I’ve been doing a lot of hand drawn type recently, but instead of just drawing alphabet after alphabet I wanted to do something different. So I decided to incorporate it into an illustration… Which I haven’t done for ages. I like this one though, I’m happier with it than the last thing I posted. It’s kind of trippy but in a cute way in my opinion – That’s why I like it I think. And the words that I’ve chosen mean a lot to me, since I’ve lived on my own I’ve learnt how to not let people get the better of me… I think it’s another life skill that Uni life teaches you.
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Procrastinating ;-)
Arrrgh! What’s happened to the blue in this!!? Noooo! It’s lighter than I wanted! I have been tricked by illustrator! Damn you! This will do for now though I guess! I’ve had enough of Adobe for one day! xox
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Stuff for YCN Brief
This is one of the things I’ve managed to produce with Illustrator so far for the YCN British Music Experience brief. I like it, but I don’t really know what to do next with it. Also, it is supposed to be blue, red and white… But on here it’s showing up black and grey? Hopefully when I publish it it’ll be the right colours *fingers crossed* I haven’t yet incorporated the BME’s logo onto it yet, but I was thinking of printing it like a postcard with all the information on the back and maybe a free badge or something with the logo on. I’m not sure. Hmm… x
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Listen to this Lady
Do it now. Her name is Sia.
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Handmade Graphics
I bought this book the other day and it’s really good! Everyone who likes to make things as part of their work should definitely own this. It has examples of artists/designers and all the different ways you can create things and then shows you step by step how you can achieve it too! Pretty ace! x
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Ergh… Must… Get… Motivated…
I can mess about and make little pieces of work for myself. Last week a made a little recipe book for my friend and I used photoshop, illustrator and indesign (I was proud!)… But when it comes to Uni work and briefs something in my head just goes.. Nah mate. IT IS SO FRUSTRATING! Why can’t I just get on with it!? I can do this.. I will! It’s just going to me a mahoosive struggle. Definately don’t want to be a designer after this course. No way. I’d rather just keep graphics as a nice little hobby, because in the past three years I have lost my passion and it’s turned into a chore.
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A bit of my own
Here is something I’ve made, I have been trying to teach myself illustrator for a while now and I am slowly getting the hang of it. At the moment I’m really interested in hand drawn type so I thought I’d have a go at it myself. It’s okay I suppose! I like the colours that I’ve used because I didn’t want them to be the stereotypical shades you would find in a landscape… like a dream.
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Odd?
I have surprised myself. For the first time in a few months I have picked up my pen and have started drawing again. The past few things on here that I’ve posted have really inspired me.. And it’s just made me want to make something. I am really shy about my work, not a lot of people get to see it. BUT I have promised myself I will finish this, and post it on here.. Even though probably no one will ever see it, but it’s the point that it’s there if people want to :-). One small step and all that shebang! I think I want to scan it in afterwards and play with it on illustrator. I’m guessing thats how the pieces below have been made too, but I really like them so I want to play too! Anyways, I’m off to bed. Goodnight x
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notebookdoodles
So I’ve just come across a blog called notebookdoodles and I absolutely love it! I really like the way she has used type within her doodles and the messages behind each piece. I picked these ones out because I can relate to them. They’re all very true. Or maybe I want to believe they’re true? Maybe it’s not true? I don’t know, but in my opinion if you believe in something that much then you make it true. You make the belief a reality. There are somethings in life I don’t give up on and never give up on. Even if I said that I had, I’d probably still believe deep down. I always hope that people will remember acts of kindness and not take them for granted… Even though a lot of people aren’t grateful for the things you do for them. I’ve met a lot of selfish people in my life and I’m only 20! Life’s too short to have people like that in your life. I don’t know why I needed to rant that. But it feels better now!
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A little gem..
Back in first year I did a research brief and blogged it here in 2007. One of the things I had to research was a company called eBoy. They get re-usable pixel objects and take them to build complex and extensible artwork. I love them because they are so detailed but the objects within the image are so simple. There’s just a lot of things to look at. Again, they use bold colours which I like and straight edges. It reminds me of Habbo Hotel. Or does Habbo remind me of eBoy? I don’t know which was around first… Anyway. When I first researched, I realised that one of my favorite bands album art work looked very similar to the work that eBoy was producing. So I looked on their website and there was no sign of it. I’ve just revisited their site after two years and there it is! I like Groove Armada even more now, in fact, I think I might go listen to them!
Yeah man! 😛 xox
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Oh my days!
This is the cutest blog I have seen in a long time! Right up my street, I mean, check out this bear!!! I think this could be the best thing I have ever seen. And it kind of reminds me of someone haha..
These are just a few other things i’ve come across whilst I was browsing on the site. They are all really good, I like them because they aren’t perfectly drawn. But in a different sense they are? In my opinion anyway! I also like the bold lines and colours and the cute little faces. I suppose it’s not that surprising that I like them so much!
I have a friend, well I know of someone (he doesn’t really know me that well) that produces work just like this piece below. I wonder if he’s seen them? His work is so similar.
And then finally I just added this last illustration in because it is so CUTE!
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So, I was on ffffound.com today and I saw this! I absolutely love it, it’s so easy to do as well. I think I might try this style with a few doodles I’ve done while I was watching the TV the other day. It could work quite well :-). I’m going to go and check out their blog…
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Thoughts and feelings…
I am so happy at the moment with things 🙂 I just wanted to write down how I’m feeling so I am! I honestly feel like a different person this year compared to the last two. All the bad things in my life have gone, I’m good and healthy and free to do what I want… Which is cracking! All I’ve got to do now is try my hardest, last year and all that..
In my first and second year I always felt exhausted trying to make my work something it wasn’t. Hardly any of it I was happy with because it wasn’t my style. But the reason why I tried to change was because I didn’t think people liked the things I did… It’s pretty wacky and quirky. I know that other people shouldn’t stop me from being me, but it did.. I plodded along and nothing I did I liked, neither did anyone else really. Lose – lose situation haha! But all the last minute work I have produced I love… My true style always comes out when I’m under pressure and I’m most proud of the things I do on the spur of the moment. Even if people don’t like it, I do.. And at the moment that’s all that matters to me. If I keep doing things I don’t like then I’m going to hate Graphic Design.. Which was kind of what happened to me the past couple of years. My confidence was pretty low and so was my motivation. I felt like the thing I had loved all my life was becoming something I loathed. That stressed me out so much! All of a sudden I was so confused, what was the point in me being there?
I’ve learnt an important lesson and this year I’m just being me. I just need to stop worrying about what other people think. I’m doing what I want and it makes me happy. I kind of lost myself, I’ve found me again now! When it comes to my course I have a smiley face after all. Happy egg. xox
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Things I like at the moment…
I’ve been thinking a lot about my negotiated study recently and to get back into the swing of things I thought I’d upload some imagery that I have come across this summer to get me started. I think doing this will give me a better idea of what I like and what I don’t, and motivate me to do the things I like.
This one I love, I love the whole concept of handmade pieces – I think this it is the field where I want to spend my time this year. In the past two years the two projects I liked the most, if I had to choose from first and second year, are both the briefs that i produced something handmade and then photographed it as part of a final piece.
I think the image above is more personal to me and thats why I like it. When I read it, it reminds me of an important part of my life and makes me feel stronger. It’s also true too. I think it’s quite quirky how they have used Scrabble pieces in the photograph – It’s an interesting idea.
I chose this one to upload because I liked the illustration and the overall message it conveys, I think with me, I like something when it looks totally innocent, and happy – even if the actual meaning of the piece is entirely different. I think that if the meaning clashed with the style of the image I would like it even more!
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So I decided to take advantage..
.. Of other people answers, and why not. That’s what the websites there for? And plus I thought it would give me some inspiration!
My question simply was: How can we get the younger generation to like Classical Music?
So far, I have had 6 or 7 answers – some are quite good, others are from really bitter people. I will paste in a few quotes from their answers. Some are amusing..
“We no longer educate our young. We give them meaningless degrees which are little better than the old 11+ in standard, and we tell them that they are educated. The appreciation of Art Music, requires hard work and a decent education……Why do you expect the current generation to possess the qualities in abundance? This is the generation that considers Twilight and Harry Potter to be literature for pity’s sake ! Western Art music is now seen as elitist, and elitism is seen as a bad thing. Quite where the human race would be without elitism, I shudder to think.” – So theres a nasty one!
“Commercial treatment of the Art of Music in such a society is not aimed at adventurous exploration of sound. To maximise profit, certain strong rules have been formulated..
(i) produce something that the dumbest, least sensitive member of the community can understand and like…
(ii) plaster it with irrelevant, but attention-grabbing facets [such as hair styles, clothing eccentricity, fan clubs, etc.]
(iii) be very wary of significant change once the cash register makes its noise.
(iv) expose this material as often and as widely as is possible
(v) constantly say how exciting it is to be ‘modern’.
(vi) et cetera.
Opposing this in our schools is, so often, a timid little person playing recordings of his/her favourite music (rarely more recent than 100 years). The staff in our schools generally regard this teacher as a useless, unsuccessful fossil. [Maybe they are almost right?] In my opinion, there is one solution that has a remote chance of propagating Art Music in a community.
Music classes, similar to enlightened classes dealing with visual arts, theatre, dance, etc., must DO IT, not ‘learn’ to venerate it.
Composition of melodies, group improvisations, taking part in quality classroom singing (omitting ‘fa-la-la’ perhaps?), etc. are relevant. Listening to Mozart will not produce massed veneration of Art, though performing his music (even badly) has a chance. We must also be very clear in our minds WHY we want our community to love creative music.
It is surely not just to prove to ourselves how wise we are to love it? Again, it is NOT to create new audiences for old music, magnificent as we feel it is. [ A museum Art is pathetic, surely?] The only ‘acceptable’ reason for evangelic passion in propagation of Art Music is that it has immense communal life quality benefits, is ennobling, comforting, stimulating, etc. It must be seen as a relevant CONTEMPORARY activity, as well. Newness must be encouraged, and the old should not be overly venerated during educational activity in this wonderful Art.” – Hmm informative?
The reason why i did this was to get people opinion. Almost like a survey, and its not me just asking people I know, it’s me asking the world. Where a whole range of people from different backgrounds can input their opinion.
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Classic FM
The first thing I think of is boring! The website is so plain and samey – I don’t like it, it doesnt invite me to look at it.
http://www.classicfm.co.uk/
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The Philamonic Orchestra
“The Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra is one of the oldest concert-giving organisations in the world, and the second oldest in Britain. The origins of its concert series date back to the formation of the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Society, which administers it, in 1840. The Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, as it was called then, acquired the title ‘Royal’ in 1957. In 1989 the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Society and Orchestra received an Honorary Fellowship from the Liverpool John Moores University and in 1991 were the first organisations to be granted the freedom of the City of Liverpool. A further honour of Meritorious Service was granted by the City of Liverpool in 1997.
The Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra gives over sixty concerts from September to June in the bright, pleasant ambience and excellent acoustic of Philharmonic Hall, as well as presenting a regular concert series at Preston Guild Hall and Blackburn King George’s Hall, and making frequent appearances in concert halls throughout the United Kingdom and abroad.”- (http://www.liverpoolphil.com/content/abouttheorchestra.aspx)
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Charlotte Church – Odd one out?
I just thought you ought to watch this. She must be our age or younger. People love her, but do they love her music? Personally, I prefer her newer stuff! But, I decided to add it because I feel like shes the anomoly!
So thats what she started out as.. This is what she ended up like..
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Yahoo – Questions and Answers
http://in.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080509031102AA8lRop
I thought this was quite interesting. Older people are really bitter…
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Nyman’s and Williams’ Music
Okay, so what do I think of their music? I don’t like it. But, do i not like it because is a physiological thing or because I really don’t like it? I will try to explain, do I not enjoy it because it has always been seen as ‘uncool’ to listen to it, even since I can remember.. or is it not to my taste. When is is socially acceptable for someone my age to listen to it? When you reach 50? It sounds highly stereotypical, but in a weird way, I think it’s true.
You can say the same thing for people over 50 though, any of them listen to people like chase and status? Hardcore drum and bass? Rap? Chris Brown? I don’t think so. Not unless they have a kid who insists on playing the CD in the car where ever they go. (That’s what my brother does anyways) I feel sorry for my Radio2 following mum, who puts up with Queens of the Stone Age when ever he gets in the car. You wouldn’t get my mum going to one of their concerts, but, then I don’t think you would get her listening to Vaughan Williams either.
Perhaps, it’s what you have been brought up with? My mum and dad listened to Jimmy Hendrix, Page and Plant, Bob Marley, Funkadelic, Simply Red, Michael Jackson and so on. You wouldn’t catch them listening to classical music. In fact, I think my dad would refuse. It would make him feel old… And he hates that. He hated having to make the big leap from Radio 1 to Radio 2 when he realised he couldn’t listen to Chris Moyles and Chart Music anymore. He was almost in denial about changing what he listened to.
