kleenex vs olbas oil?

Is it just me or are kleenex stealing olbas oil's 'nose' ideas? a bit unoriginal right?

Couldn't actually find any decent images of the Olbas oil's slightly older campaign but heres one of the characters from the 'nose family'.

Im just surprised they got away with it and found this discovery rather interesting!

7 Days Oriental food shop

This cool little shop near where i work in newcastle city, has a relatively recently new shop front, logo and signage. Was waiting around after work for my boyfriend last night so as i stood there, i took a bit more notice of it and realised how good it is for a pretty niche market/shop. Im a bit of a fan of the 'cute' and the 'Japanese' - design, culture etc ( credit to my boyfriend who got me into it all ^_^ )

Im really curious as to who designed it all..the illustrations are really cool and very good! Eye-catching, bright, friendly and welcoming, it embraces the eastern stereotypical culture ..

If anyone knows who did the design...? It would be interesting to know.

Maybe Im just not looking properly!

The title is a link to 7 days facebook page..

Alex Pardee Dunny | series 3

I have always loved Alex Pardee and yes, I'm partial to the Dunny once in a while :P .. So Im surprised that i have only recently discovered this little fellow. Seeing as the dunny series is up to numero 10..(?) this canny little figure has been out a while.

The older they get and rarer they get, the more they are worth..

I want him!

Check out Kidrobot.eu for the like of these and other designer toys and such..

Grande artiste' at four...

From the beginning..clearly...

(circa 1993-97)

127 hours

This movie is brilliant in every way, from the careful handling of the true story to the film making and effects.

Im sure its hard to keep someone intrigued on a movie about a guy who really did cut his own arm off to escape entrapment in a utah canyon, from a boulder crushing his hand. The film is about one guy and the 80 minutes create a build up for the inevitability of what you know will happen. Despite the hype on the festival circuits, the one scene of amputation isnt really that bad. For anyone who really went to see it for that particular hype, must have gotten a shock for the true intensity, emotional involvement and gritty, fast paced and versatile style of the movie. Fair enough, the scene was pretty disturbing, but its because the layers of the story prior to this, really engross you into this guy's life (Aron Ralston, played realistically and so honestly by the lovely james franco). The flashbacks, the hallucinations and some of the dark humour as ralston talks to us via messages to his family on his video camera are incredibly moving and make this film ore than just about the man in the hole.

Im no film critic so i'm probably not doing this review any justice and i cant find the right terms to explain how really innovative it is in filming and direction by Danny Boyle.

Particular praise goes to the opening sequence and the split screen style of filming in parts and the true attention to detail and sound. At times, i myself felt claustrophobic, uncomfortable and ..and scared as i imagined myself in his place. The freedom for improvisation helped the gritty realism without the fancy cover ups and dramatics that other directors may have resorted to.

I cant post any clips for obvious reasons...there aren't any yet! but i can force feed you the clever poster design and tell you all to GO SEE IT!!

Click the post title for the trailer

Click here| In memory of my nan

My nan suffered from Alzheimer's disease . At a fairly young age i watched my nan become a stranger. Eventually she died alone in her care home from a stroke. Its sad that in the years prior to that, her dementia meant that she wasn't with us anyway. Despite this, she always had a smile on her face and a giggle for us when we visited.

Im doing a poster for an exhibition in aid of Alzheimer's/Dementia.

This will be a community project and will involve members of the public giving copies of photographs of a happy time e.g holidays or special event that they enjoyed with their family member who has been diagnosed with dementia.
The photographs will also be accompanied by recordings of memories of happy times.
The purpose of this exhibition is to remember the happy times and get through the difficult ones as well as to raise awareness.
This exhibition will have a log book to write memories or thoughts about the exhibition and will also have a Auction later on in the opening night.

Coincidently, i'm Glad that i'm so aptly playing a part. Just a small token But still.

This is the exhibitions page: http://remembranceday2011.weebly.com/

Initial for the kitchen website

Simple left navigation with two categories - one for the cafe and one for the catering, with options within this. Navigation and the secondary left extras menu is always visible as is the logo and top bar with the shop opening times and contact details. Going to add email addresses somewhere near the logo, once i get more information about the business set up and the contact detail links between the cafe and catering.

the other left menu is more about attention to detail and getting the consumer interactive and involved. A photo gallery allows the potential customer to see the evidence and progression of the business and the quality. The same goes for the customer or collaborators feedback. Always useful tool to get a second opinion. Shows confidence in the business. The news part can include wither Facebook or twitter feeds - and local news, wether relevant to food, catering, etc. could have recipes and other relevant tips and advice on there. That demonstrates that the business is going the extra mile for the customers and takes interest in the local community. honest and trustworthy.

Colour scheme is in line with the logo - simple, clean, but with some fun characteristics such as the subtle illustrations and chalk like typeface.

The 'MORE' part of the previous post ...

Movie Posters | True Grit | Black Swan| MORE...

Im glad that the movie industry is really taking on these old school design techniques for the promotional artwork for their films. Its definitely becoming a trend. How beautiful are these though .. really! So after looking these up i searched for more alternative movie poster designs. They will follow..

Great source of inspiration and technique idea.

more than.. freeman.com

Brilliant. And thats just about as much as i can say on that.

The play on the iconic trustworthy voice of Morgan Freeman and the similar sounding name of the company led someone to think they could put the two together and not get done for copying! Yet, not only is it humorous but you trust it just that little bit more...

