I chose Leeds as a place to research because it's quite honetly changed my life. It's helped me grow up, meet wonderful people I never thought I'd meet, experience things I never thought i would and study what I've always wanted to. I've also realised in just a year of living here what a massive role Graphic design, especially the printed kind, plays in making Leeds thrive and have as much going for it as it does.
There's always something going on in Leeds. Millenium square and all of the parks provide plenty of space for big events to take place! Gig venues, bars and clubs are really diverse and there's plenty for everyone. As well as all of this, there is a lot of DIY independent stuff going on which I really like, and it means students and even people who just want to give design a go can get involved in projects around Leeds.
Leeds inspired is a website that 'brings together the city’s annual highlights alongside independent events and fleet-of-foot DIY happenings to create an ever changing inspirational cultural calendar.'
As well as promoting design through their own project here, they have loads of creative events you can get involved in.
LEEDS FOOD AND DRINK
I decided to start looking into the design for food and drink crafted in Leeds after I was given a hellfire pale ale that said it was made at Leeds brewery.
I really liked the the front of the bottle, so I tried to find out who designed it. I found Project 53 who are a 'team of creative individuals assembled from all corners of the design industry. Our belief is simple: stunning and effective design accomplished through relentless attention to detail and close working relationships.' They're based in both Leeds and London. They do all the design for Leeds brewery and also created the identity for 2 of the brewery's city centre venues.
I continued looking at brewery's based around Leeds. I found Quaffing Gravy, who are a group of individuals who are passionate about both beer and Graphic design. Based just outside of Leeds in Shipley, they say: 'we believe in getting the inside right, but also get the outside right. So we've created a crisp, clean, delicately hopped, easy drinking pale ale and gone to the lengths of designing a screen printed bottle - and this is only the beginning...'
The 'vat of awesomeness' link on their website is also a collection of some great design. I researched into who designed the distinctive bottle, only to discover that they designed it themselves, and the type was drawn by a tattooist friend of theirs. See here for details.
Leeds Loves Food was on at the very beginning of summer this year. It's an annual food festival 'with a focus on the independent side of the Leeds food and drink scene and much more emphasis on the hidden food gems.' So, I had a look there to see if I could find any Leeds based food companies with interesting branding.
The Wardrobe, where I used to work, was one of the places recommended for food and drink.
I like the design for the menu, but I couldn't find out who designed it.
The Hummingbird Kitchen and Bar
I found that their branding was done by a Leeds based design company called Analogue. When I looked at the work, I realised they'd done branding for other bars/restaurants Oporto bar, Cielo Blanco
and Jake's bar in Leeds:
Oporto Bar
Cielo Blanco
Jake's Bar
Distrikt Bar
I've always been a fan of their posters for events and their sign outside the bar. I couldn't find out who creates these things but there's an artist, Yasmina Hamaidia, who created some of the pieces placed up around the bar itself.
Outlaws Yacht Club
It's art cafe/bar/hangout. Joined forces with Food& (a project for food lovers involving recipes, reviews and features. It's run by a group of individuals including a bunch of designers, illustrators and photographers.) for the Leeds Loves Food festival.
Food&
designers/illustrators that help out with this project:
Jessica Murnane
Lauren Feather
May Simargool I also found that she created this poster for Hyde Park Picture House:
Rosalind Stroughton After looking at her website, she's one of the best designers I've discovered so far researching into Leeds. I really love branding and identity and the work she does is beautifully done. Simplistic but still really interesting.
Front Ideas
Discovered that this company did the Leeds Loves food campaign in association with Asda:
Leeds Bread co-op
I went to Wharf chambers the other day and they were selling handmade sourdough bread. I asked about it and discovered it was made by a not for profit company called Leeds bread co op. They use locally-sourced ingredients and sell the bread locally at markets and independent shops.
I looked at the website and found that the design was made by Cocina Ideas.
LEEDS SPORTS
I'm part of Republica Women's football club, and they recently asked me design some anti-homophobia t shirts for a tournament they were having. I created the designs then printed them with the help of my friend Danielle at a place called Inc. Formerly Factory4, inc is linked to Leeds City College and allows anyone to book time out to use their space. It's really useful, especially as it has a moveable tshirt press, and allows me to work on projects over summer when uni is closed.
http://issuu.com/thedebacle
http://oportobar.co.uk/doggingclub/
http://www.madebyanalogue.co.uk/work/identity/the-dogging-club/
LEEDS MUSIC SCENE
I love music and going to live music events. Leeds is full of great music venues and they always seem to have really interesting gig posters that you always see up and about around the city centre. I went out and took a few photos of the ones local to me:
When I moved down to Leeds last September, I also discovered
Cops and Robbers which is 'a voluntary run and not-for-profit publication and website to help like-minded promoters and bands let people know about underground/DIY music events in the Leeds area. DIY is a much contested and fuzzy term but we use it to describe events that are not for profit, not for kudos or careerism, are 'econo' and efficient, and are socially/politically aware.'
