A very small Ad campaign!

A little smile appeared on my face when I came across this on the Creative Review blog. To promote a channel 4 documentary based on Seven dwarves (and titled Seven Dwarves!) design agency 4creative subverted the notion of a huge billboard campaign by instead producing 20 mini poster sites. I think it's a really clever idea well executed.

Marian Bantjes

I came across the work of Marian Bantjes when I saw the work she had produced for Saks Fifth avenue in which Bantjes was hired by Michael Bierut from design agency Pentagram. The campaign features around a signature piece called 'want it'. I really like the loose free handrawn designs and other words which were linked into the campaign and think they work well once applied to in store visuals such as windows and posters.

Music Packaging

Music inspires and influences me so when I came across this nice packaging design for a latest record sleeve I was made aware by how much the environment which I live in plays a huge part in design.

Found on Creative Review blog is the latest music packaging for the new UNKLE album. Art directed by James Lavelle, Ben Drury and Warren Du Preez and Nick Thornton Jones. The package includes a booklet of songs lyrics and sleeve notes as well as imagery produced on heavy card. All the elements are created on silver stock and show nice imagery and typography in a unique lavish way.

Tyler Thompson

I was recommended to look at the hypefortype blog after producing my own typeface design for my major project. Whilst browsing through the blog I found an interesting design piece by Tyler Thompson who got pretty bored of the designs of boarding passes, or lack of design within them. Some of his designs are 'ideal world' designs whilst some work with the existing limitations of boarding passes. Although the designs haven't influenced my final projects I still thought they were nice design ideas well executed.

Ruth Ansel

Whilst browsing through the latest issue of Creative Review magazine I came across an article on designer Ruth Ansel who has been an art director of three of the most influential magazines of all time. Working on Harpers Bazaar in the 1960's, the New York Times magazine in the 70's and Vanity Fair in the 80's. Ruth believes that graphic design at it's best' informs and entertains the eye whilst defining the moment' and one of her own primary goals is to create a new visual language that breaks with tradition of using photography and type. I was interested in finding out more about her as a designer and was also intrigued by the article published in creative review as it is the first in a series on woman designers. It made me think about whether there are enough female designers and if female designers are appreciated enough in the design world.

Whilst researching into the background of Ansel I came across an interview in which she speaks about how the workplace has changed for women over the years. I found this quite insightful as it delved into my own earlier thoughts of female designers.

(Interview with Bonnie Siegler found at http://www.stepinsidedesign.com/STEPMagazine/Article/28556/index.html)

S: How do you think the workplace has changed for women over the years?

RA: It hasn’t very much. It is more about appearances than reality. More women are in the workplace but they’re not getting comparable recognition or salaries with their male peers. Women are still working in a man’s world. It is especially difficult for an independent outsider type of woman, whether she is a graphic designer, an architect, or an interior designer, to really achieve a top position, even if she is an exceptional talent. Think of Eileen Gray, and how she spent most of her life having her work ignored, while her famous collaborator, Le Corbusier was celebrated worldwide. She did not become famous until shortly before she died in 1976. I admit I had never heard of her until then as well. There are certainly more talented women out there, more than men I believe, but I still think the glass ceiling exists and they get discouraged

BS: At times I feel if I was a man in the same position doing the same work, I would be paid more money, and be more famous.

RA: I started out as a graphic designer in the 1960s at Harper’s Bazaar magazine. At that time there were very few women to look up to who had preceded me in the field of magazine design. Of course, there were exceptions like Cipe Pineles and Miki Denhof. But things don’t seem to have progressed much since then. What I mean is here we are in 2005 and I don’t think you can name an equal amount of really talented and deserving women with an equal amount of men who are recognized graphic designers, heads of their own firms, or successful CEOs in advertising. If so I’d love to know who those women are.

I enjoyed this interview and felt it gave me a good insight into how what female designers think of the industry.

Carnovsky's RGB wallpaper

Itallian studio Carnovsky created a series of wallpapers that react to different coloured lights for the milan design week. The designs created for a noted itallian wallpaper brand feature overlapping illustrations and different elements of these designs are revealed depending upon whether a red, green or blue light is shone against them. I really like the striking illustrations themselves yet think the lighting element adds another striking characteristic. 

 

 

Image when red light is shone on wallpaper and different elements are revealed when a green light is shone against it.

To Dry For

Whilst browsing through a recent copy of the Daily Telegraph I came across an online company called 'To Dry For' which is an online boutique specialising in designer tea towels. Husband and wife team based in London they produce work for designers and also have a range of artist commisioned tea towels which promote the work of prominent up and coming designers and illustrators. I really like the witty thinking behind these designs as well as how visually appealing they look. I particularly like the ones designed for the penguin books.

