Büro Destruct

With the aim to encourage and promote young artists, HGB Fideljus created the Destruct Agentur in 1992. Teaming up with art director Lopetz in 1994, the "art agency" changed into the graphic design bureau destruct or "Büro Destruct" (BD), as it is known today. The current team consists of 5 members: MBrunner, H1reber, Heiwid, Moritz and Lopetz.
The design work of BD consists largely of printed matter ranging from corporate identities, logotypes, ads, books, record-sleeves, cd-covers, posters and flyers...
A speciality of Büro Destruct is creating typefaces. Their first book offered a retrospective on the bureau's work from 1994 to 1999. The popular "Electronic Plastic" book in 2000 was followed in 2001 by the project: "Narita Inspected”, a roundup of contemporary graphic designers in Japan, researched and designed by BD. In 2002, Büro Destruct opened their design-shop called "Büro Discount" in Zurich.
In 2004, Büro Destruct released their second personal book with works from the last four years. Even though Büro Destruct often seems weird and precise enough to look Japanese, they're still located in Bern, the small and unsuspected capital of Switzerland.

Armchair & Josh Boston

For the Coke Side of Life Remix posters, Armchair Media’s creative director Stefán Kjartansson has collaborated with a team of like-minded artists including Siggi Eggertsson, Paul Pope and Josh Boston.

Josh Boston was born on a farm in the middle part of the U.S. and grew up writing stories, sketching, playing video games, and winning chess tournaments. He also grew to be taller than anybody you know. He is one of those self-taught wunderkinds you hear of from time to time. No matter, he says that, “Books are pretty much like school anyway.” Of course, it does help a bit to have a great mentor and hangman, and Josh’s was Mike Cina of the art and design collective youworkforthem.

Mr. Boston currently lives in Southern California, and works for the Lambesis Agency, running between identity work and advertising. He also loves theology, waterslides, drawing letters, and filling canvases with pretty shapes.

Southbank Expo

Sir Peter Blake - Artist at Work

The Father of The Pop Art movement in Britain, Sir Peter Blake is probably best known for his Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Beatles album cover. He continues to pursue his love of music with album covers for Paul Weller, and portraits of Robbie Williams and Ian Dury, and his prolific fine art career ensures regular exhibitions and retrospectives at The National Gallery. He received a knighthood from the Queen in recognition of his achievements.

Augustus 2007, Sir Peter Blake has been commissioned by Coca-Cola UK to create a stunning piece of pop art celebrating "Summer on the Coke side of life". Here you can see some video stills.





Sir Peter Blake signing off his artwork.





Details from the ‘Coke Side of Life’ artwork.



Sir Peter Blake at work on the Southbank, London.





The Coca-Cola Art project is getting huge press coverage.





The artist and his work.

Special thanks to Lexis PR.

Sir Peter Blake

"Summer on the Coke Side of Life" MAKING OF VIDEO
In this video you can see Blake and his team creating the 7m high work of art on the SouthBank. Blake's enthusiasm for the project shows in his large-scale piece; it is at once an icon for Coke and for his signature style.


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The Southbank of the River Thames is one of London's most vibrant locations; jugglers, mime artists, silver human statues, this place has got the lot. But what would happen it you added the Godfather of UK Pop Art and creator of the legendary Sgt. Peppers album cover, Sir Peter Blake?


Photography by Russell+, Flickr. All Rights Reserved.

Last Summer, Sir Peter Blake has been commissioned by Coca-Cola UK to create a stunning piece of pop art celebrating "Summer on the Coke Side of Life". Here you can see the end result.


Photo by Slimmer_Jimmer, Flickr. All Rights Reserved.

Remix Art Gallery

For the Coke Side of Life Remix Art Gallery, RockAndRoll Agency creatively managed 15 artists/agencies/collectives from around the world: Idokungfoo, Japan // Vault49, USA // Caos CC, Spain // Adhemas, Brazil // 013a, Romania // Creative XL, India // Extraverage, Hungary // Buro Destruct, Swiss // Mienandi, Senegal // The Designers Republic, UK // Rex (South Africa) // Todd Alan Breland (USA) // Spinbalon, Venezuela // Pixecute, Indonesia // Armchair & Josh Boston, USA // Fung Wee Lim, Canada.
Here you can see their artworks exposed on the SouthBank, London, UK.





