Runners Point.

This ad for a sport shoe shop is possibly one of the coolest compositions I have ever seen. The message is clear and doesn't rely on any copy... They sell shoes & these are the brands they have. simple. effective. stunning design.

Cloud gate sculpture

Cloud Gate was designed by a british artist Anish Kapoor is affectionately refered to by locals as 'the bean'. The sculpture was actually the result of a design competition in Chicago. It's interesting to consider whether this sculpture enables User Generated Content as a result of the reflections it creates.

Design Council

Around a year ago I had the opportunity to spend a few days at the Design Council in London (around the corner from Convent Garden).

The place itself was very inspiring; it had a very modern interior, there were lots of bright colours and the room we worked in had retractable walls, a high quality projector and large windows that let in plenty of light.

The workshop was a great success, which I believe is not only a result of the brilliant creative people involved, but also a direct result of choosing the right work space in the best surroundings.

Definition of the word 'Keming'

I FFFFound this earlier today and couldn't help but laugh, so I thought i'd post it on here to get other peoples thoughts...

Is it funny?

Advertising is dead. Long live advertising.

This is a great book if you like alternative forms of advertising such as guerrilla, stealth, ambush, buzz, viral, grassroots, wildfire & especially ambient media... The book is useful when considering creative techniques & media, whilst there are also tips on finding inspiration along with some standard practical advice. i find that after flicking through the book, i walk away feeling inspired and confident that there are still some original ideas out there!

Peter Saville

I went to the exhibition at the Hacienda and saw the Joy Division film. Really liked the album artwork. Checked out Peter Saville and came across even more awesome album artwork.

I really like his self produced typography (see 'substance' in the first image) and the simplicity of his design. His work seems to retain my attention for longer even though there is less to look at!

The curious incident of the dog in the night-time

This is an extremely enjoyable book and a very easy read. I read it in a day. Christopher, the main character in the book has autism, which means he is extremely observant and very descriptive. Consequently, the book is very visual although there are no pictures.

Additionally, the book is very fascinating becuase you gain an insight into what it's like to be autistic.

FFFFOUND!

This seems to be everyones favourite website at the moment when browsing for random images of clever design. So i've decided to jump on the bandwagon and check it out for myself. Above are a couple of images that caught my eye. This website has gone straight into my favourites folder and i'm almost certain that this site will come in very useful, when killing time.

D&AD student awards 2009

I'm not a big fan of the new student D&AD awards site. The briefs are hidden behind the squares of what I can only describe as a pixelated pencil. Therefore, you can't decipher the briefs you've seen from the briefs you haven't seen. Surely D&AD is about simple design that works, and not the opposite!

Quentin Blake

I've admired Quentin Blakes illustrations (in the Roald Dahl books) since I was a kid, but it has taken until now for me to realise just how fantastic they are... So I decided to check out his website and was extremely impressed his other work. In fact, I was never aware that he is a ctually an author in his own right. Next time i'm in a library i'll have to hunt down some of his books, because if his stories are as imaginative as his illustrations I'm going to like them!

Roald Dahl, Revolting Rhymes

Revolting Rhymes is a collection of Roald Dahl poems that re-interpret popular fairy tales. This post is not for my benefit because I could talk about how much I enjoy this book until the cows come home! If you have never read Revolting Rhymes I recommend you stop what you're doing and take a trip to your nearest book shop, buy the book & read it. Oh, and you can thank me later!

Brylcreem's Effortless

Brylcreem's Effortless TV Ad - Funny video clips are a click away

This ad uses a tried and tested formula in an engaging and entertaining way. The ad has recently won two yellow pencils (for production & practical special effects) at the D&AD awards this year. This is proof that the advertising industry still enjoy a good knock on effect advert, just like the popular Honda Accord domino commercial from a few years ago was.

D&AD Online

The D&AD annual 2008 has gone online, which I am very pleased about, because it means that I can view the winners without having to sneak into an advertising agency to find the book! It's interesting to note that the cover of the printed annual this year is designed by Peter Saville. His design cleverly sets up a Digital v Anti-Digital debate using the letters D&AD.

Sideways

I borrowed this DVD from the library at Colby College (Maine, America) during the summer. It's one of the most original films i've seen in ages. Perhaps this is why it's picked up a couple of Golden Globe Awards for best picture and best screen play.

The sleeve of the DVD cover is also very interesting; the illustrations provide a small, but perhaps misleading insight into the nature of film which entises the viewer to read the blurb... Two guys go on a wine tasting weekend with halarious consequences, not, two guys get trapped in a bottle! never judge a DVD by its cover!

Love blog.

I regularly check this blog by Love creative, because it's nice to learn what kind of interesting stuff some of Manchester's top creatives are exposed to...

In edition to producing work for clients, it also gives me an insight into the kind of stuff Love are doing... Recently, Love have started an initiative called CLASS which give graduates the chance to complete a three month PAID work placement in their offices.

THE WHIP - usb wristband promo

I found this cool little promotional offer whilst listening to the whip on myspace. They're basically offering limited edition usb wristbands to people that attend their gigs during November. The usb wristbands will contain live tracks from some of their gigs and will act as a nice souvenir. thus making the band more memorable. I'm going to see them at the cockpit next month so maybe i'll get one!

Hacienda @ the Urbis

Whilst working in Manchester (last year) I was particularly keen to learn more about its culture and what makes it such a unique city. So when I realised the Urbis was holding an exhibition which marked the 25th anniversary of Manchester's legendary nightclub, the Hacienda, I was there!

The exhibition was extremely interesting from both a historical and visual perspective. The posters on the walls were all handmade (well before Photoshop & Illustrator!), however the quality of the design is much better than the average posters and flyers used to promote club nights these days. All in all I think the exhibition was extremely successful as it educated me to the extent where I felt almost nostalgic (despite, the fact I was born in 1986!).

For an even greater insight into Manchesters development in the 70's & 80's I watched the film 'Joy Division' at the Hyde Park Picture House... The film was a brilliant tribute to the band & lead singer Ian Curtis, plus watching it at an old cinema, like the HPPH added to the amosphere & the nostalga.

half nelson

This film is particularly interesting because of the interesting dialogue, handheld camera-work and the way the storyline begins half way through the actual story.

For instance, an issues in the film (but not the main issue) is the main characters addiction to drugs. The film starts and he is already an addict, and we are never told how and why he became an addict in the first place.

I later discovered that this information has been left out for a reason. This film was not about someone becoming addicted to drugs. It was about someone with an addiction struggling to cope with the controversial polotics within society.

Therefore by leaving out certain events that are irrelevant to the current storyline you are able to add more emphasis to the main subject of the film.

Kung-fu Hustle

This is one of my favourite films of all time. It has a Tarantino-esque quality combining several sub-genres into something completely new and original. Regardless of whether you like martial arts or not, watching this film is a must. The camera work is groundbreaking and the unusual style of special effects adds a contemporary feel which detachs the film from the stereotypical "martial arts" genre.

Vintage logos

I found this set of vintage logos posted on flickr as a series of jpegs (120 to be exact).

The collection of vintage logos is from a mid-70's edition of the book World of Logotypes. The book is filled with pages and pages of original logos that contain unique shapes, symbols & type. Despite being 30 years old the logos featured in the book are relatively timeless and will provide inspiration for future branding projects.