(v)
(v_i)
(version_industries)

wordpress
home page
home page
_what
site for london-based film company, asylum films
_how
asylum contacted us to update and revamp their website a little. open to any ideas we had that might give a new spin to the typical film company website, they let us riff a little on an idea we had developed with our own portfolio site. the result is a rather rich mix of experimental flash, javaascript, css and html. enjoy.
_features
  • javascript click and drag system
  • jpg / flv background display
  • 'get file' feature
  • 'random' button
  • moo tools based menu / section system
  • 'hide menu' feature for viewing media
  • javascript thumbnail overlay system
_link
asylumfilms.co.uk
_tags
rex radio logo
_what
logo for the london-based rock band, rex radio.
_how
a competitive bid with some other rather fine agencies snagged us this gig. our logo was chosen because it was considered closest in feel to the recently signed band's grass roots beginnings. always fond of the colours red, black and white the logo will remain with the band at least until work begins on the artwork for their first album.
_link
www.rexradio.net
_tags
logo
_what
logo for the uk company, eagger.
_how
before the business card we designed for eagger , we had to create a logo that embodied nature, organic food, the british countryside & the skewed humour of the head of eagger, max halley. this branding is set to make it's way to various areas such as signage, packaging, van decals & stationary in the near future.
_tags
kraken single cover
_what
record sleeve for the london-based rock band, officer kicks.
_how
straight out of the murderland here is our tough little cover for the first single off officer kick's forthcoming album, citywide curfew. the band's singer jamie gordon had a vision of this skeletal copper terrorizing the town depicted within the lyrics of this their latest 'concept' album.
_link
officerkicks.com
_tags
logo
_what
logo for the london-based rock band, the eyes.
_how
the eyes were extremely clear about the image they wanted to bring across. living up to their namesake they were very into 50s science fiction, the beginnings of colour television & 3d films. with this in mind they wanted a logo that whilst simple & bold, combined all of these elements. the result was something very loose, fun, rock n roll & yet something that retained a dark, cool vibe about it.
_tags
business card front
business card back
letterhead
compliment slip
_what
artwork from business cards through to compliment slips
_how
ric yerbury contacted us upon the recommendation of the essential essence. he was in the process of launching his new events company, rage events. within the umbrella of rage events ric wanted to focus particularly on 'the rage', a series of indoor and outdoor events governed by the seasons where ric would hire major bands (think wyclef jean or the flaming lips) to play along with smaller bands throughout the evening. all in all it was a very rock 'n' roll concept & we were asked to provide suitable branding materials in the form of a logo, stationery and other bits & pieces to fit the bill.
_link
www.rageevents.co.uk
_tags
logo
_what
logo for international real estate company, tavivian group
_how
before designing the site for 'tavivian group' we had to first build a brand as well as an overall company aesthetic. the final logo is based upon the concept of the two founders being twin brothers & their enthusiasm for the real estate business. each tower resembles one of the brothers & the shadows in which they cast together create the 't' of tavivian. we felt that this was a very strong concept & one that best fit their ideal company image.
_tags
_what
logo for the london-based rock band, kinkane.
_how
kinkane (formerly rex radio) wanted a new logo that captured their new sound and gave them a fresh start visually. as one of about 40 logos we did for them, this one they kept coming back to for one reason or another. it now fronts their new myspace page.
_tags
home page
_what
revamped website for the nashville-based band, the protomen
_how
the protomen are on the eve of the release of their new album, act 2. recruiting the powerful drawing abilities of john delucca, we created an open-ended flash website that would allow us to introduce as much exciting new content as we liked, during the build-up to the album's release.
_features
  • full-screen flash interface
  • original music by the protomen
  • original hand-drawn graphics by john delucca
  • new protomen logo
  • countdown clock
_link
theprotomen.com
_tags
logo
_what
logo for the protomen's second album, act 2
_how
the protomen's second album herald's a brand new sound, story and aesthetic. after many discussions and revisions this logo, we all agreed, captured the vibe of this the next chapter in their ongoing musical retelling of capcom's megaman saga.
_tags
logo
_what
logo for new york-based new media company, feed the walrus
_how
armed with just the company name we set about making 10-20 different logos ranging from minimal type-based ideas, through to full walrus-based character designs. this big guy was the winner on all fronts. seemed to make everyone smile and capture people's imaginations in a way that felt right for the company.
_tags
EP cover
poster
_what
EP artwork + music video for the LA-based band, big black delta
_how
jonathan bates, better known for his part in the fantastic band mellowdrone, recently got back in touch with us regarding a 'new thing' he was working on. as luck would have it, it was some seriously rich and rewarding new music. the kind which fills the mind with images pretty fast. well, the next thing you know we're watching the thundercats intro in total awe, debating wallpapering our apartment walls with TRON screenshots, and obsessing over UFOs. how one thing lead to another is neither here nor there, but it turns out we were all down with this new thing ... and it was taking us places.

