Download - Toca magazine issu
1
eda akaltun
edward carvalho monaghan
kaiyee jelly
lucinda roger
matt johnstone
mia kennedy
gathering freelance creatives
colour x central saint martins graphic design alumni
Hello !
TOCA gathers freelance creatives
around the world, from graphic
design and photography through
fashion and fine art, we explore their
independent work ethics and pursue
of personal passions.
In this very first issue, we celebrate
one of the most loved visual
language, colour. We featured the
alumni of Central Saint Martins BA
Graphic Design course, from last
year’s fresh grads to 10 years experi-
enced designers, who not only have
good eyes for colour but also know
how to manipulate them with orgin-
ality. Here they share their fascinat-
ing work and insight into the design
indutry as a freelancer.
dedicated,
TOCA
eda akaltun
edward carvalho monaghan
kaiyee jelly
lucinda roger
matt johnstone
mia kennedy
gathering freelance creatives
colour x central saint martins graphic design alumni
Hello !
TOCA gathers freelance creatives
around the world, from graphic
design and photography through
fashion and fine art, we explore their
independent work ethics and pursue
of personal passions.
In this very first issue, we celebrate
one of the most loved visual
language, colour. We featured the
alumni of Central Saint Martins BA
Graphic Design course, from last
year’s fresh grads to 10 years experi-
enced designers, who not only have
good eyes for colour but also know
how to manipulate them with orgin-
ality. Here they share their fascinat-
ing work and insight into the design
indutry as a freelancer.
dedicated,
TOCA
3
01
Featured Artists + Designers
The Central Saint Martins Graphic
Design Alumni
/ Eda Akaltun
/ Edward Carvalho Monaghan
/ Matt Johnstone
/ Mia Kennedy
02
Survival guide
03
Contact
C o n t e n t s
4
5
0 1
F e at u r e d
a r t i s t s +
D e s i g n e r s
6
Cont emporary R etro Pr i n t erCont emporary R etro Pr i n t erEda Akatlun
Featu
red A
rtist + D
esign
er
7
BA Graphic Design
with Illustratin / 2007
We
Pick Me Up
Herman Miller
BAFTA
Krug Champagne
BFI Publishing
The Financial Times
Huffington Post
Therapy Today
The Guardian
New Scientist
Condé Nast Traveller
The Telegraph
American Way
Johns Hopkins Magazine
Faber & Faber
The New York Times
Nobrow
V&A Museum
Time Out
Elle Canada
Bulletin
Brunswick Review
Australian Financial Review
New Staxtesman
Harvard Business Review
Eye Magazine
Reader’s Digest
Der Freitag newspaper (Germany)
Wired
Nature magazine
Washington Post
Mac User
Stanford Social Innovation Review
Brummell
8
9
T: Can you describe your first time re-
ceiving a client’s job?
E: I was in my last year studying illustra-
tion, and I was doing quite a lot of print-
making at the time. We had our ‘work
in progress’ show in the middle of the
year and some of those prints got me a
job with the Telegraph magazine to illus-
trate a series of Horoscopes for a year.
I had just started working with mixing
collage and printmaking and they liked
that style. The art director said she was
looking for something original and a bit
darker, as opposed to the deliberately
feminine style you tend to see in the
horoscopes section. It was the start of a
good relationship with them that led to
other commissions after I graduated.
T: What’s your favourite colour?
E: In my work it’s a combination of light
blue and pinkish red.
T: Being an international student, do
you find it hard to start your career in
the UK after graduating?
E: I don’t think being an international
student changes the fact that getting
a job in the creative industries is never
easy. It just makes the experience more
stressful perhaps, usually because of
visa situations. If you are depending on
an employee to sponsor your work per-
mit to stay in the UK, they may prefer
not to take on that responsibility in ad-
dition to giving you a job. Unfortunately
that is just the reality of the situation,
but it should not dissuade anyone from
trying.
Personally, I don’t think the international
aspect made such a big difference
for me, what was much harder for me
to decide was whether or not to be a
freelancer.
10
T: A lot of students struggle as a freelancer,
what’s one piece of advice you would give to
those who just started their career, especially
international people?
E: You have to create as much work as you can,
but only share or send out the best of it. You also
need to have a good website that is simple to
navigate and only displays your strongest work.
Overloading your portfolio or promotional mate-
rial with everything you’ve ever done is not only
distracting, but will lead people to potentially
overlook good projects that show you in your
best light. I can’t stress the importance of editing
enough.
T: What was been the most enjoyable but tough-
est project you did?
E: The Bafta commission was definitely the most
enjoyable, but also the hardest. I had about a
month to create invite designs and watch about
40 long-listed movies, but only 10 days to illus-
trate the 5 best film nominations, once they were
decided upon. They sent me the screening copies
of all the movies in batches and then collected
them back usually the next day or a few days
later. I had to watch, sketch and take notes of
all those films as they all had the potential to be
short-listed. Once the DVDs were gone, I didn’t
have anything to go back to, it was intense!
