Hi there, my name is Julie Smyth a Graphic Designer based in Dublin. I graduated BCFE in 2020, and have being working as a designer in the events industry. I have a particular soft spot for branding, motion, editorial and web. I enjoy bringing a handmade element into my work while placing an importance on concept and communication.
Brief: The US is establishing medical laws and also legalising marijuana for recreational use. Create a concept that will differentiate and dominate the market through brand and design. Communicate a newer meaning for the industry. Determine a name rooted in the brands New York origin.
I decided to use past imagery of New York City’s archived evidence images. Cannabis once grow wild all over New York until a major crackdown in 1951. So I wanted to use these images of the past history with the plant and change the narrative of the images. The name came from the “White Wing Squad” workers who were responsible for clearing cannabis plants in New York, the nick name came from their white duck cloth uniforms, so it is a play on that.
Brief: Create a new Irish brand that’s using medicinal cannabis in a range of personal care products Relaxing Rub, Oil Tincture, Bath Soak.
The name William&Brooke pays homage to a 19th century Irish doctor William Brooke O’Shaughnessy from Limerick, who introduced the use of Cannabis to western medicine. The illustrations inspired by Jazz record covers, as the artwork on the cover sometimes depicted how the music would make you feel. I went with that approach to the illustrations.
The target audience of the brand, for anyone age 24 and up. I noticed a lot of brands had a serious medical look, or an organic natural look with lots of green/ white. I wanted to make something fun and stand out on a shelf of other beauty products.
Brief: Create a project that shows your personality. Do something you have always wanted to do but have never done. Try something new. Learn something new. Experiment. Think for yourself. Push yourself. Try using references in your home.
I recently came across a story written by my grandmother, when she was 12 years old in 1937. Its archived online in the National Folklore Collection. I was stuck by how beautiful her writing was and the unique letters she made particularly the B. I decided to try something I haven’t before and to make a wooden alphabet by hand. So I copied the style of her letters and enlarged them to make a Gaelic alphabet, and I used these as stamps.
