CIO Connect Winter 2013/2014

final_ads-1This issue of CIO Connect magazine seems to be quite focused on growth. The economy (we are told) is improving, apparently, so a couple of the articles are about how to get the best out of that growth. Thus, two of my illustrations feature plants – a big tree with speech bubbles for leaves (showing how growth can be made more solid when everyone’s opinions are taken on board) and a watering can nourishing seedling employees and helping them be more creative. final_ads-32 final_ads-17

As ever there is some stunning photography from Martin Burton who makes my job so much easier.

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You can view the whole issue digitally here

Summer issue of CIO Connect magazine

Henry the cat presents the latest issue of CIO Connect magazine

Henry the cat presents the latest issue of CIO Connect magazine

Well hello my lovelies! Now that it’s summer *looks out of window* I mean, now that it’s MAY, the latest issue of CIO Connect magazine is dropping on to doormats and desks across the world. And I designed it! Here is a picture of the magazine, with a cat.

I guess some people might think that designing a magazine about IT would be boring. It’s quite the opposite. It’s about IT leaders and how they solve problems (solving problems being one of my favourite things to do) and the editor Mark Samuels lets me have a bit of a free rein with the design. We want to keep it fresh and interesting and have the personalities of the people interviewed jump out at you. Because I’ve been designing it for so long I feel I know their readership quite well, so I have a lot of fun creating illustrations and spreads for the magazine.

I guess my best advice for those thinking of publishing a magazine is to invest as heavily in images as in copy – good photography and illustration make the world of difference. They bring life to the page and really draw the eye in. You can go the other extreme and have a periodical with few photos at all – and still have wonderful design – but bad photography is really worse than none.

More spreads below for your viewing pleasure (click on anything to make it bigger), and the full issue of the magazine can be read online here!

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Advert design for iPad

Hey, just waiting for my computer to update some software so thought I’d show you these quickly – a couple of ads I did for CIO Connect. They’re for News International’s iPad app and featured in last weekend’s Sunday Times (9th September 2012).

vertical iPad ad for CIO Connect

vertical iPad ad for CIO Connect

Obviously when designing an ad for a device like the iPad it has to work horizontally and vertically.

Horizontal ad for CIO Connect

Horizontal ad for CIO Connect