FormFiftyFive™

Inspiration / Alan Clarke

Liked that? Try these:

What do you think?

Staynice
20th May 2009
8:52 am

1. reminds of this book I have \’Optic Nerve\’ (perceptual art of the 1960s)


mc
20th May 2009
10:25 am

2. Love it.


Iain
20th May 2009
10:55 am

3. The fencing poster is fantastic.


jeremy
20th May 2009
2:46 pm

4. if you like these, you might appreciate a project I just finished.

   http://jeremyhuggins.com/universe.htm, if the embed doesn’t work.


Neil
20th May 2009
3:46 pm

5. I really like the tennis poster.


Sarah_H
20th May 2009
7:08 pm

6. Love these and especially, again, the fencing poster.


Tony
21st May 2009
10:47 am

7. I’m not convinced, I don’t feel they are that different from Otl Aichers work.


AndyStewart
21st May 2009
11:05 am

8. yea im starting to get really board of people getting recognition for completely un original work..

   i wana see inovative forward thinking on design blogs not the same old guff..

   this is not a dig at fff, as its one of my top blogs

   rant over.


Gui Seiz
21st May 2009
1:07 pm

9. they are NOTHING like Otl Aicher’s work.

   you people are pulling reference out of your arse

   what makes me laugh is that if Otl Aicher did this shit today it would be on photoshop disasters… but because he messed up the posters WITHOUT a computer – its much more credible

   http://www.mpag.co.uk/images/munich72.jpg
   how does this look ANYTHING like the posters above???

   + Aichers posters were shit.
   what was really good is how the whole identity tied together and the pictograms were especially great. the posters to me have always been a weak link in his work.

   but because bibliotheque said they were great – its is now gospel

   pffff

   /rant


Adrian
21st May 2009
3:57 pm

10. Gui, shit? Seriously, I\’m surprised that you think that. It\’s because of the advent of computers that it seems that it would be easy to create the munich posters. You have to put the work in the context of the time it was produced, it\’s actually incredibly hard to produce something like that using separated artwork.

    And I\’ve had mine from before Bibliotheque said they were cool.


Tony
21st May 2009
5:32 pm

11. I Checked out your link…

    I’ll just repeat myself, I don’t feel they are that different from Otl Aichers work.

    I’m not saying I dislike the work Alan Clarke has done but for me personally I find it uninspiring. I’m not saying that a piece of design needs to be processed through photoshop either. Consideration for all aspects of a project need to be taken into account and I can’t see why Alan chose to go down the route he has, apart from the fact they reference Aicher like a sore thumb. I don’t feel it speaks London today or indeed the Olympics…


Cameron
21st May 2009
8:22 pm

12. I personally don’t see the similarities with Otl Aicher’s work.

    I guess when you see a set of posters including Sailing and Cycling and Fencing you naturally make that leap – but I think Alan’s work is a lot more ‘graphic’.

    I like Alan’s portfolio very much, and ironically, it reminds me more of Mick Dean’s work over at Various Creative.


Alan
22nd May 2009
12:11 pm

13. Thank you for all the replies on my posters.

    I was hoping they would not be reminiscent of the Otl Aicher designs. I tried to focus on the equipment used and it’s movement with the sports. Apart from the diving where I was influenced by Japanese optical art.

    The main focus of the designs was to propose a visual way-finding system for the London Underground. It would have helped people associate tube stops to where they could be viewed. Is this a good idea?

    I think Aicher’s design’s were just focusing on the Olympic sports and the athletes themselves, rather than locations? Saying that I suppose you can’t easily get away from being inspired by his work.

    Alan


Gui
22nd May 2009
12:38 pm

14. Adrian – you’re right – it was an off hand remark.
    And, no, I didn’t put it into the context of the time and how lond it would take to make something like that. They aren’t shit.
    At the same time I’m not a fan – and no matter how hard it was to make or how long it took – it seems strange to think just because of this they are automatically good
    Most of the design heroes of the time did much more powerful communications without nearly as much complication and eyesore
    but i guess its like comparing Dylan to Satriani.

    also I would love to see in which aspect you would compare these to Otl’s work. is it the colours? the type? what?
    colours aside i see no resemblance.

    it’s kind of like saying every book on grid is a Muller-Brockmann rip off //


Thomas Brooks
22nd May 2009
2:28 pm

15. If using abstract forms and colours to represent events or objects is ‘copying,’ then I don’t know why I’m still a designer.


Adrian
22nd May 2009
10:26 pm

16. Gui, they are more like a muller brockman than anything else I can think of off hand. I think you’re right in that other designers were producing work you could say was more impactful. But there are two things which in my opinion make the 1972 work great. The first would be the fact that the work came from post war Germany and looked incredibly fresh in that context. Secondly compare it to any other olympic identity apart from the Mexico one this stands out as one of the strongest and really stands the test of time. Imagine pitching that to and getting it passed by a government and Olympic committee instead of the usual brush stroke dancing figures crap you normally see.


Adrian
22nd May 2009
10:31 pm

17. Oh and I also meant to say I agree that alans poster are nothing like the Munich ones apart from the fact they’ve got the Olympic logo on them.

    Gui’s right you are referencing out your arses people.


Mark
11th Jun 2009
4:41 pm

18. I\\\’ve looked at the work, checked out his website and all I can see is another young designer doing work to please designers and has no clue about audience.

    Sure the posters look pretty, have some little ideas in them but the whole it\\\’s just wallpaper. I\\\’d be more excited if I could see how the graphic treatment could be developed to signage, ticketing, leaflets, ads etc so I can see he\\\’s really tried to understand what would be required from such a project campaign.

    I think Alan will probably do quite well but my question will always be, does he really understand what it is to be a \’good\’ graphic designer.

    Look below the surface people.


Alan
12th Jun 2009
9:09 pm

19. To Mark,

    I see after the placement I did with you last summer, and your advice to explore using more colour and shapes in my design solutions has paid of.

    The posters were only part of a much larger body of work, including way finding and pictogram designs, which I have not published. They were the result of my exploration and interest into communicating to an international audience. Not me trying to please a design audience.

    I agree some of my projects may be a little naive, in the sense of appealing to a certain audience. But have been more of a result of my research, into learning how to use type, image, colour and form to convey a message (during my time as a student).

    To complete a whole project like the Olympics, I thought it would take a team of designers several years to complete? Am I expected to have done all this?
    I would love to get involved in working on an Olympic job…

    I had a really good time on placement last year with you, I would have hoped you would have liked my folio more, sorry to disappoint.

    Alan


Anon
9th Nov 2009
10:34 pm

20. I’m a little shocked at how hastily/liberally criticism has been dealt out on these posters (which are great), especially from the already well established designers such as yourself Mark.

    As a ‘good’ designer yourself it seems niave of you, not Alan, to have thought a full scale solo Olympic project would be feasible in the time scale of a third year with multiple projects in hand.

    Generally rubbish and unhelpful criticism – the arrogance astounds me! Were you not once ‘another young designer’ yourself? Off the cuff remarks with no attempt of an explanation.

    Look beyond the surface? Nice sign off.

    Unbelievable! No wonder people loose faith in the industry when thats what we have to look up to. SHAMEFUL.

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