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We are very pleased to announce that we are to be part of an exhibition called 'Work at Play' at The Chicago Design Museum.
Michael is one of four exhibitors that will form the exhibition, the other esteemed artists/designers are Marian Bantjes, John Massey & Wolfgang Weingart. To be included in such a great line-up is very humbling, we are very much looking forward to seeing pictures of the show which we'll post on the blog as soon as we get them.

From the Chicago Design Museum website:
For many, the compulsion to create is constant. It's unstoppable. Beyond the hours at the office, we create, we make–we play. In an attempt to find our own voice, we may stumble upon a visual language that can speak for and, perhaps, inspire others. This year, we celebrate the blurred line between work and play.

Block Thirty Seven
108 North State Street
3rd Floor
Chicago, IL 60602

Hours
M–F 12pm–08pm
S–Su 12pm–06pm

Calendar of Events
Museum Opens - June 01, 12pm–08pm
CLA First Thursdays gallery walk - June 06, 05pm–08pm
Design Talk: Marian Bantjes - June 08, 02pm–04pm
Design Week Opening Reception - June 10 07pm–11pm
Adobe: Create Now - June 18
Museum Closes - June 30, 12pm–08pm

Protein presents:
In Association with
Eye Sea Posters:
ILUZJON
A Celebration of Polish Cinema & Poster Design
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Iluzjon is an exhibition that showcases the very best of Polish film and theatre posters from the 1960s and 1970s, collected by Eye Sea Posters. These posters were commissioned by state controlled film and theatre institutions during the communist era in Poland, in order to create alternative imagery to the foreign originals they deemed inappropriate to use as advertising.
Often they had little visual reference to the film itself when creating the alternatives, resulting in off the wall and seemingly unrelated imagery. It provided an opportunity for some of the most revered national artists of the time to showcase their skills in conceptual design. Polish poster design has since gained international acclaim for its distinctive graphic style - bold, colourful, surreal and often with a satirical sense of humour or subversive theme. This makes them highly collectable and increasingly sought after.
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Rare examples will be on display, and for sale, by renowned designers including: Wiktor Gorka, Waldemar Swierzy, Franciszek Starowieyski, Andrzej Krajewski, Jerzy Flisak, Maria Ihnatowicz, Jan Mlodozeniec and more. There will also be an limited edition screen print designed exclusively for the exhibition by Scot from design studio La Boca, who is an enthusiast of the genre.
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There will also be a series of events to coincide with the exhibition that highlight Polish culture and contribution to design and film. London based artist and curator, Stanley Schtinter, has organised an impressive array of film related events that often involve the screening of previously unreleased and forgotten cinema gems and soundtrack music nights. He will be curating an evening dedicated to Polish cinema, allowing for a unique opportunity to watch on a big screen carefully selected and incredibly rare films. Protein will also be hosting a Forum event that explores the history and influence of Polish poster and graphic design. There will also be a pop up vodka bar with crafted cocktails utilising arguably Poland's most notable export.
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18 Hewett Street
London EC2A 3NN
18hewettstreet.co.uk
Opening times:
Mon-Fri: 8am - 6pm
Sat/Sun: 11am - 4pm

The invites have gone out, the space has been booked, the catalogue has been printed and here it is: Blood, Sweat & 11 Years. Our show, celebrating the past 11 years of Build. Of Michael and Nicky, and Joe, and Sophie. Of the prints and posters we have produced - some for clients, some for exhibitions, some just for us. But never before all together in one space, for one week only.
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The show will be at Dray Walk, a space that is part of the old Truman Brewery on Brick Lane. It will run from Tuesday 11th September until Sunday 16th September, with an invite-only private view on the Tuesday.
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Most of the prints will be available to buy (some for the very first time) as well as selected reprints, and the show catalogue.
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We have also collaborated with architects Studio Octopi and carpenters Aldworth James & Bond to design and build a table that will be unique to the show space.
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As well as some special events to be confirmed in the coming weeks we will be auctioning off a complete set of Not For Commercial Use posters, with all proceeds going to Impact India, Sightsavers and Guide Dogs for the Blind.
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To make the show even more amazing we are partnered with London Design Festival which runs from 14-23 September, and features over 200 other events throughout the city.
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11 Years is kindly supported by Aldworth James & Bond, Briska, Generation Press, Magic Rock Brewing, Studio Octopi and Progress Packaging.
Opening times are:
Tuesday 10am-3pm
Wed- Fri 10am-9pm
Sat 10am-10pm
Sun 10am-6pm
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For further information on visiting the show, and pre-sales of the show catalogue please email [email protected]
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Save-the-date(s)
11—16th September, 2012.
Open to the public throughout the week (11th—16th September)
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Build: Blood, Sweat & 11 Years.
Dray Walk Gallery
The Old Truman Brewery
91 Brick Lane
London E1 6QL
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Opening times:
Tue: 10am-3pm
Wed—Fri 10am-9pm
Sat: 10am-10pm
Sun: 10am-6pm

