Another Printer...?

This is amazing.

Hello Little Printer, available 2012 from BERG on Vimeo.

In this age of all things digital, it's very difficult to produce something that uses paper in a non wasteful way. In fact the cons outweigh the positives in using paper so much that it looks to be obsolete in 20 years. But this little printer is very neat, concise and innovative. It picks and prints out snippets of tweets, images, news, (and pretty much anything thing else you want on there) out on a piece of paper- the size of a receipt. Not only does it bring the digital age back down to a more traditional approach, it is relevant and in my opinion, convenient for the consumer. If you've only got five minutes, print out the information and you have it on a bit of paper- want to come back to it? pin it onto your fridge, keep it on your desk.

So it may not be perfect, and there may be a huge road ahead for improvements and developments, but I like where it is going.

Saachi Gallery, London

I have wanted to visit the Gallery for a while and just stumbled upon the opportunity a couple of days ago. Having had high expectations, I definitely was not let down. I was greeted with a very cheery employee who didn't get waste any time to mention the free tour. The tour, a bit short for my liking, picked out a few exhibitions and noted the artists ideas within their work, and also gave me the freedom to explore the other works without any pre connotations of knowing what they were about.

The gallery itself was very spacious, and I was very impressed how they trusted the visitors to "behave". A simple but clear sign by each exhibition stated that they appreciated a "no hands" policy, to avoid cornering off each sculpture. This is how a museum should be, to view the pieces as they are, without the distance, and WITH interaction. The spacious rooms gave the whole gallery a calm and open feel, focusing on quality rather than quantity- something other museums need to pick up on.

A few picks from the gallery (all pieces are personal collections of Charles Saachi himself!)

(Kris Martin)- The tiny paper cross really puts the rock in perspective.

(Richard Wilson) A perfect juxtaposition how something so ugly can be so still and beautiful. (The floor is actually flooded with oil)

(Folkert De Jong) Colourful but toxic, this circus scene is made from styrofoam.

(Thomas Houseago) The rough and 'unfinished' sculptures resonated with my idea of the vulnerability and imperfections of the modern world.

(all images from Saachi Gallery, London)

Brand Reversions

This is fantastic. Graham Smith has taken logos of competing companies and swapped them around to produce this mind boggling result. You can view more reversions on his website www.imjustcreative.co.uk/brandreversioning

The logos could not look more natural or unnerving at the same time. Natural because it would take a second glance to realise the names are different and unnerving because we all recognise what the real companies are.

This project really highlights the subjectivity of graphic design. On one hand, it shows how brands have become recognisable in an instant but also how little the name actually matters, because a quick glance over may not see anything out of the ordinary....which can be a problem when the two companies are rivals. Are competing companies all that different from one another?

Melton Mowbray Pork Pies

Last year one of the projects was to promote pork pies. This was in the news today which I thought was quite interesting. Apparently they are now protected in the EU and the name is only allowed to be used by the town and surrounding area.

If no countries objected to the idea then the legislation could be carried through. And surprisingly.......none of them did.

It sounds like the whole idea has been taken far too seriously, all reflected in the little sheet which is written in Comic Sans.

Promoting Tap Water

We've al heard about unnecessary packaging and eco-friendly products and everything we can possibly learn about recycling.

With so much (packaging) going to waste, the government has to find different ways of attracting consumers to join the plea and this is one of them. 

The whole concept of buying bottled water to me is unbelievable. So man people complain about scams and excessive pricing, yet they don't seem to attack this sector, the idea of buying water when clean, drinkable water comes for free (almost) out of a tap. I can understand that it is a good idea, to have water accessible to those that need it outside the home, but things have gone too far with the level of branding out there. How did it become such a big sector in business?

This company is dedicated to promoting tap water, selling reusable bottles for £6. Yes it is a little pricey but the money that would be saved in the long term makes it worth it. I really like the design of the bottle aswell, very contemporary and straight forward. I wouldn't be ashamed of carrying that around.

If you have the time visit their site, and if you have the money, buy a bottle!

Actually grumpy free cakes!