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Michael Nyman
“As one of Britain’s most innovative and acclaimed composers, Michael Nyman’s work encompasses operas and string quartets, film soundtracks and concertos. Far more than merely a composer, he’s also a performer, band leader, author, musicologist and now a photographer and film maker. Although he’s far too modest to accept the description ‘Renaissance Man’, his restless creativity and multi-faceted work has made him one of the most fascinating cultural icons of our times.” – michaelnyman.com
Michael Laurence Nyman, CBE (born 23 March 1944, London) is an English composer of minimalist music, pianist, librettist and musicologist, perhaps best known for the many movie scores he wrote during his lengthy collaboration with the filmmaker Peter Greenaway, and his multi-platinum soundtrack album to Jane Campion’s The Piano. His operas include The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat, Noises, Sounds & Sweet Airs, Facing Goya, Man and Boy: Dada, and Love Counts, and he has written six concerti, four string quartets, and many other chamber works, many for his Michael Nyman Band, with and without whom he tours as a performing pianist. Nyman has stated his preference for writing opera to other sorts of music. (taken from wiki.com)
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Vaughan Williams
“Ralph Vaughan Williams OM (12 October 1872 – 26 August 1958) was an English composer of symphonies, chamber music, opera, choral music, and film scores. He was also a collector of English folk music and song; this also influenced his editorial approach to the English Hymnal, which began in 1904, many folk song arrangements being set as hymn tunes, in addition to several original compositions.
Vaughan Williams’s music has often been said to be characteristically English, in the same way as that of Gustav Holst, Frederick Delius, George Butterworth, and William Walton. In Albion: The Origins of the English Imagination, Peter Ackroyd writes, “If that Englishness in music can be encapsulated in words at all, those words would probably be: ostensibly familiar and commonplace, yet deep and mystical as well as lyrical, melodic, melancholic, and nostalgic yet timeless.” Ackroyd quotes music critic John Alexander Fuller Maitland, whose distinctions included editing the second edition of Grove’s Dictionary of Music and Musicians in the years just before 1911, as having observed that in Vaughan Williams’s style “one is never quite sure whether one is listening to something very old or very new.”
His style expresses a deep regard for and fascination with folk tunes, the variations upon which can convey the listener from the down-to-earth (which he always tried to remain in his daily life) to the ethereal. Simultaneously the music shows patriotism toward England in the subtlest form, engendered by a feeling for ancient landscapes and a person’s small yet not entirely insignificant place within them. His earlier works sometimes show the influence of Ravel, his teacher for three months in Paris in 1908. Ravel described Vaughan Williams as “the only one of my pupils who does not write my music.””
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Sound and Image
For this brief I am required to help the Philamonic Orchestra in Liverpool reach out to a different audience of the younger generation. This is such a hard one! It’s nearly as hard as my mums job, trying to get young people into librarys and encourage them to read. I think this is on par with that. Classical music though? I never listen to that, ever! I suppose its because I never really hear it that much? When I listen to the radio or go out its always “fashionable” young music. And thats what I’m used to because its what I know. To try and get people my age to actually want to go and listen to this kind of music is insane, unless it was free! The majority of people my age wouldnt even go then! I suppose it’s seen as “uncool”. Theres nothing like that in the chart etc.. The only time when there is a classical tune in the chart is when some DJ has re-mixed it…
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Colour for food in packaging…
Colour is used extensively by the retail, marketing and packaging industries in order to convey messages and sensations or trigger associations which encourage the consumer to buy their products. Food colorants are added to ensure that the colour of the food matches our expectations, for example, butter is naturally much whiter in colour more akin to lard, and the canning process deprives the garden pea of much of its natural colouring.
Certain packaging colours are associated with particular tastes or qualities e.g. pink and red indicate sweetness – white and blue suggest purity and refinement – green is synonymous with mint flavoured goods, although mint ice cream is only mint coloured by virtue of food colouring! Purple, gold and black are used to indicate exclusivity, expensiveness, luxury and quality, dependent on the nature of the product.
Packaging has to provide all the attraction and all the information necessary for the customer. Packaging design is now concerned with photographic realism, visual clarity, bright colours and clearly recognisable symbols. Moreover the recognisability of a design, the colour or an image has to be attained on many different printing substrates; paper, board, plastics, metal foil, tin cans and so on. Any design that is adopted must be reproducible on all media. This calls for careful consideration of colour at all stages. Moreover, printing is a complex process with many steps before ink is placed on the substrate. Hence developments in surface coloration cover a wide field from design through production to final delivery. The demand, then, in packaging is for high-quality colour both in line work and in illustration.
There are two aspects of quality; the level of quality and the repeatability. If one is reproducing an old master, the objective is to produce a picture that is a good reproduction of the original in terms of the medium used. Minor differences between two reproductions are of little consequence as a rule since they are considered side by side only very rarely. In packaging, however, the exact reproduction of image after image is highly important, particularly with depth of colour. Changes in colour can lead customers to believe that material is older and hence to ignore it. Consequently, contrary to many beliefs, the colour printing of packaging is often a more critical operation than the printing of publications. It must be remembered that all printed packages, whether in colour or not, must be odour-free and compatible with their contents. With products such as foods or pharmaceuticals, non-toxic inks are essential and these must be highly resistant to possible leaching out of the contents of the package.
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The British Sandwich Association
Founded The Association was founded in January 1990.
Aims
As the voice of the British sandwich industry, the primary aims of The British Sandwich Association are: To safeguard the integrity of the sandwich industry by setting technical standards for sandwich making and by encouraging improvement in the industry. To promote excellence and innovation in sandwich making. To provide a source of information for the industry. To promote the consumption of sandwiches. To provide a collective voice for all those involved in making, distributing and retailing sandwiches and to represent the views of the industry.
As the voice of the British sandwich industry, the primary objectives of The British Sandwich Association are:
- SAFETY – To safeguard the integrity of the sandwich market by setting standards for sandwich making, by encouraging excellence in sandwich making and by encouraging the development of the industry in terms of skills, innovation and overall market development.
- GROWTH – To encourage positive growth both in the market and the Association both through the development of the organisation and by promoting the consumption of sandwiches.
- COMMUNICATION – To represent the interests of the industry and members to Government and all those in a position influence the industry or factors affecting the industry.
- SUPPORT – To provide a source of support and information for members
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Sandwichguide.co.uk
Can you believe it? There’s actually a review site for sandwiches – it made me laugh anyway… This is what someone said about the Chicken Salad from Marks and Spencer. Baring in mind the chicken Salad is the most popular sandwich choice.. “A sandwich which is just bursting with excellent flavours and good ingredients, and all for a very reasonable price.
“There is normally a good amount of chicken in this sandwich. Occasionally, it can be clumped together in the sandwich so one mouthful can be devoid of chicken whereas another can be packed with it, but this is a minor problem. The taste of the chicken is excellent as it clearly hasn’t been processed and has a strong and slightly roasted flavour.
The quality of the salad is fairly mixed. The lettuce is a tad limp and drab and there isn’t enough of it, but the tomato is nice and juicy and there is a perfect amount of it. Similarly, there are plenty of slices of crunchy tasty cucumber which give the sandwich a much needed bite and a change of texture.
There is also a very pleasant seasoned mayonnaise. Aside from the usual seasoning, this mayonnaise, and the sandwich as a whole benefits hugely from the inclusion of chives. These add a totally different and bold flavour to the sandwich which complements every single one of the fillings very well. Some might find the flavour a bit overwhelming, but I suspect the majority will not.
The fairly ordinary wholemeal bread is a bit drab, but it doesn’t harm the sandwich overall, and the rest of the flavours render it largely irrelevant.
So a very good sandwich. Prime ingredients and exciting and bold flavours and all for a fair price make this a very attractive purchase.”
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| The story begins in Bridgeport, Connecticut, USA during the summer of 1965. Fred DeLuca, an ambitious 17-year-old high school graduate, was looking for a way to make enough money to pay for his university tuition. The solution came at a backyard barbecue during a conversation with a family friend, Dr. Peter Buck. Dr. Buck suggested to Fred that he open a submarine sandwich shop – having seen a sandwich shop in his hometown experience huge success. | ||||||||||||||||||
| With a $1,000 loan from Dr. Buck, the partnership was formed and Pete’s Super Submarines opened in August 1965. The first year was a challenge and a learning experience for the young entrepreneurs. They opened their second location a year later and quickly realised that marketing and visibility were going to be key factors in the success of the business – the third outlet was in a highly visible location and it’s still serving sandwiches today. The name was shortened from Pete’s Super Submarines to SUBWAY® and the familiar bright yellow logo was introduced. | ||||||||||||||||||
| The next step was to formulate a business plan that outlined the SUBWAY® chain’s goals. In an effort to reach those goals, SUBWAY® outlets began franchising, giving others the opportunity to succeed in their own business venture. The first SUBWAY® franchise opened in Connecticut in 1974. In August 1995, the SUBWAY® chain celebrated 30 years of success and witnessed the opening of its 11,000th outlet. | ||||||||||||||||||
As for Fred Deluca… he did complete his journey – he received a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology in 1971 and became a successful businessman. Fred firmly believes in valuing the experience of the journey rather than only visualising the end and he shares the journey and success with thousands of SUBWAY® franchisees around the globe.
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Subway Adverts
I think these adverts are so funny! Especially the Jalapeno and the Olive with the nun chucks!
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Fresh Sandwich
We make damn fine sandwiches, salads and snacks to make eating organic exceedingly easy. Our sandwich wizards work night and day to make sure that you have the freshest possible experience every day. We’re going to let you in on a secret….organic food is not only much tastier than conventional food (well, we think so), but it’s also much better for you, which is why we are on a mission to convert the world to organic! For information on everything organic, go to our Why go Organic page.
Sometimes, we’re in a rush, and despite best intentions about diligently making a packed lunch for yourself, you may not have had time/got to the fridge only to find it’s like Mother Hubbard’s cupboard – empty! Or, you’re just out and about and feeling peckish, but want something tasty and good for you. That’s where we come in – we make damn fine organic sandwiches (and salads and wraps and yoghurts and pies …..) for those who haven’t had time to make their own healthy food and those who need good nosh on the fun. In 2002, we started making a few organic sandwiches by hand in our West London kitchen and found that lots of people love them as much as we do. So we started making more, and now we have much bigger kitchens to make lots and lots of them (nearly 5 million sarnies every year) – all still by hand! Organic is important! Really very important, as it means that extra care has gone into making sure that you get the very best, healthiest food around; we want to make sure that these ingredients are put to the best use possible, so you can enjoy damn fine organic sandwiches!
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Nampak – The M&S Packaging
http://www.nampakcartons.com/aboutus-awards.asp
Awards
Because Nampak Cartons Europe constantly strives to achieve outstanding packaging solutions, we are recognised throughout the industry as innovators in our field. Our success is regularly recognised by our peers.
2006 Awards
Our unique cartonboard sandwich pack, produced for U.K. retailer Marks & Spencer has received a multitude of awards this year. The patent-pending sandwich pack, a joint development between Nampak Cartons and Marks & Spencer, incorporates an easy-to-open zip at the rear that allows it to open out into a plate. It also opens conventionally at the front.
The carton features a clear NatureWorks PLA (polylactide) window, which is made from maize. The cartonboard used in its construction is FSC (Forestry Stewardship Council) accredited.
This annual competition, run by the Institue of Packaging, rewards the very best in print and packaging design and manufacture, and Nampak Cartons were delighted to received three Starpacks this year, together with a Pro Carton sponsored award, all for the Marks & Spencer cartonboard sandwich pack.
A Gold Starpack was awarded for “Best in Creative Cartonboard Packaging”, in addition to which the pack won a Silver Starpack for “Best Packaging Innovation Leading to a Significant Reduction in Household Waste”, and a Bronze Starpack for “Best Consumer Pack for Food.” The Pro Carton Award was also for “Best in Creative Cartonboard Packaging
UK Packaging Awards 2006 / Oscar de L’Emballage
The Marks & Spencer cartonboard sandwich pack was recognised at both of these prestigious Award Ceremonies, winning the Consumer Convenience award in the U.K., and an Environmental Award at the Oscar de L’emballage Ceremony in Paris in November.
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Examples of packaging…
Its all in the title really…
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What is a sandwich?
I know it might sound studpid but I just thought I’d go right back to basics and research what a sandwich is and how it came about!
A sandwich is a food item made of two or more slices of bread with one or more layers of a filling. The bread can be used as is, or it can be coated with butter, oil, mustard or other condiments to enhance flavor and texture.
The history of a sandwich..
An early form of sandwich is attributed to the ancient Jewish sage Hillel the Elder, who is said to have wrapped meat from the Paschal lamb and bitter herbs in a matzo (or flat, unleavened bread) during Passover. During the Middle Ages, thick slabs of coarse and usually stale bread, called “trenchers”, were used as plates. After a meal, the food-soaked trencher was fed to a dog or to beggars, or eaten by the diner. Trenchers were as much the harbingers of open-face sandwichesas they were of disposable dishware. The immediate cultural precursor with a direct connection to the English sandwich was to be found in seventeenth-century Holland, where the naturalist John Ray observed that in the taverns beef hung from the rafters “which they cut into thin slices and eat with bread and butter laying the slices upon the butter”— explanatory specifications that reveal the Dutch belegde broodje was as yet unfamiliar in England. The first written usage of the English word appeared in Edward Gibbon’s journal, in longhand, referring to “bits of cold meat” as a ‘Sandwich’. It was named after John Montagu, 4th Earl of Sandwich, an 18th-century English aristocrat, although he was neither the inventor nor sustainer of the food. It is said that Lord Sandwich was fond of this form of food because it allowed him to continue playing cards, particularly cribbage, while eating without getting his cards greasy from eating meat with his bare hands. The rumour in its familiar form appeared in Pierre-Jean Grosley’s Londres (Neichatel, 1770), translated as A Tour to London 1772;Grosley’s impressions had been formed during a year in London, 1765. The sober alternative is provided by Sandwich’s biographer, N. A. M. Rodger, who suggests Sandwich’s commitments to the navy, to politics and the arts mean the first sandwich was more likely to have been consumed at his desk. If it was initially perceived as food men shared while gaming and drinking at night, the sandwich slowly began appearing in polite society as a late-night meal among the aristocracy. The sandwich’s popularity in Spain and England increased dramatically during the 19th century, when the rise of an industrial society and the working classes made fast, portable, and inexpensive meals essential. It was at the same time that the sandwich finally began to appear outside of Europe. In the United States, the sandwich was first promoted as an elaborate supper meal. By the early 20th century, as bread became a staple of the American diet, the sandwich became the same kind of popular, quick meal as was widespread in the Mediterranean.
