This post comes from the heart. If you are at all interested in print, independent magazines or free bloody speech then you need to subscribe to this service; it has, quite frankly, changed my life.*

The concept of Stack is to promote independent press by sending subscribers one (or quite often several) independent rags a month. This can range from Eye (RRP £17!) to Little White Lies, Bad Idea, VNA, Anorak, the list is endless. If you’ve heard of these then you’ll know what a good deal this is, if you haven’t then you, child, are the most in need of it.

Strangely though, for me at least, it’s the other ‘free’ magazines you get with the featured title that make it all worthwhile. One example is Manzine, an outspoken reaction to mens magazines written by some of their editors. Reading-on-the-bus-kudos aside, it has helped to reinforce my confidence in the power of a print mag, however home-made - No-one else will own my copy of Manzine, I’ve spilt coffee on it and dog-eared the corners, it’s truly been a journey. I still pick it up months later and it’s as ball-splittingly hilarious as it was the day I got it.

I can’t recommend Stack enough, it’s a bundle of joy landing on your doormat every month, a constant in a world of wars, politics, doom, gloom and digital media. Plus they delivered issue one of our magazine last month, getting them a gold star in my book.

Jonny

*well maybe not changed my life but it’s definitely been the best £40 I’ve spent this year

We might as well eh. Go to his webspace here.

Definitely worth looking at, Lukes site, not only for the quality of work (bloody LOVE the cupboard woodcut) but quality of presentation. A bit of nice photography goes a long long way, and I wouldn’t expect luke to have too much trouble getting through the door of a studio with this bunch of work (unless he’s an arsehole. You’re not an arsehole are you Luke?). He was also partly responsible for the Nottingham Trent 111 identity that we posted a while back.

Can it be true that I hold in my mortal hand an issue of purest AMMO?* With issue three, the cutest little inspiration mag in the planet brings us words and pics from Peskimo, Jam Factory and a favourite of ours Jessica Hische (cue glow of envy due to epic typo-crush) as well as loads of others. You can fit this baby in your back pocket but it’s jam-packed with artists that will make you quiver (ie. Pat Perry - never heard of him before but my is he good…) and is well worth picking up from the AMMO store.

*You’ll be pleased to know that our propensity to shoehorn content into barely-relevant quotes is as yet unabated.

D&AD: So what do you think of New Blood this year?

Jonny’s beard: ‘Blah blah blah, I live on Jonny’s face’

(or something to that effect)

Ashwin is a London-based designer with a very nice collection of work in his portfolio including this poster called ‘The Bare Essentials’. Often a self-congratulatory ‘design about design’ concept combined with the student classic ‘poster over face’ pose will bring me out in a rash but this piece overcomes that by being really rather pretty with some intricate use of colour (The clock has a red second hand for example). You can buy it an’ all.

Loughborough grad Ben Marsh has some fun new work up, including a twist on condom packaging for all us kids born in the 80’s. Donkey Shlong = MEGAWIN.

New work from the Blu, now using more and more of the environment in his work. And bloody loads of paint, obv.

Ok, I’ve plugged this on my Facebook and my Twitter, and I’ll more than likely be cracking it on my personal blog too (not that anyway reads that shite), but I just had to post this on here too. In the midst of New Blood and other end of year shows I feel bad for not posting about any students. But this is too good.

It’s like someone has looked inside my mind and picked out my ideal look, feel and way of creating typography. That’s right, it’s all hand rendered. Anyway enough of the arse licking, go watch this video and make yourself feel inferior like I do right now.

The day has finally arrived when we can announce our print mag - 64 pages of B5 glory wrapped in an Eboy original limited-edition-for-this-magazine-only illustration which also extends onto a B3 poster (included for free, naturally) all for £2.50. It’s taken tiiime to get to this stage and we’re über-excited to bring this beast to life.

The launch party is being held at our stand at the D&AD New Blood fair at the Truman Brewery on the 26th of this month (Saturday innit) - get there for 5.30 to ensure you get some of the booze. At 7 we will then trundle of for a curry and a serious pub sesh.

