Devil in the Detail.

Music To Design Things By.

Sun, 10 Jul 2011 17:08:00 +0100

Part 6: The Low End Theory by A Tribe Called Quest

Where to start with A Tribe Called Quest? One of the most influential hip hop collectives of all time, claiming a back catalogue chock full of certified classic albums. If you’ve never heard the name before you will probably be familiar with their early, Lou Reed sampling, “Can I Kick It?” or at the very least, heard of founding member, Q-Tip. After a little deliberation, for MTDTB I’ve chosen the 1991 sophmore album, The Low End Theory.

Featuring 14 tracks from Q-Tip, Phife Dawg and Ali Shaheed Muhammad (founding member Jarobi left to be a successful chef), The Low End Theory builds on the success of the Tribe’s debut LP, People’s Instinctive Travels and Paths of Rhythm, while adding a slightly more gritty edge to the familiar funk laced, boom-bap production. Personal favourites Butter and Jazz show what the Tribe are about; clever story telling about city life that goes hand in hand with soaring jazz samples and kicking beats. Final track, Scenario, breaks the mould and is a hard hitting New York posse cut, featuring some of the best back and forths recorded on wax, between the Tribe and Leaders of the New School. The last word is left to LONS member, a young Busta Rhymes, who wraps things up with a trademark energetic verse.

The cover art features a red and green figure who went on to appear on the following two albums, Midnight Marauders and Beats, Rhymes & Life, becoming synonymous with A Tribe Called Quest’s Native Tongue outlook. The figure also graced various single and compilation artwork and will probably be seen a lot more again due to the upcoming release of Michael Rapaports new documentary about ATCQ entitled Beats, Rhymes & Life.

Music To Design Things By.

Sun, 05 Jun 2011 20:37:38 +0100

Part 5: House Of Balloons by The Weeknd

Dark. Moody. Murky. Late night listening. The Weeknd is shrouded in mystery and I love it. House Of Balloons is the first offering from Toronto based Abel Tesfaye, otherwise known as The Weeknd. It surfaced in March 2011 containing nine tracks of dark, dirty “R’n’B” (I use the term loosely) and is something that I’ve been craving for a long time. Far removed from the oversaturated, sickly, bland pop R’n’B that drains radio airplay, House Of Balloons provides a murky, sometimes disturbing, soundtrack to lusty, late night tales of debauchery and over indulgence that some of us will be only too familiar with.

The artwork for this release also goes against what is expected, choosing a black and white photograph lifted from the very lust fuelled house party the content emobodies, set with simple, almost retro looking type. It whispers mystery and fits perfectly with the low key approach of the artist.

House Of Balloons is available to download from www.the-weeknd.com and if reports are to believed, the second and third parts of the trilogy, Thursday and Echoes Of Silence, will be with us in Summer and Fall 2011.

Music To Design Things By.

Sun, 05 Jun 2011 17:03:15 +0100

Part 4: Diary by Sunny Day Real Estate

For this edition of MTDTB we’re gonna go back to 1994. At this time Seattle, Washington was at the forefront of music, particularly the grunge scene and Sub Pop Records. Sunny Day Real Estate remain one the best bands to come from the scene, but to this day are still criminally underrated. Despite this, many bands and artists that know their stuff count Sunny Day Real Estate as an influence and this is evident in a lot of alternative and emo bands of recent years. Inbetween their rollercoaster history of break-ups and reunions, founding members William Goldsmith and Nate Mendel left to join Dave Grohl’s early Foo Fighters line-up where Mendel is a permanent fixture on bass.

‘Diary’ by Sunny Day Real Estate is a masterpiece. Don’t just take my word for it, go have a listen, especially fans of Foo Fighters, Nirvana, Smashing Pumpkins etc. Lead single ‘Seven’ is impossibly catchy and once heard is never forgotten. Throughout the album, Jeremy Enigk’s tortured vocals rest perfectly over soaring guitar riffs and soul battering bass lines. I count myself very lucky to seen have this band live, in their first ever UK show no less. Even through their troubled past, they produce one of the best live shows I’ve ever witnessed - every bit as awesome as the debut album itself. The reunited original line-up have matured and now seem content.

The artwork of this classic album was created by Chris Thompson and is based on a popular childrens toy. As you work your way through the booklet and liner notes there are a number of different artworks of the little people in various day to day situations. I pretty much love the cover choice. Toaster burning, still smiling.

Social (Network) Etiqutte.

Sat, 14 May 2011 12:23:00 +0100

I wonder what the social etiqutte is for when someone deletes you from Facebook, but then you’re gonna see them in person anyway because you pretty much have the same friends…

Busy like a Beaver.

