The October 2011 issue of Desktop Magazine featured an article written by Brita Frost titled ‘The Labour of Love.’ Our own studio project, Re:collection, was profiled along with many other worthwhile undertakings (including The Narrows, Process and Conversations with Designers), and Brita’s interview with Dominic Hofstede can be read on Desktop’s site. Like many other studios, our workflow combines the self-initiated with the commissioned, and Re:collection has proven to be a most valuable educational experience.
Studio Magazine is a quarterly publication featuring the workspaces of international artists and designers.
/Continue
How do we define Australian Graphic Design?
I simply hate this question, not only because it appears so predictably in this and similar magazines, but more annoyingly as I am unable to answer it. Is our industry still so immature that we need to continually query its authenticity? We love comparisons in Australia. Moreover, we suffer from a chronic condition; cultural cringe. Let me indulge in a little personally. It would indeed be rare to find Italians, Japanese or the Dutch asking themselves such a banal question. They just know instinctively, or to quote a line from a very ‘Australian’ film, The Castle, ‘It’s the vibe of the thing your Honour’.
/Continue
Response is an 80 page biannual journal exploring contemporary Graphic Design. Each issue takes the form of both written and visual responses that are developed around a central theme. An initiative of AGDA Victoria, the publication has been designed and curated by Dominic Hofstede and Paul Fuog. A launch event for Response will be held at Gertrude Contemporary between 6–8pm on Wednesday April 13. All are welcome.
The studio’s work has appeared in a number of international publications of late.
/Continue
Our cover for Marcella Hazan’s The Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking has been short-listed in the ‘Best Designed Cookbook’ category for the 59th APA Book Design Awards. The winners are announced in May at the Powerhouse Museum in Sydney. Thanks to Ellie and Mary at Pan Macmillan for providing us with the opportunity to work on such a significant title.
Documenting Australia’s design history has become an important research activity for the studio, largely due to the interest created by our online archive, Recollection. The most recent manifestation of this interest is Retrospect, a bi-monthly feature in the revamped Desktop. Initiated by the magazine’s dynamic new editor, the article is curated by Dominic Hofstede and features a significant Australian designer and their personal selection of pivotal projects. The first subject was Harry Williamson. For more information, visit the Desktop website.
The ISTD (International Society of Typographic Designers) is a global professional body run by, and for, graphic designers, typographers and educators. For over 30 years the body has run a scheme aimed at assessing and acknowledging typographic standards within design education. The Australasian judging took place in November, 2010, and both Dominic Hofstede and Wendy Ellerton were invited to participate by the ISTD’s local co-ordinator, Becky Chilcott. An intensive day of assessment alongside some of our industry’s finest typographic enthusiasts proved a revealing and fulfilling experience. Work emanating from Massey University in New Zealand was a revelation.
In August, Dominic Hofstede was invited by AGDA to join a select panel of colleagues in assessing the state of the industry. AGDA’s biennial awards attract nearly 2000 entries, and the experience was exhausting, overwhelming, frustrating but ultimately rewarding. The results of our judging endeavours were announced in mid-October in Brisbane. Hofstede Design was recognised with Distinctions for two projects in the publication category: Paper Thin and Architects EAT. The Type Tablet will also appear in the 2010 AGDA Annual as a finalist in the category of self promotion. Thanks go to AGDA, and to our clients for the allowing us to do our best work.
Throughout 2010 the studio worked on a significant project documenting seminal designer Les Mason’s work on Epicurean magazine. Several month’s of exhaustive research resulted in an exhibition of 77 issues of the magazine at The Narrows and a supporting publication which is profiled in our folio section. Thanks to the many collaborators on the project, in particular Gail Mason, Pat Grainger and the venture’s main facilitator, Warren Taylor. Photos of the launch, exhibition details and catalogues for purchase are all available on The Narrows’ website.
The past few months have seen the studio’s work published in numerous local and international journals.
/Continue
News 07.10 / TDC56
The Type Directors Club is the leading international organisation committed to promoting and acknowledging excellence in typography. Based in New York, the Club runs an Annual competition which attracts over 1500 entries world-wide and we are delighted to announce that this year two of our projects have been selected to receive Certificates of Typographic Excellence. The Type Tablet and TFJ poster will both be exhibited in a touring exhibition that visits locations in the US, Europe and Japan. Images of the work will also appear in the prestigious Annual of the Type Directors Club, Typography 31. Given that type is the glue that binds much of our work, this news was especially significant for the studio.
Events where designers are given an opportunity to engage the general public, to alter perceptions and also to have some fun are rare. Design is a serious business, but sometimes it is truly refreshing to let one’s hair down, lasso a green horse or two and play the tattoo artist.
/Continue
Re:collection is an online inventory of Australian graphic design produced in a period circa 1960–1980. A self-initiated project, it was borne out of frustration at the lack of local reference material available, specifically from the decades mentioned above. The simple site structure was developed to facilitate regular updates and the focus is on imagery initially with some in-depth articles to follow. Thanks to Flint Interactive for their help with the programming.
Victionary are an innovative Hong Kong-based publisher with an impressive range of titles. We were invited to submit work for their latest book, Colour Mania, and have three identity projects featured; Coo, DesignFlow and our own studio identity. The book features a unique sequencing structure where work is ordered according to its dominant colour. A bit contrived perhaps, but it makes for a colourful reading experience.