DIY Art – Pester & Rossi
Bill Scott Book Cover
The bulk of the book was designed last year when the exhibition was originally scheduled for August 2020 but, because of the pandemic, the exhibition was postponed, and the book mothballed, which makes it even more of a pleasure to finally see finished copies of the book, beautifully printed by Gomer in Wales. I have been working on the book with Bill’s daughter, the arts consultant and Clore Fellow, Jeanie Scott. It has been a pleasure to work with Jeanie and fascinating to find out more about Bill’s practice and his legacy. Many of the photographs in the book are new images, taken by the brilliant John McKenzie, www.johnmckenziephotography.co.uk, that reveal Bill’s work in all its intricate detail.
The cover image is a detail of Exploration / Mapping, 2010 and the title text is Scott’s own lettering, drawn and modelled by the artist for his 1986 memorial to the football player and manager, Jock Stein, commissioned by Dunfermline Athletic Football Club. Bill’s family were very keen to have this hand-drawn text on the cover as it carries much of the warmth and character of this much-loved Scottish artist. The inside cover (below) is a detail from an untitled collage from 1999, a nice contrast to the weightiness of the bronze sculpture on the outside.
Edinburgh Art Festival Commissions Programme 2021
Designed by James Brook for Edinburgh Art Festival, 2021
3 leaflets | 210 x 165 mm – flat size 210 x 492 mm | 6 pages roll folded
1 booklet | 210 x 165 mm | 24 pages plus cover
Printed by Allander, Edinburgh, on Edixion Offset 160gsm
Printed matter that I designed for the Edinburgh Art Festival Commissions Programme 2021 interpretation material. Each year Edinburgh Art Festival invites Scottish and international artists to make and present new projects specifically for the festival. in 2021, EAF collaborated with a range of partners to support and present a programme of new commissions and UK premieres by artists working in Scotland, UK and internationally. The programme featured the UK premiere of Isaac Julien’s Lessons of Hour, in partnership with National Galleries Scotland; a new project, Tak Tent O’ Time Ere Time Be Tint, by Sean Lynch, co-commissioned with Edinburgh Sculpture Workshop; a sound installation, Song of the Union by Emeka Ogboh, co-commissioned with Talbot Rice Gallery; and What happens to desire…, curated by EAF associate artist, Tako Taal.
The printed matter consists of one booklet and three leaflets, and was designed to present a cohesive identity for the commissions programme that is distinct from the main EAF identity and also highlights the contributions of the partner organisations. Unlike previous EAF commissions, there is no over-riding theme to this year’s programme so my design does not reflect a theme, instead it presents a common typographic stye and layout that is adaptable to the different content of each piece of print. Different logos from each partnership organisation (Edinburgh Sculpture Workshop, Talbot Rice Gallery and National Galleries Scotland) had to sit well with the new EAF logo and other typographic information – a balancing act, often with three different typefaces in play.
I selected Proxima Nova as the typeface for this series as it has some similarities to the typeface that appears in the new EAF logo, but is sufficiently different that the designs are not solely linked to EAF but give equal weight to the partner commissioning organisations. I used a pared back palette of colour and type and suggested a new commissioning credit line that helps brings the partner organisation to the fore. Different weights of Proxima Nova were used to create a hierarchy of information and full bleed images from each commission have been used to create impact. The leaflets (for Isaac Julien, Sean Lynch, and Emeka Ogboh) are 8 page double-gatefolds, folded to 165mm x 210mm while the What happens to desire… booklet is 24 pages plus cover, trimmed to the same size – this is the size of the books, booklets, and leaflets that I have designed for EAF in previous years, building a connected set of print that documents the Edinburgh Art Festival’s growing series of artists’ commissions.
Emeka Ogboh: Song of the Union
Isaac Julien: Lessons of the Hour
Sean Lynch: Tak Tent O' Time Ere Time Be Tint
What happens to desire…
Platform: 2021
Designed by James Brook for Edinburgh Art Festival, 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
The cover design includes circles taken from the colon that appears in the Platform: 2021 logo with imagery selected from one of the four artists, in this instance, the work of Isabella Widger. 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.
Cover of Platform: 2021 Booklet
This is the cover of a booklet that I designed for Platform, Edinburgh Art Festival’s annual showcase for artists in the early stages of their careers, each year introducing audiences to a new generation of contemporary artists based in Scotland. Platform: 2021 has been selected from an open call by writer and producer Mason Leaver-Yap and artist Ciara Phillips working with festival director Sorcha Carey.
The four selected artists, Jessica Higgins, Danny Pagarani, Kirsty Russell and Isabella Widger will present new work as part of a group exhibition held at the Institut français d’Ecosse, Edinburgh EH1 1RF, from 29 July to 29 August.
The cover design is based on my 2019 refresh of the Platform identity (which I originally developed in 2015) with imagery selected from one of the four artists – in this instance, a detail from a work by Isabella Widger. The leaflet is designed with two typefaces, Freight Sans Pro and Adelle Sans, selected for their character and readability. I used different weights of Adelle Sans to create the Platform logo which is centred on two circles (taken from the colon that punctuates Platform: 2021). The booklet is 210 x 165mm and was printed by Allander, Edinburgh, on UPM Fine Offset 170gsm.
Archie Brennan: Tapestry Goes Pop!
Published by Dovecot Studios, Edinburgh, 2021
Edited by Kate Grenyer and Lisa Mason
Essay by Mary Schoeser
Photography by Kenneth Gray, Zoe Hamill, Keith Hunter, and Antonia Reeve
Designed by James Brook
ISBN 978 1 91688891 01
Soft cover | 240 x 210 mm | 48 pages | Printed by Allander, Edinburgh on Galerie Art Matt
This is an exhibition catalogue that I designed for Dovecot Studio’s Archie Brennan: Tapestry Goes Pop!, an exhibition which tells the story of Archie Brennan, a much-loved Edinburgh native – a pop artist, weaver, and former Mr Scotland, who changed the course of modern weaving with his innovative approach to tapestry.
The cover of the book is based on the poster that forms the core of the identity I designed for the exhibition. The lead image of the identity – which appears in a circle so it can easily be adapted for use in lots of different formats – is a detail from Brennan’s 1973 tapestry, Muhammad Ali, one of many tapestries that he made featuring the famous boxer. A photograph of Archie Brennan (in Hawaii!) appears on the back cover, in a circle that echoes the one on the front cover.
The colours that form the identity are sampled directly from the photograph of the Muhammad Ali tapestry: dark blue as the main colour, with a lighter blue used elsewhere for emphasis, alongside oranges and yellows, to give a zingy pop art feel.
The title is set in Stencil, a typeface often associated with pop art, and the rest of the cover is set in Clarendon, a typeface that sits well with Stencil and also captures the nostalgic mood that appears in some of Brennan’s tapestries such as My Victorian Aunt from 1967.
After some printed tests, I found Clarendon, particularly in its light version, to be surprisingly readable for extended bodies of text so the main body of the book is set in this typeface – for contrast, I used Adelle Sans light for captions and secondary information.
Kate Grenyer, Exhibitions Curator, Dovecot Studios: James has always been great to work with, he gets to the heart of a project very quickly and responds to briefs with intelligence, experience and imagination. When working with James on the publication for Archie Brennan: Tapestry Goes Pop! (2021), I found his experience of print stock and binding, and his knowledge of different print firms was invaluable expertise that you don’t find in many designers. He takes your work as seriously as you do and uses his experience and eye for detail to make sure the result is the best it can be within the budgets and time available.
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