T: Since your favourite style is collages, how many
sketches you need to plan out before you get to
the final design, and the actual process that you
have in order to convert them digitally?
E: I usually start with drawing a few thumbnails
and when I have a composition I like, I gather the
collage material. Once I have that, I start working
on it digitally. I give clients 2 sketches/ideas or
just one if it’s a rush job, and move to the final. I
always work digitally from the sketch stage when
the deadlines are short as it gives me freedom to
change things quickly.
I worked with a great design agency who gave
me a lot of creative freedom and support when
I eventually had to produce the 5 Best Film
nominations artworks. They knew and liked my
work and told me they hired me because of it,
so it was great to have their trust on such a tight
and important commission. I also got to go to the
BAFTA’s! Talk about a cherry on top!
I can’t stress the importance of editing enough
Featu
red A
rtist + D
esign
er
11
I can’t stress the importance of editing enough
Eda Akaltun
12
Eda Akaltun
We see a lot of 50s fashion and old style illus-
trations in your work, do they mean something
to you? And why did you develop a love for
them?
I’ve always been drawn to them and used to
only use my own family photographs in the
collages in the beginning of my career. I like
the contrast of black and white photos and the
grain and texture of old ephemera, texture also
being the reason why I love printmaking - it
works really well with bold, bright colours in
my opinion. I enjoy putting together some-
thing old and to a certain extent messy with
something clean and digital.
Do you think CSM has pushed your creativity
and shaped your personal style?
Definitely! The freedom you have to work on
your own projects means you can collaborate
and/or try out different methods of working. I
was so inspired by London and the history of
CSM when I was there. I tried to feed my brain
as much as I could and took the free time we
had outside the studio seriously. Also, I don’t
know if they still do it but if it weren’t for the
4 day projects we had to complete in the 1st
year, I would have never mastered my collage
skills! :)
Eda Akaltun
13
I don’t know if they still do it but if it weren’t for the 4 day projects we had to complete in the 1st year, I would have never mastered my collage skills!
14
Eda Akaltun
E dward carvalho monaghan E dward carvalho monaghan
Featu
red A
rtist + D
esign
er
King of story-telling
Eda Akaltun
15
BA Graphic Design with Illustration / 2013
The Trip, Illustration for Degree Show 2013
Pick Me Up
It’s Nice That Graduates
YCN
Juxtapoz
Ape on the Moon
Occupy
Creative Bloq
T: It makes us happy looking at your work,
there’s so much energy in it. Can you talk
about the use of colours and other ele-
ments in it as well?
E: I think the way to imbue a piece of
work with energy is to understand the
subject(s) you intend on creating. My
characters are normally engaged in some
kind of activity or movement that is
defined by their physical appearance. I
don’t borrow any popular tropes or mask
images onto a relatable scene so I have
to invent my own, to an extent. So the
movement or activity is particular to each
creation and gives the viewer an under-
standing of the character’s role or physi-
cal movement within its own world.
Colour isn’t something I spend much time
plundering, I normally just restrict myself
to a small palate and try to balance it well.
16
T: We saw a lot of fantasies and creatures.
What’s the story and inspirations behind
it?
E: It’s maybe important to note that I
don’t have crazy shit pouring out of my
head. I normally try and fill a particular
space. So when i work on humans I like to
balance their clothes, limbs, bodies, hair
etc in an arrangement which is harmoni-
ous. I might have a particular idea that I
invest in and work around but normally
when I start draw ing I just try and occupy
a space. Through this, combined with the
experience of drawing quite militantly
since I was 4, I can normally just start and
finish a project without much procrastina-
tion because I’m comfortable to explore
by draing.
I’m not sure if that explains it very well…
Sorry about that, it’s very hard to explain
something that’s pretty natural.
17
Edward Carvalho Monaghan
18
T: Do you agree with the idea that rela-
tively young and inexperienced people are
getting more noticed in the industry?
E: Absolutely, illustration is developing a
new dialogue as an important art form.
Part of this dialogue is a noticeable lack of
dogmatic presences because there is no
singular method of working that is more
important than another. I think the reason
for this is that illustration is a community
based art, we produce personal work
but we always work with people and have
to deal with briefs. As a result we can
relate to people and each artist does so
in different ways. So regardless of age,
some people do it great and with more
bloggers and sites like it’s nice that, these
talented people will be shown to those
who are interested.
T: Does participating in competitions and
being part of the Pick Me Up fair help with
starting your career?
E: Pick me up changes the way you see
the illustration/design world. Everyone
is super nice and happy to be there.
