Courtney James

Courtney is a 23 year old graphic designer / illustrator from Detroit, Michigan. "My true love lies with the creation of graphic art and design" she says. "This media has given me the opportunity to accurately express my own personality and depict the elements that make this world so beautiful."

Courtney's illustrations are typically figurative, incorportating organic forms found throughout nature. She is constantly inspired by everything that surrounds her, and this reflects in her work. I love the organic feel that her works have and the contrast between photography and watercolour, reality and fantasy, hand-crafted and digital.

http://punkychicken.com/07/

Computer Arts

One of my favourite magazines is the Computer Arts magazine. It is always packed with information and says what's new in the world of design.

It also says:

Books which are useful
Handy hits and tips
How to find a job in Design etc

There is a really interesting article in this month's magazine about 'creating original artwork in a copycat world', which says what you should and shouldn't do in a deja vu world of design. Definately worth a read!

Emporio Peroni, Leeds

An exclusive shop in the heart of Leeds has been rented to house a single bottle of designer beer (not for sale) and its male model guard. The promotional idea is the brainchild of the Italian makers of Nastro Azzurro beer, which they are heavily marketing in the city.

The Peroni "non-shop" which sells absolutely nothing, is in King Edward Street – at a minimalist boutique store – so exclusive that only window shopping is allowed.

Situated in one of Leeds's most stylish shopping thoroughfares and located just around the corner from Harvey Nichols, Emporio Peroni houses a single bottle of Peroni Nastro Azzurro on a plinth, guarded by a well dressed Italian model who has been attracting plenty of attention from passers by.

The launch of Emporio Peroni in Leeds was celebrated with opportunities for people to win a number of prizes including a VIP night out in the city to a year's supply of Peroni beer.

Promoters of the brew say their 'Salute' team will be visiting Leeds's most stylish venues and offering people the opportunity to try a bottle of Peroni and inviting people to participate in the Peroni style profile quiz.

Richard Walker, Peroni Nastro Azzurro UK Brand Manager said: "We're delighted to be officially launching Peroni in Leeds. Emporio Peroni will create intrigue and excitement amongst shoppers and beer drinkers alike.

"We want to challenge people's perceptions of traditional beer drinking and position Peroni Nastro Azzurro as an aspirational brand that encompasses style, authenticity and quality. As one of the UK's most stylish cities Leeds was an obvious choice for us to launch in."

Posted: Monday, July 09, 2007

(/www.leedsliveitloveit.com)

NAME : Emporio Peroni

COMPANY : Emporio Peroni

VENUE :
Emporio Peroni
7 King Edward Street
Leeds
LS1

DATE : 6 July 2007 - 12 July 2007

Neil Duerden

After finding the works of Alberto Seveso and Caleb (http://calcreative.blogspot.com/) commented that I should check out the works of Neil Duerden... I found some fantastic photo illustrative works which are intricate and organic.

He's a mixed media artist who combines vector artwork with photography. The colours are vibrant but classy and capture the mood of the photograph. I love the way in one of the photo's below, how the flow of the illustrations work with the fabric but also against it creating some contrast. He obviously has a good eye for composition.

Type Posters

Hey - Has anybody else noticed the large type posters which have been placed around the library at University? Some of them are really good! Worth a look... I hope that they stay around for a while, as it's the first time I have seen any of the School of Design's work being promoted. WHOOP WHOOP!

Danfoss Art Award

Found a competition which might be worth entering...

http://www.danfoss.com/AboutUs/Danfoss%20Art%20Award

"The theme of the award is to “Visualise our Values”. You are invited to express our mission statement, values, and aspirations through your artwork. Choose among the eight statements, help us express and interpret them through art. You can see them on the right side of the screen, and you can find a brief explanation on each of them by using the link > mission, values, and aspirations on the left side of the screen. "

Harry Potter & the Order of the Phoenix (film)

I went to see the latest Harry Potter film today at the cinema... sad... I know! Having not read the books (hiss hiss) I have only ever watched the films so it would be great to have comments from others who have read the book and seen the film for comparison.

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is a fantasy adventure film, based on the novel by J. K. Rowling. Directed by David Yates, it is the fifth film in the popular Harry Potter film series. The story follows Harry Potter entering his fifth year at the magic school Hogwarts. The Ministry of Magic is denying the return of Lord Voldemort and also appoints a new teacher, Dolores Umbridge, a bureaucrat who slowly becomes an authoritarian figure in the school.