The work of the Remix artists reflects various styles, personalities and cultures and the project shows how vibrantly creative the collaboration of a design network can be.
The diverse backgrounds of the contributing artists have resulted in a multifaceted world of imagery that draws its freshness from the mixture of approaches. Their mission is to spread an optimistic look at the world and help people realize how contagious happiness is. By combining iconic Coca-Cola images with up-to-date illustration techniques and styles, the artists have given rise to a progressive style of visual expression.





Designed within the “Coke Side of Life” concept and format, the Remix artworks are colorful explosions of positive thinking.
The experimental, playful and humorous collages of historical Coca-Cola milestone images are a true tribute to the brands unique and undying creative spirit.









Photography by RWDave, Russell+, Slimmer_Jimmer, Simpson_eh, Bergs Eye View, Hallywoods, Owizard (Flickr). All Rights Reserved.

013a

ARTIST SPOTLIGHT



ARTIST PORTRAIT
The man behind 013a is Matei Apostolescu, a 23-year-old graphic designer and illustrator living in Bucharest, Romania. With a classical music and graffiti background, he started designing only three years ago. He has since completed various projects involving illustration, web design and motion animation. Last year, he established his own design studio in Bucharest. Matei finds great inspiration in literature and the visual universe of his own childhood in the post-Communist epoch. In only a short space of time, 013a has become one of the absolute darlings of today’s graphic scene, and with his very recognizable style - a mix of analogue and computer art - Matei consistently pushes the boundaries of visual communication. His often experimental and challenging work can be seen on book covers , magazines, ads, posters, boards and on clothing.



INTERVIEW

WHAT INSPIRES YOU?
A lot of things but especially technology and the ever changing complexity
of the world we live in.

DID IT TAKE LONG TO FIND YOUR PERSONAL STYLE?
I never tried to have one specific style - I just let it happen. Most of my work is freestyle.

DO YOU START SKETCHING ON PAPER OR DO YOU WORK DIRECTLY ON THE COMPUTER?
I start with very detailed drawings made with rotring pens, scan them in and process them in Photoshop.





WHAT KIND OF MUSIC DO YOU LISTEN TO AT THE MOMENT?
Most of the time, I listen to IDM (Intelligent Dance Music) and electronic music.

DO YOU READ DESIGN MAGAZINES?
I love Computer Arts magazine, and I read a lot of art blogs on the web.

WHICH PROJECT HAS GIVEN YOU THE MOST SATISFACTION?
The 115 digital art gallery in Bucharest. I`m one of the founders and I didn’t expect it to grow so fast. We made a lot of noise with this project in Romania and on the web.

DO YOU DISCUSS YOUR WORK WITH OTHER ARTISTS?
Of course. I get masses of feedback from various forums / art groups. There’s a lot of idea sharing going on via the internet right now and to me this is a great way of learning and understanding what’s going on around me.



WHAT INTERESTS YOU MOST IN THE COKE SIDE OF LIFE REMIX PROJECT?
I was always fascinated by the classic Coca-Cola posters, so the chance to work with such important historical material really meant a lot for my skills and future development.

WHAT IS THE MESSAGE IN YOUR REMIX ARTWORK?
Love & understanding the idea of love.

IS IT DIFFICULT TO COME UP WITH ARTWORKS THAT FIT A THEME?
Not really. I think it’s an exercise of putting things into perspective and understanding how to transmit a certain message or feeling to someone else.

WHAT'S YOUR ULTIMATE DREAM PROJECT AS AN ARTIST?
Well, this may sound strange, but it’s a one billion dollar movie. The way I see it, this would be the biggest artistic collaboration in human history.

WHERE CAN WE FIND YOU WHEN YOU'RE NOT WORKING?
In a beautiful place on the Danube, at the Cetate Cultural Port – a cool spot for relaxation and the best food on earth.

Caos CC

ARTIST SPOTLIGHT


Caos CC for Belio Magazine

ARTIST PORTRAIT
Illustrators, designers, stylists, painters, creators of artefacts, web artists, photographers, … Caos Comunicacion Creativa, based in Barcelona, is the studio that links the most diverse talents. Founders Christian Borau and Maria Duran got their start in the graphic world in the late nineties. Being art directors for famous clubs as Palm Beach, Cube and Zoom, fashion labels Chupa Chups, Anata Sesa, Caliu and Group, they got their Caos flyers, posters and fashion prints posted everywhere.
With their online community project Urban Freezone, Caos wants to create a bridge between urban artists from all-over the world. The Freezone project and other Caos initiatives arise from a desire to approach, update and expand today’s visual languages: “We want to be on the cutting-edge of the latest trends in style and appearance, if possible offering innovative solutions and using new graphic styles, without losing sight of our principal objective, which is that the message should be clear and accessible.”