This could actually be the funniest packaging ever for cakes. The Fabulous Bakin' Boys have made this limited edition of cupcakes and claim they have “no artificial colours or flavours, no hydrogenated fats and totally grumpy free!”

This is a very bold statement to make but it has half worked for me- I cant stop smiling every time I think about them and I haven't even tried one yet!

Although I can see it is a marketing bluff, the way they make it more consumer friendly by claiming it to be grumpy free, is a marketing area which could be developed. I'm sure, as consumers, we are all tired of the scientific jargon that is thrown across labels but this is much more straight forward and understandable. However I can also see many people taking advantage of the situation and sue companies for false advertising. 

Ginger Beer/Beards....

Over the summer this series of ads were released into women's magazines. I never and still don't understand the link between the two but its very obscure and weird. Something to do with Ginger Beer and ginger beards but if it's caught your attention or you want to find out more then visit their site. 

However as it was released over summer, the adverts does remind me of the holidays- it's so wacky and surreal that my housemates decided to stick them up in our kitchen. Noone however feels the need to go out and try one though.

Gregor Graf

This Austrian designer mainly focuses on photography and what caught my eye was his work titled "Hidden Town". He took pictures of London, Warsaw and Linz but manipulated them so every hint of advertising and signage was taken out. The street became unrecognisable and looked uninhabited. This clearly shows how much design and advertising has crept into everyday life, so much that without it, places and streets look unnatural.  It's work like this that is so inspirational and mind-opening that makes me like design so much. It also creeps me out how affected the general public are, almost needing the signs to help recognise a place. The title emphasises this focus aswell as the lack of comparison to what it should look like.

Both the pictures are manipulated images of London. My curiosity naturally kicks in, wanting to know which streets they are. Does anyone know?

Graf also does illustration, although I don't find as catchy as his photography but definitely have a look on his website. Most of it is in German which is a little annoying but there are plenty of examples of his work to look at.

Interesting places nearby

This is quite a brilliant idea. The website is rather plain and dull but thats because it's mobile friendly which means it uses less megabytes to download on a mobile phone. But tap in a postcode and 5 interesting things are picked randomly from other sources on the internet in the surrounding area. 

It's really a great idea for those spontaneous moments or mini road trips for people to get to visit the area that's been rated already as interesting. And it's not biased because there aren't big companies promoting their products on it!

have a look here.

Shark on roof

This is a head turner! A massive shark seems to have nose-dived into someone's roof! But actually it was specifically built in memory of the atomic bombings in Nagasaki, 

“The shark was to express someone feeling totally impotent and ripping a hole in their roof out of a sense of impotence and anger and desperation….It is saying something about CND, nuclear, power, Chernobyl and Nagasaki.” Bill Heine (owner of the house) commented to journalist's.

It brought media attention from around the world, aswell as controversy from the locals. Council officials tried to bring it down in terms of health and safety but they found that the support system was well structured. They also tried to take it down because he didn't have any planning permission but an appeal to the secretary state for the environment won the case and the shark stayed. 

This was such a big statement and it still is now. It's reassuring that people still stand their ground on subjects that matter to them, and in a graphical sense, this is certainly inventive and different.

Bulfinch's Mythology

Remember those lessons in classic civilisation? Well this is the reference book about all those greek gods and goddesses compiled into one. Bulfinch was a professor at Harvard and found the need for a complete reference book which contained all the myths, hence this book. These myths, as far-fetched as the seem do actually relate to modern day life in one way or another, and it's a shame the connections aren't really exploited. So it's refreshing to be able to pick up a fantasy/fairytale and know it had a little part in history.

Although this is not the original by Bulfinch himself, it is an abridgment of all the fables, legends and myths put together. 

Type and Typography

Im currently reading this book and although it's quite a slow start, it is very useful for anyone that wants to get into typography. It gives plenty of examples when distinguishing the differences between the typefaces aswell go through the influences from where they came from. 

The only criticism I can give the book is that the writing style is very formal, which I tend to find harder to read.

Thomas Hardy

A while back I watch a documentary on BBC One about the writer and poet. As I had to study his work for english back in school, it was very interesting to be able to grasp a better understanding on his life. He was a very private person, so little was known about him, but Hardy had pretty much documented his life through his books and poetry, writing about his hardships and relationships. 