They have a website (linked above) and a publication that comes out each month.
Cops and Robbers was first publised in 1999 and has been going ever since. It's a free publication and can be found in: Jumbo, Crash, the Brudenell Social Club, OK Comics, Wharf Chambers, etc.
These are some issues I've collected over time:
I feel like it's things like Cops and Robbers that really help get you deeper into/ more involved in the gigs/events that go on around Leeds. Also, because all the gigs/events are DIY, all the promotion, posters, flyers etc for each event are done by independent designers too.
The places I tend to go to mostly in Leeds are Wharf Chambers, Nation of Shopkeepers, and Brudenell Social Club. I searched and found some examples of gig/event posters from each:
Wharf Chambers:
Wharf Chambers was formerly known as 'The Common Place' Here's why it changed: http://northern-indymedia.org/articles/1513
I also created a poster myself for one of the events at Wharf Chambers:
Wharf Chambers is probably my favourite place in the whole of Leeds. Not only because of it's brilliant safer spaces policy, but also because of it's members only rule. I feel as though because it's a members club, when you attend you feel more a part of a community, than that you've just gone to a place you like for a few drinks. Wharf hold members meetings so you can be involved in the development and future of the place itself. Ideas for new events can be but forward, as well as it being an easy place to try out holding your very own event. The poster that I created was an event dreamed up by my friend Danny, who owns Wharf as well as a mixture of ideas from me alongside various members.
They have a zine fair at Wharf Chambers each year: http://leedszinefair.footprinters.co.uk/
I picked this leaflet up:
I went along to the zine fair last November and managed to pick these things up:
The zine fair provides opportunity for both well known and completely unknown illustrators/designers etc to showcase and sell some of their work. For example:
The piece in the first photo was made by The Print Project, which is a Bradford/Leeds based project whose aimis to "keep the skill and art of letterpress printing alive by producing work which is incredible to read, feel and touch."
The print project were one of the speakers at Leeds Print Festival this year. Held at Leeds gallery, Leeds print festival is a fantastic event with print talks, a print fair and even a pop up printing space.
The print project also held a project at Glastonbury festival where they made the Glastobury 2013 festival newspaper with the help of the festival goers. It was all made by letterpress.
Agua Pura is a zine made by a friend of mine, Kathleen Teadrinker. She's a paramedic, but says on the side she enjoys 'fighting with pen and ink, and sometimes winning.' The zine she was selling at the zine fair has been reviewed here.
I don't know much about Print Beast, but his facebook page is here.
Nation of Shopkeepers:
Brudenell:
From this, I became aware that some of the posters seemed to have been done by the same designers, so I did some more research and discovered these people:
Kate Prior
She's a designer from Leeds, who also studied at Leeds College of Art. Bassist in a band called Neon Plastix. She's the sister of Metronomy drummer Anna Prior.
Idiot's Pasture
Idiot's Pasture is an illustrator, printmaker and drawer from Sowerby Bridge (and sometimes Leeds).
Drew Millward
Tom Hudson
In the Leeds band Pulled Apart by Horses.
Reconfest is 'a series of pioneering Music, Art and Film events culminating in the week of the 22nd – 29th September, across Leeds and Bradford, UK. It's a festival that showcases and brings together innovators, experimenters, risk-takers, mavericks and outsiders working creatively with music, sonic arts, performance and film. It will take place across multiple sites and venues in Leeds and Bradford including The Brudenell Social Club, Howard Assembly Rooms, Hyde Park Picture House, The New Bradford Playhouse, Delius Arts and Cultural Centre, Wharf Chambers and the public domain.'
Like the cops and robbers events, because each event is seperate even though it's part of the same festival, the artwork put out there to promote each show is independent for each one. I'm planning to go to this event which I really like because it's both a Cops and Robbers and Recon event, almost bringing the 2 things together. (Etai Keshiki are also a great band, and I love them very much!)
Went to the event, here are some photos taken from the event:
Etai Keshiki also made their own risograph prints and gave them out for free at the gig.
LEEDS ART
Leeds Light Night is a great event held around the whole of Leeds. It's 'an annual multi-artform festival, which takes place on 4th October at numerous venues across Leeds city centre. It is a celebratory showcase for the huge range of diverse and thriving creative activity taking place in Leeds all year round, and gives visitors free access to art and venues that they might not normally see.'
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