Paul Davis Website

This is the guy who did the humourous illustrations for the book 'Us&Them' that I previously posted. His new website also happens to be featured in the latest CR mag. It's worth visiting, if only to play with the interactive spider diagram that makes up the main menu, the individual hand-sketched arms are almost 'friendly' its quite a creepy experience! You can view his illustration collections, the sex diagrams are not for the faint hearted! Quite amusingly there is a section 'lunch with Davis application form', whereby you can complete your name, contact details, your budget, choice of restaurant and an explanation as to why you are worthy of his time. The guy's funny.

The New York Times magazine

The September issue of Creative review has an interesting article on the colour magazine that accompanies the New York Times newspaper, the American version of the Sunday Times magazine. "The newspaper still remains archaic and old fashioned design but the magazine is far more contemporary and graphically vibrant".. The photography within the publication is said to be award winning and at the forefront of US editorial art direction. The editors pride themselves on not working to a rigid layout of type boxes and image scale. The cover designs shown here simple state "T", the title of the magazine, derived from the black letter of the daily paper's titlepiece. It became the mag's logo and each issue the letter is represented in a visually stimulating new form; chocolate cake, black lace and colourful intricate swirls. It is a luxury magazine, embracing visual culture "T's art direction is a mix of appropriateness, wit, sheer beauty and clever page planning".
I thought it was a nice concept to draw upon the age-old "T" from a family of typefaces that have been used for decades upon the newspaper cover, and reviving it regularly to represent the contemporary awareness the publication has regardless of its age.

Work of the chase

I liked this simple literal identity for a hairdressers (ground floor) seafood restaurant upper floor, a strange combination that could have gone very wrong, but the image pulls together scissors and seafood in a subtle sophisticated way, i think the deep marine colour was a good choice as opposed to the red lobster stereotype that could have been chosen.

The attitude of 'The Chase' towards contemporary graphic design has always struck a chord, their philosophy of it being as important to cut out what isnt relevant to a clients brief as well as to define what is, makes sense. The Indian carving analogy communicates this well and I thought I would share it ..

Digital Vs Hand-crafted Illustration

A real gem of a book I accidentally found amongst the library bookshelves, a sequel to 'Pen & Mouse', it features the work of 45 illustrators, questionning whether the torrent of digitally mastered illustration has become soulless; with more and more illustrators returning to their traditional tools of pen and paper, wood, embroidery, collage and oils to achieve the handcrafted style that was thought to be outdated.





HAND TO EYE - contemporary Illustration
Angus Hyland and Roanne Bell
2003 Laurence King Publishing Ltd

I'm always inspired when I come see illustrative work that has been crafted via lengthy time consuming techniques, but with programmes such as Photoshop and Illustrator providing a digital playground free-for-all, much of the final outputs appear the 'same', perhaps restricting levels of creativity.

"With digital illustration, it seems that a certain style becomes fashionable, everyone jumps on it and learns the technique and it becomes boring very quickly...It's the same as knowing how to play the piano doesnt necessarily make you a good musician" (Hungarian Illustrator David Foldvari)

Many images in this book aim to demonstrate that the digital process will never replace the hand-crafted one, however illustration can be rejuvenated by a reaction to its dominance. Tradition and technology can I feel co-exist as much as contradict one another.

I wanted to share this publication as the first time in a while I was inspired to go home and crack open the box of coloured papers, glue, ink, string, whatever I could find! It is relevant to what we have been taught so far.. as long as the ideas are there to start with, the image shouldnt suffer due to a bad job on a mac.

Just Jack- music video

The Video for Just Jack's 'Writer's block' is created in a narrative way, the everyday 'routine' vibe of the lyrics, and the laid back nature of the singer contrasts against the movement taking place with continuous shifting of background and panning of view. The background mainly consists of the aged scrapbook style page of a book, with fast paced black pen scrawl and doodles appearing, some of the objects - a telephone for example, 'ringing' on the page to illustrate the lyrics of the song. It's a fantastical combination of styles, colours and activity, I loved the contrast between the face-on attitude of the singer, and the hand-crafted style of the background. Cartoon characters and a lady with a brown paper bag on her head dancing around a possessed toaster; I can appreciate it for all of its randomness and comic book quality!

