Fringe Celebrates Model Cover Design!

Fringe Celebrates Model Cover Design!

Buxton Fringe has revealed the cover artwork for its forthcoming printed programme, an engaging and unusual photograph featuring tiny models set against an old-fashioned map of the town.

Created by former Buxton Community student, Tom Mason, the artwork can be seen in sneak-preview mode on the Fringe’s newly published flyer and will grace the cover of this year’s programme, available in the town and beyond from the beginning of June.

Says Tom: “I took inspiration from the current trend of photographing model figures in humorous real world/full scale situations. I enjoy model making (in particular railway modelling) and therefore I wanted to use my skills in this field to produce an image that reflected the fun and vibrancy of the Fringe in miniature.”

He feels the historic background map, reproduced by permission of The Natonal Library of Scotland, “brings a sense of place and highlights Buxton’s heritage”.

Currently working as a graphic designer at an architectural practice in Portishead, Bristol, 33-year-old Tom went to school in Buxton and says he enjoys coming back when he can during the Fringe and carnival to “soak up the atmosphere”. He says: “The last time I ‘made it big’ in Buxton was in year 9 when my Well Dressing design was one of three to be recreated in clay and petals and placed around The Taylor Well or Children’s Well.”

He experimented with several set-ups around the town in addition to the map design. “During a photo shoot for a potential cover image beside the lake in the Pavilion Gardens we were set upon by an angry goose. The subject of the shoot, a model figure relaxing at the water’s edge, unfortunately didn’t make it…”

Fringe chair Keith Savage says: “Tom grew up in Buxton and has a feel for the town and the Fringe – the mix of the traditional and quirky. He gave us a bundle of designs to look at and responded positively to our suggestions. It has been great to work with Tom and we are sure that people will love his design as much as we do.”

Tom’s cover image also had to work with the programme’s new format this year. Explains Keith: “Our programme has been printed with a ‘portrait’ shaped design for years. We asked designer John Tromans to do a mock-up in a ‘landscape’ format and we think it makes the programme look more spacious and easier to read. We’re delighted with the outcome.”

The new-look Fringe programme will feature full details of all the events at the festival, which runs from July 5-23. The Fringe website www.buxtonfringe.org.uk also offers a complete guide to everything that is going on with the online programme currently building up in the months before the final entry deadline of April 16.

 

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