As the fifth year since our inception came to a close, we felt the mood was right for a little celebration and just a hint of self-congratulation. After much debate and looking back on all of the wonderful projects we have had the opportunity to work on, we decided to put the theme of collaboration at the heart of our birthday festivities.
We all recognised that without our tried and trusted network of creatives many of our projects wouldn’t have gone from good to great. Our work with illustrators and artists around the world since the early days of Raw has allowed us to push our ideas further and create a range of digital and print projects for our wide and varied clients.
The emphasis on collaboration was explored through a variety of forms as part of Raw 5. Firstly, we put our heads together to compile a rather long list of all of the creatives we admire and would like to collaborate with, from developers and designers to fine artists and knitters. We asked each one if they would like to contribute a unique piece of artwork on a blank 8x10 canvas. The idea being that these canvases would then be exhibited during our birthday event and put up for sale to raise money for our local charity the Wood Street Mission. We were lucky enough to receive 80 unique and beautiful pieces from the very generous community of creatives we had originally contacted, all loosely tied to our birthday theme.
To complement the exhibition of canvases, we also asked one of our favourite illustrators and past collaborators, Matt Sewell to come along and create a live piece of art during the exhibition. This element was a brilliant addition to the event and brought a little more excitement and energy to the static canvas exhibition.
The final collaborative piece that we produced as part of the project was a commemorative plate and an accompanying poster to act as a souvenir for all of our guests and a way for us all to remember the occasion. Being the first ceramic piece we had produced, we learnt a lot about the various heating and printing processes and the vast array of plate styles that are available. Another one of our favourite illustrators Deanna Halsall provided the illustrations, included a character for each of our team.
The birthday celebrations and exhibition took place on the 1st September 2011 at our home Islington Mill, Salford. Complete with a huge hog roast, and free-flowing alcohol, the exhibition and courtyard were filled with fellow designers, students and many of our clients and associates. £600 was raised for our local charity the Wood Street Mission, offering practical help and support to the children and families that surround our design studio.
Following the success of the evening we made the leftover canvases available to buy via our online shop and Matt Sewell’s completed canvas was raffled off to raise money for our chosen charity.
Most importantly for us, the whole project felt like, not only a great commemoration of our personal achievements over the past five years, but a celebration of what can happen when you get in touch with hundreds of creatives and see what you can all achieve together. The fact that we were also raising money for a local charity only made this self-initiated project seem more worthwhile and relevant.
