Scenes From the Life Room

Adam Norfolk (21)


Natasha Shrimpton Dean (21)




Ruth Fogdon (21)


Jake Thompson (21)


Ruth Fogdon (21)

Race for Life Competition winner

We are very pleased and proud to announce that 3rd Yr illustrator, Claire Wood's design (above) will adorn this years 'Race For Life' T-shirt.

Grillust - Talk us through it Claire

Claire - The brief was to design a t-shirt for this years Race for Life 2012. The Race for Life takes part across the country to raise money and awareness of Cancer Research UK. It's a great cause and it is a great honour to know that women across the UK will be wearing my design! (I took part last year and hope to do so again this year!)

Grillust - Well done Claire.

work on show, near booze

Full time Grillust operative and part time crayon aficionado Dwayne Bell will be hanging a collection of drawering work along with Grillust consultant Lucy MacLeod's charcoalings, up in Auld Reekie this Easter. If you're in town and would like to please your eyes whilst sipping alcohol, head to Outhouse and get busy doing both.

In short, they're showing some work and would like people to see it.

BUY NOTHING DAY. T-shirts, mugs, keyrings and other mechandising available here!!!

Back in December 2011, Creative Times announced an exciting project for student designers. Devised by Manchester-based freelance designer Dan Shannon and Creative Times, it involved a series of five design briefs, each to be completed by a different three student designers, with the results being published on the Creative Times blog.

The call for student designers was a great success and the first three students were chosen for Design Brief #1 – including our very own 3^rd year Graphic Designer, Kelcey Braine (21).

The brief? Design a symbol for Buy Nothing Day.

Follow this link to see the work, Dan Shannon’s editorial and interview with the three selected students.

First Year Update

It's been a hectic and highly enjoyable day in the studio today as we have been assessing and feeding back on two week's work of language-based studio work.

We here at Grillust Towers believe our students should be aware of just how powerful a communication tool a few well chosen words can be, especially when wrapped around a clever idea. We'd also like them all to aspire to produce writing of the quality like the stuff what we do, yeah?

But that's not all... ...we also threw into the mix public speaking and teamwork! The results were similar to stuffing the TV programmes: Take Me Out, Dragon's Den and Countdown into The Large Hadron Collider and then smashing them together at over 40 m.p.h. to see what happens.

Task 1: Come up with a 'genius idea' and then professionally present it to an audience of staff and students. The audience were then asked to vote as to whether the idea was 'genius' or 'not genius'.

Here are some examples of what the twisted imaginations of our students came up with:

Dual purpose ice cream van. One side vending cold things for hot weather, the other side dispensing hot food on cold days.

Radio-active, glow-in-the-dark wallpaper. Saves energy and stops night related accidents.

Three lane pavements. Taking the speed principles of the motorway and applying them to your local high street.

Electric eel power. All that energy going to waste? Not any more!! A small to medium tank of electric eels could power a house. Put wheels and a tow bar on the 'eel tank' and you can power your electric car over hill and dale.

Odd socks. Always losing your left sock? Here's the solution! A Kevlar (TM) string links both socks keeping them together, forever. In case you're interested, the string goes up one leg, traverses the crotch area and returns down the other leg.

A shower head that doubles as a karaoke machine. For all your bathroom diva needs.

Carbon neutral prisons. Eco-punishments galore for footpads, cutthroats and vagabonds.

Sith Reaper. Someone you don't like? Why not take out a 'contract' with (debatably) mythical, merciless killers. Death (in the form of his Grim Reaper manifestation) and the Sith (Lords of the Dark Side from off of/out of those Star Wars films).


Sith Reaper - The Presentation


Jess Nightingale (21) and the Grim Reaper (as old as time) give their presentation to an attentive audience.

Task 2: Create a brand name and a graphic identity for a range of exciting new products including:

Sweets made from sugar coated rabbit droppings
Stand up urinals for women
Makeup tested on cats
Fishtanks with tinted glass
A soup based TV game show
A social network for pets
A 24 hour baking helpline (we could go on...)