what then ensued was the constant, rapid exchange of music for artwork, much the way a choir does their psalms and responses. there's no question in our minds now that big black delta was the only name you could use to sum up the music, what inspired it and everything we'd ultimately made together from that point forward. cut then to just a few days ago. cut right to the moment when we slung the cover you see above onto the proverbial coffee table. cut to us all looking at each other like we knew it was time. yep, ufologists were about to get some melody in their google.

additionally we shot and edited a short film to accompany the release of the song IFUCKINGLOVEYOU. it was shot over a couple of days around independence day in los angeles. the idea was simply to capture everything we got up to in the short time we had, be that searching the night sky for flashing lights, watching dan akroyd talking about UFOs on youtube or jonathan bates making strange noises on his studio floor. we hope the end result, if nothing else, makes you feel like all these things are related. not forcibly, but maybe with a little serendipity.
_link
bigblackdelta.com
_tags
poster 2
poster 1
poster 3
_what
open studio posters
_how
thomas & clare newbolt wanted us to create posters for their open studios. now that two have been made and they illustrate a different more minimal side of what we're capable of, we thought they were worth posting here.
_tags
home page
music page
_what
website for the brooklyn-based band, the gregory brothers
_how
once again we could not be more grateful to topspin. they have put us in touch with an eclectic range of radical artists with whom we've had the most exciting and rewarding relationships. the gregory brothers, better known as the auto-tune the news guys, are no exception. a month or so ago they walked into our studio and told us they needed a new website. they then hit the road and we sent them our ideas as they criss-crossed the country on the youtube tour. the trick was to combine their already burgeoning aesthetic with a number of new levels of functionality. their old site had been pretty much built entirely by them using dreamweaver and they were understandably into something that would be a little easier to update. needless to say, but the process was a breeze and often funny too.
_features
  • wordpress-driven back-end
  • gig-press plugin
  • contact form 7 plugin
  • custom UI
  • font-replacement
  • twitter / facebook feeds
  • topspin-driven music store
_link
thegregorybrothers.com
_tags
EP cover
_what
artwork for makeup and vanity set's EP, never let go.
_how
working with makeup and vanity set continues to be a very exciting, fluid and rewarding process. this time around, in terms of a brief, we were given the recordings themselves, informed that the release would be out on cassette only and asked that we try to echo a visual from the VHS era of home entertainment. old enough to have lived through a great portion of the VHS and cassette eras, we understood how this record would sound when fans heard it and very much where it was coming from in terms of cinematic narrative. the decision to in some way make it photographic and involve some sort of backlit misty scene came very quickly, and was undeniably influenced by our shared love for shows from that era like twin peaks and the x-files. so it was then a matter of building that out with a combination of photographic elements and a series of photoshop brushes and textures. finally, the typography came about as a result of wanting something elegant and not too cliche, but that would also feel a little like film credits.

