Olympic Torch Fires Excitement

A bus stopped in the distance, the doors opened and the flame flickered into sight. The crowd’s cheers grew ever louder as the Olympic Torch went by in a flash. The runner smiled and within moments she was off up the hill and out of sight.

This was the first and most likely the last time the Olympic Flame would pass through Lochwinnoch. A once in a lifetime event and it had to be seen. Even the school children dressed in standard attire had dragged themselves away from their games consoles and social networking, and were giggling, grinning and cheering with the rest of the assembled crowds as the torch ran by.

Only a few hours earlier it was business as usual with a few residents wandering along the streets. Lochwinnoch just a small village in the west of Scotland, locals shopping and sheltering from the rain.

Now the police had arrived, railings being positioned the length of the high street for the expected crowds to stand behind, officials beginning to cordon off areas and direct the parking as the first cars started to arrive.

People began to gather ,wondering where the best place to stand would be to get the best view possible of the main event and hoping that the rain would hold off, although most had brollies at the ready.

In Lochwinnoch all the traffic had stopped, with roads being closed till later in the afternoon. The rain had decided to stop for the time being and the sun was doing its best to shine through the grey clouds. People had walked up the hill to gather and see the torch run through the whole village and on toward Kilmalcolm.

Long before the torch arrived, the Olympic entourage fuelled the crowd with energy. So many police outriders drove down the street, buses and coaches following on and finally the main noisy buses. The Coca-Cola truck, music blaring, handing out gifts and small bottles of fizzy, then the Samsung bus with deafening sounds and a huge screen on the side showing cartoon singers.

It was now only a matter of time before this little village would carve its place in history with its first glimpse of the Olympic torch. The crowd at the crossroads gave a large cheer, the torch had arrived and at last the runners were ready in place to exchange the flame as the Olympic bus stopped...

Cheering all along the street as the first runner passed the crowds and then the torch was handed on to the next girl smiling as the people clapped and children waved their flags. People all around took pictures to show off to their friends via Facebook. Held at arm’s length the torch passed by and on up the hill until it could be seen no more, the Olympic cavalcade following on behind it.

The cheers died down and the crowd looked around wondering if it was all over, chatting about what had just happened and deciding what to do next.

A few minutes later the hype had disappeared, people began to move the barriers and cross the road. Some headed for ice-cream and chips, others to the local shops. Normal life began to resume as people drove away from the village in cars and coaches. Everyone with a different story to tell about the fact they had just witnessed a historic event and seen the Olympic Torch.

Everything is Designed, Few Things are Designed Well

As I read back the notes from my interview with 21-year old Jade, I realise what a remarkable girl she really is. Despite not turning up to school much and dropping out at 15, she still got the best marks possible. Living with a younger brother and sister with more than a fair share of family drama, at age 16 she got a part-time job, while starting an entry-level college course to what would eventually become a way to earn her degree in graphic design.

“Growing up in Glasgow was quite good”, she tells me, and “I wouldn’t have wanted to live anywhere else. I grew up in rough places but I had a really happy childhood, you learn to appreciate things when you move to other places.”

I asked her when she realised she wanted to become a graphic designer, “Quite late I guess compared to some people; I think I was about 16. I had studied a few courses including Communications and Media and the whole time I can remember thinking 'I want this to look like this'. I was more focused on the layout than anything else so after that I knew that’s what I wanted to do, graphic design.  When I went into it I didn't really know what it was about, I didn't even know what typography was and that's like one of the main things in graphic design, it’s now my favourite thing.”

Having often been branded a ‘teacher’s pet’ myself I wanted to know if Jade put herself in that category too, “Erm, not really, I was always quite smart at school. Quiet in class but outside of class I was quite loud and obnoxious. In first year I was quite smart and quiet and then when it got to about second year, I got in with the wrong crowd and started smoking during lunch breaks. I was still smarter than them, I was in top classes but I wish I had gone into school more instead of thinking 'I can't be bothered'. For all of my exams I got As, despite the fact that I wasn't in for most of that year. So I did well but I left when I was 15 and went to college which I regret because doing your exams in school is probably easier than college but at the same time that's when I found out I wanted to be a graphic designer.”

“I think it's important to still try and do your best at school because when you get older it is a lot harder. Most people should stay and stick it at school even until fifth year at least because it does make it a lot easier trying to get into uni.”

