PPP3 - INSPIRATION

Today, while checking the YCN website I came across this genius advertising campaign for Depaul UK's Nightstop programme. 

The campaign, created by Publicis London, aims to help change the perceptions and stereotypes surrounding young homeless people, inventively utilising the architecture of buildings to cleverly communicate how there are two sides to every story. 

The campaign really speaks for itself, and delvers a powerful message in a way that will force people to reconsider their view of the homeless.

Link

PPP3 - INSPIRATION

Today I watched an inspirational video detailing the printing process used on the cover of Craig Oldhams newest book 'In Loving Memory of Work'.

The book is a visual record of the miners strikes that took place in England during the 1980's, documenting the events with images and artifacts collected by Oldham and his family, some of whom were miners involved in the strikes.

The aspect of the publication I found most inspirational is the innovative wrap-around cover, which Oldham chose to print using coal dust taken from the site of Barnsley Mill in South Yorkshire. 

The video embedded below documents the print process and the stunning effect the printed coal dust creates.

PPP3 - INSPIRATION

Additional to my woodland adventures, I also started shooting photographs on my camera Olympus RC35 film camera, something that I have lost touch with since starting third year in September. 

Film based photography has been something that I have always had a passion for and found thoroughly enjoyable. The quality and character of the outcomes, sometimes unexpectedly so, have a certain personality that just cannot be achieved while shooting digital images. Furthermore,the fact that, much like print based design, the medium of film is slowly becoming obsolete as we progress further into the digital era, only adds to the qualities that make the medium appealing. 

I took the image below while on one of my adventures, shooting with my iPhone through the viewfinder of the camera. Images taken during the days spent exploring the woods will be posted once they have been developed.

PPP3 - INSPIRATION

I spent this week of the Easter break at my mothers house, which is situated in a beautiful little Lancashire village called Whalley. Conveniently for me, an absolute nature fanatic, her house is only a five minute walk from some amazingly beautiful countryside and woodland areas, so I had the opportunity while staying there to experience it on a daily basis.

Most days, I would wake up just as the sun was coming up and go for a long walk exploring the different aspects of the surrounding landscape, something I have truly been missing while living in the city.

Morning spent alone in the woods can be really meditative and soul reviving, especially when surrounded by wildlife like roe-deer and foxes which I saw on a regular basis. 

Below are some image I took on my iPhone showing some of the interesting visuals and textures that can be found within nature that I believe could transfer well into a pattern or design element. 

PPP3 - INSPIRATION

Currently, one of my close friends is travelling around Australia for a year working and experiencing the different aspects of the countries culture. 

While he was there, he spotted this absolutely amazing mosaic artwork on the floor of a building he was visiting and snapped a picture to show me.

The level of detail and accuracy of the whole piece is absolutely amazing, and encapsulates the skill of a true craftsman. The mosaic itself, with its thousands of individual pieces, must have taken the artist who produced it a lot of time and effort to complete, illustrating the level of commitment and skill that is needed to complete such an outcome. 

PPP3 - INSPIRATION

Today while I was getting drunk at the pub I spotted this creative use of a ligature used to join the 'A' and 'S' of the Aspall Cider typographic logo element. 

Everyone can appreciate a good ligature, especially after a few pints of ale. 

PPP3 - INSPIRATION

While shopping in Abu Bakar's today I came across a non-alcoholic malt beverage named 'Supermalt' with an absolutely fantastic label design.

The consistent simplicity of the design combined with the limited use of colours and bold, attention grabbing font made for a really successful label design that jumped off the shelf when compared to its competitors. 

Due to the use of the brown bottle and mustard yellow label design the product takes on a really retro feel, that could leave it looking outdated and undesirable. However, I believe this is one of the designs biggest successes, as standing out from the competition, and doing it well, is a hard feat to achieve in today's consumer markets.

PPP3 - INSPIRATION

Today, while I was browsing through the assortment of work on Design Inspiration I came across some impressive work by Andy Gellenberg, an illustrator and graphic designer who is currently living and working in Germany.

Two of his pieces that really caught my eye are the two posters from his New York to L.A series, that combine a bright colour pallet with a busy composition of city specific illustrations. 

Although the illustrations themselves are only simple, the way the individual images are layered up and cut out of each other creates a really engaging visual effect that captures the often hectic nature of a city.

Link

After looking at Andy's posters for a good few minutes I realised they utilise a very similar illustration technique to the one I used for one of my Secret 7 entries this year. 