If you’re keen, check our facebook event here - If you can’t make it do not fear, there will be plenty left to pick up a copy at your leisure from our shop or from various other outlets. If you sign up to Stack by the end of the month you even get it for free!

Some of the topics covered:

Cake, ITV’s Gladiators, paid placements, Eboy, Glug, Moustaches, Haikus, “Industry-ready?”, Adrian Shaughnessy on lobsters in shoes, rickshaws, nudity, FFFFUUUU, Are D&AD any good at pool?, creative tics, idea vs execution, mums on Facebook and much much more. We’re so proud of it, we put our name on it.

That’s all. Good tings.

They’ve done it again. Had to post this, it’s just so good, especially the end bit with the crowd of people and the duck. Enjoy

Think you’ve got an ident in you? Want it shown in front of a live audience of creatives at New Blood? Want to Win an iPad?

Thought so. We at ShellsuitZombie are proud to announce our New Blood competition, the winner of which will get an iPad and their work shown at our film festival on Sunday the 27th of June which includes several Future Shorts and an educational free screening of Art & Copy, the film that everyone in Ad-land is so desperate to see. Our Sponsors, the brilliant London Digital agency morphlondon, have kindly donated their brand pack, an iPad and created a snazzy website which will let you view all the entries and upload your own in the blink of an eye. All you need to do is download the pack and get making!

Seriously, there’s no catch to this. Show us what you’ve got in 12 seconds or less and win an iPad and some great exposure. Nuff said. Go here to enter.

Entrants must be a student or have graduated in the last 2 years. Members of ShellsuitZombie cannot apply…bollocks. Closing date 25th of June.

Following from a raucous and thrilling set of creative face-offs at New Blood last year, in 2010 ShellsuitZombie is aiming to find the undisputed kings of the speed brief in the most extensive tournament of creative clashes EVER SEEN*. There will be prizes, internships on offer, real creative directors setting challenges and above all a chance to pit yourselves against whoever comes your way. Just think of the bragging rights.

If you would like to enter a team in advance, all you need to do is let us know. It’s completely free (duh!) but you need to ensure there will be at least two people from your university or team available to play at any point during the show (plus a spare person to watch your stand). A team name is encouraged and there will be bonus points awarded for team kit.

Just holler at rob (at) shellsuitzombie.co.uk with your team name and course name and let the games begin!

*by us.

Mike Crozier, AKA Croz, is a 21 year old designer based in Leeds. Currently in a year in industry (something we think every course should do), he has so far worked for La Suprise in Paris (for whom he created the poster, top) and SNASK in Stockholm (the pretty little stop-frame) - now on to ilovedust. And all in one so young. JEALOUS!

Pete Bowen has just come back from four and a half years working for 55DSL, Diesels ace sub-brand - and now has some cracking illustration from that and other projects, showing an occasional dark sense of humour portrayed in a variety of mediums from airbrushing to hand-drawn line work. Do they do this skull one on a Tee? If not why not, it’s pretty damn rad.

Some of the more observant amongst our readership may have noticed that our blog, usually churning out content like a cow in a prune orchard, has slowed down recently. This is for two very specific reasons.

1. The ShellsuitZombie magazine

We are proud and very excited to announce issue one of our print mag is currently being compiled, designed and written in order to launch next month. It will be 60 pages of fantastic articles and interviews with some famous (and not so famous) members of the creative industry, as well as our usual heady mix of irreverence, bad puns and slapstick. A true antidote to the existing design press, it is aimed at the graduate and will sell for as little as we can possibly make it, despite having:

A cover and free poster illustrated exclusively for us by Eboy
Words from the likes of Adrian Shaughnessy, Sanky and Glug as well as many others
Articles on Cake, ITV’s ‘The Gladiators’, Moustaches and Michael C Clarke
A true graduate voice on some of the subjects and issues that young creatives really need to know about.

Anyhoo, we’re very excited.

