Tuesday, 13 October 2009

Inspirational website

The thought of doing web design has never appealed to me however when you see websites like this that involve css rather than flash and coding it is reassuring that possibly there is room for me in the web design industry. I love the colors used here and the type face. It would work as a piece of design on its own without being a website.

Thursday, 8 October 2009

92 year old Penn newspaper clipping

Renowned for his exploration of the photographic medium and its boundaries, he typically preferred to isolate his subjects. Dying only recently at the ripe old age of 92 he had a stunning portfolio of fashion and portraiture. He is seen here photographing a New Guinea mud man!

Tuesday, 6 October 2009

Grass roof


Despite hours wasted watching grand designs i am still yet to see a realistic solution to sustainable architecture. The grass roof is one that irritates me. It is set to cause more problems than it solves. It insulates to the core temperature of the ground outside. i.e in winter the building will have a cold roof in summer the building would have a warm roof. Perfectly opposite to the desire outcome. Also there is a reason we tend to have pointy roof tops in this country, that being the rain fall. In this proposed urban living of farm fresh cattle grazed roofs surely they will hold water and cause damp within the structure, drainage will not work unless you are willing to loose a god chunk of ikea mud which in turn will bring a bill from Dyno rod. I fail to see the logic behind some of these concepts. Unless these roofs are purely created to make people think green and believe their terraced house comes with a garden.


Any man that can piss on a canvas and pass it off as art is a legend in my eyes!

As much as i love the art by Jackson Pollock i can't help but feel that his methods off painting became a little deranged. Methods he employed in his artwork included ejaculating onto the canvas', dragging naked women covered in paint across the canvas', and urinating on the canvas'. i fail to recognise these pieces as his best i believe he was at this point looking for fame and recognition. True the death of his wife would have driven him a bit crazy but i reamain unswayed that these methods were required. I do like the piece above, it feels quite orriental and reflects great balance and placement. i will consider however employing Jackson's' painting methods in my 4th year work!

Spot the Difference


Did something go wrong with the designing of this perfectly symmetrical building. Obviously the left tower is much smaller than the right. Other than that it is perfectly symmetrical I like the detail on this building and the jucstaposition of it against the surrounding buildings. Despite being placed in the third world country of cuba it seems like it should be form the french renaissance period possibly this could be put down to the spanish colonizing?!


Made of dog chews- Saatchi and Saatchi


This is a piece of artwork i saw in the Saatchi and Saatchi gallery in london. It was made completely of dog chews. True i do not intend to make a roman monument form dog chews, however i like the idea of using different medias to promote a subject or concept no matter how ridiculous they are.



Novel Idea


This is a shoe shop i saw in london, the idea being when you purchase a pair of shoes you get to scribble your thoughts in a box, weather it provides incentive to buy shoes or provides the incentive for other people to come into the shop and purchase shoes from the same shops as their freinds. Still it is an interesting piece of advertising, possibly aan idea i could use in my own work somewhere.


Thursday, 1 October 2009

i despise!


Two things i will do my damnedest to not be associated with, Tweeting and Blogging. Twitter fair enough optional thanks but no thanks. Blogging, i feel forced into and i can absoloutly gaurentee at the end of this brief i will try to never blog again! However there is something mildly addictive about it, there is something that drives you to think you should let everyone know about the mundane happenings in ones life. And the more you do it the more it becomes a diary and looking back at it its intriguing to track my own progress and its interesting browsing peoples tweets, understanding how many people choose to tell the world they are making tea, distressingly something in me cares! I still wish social networking would just sod off for a day though!


Speaking of Claes Oldenburg


Is this art, is this architecture... has he exhausted his concept and should he just move on? I think maybe this is more art as is the screw, however the peg and shuttlecock i think are lazy. I wouldn't want them in my garden you can guarantee he has nothing to do with the building of them, sure Damian Hurst doesn't create much of his own artwork now but a least he isn't just making things bigger!


Worlds largest magician


This is a very Claes oldenburg in my eyes. More than the artworkk itself i enjoy its situation in a pristeen gallery. Its so out of place. I never know where i stand with this concept of making something big and slamming it in the middle of the room. I think its to easy, yet maybe an interesting subject such as this does restore ones faith in the concept.


