Playful

Tomorrow I'm off to This is Playful, it's a days events based around gaming, I'm not sure what to expect, but I'll soon find out I suppose...

"Playful examines game design as both a discipline and craft, offering different perspectives on its current and future possibilities."

This year the event goes outreach. The conference will feature key practitioners from other areas of the creative arts, and ‘collide’ them with practitioners from within. "

Goodbye cellulite

Clever promotional piece for Nivea's latest product, 'goodbye cellulite', agency: TBWA\Chiat\Day.

Digital Love

I was playing around with the lovely Digit camera today, thought I'd share some love. Happy Thursday!

Gone Votin'

As part of a dubiously named campaign "Get Out the Vote", (Did they mean get out AND vote?), AIGA Design for democracy are showing an exhibition of posters encouraging Americans to vote.

Users are encouraged to download and print their favourite designs and spread the message, see all 24 finalists here.

Inspire me

I found some new inspiration today in the form of Grain Edit, a 'modern graphic design inspiration blog' and 'vintage graphics resource', this is where I found these booty-licious designs by Office, also a site of merit.

Remember: cannons don't sink ships, pirates with cannons sink ships.

Punctuation everywhere

Walking back to the office today I noticed these beautiful parentheses above the windows.
I like the way there are three kinds on one building, enjoy.

The Big Picture Party

Hello,

I hope you're all having a wonderful weekend, and have remembered to turn the clocks back.

In my recaptured hour I'm here blogging, there's something so wrong about that.

Never mind, just a quickie to say I'll be at The Big Picture Party on Monday at the British Museum. The likes of Quentin Blake, Emily Gravett and Axel Scheffler will be there, I think it's aimed at children and families, so I may seem a bit conspicuous as a 24 year old fangirl who's taken the day off work to be there...

I have some news...

I had a baby today, turns out pregnancy is a breeze.
Mum, relax, Paul, get up off the floor this is of course a joke, but it's very funny, amused our office this morning. Make your own at The Baby Maker 3000 courtesy of VW.

Writers I admire

Client: Canadian Club, agency: Energy BBDO, copywriter: Derek Sherman. Online D&AD Annual page here.

Client: UHU, agency: V&R Singapore, copywriter: Ted Roger. Online D&AD Annual page here.


ZOOM IN TO READ
Client: Red Cross Mexico, agency: JWT Mexico, copywriter: Gabriel Bello, Enrique Codesido, Iguancio Zuccarino (yes three people for the word 'AFTER' you guys are my heroes). Online D&AD Annual page here.

Client: Luxor Highlighters, illustration: Kunal Mhabadi, agency: Leo Burnett India, copywriter: Russell Barratt. Online D&AD Annual page here.

I was flicking through the 2008 D&AD Annual and only got a few pages in before I realised there are many incredible writers out there, here's a handful of my favourites (from the first 50 pages of 600 page annual)

You can view the annual online for the first time ever here. The book's better though.

Catch a rainbow

Anything is possible I suppose, beautiful photography via tatielle.

Migy

If you are in need of an illustrator why not employ the skills of Migy? He is available to hire now, I like the breadth of his craft, I know it can be difficult when you work in a variety of ways. 

Don't forget to 'keep the zing in your thing', as he suggests above.

President's Lectures

No not that president! I'm talking about the D&AD President's Lectures. Last Wednesday we (myself and fellow Diglets, Pete, Joe and Elise) hotfooted it down to Holborn to watch Garrick Hamm ( I shall not indulge how big a fan of this man and his work I am, that's another story) introduce his first lecture as the current President.

For those who don't know D&AD stands for Design and Art Direction; it's a not-for-profit organisation that inspires creatives globally, encourages them to aim high and show-cases the best in the industry and in creative education. It's a tough job, they organise D&AD New Blood. New Blood is where new top graduates can exhibit work but also they can meet real life potential employers. This is how I got my job at Digit; I met the wonderful Henry, Art Director, we had a banter-ful conversation, he saw my work and not long later I was their new intern, but that's another story also. I like D&AD, I especially like their lectures and this one was by Kyle Cooper.

