UnitingWorld Annual Report

We recently completed and delivered UnitingWorld's 2009 Annual Report, and had so much positive feedback I thought I'd show it off here. Mei and Chantel both worked on this one, and it's come together as a beautiful piece we'll be proud to have in our portfolio. I particularly like the scanned stitching and the world map created with fabric.

Lovely Letterpress

Printing will not die. Not for as long as lovely pieces like this are being made. I found these guys today and immediately knew I had to share the links with the rest of the studio, and the rest of the world. Here they are: www.beastpieces.com (blog) www.studioonfire.com (website... with a 'shop' page too!).

Reflection on design

My parents are proud. So very proud. But whenever I take a finished piece back to my old family home to show my mum and dad what we've been up to, I usually get a series of questions which, as they are dealt to me blow by blow, slowly undo me. Upon handing my mother a brochure/book/invitation/90 x 50mm card with someone's address on it, she is guaranteed to make thrilled, breathless noises and tell me how clever she thinks I am. Clever Claire. I'm usually just beginning to really let the moment envelope me, beaming and smiling and doing silent little internal cheers, when the questions begin:

Did I take the photographs?

– No, I just watched someone else take them.

Did I retouch the pictures, making them clean and bright?

– Nope.

Did I write the words?

– Not that either.

Create the font the words were written with?

– Um, not exactly.

What about the illustrations? Did I draw those?

– No to that too I'm afraid.

Oh, the colours! Did you pick the colours?

– Actually – that was part of the branding – they were in the Style Guide...

And on it goes. As I leave Gumnut Road, Cherrybrook with my head just a little lower than when I arrived, I have to ask myself, "What exactly do I do?"

Mum, if you're reading this, thank you first of all – with all my heart – for believing in me. But just in case you've found yourself wondering what exactly you supported me through for 4 years of University, and what on earth I've been doing since, let me try to nut it out for you.

I (and when I say I, I mean we – the graphic design community as a happy whole) – make things happen. Think of me if you will as a chef. What I'm aiming to do is create a beautiful, sophisticated meal – with a delightfully surprising and subtle harmony of flavours and a seemingly effortless but elegant presentation. Don't get me wrong, I spend a lot of time making hamburgers with fries (gotta pay the bills somehow)… but even those meals I want to make special.

I don't grow the vegetables. I don't milk the cow or breed the chickens. I don't collect the eggs and I don't farm the wheat, or the sugar, or anything else. I'm there in the end stages, just before you sit down for your moment of pleasure. I find the perfect ingredients and bring them together to make something which I hope will make your insides sing.

I aim present to you visual beauty in an organised, creative, intuitive and intelligent fashion. And I call it design.

A new Boheemian!

Last month following (or overlapping with) Jane's departure, we were joined by Bec Plummer, our new studio manager. Bec has a background in marketing and brand management, and has also a little experience with web development. We're already enjoying having Bec around, and now that the studio manager's role has grown to be a full-time one, we know that Boheem's design team as well as suppliers and clients will be glad to have someone on hand to ensure projects are completed well and on time. And now with Chantel back from her adventures in Morocco (etc) we're a full house again... the studio's buzzing and we love it!

Taking it to the next level

I believe it's said that the key to change is found in letting go of fear. So we're all working away in the studio at the moment, trying our damnedest to let go of all things comfortable and familiar which was CS3, and move forward to embrace the latest and greatest, interactive, options-laiden new release of Adobe's 'Creative Suite'. So we're all a tad daunted by the changes to the software... makes us feel like we've been dressing ourselves with someone else's wardrobe so far – nothing is fitting right just yet (despite the hipness of the clothes). But give it time, and I do believe the perks will outweigh the awkwardness of change. A few great new tools for us and some which I feel sure our clients will hugely benefit from as well.

Papier Mache Magazine

Emerging from Motherhood for my maiden blog, I thought it was only fitting to share something from the wonderful world of little people which inspires and delights.

Papier Mache Magazine, a quarterly online children's magazine with page after page of beautiful things. The imaginative photography, playful typography and illustrations make it all the more lovely;

www.papier-mache.com.au

Worth a look... If only they came in grown up sizes.

Bag Out

These tote bags are just the perfect thing for lovers of typography like ourselves, and not so long ago we put a bulk order in. We love the simplicity of the designs, they just make us smile. Alphabet Bags are continually adding more designs to their collection, have a look at their latest ideas at www.alphabetbags.com .

Jane's Tree Change

As our clients and friends of Boheem know, Jane never does things by halves. After working with us for over two years as studio manager, she's moving on to a very different and possibly greater challenge: she's picking up and moving out of Sydney to live on 100 acres just inland from Port Maquarie... and is due to have her 2nd child in about 5 weeks – just as the boxes are unpacked. Big changes ahead... and we're all really excited for her.