Some people are established, some are
just starting and some are somewhere
in between but everyone can relate to
each other, we all spur our peers on. So
that helps to bolster enthusiasm because
illustration can be a reclusive vocation. It
can certainly help with jobs and getting
noticed but the relationships with people
is the most valuable thing I’ve obtained.
Featu
red A
rtist + D
esign
er
19
T: Any particular obsessions?
So regardless of age, some people do it great and with more bloggers and sites like it’s nice that, these talent-ed people will be shown to those who are interested
I know I’ve shown loads of other illustra-
tors work to people with opportunities
and hopefully they will do the same.
Edward Carvalho Monaghan
20
Digital or Traditional? A combination of the two, a
heroic attachment to one is un-
necessary. Both can be utilised
to achieve positive results.
Circles without a doubt.
Circles or Squares?
21
T: Do you think CSM was the right school for you?
In hindsight yes. I was a real piece of shit when I was
studying but I think my qualms were with arts education
in general.
I’m not too convinced that illustration in a modern sense
can really be taught. Vocational universities will teach
you what you need to have something of a career (quen-
tin blake for example) but csm capitalises on the idea
that everyone there is really special and enigmatic and
attempts to teach you how to be more crazy and con-
temporary. I think that’s a load of shit, especially selling
that idea to people but the thing it gets right is the oc-
casional incredible tutors, like Alan baines and Douglas
the bookbinding tutor. The “company” is selling you a
ridiculous idea, they encourage a certain kind of creativity
with administrative barriers. They pick and choose what
should be a part of their artistic repertoire of revolution
e.g. the framed graffiti as you walk towards the library
and then tell you that you can’t get paint on the floor.
This double standard is something that brews lukewarm
bloggers that want to fit in so much that they assimilate
themselves with the identity of the institution entirely
and equal amount with a huge distaste for the hypocrisy.
THAT is the thing that the university really has to offer, it
is an accidental digression but it will add to the character
of students greatly by helping them identify what is right
and wrong (in their opinion) of the art world. That quality
is what made csm right for me.
Edward Carvalho Monaghan
22
Matt John ston eMatt John ston eThe technical charmer
Featu
red A
rtist + D
esign
er
23
BA Graphic Design / 2005 Fish, Chips and Mushy Peas
The Guardian
Greenpeace
Nike Drink in Brighton
Energyshare
Nokia
Penguin Books
Bloomberg
‘Car free’ campaign Derwent Pencils
1 Granary
Ape on the Moon
24
T: Can you talk about the use of colours in
your work?
M: I like bright vivid solid blocks of colour and
sometimes certain areas I use halftones of
dots or lines. I’m fond of the colouring of old
comic books that use limited colours and half-
tone patterns that create different tones and
that has definitely influenced my work.
T: Your work is very delightful and charming,
do you need to be in a certain state of mind or
mood in order to work?
M: No, I like to just get on with it and tend
to work better with a set deadline to work
towards. I find I am not so productive if I have
no limit on time.
T: Any particular Obsessions?
M: Currently snakes
T: Do you compromise or do you stay true to
your style for every jobs since the beginning?
M: I would like to think I have a style of illustra-
tion and I always attempt to create images in
an imaginative playful way in the style that I
naturally draw in.
Im fond of the col-ouring of old comic books that use limited colours and halftone patterns that create different tones
25
26
Matt Johnstone
T: Lots of people had hard times surviv-
ing in the industry being freelance and
individual, so what has been the toughest
experience you have had since the start
of your career?
M: I find the toughest part of being free-
lance the time between jobs. I feel good
and productive when I am in the routine
of going into my studio and working on
commissions. The hard part is when I
have gaps between commissions and this
is when I need more of a positive attitude
as it is natural to start questioning your
work. I have learnt that in order to be
more productive it is best to stay posi-
tive, stick to your plan and not to worry
about it too much.
T: You’ve been working constantly with
The Guardians and you also worked with
many other magazines like Time Out New
York, what’s the process of getting the
job with these clients, and do you enjoy
working with them?
M: Yes I have been very lucky to illustrate
for The Guardian newspaper since 2007
and I love it. I’m interested in Sport so it is
a dream job really. I contacted the Guard-
ian after I graduated from CSM and sent
examples of my work to them.
Featu
red A
rtist + D
esign
er
27
28
T: Would you say competitions is a crucial
part of starting your career after graduating?
M: I haven’t entered lots of competitions my-
self so I don’t know. I think firstly the quality
of work needs to be good and you need to
get people to see it if this through social me-
dia, competitions, blogs, websites or exhibi-
tions or commissions then it is all contributes
to getting your work seen and then hopefully
more work.
Ev
ian
29
T: Do you think CSM was the right school for
you?
