iPaid. It’s a hard habit to break
Being an Apple addict isn’t a cheap habit but it’s one I’ve given up trying to beat. Quitting biting my nails was much easier…
So, there’s a new iPad and it’s called just that – ‘The New iPad’. Bit strange really, as they still sell the iPad 2 which is now inferior to iPad ‘The New’ and costs less which just doesn’t make sense. I can see that numbering things is silly and Apple don’t do it with desktops/laptops so really there’s no reason to do it with phones and tablets but I think the time to quit numbering things was back with iPad 2 so maybe it was Steve Jobs who had a thing for numbers?
Read More
- Blog
-
the new iPad
- March 16, 2012
Out with the old – in with the new
It’s nice when you get a chance to fix a logo that you are familiar with and have never liked. Qwikprint is a local printer that I’ve used for a long time and whilst their service has always been brilliant, their logo has always irked me and my design sensibilities.
Read More
- Blog
-
Qwikprint
- March 7, 2012
Tied in
The John Moores Painting Prize is nearly here. Today is the closing date for entries and in a few months time, all the successful entries will be on show at Liverpool’s prestigious Walker Art Gallery for the world to see. A visit to this exhibition has been on my bi-annual agenda since I was a teenager developing an interest in art and design.
Read More
Ooh aah… just a little bit
What’s not to like about the Eurovision Song Contest? It comes around every May and brightens our lives with eclectic sounds, visuals, performances and dance. The quality ranges from tragic to terrific and anyone willing to suppress snobbish musical opinions can usually find at least one gem amongst the 40+ international offerings. As a graphic designer, I always look forward to seeing how the host country will take the static Eurovision logo and build on it to reflect their own culture and identity.
Read More
Dutch Lawn
I have always been interested in music, I remember getting bought a tiny Casio VL-Tone when they came out and thinking I was the fifth member of Kraftwerk or John Foxx Junior. My musical career however was never meant to be, even though I wrote plenty of songs and even did a couple of gigs which were thankfully in the days before people could film things and put them online for everyone to see – for eternity.
Read More
Write here, right now
With so many fonts to choose from, one often forgets about the simplest of them all – your own. We all have our own unique font, and just like our fingerprints, it’s unique. It’s also perfect for many jobs. Before the design industry became computerised and while I was studying design in the 1980s, I used my handwriting for a lot of design work. This continued when I was employed as a graphic designer and the only alternative was transfer lettering, Letraset etc. My first major public health campaign for HIV/AIDS awareness was all written by hand and can be seen in a previous blog entry.
Read More
All is calm – all is bright
It’s Christmas time, there’s no need to be afraid… or so the song goes. I like this time of year, the miserable weather is counter-balanced by the mirth and merrymaking of festivities and we can forget it’s Winter, if only for a few weeks while we bask in the coloured lights and enjoy a much needed holiday.
Business-wise, it’s been a great year for Soft Octopus, the business has grown a little and the happy clients keep coming back for more. Personally however, I’ve never known a year filled with such sadness, loss and ill-health of those I hold near and dear
Read More
Sprechen sie Geek?
I’m just back from a trip to Hamburg. I went to see a show called “Stylectrical” at the Museum für Kunst und Gewerbe. This interesting exhibition explored the complex process of industrial product design in the context of cultural studies. It focused primarily on the industrial design of products by Apple and Braun, mainly by Jonathan Ive and Dieter Rams respectively.
Read More
World AIDS Day
Today is World AIDS Day, not that you would know from the TV coverage, have you seen any mention of it? World AIDS Day was observed for the first time on 1 December, 1988. So much has changed since the early days of HIV/AIDS or GRID or HTLVIII as it’s been called over the years, but so many things remain the same.
Read More
Getting sniffy
So, COMME des GARCONS are about to release a new fragrance on the world. I like the way this company works. I admire their approach and aesthetic. I like that they have always done their own thing, regularly working with artists and musicians to cut against the grain of fashion trends, and I like that they have prevailed as a result.
Read More
Recent Comments