What are they used for?
Sandwiches are commonly carried to work, school or picnics to be eaten as the midday meal as part of a packed lunch. They are generally made of a combination of vegetables, meat, cheese, and/or a variety of sauces. They are widely sold in restaurants and cafes. They are popular throughout the world The term sandwich is occasionally used (informally) in reference to open-faced “sandwiches”; these normally consist of a single slice of bread topped with meat, vegetables, and/or various condiments. Strictly speaking, an open-faced “sandwich” is not a sandwich, as it has a single slice of bread instead of two, and thus has toppings instead of a filling.The open-faced “sandwich” also has a history differing from that of the true sandwich, having originated between the 6th and 16th centuries, with stale slices of bread used as plates called “Trenchers” (whereas its relative, the modern sandwich traces its roots to the Earl of Sandwich instead). Legally, In the United States the ruling in the case of Panera Bread Co. v. Qdoba Mexican Grill established that a sandwich must legally include at least two slices of bread. An open-faced sandwich does not satisfy this condition. Sandwich may also be used as a verb meaning to position something between two things.
Information taken from Wikipedia.
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Initial brief..
The requirements of the brief is to produce packaging for a sandwich for the brand Donatos.
You will undertake visual research, from which you will produce a set of design development worksheets of several creative concepts demonstrating the progress of your ideas. You will present them in both visual and written form. You will demonstrate your ability to communicate ideas effectively from inception to a final piece presentation to the client. You will be assessed on your research, worksheets, flow charts, navigation systems, tree diagrams, storyboards, design development and production of the assignment as well as your final presentation.
I think I’m going to find this so hard as I’ve been working within my comfort zone for the past year and a half! A brief about sandwiches is going to really push me I think.. Which is good – but at first I bet you I’m going to hate it, I suppose this is why its taken me so long to get back on Blogger and talk about doing it.
There’s also some notes I’m going to include in this post that I took when the live brief was being set:
- 3million fresh sandwiches are made a week throughout 18 factories
- P+2 – Production, delivery and a 2 day shelf life
- 2.7 billion sandwiches are purchased in the UK each year
- M&S have got good packaging ideas, with the fold out sandwich pack and the grab and go bag
- Over 51% of buyers are in the age range of 25 – 44 years old
- Most popular sandwiches are Chicken Salad, Egg and Cress, Chicken and Bacon and BLT
- 25% of sandwiches are bought from supermarkets like M&S
- 22% are purchased freshly made from the bakers
- 19% are purchased in the workplace.
- It need to be simple, maybe colour coded depending on if its vegetarian, meaty, fishy etc..
- Disposable? ECO friendly? Compensate for moisture migration.
- Happy meal-style boxes, grease-proof paper? Triangular shapes?
- What colours? Red for meat, blue for fish, green for vegetatrian?
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Donatos.com
WE’RE COMMITTED TO DELIVERING MORE THAN PIZZA.
Product & Service: We believe that food served with love nourishes the soul. We believe Donatos is the best. Only the highest quality and freshest ingredients are used to create consistently great tasting food in every restaurant every day. We believe in serving our customers in the most friendly, caring way, in a clean and safe environment.
Principle: We practice the Golden Rule of “treating others the way that you would like to be treated.” We believe in operating our business by the highest ethical standards. Our philosophy of Live, Love, Laugh and Learn is exercised to the mutual benefit of ALL. Goodwill at Donatos is achieving a win-win outcome by just doing the right thing.
People: We provide a fair, fun and caring atmosphere that promotes growth and development. We encourage involvement in the communities in which we serve. We attract bold, fun and passionate associates who truly care about serving customers. Our Promise To serve the best pizza and make your day a little better.
Quality and Taste: We promise to serve the highest quality, best tasting pizza every time you order. We apply generous toppings of the best ingredients Edge to Edge® on our golden brown crust.
Friendly and Honest Service: We promise to serve your pizza with a smile and a “thank you” in clean, friendly stores. Honest service means your order will be ready at the time promised for a fair price.
Associates who care: We promise a fair, fun and caring atmosphere which promotes the growth and development of our Associates. We strive to attract and train good people who care about serving our customers the best products.
Good Neighbor: We promise to be a good neighbor by being a positive influence in the community. That means conducting our business with respect for the community and maintaining our stores to be an asset to the neighborhood.
Our Destiny To be a principle-based, profitable company dedicated to our Mission & Promise for 100 years and beyond. Our Philosophy To Live, Love, Laugh and Learn.
Live: A balanced, healthy lifestyle brings you personal power and energy to achieve your dreams.
Love: A clear focus on your values keeps you rooted in what’s important.
Laugh: Understanding and connecting with others builds strong relationships, fun and creativity.
Learn: There is always a better way… learn, grow, stretch – keep moving forward.
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They had the right idea back in the 50’s but coming into the 80’s things started to go horribly wrong. The unflattering elasticated ‘cycling short’ was born and started to become mainstream. I was guilty of succumbing to to this tasteless trend, I remember being quite fond of my shiny black cycling shorts with florescent pink stripes down the sides. But we are no longer in the 80’s so quite frankly ladies there is no excuse and now shorts are back in fashion there are plenty of stylish pairs to choose from.
American Apparel
Asos
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But what about the Helmet?
Bern Muse
Product information
Price: 39.99 (42.99 with graphics*)
Colours : Matte Purple, Matte grey, white with polka dot graphic*, White with oak leaf graphic, Gloss White and Gloss Cranberry
Sizes: S: 53.5 – 55.5cm M: 55.5 – 57cm L: 57 – 59cm
Two versions available:
Hard Hat
• Soft breathable Brock foam circulates air and sucks moisture
• Multiple impact
• High impact ABS shell
EPS
• High Impact
• Hard foam
• Industry standard
Cyclechic’s verdict
It was a happy day when came across the wonderful Bern Helmets, after years of frustration and embarressment at having to wear an utterly style-less tradtional cycling helmet. The Bern Muse is feminine, comfortable and most importantly flattering. They are an all year round helmet as they keep you dry in the rain and the brock foam ensures you don’t get a sweaty head in the sunshine. You can either go for a Hard Hat or the Industry standard EPS Helmet.
I think that these helmets are a lot nicer than the standard helmets in the shops. And they’ve even created a cover for the helmet if you don’t want to be seen wearing one so it looks more like a hat. They did something like this on the catwalk for Pret a Rouler, they had a hard hat and a strap, but there was a ribbon covering the strap that tied in a bow and looked very feminine. I think the one on the catwalk looked quite boho.
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Victoria Pendleton
Victoria Pendleton is an Ehglish trac cyclist. She is the gold medalist on the sprint in 2008 Olympics and also one the sexiest olympians in Beijing.
Early years Born in Stotfold, Bedfordshire, she rode her first race, a 400m event on the grass track at Fordham at the age of 9. Pendleton showed her promise at the age of 13 and was spotted three years later by the assistant national track coach, Marshal Thomas. At that time she wanted to concentrate on her education, graduating from Fearnhill School in Letchworth, and later awarded a degree in Sport and Exercise Science by Northumbria University, Newcastle upon Tyne. She enjoyed some success on the track as a student before graduating and becoming a full time cyclist.
Success on the track Pendleton won one bronze and three silver medals in the British National Track Championships in 2001, while still a student. In 2002, she qualified for the England Commonwealth Games team, finishing fourth in the sprint. She again came fourth in the sprint at the 2003 World Championships in Stuttgart and the 2004 World Championships in Melbourne. She ranked 2nd overall in the World Cup for the sprint in 2004, winning the World Cup event in Manchester.
At the 2004 Summer Olympics, she finished 6th in the women’s time trial and 9th in the women’s 200m sprint At the 2005 World Championships, Pendleton won her first major medal with gold in the women’s sprint. She became the third British woman to become a cycling world champion in 40 years. At the 2006 Commonwealth Games, she won silver in the women’s 500m time trial and gold in the women’s sprint in Melbourne.
At the 2007 UCI Track World Championships, she won the gold in the women’s team sprint with Shanaze Reade, the individual gold in the women’s sprint, and a third gold in the women’s Keirin. She crowned the year by being named Sunday Times Sportswoman of the Year for 2007, becoming the only cyclist to win the award in its 20-year history. Pendleton was also voted Sports Journalists’ Association of Great Britain’s sportswoman of the year for 2007. During her build-up to the Olympics she won two gold medals at the 2008 UCI Track World Championships in the women’s sprint, and the women’s team sprint (again with Shanaze Reade); she was also second in the women’s keirin. At the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Pendleton won the gold medal in the Women’s Individual Sprint Event.
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There’s definitely a glamorous feeling about the image above, and slightly Rock chick too. I really like it, its nice how you cant see her face but all in all the picture is very feminine. I like the way that its been captured in black and white. It makes it more striking and appear a lot bolder.
The two pictures above and below have been taken from a website called velorution. I decided to include them because they are wearing more pracitcal things than the first two women I included in the post below. One of the women is more mature than my target audience too so that shows that there is hope! I’m not sure if she’s from England though but she definately looks very stylish!
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Pret a Rouler..
What we are doing?
Velorution will be showcasing innovative, exceptional talents and their take on what cycle clothing should be like. ‘Pret a Rouler’ or ‘ready to roll’ will be a multi-media experience, rather than a fashion catwalk in its traditional sense. Models will naturally be one bikes. An interactive event, it will take the audience behind the scenes giving a unique insight into design processes and access to the designers themselves.
Why we are doing this?
London is a world city, undoubtedly a stylish city; and yet there is a distinctive lack of functional urban cycle clothing that doesn’t sacrifice style. As an urban cyclist, you will find yourself stepping in and out of social situations, on and off the bike, in and out of the office, meeting up with friends, going out after work. Lycra, flourescent gortex outfits don’t cut it. For us, being in the position of dealing daily with the public, it is evident that ‘what to wear’ is a problem. We find that there is a prevailing attitude of ‘cycling is great if you don’t have an office to go to’ implying that you cannot arrive smart when travelling by bike. At Velorution, we believe there is a gap in the market and in our wardrobes. What to do? We asked talented designers for their take on ‘dream cycle clothing’. The results of their efforts will be showcased at the ‘Pret a Rouler’ show 21, June 2007.
This research is taken from a design website called – http://www.velorution.biz/pret/
These two photographs are taken from the same website and are located under a page called “As seen on the street” It shows photographs of pretty, fashionable girls wearing nice clothes besides their bike. The image above is of a lady from Berlin and the image below is of a lady from Köln.. But theres none from England. Maybe fashion magazines targeted at younger girls could have a special feature called as seen on the street of fashionable women by their bikes? It might make other girls want to ride them? But none of the pictures of the ladies by their bikes are wearing helmets.. which is a big issue amongst British cyclists. Lets just assume they’re off the shot!
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Fashion in cycling for women.
This video is just what I was looking for 🙂 Please watch it, it’s only 10mins but it has got so much to do with this project!
Velorution has joined up with the Sustrans’ Bike It project and Westminster Council in a project to involve teenage girls in the design show. Pret a Rouler aims to broaden the appeal of cycling as an every day activity and provide alternative role models, but also to encourage wider participation in cycling. What to wear, looking cool, stylish, or smart, are issues, particularly for more image and body conscious teenagers.
Fashion graduates from the London College of Fashion is working with a group of Year 10 female students at the Westminster Academy. The teenage girls in collaboration with the graduate designers will be designing wearable, every day cycle garments, also to be showcased at a separate catwalk show running in conjunction with Pret a Rouler. The Teenage Girl Project is expanding and aims to involve another 4 schools and delivering workshops in an additional 6 schools London-wide.
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“A GROUP of Year 9 and 10 female students from Westminster Academy have taken up the challenge to make fashionable cycle clothing.
Their designs are part of the Teenage Girl Cycle Fashion Project, funded by Transport for London, which aims to promote cycling among teenage girls – statistically the most difficult group to engage in cycling.
The students worked with fashion graduates from the London College of Fashion to design wearable, everyday cycle garments, which will be showcased prior to Pret a Rouler.
Wayne Hemingway, founder of fashion label Red or Dead, said: ‘While cycling is clearly on the up, we know that twice as many lads cycle as lasses.
‘Events like the Velorution’s Pret a Rouler Fashion Show can help get girls interested in cycling as it shows that cycling is glamorous as well as healthy, and a greener way of getting around!’
Westminster Academy is the first of four schools to take up the challenge, and their designs will be shown between 12noon and 2pm at the Village Underground in Shoreditch, east London.”
