Brief & audience
The promotion for ‘shift’ was the culmination of the continuous dedication of five graphic design post-graduate students. The material was used to promote their 2014 graduating how and to draw attention to the distinctive merging of digital and analogue processes inherent in their work. The aim was to produce a consistent design solution aimed concurrently at professional designers and academics in the field.
The practice of the exhibiting participants was diverse. Their dissertations ranged through illustration, typeface design, animation, creating new worlds and pushing digital frontiers within design. Yet despite the broad range, there was an evident concern with challenging what graphic design might be and in turn, a desire to shift the perception and perhaps the unseen potentials of visual communication. Not only were we establishing new routes for our creativity, we were also wanting to create a dialogue around continuously evolving design and its potential directions.
To support the diversity of work within the exhibition, supporting material such as a catalogue, poster, and business cards were created. The design solution needed to unify individual practices.
Concept & realisation
Throughout the production of shift’s print artefacts (catalogue, business cards and promotional images), a unified approach was taken to the design. The stunningly bright pink acted as the bind to present us as a dynamic, questioning, united front. The logotype shift was the primary identifier, and the 3D arrow acted as a sub-branded logo that drew its inspiration from the shift icon on the keyboard. Visuals of the work were not featured in the material, and remained interpretive in the catalogue. This helped to maintain cohesiveness, and create a design solution that not only supported the exhibition, but also stood alone as a unifying artifact.
Throughout the production of shift’s print artefacts (catalogue, business cards and promotional images), a unified approach was taken to the design. The stunningly bright pink acted as the bind to present us as a dynamic, questioning, united front. The logotype shift was the primary identifier, and the 3D arrow acted as a sub-branded logo that drew its inspiration from the shift icon on the keyboard. Visuals of the work were not featured in the material, and remained interpretive in the catalogue. This helped to maintain cohesiveness, and create a design solution that not only supported the exhibition, but also stood alone as a unifying artifact.
In keeping with the diverse range of media used by the young designers, various print technologies were employed in the design, including Risography, screen-printing and hand-binding. These were chosen not only to compliment shift in its physical movement, but also as a symbol of shifting the way we think about visual communication.
