MA Curating, Collections, and Heritage student Kila Galvin recently completed a placement at the Design Archives as part of her course. During her placement we commissioned her to interview recent graduate Leon French (BA Graphic Design), winner of the 2023 undergraduate Jonathan Woodham Award.
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Leon French, a recent graduate in Graphic Design from the University of Brighton, is a dedicated and passionate individual whose commitment to his studies and profound love for design are evident in his academic journey. He was the recipient of the 2023 undergraduate Jonathan Woodham Design History Award of £500 in recognition of the exceptional research and innovative design approach in his installation ’59,049’, displayed at his second year degree show in 2023. The award, funded by Emeritus Professor Jonathan M Woodham, is presented annually for the best work informed by research in the University of Brighton Design Archives.
As part of a second year module on archives, Leon’s cohort visited the Design Archives and were given a creative brief to respond to some aspect of its collections. Leon delved deep into this rich collection of historical design materials documenting influential designers and their networks, and was particularly drawn to the work and methodologies of the renowned typographer Anthony Froshaug (1920-1984). He says, ‘I think it was the first time I connected with a designer’s work, where I felt like I knew his personality. And I think that was quite special for me. It just surprised me how little people knew about Froshaug and his journey’. The process and experience of visiting the archive were instrumental in shaping Leon’s project, which aimed to communicate the archive’s essence creatively. ‘It was so much more than an archive; it was a memory. It was the past and the present. I saw it as a place for solutions for problems that we are struggling with today’.
Leon was particularly captivated by Froshaug’s renowned and revered book Typographic Norms. This led him to do further research, where he encountered a photo detailing the categories of letterpress spacing. Exploring the spaces between letters revealed to him the critical role of spacing in typographic design, highlighting that type does not exist without the spaces that define it. This insight and Froshaug’s innovative approach to categorising and presenting his work deeply engaged Leon. Froshaug’s methodology, which included deconstructing elements and presenting his work through meticulous sketches, offered a new perspective. Leon admired how Froshaug could break down complex systems into understandable structures and equations, reflecting a unique and personal approach to design. This connection to Froshaug’s work felt deeply personal; to Leon, it felt like he had come to understand Froshaug’s personality and design philosophy. Leon was inspired to delve deeper into methodologies such as coding and game design techniques like Noughts and Crosses, which Froshaug employed, enriching his understanding of graphic design as an intellectual and artistic discipline.
The finished installation ‘59,049’ is a unique exploration into the intersection of two systems to produce intricate and elaborate designs, focusing on randomness. His project was centred around exploring the probability theme through a game of heads or tails. To achieve this, Leon utilised a 10×10 grid of alternating white and black squares, each representing heads or tails. He employed a systematic approach by repeatedly flipping a coin to populate the grid, filling each square according to the coin’s outcome. This methodology allowed him to investigate the interplay between two systems and observe the resulting patterns. He extended this concept further by incorporating physical elements into his exploration, and applied three distinct 10×10 grids—each representing heads or tails—to the surfaces of a series of three-faced prisms. The prisms were engineered to rotate according to the patterns established by the heads or tails sequences, generating a staggering 59,049 potential combinations. Combining these two systems, Leon aimed to reveal underlying patterns within the seemingly random arrangement of the grids. This approach reflects an attempt to transform a simple concept into a more complex representation, emphasising the exploration of randomness and pattern recognition. Leon’s project is a sophisticated synthesis of theoretical and practical elements, demonstrating his engagement with graphic design’s conceptual and tangible aspects.
Leon’s journey into graphic design is rooted in a lifelong passion for art and a desire for problem-solving through creative expression. His early exposure to artistic forms was facilitated by an inspiring art teacher, Brendan Horstead, who encouraged him to explore geometrical elements and abstract representations. This foundational experience laid the groundwork for Leon’s understanding of design as a communicative medium. He appreciates the field’s capacity to address problems through creative solutions, viewing design as a puzzle that involves identifying patterns and devising innovative approaches. This perspective aligns with his desire for a more academic approach to his practice, emphasising his work’s personal and intellectual aspects.
The award is testament to Leon’s hard work and sets the stage for a promising future in graphic design. He says, ‘I was so fascinated by going down my path. It was nice to know that someone else believed in my work or saw something beautiful in it.’
He continues to garner critical recognition as one of the recipients of the Graduate Platform Award 2024, an initiative led by CVAN South East, showing work from his recent degree show. ‘Circle of Senses’, a creative multimedia project, was inspired by the megalithic monuments at Alentejo in Portugal, and explores how modern information systems can help us connect with these ancient spaces and foster a closer relationship with nature. The work seeks to uncover the hidden mysteries of the Neolithic era, investigating how ancient peoples used these monuments to connect with the land, themselves, and their community.
The Platform Graduate Award exhibition is at the Phoenix Art Space in central Brighton until September 22nd 2024.
