History and Futures
The lecture was an insight into Darren Wall, Read-Only Memory world of self-publishing and how his career went from designing record vinyl to self-publishing books that he never thought he would see himself doing at the beginning. Darren Wall started ROM by working on the side hustle when working as a graphic designer, which started his venture in book publishing around a genre of video games which is an interest to his success. Darren strongly believes in crowdfunding a project that works great for you and the audience that you believe helps bring a project to life in book publishing. When putting an idea in front of people on a crowdfunding site you need to go with the idea and draft it to the audience that clearly communicates the aspect of the project that involves the people that would love to invest in it. Ideas are key to successful crowdfunding as the aesthetic of the physical form will change through the process depending on the budget and medium you choose to work with. When you have the backing of your audience it is in your interest that you need to fully keep them in the loop and create conversation about where the project is at in the process. This also brings a community of like-minded people that can help ideate new beginnings for the further project which is helpful to keep in touch after the project is finished. Darren talks about how you go about the print production of publishing a book, which he gave some interesting insights in searching out printers to help create good relationships in creating something you both can achieve together in a positive success. So finding printers that are onboard with your idea and an opportunity to experiment with print to push boundaries that can achieve new ideas for printing techniques.
How to self-publish a book
I came across an article from a creative blog sharing tips on how to be a success in publishing your own design book or magazine. some very useful tips were covered in the lecture but also some extra ideas in making a digital issue that can help attract your audience without the cost of print and use it as a point of experimenting. There’s also another article at medium.com by Andrew Couldwell that goes into detail about self-publishing a book, which is very encouraging and useful tips to use when searching for ways to do it.
How to do a book launch

An article by Jim Woods, medium.com on a step-by-step guide in launching your book, which shows some very useful tips. He covered a lot on questioning your target audience, marketing approach, keeping yourself organised and how not to forget your goal. He did point out one idea which is to create an event that’s not about your book but involve your audience in sharing their ideas and ambitions where you can create a community of like-minded people just like yourself who want to share and collectively come together for big ideas. It’s very important to help and support a community where their best interest at heart is what your topic is passionate to you. So take the chance in reaching out to people that you can really help and push your book launch in the right direction that is available for everyone to share.
Studio Culture Now
I came across a Kickstarter page for Unit Editions book, Studio Culture Now which they pledged for crowdfunding last year November 2020. I liked the video (above) that outlined the launch of the book which gave an insight into what the book has to offer and how the community of designers or like-minded people can help to generate an idea into production through a little help of a small donation. I would be aware that to drive people to this site would need a huge following in the publishers Unit Edition that can generate marketing through its social media and also pop up events that they would be attending like with colleges, universities, exhibitions, etc. This is a great example in the approach by Darren Wall in the lecture in which he discussed the success of crowdfunding can benefit and help push a book into publishing for everyone to see with their own eyes.
Don’t Get a Job… Make a Job | Digital Jobs | Wired Sussex
This short video from Gem Barton on her book launch ‘Don’t Get a Job…Make a Job’ shows a great example in her approach in discussing her book in detail to her audience. Firstly this book is targeted to students, graduates in finding the audience, which is in line with her current job, but she does explain very well how it is a useful tool for those that need it most. Truly her audience on the event had good coverage through Wired Sussex that launched a week of events for its open studio in 2016, but Gem articulates in a manner that really shows what evidence she makes on what her books have to offer with an example of creatives she knows that’s she’s interviewed and followed through her time in making this book. Gem shows a great deal in her passion and helping others through her knowledge and understanding that helps launch this book at an event that people attend at their own curiosity in getting to know Gem and her book.
Product Launch Examples Than Just Books
There was some great example of product launches I came across which I felt showed interesting strategy is communicating to its audience in a different perspective. Firstly was Nike House of Go where a company as big as Nike can work on launches at a high cost as they can place their products in any place and people will recognise. What was interesting to me was how they created the experience for the audience in a digital and physical form that brings a community of people to be involved in their launch of a product that makes benefit the need of the customer. They walk their audience through many things but the end goal is to make them feel good. This selling point is to make people aware that they get the benefits in the end when there’s someone to help guide them towards their goal with confidence and flair.
Secondly, I came across a video by Dollar Shave Club that sells great quality razors to your door. This is a service for the people and shows a simple idea that can benefit everyone. so when it came to the product launch, writer Michael Dubin and director Lucia Aniello created an explainer video (below) that got right to the point, with just the perfect level of cynical humour and straight talk to cut right through to the target market. I really liked the connection it brought to the audience as it was showing a means to the product and what it can do to benefit the customer and the people involved.