Fabios new shoes


They're bizarre looking things. Obviously they are a piece of art work rather than a solution to Amanda Wakely's summer range. Heels in my mind are always seen as very delicate and sophisticated and for some reason so are these. I like the idea of the structural rigidity using only paper it compliments the idea that these are delicate and sophisticated despite looking brutal if it wasn't for the colour. Maybe only the skinniest of girls could wear these.


I demand the finest water known to man


This ticks all the boxes in packaging design i think. These are three very elegantly designed bottles. They portray the idea of fresh and clinical yet sophisticated at the same time. the use of colour is limited but effective and the irregular shape to the label makes even the bottle itself a part of the design. It would be interesting to see how it well it works with other coloured liquids.



Is it jesus?!


I'd like to think the trippy blue lines are deliberate, they force you into looking for something that isn't actually there. Personally i find the longer i look at it the more i think i see. Its a very effective film advert and a welcome break from seeing badly applied 3D ideas and other illusions.


3D Typography


I really like this piece. The use of the 3D typeface is very appealing. Its a tricky look to generate but i think very effective. However I'm not sure which area of design i would use this for because it narrows itself to a younger target audience and lends itself well to night club design or maybe car advertising?


Sleep driving


Again i can't help but feel this Think campaign has left a lot to be desired. Its well shot but the content i feel is lacking, i like the less dramatic approach but i find this advert in no way memorable or effective. I feel they almost need to glorify the benefits of sleeping rather than showing in this case the grim alternative to driving, sleeping in a miserable service station.

Rubbish AD pretty funny though


Despite having little experience with making video's i feel there is defiantly potential to make a fly on the wall tired drivers ad. I think it would appeal to the target audience and something i need to look at doing. I like the comical tone of voice, it increases the chance of an ad being spoken about and being passed around virally. Especially when working with a minimal budget.

Wednesday, 30 September 2009

Sleep driving

I like this poster i feel it could be used in a think tired driving campaign with a bit of a twist almost like a promotional event that doesn't exist. This is something i am really considering for my independent project now. Below are a few facts i learnt...
'An estimated 300 people a year are killed where a driver has fallen asleep at the wheel.Research commissioned by the Government found that falling asleep at the wheel accounts for up to 20% of crashes on motorways or similar roads, and as many as one in ten of all crashes on Britain's roads.' It would certainly seem there is a problem here, theres an obvious target audience and it lends itself to many choices of media.

Gnarlsss Barkly


This is one of my favorite music videos in a long time, based upon the psychiatrist drawings of what do you make this blob out to be.... It is a great way of demonstrating what is on someone's mind or maybe manipulating people into seeing something. I think this could be well used in many design concepts in this coming year.

Orange peel

A building i have always had an interest in is the northern imperial war museum. Designed by Daniel Leibskind it is based upon the peel from a peeled orange. I like the idea that the waste of an orange in this case is the most important bit for the inspiration behund te design.

Bum website


This is ag great website i came across it is very well laid out and i like the tone of voice of it, the clinical light feel gives you the opinion they are a clean cut well organised and thought out company despite the cluttered look. It is a very easy website to use it is interesting and i can appreciate how websites like this encourage people to spend their money.

ermmm....


Not really what you'd normally expect to find when you are walking around LA, it certainly took me by surprise. i think its great. I think many people would read a lot more into the peice though and take a certain dislike to it though. Inspirational not really, something i intend to recreate.. not really, possibly a good dissertation example of subliminal advertising for BT!

Doodling

I think thus is a great piece of artwork. I'd hate to think someone could just doodle this down after seeing a coffee stain. I believe this is the first time i have seen a tea stain being used in a non cliche sense. the many different levels of te artwork are what makes this piece for me. Could artwork like this serve a purpose in advertising or is it just inspiration... a starting point.

Cartoon


During my placement year i have created a few flyers in a similar style to this, i think it is a very attractive and appealing look. It proves thatt is not all about bright colours and that yellow and white can work well together longest they don't clash or contrast too much. This type of design i feel can be applied well to environmental issues and gives a look of longevity and portrays trust.

V-Neck


it seems that high street fashion is on a cycle, sure clothes are never the same, but flares came back in, trilbies became fashionable again ish! and now for the past couple of years v necks. How ridiculous will they get though. Its undeniable there is a very homo sexual tinge to it, get big where a low cut top. Its almost the guys competing against one another rather than competing for the opposite sex. how absurd will the v neck go, maybe a v-neck onesy.....backless?!

