Recycled Design

The book art in my previous post has really struck an interest in me for product design. In particular, creating new designs from old and used items. Not only does this create fascinating objects and forms, but is also addresses environmental issues. By using someone else's rubbish such as bottle tops, old tyres, bent bike wheels, and plastic cutlery to create useful items. Below are a few of my favorite designs that have found their way out of the rubbish bin.

Perhaps most intersting of all is this desk. It has been made by a company called Moto Art who make a range of furniture, from commercial aircraft parts, collected from the desserts in California and Arizona.

Book Art - the future of books?

The thought of hacking up books is a slightly disturbing image for me, that is until I saw these 'book art' sculptures. A new trend of cutting up and redesigning books into aesthetic sculptures and practical objects, such as chairs, shelves, vases and even lights. I like this idea of taking an existing object like a book and transforming it into something entirely different, changing the message of the story inside. Below are some examples that caught my eye, they all use books, but contain different messages and purposes.

Though I find the concept of taking this traditional medium and turning into something innovative and beautiful fascinating, I cant help but think it sad. The question that comes to mind - is this all that is left for books today? I love the tactile nature of books, the cover designs, even the smell. I am probably one of the few people that still has a library card. However with growing use of the internet and the introduction of e-books and online magazines, is there a future for books? 

There are obvious environmental benefits to e-books, having been looking at sustainable design, they fit into this category very well. Despite this, I cannot imagine being able to concentrate reading a story on my computer. When reading a book, you can pick it up and dip in and out when you like, this would not be so easy using a computer. I enjoy turning the pages of a book and the tangible experience that e-books could not replace. This is an issue I have found myself thinking a lot about recently, I love the medium of print, it has a uniqueness that online doesn't posses. However with environmental problems and the growth of digital medium, who knows, libraries may one day become galleries for book art. 

On a more positive note, these sculptures take something old and used and reinvent it into something new, something that can be done with anything. I particularly like the book light shades, at a glance, I didn't notice that they were made from. The rest I have chosen because they use books in an innovative and visually appealing way. 

Leeds High Heelathon

Last Sunday I was working at the High Heelathon event in Leeds in aid of Breast Cancer Haven. I became involved in this as the company I have been doing a work experience placement at, were responsible for the PR and design for it. I wanted to write a post about this, as having worked on the project from the concept to the final event I have found it very inspirational. 

Leeds High Heelathon was the UK's first high heel race, with Kimberley Walsh from girls aloud starting and leading the race. The route was around clarence dock and brewery wharf, a total of 1.2 miles. The idea of a high heel race to raise money for breast cancer haven is exciting and very appropriate. The pink, glamorous branding created a very strong identity for the event and looked great on the final day on the banners and t-shirts. If I hadn't known about the event they would have definitely caught my attention. Using Kimberly Walsh also created much more publicity for the race whilst the male participants in high heels added much comical value. One of the aims for the heelathon was to involve men as well and not just aim it at women, and this worked really well. 

The race was sponsored by Moda In Pelle, who provided goody bags for each participant, including Scholl foot pads - very fitting for those who had just walked a mile in high heels. It is a good example of how important attention to detail is. Particularly useful to me was being able to see the development from start to finish, and everything that goes into producing a successful marketing campaign. What I thought was most effective about the High Heelathon, was that it took a generic idea for a fundraising event like a race and by thinking outside the box, an interesting, witty and original twist was added. I think that when holding charity events such as this one, it is very important to generate a new and fun concept for it to draw attention and publicity, as we often see the same ideas being used. 

Nokia Vine

Nokia viNe is a breakthrough mobile application for the Nseries, that records photos, videos, text, songs, voice and bookmarks onto a multimedia map of your life. As you go about your journey, the phones in built GPS tracker logs photos etc exactly where you take them so that you can relive and share your experiences. The vines can then be uploaded onto the Nokia viNe website.

There is no doubt that this a very clever and interesting piece of technology, however is it at all useful? Personally I wouldn't use this application, but then I rarely use my phone for anything other than calling and texting. I also wouldn't want to share my photos and videos on the internet. Though for technology lovers, this would surely be very appealing. Also the application does has some practical uses. I find the idea very intriguing but most of all I like the branding and the website for Nokia viNe. The website has a map of the world with vines that have been uploaded tagged on it and the overall design is fun and eye-catching. However somehow I still don't think it will be enough to compete with the iPhone. 

The Soloist

I haven't seen many films this year that have made an impression upon me, this is one of the few that have. What is most interesting, is that it is a true story. Journalist Steve Lopez began writing his remarkable story in a column of the Los Angeles Times newspaper, which has been created into a best selling book and now produced as this film. 

 

Whilst desperately trying to find something to write about for his newspaper column, Lopez hears a homeless, black musician playing Beethoven on a two-string violin in the street. This encounter starts as a human interest story for Lopez as he learns the musician, Nathaniel Ayers, was once a child prodigy, attending Julliard school in New York. However suffering from schizophrenia at an early age left him on the streets, with music being the only key to his sanity. As Lopez gets to know Ayers, he endeavors to get him of the streets and back into music and to expose the appalling conditions of the cities homeless. A rather lost character, the audience get the feeling that it is also a chance for Lopez to find himself. However over the film Lopez learns he cannot help Ayers, but just simply be his friend to him. It is a thought provoking, compelling story of friendship, with a warming yet realistic ending. 

