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Championing creativity

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Work / Bookshelf

Bookshelf: Up this week is creative director of Human After All, Paul Willoughby

Words by Liv Siddall, Tuesday 22 April 2014

Despite sharing his surname with one of literature’s most dastardly characters, Paul is actually a really nice guy. He’s a well-known, London-based artist and illustrator and is also the creative director of Human After All and the former creative director of Little White Lies magazine. So yeah, pretty talented really. He’s given us a very, very concise peek into his bookshelf today and my oh my does he have some gems! A book of Chinese apothecary packaging design? Yes please.

Robert Crumb: Sketchbooks

I picked up three volumes of Crumb’s sketchbooks after his show in London’s Whitechapel Gallery. I tend to like artists’ sketchbooks way more than their finished pieces most of the time. The drawings are completely uninhibited and unapologetic.

Graphis Annual 63/64

I sound like a broken record now when it comes to these annuals. They’re just a great addition to creatives’ sphere of influence, as they show commercial art from a wildly different time.

Mono Aquirax

This is a collection of black and white illustration work from one of Japan’s most prolific artists and illustrators. I love the bizarreness and fluidity of line. He manages to render simple objects with a unique energy.

Hong Kong Apothecary: a Visual History of Chinese Medicine Packaging

Hong Kong Apothecary: a Visual History of Chinese Medicine Packaging

Athlete’s foot packaging has never looked so beautiful.

Diane Arbus: Revelations

Stunning book from one of the best exhibitions I’ve seen in London. She’s had a huge influence on the way I observe characters.

www.paulwilloughby.com

Most Recent

Christopher Golden creates colourful digital environments that utilise visual abnormalities 13 July 2018
Erin Aniker's quietly radical, feminist illustrations remind us that activism doesn't have to be loud 13 July 2018
Marion Jdanoff explores the historical context of the world's big cats in Léopard = Nuit 13 July 2018
Photographer Catherine Losing uses objects to tell stories referencing culture and history 13 July 2018
Friday Mixtape: A world cup special from the It’s Nice That team 13 July 2018
Peter Franklyn Banks’ series Cromer Pier is a melodic call to the sea 13 July 2018

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Regulars / Bookshelf "Shout out to Hannah Montana's forward-thinking design": Clifford Jago's Bookshelf

Clifford Jago is a stylist and self-confessed “messiah of fashion”. He’s also not real. The culmination of two photographers – who have chosen to remain anonymous – Clifford’s character, and resulting work, is a response to the modern culture of magazines in which publications have to shoot brands simply because they advertise with them.

Ruby Boddington — 04 July 2018
Regulars / Bookshelf Parallel Practice's Bookshelf provides insight into its thorough understanding of graphic design

Prague-based design studio, Parallel Practice AKA Michal Landa and Jan Brož are a firm favourite of ours here at It’s Nice That. For years now, the duo has been impressing us with their eclectic designs which layer imagery and utilise type as a graphic element. From identities to posters, to album sleeves and publications, the studio can do it all with each design surpassing the previous.

Ruby Boddington — 20 June 2018
Regulars / Bookshelf A Bookshelf of out-of-print, hard-to-find and rare books from Callin Mackintosh

Callin Mackintosh, although originally from Dundee in Scotland, now co-runs Lowrie, a design studio in East London alongside Mike White. On his weekends and evenings, however, he runs Out of Print: a bookshop selling rare, hard-to-find, collectable and completely out-of-print books.

Ruby Boddington — 06 June 2018
Regulars / Bookshelf Michael Bierut shares the second-hand books which have "truly influenced" his practice

Having studied graphic design at the University of Cincinnati’s College of Design, Architecture, Art and Planning, Michael Bierut has been a central figure in the design world as a partner at Pentagram since 1990. Throughout his career, he has amassed a client list including the likes of The New York Times and Mastercard, and notably created the “H” logo for Hilary Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign.

Ruby Boddington — 23 May 2018
Regulars / Bookshelf A 3D-rendered Bookshelf from Wieden and Kennedy's Department of New Realities

If you’re a regular reader of It’s Nice That, we’re sure you’re familiar with the advertising powerhouse Wieden and Kennedy (W+K). Founded by Dan Wieden and David Kennedy, the agency now has offices in Portland, London, New York City, São Paulo, Delhi, Shanghai, Tokyo and Amsterdam, the last of which is home to The Department of New Realities (DPTNR) which has curated the week’s (3D-rendered) Bookshelf for you to drool over.