This article was taken from – http://www.tfl.gov.uk/corporate/media/newscentre/5320.aspx
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Velo Girls
I started to look at how other countries targeted women to ride their bikes too. I found a website called Velo Girls, it’s a Californian website which was founded in March, 2002 by Lorri Lee Lown, a San Francisco Bay Area cyclist. The club’s place where women and girls can share their love for cycling in a safe, friendly, encouraging environment.
“The club focuses on fun, recreational riding, with the opportunity to attend cycling skills and general fitness clinics to improve riding and overall fitness. There are scheduled rides for all level of riders from beginners, recreational riders, and racers. We number almost 250 members from throughout the greater Bay Area, including San Francisco, North Bay, East Bay, Silicon Valley, the coast, and the Peninsula. Our online community numbers over 1,000 women cyclists and is an incredible resource.
We offer rides and events every single day of year, including road rides for all levels, mountain bike trail rides, cyclocross training, and lots of fun” – Taken from http://www.velogirls.com
It’s interesting, but these girls are sharing their love for cycling.. In our country the majority of girls don’t love it at all.. So how do I get girls to love cycling? I’m quite scared that I’ve taken on this angle of the brief! I should of done something safer. It might be a lost cause due to the way society is and the way the media is… I can’t change any of this! Help! :S
Its a nice idea, but I don’t think the girls clothes are very fetching though? Do you? Maybe that’s the reason why I won’t ride a bike? Because the things I wear aren’t practical and the stuff that is practical is minging!
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But? What is Love?
Love is any of a number of emotions and experiences related to a sense of strong affection. The word love can refer to a variety of different feelings, states, and attitudes, ranging from generic pleasure (“I loved that meal”) to intense interpersonal attraction (“I love my girlfriend”). This diversity of meanings, combined with the complexity of the feelings involved, makes love unusually difficult to consistently define, even compared to other emotional states. As an abstract concept, love usually refers to a deep, ineffable feeling of tenderly caring for another person. Even this limited conception of love, however, encompasses a wealth of different feelings, from the passionate desire and intimacy of romantic love to the nonsexual emotional closeness of familial and platonic love to the profound oneness or devotion of religious love. Love in its various forms acts as a major facilitator of interpersonal relationships and, owing to its central psychological importance, is one of the most common themes in the creative arts.
Scientific Answers Researchers (Hatfield & Rapson, 1995) have broken up love into two main types: Passionate love which involves continuously thinking about the loved one and also involves warm sexual feelings and powerful emotional reactions. Companionate love is having trusting and tender feelings for someone who is close to you. Now one of the best known theories of love (which means an educated guess that isn’t proven fact) is Robert Sternberg’s Triangular Theory of Love. The three components of the Triangular Theory of Love are: Passion, the feeling physically aroused and attracted to someone. Passion is what makes you feel “in love” and is the feeling most associated with love. It also rises quickly and strongly influences and biases your judgment. Intimacy, the feeling close and connected to someone (developed through sharing and very good communications over time). Intimacy is what makes you want to share and offer emotional and material support to each other.
This information was taken from a site called http://www.loveisgreat.com – how about that for a name!
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This is a cute little site devoted to all things Love. http://lovebot.tumblr.com/page/4
I like it, its a nice site, in the form of a blog, it contains interesting images, cute little poems and quotes. Check it out on the link above.
This ones quite a nice idea, you could do something like this quite easily around the art school.. Just with the “I LOVE YOU” and see how many have been torn off.
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Just a quickie..
They say “PROPER”, “IN IT”, “YOU WHAT?”, “MINT”, “WHATEVER” and “CHAV SWEETS”. Niiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiice. xxx
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I’ve started to make some jewelery, I was still just experimenting at this point (I know I should have my final piece in my head) because I don’t really want to take the stuff I’ve done up to now for my final piece.. So I think that’s fair enough. I like them, I’ve even worn the heart ones and they look alright, I think out of all of it thats the only thing I would wear haha! I was just mucking about, and maybe someone else might want to have one?
Earrings, dangley and studded.
Orange ring and matching earrings – studded.
A big blue heart ring, I didnt want all the hearts to be red. Thats too normal.
This is a brooch I made, its quite funky and immature and I like it.. wouldn’t wear it but I like it!
This is just to kind of show how big they are, you can see my implements that I’d been using in the post before, check out the lippy and the eyeliner, I didn’t want to crop this one I like it because everything is scattered around them in a big mess.
And then, this is me again haha! Showing the size again and that they do have a function 🙂 I’d wear these ones, they’re all made of FIMO but its quite querky and Kitsch which I like.
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Experimenting :)
The following stuff in this post are things I’ve made.. I’m just seeing what works and what doesn’t and just really having a bit of fun.. as you will see when you scroll down haha! I don’t care :P! The first three images are just little embroidered hearts and stars, they’re simple to make but it takes a white to do it. I like them, I think they’re cute and girly. They would look quite cool as tattoos/temporary tattoos especially the first one.. Or bumper stickers, but of a contrast but hey, there you go! I enjoyed making them and then I scanned them in on the computer and did some print outs for my folder where I’ll write about them a bit more.
Haha! Free love can be fun can’t it? It’s supposed to be fun.. and a little scary! I just wrote on my face.. again, I did it in first year but on a larger scale and it worked quite well. So I just wrote the words Free love on my lips, it was only legible though if I screwwed them up in a pout, but I think it works well and encorperates a kiss.. And the fun part is just because I didn’t want to pull a serious face haha! I wish I had someone else to do this on so it wouldnt be as embarressing, but I didnt so you can all have a laugh 😛
This one I really like, I kissed the wrong hand and so I had to write with my left hand, but I like the way its turned out, I would of liked the lip marks to be abit bolder, but I didnt have another lipstick and I have about 30p to my name so I’m not going to buy anything for this brief, I’m just using things I have around me. So this could turn out pants, or alright, we’ll see! I scanned my hand too and I think the outcome of that is better than this picture, I printed that out.. But I dont think its saved on my computer which is a bum.
I’ve also started sewwing into a High Viz jacket but it is taking forever and a day to do, so I’ll try and whack a pic up of that when It’s done. Im considering using red felt as well as embroided hearts so it mixes it up abit! I dunno, we’ll see!
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Its all in the title really…
I really like the simplicity of the two images above, they would of cost hardly anything to make, yet i think they’re really powerful, and I think thats what draws me to them. I would be good to encorperate something like this into our group work.
I like these foody images, I think you can say a lot to someone if you make them a something its a nice touch to sprinkle a chocolate heart on a coffee, or make someone a cake with a heart on. A good example is to cook someone a meal as it’s linked with romance. I like the cuteness of the woolly cappuccino as well so I thought I’d add that in as well.
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Love Park
LOVE Park is the brainchild of former Philadelphia City Planner Edmund Bacon and architect Vincent Kling. The park is across from City Hall and was designed as a terminus for the Benjamin Franklin Parkway. The park, which was designed by Vincent Kling, was built in 1965 and covers an underground parking garage. The main features of the plaza are curved granite steps and a single spout fountain which was added in 1969. What was once the city visitor center was closed down for five years, but opened up in May 2006 as The Fairmount Park Welcome Center. The park was dedicated in 1967 as John F. Kennedy Plaza after President John F. Kennedy. The now famous LOVE sculpture, designed by Robert Indiana, was first placed in the plaza in 1976 as part of the United States’ Bicentennial celebration. It was removed in 1978, but the sculpture was missed and the chairman of Philadelphia Art Commission, F. Eugene Dixon, Jr., bought the sculpture and permanently placed it in the plaza.
The large space, granite surfaces, and curved steps made the plaza attractive to skateboarding and in the 1980s it became a popular location for skateboarders. In the 1990s, LOVE Park’s international reputation as a skateboarding locale had been strengthened by the successes of some its most famous users. Internationally known professional skateboarders like Josh Kalis, Stevie Williams and Philadelphia native Ricky Oyola made their names in the skateboarding industry by being identified with their frequent use of LOVE Park’s ledges and stair sets. Additionally, the status of LOVE Park in international skateboarding culture led to Philadelphia being chosen to host the 2001 and 2002 X-Games, viewed by 150 million people in over 18 countries and attracting nearly a half million spectators during its two year stay. But LOVE Park has been more than the proving ground for professionals or a source of international media interest in Philadelphia, according to Rick Valenzuela, author of City Paper article, “A Eulogy for a Fallen Landmark”
“…LOVE hosted dozens who were content merely to skate there. These were the [skaters] who composed LOVE’s core of regulars—kids who rode the El (the Market-Frankford subway) from the Northeast and Frankford, skated downhill on Market Street from West Philly, through the neighborhoods of South Philly, Center City residents who moved specifically to skate nearby LOVE. It’s these folks whose daylong sessions generated the murmur that would eventually spread throughout the East Coast and to the [skateboarding] industry.”
This research was taken from Wikipedia.com.
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Post Secret
I love Postsecret. I have one of his books and in it there are secrets that are funny, and secrets that are shocking. Some of them are so sad but the thing that makes you feel for the people sending in their secrets is the way they have displayed their secret, they have to physically make a postcard to send their secret in on and some of them are made with an emotions that think I’ve never had. I’ve chose to add Postsecret into my blog today because although some of the posts are sad, others are so loving. And when I read them it makes me happy, i feel like i can connect sometimes with what that person’s saying. I feel loved. Below is one secret that I think everyone can relate to. I loved the awkwardness of falling in love, that doesn’t mean that I want to fall in love six thousand times a year. I just liked falling in love with my boyfriend because it gave me butterflies, it was awkward in a good way, for example after your first kiss, what do you say? Theres always an element of good-awkwardness, thats what makes it human.
There’s some information about Postsecret incase you’ve never heard of it. Definately check his blog out, its http://www.postsecret.com. I’ll try and add to this blog soon by scanning in some pictures from my book.
PostSecret is an ongoing community mail art project in which people mail their secrets anonymously on one side of a homemade postcard. The simple concept of the project was that completely anonymous people decorate a postcard and portray a secret that they had never previously revealed. No restrictions were (or are) made on the content of the secret; only that it must be completely truthful and must never have been spoken before. Entries range from admissions of sexual misconduct and criminal activity to confessions of secret desires, embarrassing habits, hopes and dreams.
Since Frank Warren created the website on January 1st, 2005, PostSecret has collected and displayed upwards of 2,500 original pieces of art from people across the United States and around the world. The site, which started as an experiment on blogspot, was updated every Sunday with 10 new secrets, all which share a relatively constant style, giving the “artists” who participate some guidelines on how their secrets should be represented. It recently began posting approximately 20 new pieces each Sunday after a week where Frank Warren mysteriously did not post any new secrets for one week.
In October 2007, the PostSecret Community was launched (www.postsecretcommunity.com). Since its inception, more than 39,000 people have registered for the online discussion forum. Questions have been raised about how the forum affects the anonymity of the PostSecret project, but for those involved on the Community board, there seems to be a positive response of people who haven’t sent in a postcard or haven’t seen their secret on the site sharing their secrets with other PostSecret fans.
There was some controversy regarding the site though. On February 24, 2008, Frank posted multiple e-mail comments from viewers that attacked various secrets posted that week–notably: one from a parent insulting a teacher, one from a call operator insulting a relative of a soldier, and one from a would-be mother insulting a woman desperate not to get pregnant. This revitalized previous discussions on whether or not commenting should be allowed at all on the secrets, as while the drama of disagreement makes the site more interesting, it can sometimes lead to others passing judgment on the posters without granting them the opportunity to defend themselves. However, no action was taken, and the blog continued as normal the next week.
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What is Free Love?
So what is free love? Does it just mean its love that you don’t have to pay for? So everything but prostitutes? But then I suppose prosititutes don’t really love people, they pretend to… So none of what I just actually said counts does it?
What I think free love is, to me, is when people make you feel good, this could be either through words or objects for examples tokens of love. I did a brainstorm and I found lots of things that were free that could make people feel good. But by the term free does that mean that they don’t have to pay for it? For example could I buy some FIMO (for example) make a present – with love, and then give it to someone for free? I think this would count.. Hopefully.
I’ve got a few ideas already so I’m just going to document them so that I don’t forget them. One idea is to take common phrases about love, for example “wear your heart on your sleeve”, “love is blind” and “all you need is love”, taking them and making something free for someone relating to each or all of the phrases.. then giving it to someone free as a token of my love for them. Some ideas we’ve had relating to the one above is to find a way of wearing a heart on the sleeve. So this could be done in fun ways by using snap bands, sweatbands, bracelets, cufflinks etc. For the phrase love is blind as a group we thought about High Viz jackets and embroidering hearts and words onto it that linked. Another idea that I will experiment with is jewelry, I want to make some free love, literally just to experiment with – So its not necessarily a final piece but it might guide me and help me evolve something into a final piece.
As a group we have also experimented with type and how we can incorporate free love into this. My friend Laura had a good idea using jammy dodgers and laying them out to spell the words free love. So we all experimented with this and then started to look at how we could case them. Which was fun to play with :).
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Bicycle Victoria…
Life’s better on a bike
Bicycle Victoria is a self-funded community organisation, owned collectively by all Members. We were born in 1975, and since then we have been dedicated to getting More People Cycling More Often.
