PROJECT RESEARCH: PEARLFISHER

These guys are one of the leading package designers around and I must say they have created some wicked stuff. They are responsible for This Water, Jamie Oliver, Absolut Vodka, Waitrose package designs just to name a few. They have definitely inspired me when designing for my "Confidence Booster" beverage.
Worth checking out
http://www.pearlfisher.com/

here are couple examples from Jamie Oliver's collection:


I really enjoy the simplicity and playfulness of
this design. You almost hear yourself saying "I could do that" but I am very aware that something that looks simple is not always simple to design.








I think they have pulled it off really well here as making something so colourful can easily go wrong.

100 COLLAGES: WELCOME TO COLLAGE LAND

There is a light at the end of the tunnel!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ; )
I am finally coming to the bottom of 100 collages. Needless to say, 100 is a fair bit but the process is highly enjoyable (well, most of the time). I have realized that some days I just wanna do as many as possible without considering them too much and some other days I wanna create something beautiful. Also, some days the creation of them flows better than others as it seems that you need to be a bit RANDOM with the whole thing. I am not going to mention the mess my house was in during the process, quite sincerely, I have turned it into Collage land (if seen by cleaning freak=nervous breakdown guaranteed ; )).



































At some point the situation got so bad that everything was covered in newspapers, mags and cut-outs. Here is an example of re-discovered f-flop...








my desk...











...has turned into one big collage!
how cool is that?!










I would also like to mention that I have experimented with different ways of working during the whole time. At the beginning I just went through newspapers and mags and cut out things that had potential. After doing this for a while the collages got a bit boring so I searched for colour paper, different materials, etc. to make them more appealing. Also, at the beginning I caught myself doing the same mistake that we all did at the collage making workshop with Darren - I over crammed the space. As a result there are too many things happening and there was no focus. I have later payed more attention to it and collages started looking more beautiful, clean and focused on particular thing. I also tried to separate text and image cut-outs into 2 bags but the best technique has proven to be separating text and images on my desk and then standing up and seeing possible combinations. I still have a week to go before the hand out so I'm probably going to try to make some more and then choose the best ones.

PROJECT RESEARCH: ONE OF THE BEST PACKAGE DESIGN WSITES

One of best and visually most exciting package design wsites I have discovered recently

http://www.thedieline.com/

PROJECT RESEARCH: BREW DOG

came across this packaging design whilst doing my research. I don't necessarily like the design, I even think the copywriter took it a bit too far but the fact is, they are different than most other brands on the shelf and that's why I've noticed them. I haven't tried the beer yet (cooling down in my fridge ; )) but I hope that it at least tastes good! They are kind of relevant to my research as they are targeting different audience, I guess younger, probably between 20-30. The flavors are nowhere near traditional so aimed at people that are willing to experiment.



















Here's their site http://www.brewdog.com/index.php

COLLAGE RESEARCH: INSECT

Inspirational collage design by http://www.insect.co.uk/2004/
Mirroring image effect works really well, might try it myself.

UNPACKAGED

Brilliant concept. Packaging without packaging but cool visual trick by
http://afom.com.au/index.php?/projects-/unpackaged/

PROJECT RESEARCH: THE AMERICAN PACKAGE MUSEUM

I am working on a packaging design for my first big project so I'm trying to get as much info about it in as I can. I have already visited Museum of Brands, Packaging and Advertising in Notting Hill and I can tell you, it is amazing, to say the least. I might pop down again for some retro inspiration.
http://www.museumofbrands.com/

I just came across American package museum as well and the good thing is, they got images of quite a few items online

http://www.packagemuseum.com/exhibits/dubblebubble01/dubblebubble01.htm

LETTERPRESS 1ST SESSION

These are the photos from a first letterpress session. The whole process is very much back in time type of thing but it seems interesting so far.
The photos I have taken in the studio are visually appealing, a bit industrial, arty and messy.
It almost seems it's a place where you can get quite a few unusual, well composed photos without making too much of an effort. Also, sometimes you only see things in a different way once you have taken the photo of them. An example is this one below, it seems like it's a graphic radio equalizer.

WORKSHOP CLIENT, MESSAGE, AUDIENCE

Now this was a very helpful workshop, actually all three of them. There is a reason why I am only posting photos of this one, researching the message. I have found it most difficult to visualize and get to the core of the message, in my case, "Be more confident". It is something I am willing to develop and practice a bit more. It's so true, one image is worth thousand words. I have also realized that drawing ideas ignites whole new set of possibilities.