The screenplay was written by Michael Goldenberg, who replaced Steve Kloves, writer of the first four films. Live action filming started in February 2006 and finished in the end of November, and post-production on the film continued for several months afterwards.

I found the visual effects in this film the most stunning (from what I can remember) of all five films.

Tim Burke was the visual effects supervisor, John Richardson was the special effects supervisor, and Nick Dudman was the creatures special effects supervisor. The film required over 1,400 visual effects shots, and the London-based company Double Negative created more than 950 of them. Working for six months on previsualization starting in September 2005, Double Negative was largely responsible for sequences in the Room of Requirement, the Forbidden Forest, the Hall of Prophecies, and the Death Chamber.

A new character in the film, Grawp, Hagrid's giant half-brother, came to life by a new technology called Soul Capturing, developed by Image Metrics. Instead of building the character from scratch, the movements and facial expressions of actor Tony Maudsley were used to model Grawp's actions.

Double Negative have also produced special effects for The Bourne Ultimatum which I have also been to see recently... so I have included the website underneath.

Overall, the film was entertaining and I was biting my bottom lip in parts, but the storyline didn't seem as strong as the others... it was almost a little monotonous at times. I also felt like there was a bit of an anticlimax and the main part of the story seemed to be squashed into a relatively small amount of screen time. As always, the scenery and internal shots were fantastic. There was also some edgy film shots in parts of the film... to give a sense of being there.



http://www.dneg.com/
http://www.harrypotterorderofthephoenix.com/

Sara Singh

She produces free-flowing watercolour art - it's beautiful how she blends very sharp lines with very undefined watercolors. I also love the way she mixes mainstream fashion into her illustrations and can incorporate photos for adverts into her work. They are pretty to look at but there is also an element of intensity. They are quite simple pieces but the composition and colour makes them stand out.

Aaron Goodman

Goodman creates conceptual photo-illustrations for advertising and editorial clients, one of which is below. My interest lies within photo-illustration, but his works strikes me because it's quirky and original. It's not what I would describe as 'typical' photo-illustration but more about playing with photoshop and seeing what effects can be achieved. His photography is a little cheesy at times but it gives him an itentity.

Andrew Zuckerman

New-York based photographer whose work I admire... especially his recent Puma campaign, featuring animals.

I love the way in which he has used certain animals to reflect the trainers personality. The animals and trainer work together in colour and composition. I also know that animals are very difficult to photograph as they move around so much, so I find his work admiring because you can connect with the animals.

Bourne Ultimatum (film)

I went to see the Bourne Ultimatum film on it's opening night (Wednesday) and I would recommend anybody to go and see it. It definately helped that I had watched the first two but it's a great film in it's own right. Trilogies are usual flops but this is edgy, dramatic and well paced which keeps you on the edge of your seat the whole way through. It's intelligent so you're thinking and watching at the same time and the action shots are fantastic.

The camera shakes quite a lot which captures the mood of the film and makes you feel like you are there, watching his every move. The talent in the film is on another level - they are their characters which makes the storyline more believable. The action scenes are so brutally fast-paced and well choreographed that they seem instinctive instead of planned to the minutest movement; the stunt-work is nothing short of amazing.

The pacing is just incredible and there's never a moment when you feel like you don't want to keep watching. It keeps driving forward towards its conclusion, but not so fast that it leaves you struggling to piece together the plot. It's really focused and the script delivers the information you need as quickly and clearly as possible before moving on to the next tense action scene.

This is the best cinema film I've watched all year!

http://www.thebourneultimatum.com/

Yukio Miyamoto

Gradient Mesh master Yukio Miyamoto has been using and abusing Adobe Illustrator since the 80's. Yukio's artwork has appeared in a number of books, from design books to manuals. Yukio has trained thousands of people in all areas of graphics for the Mac and Win.

When I first saw these, I couldn't believe that they were photos... it just goes to show that it's not impossible to create life-like illustrations.