2. D&AD New Blood

After wreaking a certain amount of havoc at last years event, some bright sparks at D&AD have decided to let us loose once again on the unsuspecting public at their huge graduate showcase New Blood. This year held at The Truman Brewery (right in the heart of Brick Lane) on the 24th to the 28th of June, it promises to be a cracker, but what we will have on offer should be the icing on the cake:

Two nights of live music
A film night showcasing graduate work alongside some award-winning short films and features
A dedicated market allowing exhibitors to sell their work/themselves
A whole tournament of creative face-offs (like last year on speed)
A REAL RICKSHAW (from Jaipur)
The launch of our magazine
Job and placement opportunities
Interviews and videos
World Cup football (very important)
Pens
beanbags
and of course plenty of liquid refreshment.

If this sounds like your cup of tea you’d better nip down to our facebook event - that way you’ll get all the news and sign up to our various activities as they are revealed. Make sure that you also register for New Blood or you won’t be allowed in.

WOW that’s a lot of work, so forgive us if the posts aren’t as frequent as usual, it will all be worth it (we promise).

With speakers from AKQA, Superfad and Proud Creative, this Thursday you’d be a mug not to get in on Outside In, an event right in the middle of Shoreditch, all proceeds of which (£5 a pop) go towards the Ravensbourne College degree students.

Also worthy of note is the video they made for the first of these talks (though you can’t fault anything set to The XX in my eyes).

‘Exactly like F.Scott Fitzgerald, William S. Burroughs and Kenny Everett, Lee (full name - Lee Boulton) is a former advertising copywriter.
For the ten years between 2000 and 2010 he was one half of the creative team ‘Steve and Lee’, or ‘SLeeve’. The majority of this time was spent at the advertising agency WCRS.
Now he has embarked upon a career as an  illustrator, just as William Hogarth, Ralph Steadman and that Dutch bloke who draws Miffy, before him.
Lee has spent a decade in a career that recognises the importance of a good idea, he thinks it would be a very good one for you to contact him.’

Here’s another great idea: Go on his website and see not only his range of award-winning ad work but some mega-colourful illustration to boot.

My friend Freya is interning at The Museum Of Everything, and after reading her blog I came across this. Sounds like sweet deals.

CALLING THE UNTRAINED, UNINTENTIONAL & UNSEEN CREATORS OF GREATER BRITAIN.
Are you a marginal or self-taught artist? Have you received a divine calling to depict strange new worlds?Are you an artist with a disability, whose creativity has been undeservedly overlooked? Or a collector with a cache of anonymous doodlings?
If this sounds like you The Museum of Everything cordially invites you to submit a work on paper (or anything small and light) to Exhibition #2, to be held on May 14th, 15th & 16th, 2010, as part of No Soul For Sale at London’s Tate Modern.
Exhibition #2 is open to all, non-professional, non - traditional, and non-exhibited artists, living or long gone.To enter simply turn up at the Tate Modern with your artwork where it will be assessed by our esteemed Board of Trustees. Successful works will be displayed in The Turbine Hall and published in a book of the exhibition.
REVEAL YOUR CREATIVITY AT THE TATE MODERN & EXHIBIT AT THE MUSEUM OF EVERYTHING.

DETAILS:
THE MUSEUM OF EVERYTHING, EXHIBITION #2
WHERE: Tate Modern, Bankside, London, SE1 9TG
WHEN: Friday and Saturday 14th and 15th May, 2010. 10am - midnight Sunday 16th May, 2010. 10am - 6pm
WHAT: For details and guidance: www.musevery.com
TO ASK US A QUESTION: everytate@gmail.com

Get on it people.

Just Us. is probably the best resource about at the moment for promoting up and coming design and illustration students in the UK. There’s far too much talent on display, some of which have been showcased on SSZ. There is also a tasty little shop up on the site to buy loads of goodies, and an alumni section, promoting the best of last years graduates from the collective.

Expect some more projects coming soon, and hopefully another collective exhibition after the success of the job centre themed event at KK outlet last year.