Overall these examples shows maybe what ideas can bring to launching an idea if it’s either a book or a product that reflects what you want to sell and bring an audience together to create a community to the idea.
Workshop Challenge
With my final week on the essay outcome, I was able to conduct an interview with the local councillor Terry Byrne about the restoration of the four shelters along the East Parade. This interview was quite significant as he was involved in helping to get the funds from the council to give the project the go-ahead. We spoke about where the project is at the current moment in time, what’s the future for the four shelters, what they will offer to the community and who was involved in the project. Having this insight really helped me to know more in-depth information on the shelters and what the future holds for them and the community.

After I put all my research and interview with Terry Byrne I had enough information to complete my essay writing and then work on my design publication with my references of the shelters that I took some photos of in my research. I worked on my designs by looking at the structure of the shelters bringing the relationship of the style and grid layout to my design outcome.



The Outcome




The Essay
What a Load of Shelters
What do the shelters mean to the community?
Shelters are crucial for survival for all walks of life from animals keeping safe to wait for the next bus you’ve been sitting for the last half hour to get to your next appointment. This architectural structure provides security, personal safety and protection from all types of weather, that prevents you from ill health and diseases. It has become recently to my knowledge when strolling along the promenade of the East Parade in Bexhill-On-Sea a new shelter appeared as if it was put up overnight. However, it was to my lack of observation that there were four of these victorian built structures that are settled across the parade that I’ve really not noticed they were there before with my very own eyes. It was at that point that one of four of these shelters was restored to its fully beaming joy with a refreshing new seating area for people to settle and enjoy the horizon of the English Channel that you see before you with the smell of the sea salt air and the sounds of the waves hitting against the shingle beach.
I’ve never taken much notice in these shelters before the start of the restoration as the structure decade over time and never looked welcoming nor safe to seat in one of these shelters for a minutes piece. However, the community have been appreciating the renovated shelter’s that has been fully restored by the volunteers of Bexhill Heritage which the District Rother Council help partly funded the project on the East Parade beachfront. Since the completion of shelter number three, many people locally and far have been conspicuous by this renovated structure that people have started to communal together where conversations have sparked and appreciated this historical architecture piece and the environment that surrounds it for people to see. This project has re-invented history in today’s modern landscape, where this shelter was first built in 1921 to provoke peoples attitudes and behaviour by taking a minute out of their day and appreciate the surroundings which is one of many landmarks that Bexhill-On-Sea has to offer. There are four shelters along East Parade, which have been neglected for many decades and maintenance work has not been at the forefront of the district council over many years. It’s been the people of Bexhill-On-Sea and independent councillors that have enlightened the issues on these shelters to come together and help to challenge and restore these heritage shelters in the coastal town. It was down to the hard work of the people that have to restore the love, care and attention of a significant piece of historical nature to life through voluntary, fundraising and dedicated labouring hours to make this project happen. It’s attracting the spirit of the community and bringing people together whether they’re local or out-of-towner, but it is a place of homage to the area where everyone can benefit from the joy of the area at the heart of the community.
Bexhill Heritage
Bexhill Heritage was founded in 2017 with a small committee of trustees passionate to help protect the built environment of Bexhill-On-Sea town of its past, present or future involvement for many parts of the conservation landmarks that is to offer. There are huge benefits for the public that should be aware of the history that the town brings to help promote the architecture, environmental design and town planning for people from outside the town. They want to cultivate the audience of the fundamental content the historical habitat has to offer, that will bring interest and appreciation showcasing the unique conservation areas the heritage is extremely proud to be part of protection for the town. The charity is run by raising funds, receive grants and donations to help use funds towards carrying out any work. So nothing is easily given as it’s down to events and selling merchandise to help achieve their project ambitions with all necessary purposes to achieve the desire to maintain the values of Bexhill Heritage. Early September 2019, Bexhill Heritage was approached by Rother District Council to help with completing the repairs to the number three shelter on the East Parade. The project was part-way through its restoration from the council and it was to the committee that this project had to be completed with their help for the benefit of the area in the town. The labour hours the volunteers of Bexhill Heritage had participated in the event of completing the restoration was over 2,500 hours of taking the initiative of bringing back the historical architecture that was left to a decade for so many years. This shelter was being left rotting, vandalised, loose tiles and deteriorating to a level of non-existent as these shelters have a significant place in the history of East Parade on Bexhill-On-Sea seafront. In the loft of the shelter that was in restoration, there was decades-old of paint that was congealed in tins that have gone beyond their sell-by-dates which identifies the lack of care and attention these have not been given over the years. The whole structure has to be stripped bare of the paint that already exists where the challenge to remove this from the columns, sideboards and window frames took 900 hours in itself to be prime ready for painting over. The rest of the structure was volunteered by members of the committee to paint the shelter but they had to use a contractor for re-tiling the roof with hand-made tiles that was designed for this specific design to bring back the time and the essence of the Victorian era. Creating these bespoke tiles and sourcing the material would have been the biggest cost to the project but a truly unique style that makes the shelter relive in its memories of when it was first built. When the project was completed on the 14th August 2020 it was welcomed by the people of Bexhill-On-Sea with the gratitude towards the hours put into this project with little money but glorify the aesthetic of this unique heritage that has many stories to tell or listen from past, present and the future. It truly does brings joy to the community and re-lives the moments that family generations enjoyed over a hundred years ago in a time where shelters are not so popular in today’s society. For others it’s truly remarkable and a beautiful spot to relax and unwind in an imagination that can take you back in time or a moment to recover your mental wellbeing.
