Not on this evidence.
Not on this evidence.
Posted at 11:44 PM in Designer Talk | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)
Posted at 09:34 PM in Designer Talk | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
If ever you're in the vicinity of South Kensington in London, try and pop into to the cafe at the Dana Centre.
Posted at 05:46 PM in Designer Talk | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
Our very own Josh had a great think piece published in the latest edition of Grafik (probably the coolest graphic design magazine on the planet).
Joshua Ted Millar
When thinking about
iconic design from the 1990’s the only icons that may spring to some minds are
Captain Planet and The Fresh Prince of Bel Air. On the other hand some may
think of desconstructivist typography and
David Carson in particular and his widely
imitated aesthetic that defined the so-called "grunge" era. Others
may think of when Photoshop version one was released, and physicist Tim
Berners-Lee developed the World Wide Web. It was also a time when we lost one
of the greats, Paul Rand, a master craftsman in the world of logoforms.
In the early 90’s as
a child of about ten years I remember when I first realised that a logo was also
a part of some sort of bigger picture and wasn’t just a lone symbol or icon, it
was part of what I now know as an identity system. Therefore the first thing
that I think of when the 90’s are mentioned is Ciao, the mascot for the 1990
World Cup in Italy.
By no means am I
saying it’s the best logo of the 90’s or my favourite, because it isn’t, it’s
an inherently bad piece of design. But this stick
figure with a football head and an Italian tricolor body is so much more than
that. This is the symbol that reminds us of a love for an unknown Cameroon
national team, Paul Gasgoine crying, The Three Tenors performing Nessum Dorma
and reminds me of when I fell in love with something visual that would
ultimately shape my future.
I wonder what the conversations
were like between the great designers of that time when their world was
infiltrated with Ciao on their television screens, magazine covers, coke
bottles… I imagine they laughed and starred at each other with a look saying,
“that’s awful, I would’ve loved to have been able to have a go at that”. It’s
quite possibly that exact reaction that some of the creative teams and visually
savvy generation of the British public had when they first saw the logo for
London 2012.
Dare I say that I do actually quite like the 2012 logo, but I also had that same reaction when I first saw it. I first saw it horrifically produced on the front page of The Metro and I was speechless. Then a few months later I received my new bankcard from Lloyds TSB and saw the 2012 logo on the top corner of the card produced in two colours, I loved it. I felt proud to be British and most importantly I was excited about the games coming. Is the logo growing on us as a nation, I think so. I also challenge any critics to search and look at the proposed logos for the 2016 games by Prague, Madrid, Tokyo and Chicago and choose any of those logos over our 2012 mark. Who would rather have a waving hand to “welcome foreigners to the city”, or an olive branch with five leaves to “symbolize the five continents and to create a symbolic map of the sports world”, or any other over rationalised identities.
We’ve become very quick to judge things that really deserve to be given
our attention for longer and a chance to impress. When was the last time you
really stopped and looked at a piece of design or listened to an album the
whole way through and then listened to it again?
In summary my main thought is that generations will worship icons for what they stand for, regardless of how they look, but the most iconic ones will only help themselves be remembered. I know the 2012 logo will never be forgotten in graphic design history and I expect the children of this Olympic generation will use the logo as I used Ciao, as a symbol, icon, mark and logo of all the great moments they witnessed at this fantastic event and I’m excited to see how the 2012 brand is rolled out over the next three years.
Posted at 05:14 PM in Designer Talk | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)
We're definitely don't believe in unnecessary print finishes where they aren't bringing anything to final printed piece. And no, a foil block absolutely does not constitute an idea in our book.
Posted at 06:38 PM in Designer Talk | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBack (0)
With all this talk about the unstoppable march of the digital age and all things digital shinily catching the eye of clients and consumers alike, it's always good to be reminded how powerful something printed can be.
Here's a small but perfectly formed printed piece we've just produced for our client Standards Board for England. It's just printed four colour process on an inexpensive uncoated stock and it smell fantastic. It's one of the first things I do when I get my hands on a piece of print - smell it. Now for years, I thought I was completely bonkers and then gradually over the years I've met more people who share the same olfactory pleasure as me.
Posted at 06:04 PM in Designer Talk | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
Now I don't think there's anyone out there who would disagree with the statement above (other than some millionaire playboy sitting on his yacht in the South of France surrounded by a bevy of beauties. But even he will, at some point, have seen the virtue of the statement).
Posted at 07:25 PM in Designer Talk | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
As most if you will know, Lepidoptery is the study and observation of Butterflies.
Posted at 02:05 PM in Designer Talk | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
There's a lot of people bemoaning either the lack of standards or that standards are slipping these days.
Posted at 05:04 PM in Designer Talk | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
The new case study wallets arrived today in time for Sam to take them off on his new business adventures.
Posted at 05:34 PM in Designer Talk | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)