers, bookbinders, signwriting, laser cutting, video production, audio production etc);

Collect a link to their website, list what they do and geo-tag the location on the map platform overleaf; tagging it as a place of ‘design production’;

‘Artisan’ is a keyword in Shropshire. There are a lot of traditional artists, smaller craft-based studios making jewellery, painting, glassware, trendy gin, craft beer and eateries who have a lot of opportunities to sell at fayres and festivals. These studios are more open and integrated than the design studios.

1. Participate Contemporary Artspace cic

www.participateart.org

The group occupy what used to be a small supermarket in a soon to be demolished shopping centre on the edge of the town centre. There’s a real mix of artists and a positive vibe that they’re just doing whatever they want to.

They’re a key part in an open studios event which takes place in Shrewsbury town centre every two years, artists in and around town invite anyone into their studios to take a look around and see what they do.

2. English Bridge Workshops

www.englishbridgeworkshop.org.uk

The site is used for a huge variety of things: life drawing, exhibitions, art festivals, Tai-Chi, Wargames, etc. The artist studios are occupied by ceramicists, glassmakers and enamellers.

History (taken from their home page):

The English Bridge Workshop began in the early 1980’s and has been located at the former Abbey School Building since that time. The EBW became a Company Limited by Guarantee in 1984 (no.03002566) and a Registered Charity (no. 1048288) in 1985. It was established to “promote, maintain, improve and advance education, appreciation and understanding of the arts in the County of Shropshire”. It does this primarily through offering eight artist studio spaces and two halls for rental, at affordable rates.

Owned by Shropshire Council, the Victorian building was built as a school and dates to the 1860s, with major additions added in 1896. The charitable Abbey School was founded in 1708, moving to the purpose built premises in 1896 and becoming Shrewsbury National School in 1898. During the twentieth century it operated as an elementary school until 1957, after which time it was used by the Shrewsbury College of Art. It became redundant in 1980. In 1985 the English Bridge Workshop was founded. The EBW then continued the building’s educational and artistic role. Credit is due to Shropshire Councillor Mansel Williams who oversaw this process and ably managed the Workshop from its inception, until his death in 2016.

Reflection

There is a divide in Shrewsbury between designers and artists. Any events such as exhibitions, open studio events or art festivals in the town only show the work of the design production and craft-based venues. I’m involved with the Shrewsbury Open Studios event held every two years and, through this project, have realised that it’s not aimed to include any of the design studios in the area. They don’t receive details of the event and they are not asked to take part.

A way to involve both sides of this divide might be to introduce a design festival as the ones in Birmingham or Bristol, where events and talks by artists and designers would be included.

Rather than just exhibitions where people known by the artist get invited to private views, the talks might bring together individuals with the same interests from the different studios around the town, rather than the same groups of people every time.

Task 2: Design Production

Select three places for design production in your city (letterpress, screen printing, web development, litho printers, 3D manufacturers, commercial printers, Risograph printers, bookbinders, signwriting, laser cutting, video production, audio production etc);

Collect a link to their website, list what they do and geo-tag the location on the map platform overleaf; tagging it as a place of ‘design production’;

‘Artisan’ is a keyword in Shropshire. There are a lot of traditional artists, smaller craft-based studios making jewellery, painting, glassware, trendy gin, craft beer and eateries who have a lot of opportunities to sell at fayres and festivals. These studios are more open and integrated than the design studios.

1. Participate Contemporary Artspace cic

www.participateart.org

The group occupy what used to be a small supermarket in a soon to be demolished shopping centre on the edge of the town centre. There’s a real mix of artists and a positive vibe that they’re just doing whatever they want to.

They’re a key part in an open studios event which takes place in Shrewsbury town centre every two years, artists in and around town invite anyone into their studios to take a look around and see what they do.

2. English Bridge Workshops

www.englishbridgeworkshop.org.uk

The site is used for a huge variety of things: life drawing, exhibitions, art festivals, Tai-Chi, Wargames, etc. The artist studios are occupied by ceramicists, glassmakers and enamellers.

History (taken from their home page):

The English Bridge Workshop began in the early 1980’s and has been located at the former Abbey School Building since that time. The EBW became a Company Limited by Guarantee in 1984 (no.03002566) and a Registered Charity (no. 1048288) in 1985. It was established to “promote, maintain, improve and advance education, appreciation and understanding of the arts in the County of Shropshire”. It does this primarily through offering eight artist studio spaces and two halls for rental, at affordable rates.

