Beautiful delivery mechanism by Hardgraft, especially when you consider that almost all of their products are not breakable and will fit in a standard FedEx envelope.
17.11.10
Unboxing HardGraft
Beautiful delivery mechanism by Hardgraft, especially when you consider that almost all of their products are not breakable and will fit in a standard FedEx envelope.
30.10.10
Adobe vs Adude
A while back I stumbled across the observation this simple letter change: Adude. And what with CS4 being so similar to C4S (CAS)… I probably had been up too long.
13.10.10
12.10.10
Icebreaker in NYC
First look at brand new Icebreaker store in New York. Part of the work I've been doing for Icebreaker this spring.
11.10.10
Extreme motion mapping
Red Bull Off the planet from ENESS on Vimeo.
Loving the world we live in when something as extreme as big air becomes even more intense when you add layers of live motion graphics. This is by ENESS from Melbourne and it is brilliant.
9.10.10
6.10.10
Gap's got a (new) logo
Expect to see this down the market for a couple of quid. Next to the Nookia, and other knock-offs. What do you expect… they had it coming.
4.10.10
Branding is bullshit
As a graphic designer who designs logos and moving images, I do not claim to brand. I create visual identity. Hopefully the identity accurately and effectively represents the organization it was created for. It may contribute to the public’s reaction to the organization, but ultimately, it’s simply the packaging of the sensory components of the consumers’ experience.
The idea of defining a brand as a key to business success is a hollow and, I think, futile endeavor. In spite of how you look or behave, public opinion will shape your brand. I believe that to focus on control of an organization’s brand is a waste of time and effort. Focus on quality products, a positive work environment and exemplary service before, during and after the sale. Your brand will be shaped by that.
More at XK9.
1.10.10
This will change your life
OK, maybe the headline might be a bit strong. Especially if you don't use InDesign everyday. But if you do, you need to get LayoutZone. And best of all it won't cost you a cent.
See it in action here.
LayoutZone allows multiple InDesign users to work on different sections of the same page simultaneously and with more control. LayoutZone lets you quickly select several InDesign page elements or frames and automatically convert them to a Placed InDesign file (.indd) for editing outside the master document. Once external editing is complete, a seamless round trip workflow automatically converts the linked InDesign file back into native objects.
See it in action here.
12.9.10
30.7.10
Zombies from Hell
I’ve seen a few interactive YouTubes recently. This one is actually pretty good. It’s got all the trademarks of Kiwi humour (vis à vie Flight of the Concords and early Peter Jackson humour-gore-fest a la Brain Dead) with a watchable plot that keeps you going/choosing. And it’s on brand too. What more do you want? Well done Hells Pizza.
23.6.10
Grafik is dead. Long live grafik
The current owners of Adventures in Publishing (the company which publishes Grafik) have decided to liquidate the company, so unfortunately we are unable to print the magazine for the foreseeable future.
More here.
22.6.10
FÜÇ#!∏G Software
3 days of work. Suddenly gone. WTF is this supposed to mean? Any idea what an Offending operator: '%%HiResBoundingBox: -1229.2598 -6416.8828 is?//
UPDATE: With some blind re-coding of the Illustrator file I can sleep again. Thanks to the help of some people a lot more clever than I (that’s you Jason!). If you have the same problem follow this link, and most importantly, don’t panic.
21.6.10
Unexpected logo perception
I came across this photo by Arnold Odermatt a police photographer. What struck me most of all was how the logo has become something totally new in this context (it looks familiar…wasn't it by Muller Brockman?) and seems to tell it's own story. More of Mr Odermatt's work here.
Radiation marketing
The clever chap behind Now In Colour (Andy Whitlock) has come up with a very nice analogy about marketing and it’s similarity with the principles of heat transfer, that is well worth a proper read. It starts like this:
Pop on over and read it for yourself.
Conduction. The transfer of heat by direct contact
In marketing, this describes direct contact with the product or service. If people can try it, hold it, use it, smell it etc its value is transferred with absolute immediacy. This is often the smartest and most direct way to communicate the value of your product. But of course it’s not always possible.
Radiation . Radiation is the transfer of heat energy through empty space
In marketing, radiation is traditional advertising and message-based marketing. These communications broadcast information (emotional and functional) about the value of the product and are far-reaching. They are beamed at us despite the ‘distance’ we might think is between us and the product in question.
Convection. The movement of molecules within fluids
This, if you’ll allow me to leap (naked and care-free) back across to marketing, relates to the flowing currents of social interaction that transfer information about the value of your product. Social excitement is akin to the heating up of molecules as heat (value) meets cold (absence of said value). I.e. All that social media jazz.
Pop on over and read it for yourself.
18.6.10
7.6.10
There is no Coke.
In the Matrix there was no spoon. Now it looks like there really doesn't have to be. Augmention and Holograms are set to screw with our brains as advertising and product displays go 10 steps further.
4.6.10
Beached gets selected
The short film Beached, by Kiwi writer/director Alan Morrison has been selected for the New Zealand International Film Festival, so keep an eye out for it in your neck of the woods.
Poster by yours truly.