The innocence of the child mind

I took some time out of the gallery 'exhibition' in Manchester, to appreciate the interactive arts centre created for children and their parents, to bond with objects, spaces, materials etc. This giant 'wall' of suitcases and luggage, offered visitors the opportunity to write on a blank luggage tag "If you could be anywhere, where would it be?".
The result was a chaotic fusion of words, doodles and colour, more interesting than any of the official art work exhibited!
There was the usual responses of "On a beach in Hawaii" etc, yet it was the responses of children that made my day. It reminded me of the importance of not taking things too seriously in order to release the most creative of responses. The PC Plod example was a personal favourite.

China: The Land of Opportunity

Design Week drew my attention to the opportunity for the British design industry to penetrate China, a population of more than 1.3 billion, contrasting hugely in culture to the West. China is the country seen as the 'workshop of the world'. There are organisations, such as 'Made in China', established by Phillip Dodd the former ICA director. He wishes to establish cultural commercial bridges, advocating the importance of first gaining an understanding of China's culture before trying to 'do business'. He believes the Chinese have long-term vision, whereas us Brits have a far more short term approach. China itself has begun working towards designing itself, they will only need British design if we understand their needs. The world famous events such as the 2008 olympics in Beijing and the 2010 expo in Shanghai will give Chinese companies international exposure, providing British design agencies huge chances to build links.

Although we as design students have some way to go until we become established ourselves, this article gave me food for thought; I find it contextualises my existing knowledge of British design to consider what is happening on a larger scale.
I also liked the summarising statement of the article, something I will personally strive to adher to.. "If a man takes no thought about what is distant, he will find sorrow near at hand".

Manish Aurora

A 34 year old Indian fashion designer based in Delhi, his designs have hit the catwalks of Paris, showcasing his wild mix of 'traditional Indian costume, exquisite embroidery, Pop Art, high kitsch and psychedelic futurism'. It caught my eye as the intense attention to detail presents art as clothing, the craftsmanship of specialist indian weavers is obvious. One dress in his collection from Autumn/winter, uses the inner mechanical parts of watches, in replacement of beads or sequins. The electric colours and patterns are mesmorising, with his show opener 'all about astronauts invading celestial bodies', it features sci-fi embroidery in a digitally printed universe. My personal awareness of high fashion could be greater, but I find Manish Aurora's alternative fantastical ideas fascinating

Us & Them

Us & Them
Illustrated by Paul Davis
Laurence King Publishing Ltd
London 2004

"This book is a record of one mans encounters with passers-by in Britain and America". He asked the question "Excuse me, what do you think of the British/Americans?". 'Us&Them' reveals 'the daftness, knee-jerk hostility, bigotry, fearful suspicion' each population feels toward the other. Seperated into two halves, i found this book an experience, you have to take a look, if only to laugh at the stark honesty of the true quotes!

The Americans on the Brits:



The Brits on the Americans:

V&A 150th anniversary images

To celebrate its 150th anniversary, the V&A asked designers and artists to sum up why they love the place on a single piece of paper. This is Manolo Blahnik's contribution, it made me smile due to its literal structure of a shoe from which to base architectural elements. The historical essence of the V&A is maintained with the simple hand sketched london skyline style, the extragavent arched stiletto oozing sophisticated quality.

The Campana Brothers

I saw their 'Favela Chair' (1991-2002) In Manchester Art Gallery last week, and so was pleased to see their work is currently featured in this summers edition of V&A magazine, which led to my own greater understanding and appreciation of their playful creations. Neither of the Brazilian brothers intended to become designers, yet "taking inspiration from Brazil's cultural cauldron, they transform mundance objects such as garden hose and rope into opulent designs". The Favela chair, named after the Brazilian word for 'shanty town', is constructed using hundreds of small timber offcuts (resemblent of scrappy firewood), conveying aesthetic qualities resemblent of a squatters hut. "The notion of manicured ladies who lunch perching on chairs inspired by shanty town shacks sounds like a satirist's dream".

The 'Prived Oca chandelier' (2003) was designed for the Austrian crystal company 'Swarovski', it is made using crystals and fibre optic lights, draped with a 'wig' of banana skins, creating a couragous juxtaposition between the precious luxury associated with Swarovski crystal, and the everyday somewhat menacing mass of dead fruit remains.