Tuesday, 29 September 2009

True or false

I have struggled to verify weather this is a computer generated image or a photo. It is stunning, it is a great combination of contrasting colours and lines, almost art nouveau meets art deco. It begs the question of what us the building... it would make a great office and what shape is the building in its entirety?

Mercedes Benz


it is a shame because it is such an idyllic idea that the mercedes benz garage could actually look like this. You want to believe it but clearly it is not viable and this is just a promotional shot. I enjoy the idea of breaking an item or concept that someone is so familiar with, down into the raw construction and glorifying it. This advert sats so much more abut the ercedee range tha the car itself.


Recycling for architecture



This is one way of sustaining the enviroment i guess! Its practical its resourceful its contemporary i guess and its cheap to build.... yet it looks awful! However one guy made it look good....
and then puma got a hold f the idea and launched there first ever movable shop. Cleverly this shop can be placed an opeed out in different locations al across the world.


Damian Hurst

I am a big fan of Damian hurst however i did not approve of his auction. I feel it was greedy, yes he made a lot of money but it was not artwork that was sold honestly. He pushed art dealers and collectors into a corner. By selling all this artwork at once he was flooding the market and potentially devaluing his artwork but as a result of this, all those that owned Damian Hurst artwork had to by more artwork to keep the value of it high to save loosing money. As a result of this Sotheby's and other art collectors ended up spending up to 16 million just to save Damian Hurst from his own self destruction!

Apple nails it


Apple is probably the strongest brand in the world at the moment and this advert i noticed n TV just confirms that. They are completely aware of the green issues and so they confront peoples fear with this friendly fun little advert which despite saying your mac will be ruined after 1000 charges people still love. There use of childish illustrations and white space is very effective and admirable. i am interested by this greener life and carbon footprint issues and feel that is a major part of design at the moment, possibly something i should look at for my independent project.

Bond




after watching one of the bond films i decided i almost felt more entertained by the opening credits than the rest of the film. I looked through a series of bond intros and this was by far my favourite. I love the style it is done in, i believe any frame could be a piece of art. Dull colours and lines would not normally stimulate me as much as this intro but t is very well put together.

Layouts

Randomly i have started to work on the layouts of pieces of artwork i produce. The layout effects the content hugely and i feel that not enough time is spent on it. This layout is completely random. Now imagine the letters all placed in the middle of the page on the same level, it wouldn't look half as good. It is something in third year i will look at to offset my work and make it look more appealing.

Think Campaign

I am particularly interested in the think campaigns, i believe they are ok.... but could be better i feel there is a lot of material to work with and that they are not thinking outside of the box. This is a campaign i would consider doing my independent project on. it strikes a cord with me because i am aware that i drive tired and i since my sister fell asleep at the wheel it raises the awareness for me personally. I intend to choose and independent project that is very universal and applicable. I intend to finish with a piece of work that employers can relate to when i apply for jobs, so i feel such a national campaign would do this.

Saturday, 12 September 2009

olympic mess


Following the constant reminder of generally how messed up athletics is, e.g HE/SHE MAN LADY it leads nicely to our awful 2012 logo. I can understand the concept behind it which is cool yet what poor execution!
In october the 2016 host will be selected and above are the fore runners. Visually i find the chicago one the most appealing. the madrid identity is to childish for me and the Tokyo is a poor jucstaposition of contradicting themes i feel. Reading more into the chicago logo the concept behind it is the chicago star set upon the green parklands, sun in the sky and blue of lake michigan.

Friday, 4 September 2009

big comp

a random website i came across where a few people decided to discuss their favourite colour, is this a new tren everyone wants to be green have more girls answered to this survey hence pink and purple being in the top colours...

Monday, 17 August 2009

Fabio, Paddy and Alan

Colour is a popular method of attraction not only in the design and advertising business, colour is used as entertainment in the entertainment industry, from scantily dressed girls to lighting.

pantone 8762

Vivid piece of art!
This is a striking piece of artwork to me because having done a lot of flyers i appreciate how hard it can be to achieve such rich colours especially when it comes to print maintaining them in this way i find next to imposible! 

design week cutting

Green peaces new campaign stages a large amount of its artwork in this layout, its based on the concept of a birds eye view of the countryside, its very pleasing to look at and surely green is a colour i will have to look at far more.

panting dog


i'm not a massive fan of shoes or fashion itself and i think these would look bloody awful on most girls but theres something very striking about them, the crisp bold stark colours maybe?

pantone 1680



Interesting use of both colour and typography, stemmed from the idea that your brain fills in the gaps, in my opinion it makes a nice static print, by covering up all but one line it becomes much harder to understand and according to the artist, adding one more line of type makes the piece much less comprehendible. 

