James Brook / Design: March 2024

Platform: 2022 Booklet

Platform: 2022

Booklet | 210 x 165 mm | 16 pages

Printed by Allander, Edinburgh, on Edixion Offset 170 gsm

Now in its 8th year, Platform: 2022 offers audiences an opportunity to experience the breadth and vitality of emerging contemporary art practice in Scotland. Platform: 2022 has been selected by writer and researcher Seán Elder, artist Lucy Skaer, and Director of Dundee Contemporary Arts, Beth Bate. The 2022 edition, curated by Laura McSorley, brings together new work by Saoirse Amira Anis, Emelia Kerr Beale, Lynsey MacKenzie and Jonny Walker.

The cover design includes circles taken from the colon that appears in the Platform: 2022 logo with imagery selected from one of the four artists, in this instance, the work of Lynsey MacKenzie. The leaflet is typeset in two typefaces, Freight Sans Pro and Adelle Sans, selected for their character and readability. The layout follows the design of previous iterations but, for this edition, has been adapted to include different types of information including a glossary of terms.

www.edinburghartfestival.com

Platform: 2021 Booklet

Platform: 2021

Booklet | 210 x 165 mm | 16 pages

Printed by Allander, Edinburgh, on Edixion Offset 170 gsm

A booklet that I designed for Platform, Edinburgh Art Festival’s showcase for Scotland based artists at the beginning of their careers. The 2021 edition, selected by Sorcha Carey, Mason Leaver-Yap and Ciara Phillips, and curated by Colm Guo-Lin Peare, brought together new work by Jessica Higgins, Danny Pagarini, Kirsty Russell and Isabella Widger. The exhibition ran from 29 July – 29 August and was held at the Institut français d’Ecosse West Parliament Square Edinburgh EH1 1RF

This is the third appearance of the new identity that I developed for Platform in 2019 and the second time that it has appeared as a 16 page booklet. I had previously designed an identity for Platform in 2015 that was used for four editions of the exhibition.

Throughout this booklet, I used two typefaces, Freight Sans Pro and Adelle Sans, selected for their character and readability. I used different weights of Adelle Sans to create a new logo that echoes my previous logo for Platform, which was typeset in Akzidenz Grotesk. The cover design includes circles taken from the colon that appears in the Platform: 2021 logo along with imagery selected from one of the four artists, in this version, the work of Isabella Widger. Inside, the layout gives a feeling of space with pared down typography, prioritising the artists’ images and allowing them to breathe.

www.edinburghartfestival.com

Platform: 2020 Booklet

Platform: 2020

Booklet | 210 x 165 mm | 16 pages Printed by Allander, Edinburgh, on Edixion Offset 170 gsm

A booklet that I designed for Platform, Edinburgh Art Festival’s showcase for Scotland based artists at the beginning of their careers. Platform is usually presented in August, but this year’s festival was cancelled because of the Covid pandemic and Platform was postponed until the end of October: it ran from 31 October to 29 November at the City Art Centre, Edinburgh. Selected from an open call by artist Ruth Ewan, and curator, Sophia Hao (Cooper Gallery, Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art & Design), four artists based in Scotland – Rabindranath A Bhose, Mark Bleakley, Rhona Jack and Susannah Stark – were supported to create new work for this group show.

Last year, the Art Festival invited me to refresh the Platform identity (which I had originally developed in 2015) to create a new look that draws on elements of the previous designs while offering a fresh new take that highlights the artists’ images. For previous editions of Platform, an 8 page folded leaflet was the main design focus; this year, I was asked to expand the identity to include a 16 page booklet; exhibition graphics, signage and labels; print advertisements; digital advertisements; and a series of posters.

The cover design includes two circles (taken from the colon that punctuates Platform: 2020) with imagery selected from one of the four artists – in this instance, the work of Mark Bleakley, a black and white video still that I overlaid with colour. I have used two typefaces, Freight Sans Pro and Adelle Sans, selected for their character and readability, and I used different weights of Adelle Sans to create a logo that is used throughout all the material that I have designed.

www.edinburghartfestival.com

Platform: 2019 Leaflet

Platform: 2019

Leaflet | 210 x 165 mm – flat size 210 x 654 mm

Printed by Allander, Edinburgh, on Horizon Offset 170 gsm

A leaflet that I designed for Platform, Edinburgh Art Festival’s showcase for Scotland based artists at the beginning of their careers. The 2019 edition, selected by artists Monster Chetwynd and Toby Paterson, brought together new work by Anna Danielewicz, Joanne Dawson, Harry Maberly and Suds McKenna. The exhibition ran from 25 July until 25 August and was held at The Fire Station at Edinburgh College of Art, 76-78 Lauriston Place, Edinburgh, EH3 9DE.

I have designed four previous iterations of the leaflet, using a logo and identity that I originally developed in 2015. Each year’s version featured a unique arrangement of the cover elements alongside a new cover colour, taken from the imagery within. For the fifth year of Platform, the Art Festival invited me to refresh the identity: I created a new look that draws on elements of the previous designs with a new size, 210 x 165mm, that aligns it with the EAF commissions booklet that I also designed. The new design includes the circles (taken from the colon that appears in Platform: 2019) with imagery selected from one of the four artists, in this instance, the work of the brilliant Harry Maberly. I used two typefaces, Freight Sans Pro and Adelle Sans, selected for their character and readability, and used different weights of Adelle Sans to create a new logo that echoes the previous logo, which was set in Akzidenz Grotesk. Inside, the layout follows the design of the previous four iterations but the wider page size gives a feeling of space and gives images priority and allows them to breathe.

www.edinburghartfestival.com

Joanna Kessel REVEAL Leaflet

Joanna Kessel REVEAL

12 page leaflet | 105 x 148 mm folded | 630 x 148 mm flat

Printed by Print 24 on 120gsm white offset paper

A leaflet that I designed for the very talented mosaic artist, Joanna Kessel, who was selected by the Crafts Council to showcase new work within Collect Open 2019 at the Saatchi Gallery, London from 28 February to 3 March 2019. For Collect, Joanna created REVEAL, new architectural-scale work and sculptural objects, developing Italo-Scots links through mosaic and pursuing her interest in the work of the Venetian architect, Carlo Scarpa, and in the novel ‘Invisible Cities’ by Italo Calvino. The leaflet was intended to showcase some of Joanna’s work in Collect and to give readers an insight in to Joanna’s fascinating working process.

This is a modest project, but it is one that I am very proud of and I am very pleased with the end result (as was Joanna). It was a real pleasure to collaborate with Joanna and to hear more about her wonderful work.

www.joannakessel.co.uk