Clever Trickery

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Should I work for free?

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I recently completed some work for a project that was completely voluntary. This may come in handy in the future when proposed a voluntary contribution to a project.

Healthy Chocolate

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The best news all day.

The beauty of nature is very enticing but do you really have to use a car to enjoy it?

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This is an interesting article from Huck Magazine about the struggle of trying to be 'green' to help the environment but trying to get places so that you can enjoy the environment.

Is it possible to get the balance right. I spoke to one person who said that they planted a tree every time they flew somewhere. They have got a bit of a forest in their garden now!

1 Google Search = driving 3 inches!!

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Infographic by WordStream Internet Marketing

A sarky video

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Infographic: The World in 2000 vs 2010

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Interesting article and infographics on how much the world has changed in 10 years.

Tetra Pak

Tetra Pak have produced this nice animation to explain why they are so good. And it seems that they are very good, their packaging when recycled can become anything from a notebook or paper bag to tiles and flower pots. 


I believe that in some places this is true but recycling can be a complicated process and many councils wont take mixed materials and separate them into the aluminum, plastic and paper that Tetra Pak is made from. This is not the fault of Tetra Pak though and they are doing a good job at making sure all elements of their packaging is recyclable. 


Tetra Pak could provide a good solution for the Body Shop brief I am working on.

House of Illustration Submission

These are the pieces I am submitting for the House of Illustration/Folio Competition. I spent a long time struggling with the illustrations. I found making an illustration from a story really difficult as well as trying to develop a style that suits all three images. But finally it is the day for submission and these are my illustrations. I am not confident that they can win or even will be close to winning but I am glad that I continued with the brief and didn't give up on it.

Green Checklist

Now that I have this it should be easy...

Charles Bergquist

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Charles Bergquist's portfolio is mainly photography based but his photography is so different that is verges on illustration. The colours are particularly attractive and change the image from a photograph to something imaginative.

The 3rd image here reminded me of one of my own pieces which I made a while ago but submitted for the Titbits exhibition put on by our class.

Starbucks - Minimal Design

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For some reason I was quite shocked to hear that Starbucks had redesigned their logo. I think probably because it has probably always been the same solid motif since I have known of them. Also, I thought they would hold on to the traditional looks of original logos but instead have taken all extras off to create a minimal, white out, single colour logo.

I found this image quite funny as a post I made quite recently showed how logos can be made minimal. The examples they gave looked just like the image above. 

Folio Books - Mandarin

  

The book The Mandarins by Simone de Beauvoir comes as a special edition with illustrations by Christopher Corr for the Folio Books.

I really like the drawing style of Christopher Corr, it is untidy and self explanatory whilst still being fun and colourful. I would like my illustrations to have similar qualities. 

Internships

Guggenheim Internships

This sounds like an amazing opportunity that I will definitely be applying for. Fingers crossed the report that I recently handed in will be up to scratch and I can use it as part of my application.

A year, or 6 months in New York would be a great leap in the right direction for a career as well as a chance to explore a bit more, we definitely didnt have enough time to hit all the New York wonders when we were there in March.

Ski vs Board

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A very interesting article about the science behind the constant argument of snow boarding versus skiing. Which is harder?

Folio

One of the most prominent factors I have noticed in the designs for Folio is that the majority of them are very understated. The designs are quite simple prints but tick every box for cover design. Even those that have deep patterns are not so elaborate that they overrun the cover or story.


I have tried my designs in-keeping with this trend, using Folio and House of Illustration work as inspiration. There are only few colour per design and the colours are shared between each.  I have used Camus' symbolism heavily for my designs, using colour in particular to highlight this.

Body Butter

 

One of the products to be redesigned for the Body Shop is the Body Butter tub. This is going to be difficult to beat because it is a very suitable product design.

It stacks easily

Looks good

Transports well

Easy to use for the customer

Is recognisable to the customer

Displays well

The label offers interchangeable design for different promotions, seasons, etc

The main focus will be on the products sustainability and how it relates to the Body Shop principles.

2010 Christmas Cards

SNWCNT

I came across a snow blog, SNWCNT, who have produced their own zine of their blog and snow news. It has been difficult researching books and zines that are different to the mainstream magazines found in WHSmiths so it was good to find something new. Although the design is quite simple there is still a definite snowboarding feel to it that I have found in other snowsports magazines. They all have a rebellious, non conformist attitude which is one that I would like to take forward in my design so that it appeals to my target audience.

A2591 - Minimal Design

A2591 is a design consultancy who give themselves the definition of "A dose of minimalism and efforts for changing the perception."

On their blog they have a piece about minimalist branding showing how each brand could redesign for minimal feeling. The concept and design is simple on each product and shows the stages of simplifying.

I agree that some of the branding looks better when it is more minimal but if they were all to design this way the shelves would look quite boring and the designs wouldn't be selling themselves as they try to now. No product would jump out from the shelf asking to be bought. Also, products such as Mr Muscle above have a history and a style suited to them. Sometimes the design is more humorous than inspiring but many who buy the product remember and relate to the adverts.

However, products such as Lindt seen above could benefit from the minimalist design. The chocolate with the cleanest design above looks like a much more luxurious product.

This piece in the A2591 is an interesting example of the effects of branding and minimalist design.