They design

"The computer made me feel like my hands were cut off"

2010-11-12T18:17:00.005+01:00

Pentagram's Paula Scher talks about her experience in the design world as well as her techniques, sources of inspiration and thoughts regarding artistic creation. Surprisingly down to earth for someone so talented.
Worth watching!

Via Edgar González.

Reasonable

2010-11-12T17:27:00.001+01:00

A witty and well executed project by Carlos Rodríguez Torre.

13 reasons for not being a graphic designer and 1 for being one.

Reason nº1: The work.

Reason nº2: The phone.

Reason nº3: The caffeine.

Reason nº4: The stress.

Reason nº5: The trend.

Reason nº6: The talent.

Reason nº7: The sleep deprivation.

Reason nº8: The subjectivity.

Reason nº9: The lack of security.

Reason nº10: The nightmares.

Reason nº11: The color.

Reason nº12: The composition.

Reason nº13: The typography.

The reason for being one.

The reason: the enjoyment.

Original project.

Via @beamoron.

35 mm

2010-11-05T13:16:00.001+01:00

An amazing short film that summarizes 35 movies in just two minutes. Some of the stories it pays tribute to are A clockwork orange, The battleship Potemkin, The fight club, North by northwest or Toy Story. Worth watching and guessing!

35mm from Pascal Monaco on Vimeo.

By Sarah Biermann, Torsten Strer, Felix Meyer & Pascal Monaco.

And a rip off of the same concept that isn't as brilliant and homages less classic films.
Via Vimeo.

Shadowplay studio

2010-02-01T11:10:00.000+01:00

Some of the best title credits we've been able to watch in the last few years have been created by Shadowplay studio. An L.A. based studio whose projects span from title credits to video game cinematics, advertising and other kinds of motion graphics. One of their best skills is mixing video or photographic imagery with drawings and doodles. Worth a look.

Here are a few examples:

Thank you for smoking (2005)

Juno (2007)

And their latest work: Up in the air (2009).

The beauty of decadence

2010-01-29T12:15:00.000+01:00

I recently had the chance to get to know Artificial Owl, a site that features photographs of all kinds of abandoned bulidings, objects and facilities. Some of the images reminded me of the gorgeous work about Chernobyl from Nadav Kander.

Talent from sunny California

2009-07-07T00:31:00.002+02:00

Justin Harder's motion graphics are bold, dynamic and totally integrated with the media that showcases them. What makes them so special might be that no matter what graphic language he chooses to use his color palettes, compositions and typographic elements are always eye-catching and fulfill their communication purposes. No wonder why brands such as MTV, Coca-Cola, VH1, Fox or Bud have entrusted him with their commercials, teasers, videos, title credits and everything in between.

This reel is just a small part of his work, you should check out the rest of it here.

Via Serial cut's links.

Bitter Kas by Morera design

2009-06-27T13:38:00.000+02:00

It seems that lately using glass packaging in order to sell premium water is becoming a huge trend. Examples of this are the award winning Solan de cabras water bottle designed by Jaime Lacasa or brands such as Voss or Tasmanian rain.

Following that trend and with a similar amount of success, the new Bitter Kas packaging by Morera design has recently been released. It sure is a great way to modernize a drink by taking into account its pharmacologist's and herbal background as well as featuring the drink's color as the main element of the redesign.

Via Neo2

Florian Hardwig and Malte Kaune

2009-05-26T13:29:00.001+02:00

Some days ago Florian Hardwig helped me out with a typographic issue on typophile. As I was finding the way to contact him I came across his (and Malte Kaune's) gorgeous portfolio and I have to say that it was quite a surprise. The use of typography is one of the best I've seen lately as well as the handling of colour and composition. Here are a few examples but you should see all the work in context right here.

And who hasn't gone there once or twice?

2009-05-19T19:38:00.000+02:00

As everyone knows one of advertising's biggest inspirational sources is the film industry. If we payed attention to commercials, not necessarily the latest ones, we would be able to see lots of film maker pieces reflected in them both in terms of plot, tone or aesthetics.

Here are some famous examples.

The Radical fruit company and the rotoscope technique from A scanner darkly.

Audi quattro and King Kong's script with a twist.

Coca-cola zero and a bit of Planet terror's production.

Dodot activity and The ghostbusters.

Pepsi and a bit of Kill Bill's fighting style.

Everything is in flickr

2009-04-23T14:14:00.000+02:00

It's hard to think of anything design or photography related that doesn't have a pool in flickr. Here are some great examples:

Beer packaging:

Complete collection is available here. Via the dieline.

End titles:

The whole set is here. Via Binky the doormat.

Illustrations inspired by movies:

The whole set is here. Via Wellmedicated.

Mixed media with photography:

All the pool is here.

The now network

2009-04-17T10:13:00.000+02:00

Sprint has released an awesome new campaign across the US that not only considers e-mail or sms messaging as basic ways to communicate but it also takes into account some of the most popular web 2.0 websites's features. The graphics can remind a bit of general electric's smarter grid, also a visually striking and clear example of advertising.