We Feel Fine

We Feel Fine is an exciting online interactive 'artwork' that entices you to explore the varieties of human expression and emotion within the context of the computer age. At the core of We Feel Fine is a data collection engine that automatically scours the Internet every ten minutes, harvesting human feelings from a large number of blogs. Blog data comes from a variety of online sources, including LiveJournal, MSN Spaces, MySpace, Blogger, Flickr, Technorati, Feedster, Ice Rocket, and Google. Using a number of dynamic interfaces, you're able to specify demographic criteria to begin answering questions you may have about old folks in Finland on Valentines Day 2005, for instance.

The Madness movement, with its network of many tiny colorful particles, was designed to echo the human world. Seen from afar, Madness presents a massive number of individual particles, each colored and sized uniquely, each flying wildly around the screen, proclaiming its own individuality.

There's a lot going on with this site so definately worth checking out. It's interactive and current. It is a similar kind of concept to the sight which the GLOG pointed out where the images and sound change in connection with the weather.

www.wefeelfine.org

Alberto Seveso

I'm particularly interested in the Illustration / Photo juxtaposition, so I was rather amused when I stumbled across the stylish works of freelance designer Alberto Seveso, Rome, Italy.

It's good to see women being illustrated in a different way to those which we see on club flyers etc. The way in which the illustration isn't confined to the contour of the body, yet you still get the feeling of the figure being 3D and lifelike is interesting to look at.

He told Carpal Tunnel Magazine: 'My passion for graphics was born about fifteen years ago when I had an Amiga 1200 and Delux Paint that I loved so much. But I switched to PC when a friend showed me the potentials of photoshop. I was astonished when I understood the power of that software'.

His site is definately worth checking out and he has some other works which are a little more wacky, and if you like his stuff you can buy prints!

http://www.recycledarea.co.uk/index.php

Old School!

This isn't particularly related to design but whilst I was browsing, I came across a site which sells.... DipDabs! Does anybody else remember these? I haven't seen them in years but takes me back to when I was younger and used to walk to the corner shop! Excellent stuff.

Montana Meth Project

A series of print ads by Venables Bell & Partners, LA, to warn teenagers of the 'party' drugs effects. This campaign helped make math the nations number one drug issue in the USA. These adverts really work because they subject you to the reality of taking methamphetamine and it's effects both physically and mentally. They use the shock tactic to show the harsh consequences of using hard core drugs. The aim is to scare naive teenagers (T.A.) into not using the drugs.

Olympics Logo

I still can't believe that they haven't changed the logo design for the 2012 olympics. It is pittyful. These are a collection of designs done by others. My favourites are the ones outlined. They are simple and I can't image them looking outdated in 5 years whereas the current one already looks childish and inapropriate. I don't think it gives Britain a good image and it looks like the country isn't taking the olympics seriously. It should look professional and prestigious.

Kartell Furniture

Whilst furnishing my apartment, I came across the Kartell Francois Louis Ghost furniture range. I really like these postmodern furniture designs which are contemporary and classy. The design and materials combine the old and the new and bring a new lease of life to contemporary furniture. The ad is particularly interesting and backs up my previous statement. String instruments are typically associated with tradition. Perhaps it would have been interesting to see electrical string instruments instead.

The World, Dubai

http://www.theworld.ae/

Book Covers

I was reading somebodys GLOG the other day and they wrote a blog about book covers. I made a comment about it.. and since then I have found some interesting book covers by Penguin called 'Great Ideas' designed by David Pearson and Phil Baines and some others. A really nice uncoated stock, lovely rich blues and reds and some cracking debossing. They feel nice in the hand.

So... Whoever you are... I hope that you find this article because it might help with your dissertation!

Hussein Chalayan

He is one of the most innovative, experimental and conceptual fashion designers of the present and became famous in fashion by using unconventional materials and unorthodox techniques - putting the creative process itself on view.

His work often concentrates on cultural or socio-political themes, reflecting chalayan’s personal history as someone whose identity is shaped by different cultures. He takes his inspiration from a wide range of different disciplines such as architecture, philosophy and anthropology. Chalayan is a designer with the heart of an artist and with the brain of a scientist.

I really like his outfits because they are cutting edge and unique in design. The colours compliment each other and although they are catwalk outfits, I can imagine several of his outfits being in the top end high street shops.

