It's Nice That

Features / Graphic Design

Combining thoughtful design and big business: an interview with Made Thought

For Ben Parker and Paul Austin, the founders of London-based design agency Made Thought, a brand should consider its identity as the “current coat you’re putting on”. In turn, Made Thought’s process of creating an identity is akin to designing a tailored winter coat.

Lucy Bourton — 12 November 2018

Lucy Bourton — 12 November 2018

News / Film
Disney-Pixar releases teaser trailer of Toy Story 4

Predicting the international sigh of relief, joy and eye-watering nostalgia that a new Toy Story film inevitably brings, Disney Pixar got ahead of the game in the soppy, and lightly absurd teaser trailer for Toy Story 4.

Billie Muraben — 12 November 2018
Work / Publication
Design studio work-form talk awkward typography, black holes and metallic gold

Everything is Sculpture: Immaterial Constructions, Material Realities developed out of a series of talks held by the Royal College of Art’s sculpture department on issues and ideas relating to the production of, and potential contexts for, sculpture today. Designed by London-based studio, work-form, the publication is a magpie’s dream – oversized, metallic gold and glossier than a 90s hair advert.

Billie Muraben — 12 November 2018
Work / Graphic Design
SomethingMoon is one of the few designers working in independent publishing in Macau

SomethingMoon is a design studio in Macau and sometimes Taipei. The studio’s output includes beautifully bound books, typographic identities, web design and more. Despite the variety of output, each project is highly refined and crafted with a sense of distinct character. With such a mammoth output, it is surprising to know that SomethingMoon is in fact, only one designer, Ck Chiwai Cheang. Garnering international acclaim for the last ten years from Warsaw’s International Poster Biennale to the Tokyo TDC Annual Awards, Ck’s powerful design output champions independent arts and cultural groups in Macau.

Jyni Ong — 12 November 2018
News / Advertising
Sainsbury’s Christmas advert tugs at the heartstrings – and reminds us of something

For reasons that’ll probably only ever make sense to our analyst at some point in the future, we’ve decided to blot out our own experiences of the end of term primary school Nativity performance. Did we fluff our lines? Drop the baby Jesus? Accidentally imbibe the myrrh that we were lovingly set to hand over to the proud parents? We’ll never know.

Josh Baines — 11 November 2018
Sponsored / Digital
Creatives ask ANNA — the accounting app set to manage your freelance invoices — their burning questions

You might remember ANNA from an article we wrote profiling its creative campaign and concept, when it first launched.

Sponsored Content — 12 November 2018
Work / Digital
Boook.Land is a new and massively collaborative approach to novel writing

Tied in to the ever-popular National Novel Writing Month scheme — which sees aspiring and established novelists producing a 50,000 word manuscript in November’s 30 dark and dismal days — Boook.Land is one of the most intriguing and exciting digital propositions come across in quite a while.

Josh Baines — 12 November 2018
Work / Photography
“Photography can illuminate multiple identities”: Makena Mambo on her series, A Part of Me

Makena Mambo is a Kenyan-American photographer, filmmaker and writer based in New York City. Her latest photographic project, A Part of Me, draws on her cultural heritage through a series of soft, elegantly shot images of two close family friends.

Daphne Milner — 12 November 2018
Work / Photography
Etinosa Yvonne’s poignant photographic montages reflect on trauma and memory

Is it possible to “move on” from a traumatic event? What does it take to make peace with the thoughts and memories of a difficult past? How does society help or hinder individuals affected by PTSD?

Daphne Milner — 12 November 2018
Regulars / Nicer Tuesdays
Tickets now available for November’s Nicer Tuesdays!

Back on the last Tuesday of the month we’re pleased to announce the line-up for November’s Nicer Tuesdays. Tickets are now available for our November event this month, featuring talented animator Laurie Rowan, renowned interactive designer Yuri Suzuki, the hilarious illustrator Anna Haifisch and beloved, eye-opening photographer, Francesca Allen who will take to the stage at Oval Space.
Leipzig-based Anna Haifisch is an illustrator worldly recognised for her wit. A hilarious illustrator whose character The Artist particularly resonates with creative audiences, Anna’s sense of humour picks up on the difficulties of being a creative, illustrating highly relatable comics. Anna will join us from Germany for this month’s Nicer Tuesdays, giving us a short talk about her background before performing one of her beyond brilliant comic readings.
Interactive designer Yuri Suzuki is a creative who’s difficult to put in just one creative box. From building Sonic Playground’s to creating pyramid-shaped mechanical instruments for will.i.am, there’s honestly no knowing what Yuri will design next. It’s for this reason Pentagram picked up on the jaw-dropping talents of the designer, inviting him to join its partnership earlier this month. Yuri will be talking us through some recent projects and what he’s got planned next. Photographer Francesca Allen has long been in the gaze of It’s Nice That. We’ve written articles both about her and with her, including one memorable piece where she spoke about her personal indifference with art school upon graduating a few years ago. Since then, Francesca’s portfolio has grown with her particular photographic eye becoming ever clearer and more distinct. This journey culminated in Francesca’s new project and her first book, Aya, featuring Japanese musician Aya Gloomy. With a language barrier between the two, Francesca’s photographs displays a thoughtful visual conversation between the two women. Following a busy year of travelling in promotion of the book, Francesca will be taking us through some of the photograph’s details.Masterful in creating a pastel coloured wobbling bobblehead, we’re very pleased to have animator Laurie Rowan speaking at our November event. Following a career down the more traditional route of animation, a few years back Laurie began creating his own elastic-like characters which quickly garnered their own following. Laurie will be joining us from his home in Brighton to discuss how he’s developed this unique ability to develop his very own character designs.

It's Nice That — 06 November 2018

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The Graduates 2018

Introducing The Graduates class of 2018!

Illustration graduate Alva Skog’s energetic practice is rooted in female empowerment

Can Yang’s graphic design style is deep-rooted in her Chinese heritage

Rollerblade hats and crocheted football ballgowns: meet fashion design graduate Paolina Russo

Jackson Joyce’s melancholic illustrations inspired by childhood nostalgia

Natalia Poniatowska employs photography to convey the emotions, truths and challenges of modern reality

Daniel Spencer’s hilarious animations are “quite intensely bonkers”

New Zealander Luke Hoban designs websites that not only have form and function, but flair

Photographer Miranda Barnes offers softly witnessed glimpses into the human experience

Alex Sizemore is the industrial designer pushing our world towards meaningful physical futures

Graphic designer Andy Liang merges art with artificial intelligence

Photographer Nathan Cutler adds a softer tone to the conversation of masculinity

“What is my opinion?”: Graphic designer James Aspey’s research-focused, typographic practice

Aga Giecko’s illustrations show the personality of someone who loves a good laugh

Liam Waters’ physical images question what photography in the digital age can be

Meet Adelia Lim, a graphic designer not afraid to poke a little fun at the industry

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The Graduates 2018

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