Ruby Boddington — 09 May 2018
Regulars / Bookshelf Franziska Morlok and Miriam Waszelewski's Bookshelf explores the most interesting and unique bookbinding techniques

This week’s Bookshelf has been hand-picked for you by Franziska Morlok and Miriam Waszelewski who, on Monday (23 April), released Bookbinding: The Complete Guide to Folding, Sewing & Binding. With 400 illustrations included within its pages, the book is an essential guide for designers (and anyone obsessed with print) explaining industrial bookbinding techniques and packed full of insights from experts.

Ruby Boddington — 25 April 2018

Work / Digital Christopher Golden creates colourful digital environments that utilise visual abnormalities

Christopher Golden, who works under the moniker The Studio Gold, uses CGI and new media platforms to create visual content that “activates architectural and digital landscapes”. Inspired by companies who fit their stores experimentally, such as the Korean brand Gentle Monsters, Christopher is drawn to synthetic spaces. He mimics them, using 3D as a medium or tool “to create digital realism that simulates the real world in a similar way”. His work is hyperrealistic yet at the same time, their vibrant colours and strange movements create anomalies that give the pieces a unique twist. “Abnormalities create pieces that stand out from the crowd”, he tells us, “it’s also a way to provide a signature element that becomes a key component to the overall composition”.

Emma Latham Phillips — 13 July 2018
Work / Illustration Erin Aniker's quietly radical, feminist illustrations remind us that activism doesn't have to be loud

It’s perhaps unsurprising that Erin Aniker’s work takes a feminist stance. “My mum was always going to marches for Turkish and Kurdish women’s rights,” she says, “she marched with IMECE Women’s centre in Dalston. There would always be some kind of protest boards lying around at home and she used to take me and my brothers on the marches since we were babies, and strap the protest banners to our buggy”.

Kieran Yates — 13 July 2018
Work / Publication Marion Jdanoff explores the historical context of the world's big cats in Léopard = Nuit

For French illustrator Marion Jdanoff, animals are always reoccurring in her work. Fans of hers will notice this too from seeing “dogs and wolves on one hand and big cats on the other, especially tigers and jaguars,” she tells us.

Lucy Bourton — 13 July 2018
Work / Photography Photographer Catherine Losing uses objects to tell stories referencing culture and history

When still life photography is done well, it’s nothing short of captivating. Slick, glossy and often indecipherable in terms of how it has been achieved, it’s subtle and incredibly satisfying. It’s in this space that London-based photographer, Catherine Losing’s work sits. Although her practice spans more than just still lifes (increasingly including moving image as of late), perfectly composed collections of objects are a personal favourite of hers – and ours too.

Ruby Boddington — 13 July 2018
Regulars / Friday Mixtape Friday Mixtape: A world cup special from the It’s Nice That team

It may not be coming home for Eng-ger-land this year, but the World Cup is still on and all is to play for between Croatia vs France this Sunday. It’s been a month of ups and downs, heart-attack inducing penalty shootouts, underdogs rising to the top (that South Korea vs Germany game, my god) and, well, waistcoats.

It's Nice That — 13 July 2018
Work / Photography Peter Franklyn Banks’ series Cromer Pier is a melodic call to the sea

Peter Franklyn Banks’s background in cinema brings a crucial element of storytelling to his photography. His project Cromer Pier documents the pier over several years, with the photographer regularly returning to capture what has changed. “Since my mum moved out to the seaside in Norfolk, I’ve got no family remaining in Nottingham”, the photographer explains. “This project is an attempt to connect with a new identity. As I return every year I see familiar faces and the changes in them; you start to feel like part of that community”. Revisiting a particular subject is a theme seen throughout his work, down to his appreciation for “relationships or community and how they develop over time”. Many photography projects seem to end abruptly, and often you can’t help but long for them to go on, so you can continue following the story and the characters you’ve become so attached to. In this case, “I don’t know where the project ends, but at the moment it feels like I have to keep going back”, Peter comments.

Emma Latham Phillips — 13 July 2018

Work / Illustration Anu Ambasna's playful illustrations celebrate club culture, brown bodies and perfect paunches

“Club culture influences my work in a subliminal way – if I see someone in a club wearing a string vest, I’ll most likely end up drawing them that week without even realising”. Illustrator and DJ Anu Ambasna is discussing how music unwittingly influences the work that she makes; however, despite designing flyers for club nights and hosting her own show on east London internet station NTS radio, music is just an accompaniment, rather than top billing.