Kyle Cooper is a very entertaining speaker who is best known for creating film titles; Seven, Spiderman, Mission Impossible and Ironman to name a few. Although he does so much more than that too, all in all it was a passionate and genuine talk that enthused us and made us want to make film titles! Thank you Mr Cooper.

Picture Credit: a covert iphone shot hence the lack of quality...

Jon Burgerman

I went to the opening of Mr Burgerman's exhibition, Because I can't sit still last night. It was lovely to finally meet him and chat about his work, since he's been a Flickr friend for quite a while. I also asked him about his experience on Blue Peter last week, where he worked on a live mural, I'm very jealous indeed!

He had something called an 'anxiety wall' full of his doodly critters and you could buy them and they're then randomly selected for you when the show closes. So we'll see what I get for my money...

More pictures of the event here, thank you Toby for accompanying me, great night all round.

Chronotebook, now please, NOW.

This is old, (2002) but it's new to me, and as far as my scant search can reveal unavailable as yet. Come on Muji, sort it out. This beautiful, non-linear diary/notebook/organiser is split into AM and PM circles to organise your life around. Clever huh?
Stocking filler anyone?

Image Credit:
Muji Awards '02
Designer's Name : Wong Kok Keong [Orcadesign] (Singapore)
Category : Notebook

Stop! In the name of love.

There's something so lovely about this image, I wonder how many people have smiled at this stoplight. Happy Tuesday everyone.

Image found on Flickr

Copyright © Laurent Malbecq - All rights reserved

My presenting debut!

Oh what a poor debut! I was caught on the hop and asked to define a word while I was volunteering at The Big Draw. The word I was given was 'illustation', no sweat you'd think, she did illustration at degree level, loves words, perfect opportunity to hone my on camera skills you'd presume. Oh no, I looked straight down into the camera's void, froze and jibbered something very short, unimpressive and somehow managed to use the word interpretation twice in 15 seconds.

Ho hum, we all have to start somewhere. Incase you're wondering it was for Wordia, the online visual dictionary, it's user generated and great in theory, upload your own definition of any word. I'd suggest practicing and ensuring you actually make sense...

UPDATE Here's the clip, I'd like to say enjoy, but here it is.

Haha A-ha!

This is such a clever take on A-ha's Take on Me, rewriting and performing the words to be a literal interpretation of the video. Clever and well performed. This one is dedicated to my mother, I know you like this video, so enjoy.

Favourite lines: "when I stand here it makes me human, I'm handsome either way, you know you like it that I'm flirting with you".

Hello, I'm a MAGIC Bean

Just spotted these over at Flickr, Gemma Correll, illustrator and all round clever, crafty person has made these bean badges. Incredibly pointless but impossibly cute, I want one.

I've spotted a hole in her marketing though, I'd like a MUNG bean.
(Ooops, amendment, there IS a mung bean, bottom left, mung bean blindness, sorry!)

Micah Lidberg

I came across Micah's work via the launch of new website Hugo and Marie, I couldn't pick a favourite colourway of the above design, so I chose all of them to adorn my desktop.

Peter Grundy

I've had the opportunity to see some of Peter Grundy's latest work for Shell, one of Digit's clients, and I really hope they get signed off and used as the campaigns, because they're great, bold, simple and informative.

Although I can't post this new stuff, yet, I can share some of his older stuff, including info graphic illustrations for G2 and some London landscapes, which feel simultaneously nostalgic and futuristic.

The Big Draw

As you may know I spent Saturday in St Pancras International as a volunteer for The Big Draw.

I arrived at 9.30am to be kitted out in a fetching TBD t-shirt and name badge and promptly set about setting up for the day. 

Our roles were to include manning the area we had on the Rendezvous level next to the imposing Meeting Place sculpture (by Paul Day), accompanying the families on walking and drawing tours and helping those doing architectural studies within the station. So at 10am we all set off with our lovely new pencils, kindly provided by Derwent and began to sketch en masse. 

