My name is Gil, I am a graphic designer with a passion for illustration and crafting. I specialise in creating work that is unique as it incorporates handcrafted techniques into contemporary designs. Having spent time working in the industry, I have learned that whilst this isn't always a viable option, it is becoming increasingly popular and has a viable place in the field. I extended my degree and did a Diploma in Professional Studies, and had the opportunity to work with a variety of fantastic companies. I discovered that I thoroughly enjoy working with creatives along with other colleagues and always aim to learn as much as I can to improve my own knowledge and skills.
The Library of Babel in 3.
For one of my final year projects I was tasked with designing three typographic responses to "The Library of Babel" a short story by Jorge Luis Borges. The basic premise of my design is based around how everything in the library is designed with mathematics and how this clashes with everything else, like the ordering system and its inhabitants. This was done by using maths to set up a typographic system which causes chaos when put into practice. The most important part of this project was designing the readers experience, from the font choice to the order the interpretations would be read in, all are designed to put the viewer in the shoes of an individual in the library.
Craft & Crafting: Why one is Graphic Design & the other is what its missing.
This is the creative outcome from my dissertation, a piece I wrote on crafting's place in the future of graphic design. The brief stated that we had to create a stimulating response to our dissertation which turned it from a piece of writing into an experience the reader could have. Seeing as my essay was on crafting I provided the viewer with an opportunity to create their own copy of my dissertation using traditional wooden block printing. The entire piece was laser cut into three A2 boards, with one side featuring the text and the others the bibliography, appendix & instructions on how to print with them. This was all handed in with one printed copy I did myself, printing supplies, and plenty of paper. The final prints came out beautifully, mixing a traditional style of printing with a contemporary layout.
"Branding" myself.
For my self initiated brief I decided rather than design a project to go in my portfolio, I would design new way of presenting myself, my promotional materials and my portfolio, essentially "branding" myself. In my DPS year I became frustrated by the inconsistencies I saw in my personal "branding" and decided that my SIP would be used to design and create all these products so they represented me and made a memorable impact on future clients. I designed a wooden framed concertina portfolio, which could adapt to the presentation space, a box to protect it in, paper engineered business cards, a website, a digital portfolio, an Instagram account for my work and I then made it all. I designed the portfolio to be sustainable so rather than having to be remade every time I updated my portfolio, one could simply slide the paper content out and replace it with an updated edition. By finishing this project I am immediately ready to go out and find work, confident in my tools and designs.
