Hello!

  It’s been a while since writing any posts. However, despite this, I have been busy studying, drawing, making collages, lettering and, as ever, teaching. The blog will likely take on a more visual form from now on; populated with work and work-in-progress. The site has had something of an overhaul. Nothing particularly slick, just […]

Victorian Illustrated Letter

Recently I acquired this little Victorian illustrated letter where images are used to replace words. Dated 1861, it’s addressed to one James Nood? 130 George Street, Edinburgh and is titled ‘The Picture Letter by Catherine Sinclair’. This was a letter for children to enjoy and I recall things like this being published in children’s books and […]

AOI World Illustration Awards, 2015 at Somerset House

  oday’s visit to London’s Somerset House was essentially a day for thinking about all things Illustrative. On what had to be one of the most glorious of October days we went to the AOI World Illustration Awards 2015, previously known as ‘Images’. The mission: We wanted to point out to our students that Illustration can be many things […]

Type Hunting

“Look!!! Typography!” #typeintheenvironment #typography #typeallaround #gravestone #graphics A photo posted by Sancha de Burca (@sanchagdp) on Sep 25, 2015 at 9:52am PDT   esterday we took our HND Graphic Design students out on a little typographic tour of their college town of Tonbridge. We wanted to stress the point that we spend our lives bombarded […]

Graphic Design Show 2015 West Kent College (University of Kent)

Another great year for our HE Graphic Design & Illustration students at West Kent College (University of Kent). Well done to all. Here a a few of the works exhibited along with a brochure put together by yours truly. [print_gllr id=4275] West Kent College offers a range of creative Higher Education courses including Graphic Design […]

Pick-me-Up 2015 at Somerset House

nce again we took our students to the current offerings of Somerset House’s Pick Me Up, Graphic Arts Festival. I really wanted to see something different, something inspiring, something to amaze me and I came away feeling mostly flat. The ‘festival’ seemed to have lost its buzz and its edgy excitement . There was little of […]

Typography e-book

In the summer of 2014 I wrote series of blog posts for the Interactive Design Institute (IDI) on the theme of typography and typeface design. The posts are very much aimed at those wanting to gain an insight into the fundamentals of type and some of the approaches to its design. IDI have now collated […]

Typeface Design

ecently I was asked by the Interactive Design Institute (IDI) to put together a series of short pieces concerning typography and typeface design. Rather than the series being a ‘how to’, it focuses on aspects for the beginner to consider. These include looking at how established designers approach design; the terminology; seeking inspiration, as well […]

Comics (Graphic) Journalism & Visual Reportage

raphic Journalism, or what is sometimes referred to as Comics Journalism is no new thing. One might, for example, consider that Trajan’s column or the Bayeux Tapestry are elaborate, one sided renderings of actual events. And, prior to photography, journals and newspapers were simply illustrated. The Graphic—An Illustrated London Newspaper is one such example. Many of […]