Our Organisation
Bicycle Victoria is composed of the following departments: Corporate Facilities Development Great Rides Membership Behaviour Change Programs Bicycle Victoria employs around 45 permanent staff and a number of contract staff for events and special projects.
Our Facilities
Development initiatives
We work to build more cycling infrastructure. This includes working to improve the cycling network and assisting in bike parking and related facilities design, supply and installation.
Our Great Rides
Each year thousands enjoy our Great Rides put on by our inspiring Volunteers. Come and make new friends, have fun, get fit and surprise yourself with what you can do. We welcome and support novice riders and we are honoured when long-time riders join in too.
Our Membership
Our 40,000 Members actively support our mission of More People Cycling More Often. Members across Australia receive great cycling benefits, including the support of Australia’s best bike crash insurance, great deals, a bi-monthly full colour magazine and much more.
Our Behaviour
Change programs We co-ordinate behaviour change programs such as Ride to Work and Ride2School.Our Office We are located in Melbourne’s CBD at Level 10, 446 Collins St, Melbourne. Our city office has a locker room for clothes and we’ve retrofitted a shower in the existing toilets on the floor. Staff park their bicycles in a ground floor lockup rented in addition to the office floor. Most of the staff ride to work. This sites really good, although its based in Austrailia, there is some really good ideas and a special women’s biking page which I will cover in the next post. The website is http://www.bv.au.
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Who to target??
I made a few mind maps in my sketch pad and was really confused as to who I was going to target, I didn’t want to do the “get your kids cycling” or “cycle to school” or “cycle to work” etc.. I wanted to target someone different. So I thought, and then I had an idea of targeting my campaign around people like me, most girls my age share the same view without a doubt. Apart from my flat mate, who loves riding around on her bike… before it got nicked! A lot of girls my age at some point have watched what they ate, been on a diet or joined a gym.. And a lot of girls my age own a car, no bike.. Unless they have a chavvy moped.
But how the hell would I be able to get people like me on a bike!? I think this is going to be a solid brief, but it’s a challenge 🙂
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I love my bike… Not.
We’ve got to get people to ditch their cars that they love, and get them to love their bike instead. It’s a hard one.
I drive my car places because its comfy, all I do is press pedals and steer. There’s music you can listen to without the headphones falling out of your ear every time you turn a corner. Its got a roof – which is always nice, I won’t get wet if it rains (Well I will in my car a little.. someone tried to break into my car with a crowbar and now it lets water in, but only a little bit!). There’s fans, so your cars nice and cozy in the winter or its nice and cool in the summer with the air con on. You can carry passengers and other objects like all your materials in my case that I need to haul into Uni so I use the studio. Theres also a horn, which is there for alerting drivers of danger.. or road rage, but mostly danger. If your on a bike you have none of these. I don’t think drivers would notice you alerting them of danger with a little “brrrrring brrrrrring” bell! In my opinion if your not experienced on a bike it can be dangerous.
If you wanted more people to get on their bikes, you’d have to hold road safety workshops and lessons, and they’d have to be free in order to get people to go.. and it would probably be a good idea for them to go.. otherwise you’d have raving cyclists weaving all over the show.
The helmet is an issue too. Young people don’t like wearing them at all, even though its safe, but safe isn’t cool in most teenagers eyes. I know when I had a bike I hated riding it because the helmet made my head look even bigger than it already is, and some of my friends (the cooler kids) never wore them. My brothers the same, his friends don’t wear them.. yet he got a brand new bike last christmas and he’s rode it about five times. Also the fact that mum bought him a helmet that had the word BELL across the front didn’t help! I don’t think Edward appriciated that brand, even though it is a good one.. it did get him some abuse!
So.. I don’t love my bike, and neither does my brother. And neither do alot of people.. especially in Wales of all places. If you go out on one your asking to be rained on.
Hmm…
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Off on a tangent!
I’ve decided to stop researching about how adults don’t have fun. Because in a way, what I’m saying is a massive stereotype! And I know that not everyone’s like that. I’m an adult in my opinion and I know I have fun! Yes, alot of people only really open up to other people with alcohol. And yes, some people find sexual innuendos funny.. I do! But I think there’s more to us than that. I actually think that I’ve been a bit harsh! I haven’t made a lot of things during this project and I wanted to, so I was thinking about making something FUN that both adults and children can play with.
So I thought or cartoon characters that both children and adults know and love, I thought about The Simpsons, Looney Toons, Tom and Jerry, Top Cat and The Mr Men. Everyone will know who they are! I wanted to make some, so I did! I liked the idea of making the Mr Men because each one has a different character, and I like that because it teaches as well as being entertaining. I bought some FIMO from the shop and began to make some mini Mr Men. After I’d cooked them I drew on their faces and then placed them around my house to make their environment. I had so much fun making them, and I just thought.. I’d been so tied up in trying to find out how adults had fun and just confusing myself I wasn’t having much fun myself! I’m like Mr Happy now, because I suppose I’ve fulfilled my play brief? By actually playing haha!
Play does become more rigid as you get older! And I just proved it!
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Its really true. And that’s why this quote in particular appealed to me.
I think the reason is because we abandon our imagination, it becomes socially unacceptable to make stuffed animals and dolls talk, it’s look upon as weird to play with toy cars and give it sound effects. But at what age does this become socially unacceptable? The answer is I think everyone has a different age, it depends who you are and your peers.
There are more rules as you get older, not just rules that are tailored to games, but rules tailored to life. You have morals and because the stereotypical adult doesn’t play I think that we take on other peoples behavior and so behave like them. The other thing I’ve realised is that especially at my age, and older people use slapstick humor and immature humor as a means for fun. For example, Anne summers, they sell things like straws with willys on the end of them.. Now that’s not mature? But you have to be an ‘adult’ to buy them. This is where things confuse me. People swear more, and drink alcohol – which when they do so gives them a justification to act silly.
So I’m confused really?
Because game playing does become more rigid. But the older you get, you gain a different sense of humor, like sexual innuendos are funny. People have Anne Summers partys because they think its fun, and its fun because its rude? Its hard to explain!! Game playing changes as you get older. It stops being as innocent as it was when you were younger.
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(I’ve had ideas on paper for a while, but I had research on my computer I hadn’t printed – So i thought I’d put it in a blog instead! Saves ink!) I started to look at ways of advertising and how some adverts which are targeted at Adults aren’t as anal as everyone expects, instead i was confronted with exciting ways of advertising which i believe to be innovative. Here are some examples of playful advertising…
All of the above are really fun ways of advertising and they’re all aimed at adults in my opion, therefore for my project I want to take pt.1 of the play breif in which we had to come up with a promotion, service or invention that intergrated play into everyday life and mix it with pt.2 using either the quote “play has no place in the professional world” or “As we get older gameplay becomes more rigid” and base my project on that.
I think these are lovely. I found them on a website called http://www.bopano.com/.
“PANOS 2013 is a collaborative project that takes the work of artists from around the world, in the form of fake road signs, and turns the streets of Lyon, France into an enormous gallery without walls. The round red and white signs look enough like real European traffic signs that you might take them for granted, but weird enough if you notice them to make you stop and think. This project has a delightful sense of humor, lots playful absurdity and a wonderful scale.” – bopano.com
These are fake street signs, and they’re beautiful! I love the way they have been so playful with it and it looks like it was a lot of fun to do.
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Having a go at making my own..
For one of my extended practices I was asked to make my own form of type, using anything and to try to get it to link with the umbrella brief which was play. So, in this blog you can see some examples that I have made…
I then left them on the washing line overnight because i thought it would be nice to capture what happened to my peg-alphabet at different stages in the day. The following photographs are better then the first two in my opinion because they show a bit more character, I like them because you can really feel the cold in the pictures and I think the way that the dew has gathered on each letter is really interesting to look at. I want to leave them on my line and wait until the weather gets colder and the dew freezes and creates icicles as I feel the set of photographs I take then will look even better than the ones with the dew on.
I made this alphabet entirely of washing pegs. I bought a packet of pegs, a glue gun and a hack saw haha. I started to make the alphabet in lowercase, but it was too hard because most of the letters are curvy and when I tried to make a letter in uppercase it was alot easier because they are alot more rigid. I kept all the springs from when I snapped the pegs and stuck them back onto the letter after I had made it so I didn’t waste anything and it kept the feel of a peg. I think this is a playful way to make type. I took something that has an everyday, boring, monotonous use and changed it into something special and original. In my opinion i think it works really well, and I will continute to find other everyday objects and give them a different use. For example at the moment, I’ve got an idea about writing using tomato ketchup, or mayonaise… So watch this space!
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Examples of type that I like..
In this blog there’s not going to be a lot of talking, just a page filled with different examples of type that have stood out to me and are inspiring… Enjoy!
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These are just a few images I’ve saved from ffffound.com. I have chosen to include them in my research because I feel that they are playful and would back up a statement that I said earlier in my blog in which I said that in the Design Industry you have to be playful/experimental with your work in order to produce something original and innovative…
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The Curfew Rule.
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Kids have their say..
BBC Newsround asks Kids “Do adults spoil your fun?”
“No, they don’t stop me from doing loads of stuff, but even if they did I wouldn’t mind 2 much cause it is a way of proof that they love me and they want to protect me. I love my parents and I no they love me. Some children are told they can stay out all night or do whatever they like but that in a way shows that their parents don’t care that much for them. It is good 2 have some independence but not total independence.“
Sophie, 15, Newcastle “My mum doesn’t approve of any of my friends, she thinks they’re all too loud or silly. I just think they’re normal to be honest, then she gets at me for being stupid when I’m just trying to have fun. She really ought to just leave us alone and let us have some fun!!!“
Laura, 10, Salisbury
‘No ball games
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No ball games’ signs in parks and streets are stopping children from having fun and excersicing, they reckon.
Kids are often told off by adults for riding their bikes in the street or being a bit loud.
They say all that staying inside makes you lazy and even stops you understanding how to share or play with your mates.
They want adults to be more tolerant and let children be free to play out more, as long as they’re not upsetting the neighbours, of course.
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Some people can become ill because they are so stressed. I was one of those people last year. I didn’t even realise it until someone suggested that was the reason why I wasn’t well and when I thought about it, they could be right. People cope differently with stress, in some people, you can see that they are stressed and they will tell you that they are. In other kinds of people, like me, I don’t tend to show it. And that’s what has a negative affect on me. Over the Summer I decided to start a hobby and that was by opening an eBay shop. I love it, it’s so fun and it helps you unwind by giving you something to do. I now sell handmade jewelery like earrings, rings, badges and necklaces. I don’t sell them for much but over the summer I made over £150, which is good for a hobby! I wouldn’t call it a job though!
“It’s important to your stress level and your happiness quotient that you have at least one activity that you do regularly just for fun. Hobbies and other fun activities provide a fun way to sharpen skills, express your creativity, or just blow off steam. Also, when you get really engrossed in an activity you enjoy, you can experience a state of being know as ‘flow’, in which your brain is in a near-meditative state, which has benefits for your for your body, mind and soul.
Hobbies and fun activities can bring added joy and happiness to life, and can be a great way to relieve stress as well. In fact, many hobbyists have told me that they’d originally started learning about their area of interest as a coping mechanism for stress, and that their hobbies continue to be a great source of relaxation and stress relief. Some people are even able to turn their hobbies into careers at some point, and end up with a lifestyle where their work is their play.”
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UK Statistics
From the same website of Eurocamp I have found some interesting Statistics that they are also using to sell their holidays. But they will come in useful for my Play brief. I have selected a few places from around the UK and retrieved statistics about what people do in their spare time and how or if they have fun regularly.
Cardiff
- 55% of people said they spent up to seven hours each month on family activities, including watching TV together, eating meals and reading to the children.
- 16% spend time engaged in higher intensity family activity such as learning a new skill together
- 19% of people spend of those surveyed said they spent more than seven hours each month engaged with nature including gardening, fishing and going for a picnic
- 3% of people spend up to seven hours a month enjoying relaxed fun including climbing trees and splashing in puddles
Liverpool
- 1% of people enjoy more active outdoor pursuits including mountain biking
- 55% of people said they spend up to seven hours each month on family activities, including watching TV together, eating meals and reading to the children.
- Only 10% said they spend time engaged in higher intensity family activity such as learning a new skill together
- 9% of people spend up to seven hours a month enjoying creative activities such as writing poetry and learning a musical instrument
London
- 4% of people enjoy more active outdoor pursuits including mountain biking
- 55% of people said they spend up to seven hours each month on family activities, including watching TV together, eating meals and reading to the children.
- Only 10% spend time engaged in higher intensity family activity such as learning a new skill together
- 4% of people spend up to seven hours a month enjoying relaxed unstructured fun such as climbing trees and splashing in puddles
Manchester
- 57% of people said they spent up to seven hours each month on family activities, including watching TV together, eating meals and reading to the children.
- Only 7% spend time engaged in higher intensity family activity such as learning a new skill as a family
- 23% of people spend of those surveyed said they spent up to seven hours each month engaged with nature including gardening, fishing and going for a picnic.
- 4% said they spend up to four hours a month enjoying more intense activities such as horse riding.