Via twitter blog

Photojournalism demonstration

2009-04-15T12:28:00.000+02:00

Here are some examples of the press coverage of the G20's demonstrations in London. The images not only capture the essence of the scene perfectly but they are also amazing composition and framing exercises.

April 3, 2009

"Thousands of protesters gathered in London, England on April 1st and 2nd to demonstrate against an array of issues, largely anti-capitalist or pro-environmental in nature. A large underlying theme was anger with the effects of the economic downturn and a call for accountability and responsibility. While the majority of protesters were peaceful, a number of them took to smashing windows and throwing debris at police lines. London police responded with baton charges and arrests. Similar protests are now taking place in Strasbourg, France, which hosts a NATO summit today." Alan Taylor

Available here.

Via Binky the doormat.

Designer's behaviour

2009-04-14T13:21:00.000+02:00

Creative license by Envato via creattica daily: sarcastic, hilarious and always so true!

Greystone Inn by Brad G. Guigar is also acid and as mean as the ediorial world can be. Who hasn't faced the low resolution problem with a client/boss at least once?

Animaps

2009-04-03T19:50:00.000+02:00

Kentaro Negai has created a flash project in which he forms different chinese zodiac animals by only using the parts of the world map as a graphic element. Some might be hard to see at first glance but with just a bit of imagination the mistery is soon discovered. The project is called "piece together for peace" and it's available here.

Via Swiss Miss

David Pearson

2009-04-03T11:02:00.000+02:00

David Pearson is one of the best cover and typography designers you could find nowadays. His work is elegant, bold and often filled with subtle hints of humor. Certainly a pleasure for any bookworm!

No wonder Jonathan Bell from Wallpaper magazine described his works as: “instant design classics”.

Photobibliothek

2009-04-03T10:44:00.000+02:00

Photobibliothek is a Swiss private library that has as it’s main goal to represent the history of photography entirely through it’s original documents.

So, this site is a joy for any photographer’s sight as it features mostly every photography related magazine and book from 1839 to 2007. Even though it’s obviously a great source of inspiration it also is a really visual way to learn how graphic design and photography have evolved from a decade to the next one. Surrealist’s manifesto, The americans by Robert Frank or issues of Camera work are just a few examples of the wonders you can find if you navigate through it. Be sure to add it to your browser’s favorites!

Mario Hugo

2009-04-03T10:29:00.000+02:00

When you visit his portfolio there’s no doubt that Mario Hugo is a really talented artist. He can go from illustration or art direction to typography design without losing his mature style or technique. What I like best of his site is that he’s just chosen to show the works that, as he says: “speak for me personally” instead of featuring a never ending client list. It’s a lesson of how personal work can be much more important than the "big names" in your portfolio.

All kinds of inspiration

2009-04-03T10:26:00.000+02:00

Graphic-exchange is one of the best selections of everything design related. Graphic design, photography, identity and a whole range of other creative disciplines have their own space in this sweet website.

Apart from featuring pieces from a bunch of places it also allows designers to submit their work. Any design enthusiast should visit it, it’s worth it.

Magazine covers collection

2009-04-03T10:16:00.000+02:00

Tyler Lee offers a huge selection of magazine covers from all sorts of publications. Esquire, Life, I-D or Vogue are just some examples that are represented from 2003 to 2007. There’s a choice available for any taste but I think The Progressive magazine is one of the most gorgeous collections that are featured in the site.

Back to basics

2009-04-03T10:14:00.000+02:00

Kris Moyes is a director, producer and above all a stop motion genius. His style has been defined as vibrant and provocative nevertheless it mostly reflects his skill and ability to create new languages. His advertising campaigns and videoclips are a must see.

It seems that working in a "stop motion style" has lately become a trend. So, here are some other examples: Procastination by John Kelly and Her morning elegance by Oren Lavie, Yuval & Merav Nathan.

In addition advertising has used this type of language's possibilities and has created several campaigns for almost every kind of product.

Interactive motion graphics

2009-04-03T10:06:00.000+02:00

Yugop is an amazing motion graphics website composed and coded by the flash experimentation master Yugo Nakamura. It sure is a great example of how a designer’s imagination can run wild both in terms of concept and design.

You can also check out his ecotonoha project for Nec and his work Fontpark 2.0 for Morisawa.

A link to a website of links

2009-04-03T09:53:00.000+02:00

Design is kinky is a vibrant website that features the latest trends of the art and design world. It also has includes an online store and a great creativity magazine called Empty. Really inspirational. Definitely worth visiting.

Andrew McConochie

2009-04-02T21:38:00.000+02:00

Andrew McConochie is a design and communication studio that works for brands such as Loewe, Nina Ricci or Comme des garçons. Their works go from advertising, art direction or identity to editorial design. It sure is a portfolio worth seeing, even though they adapt to each client's needs, all their pieces are bold and rich in character.