Workshop with Peter Barber/ Plusnet Brief

Keeping to my promise to myself to say yes to more things, I thought I'd go along to the Public Art workshop run by mural artist Peter Barber. I was quite excited too because this was basically like an extension of our 'Visuwallise' project for Life's a Pitch!

The manager from Plusnet in Leeds came in to deliver a brief for their company that they wanted to involve LCA students with. They have a really ugly concrete wall in their car park, and would like an exciting and refreshing mural designing to inspire their staff, and just make the surrounding area look more presentable.

In a nutshell, Plusnet is a value broadband provider that adopts a down to earth, friendly Yorkshire charm, and they want this to reflect in the mural. So the brief is really open. Design anything you want, but it has to be cheerful and 'brimming with Yorkshire charm', which makes it super difficult...

I found it really typical to produce some ideas that weren't overly cliche, but I wasn't really feeling creative that day to be honest, so the best I could come up with was a bunch of farmers sitting in a giant Yorkshire pudding (a definite low in my creative thinking history).

The wall and working template

Peter Barber

Peter then gave us a talk about his practice which was really interesting. I made some notes which I'll copy out below:

• Barber is a full time commercial artist, specialising in painting professional murals in collaboration with advertising companies
• He did a 1 year NVQ and a 3 year foundation diploma in art and design, where he eventually became an apprentice for his tutor to be taught in detail about the trade first hand
• He went to uni for a year but decided it wasn't for him
• With the paint he uses, clients get a LOT for their money
• 70's and 80's murals are vile
• Hand craft is appreciated so much more than vinyl
• Jobs like the plusnet brief we have just been given are his 'bread and butter'

Examples of briefs Barber has worked on:

Client: Don Juliano (tequila brand)

Brief: A backdrop and design for a street food are for a £500k promotional party

Communication: Don Juliano sent a load of images and references of the kind of thing that they liked and leased with Barber until they were happy with the design

Client: Byron Burgers, Gateshead

Brief: Sign writing for their new store

Communication: Sent over PDF files for templates as well as Dulux paint references (very specific)

Other relevant information:

Important: Clients don't always have creative language, so they will present something as close as possible to the real thing

Public tender document: For big projects you have to complete a public tender in order to complete the project. 

• Design response
• Interview stage-presentation and value for money etc.
• The brief history of the building

(they are more interested in whether or not it will work rather than the creative content)

Pouncing: a technique used involving drawing the design 100% to scale with a pencil, piercing holes in it with a pouncing pen, and then chalking on through the holes to work as a stencil. Not many people use it nowadays because tacky vinyl stickers are all the rage.

The deadline for designs is the 10th April, so best get cracking!