Jane contributed so much to the studio in the time that she was here. She brought energy and wisdom to the workplace, and was always prepared to jump in to any project to make it work (and delivered on time). All of our clients and suppliers warmed to and enjoyed working with her: the constant stream of flowers and gifts coming through the door on her last day was testament to that. She'll be greatly missed.

Watch this space for an introduction to our new studio manager, Bec Plummer.

Welcome Katherine

We've had a little growth at Boheem. Katherine (aka 'Kat') Johnson joined us a couple of months ago, and we thought it was high time she got a proper introduction on our blog. Kat studied at Enmore TAFE and has just recently graduated. She was recommended to us by our friend Jacqueline Hill, a lecturer at the college (thank you Jacqueline!!). Kat has a good handle on all things concept development, and has a particular strength for hand-drawn design. Check out her portfolio at www.katherinejohnson.com.au.

Curiouser and Curiouser

What do you get when you combine charming children's stories, tasty tea (fair trade at that) and beautiful typography? Clipper Teas... of course. Here's a new little range our favourite tea company has just launched, and it's just one sample suite from a much bigger collection – all lovely and enchanting. See more at their website here: www.clipper-teas.com and keep an eye out on your local supermarket shelves.

James Gulliver Hancock

Was searching for some inspiration for some illustrations we're doing at the moment for an interior wall graphic and found these lovely drawings. Wish I'd done that...

More at www.jamesgulliverhancock.com

How much for that?

I went to the Design Museum the other day to take a look at the Brit Insurance Design of the Year Awards which showcased 99 of the most innovative designs (product, fashion and graphic) from around the world. It was amazing. I found this particular project by London based studio kennardphillips that I thought I'd share not only because of the impact it had on me, but because I saw a relevance in the work that we at Boheem do.

Cafe of Equivalent$ was a food stall set up in the bustling financial district of London which sought to question how much diners should pay for their food by equating their salaries with the cost of lunch for a worker in the producing countries such as Mozambique and Indonesia. Backed by research that a worker in Mozambique spends 10% of their $2 daily wage on lunch, Cafe of Equivalent$ started charging $181 for a bowl of soup and bread -that is, 10% of the earnings of the average bonus-earning banker. Now that puts things into perspective!

A simple and brilliant idea supported by beautiful graphics makes this project hard to forget. It's so great to see how visual communication can be used in a powerful way to engage viewers, provoke thought and instill a strong message.

Coconut, Raspberry and Chocolate Slice

I did a spot of baking last weekend, and so to get the Boheem Kitchen tag started I thought I'd share this little gem. It's sooo tasty!

125 gms unsalted butter

150 gms white chocolate

3/4 cup caster sugar – superfine

1 cup self-raising flour

1 cup desiccated coconut

2 eggs – beaten

1 + 1/4 cups fresh raspberries

icing sugar for dusting

Preheat oven to 180˚c . Grease and line a lamington tin. Melt the butter and white chocolate in a saucepan over low heat. Add the caster sugar and stir to combine. Pour into a large bowl and add the SR flour and coconut. Stir to combine, then add the eggs. Stir lightly to just combine, then fold in the raspberries. Pour the mixture into the prepared tin and bake for 40 minutes or until firm. Cool in the tin. Cut into 20 pieces and dust with icing sugar. Enjoy!

Something special

I came across these fabulous posters at an exhibition featuring the work of Warsaw based studio 'Homework'. They've won stacks of awards for their use of visual puns to create effective posters for cultural events. Love, love, love their work.

This week I clung tightly to my handbag and took to the neighbourhood of East London. Brick Lane, Old Street, Shoreditch and Spitalfields are the equivalent, some would say, to Sydney's Surry Hills and Newtown. This place oozes coolness. Design studios, awesome exhibition spaces and funky little cafes dot the streets of the East and I was left feeling incredibly refreshed.

Street art here is embraced so heartily. It's not harsh or threatening, but rather pleasant in its randomness. I would turn a corner and find a small sprig of mushrooms stenciled on a wall, or a little boy pointing to the sky. I love that the artists here are smart in how they use their environment and whilst I didn't find any of Banksy's work, I discovered ROA (pictured first), who is perfect for demonstrating my point.

"ROA started painting abandoned buildings and warehouses in the isolated industrial outskirts of his hometown, Ghent, in Belgium. Fixating on the animals he found there, the wildlife became the central subject matter of his work, inspired by their clever ability to adapt as scavengers in order to survive. He used the dilapidated, coarse interiors and exteriors of the unyielding landscape as a canvas to portray his large-scale creatures".

I'm in awe of this guy. His official exhibition begins next week and I can't wait to see more.