Owned by Shropshire Council, the Victorian building was built as a school and dates to the 1860s, with major additions added in 1896. The charitable Abbey School was founded in 1708, moving to the purpose built premises in 1896 and becoming Shrewsbury National School in 1898. During the twentieth century it operated as an elementary school until 1957, after which time it was used by the Shrewsbury College of Art. It became redundant in 1980. In 1985 the English Bridge Workshop was founded. The EBW then continued the building’s educational and artistic role. Credit is due to Shropshire Councillor Mansel Williams who oversaw this process and ably managed the Workshop from its inception, until his death in 2016.

Reflection

There is a divide in Shrewsbury between designers and artists. Any events such as exhibitions, open studio events or art festivals in the town only show the work of the design production and craft-based venues. I’m involved with the Shrewsbury Open Studios event held every two years and, through this project, have realised that it’s not aimed to include any of the design studios in the area. They don’t receive details of the event and they are not asked to take part.

A way to involve both sides of this divide might be to introduce a design festival as the ones in Birmingham or Bristol, where events and talks by artists and designers would be included.

Rather than just exhibitions where people known by the artist get invited to private views, the talks might bring together individuals with the same interests from the different studios around the town, rather than the same groups of people every time.

Week 2: Workshop Challenge

Task 1: Design Practice

Select three practices / businesses you feel summarise your city today, in terms of design practice;

Take a photo of the exterior / entrance / signage of that practice;
Collect their company statement;

Collect a link to that company / studio website and geo-tag the location on the map platform;

Tag it as a place of ‘design practice’;

Summarise in a paragraph the type of work that studio / practice

Upload each element of Task 1 to the Ideas Wall, with a link to your blog demonstrating further reflection.

The three I’ve chosen to look at are: Source, DBC Studio and The Curious. Each one is different in terms of size, location and date.

source-design.co.uk

Located in Frankwell in Shrewsbury. Historically, this was the run-down area of the town, being across the river and ‘out of the loop’ (literally, see the map above). Even in 1991, when Source was founded, it was the last industrial and neglected part of the town centre, there was still a forge and two derelict warehouses.

Information from their website:

Source – About Us:

Established in 1991, we love creating stand out brands, impactful digital marketing campaigns and innovative websites, all whilst implementing a 36° approach.

Based in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, our energy-efficient, quirky HQ houses a talented team of individuals, who specialise in everything from brand and packaging, to digital and marketing. Team Source are problem-solvers, driven by one desire – to challenge the ordinary and create the extraordinary.

As an established full-service agency, we’ve delivered countless creative, digital and marketing projects for a wide range of clients, from start-ups to blue chip organisations and local government to corporate. Our work isn’t just limited to Shropshire, we work both across the UK and overseas.

Setup:

There are 13 staff at Source and they are currently looking to recruit. They call themselves “A full service brand, digital & marketing agency” and show a long, long list of services:

• Brand Identity
• Graphic Design
• Website Design & Development
• SEO (Search Engine Optimisation)
• PPC (Pay-Per-Click) & Google Ads
• Social Media
• Apps & Software Development
• Name Generation
• Brand Guidelines
• Strategy
• Packaging
• Print Media
• Copywriting
• Animation
• Exhibition Graphics
• Photography
• Heatmaps & Analytics
• Illustration

Their portfolio, although mostly the usual, it’s good. It shows a large amount varied clients, they’ve taken care to clearly list every one of their services used in each of their projects. They don’t have a recognisable style, all the work shows a confident and quality company. Their standout project is for Tyrrells Crisps, perhaps a more adventurous client letting the designers lead.

At Source, our mantra is ‘one size doesn’t fit all’ which is why everything we do is bespoke and specifically tailored to the individual needs of each client’s business. We handle everything in-house to ensure a full understanding, control and total transparency. This includes taking the time to learn about your business, target audience and objectives, in order to develop a solution that’s unique for each client.

dbc.studio

Located right in the town centre, they’re in the older mediaeval area, but tucked away out of site.

DBC – About Us:

We design and manage brands for business owners

Brands that people can relate to, fall in love with and want to invite into their lives and their homes.

We call these Living Brands – they are as complex, rich and real as the people that consume them.

We do this by putting people at the centre of everything we do.

