THE SAD MANIFESTO

HOW SAD ARE YOU? SAD MAGAZINE TAKES A SIDEWAYS LOOK AT THE GRIMNESS OF MODERN LIFE. SAD PEOPLE VALUE THE 'JUST OK' BECAUSE SOMETIMES THAT'S ENOUGH

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In the last session I think we are finally starting to crack what we mean by the idea of Sad Mag. We took the time to properly discuss our understandings of it and collate our ideas as a group which was good! From now I think we should continue looking at the market and maybe think of it in terms of design!

life's a pitch: market research

Vice Magazine

• "our whole mission statement at Vice is the absurdity of the modern condition"

I think what we would like for Sad Magazine would too, be a celebration of the absurdity of the modern condition, or an analysis I suppose.

• described by The Guardian as the edgiest, wildest online media brand in the world

Sad is probably the anti-thesis of wild but we would like it to be quietly subversive, or quieter than Vice!

• described by Gawker: The Vice "lifestyle" requires constant novelty of offense, whether it's sexual, racial, social, or aesthetic. Trouble is, this strong drink ruins you for the binge — it only takes an issue or two to inoculate against the shock

I agree somewhat that Vice gets too caught up in trying to be itself and becomes a boring caricature. It's important to maintain a tone of voice but also do something new, and most importantly we don't want Sad Mag to become obnoxious. It needs a self-awareness that can also be shared with the reader.

Bad Day Magazine

• "Bad Day is a biannual arts and culture magazine that focuses on direct dialogues with the international creative community. Disregarding boundaries between film, fashion, visual art, music, high and low—categories that are becoming increasingly irrelevant in understanding culture today—Bad Day showcases some of the intimate commonalities we all share in our routines, perspectives and working practices."

Turns out this isn't so similar to Sad Mag but does have a good name. The focus on arts and aesthetic is important though, and their minimal use of colour and layout in each issue is quite inspiring and may even act as a money saver (less colours cheaper to print?)

I haven't read any of the editions but the title Bad Day sounds a little joky, particularly in regards to the art/design community which is sometimes seen as by the outside world (and inner one) as self loathing a little bit fed up.

shite shirts

• "We wanted to create something that would embody the attitude that we had come to seek. An attitude of ‘I just want to enjoy’. We wanted everyone to have the fun, a bit of craziness and a lottery of individuality. We wanted a ridiculous revolution."

Not a publication but very relevant to what we want to achieve, in a celebration of oddity and humour. Bad but good. Looking at this also inspired us to maybe add a merchandise line to the magazine, for example t-shirts with funny sad phrases.

the birth of SAD MAG

We started to discuss the idea of a publication that showcases young talent and that quickly spiralled into looking at not for profit organisations and then creating forums and online agencies, and a confusion as to how we could distribute and sustain the product to the right people. It was far removed from what we all originally really wanted to do, which was make a publication, and none of us were thrilled by the idea of creating a forum.

At first we were worried about the publication's unique selling point and tried being too specific, for example a publication just focused on environmental issues. It was then suggested we think about something that would be broad and that its focus would be on its tone of voice. We thought this would also be good as there is a broad range of what we each individually like and create as practitioners in the group.

Someone said the name "Sad Magazine" and we all found it a funny phrase and it rolled from there

We decided that Sad Mag wouldn't be that sad at all, and that there was a knowing irony to the name. But it would celebrate the sometimes grim lives of youths and otherwise today. But not too dark or gross or obnoxious, which is where I think a lot of other publications like this can go quite quickly.

There would be written articles and comic strips and a focus on illustration, but not in an intimidating way that might scare away non-artistic readers. There would be a heavy online presence, probably not with full articles but with snippets of writing and illustration to entice people to buy it. I think it is a mistake to not have social media as part of your business, so long as it is used right.

GOOD PICTURES, BAD FEELS
HAVE A SALTY LAUGH, IT'S GREAT
THE FUTURE IS BLEAK
our business haiku

Sophie also had the phrase "I'M FED UP OF HAVING FUN" which we thought was also self-awarely funny and we liked the idea of putting it on a t-shirt. Maybe merchandise could become a sideline. Regardless, it would be a good tagline.

study task 3: creative industries: sectors and services

making an idea for our project wasn't as hard as expected, I suppose the time limit pushed us into thinking of ideas quickly. Still, the name definitely requires more time, but we were aware of this when we posted it on to the wall.

STUDY TASK

The Golden Book of Biology, illustrated by Charley Harper

On first thought I thought this piece would go into the quaternary sector, as it is a book written and illustrated to educate. However, if the book is not funded by the government would that still be in the quaternary sector? Or does it become part of the tertiary/ services sector, as a piece of publishing designed to sell and retail? Still, it could be part of the education industries, and within the creative industries it lies within the field of publishing.

Since its publishing this book has become quite iconic and a collector's piece, which says a lot about how successful it is visually but I also wonder how well it educates too. It might be outdated by now in information (or not) but it may still have been successful in its time.