- 6% of people spend up to seven hours a month enjoying creative activities including painting by numbers, knitting and sketching
Regional Stats:
League table results
1. Southampton
2. Swansea
3. Belfast
4. Bristol
5. Liverpool
6. Newcastle
7. Sheffield
8. Leeds
9. Plymouth
10. London
11. Leicester
12. Cardiff
12. Norwich
14. Nottingham
15. Coventry
16. Manchester
16. Aberdeen
18. Cambridge
19. Chelmsford
20. Edinburgh
21. Glasgow
22. Birmingham
Southampton
- 27% of those surveyed said they spent more than seven hours each month engaged with nature and 11% enjoyed more intense activities such as beachcombing
- 49% of people said they spent up to seven hours each month on family activities, including watching TV together, eating meals and reading to the children
- 7% enjoy learning new skills as a family.
- 16% of people spend up to two hours a month enjoying creative activities including painting by numbers, knitting and sketching, whilst 8% enjoyed more involved creative activities such as playing an instrument and writing poetry
Birmingham
- 43% of people said they up to least seven hours each month on family activities, including watching TV together, eating meals and reading to the children.
- Only 5% spend time engaged in higher intensity family activity such as learning a new skill as a family
- 13% of people said they spend up to seven hours a month engaged in outdoor activities such as walking the dog, feeding the ducks and going for a jog
- 12% of people spend up to two hours a month enjoying creative activities including painting by numbers, knitting and sketching
These results prove that we definately need to get adults out and about having fun and socialising with their families and friends. Birmingham’s results are shocking! I thought London would of had the worst result for some reason. I’m glad Liverpool did well, we live near a fun place! With lots of lambananas!
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Eurocamp
Eurocamp asks us – “Are we getting enough Play?”
“As children we had little difficulty in making the most of play-time and when the last school session ended we needed no prompting to leave the classroom for the fresh air and activities we collectively call play. As play-time became break-time then recreation-time and we evolved into adults with lunch hours the cut-off between work and play became less well defined. In the workaholic culture of the 21st century, even the break or lunch hour has dissolved into the need to do more and more in less time and some of us finish the day without having truly left work in one form or another for more than a minute or two and that was the much delayed trip to the loo”
Eurocamp uses the tactic of telling adults they aren’t getting enough play in order to sell holidays, what they say on their website is true about how adults no longer have a playtime, but breaks. This backs up what I have said earlier on in my research. This was one of my initial comments that they are almost discouraged to play at work.
“We use the words ‘break’ and ‘play’ interchangeably but they are very different things when translated into reality. Breaks tend to consist of exchanging invoices for the newspaper or the well-known strenuous aerobic exercise of making tea and can degenerate into reading through work emails whilst eating a sandwich! Play represents a clearly differentiated concept, not too far removed from that of childhood and should involve things like fresh air, activity, creativity, being closer to nature and doing what children do so well, having fun. Families often play better together particularly where there are young children, as they can educate and inspire the adults to drop their inhibitions, leave their work behind and truly enter into the spirit of fun.
Clearly we all need some play time to balance our work stress and strain just as we need sleep to recuperate from our daytime activity. Just how much we need does vary between individuals in terms of their personal psychology and hardiness, but will also depend on the stressfulness of their employment, their social capital (i.e. the network of family and friends that support them) and their attitude to others. The quality of the play activity in terms of its strength in combating work stress is also very important as quality play can be more beneficial by the minute than that which offers less of a healthy alternative to the mundane. Thus learning to ride a horse will leave you more refreshed than simply sitting in the pub!
All these factors considered we will generally need between a fifth to a third of the time we spend doing work or chores devoted to play, which for quality play will be about one quarter of the 40hr working week i.e. 10hours per week or approximately 90mins a day. This is best calculated over a week or month but can be averaged to you own required daily ‘play dose’. We need to integrate this into our working week and this is far easier as we learn and engage with more play activities. Needless to say regular holidays can help us ‘top up’ not only our play quota, but also provide the opportunity to learn new play activities and even begin to draw the entire family together in joint fun and skill development.”
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As I was doing my research I found such an interesting article about adult play, and how adults distinguish work from play. If an adult goes to work everyday carrying out the job of their dreams it should be fun for them shouldn’t it? But why is it then classed as work? Because they get paid? Should you not be allowed to get paid for having fun? Frank Oppenheimer explains in an issue of Exploratorium which was originally published in February/March 1980.
“we thought of taking photographs of a crane operator knocking down a wall with a huge steel ball. It seemed to us that anybody who had ever seen this activity would like to get a hold of that swinging ball and play with it for a while. We asked our staff photographer to photograph this activity in San Francisco; we would also talk with one of the operators to see if he ever had this sense of playfulness that we associated with the wrecking ball. Immediately after these discussions the photograph of the Minneapolis grain elevator appeared in the San Francisco Chronicle. The photograph confirmed our notion that it was indeed a playful activity, and we contacted the Minneapolis ball-and-crane operator….we see it as something which matches
our conception of playfulness—that of using a prop of society out of the context of its designated purpose, which in this case is to knock things down. The imaging of a face on a grain silo certainly seems like play?”
I think the quote above is really helpful in my researching of play, its almost as if this article has been tailor-made to the brief. I think anyone no matter how old would love to have a go at swinging a massive steal ball into a building! It looks really fun, and it proves that the man working on this building doesn’t just see it as a job, he can be playful with it too.
“As a child, I used to go around the house with an empty milk bottle pouring a little bit of every chemical, every drug, every spice into the bottle to see what would happen. Of course, nothing happened. I ended up with a sticky grey-brown mess, which I threw out in disgust. But much research ends up with the same amorphous mess and is or should be thrown out only to then start playing around in some other way. But a research physicist gets paid for this “waste of time” and so do the people who develop exhibits in the Exploratorium. Occasionally though, something
incredibly wonderful happens.”
Everybody has done what Frank did as a child. I know I did, but instead of discarding it I decided I would help the fish in my pond, and I knew how much I liked bubble baths, I thought the fish might of liked one too? But they really didn’t! I had squirted everything that my Mum had by the bath tub into one empty bottle, and then a little Fairy Liquid too for some extra special bubbles! I can’t remember what happened to the fish? I think they were scooped out by my Dad when he saw what I’d done and survived? Either that are swiftly replaced!
“But if people get paid for playing, does it then become work? The recognition of adult play can become very difficult. In some instances, the playfulness is obvious. For example, there are times while driving that I keep time to radio
music with the accelerator and the brake to produce a quite remarkable motion of the car. It’s true that this activity is manifestly playful. It uses the automobile out of the context for which it was designed, but it is also an extremely trivial example of adult play.”
“I asked, “Are there any things which a young person must learn before it is too late to learn them?” There has been
much emphasis on how early a child can learn to write or to spell or to add, but my question seems not to have attracted much attention. There may very well not be anything which one has to learn before it’s too late to do so. But
Bob answered, “Maybe people have to learn how to play before it’s too late.”
I think people in the creative industry have to be playful, its part of their job to play with layouts, colour schemes, and to be inventive. In order to be inventive, original and creative you do definately have to play! Maybe an office job would be a prime example of people who aren’t playful in a job. Theres nothing much fun about typing on a computer all day – but maybe to some people there is? I think I will always be playful, I can’t see myself being anything else. You have to enjoy life, because you only get one shot at it. Thats why, at the moment I want to focus on creating a promotion for adults encouraging them to have fun.
I have taken parts of this article from: http://www.exploratorium.edu/frank/adult_play/adult_play.pdf
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Animal Behaviour
I thought I’d go right back to basics and look at animal behaviour, I found the following information from the Britannica Online service.
animal that is play escaping or play attacking does not actually escape or attack. A rodent play fleeing into a hole, for example, quickly reappears. If a rodent’s flight is truly an effort to escape, it reappears only after a much longer interval. Play-fleeing animals often reverse roles quickly, and the pursuer becomes the pursued. Threat behaviour that is associated with real attack is missing, and there is strong reluctance to bite. Play tends to be highly repetitive. A dog may retrieve a stick many times or play fight until it is exhausted or until a more interesting activity distracts it.Filed under: Play - Research | Leave a Comment
Children and their aspirations..
What are the top 5 imaginative games that children can play on their own or with friends? I would say Houses, Mums and Dads, Teachers, Doctors and Nurses and reinacting a programme or story that they love (Spice Girls in my case! :P). The fact is that these are all aspirations of what children want to be when they grow up. Houses is a good example and so is Mums and Dads – when I was younger I used to play with my little kitchen and all my plastic play food and then pretend to cook a meal for Sally (My doll haha), and then after that I’d take her for a bath and wash her hair and put her in her little c
ot and leave her to sleep! Its what every little girl aspires to do, have a dream life with her perfect prince charming (Barbie and Ken for example) and live in a lovely house and be a grown up with children etc. Children make everyday adult life into a game and make it fun and with it they also learn. When you get older, for example 50, you won’t do this anymore because you have probably already fulfilled your aspirations as a child and done all you wanted to do.
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Playday
Between 1995 and 2003 the number of kids in the UK who are overweight enough to harm their health jumped from 9.9% to 13.7%. – BBC Newsround.
I feel that this is because the way children play has changed, it is fashionable to play on their XBox or PS3 with friends or online over the internet with friends instead of actually being active. It is fashionable for teens to sign upto social profiling websites such as MySpace or Facebook and talk to their friends and post images for their friends to see. The majority of younger people are less likey to get out on a bike and cycle or walk with their friends to the nearest park and hang out there for a day. I feel that in a sense, children are loosing their ability to be imaginative, and are instead choosing to play games with fixed rules. When I was younger I would go and play in the garden and play Lion King or Power Rangers (haha!!) with my friends.. But I don’t think children do that as much anymore.
As crime rates rise, parents are reluctant to let their children go out to play on their own, and are less likely to let their children walk to school. Instead they will drop them off, making them loose out on valuable excersise. Councillor Maria Gatland, says: “Sometimes, today’s culture prevents young people from playing alone outside. However, children need to learn how to manage risk and how to deal with everyday situations for themselves”. And I totally agree with that. If I was to choose children to base my assignment around, one of the main things I would like to achieve is to get them active and outside.
A scheme in London they are using to try and get children to go outside is a day called “Playday”. With children’s health becoming more and more of a concern, many experts extol the virtues of play. Play is said to enable children to develop as individuals as well as teaching them how to become members of their communities. Play can also be educational, for example another scheme that the BBC are helping with is getting children to go out in the garden to grow their own food and learn where it comes from. Its also a good bonding activity between mother/father and child. Its called “Playing with your food”.
Research taken from www.bbc.co.uk/news and www.bbc.co.uk/gardening.
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The Brief…
Other things mentioned in my ideas that I’ve wrote down on the brief are: Animal behaviour, the loss of imagiative games for the younger generation, things that people do to have fun, happy slapping, graffitti, the ball, the deck of cards, childrens asperations and several promotional ideas I had which I will come back to later on.
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Play
Its just such a broad word, and thats why I think I might struggle trying to get into this assignment. As I understand it our assignment is referring to the type of play that we engage in for enjoyment purposes, whether that means being involved in sports, performing arts, or just playing a simple game of catch. Play has one purpose.. and thats to have fun.
Play – defined
Verb
1 engage in games or other activities for enjoyment rather than for a serious or practical purpose. 2 take part in (a sport or contest). 3 compete against. 4 take a specified position in a sports team. 5 represent (a character) in a play or film. 6 perform on or have the skill to perform on (a musical instrument). 7 produce (notes) from a musical instrument; perform (a piece of music). 8 move (a piece) or display (a playing card) in one’s turn in a game. 9 make (a record player, radio, etc.) produce sounds. be cooperative: he needs financial backing, but the banks won’t play. move lightly and quickly; flicker.
Noun
1 games and other activities engaged in for enjoyment. 2 the progress of a sporting match. 34 the state of being active, operative, or effective: luck came into play. 5 a dramatic work for the stage or to be broadcast. 6 the ability or freedom of movement in a mechanism. 7 light and constantly changing movement. a move or manoeuvre in a sport or game.
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Before I begin..
First of all, I need to find out what Ethnographic Research is! Here are some definitions that I found from various different websites:
“Testing that is carried out under realistic conditions of use. Results are usually qualitative rather than quantitative.” – designcouncil.org.uk
“Study of living cultures, using anthropological techniques like participant observation (where the anthropologist lives in the society being studied) and a reliance on informants. Ethnography has provided much data of use to archaeologists as analogies.” – encyclopedia.farlex.com/ethnographical
“Ethnography is a form of research focusing on the sociology of meaning through close field observation of sociocultural phenomena. Typically, the ethnographer focuses on a community (not necessarily geographic, considering also work, leisure, and other communities), selecting informants who are known to have an overview of the activities of the community.” – www2.chass.ncsu.edu/garson/PA765/ethno.htm
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Ian Beck
Ian Beck is another Author and Illustrator, known for his books called Tom Trueheart. He was born in Sussex in 1947, and attended the Brighton School of Art. Since then he moved down to London with his portfolio and worked in Harrods part time while trying to get work. Eventually he started building up his client list working for magazines such as Good Housekeeping and Cosmopolitan. He then went on to design advertisements for the music industry, before designing an Album Cover for Sir Elton John in the early 70’s. He carried on doing what he was doing happily until the 1980’s when he was approached by the Oxford University Press when they saw his illustrations for the radio times. The told him that his illustrations would suit a Children’s audience and they wanted to publish his stuff. Since then he’s gone on to illustrate hundreds of books and write his own too. He was particularly credited for ‘The Happy Bee’ which won the gold award in the best toy awards, and ‘Lost in the Snow’, which was made into an animated film and was shown as a Christmas special on ITV in 1999.