you can read more about the making of the artwork here.
_link
makeupandvanityset.com
_tags
home page
floorplans page
_what
website for the luxury israeli penthouse, crown opera.
_how
the tavivan sporn group wanted us to design an elegant, luxury website for a sea-side penthouse in israel. they sent us many photographs of the apartment and the surrounding area and briefed us on the general feel they were after for the site. we developed not just the logo and the overall site aesthetic but also composed a soothing atmospheric soundtrack for the site.
_features
  • html + javascript based interface
  • ipad compatible
  • contact form
  • original music
_link
seaopera-ph.com/en
_tags
cover artwork
_what
artwork for big black delta's debut LP, BBDLP1
_how
continuing the very fluid back and forth between us and jonathan bates, this the cover for the forthcoming BBDLP1 is our attempt at capturing the immensity that is this new record. whether you are listening to the lush love song that is 'capsize' or the vastness, heaving space trip that is 'BBD3', we wanted the cover to echo both the inner workings of jon's mind as well as the beautiful, dark recesses of the universe. no longer the man with his head exploding on the cover of mellowdrone's 'angry bear', we now step deeper inside that thinking and in doing so reach much further out into space as we get involved with his obsession with UFO folk-lore and his desire to be taken away from his planet by whatever means possible.
_link
bigblackdelta.com
_tags
album cover
stitches single cover
awaltzoflight cover
poster
_what
artwork for polinski's debut album, labyrinths
_how
paul wolinski is one quarter of the experimental musical machine that is 65daysofstatic. polinski is his more purely electronic side-project.

the discussions for how to handle the artwork for the album started years before the record was even a twinkle in his eye. we'd talked at length for years about films, musics, books, games and designs that appeal to us for whatever reason. whether it be the books of jeff noon or the cassette loading games of sinclair zx spectrum, there was an innate understanding of what this solo project would demand in terms of artwork the moment the demos started to come together.

the final artwork started with us coming up with a story that would capture paul's feelings about various things and how he wanted to translated those into a science fiction tale of some kind. the next step was padding that story out with various touchstone visual elements and then translating those into a series of panels that we could use for the album and any singles. the first image we put together turned out to be the album cover as it is now, and this went onto influence paul's approach to making the music. he then sent us more demos that inspired the creation of more panels, and so the back and forth went until we had enough to illustrate the story / world we had created.

the music video for the album's first single, stitches, was an attempt to bring back the feeling of using the zx spectrum computer, whilst detailing some of the album's narrative elements. more details on the making of the video to follow soon.
_link
polinskimusic.net
_tags
sparkler
traffic
bikers poster
max poster
boat poster
BAM festival poster
_what
website, posters + typography for the feature film, pavilion
_how
we were contacted by film director tim sutton after a series of talks we did on designing websites for films for the IFP. he was interested in us producing a website and possibly some film posters for his new film pavilion. we hit it off very quickly and soon had a series of ideas laid down for online and offline approaches to promoting the film.

the website focusses on a series of animated GIFs that reflect the very calm and subtle visual tone of the film, combined with looped audio from the films soundtrack + score. the posters take a leaf out of robert zemeckis's book to visually represent the very subtle narrative elements within the film.

we also handled the type treatment for the credits within the film. stay tuned for a fuller write-up of the process behind making these various elements.
_features
  • ipad / iphone compatible
  • html5 / javascript driven UI
  • animated GIFs / cinema graphs
  • scrollwheel / cursor key navigation
_link
pavilionfilm.com
_tags
poster 3
_what
film poster for the feature film, the brooklyn brothers beat the best
_how
our talk at the IFP labs in tribeca, new york yielded some unexpected but very welcome results - several film makers approached us to assist them with ways to promote their films. one of the first was writer / director and actor ryan o'nan. he was about to send his new film the brooklyn brothers beat the best to the toronto film festival. the above poster is one of a few elements we worked work him and his production team to put together for the festival.

the film is ryan's ode to john hughes' trains, planes and automobiles (and stars some classic 80s movie alumni) and we created a poster to try to reflect that whilst offering its own more beat-up, make-shift aesthetic. it's the story of a lovelorn musician trying to get a band together and perhaps rekindle a little self-respect along the way. due to these musical themes within the film we also helped design a series of other elements which will be revealed by the film's production team along the way.

this is our first proper feature film poster and we're very excited and thankful to have been ushered into this new world by such great and talented people.
_tags
home page
carnegie hall
ticketing
carnegie record cover
beacon theater streaming page
beacon theater home page
dvd cover
_what
website for the new york-based comedian + filmmaker, louis CK
_how
like most people we've been a fan of louis CK and his work for a while and so when the gregory brothers very kindly recommended us to him and his team a couple of months back, we were stoked. as if that wasn't cool enough, it turns out louis was looking for much more than a website. he was looking to revolutionize his approach to releasing his material to his fans. always up for trying new things, we set about pulling together a small dream team to get the task done.