Stars of the show were a team comprised of Cumbria's very own Debbie Nixon (21) and Katy Hill (21) who hails from far away Lincolnshire.


Nixon/Hill in full flow...

Here's a sneak peak of a tiny handful of the newly created brands (calm down, calm down, we'll feature a whole lot more for your delectation next week):


An acid based cleaner from Nixon/Hill


Stand up urinals for ladies - also from Nixon/Hill


Another take on stand up urinals for ladies, plus sugar coated rabbit droppings courtesy of the Jasper Van Looveren-Baines twins (both 21)


The aftermath of the last feedback session. It was getting close to 1.00pm so everyone had legged it to the refectory before the crumble ran out!

Scenes From the Life Room

Ricky 'RICKAAAY!!' Lowe (21)


Natasha 'Gnasher' Shrimpton-Dean (21)


Adam 'no nickname' Norfolk (21)


Natasha 'Gnasher' Shrimpton-Dean (21)

An offer you can't refuse

It's Friday and today Grillust™ is tipping it's hat in rememberance of 'The Orb' and Geordie Harrison...



and JLH (here with the marvellous Robert Cray)...



...and Bob



Listen to these tunes or you'll get a visit from the Grillustatzi.


And especially for Hannah...

Museum-a-go-go

Some more National Museum of Scotland glories - we just can't get enough of the place. In fact, if you visit our Year Zero blogs you'll see how much we all love it.

No it's not some strange shrine devoted all those students who don't meet deadlines - it's a miniature "Day of the Dead" box all the way from Mexico. They know how to throw a party those Mexicans.

To all Manga fans we say "step away from your pencils and don't you dare sully your sketchbooks (or our eyes) with naff, big-eyed weirdo cartoons". Check out this japanese tryptic for true oriental, creative genius instead.

Jewellery made from the hair of deceased loved ones. What are those Victorians like?!

Is it an image from Google Earth? No, it's a 1960's computer circuit board.

See, we told you it was fabulous. Go and visit soon. You'll be glad you did.

Did we mention that we'd been to The National Museum of Scotland recently? The building itself provided many hours of contemplative admiration, full of contrasts and the juxtaposition of old and new, wide open spaces and intriguing dead ends. Pretty damn fabulous really.

The intrepid 15 (minus Terri (21) who was late and only just managed to catch the train) set forth for the Firth of Forth (did you see what we did there?). James Bradley (21), our only 2nd Year explorer, pretends he doesn't know us for street cred reasons.

An intriguing dead-end balcony.

The afore mentioned wide open spaces...

Exhausted by all the excitement (and the fact that she didn't miss the train home) Terri (21) has a little nap on the journey home. Bless.

Analogue - the Creative's (Scottish) bookshop of choice

For those in the know, the best bookshop to visit in Edinburgh is the very friendly and well stacked Analogue Books. On a recent trip to the Scottish capital our intrepid Year Zero explorers were guided past Greyfriar's Bobby, down Candlemakers Row and into this wee emporium. Behold... there were many pages of glory to be found.

Don't Panic Posters. Vote Now.

Apparently, often imitated but never bested, the Don't Panic Pack has been an icon of counterculture since its inception at the turn of the millennium.

Stocked in select bars, art spaces, record stores, fashion outlets and universities, and distributed by hand outside cutting-edge gigs, club events and festivals, the pack is one of the UK's most popular and widespread free lifestyle print publications.
Don't Panic posters are given away free inside the pack and classic posters are available to buy through this site. Posters are designed by emerging artistic talent and established masters of the arts.

We have two prospects in the latest competition who deserve your vote.


Firstly this cheeky number from skate supremo Dylan Sewell (21) - cast your vote here.

And this cool cat from Sam Fisher (21). Vote for Sam's design here

You, your Mum, your dog, your friends, etc. only have 12 days left to cast a vote! By the power of Grillust™, let Dylan or Sam win

Bricklaying

Last night, 3rd year Graphic Design students, Ben Barrow (21) and Lee Freeman (21) collaborated (over a can or two of Mackeson Stout) to produce this fine gig poster for the Willy Mason event at The Brickyard in May.

