Curated By Part 1: Morag Myerscough

Designer Morag Myerscough started the award-winning Studio Myerscough in 1993. Best known for their work in the integration of graphics within architectural settings, acclaimed projects include Westminster Academy, the Kentish Town Health Centre and the Barbican Arts Centre. Myerscough believes that letter forms are amazing, expressive and beautiful.

Discovering Morag Myerscough for the first time 2 years ago, I rose at the opportunity to hear he talk at Curated By. Hosted at my University (Sheffield Hallam) Morag began by telling us a background about herself, her grandfather was a clown, her mother was from France and her English dad was a classical musician. She explained her growing up as 'A strange mix up of things". I enjoyed getting to understand her history, as personally I'm very inspired by my Chilean mother and my Irish dad, and yet growing up so close to London. I also am inspired by strong women and relate to how a mixture of cultures growing up has effected my design and the expression.

What I specifically remember is that Morag said she never gets a creative block, she described how living in an inspiring place like London maintains a long list of constant ideas."where do you get your inspiration from? Work is all about understanding whats around you. You have to go out and look at things" Traveling was key, she explained as she showed us pictures of her travels but not the usual photos, there was photos of patterns and repetition.

Which went into the next point of collections, I love making my own collections and love discovering other peoples too. Morag described the reason she collects things is obession, which is also a nice word to describe things. One of the obsessions she used to have was neon color, which I could tell with my her work. Another was chairs/stools and she once made an exhibition on the chairs she owns, and the stories behind them, which I thought would be a really interesting thing to document, discovering the characters of each furniture piece and so on. Additionally she collected tomatoes and documented their growth. This made me really expand the way that I collect already, opening my eyes to using something that I would have never thought of before.

When starting up Supergroup in 2010, she said it was not about being heavy moneywize but about being responsive. Here she works with artist she has worked before and have the same kind of experience as her. Within Supergroup she continued on her obsession with chairs, one of the first things that caught my eye was her stools. She said "I just had fun playing with words, putting silly words on stools".

I was really captivated by her work within hospitals and schools, she showed a strong enthusiasm in the fact that the schools grades went up in being in a nice environment and how and environment can have an effect on happiness. Below is a photo from the dinning room from the children's hospital. I love the colours and patterns with this typeface, I think it's absolutely amazing. "If you want to make people belong, you have to understand who they are" 

To conclude, Morag was a great start to the day. I have learnt a lot from her, and she has made me look at some parts of design differently. She has a really great way of capturing my attention not only on paper but in her lecture as well. I also have really been inspired by the way she has really brought together many different inspirations, like 70's patterns with modern white space and fonts. A great start to the show.

Other quotes by Morag
"Better to think deeper and carefully rather than to think trendy"
"Allways re-evalutate what your doing"
"Do excatly what you want"

Rescourses Used
supergrouplondon.co.uk/index.php/morag
www.studiomyerscough.com
www.globaldesignforum.com/speakers/morag-myerscough

My Favorite Packaging Campiagns By Pentagram

"branding is about being different, having a describable edge a definable personality. So where should this impetus come from and what are it's consequences? That is where the designer can play a vital role." Daniel Weil - Pentagram

1. Im Going To Saks Shopping Bag Packaging

Black Friday, the start to the winter shopping that accounts for over half of annual retail revenue. Due to the unpredictable economic climate, retailers have steped outside the box and looked for different ways to attract shoppers. Sak Fifth Avenue in New York retail shop describe themseleves as "the most style obsessed place in the world", launched a campaign called "Im Going To Saks". Pentagram describes how this is said in a "Characteristically straightforward New York manner and makes the trip to the store an occasion.  

Michaeal Bierut Michael Bierut (graphic designer, design critic and educator and has been a partner at pentagram) and Jennifer Kinon (Her work with Pentagram has won awards from the D&AD, AIGA365,Type Directors Club, ID Magazine, Communication Arts and Print.) worked with Terron E. Schaefer Saks’ group senior vice president for sales and marketing. The new campaign is one of action. In advertising and on catalogs, the tagline “I’m Going To” appears in stylish black-and-white arrows pointing the way to the Saks logo, accompanied by declarations like “I’m going to Saks… because some biker chicks have a soft side” and “I’m going to Saks… for everything I want and nothing I need.” These appear alongside photographs by Anders Overgaard of models in motion using all forms of transport: taxi, skateboard, ski lift, hang glider and even crutches. (The fall catalog features supermodel Karolina Kurkova on a Segway; a dog sled appears on the cover of the holiday catalog.) On special shopping bags created for the campaign the arrows appear in a pattern inspired by the identity Pentagram designed for the store in 2007.

The packaging is bold, clever and unique, and in the middle of a desperate crowd this will defiantly stand out. Geometric shapes used well make design brilliantly bold, I love the way Pentagram have created a tessellated pattern. These bags defiantly attracted costumers to the shop, to the extent that people would go to the shop because they wanted to pick up a bag.

Here are my smaller version of the shopping bag, creating the net myself was a bit tricky, but ended up being very simple. I believe this to be a basic packaging piece  a universal and environmentally friendly as it's made my paper. The Body Shop bags that are the same net, are printed using water based inks, which adds to environmentally friendly quality. Personally I like to keep my shopping bags that come in thisstyle, I think they are sturdy and last a while after the purchase  Alternative handels can be made using rope, or a DIY version can be made with a simple shoe lace.

2. Superga Shoe Box Visual Branding Strategy 

 

Pentagram have created an alternative to the traditional shoe box for Superga, an Italian-based manufacturer producing shoes with natural rubber soles. When Daniel Weil was asked to develope a visual branding stragey as the brand moved into fashion footwear, he right away started to question the appropriateness of the traditional show box with a lid. It stacks easily, it can accomodate a wide range of shoe sizes and can be made in bulk. But Weil started to venture into what happens after? when the box is no longer needed? considering our disposible culture. Also in store how do you make the contents accesible? how do you reach a box right at the top easily. Weil started to jot down his ideas on the plane on the way back, But didn't de-breif his team until 2 ot 3 days laters, as he says he likes to make sure he knows what direction he is going in.His breakthrough came when he was drinking a carton of orange juice, and orderd 50 of the same cartoon but in a large size. He knew that he wanted to container to be collapsable.The client immediadtly said yes to the rubber band tab, and the tabs were provided by Superga made by the same material that they make their rubber soles from.

Again I decided to learn even further would be to create the packaging myself. Making this packaging was a bit tricky, considering the little tucks it needed. But the finish container feels really sturdy in my hands, and has a really clean look.

Recourses Used 

-50 Trade Secrets of Great Design Packaging

-The Packaging and Design Templates Sourcebook

-Pentagram Website