News & Blog

I’ve been blogging for a while now about Liz and my involvement in the upcoming Tori Amos anthology Comic Book Tattoo (slated for release later this month). Now Comic Book Resources, arguably one of the biggest comic-centric news sites around has started a Comic Book Tattoo-centric blog where various creators involved with the book will be writing about the creative proccess of adapting Tori’s lyrics to comics.

I’ll be making an appearance there this month to discuss the design of the book and everything that came with it.
Check out Comic BLOG Tattoo

A few weeks ago it dawned upon me that it’s been 10 years since I graduated from college and started my professional career as a graphic designer.
10 Years is quite a considerable time, and although it sounds like a lot, strangely it doesn’t always feel that way – time flies when you’re busy, as they say.

Out of curiosity I started digging through my archives (yes, I’ve kept practically everything on disk) and started looking through all the work I’ve done so far. It was interesting to discover that - even though I think my work has massively changed over the years - some sort of common thread has been running through my work: a love for comics and science fiction.

At the same time I’ve been flipping through my copy of the excellent How To Be A Graphic Designer Without Losing Your Soul by Adrian Shaughnessy, and this all spurred me on to - over a series of blog posts - write about my education and experiences in design, the ups and downs, and how I learned from my mistakes along the way (never do 3D rotating logos or use lens flares “as a joke”).

Of course every story needs a proper setup. So instead of jumping right into the action, let’s rewind the clock a little.
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CBT Hardcover Edition, originally uploaded by rantzh.

First look at the hardcover edition of Comic Book Tattoo – the Tori Amos comic anthology, designed by Mr & Mrs Muller.

WBR logo
As part of the 23rd International Biennial of Graphic Design in Brno (Czech Republic), Brno Echo: Ornament and Crime from Adolf Loos to Now is an exhibit created & curated by Pentagram’s Abbott Miller built on the visual motif of the original logo for the biennial designed by the Czech designer Jiří Hadlač.

Brno Biennial logo

The exhibit features work across multiple design disciplines that share the visual motif of the original logo through time, and I’m really pleased that the World’s Best Robots logo I designed for Ashley Wood a few years ago is part of this exhibit.

Ltd edition book and Case view 2, originally uploaded by rantzh.

CBT editor Rantz has the first photos of the Comic Book Tattoo Ltd. Edition slipcase and cover printer dummies – one month to go until it hits the shops!

I recently completed a poster redesign for Logan’s Run, as part of the Now Showing exhibit curated by Darren Firth/Wear It With Pride and on display at the Cosh gallery in London until the 16th of June 2008.

When Darren invited me to participate I immediately chose Logan’s Run. It’s one of my favourite science fiction movies and a prime example of the dystopian theme in SF movies that were so typical of the 70s – think of Westworld, Silent Running, Beneath The Planet Of The Apes, THX 1138, etc…

Logan’s Run stood out to me, because while it presents a grim future, its also sexy, camp, and very stylized in terms of production design and presenting the future. As an aside – I’ve always felt, and still do, that The Future looks more alien in films from that decade, than, lets say, Minority Report. Back then it seemed they really tried to come up with visuals that were really *out there*, never mind if they were actually feasible, as opposed to the current trend in SF (in movies at least) where they try to make it all believable – resulting in visions that still impress, but they don’t look alien to us.

Logan’s Run 1 sheet, 1976

Anyway, back to Logan’s Run. What was I going to do? The original 1976 one sheet is a classic and so synonymous with the film that I wanted to avoid any similarities with it. Instead of presenting the typical collage shot of the movie, I wanted to pair it down to the single element that ran through the movie: the life clock.
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WIRED 16.05 cover – sections of feature illustrations

Recently I completed a set of digital illustrations for the latest issue of WIRED Magazine (Issue 16.05 – May 2008). The cover feature (featuring Steve Carrell) gives tips on how to ‘get smarter’. The Wired team asked me to illustrate some of the articles in the feature, such as how to maximize your brain capacity, why not to panic, thinking positive – amongst others (you’ll have to buy the magazine to see the rest!). Was fun to open the box of tricks again and do some abstract stuff while trying to not max out the computer.

Smashing Magazine has an impressive list of great book covers including some all time classics. Quite a nice surprise to see the St. Cyborg’s cover I designed last year among the list!

Comic Book Tattoo cover. Art by Jason Levesque.

Lately Liz and I have been burning the midnight oil on a pretty big print project: Tori Amos’ Comic Book Tattoo - a nearly 500-page deluxe-packaged anthology featuring some of comics’ brightest talents including David Mack, Mike Dringenberg, Jonathan Hickman, Carla Speed McNeil, Laurenn McCubbin, Kelly Sue DeConnick, Ivan Brandon, Calum Watt, Neil Kleid, Christopher Mitten, Elzabeth Genco, Chris Arrant, and Daniel Heard - all of whom turn in new work inspired by the music of Tori Amos. And we’re designing the mother!

The book will be released in 3 editions: regular trade paperback, hardcover, and a deluxe signed (by Tori) hardcover in slipcase. All available from the 23rd of July and launched at this years San Diego Comic Con.

Of course, more news will follow over the coming months, but in the meantime here’s the cover and the CBT logo by yours truly.

Comic Book Tattoo Logo. Line art by Jason Levesque.

Four Feet From A Rat cover. Art by Liam Sharp

Last month Ad agency Mother and the crew at Mam Tor Publishing™ collaborated on Four Feet From A Rat - an exclusive 16 page comic that appeared in the pages of Time Out London - the first edition of what will be a quarterly supplement to the magazine with a print run of approximately 100.000 copies!

For the stories I cobbled together some logos and had some fun with the themes… all of them relate in a way to London.

You can read an interview with our own Liam Sharp over at Newsarama, and the Guardian newspaper has it covered as well (although I don’t really agree with some of the comments of their comics “expert” Will Hodgkinson).