Follow the daily progress of our talent, commissions, collaborations and new discoveries.
May 16th, 2012
Break your duck by Ed Nacional
Taken from our exhibition A Baker's Dozen, the above image by YCN illustrator Ed Nacional is inspired by the phrase "break your duck".
The phrase is used when someone does something for the first time. Its origins lie in English public school slang from the 1850s, when during sporting competitions, a score of zero against a player's name was referred to as a "duck egg". This developed into calling a cricket player a "duck" if they had been unsuccessful in the game and dismissed from play without scoring a point. The term "breaking one's duck" was used when a player broke a run of ducks.
Please contact YCN if you would like to discuss commissioning Ed.
May 15th, 2012
Eureka Issue 32
Some new work from YCN's Hattie Newman and Sam Green can be seen in the latest issue of The Times' science supplement Eureka.
Images by both Hattie and Sam were featured alongside an article about the tallest buildings in the world. Hattie crafted the above cityscape set spelling out the title of the piece, which was photographed by Catherine Losing for the opening spread. Sam illustrated some of the world's biggest buildings for the feature, including the Eiffel Tower and The Shard.
Please contact YCN to discuss commissioning either Hattie or Sam for a future project.
May 15th, 2012
Portfolio update for Alex Mathers
We have just updated the portfolio of YCN illustrator Alex Mathers with some fresh, new work. Included in the update are a number or personal projects as well as the above piece, which was featured alongside an article about downhill running in a recent issue of Wired magazine.
Please contact YCN if you would like to discuss working with Alex.
May 15th, 2012
Gift of the gab by Fernando Volken Togni
This is Fernando Volken Togni's take on the term "gift of the gab".
The saying is used to describe those who are persuasive and articulate when conversing. The primitive Celtic word for mouth was "gab", but it is more likely that the expression is derived from the Middle English term "gabbe", meaning idle talk. Gab however has remained in modern use, both as the basis for the word "goblet" and the slang "gob" for mouth.
Please contact YCN if you would like to discuss commissioning Fernando.
May 14th, 2012
Mitch Blunt for Bloomberg Businessweek
The above image by YCN's Mitch Blunt can be found in the latest issue of Bloomberg Businessweek. The illustration accompanies this article in the magazine, concerning the perils and pitfalls associated with investing into bank-loan funds.
Please contact YCN if you would like to work with Mitch on a future project.
May 14th, 2012
Daft as a brush by Jack Hudson
This next image from our exhibition A Baker's Dozen is YCN illustrator Jack Hudson's interpretation on the classic British phrase "daft as a brush". The term is used to describe somebody who is rather stupid.
Some maintain that the phrase originated as "as soft as a brush", the brush in question being the tail of a fox. This is plausible as "soft" is a Northern English term for stupid and fox's tails are in fact quite soft to the touch. Over time, this evolved into the more familiar saying "daft as a brush", with the brushes in this instance referring to the young, uneducated boys who in the 18th and 19th centuries were employed to climb inside chimneys and sweep them.
Please contact YCN if you would like to discuss commissioning Jack.
May 11th, 2012
Giedre Domzaite for Beautiful
YCN illustrator Giedre Domzaite was recently asked by award-winning creative studio Beautiful to decorate the walls of their East London offices. She responded by creating this marvellous mural, effectively illustrating the company's motto of "make it beautiful".
Please contact YCN to discuss working with Giedre.
May 11th, 2012
A botch job by Jack Teagle
This interpretation of the phrase "a botch job" was created by YCN illustrator Jack Teagle for our exhibition A Baker's Dozen, currently on show in Ted Baker London's New York Meatpacking District store.
The phrase, which means to repair something badly, was first used in old England where peasant chairmakers were dubbed "bodgers". These craftspeople produced simple and serviceable objects which were disregarded as crude when chairmaking was later transformed into a high art. The bodgers' labour and products were correspondingly downgraded to "bodge" or "botch" - which came to mean an item or service of poor quality.
Please contact YCN to discuss commissioning Jack.
May 11th, 2012
Portfolio update for The Makerie Studio
We have just updated the portfolio of paper craft duo The Makerie Studio with some brand new work. Included in the update are projects the pair have recently completed for 125 and Vogue magazines, along with the above model, which was created for Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer's 2012 campaign.
Please contact YCN if you would like to discuss working with The Makerie Studio on a future project.
May 10th, 2012
Keen as mustard by Jean Jullien
Taken from our exhibition A Baker's Dozen, this image by YCN illustrator Jean Jullien is inspired by the phrase "keen as mustard".
The phrase is used to describe someone who is very enthusiastic. Much like the eponymous condiment, which came to be associated with vigour because it added zest and flavour to a meal, individuals described as being "keen as mustard" are believed to bring enthusiasm and energy to a situation or group.
To discuss commissioning Jean, please contact YCN.
May 10th, 2012
New work from Ciara Phelan
We have just added some fresh, new projects to the portfolio of YCN illustrator Ciara Phelan. Included in the update is the above image, which can be found in Boden's publication A Thousand Little Things. Ciara was recently commissioned by Sunday Publishing to illustrate two double-page spreads and the cover for the book with her whimsical and colourful collage compositions.
See Ciara's portfolio for more new work, created for clients including Granimator and Modus magazine. Please contact YCN if you would like to discuss working with Ciara on a future project.
May 09th, 2012
The Full Monty by John M. Vogt
This next image from our exhibition A Baker's Dozen is Minneapolis-based illustrator John M. Vogt's interpretation on the classic British phrase "the Full Monty". The saying is used to describe something which is the real thing, and not of a lesser quality or reduced in any way.
The most often-repeated derivation is from the tailoring business of Sir Montague Burton. A complete three-piece suit, i.e. one with a waistcoat to be worn to a wedding and events of that ilk would be classed as the Fully Monty. There is plausible hearsay evidence from the staff who worked in Burton's shops who confirm that customers were familiar with the term and often asked for "the Full Monty" by name.
To discuss commissioning John, please contact the YCN studio.
May 09th, 2012
Flamingo: The Homes and Habitats Issue
Some new work from YCN illustrators Kate Copeland and Matthew Dent can be found in the current issue of Flamingo magazine. The Homes and Habitats Issue also features interviews with a number of YCN collaborators, including set designer Anna Lomax and architect Tomas Klassnik, who was photographed in the surroundings of the YCN Shop & Library.
To discuss working with Kate or Matthew, please contact the YCN studio.
May 08th, 2012
Hard Cheese by Lauren Radley
Our exhibition A Baker's Dozen, currently on show in Ted Baker London's Meatpacking District store in New York, showcases visual interpretations of a variety of quintessential British phrases. Included in this collection is the above take on the term "hard cheese" from illustrator Lauren Radley.
This slang term, used as an expression of bad luck, dates from the early 19th century when it was used then just as a general indication of unsatisfactoriness. A play called The Tiger At Large (1837) features an early citation - "Jem. His wages was too low. Don’t you think a pound a month, and find one’s self is hard cheese?"
May 08th, 2012
Dale Edwin Murray for Wired
The above illustration from YCN's Dale Edwin Murray can be found in the latest issue of Wired magazine. The image accompanies an article about "bricking", a process which involves using rechargeable batteries until they are completely flat and therefore, unable to ever be recovered again.
To discuss working with Dale, please contact the YCN studio.