STAMPS

I was just cleaning my house a bit and found this collection of stamps I bought a few years ago.
They are really cool, I am so pleased I rediscovered them.
I have always liked old's cool movie posters and this collection includes some masterpieces, check it out!

10. 11. 09 EXHIBITION

Last Tuesday, 10th Nov me and a few of my classmates went down to Battersea to check out Jesse's (we had story telling workshop with him) exhibition. It was a small space but quite interesting. Out of all exhibited items I especially liked this yellow structure below, it was just so tactile and strikingly yellow. The girl that created it told me that there's no hidden agenda behind the creation , she is "just creating" at the moment...I quite liked her reply.














This was another creation which I find interesting. Used art/design book cover in a frame.















The exhibition was set amongst other work studios so I went and had a little browse...I found some rather interesting collections ; )














...ever wondered what happens to keyboard buttons?

BIG FISH COOL PACKAGING

I came across these babies in a supermarket during my research for a new project. 

I like the packaging. First of all, colours are different, more groovy than most other things on a shelf. That's why I've noticed them. The power of being different!  Also, the language they use to communicate is quite funny and colourful supported by handwritten type which gives it that young, a bit quirky feel.

Design studio www.bigfish.co.uk is responsible for package design and after looking at other stuff they've created, Mr Bunbury packaging is definitely their creation.

 

NEW EXCITING BOOK

I just got this amazing book through my mailbox today.
I flicked through it, read a few bits and it already changed the way I see some things around me.
I am very observant and curious by nature but this book takes it all a step further.
Already drew and wrote some bits in my sketchbook, yeyyyyy

gotta run, we're meeting to go to Jesse's exhibition

ciaooooooo

RESEARCH WORKSHOP

Very eye opening workshop. I never considered research as something that can actually create some kind of image or a side product. At least not in such interesting way.
My group has concentrated on researching the question "What is your favourite colour?". We asked our peers to pick a colour from given options and draw a shape that they connect to it.
To our surprise the results showed certain consistency and connection between shape and colour.
Decision to tackle our question in this way was pretty random but the results weren't.
I can totally see design being connected to so many other fields of studies, especially psychology.
I am trying to find some more info on a subject, it really got me interested.

Example of our colour vs shape research:

FENTIMANS FURTLING

FURTLING? what on Earth is that?

Practiced a century ago by Victorian upper classes, "furtling" is a wondrous erotic journey into the human hand's secret folds and furrows, one that delivers pleasure most vitalizing, lifts melancholy from the desponding mind, and restores wounded spirits. (from The Naughty Victorian Hand Book: The Rediscovered Art of Erotic Hand Manipulation)

The use of ones hands to simulate or create the impression of anatomical features in a postcard or photograph. This practice was more commonly for entertainment purposes rather than overt sexual gratification.

In an era before radio and television, Furtling was a somewhat common parlor phenomenon in the Victorian era. Courtesy of Urban Dictionary

Another example of brilliant Fentimans design using fertling

COLLAGE RESEARCH: TADANORI YOKOO

Tadanori Yokoo is a definite pioneer of Japanese graphic design. His artworks/collages are so beautifully colourful and complex. The thing I admire most about his work is the way he managed to pull off the busyness of images without over killing them. Even more, he managed to make them look quite sophisticated. Now this is a skill! There are obvious references to Pop art combined with Japanese popular imagery joined together under his distinctive style.

COLLAGE RESEARCH: SCHWITTERS

I decided to do some research prior to my 100 collages making. I came across Kurt Schwitters, very known collage artist in the 20th Century. Even thought his work is reminiscent of Dadaists work he wasn't part of the movement as he wasn't political enough (according to them).
He went off and created his own movement called Merz. He often collaborated with Dada artists.
Here are a few examples of his work:





















He seemed to be using all sorts of different paper cut outs and it all looks very random. Despite that I think they are quite visually pleasing, I really enjoy their composition. Based on the fact that he was creating in the time of war I can imagine they might have some kind of political criticism hidden behind.

