The ISU man

While working on the previous job in December I had an idea of making the text heavy documents a little more interest for the reader. We all know how easy it is to lose concentration and interest at seminars sometimes, regardless of the content.

ISU agreed and wanted to see my idea. I thought that by having a cartoon character illustrating various points throughout the documentation it would create a focal and talking point, therefor keeping people involved and awake.

I asked ISU to send me a list of phrases and points that were important for them to get across, and then I would set about creating and using a cartoon character to do so. It was up in the air, a gamble, and none of us were sure of the response. But after they were finished and seen, they tell me that they are very happy with them, and their clients often comment on them.

So it worked, and the clients are amused and awake during those seminars. ISU commissioned me to create 20 different illustrations for their next teaching pack.

ISU Teaching Pack

This month has been quite hectic, there just never seems to be enough time in the day. I was given a brief by ISU that has taken almost the entire month. It's been challenging but interesting work at the same time.

The brief was to design various parts to what ISU call "Teaching Materials". This is basically an A4 folder filled with different kinds of documents. The folders were for handing out to prospective clients at their various seminars and meetings. The materials outline ISU's strategies and ideas about tackling problems in the care sector and resolving them.

Some of the things I had to design for the folder are; single A4 documents, 2 x multipage A4 documents, A3 illustrations, A5 flyer. I also had to design a slideshow to accompany the folder. Ofcourse, each of these elements had to have the same theme and look.

ISU 2 x 1.2m print

ISU have brought alot of work my way for their various projects over the last year and half. It seems that each time I complete a job for them, it creates a new job. It's very symbiotic it seems. They are always very pleased with what I create for them, and in return I'm very pleased to be given such cool opportunities.

Anyway, what I was trying to get at was that they liked the large prints I created for Virksomhed Vollsmose a few months back, that now they want one to promote themselves.

The brief was that it had to be subtle and artistic rather than shouting "WE ARE ISU". Designers like "subtle". The old adage of "Less is more" comes into play here, 95% of the time that's true.

I decided that the print should relate to and reflect the same design theme I used early in the year for their slideshow.

Printed at 2m x 1.2m it looks very impressive and sleek hung on one of their walls.

Hedensted Kommune (Part 3)

The third and final part to the promotional work was for me to create five promotional posters matched by theme (three of which you can see here). They had to portray the truth about the staff at the organisation. The fact that they love their job, they love their patients, and everyone gets along great. It's almost like the Cosby Show or something! Quite different to the shocking news we had here in the UK a few years back about our old peoples home, quite different.

The posters were A2 and were to be posted up all over Denmark.

Hedensted Kommune (Part 2)

I spent around a week visiting the various care homes taking photographs. Now with that part of the job done I was asked to create some promotional materials for the organisation. As mentioned before, the idea was for me to paint a new picture for peoples perceptions of care homes. Change the negative into positive.

The breif was for me to create a slide show for them to show at various events they hold, which you can download here if you wish to see. (Hedensted Slideshow)

Hedensted Kommune (Part 1)

Through word of mouth I was commissioned to travel to Denmark again to embark on another promotional project within the care sector. Hedensted is a company that run three elderly care homes in and around København (Copenhagen). They had arranged for ISU to go into each one, evaluate and then improve them. That's is as simple as I can put it, what they do is very in depth.

Anyway, part on the "improvement" was for them to change peoples perceived opinions of these places. The usual perception is that the carers don't actually care, or give any time lovingly. When really, it's quite the opposite, I saw that with my own eyes.

My job was to go into each home, and spend a couple of days getting to know the nurses and residents (to gain their trust) and take some telling photographs to help promote the environments. All in all it was rather successful and very enjoyable.

I must thank Claudia for being my interpreter, and a very good one at that.

HiSoul Society event

A nice quick and fun job for me, I was given complete freedom to create this design for an event night in a club. The brief was simple, it had to be "cool, street and funky". The imagery I used was a combination of record decks, speakers, vinyl and also created a graffitiesque backing for the events name.

After converting it to various sizes, it was finally printed as an A3 poster for in-house promotion, an A5 flyer for handing out at other venues, and as an A6 card. The A6 card I re-jigged so the text was legible.

Incidentally, "re-jigged" isn't a tecnical term, but a comical term I picked up when working with some of the industry elders a few years back.