Hey Springleapers!

I’ve been absolutely blown away by the quality of design submissions Springleap has been receiving. I would like to personally say thank you to each and every one of you ☺

I started off my week with a bang and although I can’t say too much just yet we have an awesome announcement coming your way real soon.

I decided to interview well-known designer Theoryone, aka Dylan Jones, and pick his creative brain for a few minutes. He is uber talented (really, just Google him, you’ll see) and it was my pleasure engaging with him!

Here we go…

1. Awesome Hansa Pilsener submission! Did you find this design brief challenging or did you immediately know how and what you were going to design?

See his Hansa Pilsener Submission here

Theoryone Hansa Pilsener Design

To be honest I rarely do competitions, but this one looked fun and I had an idea so I just went with it. I needed to do something alongside my usual design work (a distraction)

2. Tell us something we can’t find out on Google about you?

Haha, I’m fat(ish) and have a large beard ( much to my wife’s dismay )

3. How would you describe your design style in one (ok ok 3 words)?

Clean vector graphics, but I also do a lot of pen and pencil stuff in the evenings.

4. So you have a busy job, are there any interesting projects you can tell us about?

I’m a digital designer so I’m always working on interesting stuff. I’m busy on a few things but cant say too much

5. What kind of music are we most likely to find in your iTunes right now?

It depends on my mood. I like chromemusic.de mixes and I listen to a lot of Christian worship music and assorted podcasts.

6. What kind of project will always be your favourite?

The kind I’m in charge of. I enjoy all my work mostly; all jobs present unique challenges and problems. Obviously personal work is fun.

7. A designer can stand out with an idealistic idea or go with the flow of the client’s wishes. How do you see yourself in this situation?

Hahaha fun question! I think there are times you can and should stand up for your ideas, but it’s also good to remember that clients invest a lot of money in your skills and talents and you also need to answer to them on some level. If the client has your trust and respect they let you get away with a lot more. Youthful idealism is good and should be encouraged but so should a good sense of professionalism

Great words Dylan Jones ! We look forward to seeing all your future projects!

View his portfolio on Flickr : theory_one1’s photostream

Interesting fact about Dylan Jones - THE JONESES - Did you know that there are 3 Dylan Jones in Cape Town and all are well known designers? One is TheoryOne, the other is Dylan Wyndham Jones - also a great designer here at Springleap - and the third Dylan Jones used to work with us here at Springleap and evly.com. Boosh.

All three prices of design in the Springleap deck.

Amy. Over and Out.

I have been in contact with Jean for a good while now, and he is definitely such an awesome guy that there was no way I wasn’t going to interview him.

Jean is a booking agent for Southern Pulse and is highly instrumental in many local bands’ success. I managed to get him to answer some questions for us in between his busy schedule!

Hey Jean,

Thanks for doing this!

No worries…its rad

So you’re a booking agent at Southern Pulse, how’d that happen?

I’ve always loved South African music. Since I was in high school, I had a strong fondness for it, fighting for its validity amongst my school friends, who were more interested in international punk and metal bands. I would buy a lot of South African bands’ CD’s ( I remember being a huge Taxi Violence fan, right from the start and their EP, being one of my first South African purchases.) I think it was in grade 11 that I attended a Dear Reader concert at the Rustic Theatre and noticed that the person at the door spoke German. Being Swiss, I sparked up a conversation with her and found out her husband was in charge of one of the biggest booking agencies in South Africa. After seeing my passion for South African music, he offered me an internship and later a job on the spot.

From getting to know you, you’re quite well travelled. Tell me about your epic journeys, favourite moments and places?

I have travelled extensively through Europe, but I must say that my favourite trip was my trip to America last year. I say this because, whilst in New York, I had the opportunity to meet and hang out with Vampire Weekend and The Black Keys. It was after I went to a live screening of The Colbert Report.

What bands are you currently involved with?

At the agency we all help each other out in terms of bookings and shows. I am currently working with Fire Through the Window , a great pop indie outfit from Durban and Rambling Bones , the most amazing and fun folk band in South Africa.

What’s your favourite album this year?

There have been so many great releases this year including The Strokes , Incubus , Death Cab for Cutie , Foster the People , Beastie Boys , Childish Gambino, and many more. But I must say, thus far my favourites are Bon Iver - Bon Iver and Foo Fighters – Wasting Light . Locally I am loving the new Rambling Bones – Rambling Bones and Taxi Violence – Long Way Home , but am also anxiously awaiting the new Ashtray Electric - Measured in Falls . The new Tumi and the Volume album is rad too

How do you keep your passion alive for your job?

That’s easy. There is a constant stream of creativity coming from all sides. Agents and Managers are always abuzz with new shows and exciting acts that they have seen, as well as bands coming out with new music. as music is my passion, my job allows for me to constantly be around new and interesting sights and sounds.

What advice would you give to people pursuing a similar career path?