I really enjoyed watching the programme about him as some of his books were ahead of it's time. Books such as "Far from Madding Crowd" and "Jude the Obscure" brought may fans aswell as critics. The public loved the storylines and characters but others argued it was too obscene and offensive, the themes toyed with traditional beliefs of marriage and religion and instead of representing women as the stereotypical housewife, he often wrote them with a mind and freedom of their own.

Soco and Lime anyone?

Its freshers week so thats why I have alcohol on the brain.

Anyone remember when Southern Comfort tried to start a trend with "Soco"? No doubt that was a flop as soon as the commercial came out....but the interesting part is why?

Jack Daniels became J.D which seemed to flow naturally but Soco just reminds me of Soho in London and the way they repeated it on the advert made it annoying. Like some nerdy group trying to be cool but not managing it. I think they need to rethink their campaign, I love the drink but there's no way I'l serve anyone who asked for a "Soco and Lime" or even be caught asking for one. It may have worked in America but not over here.

iTunes Live in London

InMe

Pendulum

I was lucky enough to be part of this years iTunes festival. Tickets could only be obtained by winning the competition therefore making the event free and to be able to see one of my favourite bands just makes me respect iTunes that little bit more. 

I really appreciate it when big corporate organisations do things like this to give something back to the public. Although luck had to be on your side, it's still nice to see that large companys still have a soft side to them (even if the initial idea is to promote the company).

www.ituneslive.co.uk

The festival was on all month during July, 2 bands playing each night at KoKo's in London. If you haven't been there, then it's really worth a visit. It use to be a theatre, now a venue for gigs from all over the world. It's a surreal feeling as the interior is still the same-balconies and all, minus the seats. Very grand and very cool.

www.koko.uk.com

Probably the Best Lager in the World

I love these adverts because it gives viewers an 'ideal' life which I think all people strive for. It does it in a casual and light-hearted way making people feel the can really achieve this life. And the best part is, they link it with the brand associating all these good qualities to the beer making the beer look better than it is.

Very well done (not surprising though as it was created by Saatchi & Saatchi).

Where the Hell is Matt?

The amount of stuff that can be found on youtube these days are ridiculous.

This one, however is quite a good idea. This guy called Matt recorded himself dancing whilst on holiday, after the video being shared to his friends and family, it was passed around before reaching a company called Stride. They asked Matt to travel around the world and dance in each place (its not that good a dance but it's the thought that counts!). Thus a whole series of dances where made.

It started originally with the dance to keep his family updated of his whereabouts in the world but I think it's a brilliant idea to keep as a souvenir- no little tacky keyrings or t-shirts but a dance in the country to show you've been there aswell as a little comedy with the typical dance everyone recognises as yours.

He has a website here so have a look! www.wherethehellismatt.com

Daniel Eatock

A London based designer who I find inspirational. His work tends to be conceptual- doing what he wants in a surreal and odd way.

His latest book imprint has a couple of hand drawn pieces in every one, an example are the circles randomly inserted into each book, giving the reader a sense of confusion as well as adding a truly personal touch to each of them.

He also designed the Big Brother logos right from the very beginning.

Check out his website

Taxi Driver

Directed by Martin Scorsese.

Robert De Niro plays an unstable war veteran who works as a taxi man at night time in the streets of New York. Feeling disgusted and angry by the corrupt streets, he tries to take matters in his own hands, by trying to save a 13 yr old prostitute played by Jodie Foster.

The key focuses in the film caused a little tension, as it was seen as controversial at the time, however that did not stop the 4 Oscar nominations and a string of awards the following year.

This film encapsulates the audience as they get absorbed into the life of Bickle (De Niro) and the way he sees the people around him. It is a powerful movie, highlighting the "night time life" of NYC making it a promising watch.

Billy Connolly

“When something is 'new and improved!' Which is it? If it's new, then there has never been anything before it. If it's an improvement, then there must have been something before.”

This tagline is very common on food products and campaigns but like Billy said- which is it? Maybe these professionals need to start rethinking these taglines, they are overused and technically politically incorrect!