You can see more here

Mick Greer

After today's lecture I thought it would be a good idea to make the most out of Mick being in college and it was suggested by my tutor that I sit down with him and talk through my own copywriting ideas I had been working on for my major project.

I had been in contact with Mick prior to his visit at college as myself and Grace felt at a dead end with our Bacardi work, as the brief we were working on played primarily with copywriting Guy suggested we got in touch with Mick to get some valuable honest feedback, and this is what we got.

Therefore showing my work to Mick today I knew that I would get an honest opinion and maybe a push in the right direction. Mick suggested that hard hitting words would be what would make people read my bullying posters and right now they just weren't hard hitting enough and were also quite long. After feeling in a bit of a rut with my major project the advice that I received from Mick definitely helped and I will turn these negatives into a positive.

I am now working myself to a deadline of producing these designs and Mick's idea for next friday when I visit Ady at True North.

Piano stairs

I came across these fun interactive piano stairs in Sweden, that encourage people to take the stairs rather than taking the escalator. Really clever idea and I know I would take the stairs instead of being lazy!

There's even a video to show the journey and apparently since producing the piano steps 66% more people now chose to take the stairs rather than using the escalator!

You can check these out at Toxel

Topshop

Anyone who knows me knows how much I love fashion and more importantly how my favourite shop is Topshop. I always say that as well as graphic design, illustration and fashion feeds my practice as a designer every day so I was amazed when I saw my favourite aspects of design and fashion brought together. 

Japanese artist Que Houxo works infront of a live audience painting with bright colours and chaotic brush strokes. His work bursts with colour and energy that you can almost en capture the movement of the brush strokes. With this in mind Topshop hired Houxo into a few lucky stores to paint live in their windows.

I always admire Topshop's windows for their fun quirky designs.

Unusual and Creative Pencils

I came across these most unusual and creative pencils designed by people all over the world. I really like the ideas behind them. I particularly like the pre chewed pencil and the clothes peg pencil. They really made me smile!

  

Ycn Bacardi

Over the past few months myself and fellow student Grace have been working in collaboration on a competition brief for Ycn. The brief itself was to drive visibility and awareness of Bacardi flavoured rums and leverage the creative theme of flirtation. The target consumer was 18-24 year old males who are fun, lighthearted and outgoing.

Initial ideas involved working with chat up lines to create innocent banter and changing cocktail recipes into flirting techniques.... for example 3/4 of eye contact.

In the end we came up with a typographic solution which played with humour in a way to appeal to our target audience. We took a typical boy meets girl scenario and added in all the ways males and females flirt with one another using body language. To make it even more cheekier and flirtatious we added an inuendo at the end where the audience has to question what the female is grabbing for... of course it's the Bacardi.

Initial Ideas

Researching into copywriters such as Sam Cartmell and visiting London agencies with our designs helped us to push our idea further. We also decided to work with neon to create the typography as this created a night time club/bar feel. Therefore we researched into neon artists such as Tracy Emin and Bruce Nauman.

Bruce Nauman

Tracy Emin

Our final designs have changed quite a lot from the initial stages and I am more than pleased with the outcome. Whether we win or lose I am happy to of worked on this brief to a finished stage and it will sit nicely in my portfolio.

Final designs

Marion Deuchars

Illustration always feeds my practice as a designer and I love hand drawn type and lettering. I came across the work of Marion Deuchars when I looked at the 2002 annual review of D&AD. To celebrate it's 40th birthday the book was entitled 'What's the point' and was art directed by Vince Frost (another favourite designer of mine) All text in the book were handwritten in pencil by Deuchars.

Alice in Wonderland

After waiting for what feels like centuries Tim Burton's interpretation of Alice in Wonderland was finally released on the 5th March. In my opinion I loved it, as soon as I put on the 3d glasses I was thrown into a world where I was battling along with Alice. The outrageous costumes, makeup and hair are all bizarre and from another world. Like all of Burton's films he delivers the plot from a different angle so don't expect to watch it and see an average fairytale. Each character is also well represented with each one being adorable in their own way, my favourite was the Mad Hatter played by Johnny Depp who succeeds in carrying most of the film, however his character sometimes seemed inconsistent alternating from a scottish accent to back to normal again, however I think this just plays more on his 'Mad' role.

However, even though I enjoyed the film there is controversy surrounding it, for example are peoples expectations of the film made bigger just because it's produced by Tim Burton.Also Alice in Wonderland is being strongly compared to Avatar. Avatar was a film which percolated in James Cameron's head for at least 14 years and like Alice in Wonderland being made into 3d so many expectations surrounded it but was this merely because of the film itself or because it gave people a chance to watch something in 3d.

In my opinion I enjoyed the film and would consider going watching it again, maybe in 2d to see how it shapes up that way but it definately met my high expectations.