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About Us·

We are a non-profit organisation that puts out a product of quality that is intended to inspire and nurture creavtivitvy in today’s youth. The 6 Bi-monthly printed issues and website will host a range of interesting articles, interviews with industry professionals and showcase work from talented up comers. The printed product will be entirely free to pick up by anyone with an interest in Art and Design.

Contents

Tom HillA showcase of the upcoming London based designers work.

Pro-JectWe take a look at record players from Austrain manufacturers Pro-Ject.

Snow HomeA photoshoot covering how Snow Home in York is changing the way we shop for household items.

Terrence KellemanInterview with the the New York designer on his recent work and product range Dynomighty.

Tom Hill

Based in London, Tom Hill is an upcoming graphic designer and video editor. He has recently come under demand in the underground scene, finishing work for music label 7 Ravens and clothing company Alberg & Austin. The T-shirt design Tom submitted caught our eye straight away. It’s a simple but effective design, which stands against, what is now, a colour heavy and outlandish image based time in clothing. Starting with a rough sketch Tom re-drew each individual bubble in Adobe Illustrator before putting them back out to the original layout.

As well as the T-shirt, Tom has designed flyers for DJ Caned n Unable and his club nights, in which he used a piece of street art as the main focus of the design. Tom’s latest work, which has recently been launched online, is The Be Nice Project, the website showcases a video and art work which Tom has produced, the project is sure to turn some heads and get some smiles in the nations capital.

Records, as a way to listen to music, have been around for over 100 years, in different formats, and constantly seem to come in and out of fashion. One company that has always seen them, as a fashionable medium, is Austrian based audio manufacturer Pro-Ject. Their line of stripped down, bare bones record players look extremely stylish and are beautifully crafted.

Pro-Ject

Pro-Ject understands it’s customers, they offer a range of players that can be appreciated by the young music fan for its originality and accessibility, to the older collector who wants to upgrade his sound system. Out of the range that Pro-Ject produces, the RPM Line stands out the most, a full 12” record player with no excess on it at all. The frame is rounded and curved, giving just enough space to fit the motor and the arm of the player. Aesthetically it looks fantastic and would proudly sit next to any sound system. The concept of vinyl is being upgraded and the way we listen to it is becoming more stylized.

The format remains the same, but how we enjoy it is modernized, considering vinyl has been round since the 1920’s it is still going strong and the equipment used to play it is evolving with the times.

Snow Home

In a world filled with IKEA furniture and Habitat rugs, it is growing increasingly difficult for product designers to distribute their unique products. Snow Home in York have made it their mission statement to go purposely against the grain. By supporting emerging designers and hand picking the products they sell, they have distanced themselves from the more commercial home stores.

It could be said that they have created a new genre of home ware, an independent brand that supports the unique and underground designers and the products they create. The window displays are set up with great affection and are always enticing, they often don’t follow the normal formalities when it comes to setting up an advertisement for products that the store keeps inside. Things like this help Snow Home declare its individuality as a store.

Once inside things become even more interesting. Vast ranges of household products greet you when opening the door. All the items are lovingly priced with handwritten tags, giving you the product name, the price and the designer’s name. The thing that stands out the most when walking around is not only the quality of the products but how they are carefully arranged to visually stimulate you, each product has a sample so you can get a good grip of what it is and how it feels.

More stores should consider the values that matter to Snow Home, as they are clearly standing up and helping emerging talent while running a respected business.

Terrence Kelleman“Built during the Great Depression,” states the introduction video to Dynomighty, the brain child of artist and designer Terrence Kelleman, “the Empire State Building represents the conviction and tenacity of New Yorkers to overcome incredible obstacles. At Dynomighty we share that conviction…” This is the first piece of information you are given about this innovative design company and after reading further you realise that it is completely true.

The genesis of Dynomighty came in 2001, whilst Terrence was working at New York City’s Museum of Modern Art and spending his spare time pursuing his career as a photographer and performance artist at exhibitions in New York and Europe. One day while working he placed several magnets on his desk and they all shot together in a line, giving him an idea for an innovative new product. After a long time researching proportions and size this was Dynomighty’s first product, the magnetic bracelet.

It wasn’t until a year later after the product had been perfected that Terrence took it to a colleague at MoMA where it received extremely high praise and was purchased to be sold in the MoMA design store. The demand became huge and Terrance was forced to give up his day job and pursue his new company, which lead to his apartment becoming his office and studio. Since then Dynomighty has developed Tyvek® recyclable material, which has repositioned the company and helped them create wallets, bags, luggage tags and other accessories which have now started to be sold in 300 stores around the United States. Terrence took the time to talk to us about Dynomighty wallets, Tyvek®, his life as a designer and businessman and current projects.

When did you design your first wallet?

I designed my first wallet in 2005. It was the first folded Tyvek® Wallet ever made. I later re-designed and re-branded it as the Mighty Wallet® in 2008.

Did recycling have an influence on your ideas?

It was a plus, but not an initial design requirement. I was more compelled to make a super thin wallet and utilize the strength and lightweight of Tyvek® in an innovative way. Today the sustainability of our products has a much greater role in the design process from the beginning and influences all aspects of the products life.

Did a time come when you knew this is what you wanted to do for a living?

It was about a year after my first product (a link less magnetic bracelet) had been selling on the market that it became clear that if I was going to make the leap into product design and try to make it on my own, this was my chance. I quit my full time job and dedicated myself entirely to designing products. It was not easy and it takes a lot of hard work but I do love the challenges of the design process but also the challenges of marketing, production, distribution, etc. All of these challenges can be addressed creatively and that keeps it interesting because the challenges are always changing.

What is your background? Where and what did you study?

