Gillian Blease

Gillian Blease works as a freelance illustrator mainly on editorial work, such as books, magazines and newspapers. However, she has also done some advertising illustration and logo design. Some of her clients have included Barclays, The Guardian, Sainsbury's, Nestle and Tesco just to name but a few. Her work is a familiar, yet a fresh alternative to the glossy special effects that have bled into most realms of design. She tends to see things in a simple boiled down light, which in my opinion is an admirable trait, as it is so easy to look at things and then start to over complicate them.

This first image is an editorial job she did for a restaurant magazine. When i first looked at this image, the thing that jumped out at me the most, was the bottle opener and what appeared to be pound coins entwined around it. It immediately made me think of food and drink, as the bottle opener stands out as the dominant feature in the graphic, due to the fact that it is the only element which is coloured white. Whether the use of coins is to convey the sense of good quality wine, or that most people associate wine and money with a restaurant i am not too sure, i personally think the latter. However, the point being she has communicated the idea of a restaurant through a moderately simple graphic, that not only is easy on the eye but divides the artwork up nicely allowing for the easy addition of copy.

The next illustration is a book cover for '21st Century Small Holder', which discusses property prices and how to get on the property ladder. This illustration really caught my attention as the bold colours are very strong and vibrant which in turn, draws you in and holds your interest. At a first glance the copy is clear cut and bold which makes it easy to read. The subtle use of imagery on the graphic is merely representative of the tone of voice on that particular page. The snails, in my opinion echoe the fact that it is a slow process to get onto the property ladder. With regards to the other page, i am fairly convinced that it will be full of suggestions of how to get established in the property ladder, given the graphic of the light bulb. I also like the reversing of colours she has used for the two pages, perhaps to indicate the two different tones of voice.

Here is an example of some advertising work Gillian did for Nestle. Again its a flat two dimensional illustration that isn't over glamorous and doesn't try to show anything off. This really is an example of how simple, simple can be. Nestle as i am sure everybody knows does several types of cereals - what simpler a graphic can you communicate this with than a spoon with grains of corn placed into it? This image to me also conveys a very organic, natural and soothing feel due to the placid colour palette she has used. An interesting interpretation.

This logo was designed for a record company called 'Porcupine'. For me not only does the supporting graphic make the logo work, but the typeface used fits in well and compliments the logo on the whole. The circular shapes that litter this logo make a link explicitly to the shape of a record, but also give the logo a sense of form and pattern. What i can't make out is what appears to be a magnifying glass on the eye of the porcupine, maybe this is intended to represent the intricacy of the brand? Anyone got any ideas?

Lastly is another logo, this time done for 'Marmalade'. At a first glance this immediatley made me think of mornings, but good positive mornings. This logo is full of energy and ouses life, which i think is due to the vibrant colours that have been used and also the range of different shapes. What really makes this logo for me is the combination of the shape of the orange segments with the half risen sun. This association with early mornings, having marmalade for breakfast and the sun slowly rising is a strong element that people can associate with the brand and it is all contained within a sinlge logo, not bad.

I think that Gillian Blease's work shows a very basic and simple way of communicating ideas and concepts. This is not to say that her work lacks depth, it doesn't and the reason for this is that the images she produces often have signifificant meaning and presence but without the over complex additives. This isn't easy to achieve. Why should she make things more complex when she can communicate so well in a simple fashion. Surley this is more effective?

www.gillianblease.co.uk