Here is my submission for the ISTD’s ‘It Happened on This Day’ brief. The brief was to show a date and emotion related to it through the use of typography. I chose the 11th of February 2010.


The 11th of February 2010, is a date that is personal to me. It was on this day that legendary fashion designer Alexander McQueen committed suicide, just a few days after his mother sadly passed away. McQueen, CBE and four time winner of the British Designer of the Year award, was one of the most creative, inspirational designers of all time.  

His collections played on the idea of juxtaposing strength and fragility, they were daring and original with striking and subtle pieces that (along with the shows) often confused the audience. However, although the collections themselves have always amazed me, it is the inspiration and journey behind them that interested me the most. McQueen always championed the idea of challenging and changing contemporary shapes – often plucking from obscurity and obliterating features. He liked to apprehend society’s conventional ideas of beauty and form, and this always shone through in his work. He was inspired by everything; nature, history, travel, life, death and opposites. He saw everything cinematically. He talked a lot about where his ideas came from and the stories behind each collection. It was these dramatic views and ideas he had on the world and fashion that  I wanted to portray through the treatment of typography. 

Through further research I discovered that there were many more significant events that also happened on the 11th of February through the years. I chose to look at four key events that had a direct relationship with the ideas and concepts behind McQueen’s work. 

First the traditional founding date of Japan by Emperor Jimmu in 0660 BC. McQueen declared  how inspirational he found the cultures of Japan and China. He had a love of exploring and interpreting the world through fashion. His collections featured many immediately identifiable Japanese shapes, such as Kimonos, Geta style shoes, cranes and origami structured coats. It was a key message that places should spark people’s imagination.

The birth of Thomas Edison in 1847 was particularly relevant, as, like the inventor, McQueen’s shows were always miles ahead of their time and his work and ideas were always so incredibly innovative.  He often combined technology with fashion – streaming shows live, having car robots spray garments on the runway and being solely responsible for the digital print trend that was replicated a thousand times over. The inventor and designer embodied the perfect marriage of man and technology.

Because of the importance of interaction with the audience playing a huge part in McQueen’s shows, it was perfect to showcase The Beatles’ first live performance in the US in 1964. The iconic British band really portrayed the ‘rock & roll sensibility’ that was key through many of McQueen’s collections. The designer often spoke of how inspirational Britain and the anarchy of the country is, with a heritage unlike anywhere else in the world. That, combined with McQueen’s love of putting on ‘a full on production’, brought the ideas and event together perfectly. 

The final event to focus on was a really important one – the release of Nelson Mandela in 1990, after 27 years of imprisonment. Alexander McQueen’s creative freedom of thought and expression is what changed the fashion world and made him the iconic design hero that he is today. Nelson Mandela’s strong beliefs on change had similar impacts, but on a much higher social and worldly level. McQueen often spoke about breaking the rules and shocking society  – ‘Humanity cannot go back to where it came from, you have to learn from it’.  The designer saw beauty in the world and understood that there is blood beneath every layer of skin; something I think Mandela would agree entirely on.

To highlight the relationship between theses ideas and events they were combined into a lookbook style format in a new collection ‘Collection February Eleven’. A lookbook was the ideal choice of format as they are the most frequently used methods of introducing a new collection, and its influences through print. However, the format of this lookbook is particularly important. Taking inspiration from unconventionally designed show invitations and books, the user has to interact with the piece by unfolding each stage to reveal the next event. Each page displays quotes used by McQueen or by others describing his work, but the type itself replicates his idea of reflecting opposites. A high impact fashion-style sans-serif typeface is used for the three key ideas on each page, that later make up the manifesto on the reverse of the piece. This is contrasted with the rest of the serif body text which, along with the logo, is made up of Baskerville Regular. This typeface is in keeping with the style and glyphs of the original McQueen brand and allows the words to communicate beautifully without distraction. In homage to McQueen, on closer inspection all is not as it would seem, with sections of type reflected or distorted so the reader is never too comfortable. Displaying the type against image was key to give consistency and richness. Textures and colours used in McQueen’s nature inspired collections were brought through to convey the luxury and importance of the words on each piece. 

Overall, The Collection February Eleven is intended to be explored and to inspire the reader, whether a McQueen fan or not. Amazing things happened on that day through the years. The pieces showcased through the lookbook as a whole, create a supporting manifesto for the collection. This is something that should inspire the reader and give them an insight into ‘the McQueen way’ of seeing the world and obtaining ideas. Not just typography, fashion or a celebration of a designers work  – but an inspirational way of looking at life, in the way of Collection February Eleven.

Long Live McQueen.

Packaging and branding from http://www.prouddesign.nl/
A real shame I missed out on this place when I visited in September!

“Tea Bar is a Amsterdam based tea shop where you can select, mix and drink your own blend of loose leaf tea. We were asked to create a pack for their most favorite and special blends of loose leaf tea.

We created new names and images to reflect the individual character of each tea blend. Colourful sleeves for the tin containers to slide in. And larger sleeves for the female, male and green collection.

The result is a perfect give-a-way or keep-it-yourself.”

From lovelypackage

The Cure, from The Typographic Circle is a collection of quickly absorbed and collectable ideas and methods for anyone with a creative block. Each separate addition contains key tips one of the greats, whether it’s an artist, designer or agency. The cure will give you an insight into their thoughts and will inspire any creative in all aspects of their life. Work & Play.

Created for the latest D&AD Baby Pencils award, the brief was to design a supplement for the Typographic Circle’s magazine. The content had to be based on the designers that have been involved with talks organised by the Typographic Circle but should be original, exciting and not replicate the chosen designers style.

An overview on the design route I took:
‘The Cure, is a supplement from The Typographic Circle that focuses on its’ key characteristics according to Domenic Lippa from Pentagram - ‘friendly, challenging and accessible

It focuses on the idea that the reader is already aware of designers and their work and so instead, addresses the issue of ‘Designers Block’ . Taking key quotes and methods each issue is an envelope containing simple cards based on a different designers methods and tips to give the reader quick starting points for ideas. Easily portable and informal, they are a go-to collectable inspiration resource.’