Geometry James

James Kirkup is responsible for some refreshing graphic design. At 21 years old, he has a calm aesthetic that belies his years, and is likewise modest about his portfolio. Often overlaying simple geometry over existential photography, his use of placelessness is reminiscent of avant-garde 70’s graphical dreamscapes, like those of Superstudio.

I am also a particluar fan of his laissez-faire attitude towards and crop marks and colour bars around the edges of his posters.

View more James’s portfolio and other enterprises on his site. He also contributes to the 'SluttyFringe' blog. And check out the rest of the creative web-community on Cargo Collective.

'Fucking Summer'

In May Platoon launched the 'Fucking summer' / 'scheiss sommer'  promotional campaign for the Arena summer season 2009. The operation included a holistic campaign of posters, online, social networks, adds and more. Arena is a post-industrial complex on Berlin's river Spree, hosting creative businesses, bars, concerts, cultural events [recently international design festival DMY] and river-bound pool the 'Badeschiff' / 'Pool-Ship'.

For a while the area was battered with the thematic posters, which used an eye-catching blend of straws, piss, ketchup, condensation and cigerettes to put their point across. It's exemplary of the continental branch of rational photography and is preferable to silly indie shots of some gymnastic goth contorting 'to the beat'. And likewise preferable to the predictable graphical melodrama that promotions usually employ. They have a natural, dreamy depth and satirical 'truth' that lends depth to the environment they're pasted to. But they suffered for their art, as their collectibility became a problem for the campaign.