During the morning we were given a brief talk by Alastair Lansley, the architect who led the 10 year project of redevelopment at St. Pancras International; which incidentally is a beautiful, vast space which has the ability to catch light and scatter it around the sky blue wrought iron and highlight the masonry quite impressively.

We also accompanied the families on a walking and drawing tour of the station, led by storyboard artist Josh Knowles, who's enthusiasm and knowledge of the station despite only three hours sleep (we later learnt) encouraged the children to view the station with fresh eyes and tell a story of how people use public spaces in very different ways.

Overall it was a tiring but incredibly rewarding day's work, and I shall be doing it all again next year, if they'll have me. Oh and if anyone can make it, they're hosting The Big Picture Party on Monday 27th October at The British Library, fingers crossed I can get the day off and attend. Watch this space.

Photo Information:

Architect Alastair Lansley gives his talk.

Japanese version of Blue Peter interview a participant.

The collection of drawings.

My offering to the collection.

For more pics see my Flickr set.

Soup and secrets

I know this is far from riveting stuff but I had the most wonderful soup at lunch and have become an obsessive photographer of anything and everything. Apologies.

For your reference, Moroccan butternut squash and thyme soup from Bogayo, Old Street. Yum.

On a more relevant note I have a few sideline projects which I shall post about in due course; but I can disclose that they involve a dalliance into writing, let's hope I'm not this circumlocutional.

Rough Lunch

I finally went to see the exhibition at Rough Trade this lunchtime, it's a 2 minute walk from my office so I had no excuse. Joyful Bewilderment was something of a disappointment, you couldn't get near the artwork to appreciate it, but it made a pretty backdrop to my luncheon.

Minestrone soup and The Times in case you were wondering.

The Big Draw

It's The Big Draw's 9th year and this year I'm in! Apparently there is even a 'special focus' on saturday, whatever that enigmatic statement means, press?

So if you are at a loose end this Saturday I will be down at St Pancras International as a volunteer, doing I'm not sure what, cavorting on giant cartoon pencil/trains if you'd believe the posters...

Anyway I'll be there in the official garb, t-shirt and all, can't wait! Come along and draw and make sculptures, and don't forget ANYONE can draw!

Happy prints at lunchtime

I was feeling in a bit of a drab mood at lunch and went for a wander around Spitalfields market and came across some lovely work by Tom Lewis, and promptly purchased three of his card prints.

'Hot sauce, God damn!', 'Summer can sometimes be lonely too you know', pictured above and the very appropriate 'I really am very sorry for being so grumpy'.

Thanks for cheering me up Tom.

Is it a bird, is it a fashion statement?

I had to share these incredible films by fashion photographer Sølve Sundsbø, working in collaboration with SHOWstudio, Sundsbø has produced a series of films and spectacular images of a parakeet, although they can't seem to decide which spelling to use for their show: Parroquet, Perroquet?

View the films HERE, gorgeous slow motion flight filmed on high-speed cameras and then graded in post-production by The Mill, to create rich, vibrant and intoxicating short films.

Beards, Crayonlegs and Rough Trade

If you happen to be around Brick Lane today Crayonlegs (Duncan and Sarah) are showing some of their work at Rough Trade for an exhibition called Joyful Bewilderment.

Make ideas happen.

I had a lovely present sitting on my desk when I returned to work this week, some fetching Behance stationary, an Action Book and an Action Runner no less! (Thank you Digit).

Behance is a free platform for the world's leading creative professionals; they also make stationary designed by and for creative professionals, which help you harness the many ideas that may otherwise disappear into the creative ether.

If you have a little time, read more about The Action Method it's simple, makes sense and they make beautifully designed gear to boot.

The image above shows the left hand side is for prep/focus and notations, the coloured checklist are your action steps, the lower right-hand corner is your backburner for all those great but totally irrelevant ideas that can otherwise clutter your mind and make you lose focus. There's also a lovely dotted grid overleaf that is great to doodle on.

www.behance.net