It is not for the faint of heart. There is a constant negotiation that takes place been agents, bands, promoters and venues. It’s never easy negotiating with bands and venues, but when you get it right, the sense of fulfillment is awesome. I’m also a full time student, so juggling my time between varsity and work is tough. As said, it’s not for the faint of heart.

What has been the proudest moment in your career thus far?

Defining one specific moment is tough. I pride myself in searching for and finding great local talent, and working with some great new interesting artists, such as Dance, You’re on Fire . And so I think, one of the cooler moments was getting them a prime slot at Oppikoppi last year, and watching the crowd’s reaction from the stage. But my all-time favourite experience has been going on a nationwide tour with Taxi Violence and Ashtray Electric, living the rock ‘n roll life style with two of my favourite SA bands. Also, going on tour with possibly one of the coolest bands ever, Balthazar ( Belgian band that toured in SA) was amazing.

How do bands get in touch?

Bands can e-mail myself or the agency directly and we can take it from there

What kind of band get your attention?

If a band has something special, that x-factor (as lame and conceited as that sounds), I immediately pay attention. In the past it has been bands like Taxi Violence, Ashtray Electric, Westlerish, Rambling Bones, Fire Through the Window, Dance,You’re on Fire, Alan!Let’s move on, and many more. Recently having watched Holiday Murray(CPT) and The Frown(JHB), I feel bands starting out need to up their game to the level of these guys. They are amazing live… The Frown are probably one of the coolest live acts I have ever seen, and I watch a lot of bands.

What is your favourite word?

Rad…

There you have it folks! Thanks Jean it was my pleasure!

how do i remove artwork from the competition?
I tried using the contact us message but there was always an error occuring when sending the message.

Hi there one and all .

Every now and then I like to showcase a tutorial by an artist that leaves me speechless and on the verge of jealous tears , haha.

This time around I had to put up the stunning Monster creation tutorial by none other than Neil Phyfer, or Playone , as he is known around Springleap .

You may recognize his eye-popping Can I Burst design…it unfortunately didn’t win this compo but it earned him loads of new fans.

Neil is becoming well known for his design style in South Africa . His attention to detail and genius for character design sets him apart from the majority of designers, especially those who specialize in character/monster design.

This monster tutorial starts out simple and then progresses into maddening detail . Just when you think it couldn’t get any better it just escalates to all new levels of awesome!

Monster Digital Painting Tutorial Preview (Time lapse of various stages) from Cartoon Smart on Vimeo.

It is interesting that he uses an almost watercolour like brush initially to trace his sketch. I suppose when you are working on a full color job like this you don’t need to use solid lines to restrict color-leakage.

Ok so maybe this isn’t exactly a color technique that would work for a tee design on Springleap, because we allow at max 7 colors.
However, there is no doubt that the ‘monster design’ style is a great inspiration and the techniques he uses can be applied across many mediums.

Neil’s graffiti and illustration skills are up there with the best in the business and I wouldn’t be surprised if they took him overseas in the very near future.

Check out more of Neil’s amazing work on his Playmation website….prepare to drop-jaw and salivate!

What did you think boys and girls, do you like Neil’s style of coloring and monster creation?
I for one am a BIG FAN of this dude.
Join him on Twitter to keep up with his movements.

Keep rocking Playone!

D.

Hi there my friends ,

I wanted to give you all a bit of inspiration to help you with your designs.
However, when I was looking around for some up and coming talent , I stumbled across a story which I thought would work just as well.

Take a look at the amazing photography from the recent Earth and Sky Photo contest 2011 , organized by TWAN (The World at Night) and Global Astronomy Month .

The “Beauty of the Night Sky” category was scooped by Stephane Vetter .
His A Starry Night of Iceland captures the imagination and inspires you to imagine worlds beyond our own and of course the great vastness of the universe .
The image was taken at Jökulsárlón , which is the largest glacier lake in Iceland .

I was mesmerized by the huge green aurora ring that frames the Milky Way so perfectly…it almost looks like a giant alien eye looking down on us hapless mortals.

Looking at photos like this remind me just how insignificant the human race is in the grand scheme of things. We can but sit back and enjoy the visual feast of nature, which for us is so brief that it may as well be a snapshot in itself.

The judges reckon that the photos had to exude two qualities , “either to impress people on how important and amazing the starry sky is, or to impress people on how bad the problem of light pollution has become”.

Judge Babak Tafreshi (TWAN founder) says that contestant had to submit “landscape astrophotography”, which is an image of a world landmark set against the backdrop of the night sky. Tafreshi went on to say that this style, “brings Earth and sky into one frame, and it’s a bridge between the night sky and the … environment,”.

Springleap is no stranger to t-shirt submissions that use the universe as their theme .

Think about the mind blowing designs from design legend Sebasebi .
His All we are is energy and Mr.Cosmos , have both been influenced by our universe and how intimately we are all connected to it.

Check out more from the amazing Earth and Sky Photo contest 2011 .

Wow these outstanding photos have really fuelled my desire to design now. I’m thinking of doing a massive genie coming out of a galaxy bottle ,hehe.

What do you think of the winner? Would you have gone for something else?

D