I am amused by Humberto and Fernando Campana's wacky ideas, they provide a far cry for attention amidst the furniture worlds taste for refined minimalism and love of IKEA.

LSC Skills advert

The Learning and Skills Council exists to make England better skilled and more competitive. The LSC is responsible for planning and funding high quality education and training for everyone in England other than those in universities.

‘Our future. It’s in our hands’ is the LSC’s most ambitious communications campaign ever and aims to inspire people across England to take control of their future through learning and play an active role in achieving their full potential.

I have seen this advert televised only once, yet found it captivating and inspiring for a Government led campaign. "Our Future. It's in our hands" is literally communicated through a 50 second creative piece. The Narrative makes references to 'competing' against others since birth, with finger tips emblazoned with individual sperm chasing towards a single target, hands joining together to form a very clever image of the human brain, dark mountains consisting of bent palms and fingers forming a metaphor for lifes obstacles in the workplace, ending with red pulsing hands 'flourishing' into individual flowers. On the whole, some cheesy statements are made, however they can still be appreciated due to the clever formation of imagery using the one body part that summarizes the campaign.

KYLIE - The Exhibition

I visited Manchester Art Gallery this week, where the Kylie exhibition is currently on show. Originating from the Arts Centre in Melbourne, and "Following its massive success at the V&A in London", over 300 objects spanning Kylie's vast career are presented across seven areas; Image - Music - Video - Icon -Backstage - On Stage - On Tour. The dress seen here is the signature dress of the exhibition, absolutely tiny in size I didn't believe it was physically worn by the performer! Many of her other infamous iconic outfits were on show, from 'Charlenes dungarees to those little gold hotpants'. What particularly interested me however, was the representation of more than 25 photographers and their work for Kylie's album covers, videos and editorial shoots. Her image as projected through photography provides a means by which to explore and appreciate her as a modern day performer and cultural icon.that characterises images of the star; projected through publications such as I-D, The Face, POP, Vogue and GQ over the years.
Photography inside the exhibition was prohibited, i recommend a visit to appreciate the wall to wall glamour, Manchester is a good day out!
For information, see www.manchestergalleries.org.

The CUBE - Manchester

The Cube (Centre for the urban built environment) in Manchester's city centre is worth a visit. Small open space, representing practioners "working across media that explore the urban built environment in fascinating and ingenious ways. The work presented offers a joyful celebration of the metropolis whilst simultaneously revelling in a dark dystopian vision; the resulting exhibition reveals the complex relationships that artists have with the City today".
There was a small selection of works, all very different in context, media and meaning. My favourite is a mixed media installation by Margaret Diamond, entitled 'Formula Driven No5'. Mundane objects are animated, reflecting how consumerism is responsible for the transformation of urban environments and the loss of individuality. Wandering 'Steak bakes', using internal motors, travel around the floor of gallery spaces, representing 'Greggs' and the steady increase of the presence of its logo and identity on paper bags and litter upon the streets of Cities, with universal recognition by all.

Fruit Shoot Advertisement

Very effective use of simple cartoon like character, appropriate for its target market of children and their parents who shall purchase the fruit drink. The colours are bright and kept to a minimum, the message is clear enough without jargon and complex imagery."Makes fruit easier to swallow", very clear tag line, with a literal reference to a child eating a pineapple with no difficulties or arguments about dislike of 'healthy' food. I thought this was a good demonstration of the huge initiative now being undertaken by food and drink companies in the UK to become more socially responsible with regard to the nutrition and physical well-being of its children.

Jack Daniels Ambient ad

I noticed this black cab in central manchester late on a friday night, prime party time in a large city. Very subtle yet clever advertisement from Jack Daniels whisky, the name isnt plastered on the side with a clear message, instead the entire vehicle is a canvas for the white on black scrawl typography associated with the alcohol brand, taxi-ing people to and from bars to order their drinks...