The obvious question for me to ask was ‘What logo do you wish you’d designed?’ “That's a hard one, the obvious choice would be the Nike logo but that was designed by a student who literally just did a tick for a competition and they basically thought 'oh, that's an awesome logo' and it became their whole brand identity. I don't think there's just one logo I wish I'd designed because there's just so many that are just so great, I can't just choose one.”

Everyone idolises someone in their profession, Jade says “I quite like a lot of illustrators at the moment and handwritten letters which is like handwritten typography. Someone called Alison Carmichael and another lady called Johanna Basford, their stuff is all handwritten styles. They do so many adverts, you'd probably recognise some of their stuff. Johanna Basford did the Christmas one for Buchanan Galleries with all of the Christmas decorations and candy canes and stuff, it's really nice, I didn't actually realise it was her until I went onto her website. I'm quite into that at the moment and they're probably the people that I aspire to be like. It's good to be good at typography and graphic design but to have a particular niche like that; it's quite in demand at the moment."

Without coming across too negative I asked Jade if she ever wishes she had gone down a different profession, “Yeah, probably every day” she nods, to my surprise, “because it's quite stressful and a lot of people don't understand. For example, if you meet someone for the first time and they say, ' what do you do?' and you say 'oh I'm a graphic designer' so they're like 'right, okay!' because they don't really understand what it is that you do. People tend to think it's just sitting on a computer all day or drawing a quick logo but it's not. There are times where you're designing something that you think is just no good , other times where you do something and you think it's amazing, and then two weeks later you think 'no, it's not good'. I think it's quite good to be like that though because if you always think that your work's great then there's not going to be any room for improvements. I do wish I'd chosen a different profession sometimes but at the same time I can't imagine myself doing anything else.”

“Hopefully with a fancy kitchen from Dwell!” she giggles as to where she sees herself in five years’ time. However, on the more serious note, she says, “I'd quite like to move to Manchester because they've got a lot of really good design studios that are quite young and professional, London as well but I think Manchester more so because it's not as busy. Hopefully I'll just be in a small design studio but one that's really good.”

Throughout her college years Jade maintained her part-time job, gaining more responsibilities and often working the equivalent of four full days a week. All this while studying extremely hard yet still managing to be a typical student; partying through the night and living (or should I say mudding) it up at festivals such as Sonisphere and Download. 

Since the interview Jade has bagged herself a full-time job in graphic design starting someday very soon, while continuing to do her own freelance work under the name iambiko. I wish Jade the very best of luck with her new job and I'm sure it won't be long until she's partying hard in Manchester.

Check out Jade's website iambiko.com

Here A Bike, There A Bike

Holland is like something you have never seen before, not because of the 'Coffeeshops' or the windmills but the bikes. I recently went to stay in Utrecht for the weekend and I could not believe the amount of bicycles. Most people don't have cars or use public transport, they take their bikes. All of the roads are designed especially for the two-wheelers. I love the idea of it, I can only admire the Dutch lifestyle. Cycling 10km to school or work is the norm over there,  "Why walk when you can take the bike?"

If I took my bike into town here, I probably wouldn't return intact. However in Utrecht I cycled into town and back three or four times in the space of 24 hours and even made a trip to the supermarket filling up bags on the rear of the bike, an easy way to carry it home. Cycling felt quite effortless. Drivers in the Britain have no time for cyclists but in Holland it's a completely different story. Bikes have right of way, no matter what. Even walking around I had to be extra careful that I wasn't run over, but by a bike, as walking in a bike is not acceptable. Bikes have right of way over the pedestrian, you must keep out of their way.

Have you ever struggled to remember where you parked your car, for instance, at a shopping centre? Well change that thought from car to bike, which railing did I lock my bike to? Where exactly is that street where I left my bike? That is if you can find a somewhere free to begin with. There are big spaces with bike locks for people to leave their bikes, commonly outside train stations. However, there's often hundreds in the one place, hence why some bicycles are decorated so wierdly and wonderfully.

People worry about maintaining their car; filling it with fuel, paying for road tax and insurance but none of this would be necessary if we all used bikes. The environment would benefit from it too, this kind of culture could be just the thing to get society healthy again. I appreciate a key part of the bike domination is because Holland is so flat but surely there's some way around this. We're constantly putting down new roads and coming up with ways to build on the railway line, of course, all costing fortunes when really, what is stopping us using bikes instead?