Tue, 29 Mar 2011 17:27:29 +0100

Regular readers may have noticed a lack of new posts; fear not! I am still alive at the time of writing this, however I have been quite busy and as much as I love updating this little corner of the world wide web, more important things have had to come first. New content will arrive soon, including picking up where we left with a new “Music To Design Things By” post, so watch this space… In the meantime I’ve updated my personal website if you fancy a gander: www.seanbishop.co.uk

Awesome Superbowl Twitter Stats

Sun, 06 Feb 2011 17:51:00 +0000

Awesome Superbowl Twitter Stats:

Very impressed by the ingenius and involving way to display Superbowl Sunday twitter stats; http://sbtwitter.nfl.com/matchup/

I find this amazing and a real eye opener as to what can be achieved via the power of keywords and social media feeds. I haven’t the foggiest of how to go about creating such a brilliant piece of interactivitymajig but I expect it has something to do with “algorythms” and generally being a bit clever.

Project: House Of Frauds.

Sun, 06 Feb 2011 12:00:07 +0000

Hot on the success of Right Side Of Wrong, Dead World Leaders were ready to release their 4th, and what was to be final, single. Right from the off there was an undeniable energy about this single. Created in the midst of polictical scandal and increasingly evident government corruption, House Of Frauds eloquently captured the mood of a nation and the dark skies overhead. More than a single, it was a statement.

I was again approached to create the follow up artwork and I knew exactly where I wanted to take it. Early in the process I was invited to the world famous 2Fly Studios in Sheffield where the band was recording with legendary producer, Alan Smyth. House Of Frauds was clearly going to be an important track and the energy from those sessions was incredible, spawning two further tracks (The Question and A Life More Ordinary) to round out the release.

Capturing a similar style to previous release Right Side Of Wrong but with a more layered approach, House Of Frauds is an original piece of artwork that reflects the mood of the title track and hopefully provides a bold statement on the state of the scandal laced world we live in. The politician/banker/businessman (choose depending on who is currently screwing you over) is wearing a sinister looking balaclava, the message is simple; those we are meant to put our trust in are also the ones doing the taking.

House Of Frauds is available from iTunes.

Project: Right Side Of Wrong.

Sat, 05 Feb 2011 12:00:07 +0000

Summer 2008 saw the third single release from Sheffield based band, Dead World Leaders. Already getting good airplay from previous singles and an ever growing buzz around their live gigs, the third release was almost ready to be unleashed. Right Side Of Wrong saw the band adopt a progressively mature sound and right from the first listen it was a clear dance floor filler.

As the musical side of things neared completion, I was approached to come up with artwork for the single itself as well as promotional material. So after getting my mitts on a demo copy I set to work on creating something that reflected the feeling of the music. The song itself has a empowering bounce to it and I defy you not to at least shuffle your sweaty bits to it. I was in no doubt it would be heard across many a club night, particulary in the Steel City, but within the lyrics there is a message of unity and political backlash, as well as the feeling that we as a people aren’t exactly being listened to.

So given all this, the creative process began and the artwork for Right Side Of Wrong was born. The premise is a simple but bold piece of artwork, you don’t see the face of the man in question as he has turned his back. But who or what has he turned his back on? A past love? The government? The state of the world? Or maybe himself? I wanted to keep an air of mystery and involve the viewer/listener by not giving too much away. You’ll find enough in the 3 tracks included on the release to draw your own conclusions. Mwahahaha intriguing?

Right Side Of Wrong is available from iTunes

Music To Design Things By.

Fri, 04 Feb 2011 09:30:06 +0000

Part 3: Brothers by The Black Keys

Design heads, how much time have you wasted skipping album tracks whilst trying to work? I know, right? The importance of being able to play an album aaaaallll the damn way through is rarely thought about or mentioned. I know I’ve spent a lot of time choosing the right music when I could have been designing (hence the birth of this blog series). Well, with The Black Keys there isn’t much skipping to be done.

2010’s Brothers is another slice of blues infused rock from the Ohio duo. For two people they make a hell of a racket. But a good racket of course. Brothers is probably my favourite Black Keys album, it has a maturity and a sense of dark truth about it. Over the years the pair have become accomplished musicians and although I like the raw, gritty, garage band sound of the early stuff, Brothers manages to throw back to that at times while also showing how they’ve grown musically.

The artwork is simple but dark and effective. There’s no denying its relationship to the music, so designers take note. The typography and design are a throw back to a dusty old bar where people spill their sorrows over heavy guitars, sitting for hours with sippin’ whiskey before heading out into the deserted night.