Caos CC for Zoom Club

INTERVIEW

WHAT IS CAOS CC ALL ABOUT? WHAT IS THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THIS NAME?
Caos Creative Communication was founded in 2002 by Christian Borau and Maria Duran. We are working with a wild & wide bunch of friends and collaborators on graphic, web and art projects for our own clients and some agencies.
The name fits our way of working very well: it’s all about accumulation and composition. We also like the theory that chaos is not really a disorder, it’s just a more complex and spontaneous order.

WHEN YOU WERE A KID, WHAT DID YOU WANT TO BE?
Sometimes a painter or illustrator. And at other times a musician or actor. The most important was that is was something artistic…

TELL US ABOUT YOUR BACKGROUND?
Already from the time I was a child, I love all kind of creative expressions, and especially music and drawing. Of course it helped that I had artistic minded parents. My father was a musician, and my mother sent me to an Anthroposophy school in Germany where I got a good primal art education. Later I studied comic style drawing in the Joso School of Barcelona. Two years later I started graphic design studies at the same school.
I made a Master of Multimedia and worked in printing, as a graphic designer and later as an Art Director at Miquel Roig Associates, a small studio with big clients. I left to become a freelancer, and later I created Caos together with Maria.


Caos CC for Relevant Magazine


Caos CC for Tibetan Toybox

WHAT SPARKS YOUR IDEAS?
Sketching a lot, the music I like, good art magazines, the work of other artists, …

WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE TO ACCOMPLISH AS A DESIGNER?
To be creative all as long as I live!

WHAT IS THE BEST PART OF WHAT YOU DO?
The best part is definitely the freewheeling part. I like to expand one graphic identity to different supports. It’s like when a painter makes a series of paintings with the same style or concept.

CAN YOU GIVE SOME BACKGROUND INFORMATION ON YOUR ‘COCA-COLA’ “MUSIC IS LOVE” POSTER?
The central image of the kiss is actually a self portrait. The artwork was vectorized from a photo of me and my wife Maria Duran (the other part of Caos). We’re both great music lovers, and for us this poster is very special!


'Coca-Cola' Remix - "Music Is Love" by Caos CC

CHRISTIAN, YOU ARE ALSO A WELL-KNOWN DJ, WHAT IS THE MUSIC YOU LISTEN TO WHILE WORKING?
I like to listen to a lot of different styles of music; it’s the only way to have a total music experience. I´m a huge fan of Prince and The Cure. When I struggle with a new design, that’s the kind of music I put on. But I also like the unique and very special statements of Miles Davis, Fela Kuti, Bauhaus, Bob Marley and Keith Jarret.
I also like to listen to flamenco/fusion artists like El Bicho, Macaco, Ojos de Brujo or Camaron. Or classical music. When I’m in a mood for electronic sounds, I listen to Thom Yorke, Depeche Mode and Amon Tobin or other Ninja Tune artists.




Caos CC for Palm Beach

IS THERE ANY PARTICULAR ARTIST YOU ADMIRE A LOT?
Definitely Prince! I like his attitude as an artist, and how he deals with the music business and fashion trends. He is always modern, he never limits himself to one style of music, he gives the impression that the music just flows out. I saw him in concert 4 times, and each time was amazing. His magnetism is enormous. Prince makes it possible to experiment a completely improvised jam session in a concert hall packed with thousands of people.

HOW WAS IT TO WORK ON NEW VECTORS, BASED ON ICONIC ‘COCA-COLA’ IMAGES?
When we got contacted to work on the Remix project, we were really happy because ‘Coca-Cola’ is a very interesting brand to work for. It’s a company with a very rich history in the world of art and advertising and with a very special emphasis in music.
In our posters we used vector elements from other Remix artists, and artists as Creative XL and Pixecute remixed some of our illustrations. It was very cool to exchange material. It was a very interesting experience to work with such a range of great artists, all with a different vision and style.