Kieran Yates — 13 July 2018
Work / Digital Territory Studio designs media for James Bond experience in the Austrian mountains

Set upon the summit of Gaislachkogl, an icy, snow-capped mountain in Sölden, Austria, a striking new modernist gallery has been built. It houses a breathtaking new exhibit, 007 Elements, the world’s first cinematic installation dedicated to the world of James Bond. The visitor journeys through a series of high tech, interactive galleries, “each distilling the craft of the signature elements that define a Bond film”. It is an immersive, educational experience “that places the guests inside the world of 007 while also revealing how that world is made”.

Emma Latham Phillips — 12 July 2018
Sponsored / Converse x JW Anderson Five creatives visually respond to the question: What makes something art, anyway?

It’s Nice That has teamed up with Converse and JW Anderson to celebrate the launch of their latest collaboration. A sculptural tribute to colour and gloss, the new collection sees the classic Chuck ‘70 reimagined in ultra-slick patent leather and conflicting graded colourways. High-energy and provocative, the project explores the intersection of art and fashion, questioning what art is, and can be.

Ruby Boddington — 12 July 2018
Work / Photography Drawn to subcultures, Kevin Faingnaert photographs Summer Solstice at Stonehenge

Annually, thousands flock to Stonehenge to celebrate Summer Solstice, the longest day of the year. It occurs when one of the Earth’s poles has its maximum tilt toward the sun. Pagans and druids meet together at the ancient site to watch the sun rise above the Heel Stone, celebrating rebirth. On 20 June of this year, Kevin Faingnaert journeyed with them. With an affinity for people and places, the Belgian photographer documents subcultures, telling their untold stories. “I stood between druids, fortune tellers, pagans, Buddhists, Hare Krishna’s and tourists”, he tells us, and “as the sun rose, at around 4:52, an incredible party broke loose”.

Emma Latham Phillips — 12 July 2018
Work / Graphic Design Luke Insect designs a "BMX break up album about teenage love and endless summers"

Following a degree in graphic design and illustration at Newcastle, graphic designer Luke Insect got an art working/tea making, break in London. It was the 90s and his first design jobs were working on record sleeves for the likes of Funkadelic, Parliament, Motorhead and Ozzy Osborne. Experience under his belt, Luke headed east “to the near-empty Old Truman Brewery in the deserted Brick Lane (this was 1998!),” and set up his own design and illustration studio, Insect. Taking his new found knowledge, the studio put out a bunch of sleeves, flyers and posters for independent record labels each “riding a bit of a new wave of maximalist illustration and street art at the time,” he tells It’s Nice That.

Lucy Bourton — 12 July 2018
Work / Exhibition Beci Orpin and Carla McRae’s exhibition, Out of Bounds, explores the notion of play

Beci Orpin and Carla McRae have collaborated on an exhibition at Boom Gallery that explores the notion of “play”. Play is an essential part of childhood — that “time spent without purpose in exploration, losing track of the hours”. However, as we get older expectation entails that we grow out of it. For their joint exhibition, Beci and Carla look to explore “the way that these spaces can be cultivated as adults and how we can tap back into those headspaces. Because they’re still there”, they tell It’s Nice That, “they’ve just shifted forms”.

Emma Latham Phillips — 11 July 2018

Work / Graphic Design Rudy Guedj's design work sits between "figurative motifs and their abstracted representations"

With illustration and drawing a recurring tool in his practice, French graphic designer Rudy Guedj’s work spans print and exhibition design as well as publishing. His theoretical and conceptual approach to design, however, also reaches into more fine art-based pieces including animation, murals, prints and installations.

Ruby Boddington — 11 July 2018
Work / Sculpture Photographer Jamie Hawkesworth on expanding his creative practice to include sculpture

“What I always preach about photography is that it’s just great to see what you come across,” Jamie Hawkesworth, an artist who needs little introduction, tells us about his creative practice. It’s this approach, one of both wandering and wondering, that has gained Jamie respect in numerous cultural fields and his latest venture is no exception, but this time its sculpture.

Lucy Bourton — 11 July 2018
Work / Publication Claire Milbrath shares her best bits of Editorial Magazine's new issue

If Editorial Magazine came out monthly or weekly, It’s Nice That would be full of articles about it. Each time it’s released founding editor Claire Milbrath brings something brilliantly new to the table, from her commissioning to the subjects the articles dive into. The most recent issue has just done it once again. But, rather than ramble on about it ourselves, we’ve let Claire take the reigns this time.