Kudos to this young man. What a way to impress a date! (Watch to...

Thu, 03 Feb 2011 09:30:07 +0000

Kudos to this young man.
What a way to impress a date! (Watch to the end to see what I mean)

Podcast: Doug Loves Movies.

Wed, 02 Feb 2011 09:30:00 +0000

So I’ve recently rediscovered the magic of the free podcast. My first encounter with podcasts was a weekly download of Russell Brand’s Radio show for BBC Radio in the UK, which kept me greatly entertained on the ridiculously long journeys across the city (I also went on to meet him, very nice chap indeed). After that finished I never bothered to find one to replace it, other than a learn French cast, which I may write about later.

The quality of podcasts vary wildly, there’s a hell of a lot to choose from and a large proportion is utter crap. One that I have stumbled across is Doug Loves Movies, a regular podcast from comedian Doug Benson; the man behind film, Super High Me. Each episode sees Doug invite various friends, comedians and actors along to talk about movies and generally joke around in front of a live audience. The great thing about podcasts is you can try a bunch out for free and stick with your favourites, and Doug Loves Movies is now a firm favourite of mine.

One of the best parts of the podcast is, the now legendary, Leonard Maltin Game where guests listen to movie reviews from critic Leonard Maltin and have to guess the movie by betting how many actors name they can get it in. Scott Pilgrim vs The World and Shaun Of The Dead creator, Edgar Wright, is shit hot at this game and knows far too much about movies - he’s been on the show a few times and is awesome to listen to. Other great guests include the brilliant John Lithgow, Greg Proops, Michael Cera, Nick Swarsden, Jimmy Pardo, Patton Oswalt and many more (if you don’t recognise some of those names have a listen and you’ll discover some great new comedians). Doug always steals the show back and makes a great host, the live audience always has a great time and the energy transfers well across the Podcast. Don’t expect in depth movie criticism and reviews but if you enjoy comedy and are a bit nerdy about film then definately give it a whirl. ‘tis fun.

To subscribe & more info here: douglovesmovies.com

The Creep (feat. Nicki Minaj) Ah The Lonely Island, funny but...

Tue, 01 Feb 2011 09:30:06 +0000

The Creep (feat. Nicki Minaj)

Ah The Lonely Island, funny but disturbing in equal measure. Nicki Minaj looks the most sane which is a bit worrying.

(You know you’re all gonna be doing The Creep next time you’re on a dancefloor)

Project: Bakey Bakey.

Mon, 31 Jan 2011 09:30:06 +0000

One of my most recent projects is a full website design and construction for the most nomtastic (I’m trademarking that) cakes you’ll ever have the joy of tasting. Bakey Bakey is a small scale production with big, beautiful ideas. Family run, the focus is on traditional recipes and retro-chic designs with an emphasis on capturing your imagination in both presentation and taste. The cakes themselves have won awards and are becoming increasingly well known, particularly on the Sheffield scene.

The website itself was co-designed by myself and Amy, who is the genius behind the cakes. It features a simple user interface aimed at a wide range of viewers from people wanting cupcakes for parties, right up to unique, hand decorated wedding cakes. The front end uses various original artwork and is constructed for web using a delicious mix of xhtml and numerous css elements, with additional jquery framework for the photo galleries.

So there’s something for everyone. Tasty tech info for the design heads and some incredibly delish photos for the cake connoisseur. Feel free to browse the site here: www.bakeybakey.com, then do yourself a favour and get ordering.

Updates to my little website.

Sun, 30 Jan 2011 09:30:07 +0000

The start of the new year and the reignited desire to update my tumblr with interesting stuff you might actually like to read has nudged me to update my personal website. So although I’m looking at overhauling the design sometime soon, I thought I would adapt it’s current incarnation so it’s a little easier and friendlier to use. The overall theme is signposts and where they can lead you, I thought they would make for some nice looking buttons too.

There’s still 5 main pages with some extras at the bottom for anyone who might be interested (I’ve tried to inject a little humour in these so they aren’t so straight laced and tiresome. But I guess you’ll be the judge of that). Basically just having a little fun with it. The portfolio is now updated too if you feel like a nosey at some of my work, as well as having some nice things that some people have said. Let me know what you think (or if you’d like to say nice things that I can add).

Clickety click: www.seanbishop.co.uk

The Acting Bug.

Sat, 29 Jan 2011 09:30:00 +0000

The life of a Graphic Designer (and related designy positions) can be a strange one. But rewarding if you’re kick ass at it. In the time I’ve been designing I’ve worked on briefs that cover an extremely wide range of subjects, products and ideas. As a designer it pays to do a little research and get into the mindset of who you are designing for as well as the target audience. As a result, designers over time aquire basic knowledge of many different areas of interest, from locally based small businesses and charities to major label rock bands or corporations… And pretty much everything in between.