everyone worked day and night on this from various locations both in the US and europe and its fair to say that the results far exceeded anyone's expectations. louis himself published a report on the whole project on the website, which you can read here.

you can read an in-depth article about our process and everything we learnt from working on this job here.

following the success of the beacon video, louis released audio downloads of the beacon + two additional shows. since then the site underwent further revision as we integrated louis' ticket sales into the site, all the while maintaining the highest standards of security and ease-of-use.
_features
  • amazon server integration
  • user-friendly purchase flow
  • user accounts
  • tech support backend
  • printable DVD artwork
  • HTML5 + flash video players
  • mp3 + FLAC audio files
  • gifting options
  • integration with independent ticketing solution
  • paypal + amazon payment systems
_link
buy.louisck.net
_awards
2012 webby awards honoree for best practice
_tags
download / stream page
options page
video page
_what
website for comedian, actor + writer, jim gaffigan
_how
show business journeyman jim gaffigan has done nearly every kind of work a comic can do but he'd never self-produced and released his own show. he knew of us through our work with louis CK and so approached us to build a site of his own. whilst the focus was on a similar model, we designed and built a more refined engine this time around.
_features
  • amazon server integration
  • user-friendly purchase flow
  • user accounts
  • tech support backend
  • printable DVD artwork
  • HTML5 + flash video players
  • gifting options
  • paypal + amazon payment systems
_link
jimgaffigan.com
_tags
poster
_what
film poster for the short film, 88:88.
_how
the film's director joey ciccoline contacted makeup and vanity set after hearing some of his soundtrack work online. MAVS in turn recommend us to handle the design work for the film. for a 10 minute short film it captured so much of the aesthetic, concept and general motivational forces that bind so many of the projects we work on at (v). in terms of the design, joey was very keen to give away absolutely nothing to those who have yet to see the film other than a sense of quality + mystery. however, just to make things more difficult, we wanted to treat those that have seen the film to a few treats that in many ways do give away what the film is about, if you're in the know. the result is quite unlike anything we've done before, and happily so.
_link
8888film.com
_tags
poster
_what
film poster for the feature film, booster.
_how
director matt reeves was amongst the film makers in the talk on websites for film that we did for the IFP in 2011. when his film booster made the selection for the SXSW film festival he asked that we might produce a film poster for him. it was one of those jobs where the first thing we did resonated with everyone. the film is a very understated crime picture, and the poster focusses on the grit, grime and sense of displacement that the film talks to.
_link
boosterfilm.com
_tags
_what
film poster for the feature film, future weather.
_how
director jenny deller got in touch with us through our involvement with the IFP. she'd finished shooting her film and in the process of finishing it off and entering it into festivals. we discussed the most necessary elements for her at this stage in terms of design and the poster was our first port of call. she gave us a copy of the film to work and after discussing the central themes of the film. the first draft of the poster was very different, and focussed on a more design-minded approach to conveying the message. this didn't resonate with jenny and so we took a different vector and ended up with the more painterly edition you see here.
_link
futureweathermovie.com
_tags
cover
tenacious d show poster
_what
record sleeve for the nashville-based band, the protomen
_how
here's another one of the many fruits of our on-going collaborations with the protomen. the band played a tribute night in nashville, TN, back in late 2010 and the recordings came out so well they decided to release it. performing as 'queen' for the night, we decided to recreate the iconic 'queen II' record cover in a studio in brooklyn. the photography is by long-time (v) collaborator matt sundin, and the logo work is by M L hope. we handled the art direction, post-production + layout duties. 
_link
protomen.com
_tags
apollonia
as if
betty
casino
diamond girl
headbanger
long island ice tea
peace out
space cadet
third base
_what
layouts work for the new york-based fashion house, house of jackie brown
_how
for the 2010 line of jackie brown's swimwear line we were asked to retouch a series of super raw shots taken in various locations around the city of new york and bring them inline with the company's overall aesthetic. the designs were used in both print + online campaigns.
_link
houseofjackieb.com/jungle_juice
_tags
poster
VHS
VHS 2
VHS + poster
_what
artwork for makeup and vanity set's film soundtrack, 88:88.
_how
this was a project that started out with MAVS sending us demos and whispering things about it possibly being a film soundtrack. we were then contacted by the film's director, joey ciccoline. joey showed us the film and sent some ideas he'd had for possible directions for the artwork. included in his package was a poster for the 1985 kid's science fiction film, the explorers. this poster single handedly informed the initial designs we created for the film soundtrack. these designs were then scrapped when joey then expressed interest more in a design that told you less about the narrative, and gave you simply a sense of mystery. 