Sunday, 16 August 2009

pantone 1657


A website i stumbled across is hex day where it encourages you to chose a colour each day the below quoted explanation explains.




Jon Sykes: Hexday is "a social experiment in color picks" I guess that's what I'd say. It's hard to say really. It's evolving. Originally it was probably more of a test web app. I was just starting to use CakePHP (which is awesome by the way) for my personal project web apps, and I came up with an idea that if you allowed people to pick 1 color and only 1 color every day, what would they pick. So I built a web app around the idea. 

Thursday, 13 August 2009

pantone 1689




Wearing red makes you win sport!



Man utd seem to have a fairly strong track record with the colour as do arsenal as do china iin the olympics, 51 golds! the top 10 overall medal winning countries have the colour red in their natural colours, a beautiful accident or is their a trend?


Split brain...obviously!






apparently there are two sides to the brain, color and visual elements activate the right side of the brain, your emotions, and the printed words effect the left side of the brain your logic. Hence typography and colour being the fundamentals behind good design and hence when you try to read these piece above its rather confusing!! It is something i am interested in but this is a little two psychological for me, i am interested by spurring a reaction like most design should but i do not want to look to deeply into it.








Sony tv add




Colour is the main selling point for the sony bravia, a series of very clever and colourful adds where created, despite the selling point and subject being colour the advert reflects very well an idea of fun quality and attention to detail and more obviously imaculate execution, all things one might look for when buying a tv.
vimeo.com/5716181

ipod colours



Old Colors

Old iPod Nano Colors


&

New Colors

New iPod Nano Colors

IPOD's gone all grown up is it that they feel they should now be targetting a new market, getting the ever reluctant older generation into technlogy or is it simply that they feel these are better colours and their original buyers will replace there old items. Why isn't there a bright blue mac book pro, personally i prefer the older colours! I always feel the smaller the item the brighter the colour it should be purely for the practical purpose of not loosing it!


Friday, 7 August 2009

Viral advertising

I became aware of the stone phone. Everyones favorite phone it could perform most house hold chores and would be everyones must have item. Funnily enough the producers of this phone were nothing to do with phones at all, they are a recruitment company however you can guaranty they would have got millions o hits from it. I can't help but feel it may not be the best idea though because the traffic they would pull into their website would not necessarily be their target audience. Surely a different item or service would be more appropriate. Interestingly was the colour and shape they chose to look at. This they believed would be the best colour ever.... and the best shape ever... Is it?


Thursday, 6 August 2009

Exhibition visit

At the moment i am taking a particular interest in colour so i decided to look at Banksy exhibition. Not only is he notorious for his black and white stencils, which are evidently very powerful despite there lack of colour, an obvious argument against a proposed dissertation title, but he is also very clever how he does use colour . In this exhibition Banksy did use colour in a very clever way often jucstaposing his choice of media, making the compositions more vibrant exciting and attractive. These were often contemporary industry colours such as Easy-Jets orange amongst others.

Exhibition visit

This is the booklet form an exhibition i went to. Despite not being able to rotate this it is clearly the booklet from the Tate's colour chart exhibition. A useful insight into the unprecedented role of colour in graphic design, fashion design and interior design. The exhibition looked at the moment when artist began to perceive colour as a ready made rather than as an expression of their creativity. The exhibition demonstrated well how colour is used sometimes in a very lazy way as a short cut more or less. It was an interesting exhibition and i took away from it this obvious lazy use of colour and how if you choose to deconstruct many pieces of art and design, the true irrelevance becomes apparent.

Tuesday, 14 July 2009

Holliday snaps!


Intending to look at some of the fundamentals behind design it only seems right to begin by looking at COLOUR just come back from Cuba so a few of these seemed relevant...


Two relatively shoddy photo's but the fact is that the colour makes them pretty cool photos, now this country has very little money since about the 1960's. The only way these vehicles change is they break get fixed by a man in a hut and then they are sprayed as loudly as possible, this is the cheapest way to show off or make a point even the relatively newer cars there were sprayed ridiculous colours. The fact that public transport is yellow in colour creates a brand as such, and considering there is absolutely no advertising or branding in this country except for that of the revolution (che and what not) this could surely demonstrate the fundamental aspect behind design itself is colour!

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