Passed two sleepless years of study in British on the course “Visual Communication” with the curator Leonid Slavin. I will try to summarize everything that I discovered during my studies.

Since the course is aimed at identity and packaging, we will talk about them. But the basic principles apply to other areas as well, from advertising to interfaces.

When I sat down to select pictures for the text, I realized that it would be logical to show the works of the guys from our course, made during the training period (2013–2015).

So.

The stuff always works

In Britain, a lot of time was spent to get us to do something with our own hands. Because often choosing the right tool is already the solution to the problem.
Plus, we are so used to doing everything on a computer, in the same programs, that the result of using a simple physical method is already attracting increased interest. Because the material is alive.

Herbal tea for supporters of a healthy lifestyle “Tweet” (Marina Apevalina)

Poster (Tanya Lazareva / Stas Neretin), Moscow Anthill (Raushan Sultanov), Poster (Maria Zaitseva)

Toilettering (Artur Lebsak), Poster (Raushan Sultanov)

Many people know how to draw cool, but not cool to invent

(see 10 examples of how one idea beats any design)

This is where art directors differ from designers.

Liquid fertilizer “Bloom-Boom” (Tanya Mikolaevskaya)

One job, one idea

There is no need to try to stuff several chips into one job. This is also a sure sign by which a pro differs from a beginner.

The Lumiere Brothers Center for Photography (Tanya Lazareva)

Test reality

Show mom / girlfriend: What’s this? Is the idea deducted?

In reality, no one has the opportunity to stand next to their work and explain its message to every passer-by.

The Invisible Man (Vlad Mikhailov), Forbidden Fruit (Stas Neretin), The Diamond Hand (Elena Pyrko)

Strategy is important

Until you decide what it is and for whom – it makes no sense to sit down to draw.

The most basic: Who is the target audience? How old are they? How do they live? What do they want? Ideally – find insight.

Porridge for weight loss “Diet Set” (Arthur Lebsak)

Dive right away

When you receive a task, you must immediately immerse yourself in the task, study, research, try to stuff more into yourself so that it cooks inside for a while. Then, most likely, there will be a creative plug. And after that, the solution will pop up on its own.

Tenuta delle Grazie (Alena Zhokina)

Seek advice from colleagues, especially when the eye is blurred

Blueberry jam “ODOS” (Karina Melkunova)

What is it like…

The beginning of this phrase is the main headache and the main meme among the students of the course throughout the training.

We are talking about the formulation of the main metaphor of the project, which will then be played out visually.

“It’s like …” is the starting point of any project, its foundation.

It’s like an old book of fairy tales, it’s like an adventure map, it’s like a secret society, it’s like a decoration.

You “sew” it into a picture, and the passer-by must see and count the message, even subconsciously. This is how it works.

KInder Museum Moderne Kunst (Raushan Sultanov)

Environment defines communication

The carriers fight into different categories: there are, for example, external (outdoor, etc.) for them there will be the same rules for the work of the constituent elements; for interior (store interior) there may be other rules. Etc. An engineering thing.

New Manege (Dasha Zhuchkova)

Directly to media

When creating an identity, you need to immediately throw everything onto the media, and not make graphics surrounded by white space, immediately see the work on a scale.

Collect everything and watch how the media add up to the big picture.

The network of children’s stores “Korablik” (Artur Lebsak)

Play out

Playing out one idea and finishing one job is much more difficult than throwing ideas around.
This quality is best seen when you watch the work and train of thought of seasoned art directors in person.

Slimming porridge “Half-grain” (Vladimir Ayuev)

Steep serve drags

Technical skills have not been canceled.

Silent Film Club Museum (Arthur Lebsak)

Look back

Understand the history of graphic design, artists, important phenomena of the time: know where the legs grow from. Because an art dealer must understand where he is “shooting” and why.
Therefore, at the beginning of the training, a lot of time was devoted to stylization.

Unlearn how to draw beautifully

Because you become a hostage to your hand. You have to be ready to work in any style – the technical part can be transferred to another designer or illustrator.

Meat products “Butcher Kenny” (Vlad Mikhailov)

Seek new opportunities for self-expression

When you compete for attention with thirty other talented designers every day, it can help your work stand out a lot. In fact, like in life, only on a smaller scale and more and more loosely.

Zoological Museum (Stas Neretin)

Be ready to justify any of your design decisions

Why was this particular graphic chosen? Why this color? Why this font? How will they continue to work with the invented? Will it be convenient to use it? Etc.

Cheese “Say CHEEESE!” (Raushan Sultanov)

The logo is not the main thing

Leonid teaches to start technical work on the identity, first of all, with the search for a graphic language, and the logo can be drawn in general in the last few days. As paradoxical as it may sound.

Designer leather bags “Max Sharov” (Arthur Lebsak)

What are you saying?

Check yourself constantly: What do you want to say?

We say something with any picture and it is important to realize what and to whom we want to convey. To make it easier to understand what “Visual Communications” means, it is enough to imagine any brand in the image of a person. What is he? Is his voice loud or quiet and calm? And finally, is he my own or a stranger?

Jewelry “We” (Tanya Mikolaevskaya)

Of course, this is not all that I have learned from two years of study at the coolest design school in the country. It seems that the most important thing has been developed over the course of all two years – many hours of detailed analysis of our work by Leonid Slavin.

This cannot be converted into words, I would rather express it as an understanding, a feeling, an art director’s view of the project.

PS As a conclusion, I would like to add that personally my story with the British woman has not yet received its logical conclusion, because I have not yet defended my diploma.

But I can say with confidence that I have gained tremendous experience and understanding. And that study, like nothing else, influenced where I could get a job.

Therefore, if you think: to act or not, why think – of course, yes!

Author: Vladimir Ayuev
Source: medium