Oscar & Ewan’s interpretation of the word “Agency” for the YCN’s new
AgencyYCN site

The Young Creative Network (YCN), the organisation that provides a platform for emerging creatives in design and communication to showcase their work, has launched a new representation agency. AgencyYCN will be international in scope, sourcing new talent in design, art direction, illustration and image making, and the accompanying website will be a resource for clients to promote creative openings and commissions. To promote the new venture (and highlight the fact that each creative’s personal AgencyYCN homepage can be designed in their own style), designers Oscar & Ewan, David Callow and Bryony Birkbeck were commissioned to use their imaginative flair to incorporate the word “Agency” into a piece of their own work, using a medium of their choice.

Chosen for their graphic design expertise, Oscar and Ewan’s intelligent three-dimensional creation sees a strategically assembled “Agency” emerge from white doweling rods suspended on nylon threads (image shown, above). The duo created the illusion of a solid 3D structure, which changes dimensions depending on perspective and lighting. Their aim was to create a sign which wasn’t static but that had a strong physical presence (achieved by the five rows of doweling hanging independently). The blue lighting effect, created by photographer Per Crepin, resembles a neon sign; a neat visual complement to the agency’s function of promoting and attracting attention to artists and their work.

David Callow’s version of “Agency” for YCN’s AgencyYCN site

Both Bryony Birkbeck and David Callow ventured into the realm of the vibrant and bright: Callow’s collage, comprised of illustrations peeking through roughly cut colour swatches were added and subtracted by his team of friends (as seen in the YouTube video, below) to reveal an inversed, understated take on the word “Agency”. The interchanging piece even comes to life at one point, when one of the illustrations walks off the design and onto the artist. Callow’s intricate weaving of illustrated people through a network of colour is a clever utilisation of the word as a network for its users.

Bryony Birbeck’s “Agency”

Birkbeck’s piece also comes to life, as she is at the core of the art piece, literally. Featuring in her own work has become a bit of a trademark, and this piece is no different as, while you can’t actually see her (except for her limbs) the cameraman calls out to her: “Bryony… you are agency”. Birkbeck’s animated artwork looks as though the cogs are about to be turned and an exciting show is going to draw you into her world of happiness and humour.

While certainly functioning as inventive promotion for the new YCN venture, all three projects are no doubt suggestive of the kind of creative skills we can expect to see on the burgeoning AgencyYCN website.

All three of the artist’s creations are available to see on the AgencyYCN website, YouTube and below:

By Oscar & Ewan

By David Callow

By Bryony Birkbeck