Last night Joe and I (Sophie) paid a visit to the opening night of 'Now What', the University of Brighton Graphic Design and Illustration graduate show.
We got to the very busy and very hot Netil House with high expectations, and certainly were not disappointed. Here are some of the highlights for us.
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Laura Gordon- Graphic Design
We like Laura's Ostalgie work and the poster Desire Freedom- Laura also worked on the show's identity.
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Zoe Landry- Illustration
"Nice shapes, nice colours, nice logs", Joe Luxton, 2012.
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Elliott Barker- Graphic Design
Elliott's work was a firm favourite, and we loved the clear rectangular vinyl record and his Mono Space poster series.
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Hugo Evans- Graphic Design
Hugo's exam project caught our eye from across the room, lovely bit of screen printing.
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Ben De Silva- Graphic Design
Absolutely loved the business card/receipt from the office of Ben De Silva, many were printed. Nice print and video on his website too.
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Michael Hodges- Illustration
Striking photography from this illustration student- this picture summing up the unknown path ahead for the graduates I think.
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The exhibition continues until 8th July.

Our poster (above).
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Title - After Harry.
Thinking - I was rubbish at sport, generally picked last for teams, asthmatic etc., but I was good at technical drawing and OK at art. Graphic design for me is the one thing I'm good at, for some reason my brain works in that way. So for my poster I didn't feel I could celebrate a sport, it didn't feel right. So, I'm celebrating a uniquely London icon, and the person behind a design classic. The London Underground map, and the man behind that classic, Harry Beck.
For Londoners (and Northerners in exile like myself) the tube map is a part of every day life, it is as London as Big Ben. The Olympics is as much about achievement as it is about bring people together, I've used the connecting symbols from the tube map to represent that connection. The colour rings have been swapped out for the Victoria Line, Northern Line, Central Line, Circle Line & District Line, colours distinct to London, and Londoners.
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We have been invited by Vaughan Oliver & Jonathan Barnbrook to be part of an interesting graphic design exhibition (flyer above designed by Phil Baines). Fit - London 2012 Inspired Posters by Contemporary British-based Graphic Designers. It's a really impressive line-up and we are very proud to be a part of what should be a great show.
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This is part of the introductory mail we received from Vaughan & Jonathan—
"Problem - We feel that our hugely talented graphic design community is not being fully represented at our London Olympics and we are aware that this is a point of topical concern amongst our peers. We lead the world in terms of graphic creativity and innovation but we are unfortunately represented by the controversial logo and are not involved with the official Olympic posters. An opportunity to highlight our collective talents has been overlooked. A chance has also been missed to show the important role graphic design can play in visually crystallizing the spirit of such a globally observed event".
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"Solution - We would like to redress the balance by holding a poster exhibition to coincide with the Olympics. The location secured is the Window Gallery in the new Central Saint Martins building in Kings Cross. This area will be one of the busiest places in London during the Olympics and CSM will be at the heart of this activity".
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"Brief - We want a great poster that expresses the positive aspects of the Olympics. This is not a project to pass on to the intern or another member of staff. We are looking for work of the highest order. You will be amongst talented company and we hope this exhibition will come to be seen as one of the best examples of good design at the time of the London Olympics".
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We did a number of poster designs for the show, below is a selection that were rejected by Vaughan & Jonathan for being a bit too cynical. We agreed that it is a bit easy to have a pop at the event (following 2 posters below).
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(All are Olympic official sponsors. Top row from left: General Electric logo / BMW logo / Coca-Cola logo - Bottom row from left: McDonald's logo / BP logo).
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We produced two more that have a much more positive slant (one of the 2 below). We are really pleased with the poster we produced and feel it is much more in keeping with what the Olympics are all about.
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(Top row from left: Oyster card logo / Underground connector symbol / London Underground roundel - Bottom row from left: Selfridge's Yellow / Royal Parks logo).
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Dates/Info:
Lethaby Gallery, Kings Cross, 29th June—10th July, Window Galleries, Kings Cross, 9th July—9th September
Address:
Central Saint Martins College of Arts and Design, University of the Arts
London, Granary Building, 1 Granary Square,Kings Cross, London, N1C 4AA
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