Tag: christmas

If you want to get ahead; get a hat

Posted on by McSherryRetrospective

*Stop Press. Thanks to Peter Kirwan from Denobi Web Design, who phoned me to ask me if this was my brainchild. Such wit merits a link.*

Apologies for mentioning ancient history but an event occurred in the run-up to the unmentionable ‘festive season’ that is indeed worth mentioning.

The IGI Christmas party took place in Doyles pub on College Green and was organised by IGI stalwarts, Una Gildea and Pádhraig Nolan. Members were urged to contrive an imaginative hat, worthy of their august profession as arists and which would be judged by none other than writer and grizzled comedy elder, Kevin Gildea. Kevin, who appeared very surprised by the honour suddenly thrust upon him by his sister, the aforementioned Una, turned in a wonderful ad-hoc performance, which not only affirmed to all of us his wit, flair and fluency but also impressed me, with his keen judgement, since I came joint- first along with Joven Kerekes in his jive-ass afro-contraption head-set thing. Unfortunately, I don’t have a decent photo of Joven’s crown-topper but I do have a pic of Padhraig Nolan’s Viking Splash Jewelry Stand Creation and Chris Judge’s ‘ The Ruskies are Coming!’
If you do have a snapshot of Joven avec chapeau, could you send it to me? I’ll post it up here and we can keep the spirit of Christmas alive.

Scamp’s Thrifty Christmas

Posted on by McSherryRetrospective

Well actually, here’s something that’ll interest you. Every month, Scamp.ie, the excellent blog all about Irish illustration, have an open submission event based around a topical theme. This month’s is the aptly themed ‘A Thrifty Christmas’. Click on the link below and take a look at how various Irish illustrators including me, interpreted the brief into sketches…read more here.

Ho ho ho… A Very [Insert franchise name here] Christmas

Posted on by McSherryRetrospective

First, I’d just like to wish a very happy and peaceful Christmas to both my readers!

Apparently, ’tis the season to send badly designed Christmas cards to people that you don’t know very well, in the hope of generating a bit of oul’ business. For, as it was once told to me by a wizened old marketing professional -you can send all the flyers you want during the course of a year but people will only remember the Christmas card.

I agree -but only if the card is worth looking at. I just received one from the garage that sold me my second-hand car seven years ago [as I have done every year since]. Although it doesn’t take the gong for worst card design, it comes eye-wateringly close. There is no excuse for sending abysmal cards unless you’re a graphic designer in a corduroy jacket who could say with a knowing smile, ‘This card is an ironic statement’.

Seems to me that all such cards generate is indifference, or worse; enmity. If the person to whom a card is sent is not a personal friend- then the card must have some other obvious merit. It should be very funny or very arresting in some other way. You can’t get good results from a picture lifted from a royalty-free image CD or one that has a company logo plastered garishly across the cover illustration. I venture to suggest that cards’ inner messages should also be hand-written, perhaps with a wry humorous note [since there may be no personal relationship with the receiver].

And… since companies habitually decide to include Christmas in their marketing strategies; they shouldn’t leave such important design choices to busy office managers or outsource the task of design to printers [printers and design are like builders and varnish; they don’t mix]. There are plenty of great illustrators and graphic designers -who are born for such work and can advise on approach. There are also excellent cards made by some of the charities, like Oxfam or The Irish Cancer Society. So, there’s plenty of choice -all well worth the expense and which could start generating a bit of warmth in these cold-hearted times.

Perhaps as image-makers, we’re not doing enough to convince people in the general business community of the value of design?

I’d wecome your thoughts on the subject. Have you received any cards this year that provoked a wince? Clean your stomach contents from your shoes and tell me about it.