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Ross Collins
Ross Collins is a well known Children’s Illustrator and Author. Its nice that his website looks quite child friendly too, The characters that appear on there look innocent and welcoming. For the amount of books that hes done illustrations for I would of expected him to be a lot old than he is, but hes a hard worker.. He only graduated in 1994 from the Glasgow School of Art with a First in Illustration. He has also won many awards which include Scottish Arts Council Book Award 1999, his book called ‘Alvie Eats Soup’ gained an Oppenhiem Award, and he was nominated for a Blue Peter Book Award. He has also been involved in Animation Character development collaborating with the likes of The Walt Disney Company on the Film a Nightmare Before Christmas. Other things he’s done include editorial and graphics work book festivals and school visits.
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Lars von Trier
Aww! I know this guy! He was in The Perfect Human!
Lars von Trier is a Danish Film Director and has been involved in films such as Europea, Dancer in the Dark and Manderlay.”Von Trier suffers from multiple phobias, including an intense fear of flying. As the director once put it, “Basically, I’m afraid of everything in life, except film making.” His fear of air travel frequently places severely limiting constraints on him and his crew, necessitating that virtually all of his films be shot in either Denmark or Sweden”
This is a trailer for the film we watched. When I first started watching it for the first five minutes or so I was really confused. But at the end I think I enjoyed it. Its not your normal ‘Cinema’ film. I would say it was definitely more Art house. The best part in the film is the cartoon-montage.. Its clever because it incorporates everything the main character had done so far on his journey to becoming the perfect human, even the sounds. I think its obstruction 4? I’m going to try and find it.. Okay I’ve found it but it’s the only one I could find, so the quality isn’t that amazing.
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April Germain
April Germain? Who is she!? I can’t find anything on her! Eap!
I think I’ll come back to her later…
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Peter Fowler
His work is cool, but, there’s not really a lot of information if any about any of the pieces in his portfolio, who he’s worked for etc. I think I’m on his website.. Monsterism.com? His websites really cool too, I think its all done on flash.. Perhaps? You can tell he likes is animation/illustration just by looking at it. He’s made posters too for battle of the bands and his early work reminds me of illustrations you would find in comic strips. As I’m Reading more into it he has got a comic strip and he has made ‘dolls’ if you would call them that of each character. He looks pretty down to earth actually with the photos he’s put up in his gallery – he looks like he’s a fun guy!
PS. I like the ginger dude with the mustache 😛
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Johnathan Barnbrook
I really like his homepage. Its basically made up of links at the top of the page and taking up most of the page is a kind of mission statement. It starts off with telling the viewer what they are looking at, which is Barnbrook Design, and then tells you what Barnbrook design does. I think the way its laid out, with a different font for each specialisation and the way “This is Barnbrook design” is a bold colour, while the rest of the text after that is more of a darker mustardy colour is really well thought. Barnbrook maily specialises in Print, Film and Fonts.
How clever is that? And it’s so true!
These posters were illegally printed and stuck up around London before Bush’s visit to the capital in 2003. This immediately reminds me of Banksy, one of my favourite artists ever! I just like witty stuff like that.
This ones another piece from Barnbrook I like. I enjoy things like this because they are humorous, simple and yet still get a message across to the viewer. The colonel and Kim-Jong do look a bit alike, its funny. I like the way that they have kept KFC’s font and colour, and changed the initials to KJI.
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Yugo Nakamura
Yugo Nakamura was born in Japan in 1970 and is a creative director, designer and engineer. So far in his career has has been internationally awarded Cannes Lions, OneShow, Clio Award, and an NY ADC. He graduated from the school of engineering in Tokyo in 1996 and went to to build large scale structures before becoming Art Director at a Japanese web development firm in 2000. Since then he’s been working as a free lance designer.
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Susan Kare
I really like her home page! Oh no wait its under construction haha damn. Well what she’s done so far is good! I’ve managed to find out some more stuff about her though from elsewhere. She used to work for Apple Computers between the years of 1983 and 1986 as an icon and font designer for a new computer called the Macintosh. She has also worked for the likes of IBM Computers, Sony Pictures, Motorolla, Microsoft, Logitech and many more.
This is so cool! I remember all these icons from when my mum used to have this mac.. or one similar! Amazing. You still get the little clock on macs which is cool. I remember the little smiley face Mac, the bomb, the bin and the ‘Alert’ icon – he used to scare me.. So did the bomb in fact.
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Danny Brown
The following quote is taken from http://www.danielbrowns.com/ – “Daniel Brown is a designer, programmer and artist, specializing in the fields of Creative Digital Technology and Interactive Design and Applied Arts.” I think that pretty much sums up what he does :). His website’s pretty plain though, doesn’t really make you want to read it.
As I was looking at his work I noticed that like Tomato, he too had been commissioned to work on the new Vodafone HQ. And what he had created really impressed me. I looks aesthetically pleasing, modern and professional. Along with the sculpture, Brown also created a game that was exhibited on the side of Vodafone’s HQ. People could basically ring the number advertised on the screen and then control the characters using the key pads on their phone. Sounds well cool doesn’t it? 🙂 I can’t remember the game it reminds me of, but i was for the PlayStation when I was younger and the main character was like a weird karate dog.. Hmm Yeah.Filed under: Heroes and Heroines | Leave a Comment
Hi-Res
Woah. Lots off flashing circles!
There isn’t really much information about Hi-Res on their website but they have an archive of all the companies they have worked with. Hi-Res appear to specialise in Film, Fashion, Television, Music, Cars and Print. They have worked alongside PSP, MTV, Lexus the makers of the film Saw and Ugly Betty including this advert that I’ve found below. I really like the way that they show the stages of merging the model into Ugly Betty on the magazine cover, its really clever 🙂
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John Lawrence
I think I’m just in a funny mood today when it comes to illustrations. None of the illustrations that I’ve researched today seem to appeal to me? Which is a bit strange. But 100% opinion, I’m sorry!
John Lawrence is yet another person that works for Warner books, and he has contributed to over 100 books for children and adults as an illustrator and a wood engraver. “He is renowned for his striking images that use tools and methods of engraving from the eighteenth century” – http://www.warnerbooks.co.uk/.
I’ve just actually been on his website and it won’t let me right click any of the images, it comes up with a copyright thing… So I’m going to leave it just encase. In the meantime though I did manage to find a front cover to one of the Books he illustrated for when he worked for Warner Books.
I like this illustration, i think it might be because of the thick black outlines to highlight the chickens yet he’s kept the grass and background relatively “in the background” if you see what I mean so it focuses on what the book is about. I like the colours too like the bold red and yellows.
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Spike Jonze
Spike Jonze, born in 1969 in Maryland, America. He’s a director of music videos, film, television and commercials. He has also been credited as co-creator of MTV’s Jackass.
Oh my goodness this if well cool! Spike Jonze is the reason why Fatboy Slim made the ‘Praise You’ music video (The one where a load of people are dancing outside a theatre). It started when Jonze’s alter ego, Richard Koufey, in character filmed himself dancing to another one of Fatboy Slims songs called ‘The Rockafeller Skank‘ in a public area. He then showed this to ‘Slim’ who apparently loved it. So for Fatboy Slim’s next single, Praise you, Jonze gathered a group of dancers together to dance outside a Theatre in California. The video was a huge success and Jonze and the other dancers were invited to perform at the MTV music awards in 1999 which they accepted. So naturally I’ll be uploading this video in tribute..
Jonze is also responsible for music videos such as ‘Wonder Boy’ – Tenacious D, ‘It’s oh so quiet’ – Bjork and ‘Da Funk – Daft Punk. So he’s pretty cool! Ooh and I’ve just found out that he was in fact Creator and executive producer of Jackass.
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Neville Brody
Neville Brody is an English Graphic Designer that is known for being the Art Director for ‘The Face’ Magazine and ‘Arena’ Magazine. I looks to me like Brody has done a bit of everything. He’s designed record covers for bands such as Nine Inch Nails and Depeche Mode, he was a founding member of Fontworks and has recently created a new font called Times Modern. He has his own Design Practise called Research Studios which opened in 1194 and has spread to countries such as San Fransisco, Paris, Berlin and New York. Research Studios have worked with and created corporate identities for Kenzo, and Homechoice.
I really like this image, probably because it is of one of my favorite bands (if you’d call them that) and the way everything is mirrored. I think it works well for Daft Punk, it suits them. However, if it was anyone else, for example Kate Nash then I don’t think it would have the same effect. It really is all about how to appeal to an audience isn’t it? They have also designed the DVD cover for their latest tour, which I will be buying soon. 🙂
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Why Not Associates
Good, an upto date website! With a mission statement.. Amazing. This quote is taken from it within the website – “why not associates is a British graphic design company with global reach. we turn our passion for design into commercial success for clients in business, government and the public sector.”
Why not associates’ recent work includes opening sequences for BBC programmes such as Robin Hood, Life on Mars and Holby Blue. they also specialise in branding and identity, print, book design and environmental campaigns. Below is the opening sequence to Holby Blue, its entital establishing shot shoes a police badge and the camera lingers there for 3 or 4 seconds before it cuts to other shots introducing each character, every 5 or 6 seconds you get shown a police badge so it is clear to any audience what they are about to watch.
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Vaughan Oliver
Vaughan Oliver is a Graphic Designer based in South West London. He’s best known for creating album covers for bands like the one on the right that he did for the Pixies in 2004. I like the harshness that the black creates against the yellow and the way that it’s softened a little by the metallic ‘splodge-like’ thing in the centre of the cover. I wish he had a website, I’ve been looking around for more information on him and it just isn’t happening!
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The Chase
Chase design instantly interests me, is it bad to like packaging? I love things like this, its what I want to do when I’m older! There must be so much research that goes into packaging design, because after all, not matter how good a product is, if it doesn’t stand out to the consumer as ‘something that they MUST have’ they won’t buy it and then the company won’t be making as much profit as they potentially could do. So in the long run I would invest in good packaging!
Chase design also works within retail and product design, and has had clients such as Tesco, Safeway, Asda, Spar and ToysRUs.
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Ian Pollock
Ian Pollock, born in 1950, lived Cheshire and attended Cheadle Hulme High School where he described himself has a “no-hoper” until he dropped Maths for Art. He then went on to do a Foundation at Manchester College of Art and Design and went on to gain other degrees at various polytechnics around England. Since then he has been Freelancing. “He was commissioned to design “Tales of Terror” — four postage stamps for the Royal Mail which were issued in May 1997.” (http://www.ianpollock.co.uk/portraits/ipbiog.html).
I like this picture of Lee Evans because it is a true caricature of what hes actually like, the way be moves and his most prominent features which are his ears and his little bit of tufty hair! He’s done quite a few portraits for people such as Billy Connoly, Princess Diana etc.
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Jonny Hannah
Another person who works for Warner Books, I might actually research this company as a whole if I have time. He’s produced one book called Hot Jazz Special which was published in 2005. The image above is a page taken from that book. Jonny Hannah attended Liverpool Art School and then the Royal College of Art. He graduated in 1998 and has gone on to be a print maker, creating covers for books and posters.
I really like this print he’s made on the left. I think the reasons why it appeals to me is the way he has just used one colour and then black and white. Its quite nice the way its symmetrical too and the way the text had been placed within the print with the curved lines around each word. This extenuates the fact that the words aren’t straight. It probably appeals to me as well because its in the shape of a heart, it has stars on it and its Pink. I’m not going to lie to you!
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Designers Republic
Argh! The line spacing on this website is stressing me out. There’s no real composition to the layout at all. And the links are all too close together! I like little flashing man though. So far from the home page I can see one piece of work which is a projection similar to an artist called Ian De Gruchy, check him out. I’m looking at their work though now and they have done a fair bit! They have designed all the Gatecrasher CD covers, done work for Nickelodeon, MTV and Pringles.
A man called Ian Anderson founded Designers Republic in 1986 “Its anti-established design aesthetic incorporates youthful images (cartoon characters and spaceships) and juicy colors (fuchsia, lemon, and turquoise) into a special brand of pop propaganda.” (taken from the same site) Which is true because most of their clients have been company’s that target their products to younger people.
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David Hughes
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Michael Gondry
This had to be put in my blog when I found found out Michael Gondry directed it – I love this song! He was born in 1963 in France and has won various Awards crediting his screenwriting, film, music video directing and commercials. I love the way that its just of a point of view shot of a Train on a journey but certain things happen that correlate with the beat in the song, for example on a certain drum beat a another train goes past etc. I just think it’s really clever. Check it out!
Along with this music video Michael has also directed videos for the likes of Kanye West, Kylie Minogue and Daft Punk which is amazing! He was discovered by Bjork when she approached him to help her direct one of her music videos. Michael was originally in a French band called Oui Oui, in which he created most of the music videos for.
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Kyle Cooper
Kyle Cooper is another Artist that is known for his work in film. He specialises in title sequences, examples include Flubber (1997), Spiderman 1 and 2 (2002 and 2004) and Dawn of the dead (2004). Below is the title sequence to Spiderman 2.
Its not that long so you should watch it :)! I really liked the way that he had Incorporated the colours of Spiderman and the “Web-effect” that he has patterned all over his costume to separate the colours, text and the image. I also think its quite clever how the opening sequence along with the titles there are images from the last film which kind of gives the audience a reminder of what happened before the second one starts. Clever eh?
