Jack Clausen - MADA NOW 2021 - Art, Design and Architecture

Hey, how’s it going? I’m Jack, a freshly graduated Monash Communication Design Student based in Naarm, Melbourne. I will also complete my Bachelor of Business Marketing at Monash in 2022. My work spans the areas of publication design, graphic design, branding and packaging design and I have experience using a wide range of the Adobe Creative Suite programs. This semester I worked on a self-initiated brief in which I took on a traditional branding project for a conceptual utility clothing company. My second project is an identity for Melbourne Cinémathèque, a locally run film festival. If you like my work, please do not hesitate to contact me through any of the channels listed. Thanks!

General Issue 2021

Working under a less-constrictive self-initiated brief I built an identity for a utility clothing brand. General Issue 2021 is a modern interpretation of Civilian Clothing Orders 1941 (CC41), the British governments’ national utility scheme in place during World War II. Eighty years later GI21 is inspired by the strict regulations of this programme. The concept is about rationing and standardisation, following orders that inform the design of 32 modern day utility items. This image features the brand logo. The monochrome typeface used represents standardisation ethos of utility.

Swing Labels & Business Cards

The branding features the words “General Issue 2021” spaced out to form an inverted triangle. The length of space running along the top of this inverted triangle represents what we have/use or want in our everyday lives. The point at the bottom of the shape represents what we need. This spacing of the words of the brand name features across a diverse range of brand applications as the inverted triangle characterises minimalism and utility. To operate effectively in today’s society, we need far fewer items than we have.

GI21 Packaging

Branding keeps consistent with the themes of rationing and standardisation as packaging is recycled and simply stamped with the GI21 logo. The use of a stamp in branding again compliments the principle of utility, it allows standardised items to be marked in a fast and cheap manner. The point is to avoid unnecessary and more expensive processes such as professional printing. The stamp used is self-inking, reiterating the use of modern technology in 2021 yet is extremely functional and easy to use.

GI21 Mask

General Issue 2021 is a brand that produces hard-wearing staple garments and contemporary essentials. In 2021 it is undeniable that masks are an essential item, so of course they had to be included in this project. My GI21 labels are homemade using a vinyl heat press and feature across most of the garments themselves. Like the branding the garments produced by GI21 are minimal. Main themes consistent throughout the branding include standardisation, rationing and function, all aligning with the brand essence of utility.

Melbourne Cinémathèque Identity

Melbourne Cinémathèque is a self-administered and membership-driven organisation that aims to present films in the medium they were created and to screen films the way they would have originally screened. Every year the film festival takes on a new identity that is chosen by the company from a pool of submissions designed by Monash third year Communication design students. My identity uses simple illustrations that are representative of typical stills seen in classic films. I have created five different posters (three pictured) that can be shown as a set or independently, using bright colours to help them stand out among other posters that may feature alongside.

Melbourne Cinémathèque 2021 Calendar Layout

Drawing from elements used in my posters, I developed a layout for the 2021 Melbourne Cinémathèque programme of screenings using provided content. This part of the project required us negotiate approximately 6,000 words of text and 40+ images. I have applied typographic styles and again used bold colour to establish hierarchy and differentiate seasons, whilst at the same time upholding the creative integrity of my initial graphic treatment.