The history behind these shelters.
There are four shelters along East Parade, Bexhill-On-Sea that was erected at the different stage’s in history during the Victorian era for the community to enjoy the landscape and its surroundings in the late 19th century. The first of the four was built in 1895 as a bandstand by a private investor who invested the cost of the build by asking the public to subscribe for the build of this bandstand that would bring performances for people to enjoy but wasn’t successful in generating the money to keep the performances going. The 8th Earl De La Warr purchased the bandstand later to add comfort for the public attending the band performances to gather and enjoy the venue of live entertainment where the people can enjoy the breathtaking views of the beach and the sea at the same time. This entertainment is embedded in the town today along the waterfront as you’ll find crowds in The Colonnade (located outside the De La Warr Pavilion) where you can settle down to eat and drink in spring and summer for everyone to enjoy the festival atmosphere of live music. In 1904 the 8th Earl De La Warr had to decide to convert the bandstand into a shelter as there were many complaints about the discomfort of the traffic and strong winds for the visitors and community that couldn’t bear with any longer and had no choice on the decision. This well crafted and decorative wooden shelter with an unusual ten-sided plan with hand-made red tiles that were suited for these shelters as part of a new enriching shift between 1883 – 1902 where the Victorian new town was built very rapidly with dutch gables predominates architecture with many domes and turrets that was the trend of a period in the industrial revolution. It wasn’t until many years later the next three of its kind were built to accommodate the same attention to detail located along the waterfront for the public to relish the purpose of these shelters as they serve for the people to enjoy the surrounding atmosphere and breathtaking views. These became grade II listed buildings over time by Historic England who are a public body to help care, enjoy and celebrate England’s spectacular historic environments around the country. These shelters have been a subject of deterioration for decades and the challenges that laid ahead for Bexhill Heritage showed a rewarding project that truly brought back the life of these derelict huts for everyone to enjoy once again a haven of devotion to the people of Bexhill. People of all ages are really enjoying what the shelters have to offer which is a communal space for everyone to socially enjoy and spark conversations either you’re with friends or someone passing by to say hello and how is your day? It’s fascinating how these structures can allow people to have a moment’s rest but at the same time making memories with your friends and loved ones that may bring relationships closer together or a moment to reflect on your day when taking a minute to rest.
The Lost West Parade Shelters
The demolition in 1977, of the elegant victorian structure on the West Parade that was also once a bandstand (1899) and then to a shelter in 1921 had a lack of upkeep to maintain which was the reason it had to be removed from the waterfront. There were two additional victorian shelters along the West Parade of Bexhill seafront at the turn of the 20th century. Once these were taken down in the late ’70s the council didn’t consider replacing these at the time and wasn’t looking to re-generate the promenade to freshen the look of Bexhill’s beautiful waterfront. It took the District Rother Council over 30 years to decide on the transformation of the West Parade when the authorities Next Wave Seafront improvement project was granted a £5 million cultural regeneration programme with an additional £1 million of funding from CABE under the Sea Change Programme to change the urban landscape to tie in with the iconic building De La Warr Pavilion. This funding was an opportunity for Bexhill to create a modern promenade for the local community and visitors to the town. The council invited many architect practices to participate in a competition ran by CABE that was opened to a creative interpretation of how the seafront can benefit the people in Bexhill for a new regeneration programme that is contemporary and mirrors the surrounding landscape. This opportunity brought a diverse range of ideas forward to the table for the district council to consider a unique fashionable architecture landscape that can fit in with its current surroundings and the town people’s backing. The overall winners were a young practice Michael Tite and Tom Ebdon who was one of ten shortlisted from 140 entries in the entire competition with a design that shaped the seating plan of a shelter that echoes the warmth of nestling in behind a windbreak whilst allowing people to enjoy the views from all directions. Over the course of getting this project underway, it decided that Tit and Ebdon couldn’t carry out the programme and had to break away as they believe ‘ Rother District council made it impossible for them to satisfy the appointment conditions’. The original competition jury was able to promote a new appointment of a new practice by the name of Duggan Morris Architects who missed out on winning the competition by five votes to four. Duggan Morris was delighted to take this project forward and was committed to delivering an innovative and original scheme as part of the future vision for Bexhill-on-Sea. The structure of these shelters is a contemporary style that is completely different to the East Parade victorian