M: I think CSM helped me learn to experi-
ment with ideas. I realised what I liked and
didn’t like. It was the kind of place that if I
wanted to learn something specific I would
have to do it on my own initiative so that
probably helps me now I am an independant
artist. It was really once I was in the world of
commercial illustration that I began to know
that illustration was what I wanted to do.
Sp
ee
do
Nik
e
I think CSM helped me learn to experiment with ideas. I realised what I liked and didn’t like
30
Matt Johnstone
m ia kenn edym ia kenn edyThe word player
Featu
red A
rtist + D
esign
er
31
BA Graphic Design Design and Interaction / 2013
Quintessential Kitchen Alphabet
T: What’s your preferred colour palette for your
work?
M: Obviously totally depending on the piece, but
I tend to prefer using muted colours. Eg A yellow
will be mustard, an orange will be terracotta,
greens will be sludgey slimey.
T: Digital or traditional?
M: Personally, at this moment in time, digital. I
have fast turnaround jobs which I couldnt ever
find the time or money to produce in traditional
processes. Cmd+Z has become the most treas-
ured gift so far.
HOWEVER. If someone were to throw a heap of
cash at me to just spend all day screenprinting
and embossing and etching and letterpress-
ing and paper cutting, then I’d be an incredibly
happy girl
T: Do you agree with the idea that relatively
young and inexperienced people are getting
more noticed in the industry? What’s your opin-
ion about it?
M: Erm, I guess as a relatively young and (now
slightly less) inexperienced person I think it’s a
great thing. It may have more to do with the fact
that there’s just a lot more of us now than in pre-
vious decades and so there so much to celebrate
and by so many people. Graphic design is show-
ing itself off as an artform, and often merging
itself with other areas like illustration, fine art,
interior design and just having a lot of fun.
I guess the only downside would be falsely repre-
senting so many oppurtunities. Designers and
artists can be celebrated for a peice or collection,
but then with so many other talents they are
quickly forgotten. Just because you’re celebrated
once doesn’t mean an instant or even easy road
to success.
32
Mia KennedyMatt Johnstone
33
T: Will you stay true to your style or change it
depending on the job and the client?
M: I’ve already sold my soul. So I work at an
agency, where I often get some great projects,
but as the only junior I also get a lot of duds.
Try and make a facebook cover image featur-
ing product shots of hard drives to some crappy
brand guidelines in 3 hours and you realise why
theres a fair bit of shit design in the world. Its ac-
tually very interesting and a brand new challenge
to create a great peice of design that isn’t your
style in the slightest.
Freelance clients come to you though because
they like what theyve seen so far, so its almost
expected to keep an element of your style in the
work.
T: Any particular obsessions?
M: Designwise? Mathematical design. Perfect
shapes, ratios and layouts.
Miscellaneous? Coronation Street. Im a Manc lass,
so I pretend its cause I enjoy hearing the accents
but really I’m now so involved that Ill get anxious
missing an episode.
T: Do you think CSM was the right school for
you?
M: Yes. It took me and my friends to realise youre
not paying for the teacher contact hours, youre
paying for your peers and their ideas and feed-
back and also the kids from the other courses.
It also took us too long to realise that if you
wanted to learn production skillsets then you
couldve gone to any uni, but at CSM you have
the teachers and peers to focus on context and
idea creation instead, ... even if it can be a little
pretentious at times.
It took me and my friends to realise youre not pay-ing for the teacher contact hours, youre paying for your peers and their ideas and feedback and also
the kids from the other courses
Mia Kennedy
36
Mia Kennedy
0 3
C o n t a c t
37
TOCA [email protected]@Tocamagazinehttp://www.TOCAMagazine.co.uk/iOS/Android App TOCA
Featured Artists & Designers/Volume 01
Edward [email protected]://www.edwardcarvalhomonaghan.co.uk/Graduated BA Graphic Design/Illustration (2013)
Matt [email protected]://www.mattjohnstone.co.uk/ Graduated BA Graphic Design (2005)
Eda [email protected]://www.edosatwork.com/ Graduated BA Graphic Design/Illustration (2010)
38@Tocamagazine
eda akaltun
edward carvalho monaghan
kaiyee jelly
lucinda roger
matt johnstone
mia kennedy
gathering freelance creatives
colour x central saint martins graphic design alumni
Hello !
TOCA gathers freelance creatives
around the world, from graphic
design and photography through
fashion and fine art, we explore their
independent work ethics and pursue
of personal passions.
In this very first issue, we celebrate
one of the most loved visual
language, colour. We featured the
alumni of Central Saint Martins BA
Graphic Design course, from last
year’s fresh grads to 10 years experi-
enced designers, who not only have
good eyes for colour but also know
how to manipulate them with orgin-
ality. Here they share their fascinat-
ing work and insight into the design
indutry as a freelancer.
dedicated,
TOCA