ILLUSTRATIONS THAT DEFINE A DECADE: NOMA BAR

"The simplicity of a logotype with meaning and emotion"



Noma Bar, an Israeli born graphic designer was also featured in the Summer 2009 issue of Varoom. Unlike Hardstaff he works in a very different field whilst also provoking the same reaction, their work is both well-thought and has much more meaning than just 'meets the eye'.



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Noma's style and influence originated from a simple radioactivity symbol on a black background, we've all seen it and probably didn't think too much of it, but in this Noma saw two eyebrows and a moustache and in his mind this was the face of Sadam Hussein. He developed this signature style during his move to London working for several publications.

It is through his strategic placement of vector shapes and colour that Noma produces such politically questionable and cultural graphics, none of his work is as simple as it seems, there is alot of context behind it all.

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Noma's work is that it is reduced to the bare minimum. Sometimes you can't beleive how little he needs to make an image. 

Mark Porter

An expert at "saying a lot with a little", Noma's unique style makes you think, and it is through his deeply-thought illustrations on political, religious and social perception that his works combined are a perfect example of Illustrations that define a decade.

ILLUSTRATIONS THAT DEFINE A DECADE: JOHNNY HARDSTAFF

"A decade fragmented, networked and connected yet coolly detached"

An article featured in the Summer 2009 issue of Varoom Magazine recently caught my eye, it has several articles discussing just what is the definitive illustration of the last 10 years. The wide variety of illustrations provide a thought-provoking view on contemporary society.

Johnny Hardstaff is both a graphic designer and animator whilst also as working in film and video. He first came into the limelight in 2000 at a festival in Prague with his work entitled 'History of Gaming', commissioned by Sony PlayStation. The nostalgic animation begins as a gem, then unfolding into a sidescrolling animation detailing a timeline of graphic references to growing up in the 70's.

Source: Varoom 2009 Summer issue (scan)

Hardstaff works meticulously in developing models and plans with finely detailed models and plans with finely detailed and intricate drawings.

Shane R. J. Walter; original article

As a follow up to his History of Gaming, Hardstaff was further commissioned to produce another short titled Future of Gaming, also for Sony PlayStation. The short opens your mind to both story telling and emotion within animation. Hardstaff has shown it is possible to make memorable work that has substance, meaning and 'intelligent playfulness'.  

The work of Hardstaff has deep meaning behind it and is well-thought, not only does it have impressive graphical cues mixed in with a blizzard of cultural and historical references but it doesn't shy from having a narrative. Hardstaff tells a highly visual story with his work, making his pieces a perfect candidate for defining a decade.