I found a path to design from a background in the Fine Arts. Actually I studied Painting and Printmaking in Cleveland Ohio where I was born and raised. My real education in design began after art school when I was living in New York and working for the retail store of the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA). My job involved taking pictures of all the products sold at the Museum’s store. It gave me a daily exposure to the latest in design trends. When I started there was an exhibition of the Italian Designer Achille Castiglioni who used simple everyday forms in elegant inventive ways. It was refreshing to see industrial design that could be playful and creative. This experience eventually lead to me deciding to create my own products.

What advice would you give any up coming designer?

Keep it simple. Good ideas will always rule the day. A simple design has a simple production, which reduces the possibility for errors, which equals faster production time and reduced costs. A simple design also stands out in the marketplace and consumers respond in kind.

When do you know a design is finished?

It depends on the project and the deadline. The harsh reality of delivering a working prototype or production sample under a deadline can limit the rounds of your design process. But from the other side it really forces you to make critical

decisions quickly. After working like this for a while you develop an intuition for what will work and you focus in quickly on what you need to do to find a resolution in time.

What made you want to design a range of wallets?

I wanted to make wallets that were fun and functional. I was tired of the old black or brown leather standards. I wanted to make a cool wallet that was fun to carry around. A wallet is also a personal object that you have and you use nearly every day. I wanted to make wallets that people enjoyed using and that they could have a personal connection with. The Mighty Wallet® is like the Swatch of wallets with over 70 graphic styles and a line of D.I.Y. Mighty Wallets® that utilize their writable surface so users can drawn on them to create their own designs.

The best part about designing wallets is meeting a fan who has a Mighty Wallet® and learning about their experience and to see how their wallet has become unique to them. The Mighty Wallet® becomes shaped by the daily wear of the user. The wallet adapts to fit what ever you put inside and as they grow old they take on a vintage look that is sometimes marked with notes drawings and doodles. It is a personal product and something that has a lot of sentimental attachment to the user. I enjoy making wallets with personality and love to think about how the wallets are then even further personalized by the daily use of the customer.

Are there any other projects you are currently working on?

Yes, I was recently asked to work with Yoko Ono on a Tyvek® tote for her upcoming exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. I wanted to design a new form for a Tyvek® bag for a long time and then this opportunity came along and it was a perfect fit. The new Tyvek® bags are printed with a full color photographic artwork of Yoko Ono. The bags are minimal and the design puts the artwork first and projects it like a walking billboard. I can’t help but see them as extensions of Yoko Ono’s performance art and I can’t wait to see them in the streets of New York.

What is the best way to get noticed as a designer?

Make good products. Editors and design firms are constantly on the look out for good ideas. If you can create good designs both the media and your peers will take notice. If you want to test out an idea try a local market or look for the next deadline for a Designboom Market. Designboom is an Italian based design ezine that organises “Designmarts” in prestigious design trade shows around the world. The costs are minimal to attend and you can show and sell your products or prototypes and get incredible feedback and insights from both the customers and other designers in the event. Not to mention that all the top media attend these events and are looking for new cool products all the time.

The Mighty Wallet® was picked up in an article in the New York Times when an editor passed by our table in the Designboom Mart at the ICFF in New York and bought one for a friend.

Do you think social networking sites like Twitter and Facebook have an impact on your working life?

Absolutely. Today consumers are engaged in the products and designs that they appreciate and they want to share these products and ideas with others through social media. Facebook and twitter are the new frontiers of customer service which allow customers to build a stronger bond with you and give you feedback and suggestions that can help you design new products. But even an emerging designer can build a network of enthusiasts on social media by joining other design networks and getting feedback on projects. Dynomighty also uses YouTube video to great success to engage our customers on a deeper level that allows us to tell a richer story about our products and our company.

How do you advertise yourself and your work?

Dynomighty shows at all the major trade shows in the US and we also have an independent Publicist who seeks out opportunities for us to tell our story. But the most innovative marketing vehicle is our use of YouTube video. When you consider that YouTube is the second largest search engine on the web and that it covers over 40% of the total videos watched online (30 billion this past April) that amounts to a lot of viewers. We produce videos in-house that tell a more meaningful story about our products and our brand. YouTube viewers are not necessarily looking for products but they will watch and engage in the story of a small growing company, or watch a funny viral video. Once they discover us they share their discovery on other social networks and many of them buy direct from our site. It has a great return on investment and helps you better understand how to pitch your products which eventually you’ll need some skills with if your

going to convince investors or manufacturers to get behind your product concepts.

Do you work with anyone else or more as an individual?

Most all of the concepts for the products come from myself but at Dynomighty we incorporate the diverse perspectives and opinions of our entire staff in the creative process. Everyone is encouraged to add their input especially when it comes to making critical decisions about new directions for our products. It is incredibly valuable to listen to all the perspectives of your staff even if they don’t have a direct experience in product design. Sometimes that different perspective is exactly the voice you needed to take a fresh look at a problem. That is my relation to design as well, coming from a Fine Art background helps me break a conventional method of seeing and thinking about design that makes our products to stand out and customers take notice.

Even just after the briefest of looks at their products you can’t help but be impressed and tempted to purchase. Terrence is an extremely talented and innovative designer and for such a small company (only 4 members) to get where they are in the USA and soon Korea and Spain they have really shown the conviction and tenacity which that video states. Dynomighty is a modern company, an urban company, an exciting company and a true New York company.

meet the team

contact usIf you have any comments or suggestions about

the publication, please feel free to contact us.

web: fonica.org.uk

email: info@fonica.org.uk

richard chappelow

editor

writer

photography

print design

dominic wynter

print design

photography

sam peat

writing

design

harry tolmie-thomson

writing

design

photography