Rolex Ads

http://www.rolex.com/en/inside-rolex/rolex-company/visionary-technology/index.jsp

I love the adverts featured on the Rolex wesbite. I find the fact that it's a women's voice as the naration interesting. It makes the watch feel more sexual and the PA quality of her voice address' the target market. The detail which goes into making the advert is as intrigate as the watch mechanisms. The ads have a prestigious feel and one of high quality.

Rankin Photography

I came across this site whilst looking at photographers and this guy really shocked me when I logged on. Worth taking a look... but it's a little strange!

http://www.rankin.co.uk/

Rankins iconic, intimate portraiture style and his mischievous style has gained him a reputation as one of the world's leading photographers.

The following is a photograph taken for Women’s Aid, the national domestic violence charity, when launching its domestic abuse awareness campaign.

Eco Petrol Station

In Los Angeles, in the gas guzzling centre of the Universe, BP has enlisted Office dA to embrace the paradoxical task of creating a green petrol station. Taking the existing station on the site, it was 'upcycled' into not a futuristic station but a station for today that is a 'little better' ... a little greener in its design and materials, and in its use of water and energy.

Quite ironic really that a petrol station is trying to be greener. I suppose... every little helps and the design is cutting edge.

Elevator Art

The subject of endless psychology experiments and countless awkward moments. Now, thanks to a collaboration between KONE elevators and Finnish design company Marimekko, you can stare intently at wonderful designs rather than floor or the control panel. Marimekko Corporation is a leading Finnish textile and clothing design company that was established in 1951.

“Applying Marimekko designs to elevator cars will turn the ride into an experience that can be continued in other interior designs of the building. The agreement reflects the goal of both parties to make design a part of people’s everyday lives,” says Kirsti Paakkanen, President, Marimekko.

Such a small interior space which are normally rather industrial and boring. They are there functionally, but normally not aesthetically pleasing. These pieces of art, placed within the lifts form a point of conversation and are more visually pleasing than metal or mirrors!

CityWall, Finland

The CityWall is a large mutli-touch display installed in a central location in Helsinki which acts as a collaborative and playful interface for the everchanging media landscape of the city. The content displayed on the CityWall is periodically organized into themes or events that are currently taking place in the city such as festivals, carnivals or sports events.

The technology which enables this direct interaction has been specifically designed so that several people can interact directly with display at the same time; the maximum number of people who can interact is limited only by physical space.

The installation has three objectives;

1 : It aims at creating Awareness and Presence of City Events in an engaging installation where passers by playfully manipulate media and learn about anniversaries, events and festivals.
2 : It is aimed at supporting active visitors and social media motivating users to actively and collaboratively make sense and play with media.
3 : CityWall proposes a platform for Media Literacy which can deliver rich media experiences to the widest audience. Anyone with the most basic computer skills can learn and use the CityWall in a few moments.

This interactive piece allows people to communicate digitally - it would be good if it could happen throughout the city so that no matter where you are, you can interact with one another.

Citylounge

A red carpet has enveloped the surface in and around the financial district of St. Gallen, a north-eastern city of Switzerland. A result of a competition, the 'Stadtlounge' (citylounge) was designed by artist Pipilotti Rist along with the Carlos Martinez architectural firm. The redness meanders through the functional office buildings, creating an inspiring and fun people-friendly space.

The entire ground, including cars and the road, have been covered in red broadloom, as part of a design competition to create a "public living room."

It's interesting how the fabric pours out over the streets and rises in curves to form ultra-chic couches dotted around, and also how objects such as cars are covered in a carpeted material making it part of the lounge. The car isn't functional in it's own right... it's part of a piece of art - there to be used as a piece of furniture.

Sophie Toulouse

Sophie Toulouse captures the beauty and uncertainty of life with her large-scale visual installations. Working from her studio in Paris, Toulouse is the quintessential digital artist, bringing lush graphic design to life on the stark white walls of galleries the world over.

Victorian style, punk, art deco and pop art are the sort of styles which influence and inspire her work.

I looked at her work last year whilst working on a brief and I find her work inspirational and intriguing. She puts a lot of attention to detail into the pieces and they work because the illustrative art is impacting and eye catching.