fortunately MAVS then had the idea to do a parallel release in the form of a limited edition VHS cassette and poster. this would then come out later than the official film artwork, and give the original pieces we created a place to live. a tangent universe if you will.

you can see photos of the VHS tape here.
_link
8888film.com
_tags
single cover
_what
logo + artwork for german house duo, booka shade
_how
we were put in touch with booka shade through our work with big black delta. they were about to put out their first release through dim mak records, and were keen to start from scratch with their design aesthetic for this reason. they pitched us a few ideas, concepts and loose thoughts to push us in the right direction, and after hammering away at several different approaches we settled on a final logo device and treatment. it was a look that we felt kept elements of their geometric graphics of the past, but evolved and simplified things in an elegant fashion.

the first use of the logo you'll find on their forthcoming single 'honeyslave', which you can listen to snippets of here.
_link
bookashade.com
_tags
IFUCKINGLOVEYOU
betamax
_what
artwork for the singles off of big black delta's debut LP, BBDLP1
_how
after signing to nerve management, big black delta have been set to release a series of singles both on vinyl and digitally. challenged with a way of making these releases unusual in some way, given some of the songs have been out for a while, we suggested that perhaps each release's artwork tesselate with the next. this way all the singles can form a larger image once they've all been collected. at the time of writing two releases have been put out, IFUCKINGLOVEYOU and betamax, which you can see here.
_link
bigblackdelta.com
_tags
_what
artwork for big black delta's single, side of the road.
_how
inspired by a salvador dali painting and discussions about how to evolve the BBD aesthetic as we approach the foot of the mountain that will eventually be the second LP, this cover is in some ways perhaps the band's most figurative yet. the human eye instinctively sees faces in abstract patterns, and of course it's no incident that that is what you might see here. however what you take from it as you listen to the song is of course your decision. either way we hope you enjoy the experience.
_link
bigblackdelta.com
_tags
EP cover
praxis single cover
_what
artwork for makeup and vanity set's EP, 7.25.2148.
_how
the team that now consists of makeup and vanity set, joey ciccoline and version industries is continuing its development into an increasingly cohesive whole. utilizing visuals originating with joey's video and 3D effects work, we've put together artwork for both the new EP and the leading single from it, praxis. the concepts behind it are echoed heavily within the music, so we won't spoil them for you here. just know that it's all part of a larger thought process building up to a satisfyingly complex full length album.
_link
makeupandvanityset.com
_tags
cover
outside spread
inside spread
_what
artwork for surachai's LP, embraced.
_how
we were introduced to surachai by alessandro cortini of SONOIO. a fierce individual, surachai makes a form of black metal that he calls plagued metal. whatever you want to call it, his dark, aggressive and intricate songs take you to a very particular place.

for his latest LP he asked that we tackle the artwork. ordinarily, given the pre-established hallmarks of the black metal scene, this is something we might not have jumped at immediately. however given surachai's taste for esoteric artwork (formerly employing the likes of bridget driessen and sarah sitkin to handle the task), we knew he would be open to an entirely fresh interpretation of his music.

full write-up to follow soon.
_link
surachai.org
_tags
single cover
outside spread
_what
7" single artwork for the LA-based band, sonoio
_how
alessandro asked us to put together a sleeve for the 7 inch single release of his track 'scientist'. the artwork we created was an extension both visually and narratively from the elements we'd put together for the album from which the song came.

you can grab a copy of the single here.
_link
sonoio.org
_tags