What's Up Men baseball cap by Charlotte Mei

The What's Up Men baseball cap by Charlotte Mei is designed for the retail trade, and so the tertiary sector of services. At first I thought her products were made in small runs and wasn't sure if it could be counted as retail, but she does offer wholesaling on her website suggesting otherwise. I don't think it would quite be counted as craft either, as she doesn't sew each one herself either!

 The product is part of the fashion industry, as it is an article of clothing, and with that I think it's quite interesting how an illustrator can become part of the fashion industry without even producing designs for the form of the clothes themselves- here the motif/ illustration is designed by Mei and then the cap and it's production into fashionable item by someone else. 

Mei's merchandise as well as the craft side of her work has seemed to be very successful in sales and on social media. What I find most successful about Mei's work however is how she manages to set herself apart from other practitioners despite the boom of people interested in merchandise and ceramics right now.

Leeds Train Station mural by Supermundane

I wasn't sure about which sector this would go into. With some research I found that Leeds Train Station is managed by Network Rail, who in turn are a state-owned company. If the piece was commissioned by Network Rail, would  that make it a government run project- and in turn part of the quaternary sector?

I think all of these examples are inherently part of the creative industries as they are all creative endeavors, but I suppose this one would also go into the transport industries. It could also become part of interior and exhibition design as it is a design made to improve the building visually.

I was surprised to see this as a part of Leeds Train Station but I think that's why, to me, it made it successful. It injects some culture without being overbearing or inaccessible.

concept art for Spirited Away by Studio Ghibli

This concept art for Spirited Away is quite clear cut in that it is designed for the animation industry, and in turn the entertainment industries (and tertiary sector). I don't know much about the animation industry or whether as a piece of work this is particularly successful, but I confidently say that Spirited Away did incredibly well for Studio Ghibli and I think it brought the attention of japanese animation to people who may not have otherwise cared for it, effectively widening the animation industry itself.

pin badges by Natali Koromoto

These pin badges by Natali Koromoto are individually hand made and so I suppose are part of the crafts industry, within the creative industry. What she makes are a service (tertiary sector), made for her own profit. They are wearable items, and so I wonder if they are part of the fashion industry. Still, that might require a relation to mass production and retail. 

Koromoto's line of handmade crafts have proved quite successful through social media, and presumably in sales. It's nice to see the handmade industry doing so well, particularly in regards to illustrators but I sometimes wonder if there is a bit of inflation involved- sometimes when something becomes trendy, i.e. pins or patches you start to see them absolutely everywhere and so it becomes harder to sell them.

Thoughtbubble Zine

I was concerned that my idea was too basic or riffed on others' visual work too much but was given the go ahead! This was mostly a project to have fun I think, if not to experiment and not be constrained.

Thoughtbubble's focus may be mostly on comics and sequential art but I had noticed last year a fair share of illustrative works. Fanart is popular, and whilst it probably wouldn't fit under the conventional spectrum of fanart at TB (mostly of comics and animations I think) it's still from quite a recognisable subject matter. Some of the selected works might be a bit niche but they may 1) appeal even more to those who get it 2) are balanced out by what I consider and hopefully what others consider to be recognisable and mainstream album covers.

 Mostly I think its selling point is humour, and it was good to take a break and make something light hearted and not so conceptually driven. As mentioned before some of the individual illustrations did well on social media (tumblr, instagram) so hopefully that's a signifier of some interest. I'd like to sell these outside of Thoughtbubble too, so maybe I could find a more specific audience online if needed. Illustration is about working to an audience but in all honesty I had a lot of fun making it and that feels good enough for such a small project.

So far I have bound seven copies, each with a different combination of paper. This was mostly by accident as I had not calculated the amount I needed to cut properly, but I think it is nice. It is always pleasant to be able to have some choice when buying a product! Still, I'm not sure I could make every single one an individual but the choice is still there.

study task 2: product / context / function

PUBLISHING AND BOOK DESIGN

zines, comics/ graphic novels, children's (picture) books, textbooks, information manuals, flyers, recipe book, book covers, magazines, illustration/ art journal

product: The Golden Book of Biology, illustrated by Charley Harper

context: at home, in school

function: to educate, to decorate, to entertain

product: Black and White by Dahlov Ipcar

context: at home, at school

function: to entertain

product: Brat Farrar, illustrated cover + inside by A. Richard Allen

context: in the home, higher end bookshops

function: to decorate, to narrate

product: Lemon & Ket by Natalie Andrewson

context: comic book shop, comic convention, bookshop, in the home

function: to narrate, to entertain

product: Limner Journal 

context: in bookshops, in the home, in the studio

function: to educate, to entertain (critical journal of illustration) 