Spoofs

I became interested in Spoofs after I came across the Tango advert created by an advertising company in response to Sony's Bravia advert. I have since looked into it further and found out that there was a whole other side to the advertising campaign... there was viral marketing... and even a crap website which is meant to look crap!!! Design is used again and again, but to re-use an idea within a few months is pretty daring... but it works! It's funny how they have changed the Californian scenery for Welsh... slightly degrades the product... but it benefits it because it's ironic and brings the product down to earth. I also think that the fruit works just as well as the balls.

Also added a few others which I found on YouTube.



Sony / Tango - Created by CHI advertising agency (http://www.chiadvertising.com/indexC.htm)

(Bit of info about the Tango campaign:

"We went to Swansea (not San Francisco, like Sony did) and dumped loads of fruit. Then we filmed it.

However, we created much more than just a viral spoof.

We created a fake local community.

Through The 'Swansea North Residents’ Association' website they protested against the damage caused by the Tango film crew. The site was designed and written to be authentic, detailing the devastation caused and encouraging others to join their protest.

We created fake press coverage on other imaginary news sites. As evidence, the residents put photos of the damage on Flickr. And they tried to recoup losses by selling items broken during filming, on Ebay.

We also made sure everybody could watch the ad, providing PSP and iPod versions that could be downloaded and watched anywhere.

All of which proved that you don’t need a big TV budget to have a big impact. A truck full of fruit and some non-traditional online media will do just fine.")



Sony Bravia - Paint Spoof - lol... he sounds sooo much like Gareth from Office. I think that this is hillarious.. shame it can't be put to better use!



M&S spoof - plenty more can be found on youtube!



Citroen - completely stupid... but quite amusing!

Herb Lubalin

An American Graphic Designer born in 1918, died in 1981.

He designed a typeface, ITC Avant Garde. This distinctive font could be described as a post-modern interpretation of art deco, and its influence can be seen in logos created in the 1990s and 2000s.

Herb’s 'Families' logo was designed in 1980, and I really think that this is a fantastic example of branding / logo design. It's simple but effective, but also clever the way that he has used the word to convey a message. It's the sort of logo which you would want to design yourself... but wouldn't want to copy.

Desktopography

I was viewing Holly's Blog and she suggested taking a look at this website... and on entering the site... I saw this little beauty. Creative typography... something which really interests me. The use of art/design makes typography more interesting.

http://www.desktopography.net/

iPod for India

Bangalore-based design agency Redifussion DY&R has devised a simple campaign to market the iPod in India. The concept is to sell the main benefit of the iPod which is that you can take your music with you anywhere you go and however you are travelling. It's not as advanced as the international iPod adverts but it's simplicity sends out a clear message in an emerging market where you need to sell rationally first, before targetting emotions.

The motorbike visual works really well but I think that there is room for improvement with the car.

Creative Directors: Arun Kumar, Minakshi Achan
Art Directors: Samuel Samson, Senda AP
Copywriter: Anto Noval
Photographer: Kumaran

Josh Sellers

I came across this guy though a website called www.thecreativeforum.com and took a look at his website. His name is Josh Sellers and his works vary between photography and design. I particularly found his photo albums interesting because they are across between holiday snaps showing emotions and every day sort of shots, and real professional-looking photographic shots. The mixture of the two are interesting to view because it almost shows that photography is his life. They are photos to be creative, but also photos of places and things to remember.



http://www.crowdedstudios.org

Flat Design

"I've figured out a major element that has been driving me mad with a lot of graphic design lately... it's FLAT. Sure, traditional graphic design is supposed to be 2D, but wiith the current trend of reality TV, fashion brand using more texture and the web becoming more in-depth... shouldn't graphics follow suit? should graphic artists live more up to the title and spend a wee bit more time creating depth and texture? I think so. I think... with deadlines aside, I would love to see more designers play with depth and texture... without the use of 3D-MAX OR BRYCE. Gte down and dirty with CS3.... take the new magazine submissions to another level! Flat will never go away, but even a hint of texture can make all the difference!"
- Josh Sellers

I found this online and really reacted to it. Looking at my portfolio, my work is very traditional and flat. The article reminded me of Fabio's blog on digital work. I think that the general outcry is for new designers to reach out and be more creative instead of playing safe all the time.

Street Art

3-D street art has always fascinated me, but I have just come across examples of street art used as ambient media advertising. The first is for T.Com and the second is for Ford.

A am also posting examples of Street Art.







http://www.european-street-painting.com/