Made as a visual representation of Born Slippy's 'Underworld' I built up layers of simple illustrations to represent the fragmented way in which a drunk person perceives the events of a night out on the tiles.  

Although the entry itself was unsuccessful, I want to continue experimenting with this style of illustration and apply it to some future projects. 

My entry to this years Secret7 design competition.

PPP3 - INSPIRATION

Tonight while I was at the skate park, just as the sun was setting there was some truly beautiful tones and natural gradients in the sky. 

The colours and gradients produced by nature, specifically at the times of sunrise and sunset, in my opinion, are some of the most majestic and beautiful colours the human eyes can perceive.  

PPP3 - INSPIRATION

While I was at a friends house this weekend I came across a car maintenance manual he bought to help him with any D.I.Y repairs that he may need to make on his car.

As soon as I opened the book I was presented with some amazingly intricate illustrated instructions showing readers the different steps of a specific engine repair job. 

To ensure that readers can not only understand the process of repairing the car but complete it themselves, the book has to be functional in the way it communicates and visualises the process. Therefore, the design of the book, the wording of the body copy and the intricate nature of the illustrations all combine to help make a complex problem very simple, in essence, encapsulating the true definition of good design. 

PPP3 - INSPIRATION

Another video documenting the creativeness that can be found within skateboarding. Inspiration at its finest! 

PPP3 - INSPIRATION

Today, I read a fascinating and inspirational article about the people of Sarayaku, an Amazonian tribe who are currently fighting back against the oil industry and effects of global warming.

The article discusses Patricia Gualinga's involved with campaigning for global action to stop climate change and the struggle faced by her tribe to stop the exploitation of their land for profit. Sarayaku is based in southern Ecuador, a country which has been the focus of much media attention for selling teh drilling rights to huge amounts of indigenous land. 

An aspect of the article I found really interesting was the section which discussed how the amazonian community are not only defending their land from the powerful corporate influences interested in exploiting it, but believe their balanced, nature focused lifestyle is key to overcoming the environmental and societal problems currently faced by 21st century society.

'What I found in Sarayaku was not just a community defending its territory. I encountered a people who believe that their lifestyle, deeply connected to nature, holds promise for humans to save themselves from global warming and extinction. They are fighting back by advancing a counter-capitalist vision called sumak kawsay—Kichwa for “living well”—living in harmony with the natural world and insisting that nature has rights deserving of protection.'

Additionally, another quote that really struck a resonance with my environmental philosophies discussed some of the choices people will have to make if we are to progress towards a sustainable future.

“choosing our responsibility to the seventh generation over quarterly earnings, regeneration over economic growth, and the pursuit of well-being and harmony over wealth and financial success.”

PPP3 - INSPIRATION

Today, while browsing through some design blogs I came across a post discussing a revolutionary new technology that has the potential to seriously impact the design industry and consequently open up a whole new world of opportunities. 

ROHINNI LIGHT PAPER 

The product, which has been created and produced by a company called Rohinni, allows you to PRINT LIGHT onto a thin, flexible paper like material. 

Link

The innovative technology is manufactured by mixing ink with minute LED's that are around the size of a red blood cell. The substance is then printed onto a thin layer of conductive material which is then sandwiched between two additional layers and sealed closed. When an electrical current is applied to the material, the conductive layer disperses a charge across its surface consequently lighting up all of the little LED's creating a paper thin, light emitting material. 

The flexibility of the technology allows users to print light in any shape and also gives users the ability to apply the light paper to nearly any surface. In reality, the applications of such a technology are endless, and it is not until lightpaper can be exploited by creatives that its full potential will be realised.

At this current moment in time, the creators of lightpaper are still not sure exactly how it will be used. However, the company has established that it is not interested in breaking into the already entrenched TV market, but would rather apply the technology in industries where it can immediately have an impact.

Consumers should start to see lightpaper on the commercial market in 2015, however it wont be available to smaller consumers until the company gets a footing in the market.

PPP3 - INSPIRATION

Today, while browsing through the depths of the internet I came across a huge image (displayed below) of one of French street artist BLUBLU's amazing mural pieces.  

Initially, due to the strange way the image has been placed I was confused as to what the mural was going to illustrate. However, as I started scrolling I was instantly impressed by the murals concept, execution and size.

The piece, which illustrates the development of life on earth from a single celled organism, progressed to deliver a message about modern society, suggesting that if we cannot change our confrontational and often violent way of existence, we will ultimately destroy all life on earth. 