'Coca-Cola' Remix - "Shampoo Girls"
by Caos CC & RockAndRoll Agency


"Coca-Cola' Remix - "Sisters are doin' it"
by Caos CC & RockAndRoll Agency


'Coca-Cola' Remix - "Summer Day" by Caos CC & RockAndRoll Agency

The Beautiful Game

We all speak football. Not only it’s the world's favorite spectator sport but it's also played by millions of people of all ages, skill levels and genders all over the world. Football’s universality is its simplicity, the fact that the game can be played anywhere with anything. Urban children kick the can on concrete and rural kids kick a rag wrapped around a rag wrapped around a rag, barefoot, on dirt.
Next summer, Euro 2008 will take place in Austria and Switzerland. As the qualifying matches are going into a final stage, we will soon know the 16 teams that will join the host countries.
To quote the book "Soccer and Its Rules": "Are you ready? Ready to cheer the players to victory, marvel at their fitness, speed, and skills, urging them to win every tackle for the ball, ready to explode at a powerful shot? Ready for the excitement of flying wingers, overlapping backs, curling corners, slick one-two passing and goals scored with panache? Ready for another moment in a fantasy world?"
“Yes! We are ready!! And so are Pixecute and Creative XL who remixed some vintage 'Coca-Cola' football ads. A true tribute to the sport that unites us all…


Vintage Coca-Cola Football Ads


'Coca-Cola' Remix by Creative XL


'Coca-Cola' Remix by Pixecute

Extraverage

ARTIST SPOTLIGHT



ARTIST PORTRAIT
Karoly Kiralyfalvi has been involved in street-art since his teen years, “As a kid, I was always interested in visual arts, but the main influence came from my father, who was a painter, a poet and a sculptor. Pencils and markers were always my tools, until one day my father bought our first computer. Computer graphics have been my passion ever since”. As a teenager, Karoly became part of the local scene and under the name Extraverage, he made a name for himself. With his great skills, he mixes different styles and art languages in a powerful way. His work includes design for stickers, cans, clocks, magazines, books, posters, boards, tracksuits and t-shirts. Karoly is especially interested in design and images that stand on their own: bold, simple and strong!
Karoly is also the man behind projects like the World Wide Connections PDF Magazine and the Print4Street urban art gallery, and the founder of Drezign.hu, a community platform for Hungarian designers. Extraverage.net, his personal portfolio, features an extensive catalogue of his amazing graphics.



INTERVIEW

HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN WORKING AS A DESIGNER?
In high school I was already making illustrations for a course book. My first official job was in 2001, as a graphic designer and DTP editor of an urban lifestyle magazine. That was also the time I switched from analogue design to computers.

WHAT INSPIRES YOU?
The inspiration for my work comes from everyday life, like the city itself, friends, music (mainly from the 1997-2000 electronic scene from the UK), books, contemporary art, traveling, … I’m also very inspired by my father, who was a multi-disciplined artist.

WHAT'S YOUR ULTIMATE DREAM PROJECT AS AN ARTIST?
The greatest thing is to work for projects in the same scene I'm interested in. For example working for brands that support the underground music scene, urban artists, and things like these.
Another nice example is of course a global collaboration project with great designers around the world, like the current Remix Project for ‘Coke’. It's always really interesting to see the end results.





HOW DID THE ‘COCA-COLA’ HISTORY AND THEMES INFLUENCE YOUR REMIX WORK?
I tried consciously to use the warm ‘Coca-Cola’ colours, and to focus on positive feelings and shapes in the graphics. The aim was to create something happy and fresh, in line with the iconic ‘Coca-Cola’ images.

WHAT INTERESTS YOU MOST IN ‘THE COKE SIDE OF LIFE’ REMIX PROJECT?
Actually the basic idea of the Remix Project: give a blank canvas to an artist and let him work around a theme. The briefing gave us endless possibilities to experiment. This liberty was the biggest inspiration.

WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST IDEA IN RELATION TO THE “YES IN THE FACE OF NO” THEME?
The “Yes in the face of No” was quite hard to handle, my first feeling was to show the impact of the ‘yes’ and the ‘no’. The ‘yes’ is colourful and positive, and fights with ‘no’ in a friendly way. Of course you always hope that the ‘yes’ will win…





DID IT TAKE LONG TO FIND YOUR PERSONAL STYLE?
It took long years, and the reason is that I'm always open to new things; always trying to create fresh versions of my artworks, trying new directions. Nowadays, I feel there's a style I'm recognizable for...

CAN YOU SHARE ANY INSIGHTS IN YOUR CREATIVE PROCESS?
Ninety percent of my graphic works is planned in my head first and then realized with computer. The basic shapes and the main impulse of each job is based on my experience and style. Then you have to mix concept & style correctly.

WHERE CAN WE FIND YOU WHEN YOU'RE NOT WORKING?
Actually in front of my computer, working on personal projects. Or somewhere in the streets, riding a bike. In luckier cases, I'm abroad!

HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR STYLE?
Always simple, pure and fresh.