The analogy I’ve come to identify with most is that it’s a little like being an actor. You take on a part for an amount of time and while you use your own skills to give a good performance, you’ll be the best by putting yourself in the mind of your character to really get in there and work from the inside out.

Think of going from playing a English gentleman in a Charles Dickens story to some bad ass Californian biker dude who’s a bit handy in a fight. Ah! Think Charlie Hunnam. The Geordie boy done good.

Music To Design Things By.

Fri, 28 Jan 2011 09:30:00 +0000

Part 2. Rare Tracks by Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth

By far some of the best music to design to, I find, is hip hop. I’ve grown up with it and have a lot of love for it. I still find it divides people greatly, but I think this is due in part to a lot of people being exposed only to the large amount of complete crap that gets released.

The criminally underrated Pete Rock and C.L. Smooth are a different matter. This particular collection, Rare Tracks, is a hard to find little gem of remixes and rarities. If you come across it, nice going. If you don’t, give Mecca and the Soul Brother or The Main Ingredient a try as they include some of the original versions of tracks from RT.

The tracklist of RT contains reworked versions of various classic tracks from the pairs back catalogue of classic material; sitting and listening while designing really is a joy. Pete Rock’s soul fuelled production provides a perfect backdrop to C.L. Smooth’s story telling knack. When Pete Rock is responsible for a beat (RT or otherwise) you know you’re getting something that will balance the melodic with the crashing boom-bap that gives you that extra bit of bounce and energy. So while providing a hell of a metronome for getting you moving and really stuck into that design that’s been bugging you, the soul samples and horn sections have the potential to carry you to a place where you can develop your thoughts and ideas.

Discuss Disqus.

Thu, 27 Jan 2011 09:30:07 +0000

You may/may not have noticed that I’ve now added a comments area to my tumblr feed so that all you lovely people (and weird little spam bots) can leave feedback on all the crap that I post.

Enjoy! x

Music To Design Things By.

Tue, 25 Jan 2011 11:47:46 +0000

Part 1: In Reverie by Saves The Day.

To kick off I’ve chosen In Reverie by New Jersy pop punks, Saves The Day. It came down to this album and Stay What You Are, but In Reverie just sneaked the win. For the purpose of this series I’m going to put aside all my memories that are linked to this band (which is quite a lot) and focus purely on this album and just how God damn ace it is.

(Very) brief album history; Released in 2003 via Vagrant and the ill fated Dreamworks Records, it featured slightly less darker subject matter than what went previously but has a more melodic quality about it. The troubled release only spawned 1 single from it’s 12 tracks.

Despite it’s troubled history I think it’s a great album. Especially to design to. There’s a sweet flow between the tracks throughout the whole album and melodic choruses sweep in and out and take you back to that neverending summer. You know the one. Favourite track? I’ll go with the title song, ‘In Reverie’. It breaks in, scoops you up and flies you away, showing you the world below.

Music To Design Things By.

Sun, 23 Jan 2011 09:30:00 +0000

Introduction.

To me, music and design go hand in hand. Like Yin and Yang, Romeo and Juliet, like Sun and Moon, Lemon and Lime, Fish fingers and custard… Well, maybe not so much the last one. Creating a design is a lot like making an album in many ways, having seen both take shape.

I think there’s definately a link between the two and as a designer I find music can have a direct effect on how you create. A simple concept that intrigues me. Music has a way of placing you somewhere in your imagination and this can spill over deliciously into your artwork. Sometimes.

In my ‘Music To Design Things By’ series I want to share what gives me that feeling and helps in those times when you can’t seem to get motivated. Maybe it could help you! Maybe it won’t, but at least it’ll be fun. Why not tell me yours too? Get in Touch.

Improv-A-Ganza.

Sat, 22 Jan 2011 09:30:00 +0000

Excited to see Drew Carey bringing back Improv to TV - unfortunately I’ll probably never get to see it over in the UK which sucks, but it sounds great. It’s basically the reincarnation of the US version of Whose Line Is It Anyway featuring a much larger pool of performers. Looks like the only main performer not appearing this time around is the quite brilliant Wayne Brady which is a shame, but it does however reinstate the genius pairing of Colin Mocherie and Ryan Stiles as well as giving a run out to the legend that is Greg Proops (whose podcast, The Smartest Man in the World, is a new favourite of mine along with Doug Benson’s Doug Loves Movies).