BLU's piece is inspirational on many levels, from the quality of the illustrations to the size over which the mural has been composed. However, personally, the aspect I find most inspirational is the concept behind the outcome. Like a lot of street art, BLU's mural deliveries a message commenting on the negative aspects of modern society, hinting at what awaits us if we cannot change our ways. Such social commentary fascinates me as I am heavily interested in global politics, sustainability and the social movements looking to facilitate positive global change.

Link

PPP3 - INSPIRATION

Todays inspiration came from something completely unrelated to graphic design or illustration and in fact came in the form of an extreme sport.

The video, which was posted by Thrasher Magazine, features a German skateboarder named Michael Mackrodt, who is filmed ripping through the suburbs of Paris for five and a half minutes of fast paced, creative skateboarding. 

There are an assortment of reasons I find the part inspirational, from his flowing style to the rapid speed at which he skates throughout the whole video. However, by far the most inspirational aspects of Mackrodt's skating, and the reason he is featured on this blog post, is because of his creative interaction with the Parisian architecture and his combination of unusual tricks that he applies into interesting and stylish lines. 

As a graphic designer that is also heavily involved with skateboarding I can appreciate Mackrodt's creativity and skill on many levels. Moreover, such respect has allowed me to identify aspects of skateboarding that also have relevance to graphic design. 

One of the most important aspects of the video was Mackrodt's creative approach to skateboarding, which has relevance to both the way he approaches a spot and the tricks he does. It is this ability to think differently and approach obstacles and tasks creatively that has relevance in both skateboarding and graphic design, and is main the reason the video has relevance to my professional practice.   

PPP3 - INSPIRATION

Today, while browsing through the pages of 'Booooooom', a creative inspiration website, I stumbled upon some amazing water colour studies by a Swedish illustrator and designer named Felix Roos. 

As a medium, watercolour paints have always interested me due to diverse range of the ways in which the paints can be applied and the stunning outcomes that can be produced. In fact, over the Christmas period, I utilised the qualities of watercolour paints to my advantage, applying them to create a range of tranquil mushroom illustrations for a wallpaper repeat pattern. 

Upon seeing the studies by Roos I was instantly amazed, not only by his ability to apply the paints, but also with the originality of his pieces. Of the works featured below my favorite studies are undoubtedly the hand reaching through a cube of water and the range of fragmented faces.    

Link

PPP3 - INSPIRATION

Today I watched a short video featuring Aaron Draplin, a well known graphic designer who was born and raised in America. In the video, Aaron takes on a logo challenge from 'Lynda.com' in which he must complete a design for a logo within a fifteen minute timeframe. 

Most logos are not designed in such a short amount of time and require much more development. However, Aaron's vast experience enables him to create a successful outcome within the specified timeframe while documenting his process and decisions for the viewer. 

The video appealed to my professional interests and has relevance to my development as a designer due to the fact that I am continually looking for ways to improve my practice. Watching the video allowed me to analyse a professional designers methodology while solving a design problem, something that is both interesting and useful.   

While watching the video I took notes documenting aspects of Aaron's design process that can in turn help me to improve as a designer.

NOTES -  

PPP3 - INSPIRATION

'A field guide to birds' is a photo journal by intrepid explorers Marc Adams and Jason Domogalla. 

As an individual with a serious case of incurable wanderlust and an inextricable love for the outdoors and adventure, the series of images documenting Marc and Adams excursions is completely awe-inspiring. 

Although not directly related to graphic design, I find anything that simultaneously documents the inherent beauty of our world and the journeys people take to experience it far more exciting and inspirational than the majority of secondary sourced inspirational material.  

The set of images displayed below illustrate some of Marc and Jason's adventures;

Link to blog - Link

PPP3 - INSPIRATION

Today, while browsing through the creative inspiration website; 'Booooooom' I came across a blog post detailing the work of Berlin based artist Max Gärtner.

Gärtner's work spans multiple disciplines, from paper cuts and screen prints to spray painted works, often such studies focused on capturing the innate details and form of the animals his portraits often feature. 

While reviewing Gärtner's work I became truly amazed at the level of detail he manages to achieve in his intricate paper-cut studies. The complex flowing lines Gärtner is able to achieve in his illustrations is commendable, and undoubtedly has taken years of painstaking practice to perfect. 

As a craft driven designer I love creating work using physical, hands on production techniques, an aspect of my practice which allows me to really appreciate the effort and skill Gärtner has put in when producing each study. 

Image Sources - Link