17.5.10
Painting the city
Beautifully shot documentary and well worth watching. It crosses the boundary between advertising, entertainment and education perfectly, like the Schweppes film I posted a while back.
5.5.10
48hr Mag
Here’s how it works: Issue Zero begins May 7th. We'll unveil a theme and you’ll have 24 hours to produce and submit your work. We'll take the next 24 to snip, mash and gild it. The end results will be a shiny website and a beautiful glossy paper magazine, delivered right to your old-fashioned mailbox. We promise it will be insane. Better yet, it might even work.
I think it’s a brilliant idea, so I’ve signed up. Mind you the timezones might be a problem as it is scheduled to start at 4am. Awesome. Find out more here.
2.5.10
Planemobbing by GermanWings
Germanwings fly under the radar on a competetors flight and point out a few home truths. Well done.
1.5.10
Error
You’ve got to be kidding… Seems to me like you slipped a double space in there while no one was looking. And a prime instead of an apostrophe. Like I wouldn’t notice in my fury when you crashed my illustration.
Somewhat Different
I was lucky enough to be invited to the opening of the Goethe Institut’s exhibition ’Somewhat Different’ in Wellington. If you are in the area this month stick it at the top of you list of things to do. Anyone who claims that the Germans have no sense of humour need to go with you too. Brilliant, just brilliant. Above are just some of the highlights. (click for larger version)
28.4.10
Pour me a drink
A beautifully shot short film showcasing fashion created for Toronto-based Filler Magazine by director Jessica Edwards.
15.4.10
Google Teleporter
With a big enough screen, and high enough resolution you almost feel as if you are there, just after a fleet of road-rollers has flattened every car in the city. Love it.
11.4.10
Remember "Earth Hour"?
A while back we all had ‘Earth Hour’. Remember that. I’ve finally got around to processing the backlog of images on my camera (that’s the problem with a 1 million MB card). Spot the difference between these two images: one taken 15 mins before the start, and the other 15 mins into the event. Right.
Why does this global event fail so spectacularly? My hunch:
1. What? The logo is misleading. It is a big 60. You what?
2. When? So when is it exactly. Well, in the small print, here in NZ, it was at 8.30pm. Half past? That isn’t an hour, it’s half past an hour. 8 is an hour. Semantics I know but it just adds to the confusing information about the event. Can you remember the date? Bet it doesn’t pop into your head, like Christmas. Bit like Easter really, no one actually has a clue and always seems amazed that it is so late or so early this year. If you ask me it should be on, say, the 8th of August at 8pm. Everywhere. Or the 7th of July. But you get the picture. I think Earth Hour is a worthy event because it is just so simple to make a difference… but my limited poll on the event leads me to believe that most people didn’t have a clue it was on that night. And they should’ve.
9.4.10
30.3.10
26.3.10
25.3.10
Merlin Mann
You’re gonna die. You’re gonna die. And nobody’s gonna care which version of the iPhone you used to make something on Twitter, or to go and post about your bowel movement on Facebook. And I’m not even talking about legacy; I’m talking about the fact that I personally feel most alive when I’m making something, and I feel least alive when I’m being led around by some obnoxious use of my attention that I wasn’t aware of. To me, that’s the thing. You can buy the jogging shoes and you can buy the Runner’s World, but until you put them on and walk out the door every day, you’re just a fat man.
Via No Man's Blog
22.3.10
20.3.10
13.3.10
RedRam
Having kept my mouth shut for ages about this 'secret project' I was working on at Icebreaker I can now reveal what it was all about. RedRam. Not as premium as Icebreaker but if you love merino this is where you can start…
23.2.10
Winning is everything.
I’ve just won a copy of Pixelmator. Me? Win! I never win anything. So this is even more special. Thanks to Jay at Bittbox. I’ve seen some of the outputs and been pretty impressed as there are some things that the mighty Photoshop isn’t as good at, but so far I’ve not used the application. I’ll keep you posted as to how it works out.
5.2.10
Logorama
I had an idea over Christmas, while I was in Hokitika, that I’d like to see all the shop signs, road signs, menus and all the ephemera in a small provincial town completely overhauled by a group of designers. Rather than an obvious uniform “helvetica” solution could they create a uniform (as in ‘of and area’, but still local and individual feel to a place without it being soulless? The whole thing could be carried out virtually in some kind of StreetView mashup (but as it happens Gogle couldn’t even be bothered to go there). The kerning on the main drag, Weld Street was horrific, despite being routed out of wood. With all that effort it would’ve been nice to get it right. And many of the shop fronts seems to be hereditary. I am not advocating the removal of history, I was just wondering if a collective of designers, with a proper strategy, could create something “better”. After all proper kerning is for everyone.
20.1.10
It's about the people, not the company
I believe that creating better ways for companies to interact with their customers is a good thing. Although Asi has a good point:
While I strongly believe in the idea that brands should be generous etc., when I see (or do something like that with my clients) I can’t avoid the feeling that… this is the kind of stuff you do when you don’t have a better idea to earn people’s attention - you give away free stuff in a slightly cheeky way.
He mentions another example, that’s quite fun too. There is definitely a story/purpose behind it.
13.1.10
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