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Joel Stewart
Joel Stewart is an Illustrator and bases much of his work round children’s picture books, he’s also working on some of his own at the moment. He currently works for a company called Warner Books. The thing that really surprised me is that he was working for them even before he finished his honours degree at the Falmouth college of Arts. Impressive. The main thing that his illustrations remind me of is the illustrations from ‘The Snowman’ as their heads are quite rounded and they look really innocent and naive.
I thought I should add a quote from his Website, there are many there from Newspapers such as the Times and the Observer but this one stood out to me to be the most interesting – (Of Underwater Farmyard). “One of those rare books that make you very glad something so strange and beautiful exists’ – The Independent. This quote was about his first published picture book which was published in February 2002 by Macmillan. He achieved his illustrations by using acrylic, water colour and pencil crayons.
I like him as a person I think, just because he seems so down to earth. It looks like that he has just litterally scanned in pages from him sketchbook and even though they aren’t the finished pieces they still look so delicate and well thought. I aslo found the 10 things you didn’t know about me section on the following website quite funny – http://www.walkerbooks.co.uk/Joel-Stewart.
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Lauren Child
Lauren Child was born in 1967 and is known for her illustrations and childrens books she has written. Looking at her biography her work bloomed in early 2000. Her illustrations for the ‘Charlie and Lola’ books have been so successful that they are now being made into a cartoon series for CBBC. Lauren also works for the creative agency Big Fish and has recieved numerous awards such as the Nestle Smarties book award for the ‘That Pesky Rat’. She uses several different mediums to acheive her successful illustrations including magazine cuttings, collage, material and photography as well as traditional watercolours.
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J Otto Seibold
J Otto Seibold is best known for the illustrations he was done for children’s books. I went on his Website and its really wacky, its cool though, for a moment I thought I was on the wrong J Otto, but after researching more on other websites it became clear that this was the right one.
One thing it reminded me of straight away was The Mighty Boosh, as I clicked on Olive (above is a still from the animation) I had thoughts of the Charley Animation – Don’t know if any ones seen it but it does.. Watch it! I’ve just read an interview a Lady called Kim Evans had with him and The little Dog Olive is doing really well. “Olive is set to be animated.. On Fox. We are working with Matt Groenings production company” – http://www.hermes.net.au/dpi/culturezone/jotto-fr.html.
Most of the artists that I have liked so far on my research are ones who use bright colours and keep their work quite bold (With Eboy being an exception). But, I’m not sure if I like this artists work or not? His Characters look quite scary! But that’s a total personal opinion. However I do like the way that he talks about his characters, especially “Mr Lunch”, it reads: “Mr. Lunch is very good at chasing birds. In fact, he is a professional.” – Made me chuckle!
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David Carson
I have a impression in my mind already just from seeing the entrance page to his website, he seems like he could be a lot of fun to work with. The image is of a little man – that looks like its probably been drawn by a little kid with paint splodges splattered all over him, just seems quite fun!
the cover for this book, I really like it they that the skull is kinda of transparent when overplayed on top of the orange and grey back ground but gets covered by the blast of light (as it looks to me). Even though in my opinion this looks quite bold they more you look at it, the more things you discover. For instance, is the Grey buildings in the background and the orange a puff of smoke? Why are there skulls if the books is called Lucky disasters? Surely if it was lucky they would still be alive?
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MetaDesign
This Website is a lot different to Tomato, its almost like Pentagram, but easier to navigate around (http://www.metadesign.com/). This is their Mission Statement: “MetaDesign helps organizations accelerate progress toward a better future. We work alongside a broad spectrum of leaders seeking to establish or increase their relevance in people’s lives. We combine research, analysis, technology, and design to visualize new scenarios for connecting with basic human behaviors and needs. We then engage in developing and delivering new brand, service, and product offerings.”
They have produced work for Adobe, McAfee and CNet are just a few. Designing for adobe must of been quite an achievement seeing as Adobe is world leader in creative professional and communication software. Most of the stuff on there is Meta Design creating a new brand identity for the companies they are working for.
Package design really interests me, and I think that the McAfee’s products look really proffesional as does Adobe’s. I think that the black on McAfee’s virus software makes it look quite posh when contrasted to the bright colours in the images below. I also like the face that they have kept the products quite similar so you can see that they are all linked together.
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Tomato
Argh! Their website is really difficult! I’m annoyed! I spent about half an hour just trying to work out how to look at their portfolio! And then when I did find out how to do that I then found that there’s hardly any information on them at all. After looking around for a bit I discovered that it was founded in the 1990’s by two men called Rick Smith and Carl Hyde of the music group Underworld. Tomato’s work includes television and print advertising, clothing, corporate identity and art installations. They have produced adverts for MAC cosmetics, and stands for Vodafone and installations and prints for BMW. I chose the image on the right to put into my blog because i think it stood out to me over the other pieces I have seen from Tomato. I
t looks quite intriguing and mysterious and probably draws the viewer in because of that. It looks like it would appeal to a male audience because of the blues but there is a more feminine one on the site that you can look at the web address is: http://www.tomato.co.uk/tomato.jspP=5073033739238280568143036005676047826814566&I= 07_BMW_PRINT.jpg. I like the way that they have overlapped and layered the different bits of the car and they way they have made the logo seen but not so its so bold as to stand out so the viewer can appreciate the image as a whole as well as an advertisement. This image to the right is what Tomato has done for Vodafone. Vodafone approached Tomato and asked them to design a new com temporary modern space for their HQ in Newbury, UK. They wanted it to be suitable for public tours as well as specialist event launches. The image I have here is of a hollow “Product Pod” which is one of a series of display units containing both physical and digital content. All the lights within it can be changed to reflect the mood of that Vodafone is trying to sell.
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Ronald Searle
I think I may of heard of Ronald Searle before? When I read his Biography there were certain things that rang bells, for instance, that he became a cartoonist for the Cambridge Daily News. His work actually reminds me of my friend Rachel’s! This piece on the right stood out to me within the rest of his work because of the use of the bright colours against the white title and the black and white character. I think that works really well. I looked into St. Trinians and Searle had created the characters in quite a controversial manner. Instead of the stereotypical well -behaved school girl. his school girls were quite demonic and were described as “gin-swigging, cigar-smoking and out of control”. One of the cartoons features a lone schoolgirl, complete with hat, sitting in a classroom writing the “lines”: “I must not smoke cigars during prayers. I must not smoke cigars during prayers . . . “. Other examples are include a cartoon that shows shows the girls being frisked on entrance to St. Trinians. Next to them is a growing pile of weapons on a table besides the Victorian mistresses: “Bang goes another pair of knuckledusters.” This, as you can see has really interested me, I like his sense of hu
mour and I believe that there might of been or is a film in the cinema at the moment based on these cartoons? I’m not 100% sure though. I’d quite like to buy one of his books if i could still get one. I like the Illustrations on both of these book covers. I like the way that the arms are quite spindly and that you can tell that Searle has a definite style about him, and I think that’s very creditable in an Artist. He even set up his own publishing company called Perpetua Books. The Illustration below comes with the caption of “Come along Prefects, Playtime’s over”!
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Kathleen Hale 1898 – 2000
Kathleen Hale was a British Artist, Illustrator and Childrens Author and is best remembered for the series of books called Orlando the Marmalade Cat. She created the character with a purpose to entertain children at bedtime and these books became classics throughout the 1940s and 1950s. In 1976, Kathleen recieved an OBE for her efforts and for being the creator of Orlando.
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Pentagram
Pentagram looks so professional from the moment i looked at the Website. “Pentagram is organised and run so designers achieve their best – because design at its best satisfies clients” I’d heard of them before and knew that they’re are successful but I’ve never looked at any of the portfolios. You can look at the stuff Pentagram produces by clicking on this link: http://pentagram.com/en/portfolio/packaging/item-index.php. I didn’t realise that they had done work for Companies such as Tesco or Halfords. The Packaging part really interested me and most of the items are well known. It’s weird because you just kind of look at them in the shop, you don’t think of all the hard work that’s gone into making them look the way they do, or what target audience they appeal to.
Its interesting the bredth of work they do and the amount of different designs. Pentagram has also designed buildings such as the Chester Racecourse, which really suprised me! The more I look into their portfolio the more things I find and recognise, its interesting :). Theres not very much about the company itself on the website so I manged to find some background information elsewhere. “Pentagram is a design studio that was founded in 1972 by Alan Fletcher, Theo Crosby, Colin Forbes, Kenneth Grange and Mervyn Kurlansky in Needham Road in West London. They now have offices in New York, San Fransico, Austin and Berlin.”
And then here’s just an example of the work they have done for Halfords, they have even designed the Packaging of everything Halford sells. So really they have designed Halfords as a brand.
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Eboy
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Saul Bass 1920 – 1996
The first image I saw of Saul Bass’s was a Logo for Kleenex. As well as being a graphic Designer, I found out Bass had become an Academy Winning Film maker. I realised that along side logo designs, Bass also had produced a number of Title Sequences for Films such as “The man with the Golden Arm” and “Anatomy of Murder”. Through this is what he had become known best for. I quite like Bass’s Style, it’s kind of edgey and rough, it looks as though he uses shapes and fits them together to make an object or image. For example, in the clip which is the opening sequence to Anatomy of Murder, it looks as though hes just cut bits of paper out and has kind of merged them together to make a man, it doesn’t look smooth – But thats what I like about it.
I think Saul Bass is quite an interesting character. The more I research I find different mediums he has worked within, but most of them are based around the same subject which is Films. He’s made numerous Film Posters such as the poster for the 1950’s film North by Northwest. From what I have seen, he uses black alot in his pieces. It makes them seem bolder than what they are. For example, in the film poster to the left, the black draws the eye into the centre, but i dont know if thats a good thing because then the viewer doesnt see the main characters names or the film title. I’m unsure if its a good or bad thing now.Filed under: Heroes and Heroines | Leave a Comment
Peter Saville
I was instantly impressed with this artist, as I looked on his homepage it reminded me of the Dulux advert where they are talking about colours which work well with one another. The colours on his website achieve just that, they wouldnt be the normal shades that I would pick, but seeing them together working so well has kind of inspired me to start to look and be abit more experimental with the colours I choose in the future! Anyway, I’m rambling now.
Peter Saville studied Graphic Design at Manchester Polytechnic from 1974 to 1978. One of Saville’s first contracts was a poster for Tony Wilson’s alternative Factory Club in Manchester, which opened for an evening once a fortnight. In the same year Saville and Wilson founded, along with Alan Erasmus, the record company Factory Records – a label that came to epitomise the independent scene – Which is amazing! I learnt all about Factory Records in Media Studies last year! 😀 One of the main things that Saville became known for though was the cover of the New Order single Blue Monday (1983) and the sleeve of the Joy Division album Unknown Pleasures (1979).
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John Maeda
John Maeda is a known graphic designer, visual artist, and computer scientist and has been said to be a founding voice for “Simplicity” in the digital age. “Maeda first made his mark by redefining the use of electronic media as a tool for expression for people of all ages and skills.” Maeda earned his PhD in design from Tsukuba University Institute of Art and Design in Japan. In May 2003, he received an honorary doctorate of fine arts from the Maryland Institute College of Art, and completed his MBA in May of 2006. He has been credited as an artist by receiving awards for example Japan’s Mainichi Design Prize, which he received in 2002. You can find out alot about him and his work on MAEDASTUDIO.com. The content of the website is really interesting but the presentation and layout put me off wanting to look at it at first. It’s quite hard to understand. I quite like some of the work hes produced though, for example, a little project he did called Human. I like it because its simple, and it reminds me of something my brothers been doing. But I don’t think I would choose to work like this, it’s nice to look at though.
of random things on his website!? I’m guessing its something to do with computer science, I was losing interest until I came across this. I love it! I don’t know what it is or how he’s made it but I just love it! The colours are amazing, they wouldnt look good on their own but together in that kind of blurred merky pattern it really works. I wish that there was some more information on him and the way he made this but all there was was a heading saying ‘Desktop layouts – Enjoy’ Which is kind of frustrating I suppose.
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James Jarvis
Born in 1970, James Jarvis is an Illustrator situated in London. James went on to study at University of Brighton and at the Royal College of Art in London. He has worked for international clients such as Sony, Nokia and Parco and contributed to a number of international style publications including The Face, Nova and Relax. I did some research on the face and found out that it was a magazine that was first published in the 1980’s by a man called Nick Logan. The magazine was referred to as “80’s Fashion Bible” and was known for starting trends, whether it being in the fashion industry or music, it influenced the youth culture for over 20 years. James has also produced work for Revolver, an American Rock magazine. As well as designing for magazines James became interested in designing figures and in 2003 he set up a toy company called Amos. The web address is http://www.amostoys.com/amos.html – its really cool, check it out! You can definitely tell though that his work has a style, the figures hes made on Amos.com show similarities to the character of Ozzy above.
He’s also got quite a good website too showing a portfolio of work and a good summery of how hes got where he is now. The Websites http://homepage.mac.com/james.jarvis/portfolio.html, there’s one water colour on there called looks a lot like the toys he’s produced. I also admire him because he’s not afraid to work with different materials. His ideas and pieces inspirational and fun, I like they way he uses bold colours and especially on the FACE magazine front cover the way he’s just used different shades of the same colour.
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Lucy's PDP 