Lucy Bourton — 11 July 2018
Work / Photography Luca Anzalone’s photographs twist the stereotypical narratives of classical culture

Luca Anzalone’s photographs blur the boundaries between fantasy and reality; their surreal, performative quality twists the “stereotypical narratives of classical culture”, he explains. “What we constantly struggle to define as reality is just an illusion in our brains”, Luca tells us, “I’d rather play with that concept”. His images are reminiscent of an Alice in Wonderland-like world, a mixture of logic and nonsense juxtaposed to create experimental and theatrical photos with a scent of subtly and grace that is deeply sensual.

Emma Latham Phillips — 11 July 2018
Work / Photography "The power of the camera has always amazed me": Will Cooper-Mitchell's explorative photography

For photographer Will Cooper-Mitchell, photography and place are inherently linked, neither existing without the other in his practice. Shooting almost exclusively on black and white 35mm film, Will’s classically stylised work sees him using the medium to explore the world, drawing inspiration from greats such as Bruce Davidson, Robert Frank and the Japanese Provoke movement.

Ruby Boddington — 11 July 2018
Work / Animation Olivier Lescot's animated music video for Breakbot effortlessly merges from scene-to-scene

Breakbot AKA Thibaut Jean-Marie Michel Berland, a French producer and DJ has enlisted director and animator Oilvier Lescot to create the music video for his latest single Another You, featuring Ruckazoid, which is being released today.

Ruby Boddington — 10 July 2018

Work / Art Ellie Ji Yang’s idyllic paintings explore the rhythms of the natural world

Ellie Ji Yang’s joyful and colourful paintings explore the rhythms of the natural world. Brought up in Gwang-ju, a city in South Korea “that balances city and nature”, Ellie was surrounded by “greenery and small forests” from a young age. “Connected to nature, my memories of these places are the foundation of my imagination”, she tells us. Now based in Brooklyn, NYC, Ellie’s paintings vividly recall her childhood, creating idyllic, vibrant scenes, pointedly absent of anything human-made. Many of her works include animals reminiscent of Asian culture and symbolism, while others showcase worlds containing mysterious prehistoric and religious references.

Emma Latham Phillips — 10 July 2018
Work / Photography For Jack Bool, the beauty of analogue photography is in the unknowing

Jack Bool’s practice blends art photography with fashion, and these different ways of working inform each other. “I use art pictures in an editorial context”, the artist explains, “contextualising images to contradict their initial function intrigues me”. His images juxtapose beguiling still lifes, landscapes, high gloss fashion images and iPhone shots, to create smooth and cohesive series.

Emma Latham Phillips — 10 July 2018
Regulars / Nicer Tuesdays Photographer Vicki King joins the line-up for Nicer Tuesdays July!

We are excited to announce that photographer Vicki King is the fourth speaker for this month’s Nicer Tuesdays event on 31 July.

It's Nice That — 10 July 2018
Work / Photography Suzanne Saroff's meticulously arranged photographs alter perceptions

Photographer Suzanne Saroff began working in her discipline the way most do, developing a love for it through picking up disposable cameras and point and shoots. Hooked, the Missoula-born and now New York-based photographer “endeavoured to learn as much as possible about the art, teaching myself aspects of DSLR cameras and learning lighting techniques while exploring composition and subject matter,” she tells us. Since then, composition has become a part of Suzanne’s work she’s garnered a following for, arranging glasses filled with water to alter perceptions of a well-known object, from a lobster to half a papaya, or a bunch of peonies.

Lucy Bourton — 10 July 2018
Work / Publication Need a guide to LA’s graphic design scene? Shoplifters’ new issue has got your back

Good old Actual Source. In its work as a multi-format publisher, brand and retail store we’re constantly hopping on Actual Source’s website to see what graphic design picks they’ve got for us from books to its own magazine, Shoplifters. We know you’re all big fans of it too, so when we saw the latest issue was a peek inside Los Angeles’ design scene we ate up its brilliantly designed double-page spreads.

Lucy Bourton — 10 July 2018
Work / Opinion Arts cuts are bad for our health – what are we going to do about it?