Follow the links to check out more work on Ben's Website and Lee's Website

You've seen the poster, now you'll have to get along to The Brickyard to check out American singer/songwriter Willy Mason live!

Nice!


www.benbarrow.co.uk
www.leefreeman.co.uk
www.willymason.net

Hurrah! Hurrah! Hurrah!

Issue 2 of Imagine That has just been published and we're delighted to report that three of the Grillustazzi have had their work rightly recognised and selected for publication.


Sarah Swanton (21) Year 3 Graphic Design


Gary 'The Shrewsbury Biscuit' Nicholson (21) Year 3 Graphic Design


Chelsea Cannar (33) who graduated with a BA (Hons) Graphic Design in the summer of 2011.

In the less-financially-prudent world that exists in the Grillust™ analogue imagination (or digital iMagination); the lucky trio would probably be rewarded with a commemorative 'Check your bad self!' badge at a civic reception, followed by slap-up feed at the town hall.

Hurrah!

Grillust says "Vote for Grace"

Grace Neal (21) a 3rd year Graphic Designer, is campaigning to become the Student Union's Academic Sabbatical and she needs your support. Grace has been a Student Rep for the Graphic Design course for two years and has worked tirelessly on behalf of her fellow students, including helping to save the art materials shop when it came under threat.

This is her manifesto...



Now onto the important stuff.

Please vote for Grace here

Make her your first choice (number 1) and if you vote for any other candidates, make sure they belong to Grace's block called 'The Wanted' (please note that this isn't Grace's block name of choice - she's a naturally modest person).

PS. No money (or cake) changed hands to create this election blog post. We support Grace because we like her and know she will do an excellent job for all her fellow students.

So...

VOTE GRACE NEAL!

Year 0 Supremo Attempts New World Record!

Year 0 supremo Zoe Garnett-Scott (aka The Duchess of Papcastle) is pictured below during her heroic attempt to break the world record for the largest number of students in a staff office at one time.



Did she succeed in breaking the record?

Sadly, the answer is no, but it was a plucky effort.

Shine 2012 - Call for entries - Yr2 students

Call for entries for Coley Porter Bell's annual ‘SHINE’ awards. (The actual poster is up on the noticeboard just inside the studio).



Each year CPB search for the shiniest design talent in the UK. £3000 and a 3 month internship in their London studio is up for grabs.

In order to enter, you need to be a 2nd year student graduating in 2013.

It's free, and you send them a project that you've already done. No extra work is involved at this stage.

The deadline for entries is 1st June 2012.

Cheltenham illustration awards 2012 call for entries

Now in it's sixth year, the Cheltenham illustration awards is a fantastic opportunity for students and emerging illustrators to get some recognition in their field, take part in a well run competition and win some cashola.

If selected, your work will appear in a not too shabby annual like the examples below from the 2011 print (in Dwayne and Tony's office, if you fancy a look).







This years competition is looking at illustration with an emphasis on narrative and the theme is 'Tales of magical objects'. Inspiration is to come from the 'Amulets and charms' collection at the world famous Pitt rivers Museum, Oxford (follow the link for a virtual tour).

All competition details are available here

If Grillust™ was a song...

today it would be...

JOHN MARSDEN & SHAUN TAN - THE RABBITS

This week's selection is The Rabbits but do not be deceived by the cutesy name....Shaun Tan's illustrations make a macabre scene for a story of invasion and colonisation. Part surreal, part steampunk, part ...not sure...the lavish illustrations give a dark back drop to this dark tale.






Check out ShaunTan.net to see more of Tan's work, plus we have one or two of his other works in the library! (Can't miss an opportunity for a good ole plug...)

we are so down with the yoot'

Striding with great purpose, ever further into the futuristic now, all Grillust blogposts (an average of 417 per day) now come inclusive of a facebook like button; so you can spread the good word. Never let it be said we don't embrace new stuff.