The Science of Drinking

At Last I found the place where I can drink cocktails and be merry, safe in the knowledge that there is a degree of education taking place! 'Skippy's', the upstairs bar within Headingley's 'Trio' is one of my favourite places due to their attention to detail and vast drinks menu. I thought their 'Science of drinking' newly updated cocktail menu was quirky and humorous, maintaining the sophisticated tone of voice they are known for. The front cover is simple, with the neon blue flask of liquid adhering to the scientific theme. The back cover in particular is the strongest design aspect, with each drink given its own code of the periodic table. Very well thought out, with traditional aspects of science classification, contrasting with the more modern neon imagery.

Broadband from Orange

I liked the simple tag line used on the Internet trial sleeve of Orange I picked up this week. Using their renowned colours Orange, Black and white, the single 'p' within the word 'appealing' differenciated by the colour orange put this message across immediately, accompanied only by the words 'Pay as you go home internet access. From just 1p (a minute). Orange do it again, by simplyfying an area so full of jargon and mis-interpretation, they become the friendly provider to the public.

Cabbages and Condoms pt2

On our way out, we took a closer look at the 'soldiers' dressed in heavy armour, and the tropical flower girls dressed in hoola style dresses... these too had been hand constructed using packets of contraceptive pills and colourful condoms. Last but not least, the sign upon departure was my favourite! Democrat size or Republican size?!
A very memorable place, a strange contrast between enjoying a meal and being surrounded entirely by birth control.

Cabbages and Condoms

A trip to this restaurant was very worthwhile. We had heard of it through word of mouth and quality reputation. I hadn't expected to be so inspired by their bizarre use of contraceptives to create amazing intricate lifesize figures, lampshades and other interior decoration. The Cabbages and Condoms restaurant in Bangkok was established as part of a large national campaign to tackle the crisis of population expansion. I found their quirky posters very witty, not realising that the multi coloured arty lights surrounding me were made entirely of condoms. The 3 of us received 3 condoms within the bill wallet at the end of the meal, I personally had hoped for chocolates!

Live traffic system

Not an enthralling example of Design, but this informational live signage on a busy highway in Bangkok caught my attention and made me question... why is this not an operating system in the U.K? Highlighting the most congested areas in red, and clearer travel routes in Green, informing drivers stuck in rush hour traffic exactly where they 'stand' on the roads!

Public Transport Rules

Whilst travelling on the SkyTrain in the city of Bangkok, I noticed this small sign posted on the interior of all carriages. "Please offer your seat to monks" is a slight alternate request to that made for the elderly or disabled on methods of UK public transport. I found this amusing, but was careful not to show this due to the huge amount of respect within the Thai culture shown towards the Monks.

Ronald MacDonald hits Thailand

It didn't come as a suprise that the fast food chain has landed in Thailand, place of healthy fish, chicken and rice. I imagine the naturally small physical form of the Thai nation is soon to expand in the waistband region. I laughed as I passed the restaurant, to see the plastic lifesize figure of Ronald MacDonald, with his hands pressed together forming the Thai Universal welcome "Sawat-dee", meaning hello/goodbye. Very Clever adaptation of their 'mascot' to fit in with the culture of a new place!

ROYKSOPP music video

The music video for "Remind me" caught my attention, as I saw it for the first time I wasnt entirely sure what it was about. I have concluded that its a complex systematic breakdown of daily events of an individual/corporation. For example - Lunch break - Fast Food restaurant purchase - Beef Burger - Breakdown of ingredients - Process of feeding cows etc. The idea is vast, yet uses a style of informational graphics; arrows, grids, single words, block images. A very unusual video to accompany music,I was refreshed.

'Sankeys' promotion

Sankeys in Manchester is infamous throughout the North as a big player in the underground dance scene. I came across these posters and several flyer layouts on its myspace page and thought they were worth sharing. Leeds itself has a fair few clubs and bars handing out promotional items but its not often that I think they are anything 'out of the ordinary'. The use of shape and colour work well to portray the atmosphere of the venue. The poster especially, adopting a surrealist array of imagery appropriate to the audience due to a large number of them dabbling in class a drugs known to cause hallucination. But thats just my theory!

window shopping

I was amused by the window display thats being used by French Connection fashion stores to promote their sale; since i first noticed it, the reduction has progressed from 60% to 75% off, and along with it, the size of the large shopping bag covering the mannequins increased further from head to toe, cleverly making a proportionate reduction of visible figure. Very tongue in cheek.