Jodie Cariss works as part of Forever Curious, a creative initiative set up to work with local east London primary schools. One of the many things they offer is a series of “buddy up” sessions, where industry professionals share stories with a view to make them come to life. Below, Cariss writes how increasingly important it is that these initiatives exist in a climate where cuts are rife and asks: What next for a generation let down by state funding for the arts?

The world feels messy. Politically unstable. A growing sense of slowly mounting chaos and fear over the unknown. One of the UK’s worst-hit areas is the education system. Teachers are leaving in droves. The National Audit Office has tasked mainstream schools with making £3 billion in savings by 2019 – that’s around £800 per pupil. Nearly a quarter of the teachers who qualified since 2011 have already quit the job.

Inevitably, money for creativity and the arts within the curriculum has been fiercely reduced, in some areas to non-existence. Our schools are facing a scarcity of teachers – or at least, many with depleted energy after meeting growing demands – and art cupboards with just one ream of A4 paper for 900 students. I’ve seen it with my own eyes in a Hackney school.

So what happens to a generation of young people, particularly the 4.1 million who are classed as underprivileged, with limited opportunities at home, and fewer at school?

There will be a rise in adolescents with behavioural issues, leading to a less mentally-well adult generation. We know creativity has a direct correlation to the way we feel and how we express emotion, and poor mental health is already on the rise, with one in four people experiencing a problem each year.
Without sounding like the doctor of doom, the education crisis will pave the way for social and creative regression. Why? Because creativity is fundamental to the way we understand the world, form and keep relationships and develop our own sense of self. The ability to create, which begins in early development as play and forms the foundation of the way we find meaning in later life, is essential for a balanced and stimulated generation.

Jodie Cariss — 10 July 2018

Work / Illustration María Ramos' illustrations turn picnic food into an assortment of cheeky characters

While we’re constantly surprised (and pleased) by the oddly-elongated bout of sunny days we’re experiencing here in England, long days of sun are a regular occurrence for Spanish illustrator María Ramos. There’s nothing better than a picnic on days like this, and María agrees, illustrating a lunch full of character in her latest book, Picnic, published by Fulgencio Pimentel.

Lucy Bourton — 09 July 2018
Partnership / British Council: Venice Architecture Biennale 2018 “Create a flag which represents your own Island”: explore culture through design in our latest Insta brief

We’ve teamed up with the British Council to create a design brief that explores the themes surrounding Island: The British Pavilion presentation commissioned by the British Council for the 16th International Architecture Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia.

It's Nice That — 09 July 2018
Work / Photography Turkina Faso's cover story for Odiseo issue 12 explores our skin as a uniform

“Evoking thoughts of conformity and lack of change, but also the sensation of equality and unity, issue 12 explores the significance of patterns, and the need for belonging,” reads the editor’s letter of the latest issue of contemporary erotic magazine, Odiseo, published by Folch. Focussed around a central question: “Who are you when you are alone, and who are you with others?” – the issue is dedicated to uniformity, “shaped into a publication”.

Ruby Boddington — 09 July 2018
Work / Animation Meet Caitlin McCarthy and her cute (and sometimes gross) animations

Throughout Caitlin McCarthy’s creative career she has jumped between disciplines, analogue tools and digital programmes. Studying illustration at Camberwell, “which I chose because I loved drawing,” Caitlin then “somehow finished up my degree trying to be a fine artist, making giant silicone ham slices” she tells It’s Nice That. Immediately after graduation, literally just a few days, she went back to drawing and was an illustrator. Now… Caitlin’s an animator!

Lucy Bourton — 09 July 2018
Work / Publication From magazine worshipper to publisher: a chat with Moon’s founder Verity Pemberton

When Verity Pemberton, the founding editor of Moon magazine, was a teenager, her bedroom walls had a similar wallpaper to many other magazine makers. They were repeatedly pasted with ripped out centrefolds. “My brother used to write for i-D and The Face so I was looking at all those magazines from a young age,” she tells us. “I think when you pick up the right kind of magazine it can really speak to you — with Moon I just wanted to be able to make my creative ideas into a reality and also be able to share the people I find inspiring.”

Lucy Bourton — 09 July 2018
Work / Photography Chris Dorley-Brown’s sharp images of East London are actually made up of many multiple shots

Photographer Chris Dorley-Brown’s latest book, The Corners, is a portrayal of London which does what it says on the tin. Meticulously positioned, Chris’ images are of street corners many London dwellers will know well, shooting the buildings recognisable from early morning commutes to drunken stumbles home.

Lucy Bourton — 09 July 2018

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