Image Credit: Matt Hodson – ‘Design process’
A brief guide to some emerging, some emerged applied artists you should know about based in Leeds, the precursor to which is me moaning in a productive fashion.
The applied arts aren’t something that usually take the spotlight here in Yorkshire, much to my frustration. Graphic Designers sit behind their desks – often with sore, bloodshot eyes gazing at a monitor, creating things that make information easier for you to swallow. Illustrators sit hunched over tables responding to and interpreting things that make information more interesting / engaging for you to swallow. Photographers document times, people and capture the beauty of things we take for granted. I have to be honest – most of the shows put on here in Leeds – I’m often personally more interested in the flyer / poster design than what I actually end up encountering in the gallery.
These people are skilled at communicating, getting the message across, not encouraging you to enter some cryptic challenge – they allow you to appreciate the beauty of craft and visual language. If given the opportunity they can enlighten & entertain you. They make things accessible and engaging. I know all these people personally and know first hand that their practice isn’t simply about responding to the next brief that comes through for a couple of quid. They work hard and often alone – mastering their techniques and coming up with interesting ways of interpreting things.
I guess I’m personally frustrated, there’s so much talent in Leeds that isn’t being explored by curators or tapped into in a more meaningful way (with exception of a few). I never see these guys getting opportunities here, other than what they do off their own back / between them, which is fine – but I’d like people to take stock – look at the links – think about the possibilities of working with these people, with qualities I’m more than aware aren’t being taken seriously enough.
I also feel I have to make note – that I am coming from an entirely selfish point of view – in terms of being entertained & enjoying activities I’m not personally involved with. So… people may not share my point of view and may be interested in other disciplines, but I don’t think anyone can deny there’s simply not enough.
On that note here’s a test for you: Are you aware of any of these people? Have you seen their work before?
Matt Hodson – www.matthewthehorse.co.uk
Workshop – www.thisisworkshop.co.uk
Conway & Young – www.conwayandyoung.com
Qubik – www.qubik.com
Kate Prior – kateprior.tumblr.com
No Culture Icons – Liam Henry / Sarah Abbott – www.nocultureicons.com
Twoducksdisco – Cameron Steward – twoducksdisco.blogspot.com
James Rhodes – theblindclub.com
Jon Owen – www.jonowen.co.uk
Anna Peaker – www.annapeaker.co.uk
Drew Millward – www.drewmillward.com
Ventral – www.ventralisgolden.com
Hello Memo – www.hellomemo.com
Matt Saunders – www.rabbitportal.com
Bruce usher – www.frombruce.co.uk
Tim Green – destroywerk.com
There’s alot more artists here in Leeds I’m aware of and have probably missed from my list, but my miserable memory was very stretched.
Thanks!
Just to pre-emt any potential recoil from eager commenters along the lines of the general rhetoric of responses on here, I have actually got the majority of these people involved in projects / events I’ve managed in the past.
I am really glad Jay has highlighted this.
It’s no secret to anyone who knows me that my favourite part of any marketing job is getting the artwork through for a brief or (even more so) seeing that artwork realised in print or other physical form.
Not only is it about knowing that to get to that stage has often taken weeks of hard work on the part of the infinitely patient designer/illustrator/applied artist, who may have come up with numerous solutions to a compromise between the essence of the initial design concept, its appeal of an often hugely broad and diverse target market, and the personal whims, corporate style & amended text sent through from the client, before reaching the final sign-off stage. For me, it is also about the excitement of and appreciation in having something tangible in your hands that gives no indication of the hard work and trouble of all those proofing stages, that represents – simply, effectively and beautifully – the original communications message. (And yes, for me, it is about sniffing the middle pages of the brochure or running my fingers over the edges of the spot UV, too.)
The terms ‘designer’, ‘illustrator’ and even ‘applied artist’ do not give a true indictaion of the multi-layered skills set that this group of people need in order to be successful. As well as all the artistic flair, innovation and creativity that an artist needs, applied artists need to be patient, organised & diplomatic, with highly developped social, cultural and business marketing awareness; they need to be exceptional communicators, not only to realise the communication brief in design, but also to sell their concept to (often) awkward and (sometimes) ignorant clients (I’ve been one, I can say this!); they need to know their numbers really well too, to be accurate on quotes and design hours, know their competitors & know what it reasonable to charge in rapdily changing markets; they often need to know their target market better than their clients (or risk wasting huge amounts of time on following poorly written briefs.
I think it’s great that Jay has highlighted this topic as we really should be celebrating this massively underrated group of applied artists, and apprecaiting that we have so many amazing applied artists in Leeds.
My lasting remark would be to urge those in marketing & comms depts to take a chance on local freelance applied artists and not always go to the same big agencies. Not only will you find them hugely inspiring to work with, you will more than likely be amazed by how much better the work is than the same old stuff churned out in previous years, you will DEFINITELY learn something new AND (if you remember to be respectful and courteous with your budget allocation) you will often find that you get much more value for your money.