shelters as they are steel-framed wooden-clad units made from real Monterey Pine, by Kebony which the material is durable for all extreme weathers that can protect from the gale and rain in the winter months. These structures are total of a different contrast to the East Parade Victorian shelters that show no relevance to the history of the previous shelters demolished in 1977, however, it is a design that fulfils the future vision side by side of the De la Warr Pavilion which the architecture stills looks contemporary today for the art centre. The West and East Parade shelters really give a great indication of how Bexhill is pioneering a seaside town to start new beginnings for the future that paves the way. The rich historical past of the town that was vastly built in the Edwardian and Victorian periods was developing its culture in a rich and trending place for people in the town and who would be visiting a seaside town with great expectations is hardly any different in accepting a new aesthetic design to a time that takes you back in the past. Many people weren’t in favour of the shelters being put up on the West Parade as they felt they didn’t fit within the historical values the town has to offer. These shelters are great ambassadors for everyone to embrace and emerge in the surrounding environment where people are rejoicing to make conversation with each other as people did the same a hundred years ago.
What’s next for East Parade shelters?
The shelters in East Parade are a truly magnificent piece of architecture for the town of Bexhill-On-Sea and brings a lot of heritage and historical context to the coastline. I had the opportunity to speak to a local Independent Councillor, Terry Byrne that was part of helping to open funds in making this restoration project get the go-ahead. We spoke about how the community came together to restore these historical masterpieces and what the future holds for the four shelters with two currently in progress. Bexhill-On-Sea truly encapsulates the environment that is in situ and focus on the beauty of the beach and its surrounding that the community can benefit and enjoy a relaxing and charming part of the coastal town. The shelters are the pinnacle for the future of the East Parade and will lay the foundation in what is to come for the community to see the area evolve. The local community don’t want a sudden change in the landscape as they did with West Parade where not so long ago the East Parade did have a Heritage Lottery Bid rejected for the renovation of the East Parade which the local community did not want a repeat of the New Wave project. The people in the community would like to keep it the way it is but enhancing some parts that will attract tourism and help generate an economy to put back into the area for the community. The first shelter near to the old bathing station which I mentioned used to be a bandstand in the late 19th century is being revived for live performances which local bands, school groups and performing arts schools from across the community use as a platform to showcase their talent. The emphasis of this will be fully focused on the local community and what will be applied will be decided with the local council and the people of Bexhill-On-Sea that can bring the benefits for everyone to enjoy. It’s an opportunity to enhance the area than changing it which will bring the people of the town closer together and keep parts of the parade such as the shelter to keep the life it provides.
Conclusion
The overall conclusion to this project is how restoring these four historical shelters can benefit the people of Bexhill-On Sea and what positive it can be on those that can see the benefits? I believe the restoration is the key to the foundation of the East Parade as it will be the beacon to what will generate the growth and the economics of the community in the surrounding area. There is clearly a bigger picture to how these shelters will sit within their natural surroundings but gradually the area will enhance itself in small portions to help bring people what is to offer on the East Parade. These will be either pop-up events to the small kiosk for food and beverages that will be accessed for everyone along the parade as you stroll from the top of Galley Hill to the Sailing Club which will bring many activities to enjoy along the way for everyone to enjoy. If this is achievable then it will help to keep the restoration of the shelters and upkeep the cleaning and maintaining the great architecture with the support of the Bexhill Heritage. The biggest impact that will bring opportunities for people is resurrecting the bandstand to the purpose it was built for which will allow local groups from school to colleges to showcase the talent that the town has to offer and help in bring confidence in young people in performing in front of an audience which is a great skill set for anyone’s wellbeing. It can also be used for talks and discussion in the area as Terry Byran pointed out before in our talk where he and his fellow councillors use the shelters for surgeries to allow people to come to talk and discuss issues that matter. So truly restoring these magnificent architectural structures will bring great pleasure and benefits for everyone from all walks of life to enjoy the seating and the environment of the coastline that Bexhill-On-Sea sits upon. It’s a great opportunity in reuniting the community in playing their part in bringing something back to the people that everyone can truly be proud of and enjoy with excitement when either seating walking past seeing others making memories within these shelters.