FENTIMANS

I have always enjoyed not only Fentimans beverages but also their design ethics.
Ever since I was a child I was drawn to products because of the graphics on them rather their content and that hasn't really changed til this day. I remember I bought my first Fentimans drink for the same reason. It was so different from anything else on the shelf and to be honest, not many other similar companies can beat them on their distinctive style(and flavour to be fair). I just had Curiosity Cola today which made me look into Fentimans world a bit more. I have found a Victorian treasure! Typographer David Wakefield is responsible for these wicked posters using Victorian-style wooden printing blocks. Check it out

COLLAGE PARTY

My mates run a pub up in Crouch End and they were celebrating its 3rd birthday last Sat. I thought I might use this opportunity to try out something interesting.

That Sat I spent hours cutting out words and images that I found interesting, provocative, humorous,...I did this because I wanted to have certain control over the collages since I was not the one that would be creating them (also because the guys at the pub would kill me for all the mess we'd make with the cut outs ; )).

When finished I have put them into two separate bags and took them down to the pub. I put a sheet of white paper on the blackboard and asked people to choose a word and an image out of the bag and create something interesting and possibly meaningful. I was surprised how much people got involved, some gave it a serious thought others reacted really instinctively (as the night progressed they were becoming increasingly silly and random but they made us all laugh, big time).

Some people were reluctant at first but when they've seen how much fun everyone else is having, they joined in as well. I did not restrict them with any themes as I thought the place and time were not appropriate.

COLLAGE PARTY

As fun as it gets!




















This is the final result. Needless to say, everybody had loads of fun and it certainly added quality to your average Saturday night out. Now I only have one problem, I don't want to cut it into small pieces, it looks too cool like it is.

P.s. nights out should definitely be more like this.

SUMMER 2009

These are the two designs that I've created during my summer holidays. Very clear visions just popped into my head and were executed pretty quickly.

















The designs had to be created based on advice quotes from previous Fda students.
"Relax, keep your mind open" seemed pretty cool to me so I imagined this guy meditating. The idea isn't something groundbreaking but I mainly wanted to play around with watercolours and hand drawn images in combination with digital images. I also experimented with Photoshop's blending options. I have payed attention to what kind of colours and elements I used as I wanted to create a relaxing, esoteric atmosphere. The image should express the message on a very instinctive level even without the use of words. The text was added in Indesign.





















"step out of your comfort zone, be different" was the second advice I have chosen. I just wanted to be really simple with the message. I don't think there is much more needed to understand it.
I guess it was a bit influenced by Bauhaus art/design movement whose artists used lots of simplified forms and believed that function should dictate the form.
The old paper look is there to make it look like a page out of an old manual as the design has some informative qualities. The typeface I have chosen supports the message "be different" as the letter "n" is flipped around.

TYPO WORKSHOP OCT 2009

This course is so cool! Every day something new, I am really impressed how much they make us think in loads of different ways.
This was a typo workshop, we needed to play around with type first and do a few examples of how we'd present the difference between certain typefaces to someone that is completely new to the subject.
I reacted really instinctively and created a few examples of my observations.
In the first image we have sans serif and serif "Q" and this is just one way of how I would present the difference, somehow connected but not completely. Also I found it visually pleasing.
In the second image I realized how interesting are capital "Ws". The image speaks for itself.
In the third image I wanted to present how round are the shapes of classical serifs and how geometrical are the sans serifs. It does not apply to all serifs and sans serifs but that was a definite difference between given examples.
In the third image I wanted to present the feel of typefaces, the illustrative side of them. Script typeface has a nice flow while sans serif is more stable and static. It almost seems you could draw a certain musical rhythm with different typefaces.

WWW ISO50

I like some of this guy's work, it's got certain depth.
http://iso50.com/iso50.html

forgot to convert it into rgb, here's the real version

ILLUSTRATOR PHOTOSHOP WORKSHOP 20th Oct

This workshop was amazing! I have learnt so much. Also, the techniques that we were exploring were exactly the ones I was after for a while! I love it because a final product has that cool manual/organic feel that works very successfully. We used photographs, manual and digital drawings and manipulated them digitally in numerous ways. A winner!

This is a result of first playing around, should be more to come

COLLAGE WORKSHOP 1ST EXERCISE

Create collages based on one of the following themes:
composition, editing, contrast, rhythm, texture, re-purposing, juxtaposition, surrealism, narrative, humor

These were the first results

COLLAGE WORKSHOP 2ND EXERCISE

After the first exercise we concluded that everyone just crammed too many pieces of paper onto the page and hardly left any white space. Collages were too full and the main object on them (if they had one) did not stand out. Everyone kept this in mind when creating new ones as we can see on the above examples.