Phil Howell Design

Well we’re all on the road to…. part 1

At the moment I can really post anything I’m working on, on the blog as its all on going client work. So because I dont want you to think I don’t care I thought I would share one of my latest pieces. The first of 6 in a new set of posters, each on playing tribute to one of Brian and Stewie’s ROAD TO features. Enjoy.

The Evolution of Kanye West

So here it is as promised my newest Kanye project, THE EVOLUTION OF KANYE WEST you can buy prints here

Lesley’s Girls Vintage

This week I have been lucky enough to work alongside the wonderful Janine Rudkins of ‘Lesley’s Girls Vintage. Janine came to me with a dream brief , a logo design featuring a pin-up girl for her new retail space and branding!

Vintage style work is my favourite thing to do, and I love drawing pin-ups, more than anything else. I would draw them all day every day if I could. Janine had a certain look see was going for and from her reaction (she said it made her cry in a good way) when she first saw the finished piece I think I hit the nail on the head.

Lesley’s Girls are an awesome start up business and you can find out all about them here they also have a shop open in Colchester, Essex so make sure you check them out.

Rap Graphics at HUCK

Last night I had the honer of attending the opening of RAP GRAPHICS at 71a Leonard Street the exhibition hosted by Huck and Curated by Ed Andrews is something everyone with either and interest in hip hop or design should take time to see.  As I’m sure you know if you read this I love both Hip Hop and design and so this was the perfect exhibition for me

The show features a hand full of artworks by Various designers who have illustrated lyrics from tracks chosen by Rappers. This collaboration is extremely interesting as the artist may have a different connection to the lyrics as the rapper selecting them does, this depth in the show makes it a lot more than just hip hop posters in frames.

The exhibition is open to the public and running until 9th May. and You can buy prints of all the artwork from the 71a gallery shop or online here

 

Pickles Magazine

This week I arrived a t the studio to awesome post! The lovely folk at Pickles Magazine sent me a copy of the latest issue along with an extremely cool badge.

 

For those of you who don’t know Pickles is a football magazine with a difference, its incredibly well designed. the typography is to die for and it manages to talk about footballing issues that matter with out half naked women on every page, its the polar opposite to nuts. To me this a great thing. I didn’t grow up a football fan, I didn’t enjoy the game until I was in my early twenties, and part of the reason was the lad culture. Pickles is the kind of magazine I would and will read and I encourage you all to, to find out more click here

 

Vm & Display show 2013 VCG Colourlink stand

 

This past week have have been working at the VM and Display show with VCG Colourlink at the London Design Centre. It was a great experiance and as always a really great place to meet new faces. Colourlink were there too display all of there wonderfully exciting new products including their range of eco friendly and removable graphic soloutions perfect for retial and exhibition spaces, aswell as pop up shops and interiors.

 

This year colourlink themed their show on Alice in Wondewrland and I was able to add some illustrated elements to the show including a stain glass window (rose and heart) a mixed media sign post complete with vintage style type and a three meter high Alice! Made from a 100 percent eco friendly product. It was amazing getting to see my work that big, and hopfully she made an impact. I also worked with colourlink on the design of their tote bag  you can see that here 

 

Design for retail and exhibition are too things I really enjoy working on and my close ties with Colourlink means that I can help manage your brief from design, production and right to installation.

 

For more information about VCG COLOURLINK click HERE

 

 

Urban Outfitters

A few weeks ago I was minding my own business, doing my own thing when out of the blue I got an email from the ‘head talent scout’ at Urban Outfitters asking if I would be interested in working there as a senior digital designer. Urban have always seemed like a cool brand I so I though why not, I’ve got nothing to lose and swiftly replied with a YES! I have never been ‘headhunted’ before and it’s kind of weird there’s this weird pressure, nervous thing that goes on when you have never applied for anything. To cut a long story short I went to see people at urban we all got along just fine.

The next stage of the ‘interview’ was being asked to produce something for them them and so the past couple of weeks I have been working on this project for Urban Outfitters, designing concepts for they email newsletter and homepage. I really enjoy mixing illustration, typography and photography and urban is a great brand to do this with.

Putting it all in perspective

Last week I was extremly sadened to learn abpout the death of a dear friend, Nial Harrington of the Creative Coop. I was not very close to Nial and didn’t, sadly know him for very long. How ever he really did teach me a lot, mostly about the working world, different people, music and comedy. Nial was an extremly talented designer, one I was lucky enough to work with on a project, while I was based at 15 Queen Street.

 

Nial really opened my eyes to understanding the world a little bit more, his experiance and talent had a massive and positive on me. When we met I was fresh out of uni, ready to put the world to rites. I had an ego about design can say I honestly thought I knew best. I remember talking with Nial once and he basicly told me not to worry about the little things, don’t sweat the small stuff and ignore negitivity and instead to just smile, go with the flow, learn and grow… to just see life as one giant learning experiance.

 

It was some of the most humbling things I ever heard and he was and is totally right! Design was and is such a huge part of my life but at the end of the day there is more going on and things arn’t worth getting angry about. Companies will have bad design, people will use comic sans but all the time I spent getting worked up, tweeting, blogging and moaning about it was all time I could be drawing, skating, laughing, loving, reading and listening. The small stuff can wait. Nial taught me that, he also taught me that it didn’t matter if you hated someone if they have good songs there no shame in blasting it.

 

Nial was a true legend, Lauren and myself often thought (and still will) of him as the Uncle of 15 Queen Street, he was so cool though, everybody and anybody who has ever met him will stand to that. Cancer has robbed the world of a design talent, top bloke and an unfinshed sitcom!

 

RIP Nial

Fuck Cancer

 

Yours

 

Phil

Gaston’s Tavern

 

I’ve been exploring the world of design competitions, I find the ones that charge a bit odd and have never really been in to them. But I thought I would try my hand at threadless, I figured it’s free, the community seem cool and if nothing else it would be briefs to work to when I’m bored. To start with I though I would submit kayne Wes in to the open brief just to test the water and I was a little blown away when it made it though to scoring. So I started looking at the current briefs, I decided to design something for the Dead Island:Riptide competition (see below). Then when looking through past comps I came across Disney Villains, LOVE IT.

 

Now I going to Disney world in May with Charlotte and I love Villains and I had this idea when we booked it to design something for the new ‘Gaston Tavern’ and here it is! this is what I would have submitted to the comp so to speak.

Dead Island Riptide

Do you like Pin ups? The beach? Sun? Sea? and ZOMBIES! my submission to the threadless Dead Island: Riptide Competition. Hopefully it gets approved…. fingers crossed.