CHARACTER AND NARRATIVE

comics/ graphic novels, storybooks, branding, advertising, video games, animated films, concept art, toys, games

product: concept art for Spirited Away

context: animation studio, in a book to be sold with film's release

function: to design, to create ideas

product: panda by Siuhak

context: character as a brand, put on clothing, toys, homewares. may even be on advertisements

functions: to decorate, to entertain

product: character designs for Animal Crossing

context: video game design

function: to design, to create a functioning game

product: Miffy by Dick Bruna

context: in books, on merchandise (clothing, toys etc)

function: to entertain, to educate, to play

product: Hellboy by Mike Mignola

context: in comics, comic book shop, at home

function: to create a story, to tell a story, to merchandise 

RETAIL AND MERCHANDISE

phone cases, tote bags, t-shirts, badges/ pins, stickers, kitchenware, home furnishings and textiles, mugs, album artwork, logo

product: cap by Charlotte Mei

context: to be worn

function: to wear, to entertain (humour)

product: temporary tattoos by Rob Hodgson

context: to be worn

function: to wear, to decorate, to entertain

product: tote bag by Jon Boam

context: fashion, textiles

function: to wear, to decorate, to store

product: tshirt by Study Group Comics & Zack Soto

context: online shop, to be worn

function: to wear, to decorate, to advertise, to brand

product: pin badges by Natali Koromoto

context: online shop, giftshop, to be worn

function: to be worn, to decorate

OBJECT AND ENVIRONMENT

murals, advertisements, posters, set designs, toys, sculptures, product

product: mural by Supermundane 

context: Leeds train station

function: to decorate, entertain (make commuters a bit less miserable)

product: billboard by Josh Cochran

context: advertisement for the US Open

function: to advertise, to decorate

product: set design by David Hockney

context: for the Glyndenbourne Opera, 1975

function: to decorate, to tell a story

*I wasn't sure if Hockney could come under this, as being deemed a fine artist. Still, as a commissioned piece of work, would that make it something of an illustration?

product: sculpture by Eun-Ha

context: for the home, in a gallery

function: to decorate, to entertain (it is cute and may make you smile)

product: key holder by Eleanor Borstrom

context: in the home, higher range homewares/ lifestyle shop

function: to store, to decorate

The Guardian brief- final evaluation

This project has been my first time entering a competition and I learnt a lot from it! Particularly in how I  manage my time, I often found myself too caught up in the excitement of something that could potentially be published and neglected my other work a bit. It also gave me an insight into editorial illustration, and even though if this was a 'real' brief I probably wouldn't have had so much time to work on it so the process may have been different- the image itself was still editorial.

creating the perfect portfolio 

creative careers

Strengths:

• The images work well as a series with a consistent colour scheme and aesthetic style
• Using pencil and colouring it digitally is a new technique I'm coming to terms with and I think I've done quite well to make it look like enough of a final image and not just a sketch (debatable). Still, I've been practicing this technique a bit in personal drawings and in uni work so now may be the time to look for something new to do.

Weaknesses:

• Consistency is good but I think the creative careers and the analogue media images were too similar looking. The series is mostly made of head shots and looks boring and same-y and I should have pushed myself to do something more adventurous. More diversity may have even helped me place!
• Following from this the images are very flat and lack depth and perspective. I'm still concerned about the balance of the image for analogue media, with too much empty space being placed at the bottom of the image.
• Ideas behind images may be confusing and not make sense OR be too obvious (perfect portfolio). Neither of these are good for editorial illustration when the focus is so heavily on the idea behind the image.

revival of analogue methods in the digital age

The illustrations did not place in the competition but I learnt a lot from it and I'm quite happy with the results despite their flaws. I think there is potential for them to be in a portfolio as I think they visually look nice enough with the added bonus of them being applied to an actual brief. Still, by the time I start to put together a portfolio I hope I will have improved enough for these to be obsolete.

thought bubble zine initial thoughts

A lot of my sketchbooks over the summer were just odd doodles, with few connecting themes. The one 'project' that I did begin and start to get excited about was the animal band name puns. After working on the Author/ Murakami brief it's nice to work on something small and light hearted. I suppose in a way it's fan art, though maybe not in the sense that Thoughtbubble is used to. Maybe this makes it less suited to a comics convention, though Thoughtbubble also showcases less traditional things too

I coloured a couple of the initial album sketches, and they were received well on social media, which suggests that they may be sellable. However the zine will be monochrome, so I'm not sure how well they'll work out in greyscale

I think it's also important if I go ahead with this project to carefully consider which album arts to appropriate- they need to be recognisable/ iconic to a wider audience whilst I would like them to maintain to my interests. I also think it would be nice to not just copy the album art but showcase the band members as their animal counterparts in different scenarios

But I am a bit concerned that this is an easy way through this brief, and whether ideas that were wholly original to me would be more appropriate. I started contemplating a small comic idea based on the girl and crocodile character sketches, but am wondering if I would have the time to do this well.

Maybe something as simple as a book of faces or crocodiles done very nicely would be ok. I have a zine of Jon Boam's that has no narrative and is simply just a collection of images with a theme that I think works successfully.