The music, the storytelling, means not only do you listen but "His familiar, mellifluous voice takes you to a calmer peaceful world where even the most stressful problems, such as your car breaking down, or a visit to the vets, are nothing but a drop in the ocean of life." He’s there to sweeten life’s bitter morning coffee, he’s MORE TH>N FREEMAN, thank you for listening."

Click on the title of the post for ''The making of..moreth>n freeman''.. its great

For the advert copy thins link: http://www.youtube.com/morethan

the kitchen branding

New live brief from a neighbour of mine. On the brink of opening a cafe' / promoting her catering business, i am going to be designing posters, leaflets, menus, a website and other bits to advertise the company. this is a good live brief as i'm working directly with a client and responding to their needs, i have plenty of work to explore and have an indefinite deadline. This is a realistic brief that i would encounter i industry also, therefore it answers my project aim to source and do more of this kind of work. I have already started work on the website design, menu and in store designs such as the specials boards, window design etc

The name and logo have already been created so i have real limitations to consider and the like.

based in Durham, The catering business is up and running. Both directors are experts in the field and provide all manner of event catering from birthdays to business lunches.

Anther cool thing i should plug on their behalf is that they provide cooking parties/ lessons including parent and child cooking sessions and, quite appropriately, student cooking lessons. They arrange everything and it all happens in the comfort of your home.

if interested, would like further information or a quote please call : 07843 920 399

YUMYUM

Bruno Mars | Perfect in every way

Not only am i a fan of the singer songwriter but he fails to disappoint even in his marketing and self promo. From his CD covers to videos to website, they are all highly creative and well executed. The style has so much personality and it looks like it has as been given as much time if not more care and detailing then the music side of it has.

It just reflects the true meaning of the word artist - in every way. I instantly give him more credibility for the attention to detail to everything that his name touches. From photography to screen printing to digital complexities, they've all been attempted, with eye catching results. Theres something quite durable, classic and old school about these techniques, which relates to the idea of increasing credibility and the honesty of them. Back to basics but highly skilled and clever.

The Year's Project

Amongst other projects i am working on this year, i am planning to re work some personal branding and my online portfolio site. Created last year, the site never went live, nor did it get finished... :/

I guess that i just wasn't completely happy and therefore motivated to complete it.

Now, in my final year of my course, i have chosen the topic of employability in the graphic design industry as a research project. This has inspired me to work heavily on improving my portfolio through live and industry based briefs and enhance my online presence as well as self promotion, all in aim to enhance my own credibility, confidence and employability in an increasingly difficult industry and recession induced society. This was informed through research findings that will help write my final evaluation aka DISSERTATION (insert gasp) on what i have chosen to do practically, and why.

As previously blogged, one of these projects includes the anti fur poster design campaign, as i identified and evaluated what was missing in my portfolio. This brief not only includes a live competition brief but a chance to include photography as the best solution. What i will also look to do is some more corporate identity work - the kind of work i would realistically do in a local agency - for local businesses - law firms, solicitors, hairdressers,sandwich shops and the like. As my former tutor explained - my portfolio already shows a level of creative ability but i guess it lacks the realistic and dare i say it, more 'boring' daily and professional work required by REAL clients. This kind of work will help a prospective employer identify how i will fit into their own business by the type of work they are familiar in viewing.

Anyway!! I believe that being as well informed and knowledgeable in my industry will stand me in better steed and show me tae responsibility for my future in a mature and credible manner.

Now that i have explained the aim and content of my next few months, work and developments will follow!

Graphic Design For Fashion - New book

I would love this as a visual reference and inspirational resource. Its an ideal mix of fashion and graphics and how the fashion industry use graphic design to depict their brands and tell their stories.I think that theres something really whimsical, experimental and endless about fashion and the brands that create competition, character and ICONS. Its all very luxurious, expensive and all about quality.

Obviously, graphic design is my primary interest but I've always been intrigued by the fashion industry, the attention to detail and visual splendours! I think that If i was to work as a graphic designer for a fashion house, i will have possibly found the job of my dreams!

I think that the descriptions above sum up the style that i like to use, or predominantly am drawn to attempt. For example, the spread for Kenzo is highly crafted, well designed and executed, highly creative and a piece of art in itself.

"Paolo Bazzani's work for Kenzo fashion shows also reveals how an invitation can become a work of art in itself. For the Spring/Summer 09 event, Bazzani used children's pop-up books as inspiration, to create a whimsical 3D collage of paper butterflies, which of course also doubled up as an invite.

And from butterflies to human flies, images from the Spring/Summer 06 look book for fashion label Bernhard Willhelm, show how even this staple of the fashion industry can be given a surreal makeover via graphics. Featuring two naked figures with models exploding from their mouths, the images are both beautiful and provocative."

"With its broad selection of both labels and creatives, Hess and Pasztorek have cherry-picked some truly original work here. Although occasionally weighed down by a few turgid turns of phrase here and there – this is the world of fashion after all – Graphic Design For Fashion is a very well dressed and rich source for information and inspiration."

(Compiled by Jay Hess and Simone Pasztorek, designers at London-based studio byBOTH)

New Starbucks Logo

So Starbucks have unveiled a new logo... whoop-dee-doo!

So big that they needn't write their name on it.

Created by Starbucks in house design team Lippincott.