Ric Bell

Design Portfolio

Seventh Man

Art direction of the 4th issue of mem’s contemporary fashion magazine Seventh Man, re-thinking all aspects of the design, layout and typography, leaving only the existing logotype.

Without a design team previously, the calibre of the design hadn’t been on a par with the internationally recognised contributors and photographers. This issue was seen as an opportunity to build a strong foundation for future incarnations to be based on.

Typographic systems were put in place to distinguish between the sections of the magazine. The modernist layout was an exercise in restraint and use of white space to reflect the style of the features within.

A decision was made to remove as much type as possible from the cover in a bid to make it iconic. It was then finished with a large ’7′ in clear varnish to attract attention from the shelves.

Waterford: The Deluxe Collection

The Deluxe Collection is a new contemporary range of products designed by Jo Sampson for Waterford Crystal.

Promotional booklets, posters, patterns and packaging were created for each individual range giving each its own identity. These were then presented to the head office of Waterford in Barlaston HQ.

Designed at Blacksheep under the creative direction of Jo Sampson Studio.

Secret 7″

Secret 7” is an exciting project combining music and art for designers, all in aid of Teenage Cancer Trust. The project aims to rekindle some of the excitement for vinyl sleeve art in the digital era by exploring how a track would be interpreted by an array of brilliant artists.

Chosen by RBPM Studio to take part in the project as one of ten London-based creative practices, Bombay Bicycle Club’s track ‘Lights Out, Words Gone’ was selected.

Credit for the beautiful cover illustration must go to the talented Warner Brothers team who worked on `Bugs Bunny Rides Again’ as it is actually a freeze frame of a series of amazingly drawn landscapes from the cartoons themselves, lovingly restored by Rob Richards of Animation Backgrounds.

The 5th Floor

Logo and branding design for the London-based bicycle collective The 5th Floor.

The top part of the logo mark was inspired the original meeting place of the group: The fifth floor of an East London car park that is topped with green painted tarmac, while the bottom part of the logo references the rotation of the bicycle cranks themselves.

The whole arrangement was then encased creating a strong headbadge-style shape which has since been applied to t-shirts, stickers and even beer mats, gaining the collective an internationally recognised identity.

Designed in collaboration with StudioAde.

RESTRAP: Catalogue, Packaging & Launch

For RESTRAPs new product launch a marketing drive was initiated, art direction of a catalogue (which included writing aspirational copy, product descriptions, shooting lifestyle photography and commissioning team portraits) was undertaken, promotional material for the event was produced, and a new range of packaging for the products was designed.

The packaging needed to be relatively cheap to produce, easy to make and be friendly to the environment (in line with the companies recycle–heavy principles). Simple paper wraps and card tags were produced following the clean aesthetic of the updated logo designed by studio friend Sam Hodgson.

The event was a massive success, generating a huge amount of press, raising the profile of the company in London and selling out of 2 products lines.