Setup: Even though I know the owner I’m not quite sure how the studio is set up, there’s nothing in the room to suggest any of their work is actually done in there. I’ll try to find out more…

Services:

• Brand naming
• Brand strategy
• Brand identity
• Digital strategy
• Art direction
• Packaging
• Graphic design
• Photography
• Illustration
• Retail design

There’s a mixture of ways they describe themselves: a Brand Consultancy, Brand Agency, Food & drink branding & packaging studio. Again, the portfolio is ok.

thecurious.agency

By far the best looking from the street, they appeared from nowhere in 2011 but they look like they’ve been around for much longer.

They’re located in a quieter part of town but walk 20 yards and you’re on the high street. Three doors down is where the expensive part of town starts, an area is called Town Walls where the larger Georgian townhouses are. In terms of perceived success, this place has it.

The Curious – About Us:

Our mission is to launch and grow businesses that challenge the status quo.

Working closely with our clients, we strive to push the boundaries of design and in doing so, define what’s new and what’s next. From startups to established brands, we create new, exciting brand and web experiences like no other, leaving customers wanting more.

Setup: There are 12 staff, I doubt anyone is over 30. They’re recruiting for five new positions. They also list studios in London, Manchester and New York.

Services:

• Branding
• Web Design
• Online Stores
• Marketing + Activation

Nice work, they seem to have a style when you look through their portfolio. Out of the three, their website makes them seem like the most approachable if you were looking for an agency.

Task 2: Design Production

Select three places for design production in your city (letterpress, screen printing, web development, litho printers, 3D manufacturers, commercial printers, Risograph printers, bookbinders, signwriting, laser cutting, video production, audio production etc);

Collect a link to their website, list what they do and geo-tag the location on the map platform overleaf; tagging it as a place of ‘design production’;

‘Artisan’ is a keyword in Shropshire. There are a lot of traditional artists, smaller craft-based studios making jewellery, painting, glassware, trendy gin, craft beer and eateries who have a lot of opportunities to sell at fayres and festivals. These studios are more open and integrated than the design studios.

1. Participate Contemporary Artspace cic

www.participateart.org

The group occupy what used to be a small supermarket in a soon to be demolished shopping centre on the edge of the town centre. There’s a real mix of artists and a positive vibe that they’re just doing whatever they want to.

They’re a key part in an open studios event which takes place in Shrewsbury town centre every two years, artists in and around town invite anyone into their studios to take a look around and see what they do.

2. English Bridge Workshops

www.englishbridgeworkshop.org.uk

The site is used for a huge variety of things: life drawing, exhibitions, art festivals, Tai-Chi, Wargames, etc. The artist studios are occupied by ceramicists, glassmakers and enamellers.

History (taken from their home page):

The English Bridge Workshop began in the early 1980’s and has been located at the former Abbey School Building since that time. The EBW became a Company Limited by Guarantee in 1984 (no.03002566) and a Registered Charity (no. 1048288) in 1985. It was established to “promote, maintain, improve and advance education, appreciation and understanding of the arts in the County of Shropshire”. It does this primarily through offering eight artist studio spaces and two halls for rental, at affordable rates.

Owned by Shropshire Council, the Victorian building was built as a school and dates to the 1860s, with major additions added in 1896. The charitable Abbey School was founded in 1708, moving to the purpose built premises in 1896 and becoming Shrewsbury National School in 1898. During the twentieth century it operated as an elementary school until 1957, after which time it was used by the Shrewsbury College of Art. It became redundant in 1980. In 1985 the English Bridge Workshop was founded. The EBW then continued the building’s educational and artistic role. Credit is due to Shropshire Councillor Mansel Williams who oversaw this process and ably managed the Workshop from its inception, until his death in 2016.

Reflection

There is a divide in Shrewsbury between designers and artists. Any events such as exhibitions, open studio events or art festivals in the town only show the work of the design production and craft-based venues. I’m involved with the Shrewsbury Open Studios event held every two years and, through this project, have realised that it’s not aimed to include any of the design studios in the area. They don’t receive details of the event and they are not asked to take part.

A way to involve both sides of this divide might be to introduce a design festival as the ones in Birmingham or Bristol, where events and talks by artists and designers would be included.

Rather than just exhibitions where people known by the artist get invited to private views, the talks might bring together individuals with the same interests from the different studios around the town, rather than the same groups of people every time.