 

Nathaniel Ayers is played by Jamie Foxx, a rather unlikely actor for this part, however he  plays it beautifully with much empathy. The relationship between Ayers and Lopez works brilliantly as they struggle to understand each other. All in all, a fascinating true story, brilliantly cast, well worth watching.

Eco-friendly Advertising

After watching the new Design for Life programme as mentioned in my last post, Philippe Starck got me thinking about sustainable design. More and more brands are using an eco-friendly aspect of their product as a concept for their advertising. I think these Audi adverts are very effective, showing that their cars are more fuel efficient, therefore more environmentally friendly and more cost effective. This is illustrated through their clever use of typography. In the first advert the text is made to look like a road using the white lines, this suggests you can drive further as the car is more fuel efficient. The second advert is my favorite of the two, using the words in the shape of a fuel gauge highlighting the 'E' and 'F' with the needle pointing to full. Using typography in this way is very eye-catching and effective and proves that it can be as engaging as an image. It also puts across the message of fuel efficiency across very clearly.

Design for Life BBC2

Tonight on BBC2 is the third episode of the apprentice-esque show, Design For Life. It follows twelve product design candidates competing for a six month placement at Philippe Starck's (the programs equivalent to Alan Sugar) design agency in Paris. Much like the apprentice, the competitors are set a task each week and the loser is sent home. The first week saw literal minded James expelled, who produced a bag of disposable nappies as an example of an unecological product. 

Philippe Starck provides most of the entertainment with his eccentric, and very stereotypically french personality. However, for a programme about design, I find it very poorly designed with a bad format. Definitely not to the standard of similar programmes, The Apprentice and Dragons Den. Also the chosen candidates are uninspiring and unentertaining. The BBC have probably cast them for their design ability rather than for entertainment value which makes for rather dull viewing and may not go down to well with the general public.

Despite this I am so pleased that the BBC have produced a program for the design community. I have often watched the apprentice and thought how good a design version would be. It is also a good opportunity to create public awareness about the importance of design. Philippe Starck too promotes an emphasis on ecological design and sustainability, an increasing concern in the design industry. For designers, particularly students it provides great inspiration for design and creativity and an insight into a prolific designer's agency. I am looking forward to seeing the rest of the series. 

Guinness Adverts

 

This advert made me smile when I saw it on television the other day. Created by Saatchi and Saatchi, it comically celebrates the 250th anniversary of Guinness, with two men in their local pub toasting to the man behind the ale, Arthur Guinness. The toast then spreads to a neighboring pub where it is interpreted as Martha, and carries in a chinese whispers fashion around the world, becoming more diverse, where people from different nationalities and cultures over the world toast the brands founder. I have always admired the marketing power behind Guinness, and this advert is typical of the brand, a clever and witty concept that portrays a strong message. I have taken a look at some of their previous adverts, below is one of the most memorable, created in 1999 by AMV BBDO, it was named by channel 4 as one of the best television adverts of all time. Using the well known guinness line, good things come to those who wait.

More recently made is the iconic 'domino' advert. What I find so astounding about it is the shear scale of the production, it is therefore not surprising that it's one of the most expensive adverts ever made.

London Fashion Week Exhibition

This weekend I visited London Fashion Week's exhibition at the Sommerset House and 180 Strand, showcasing two hundred of fashions most creative UK and international brands. The exhibition was intended to mirror the energy of the catwalk, helping to highlight fashion trends, and product selection and positioning. The exhibition was so visually eye-catching, consisting of vibrant, innovative and diverse collections. Features I particularly liked were the floating T-shirt island, that celebrates the T-shirt as a clothing item. 

Also Estethica, The British Fashion Council's eco-sustainable 

initiative. A collection of twenty eight designers, that practice fairtrade, recycling and ethical issues in their creations. This was particularly interesting to see cutting edge fashion can still be made in an eco-sustainable way, with the industry making positive development towards these issues. I think it is very important that well known and high fashion brands lead the way with these issues for others to follow. 

The range of colours and materials used in the different collections provided such a diverse and interesting appearance. This is what I like most about textiles and print design, the tactile experience that they give to the viewer. The extensive array of textures made me realise I need to be more experimental in my own work when choosing materials as they can really reinforce the message being portrayed

Radiohead House of Cards

This promotional video for Radiohead's single House of Cards came out last year however I had not seen it until now. A technological first, this film uses no cameras but is shot entirely using lasers and scanners by 3D plotting technologies collecting information about the shapes and relative distances of objects. The overall effect is this obscure but visually stunning image. The video is very atmospheric and surreal, and the motion of these images are intriguing. However I feel that they look even more impressive as still pictures like this one above. I think they have more impact and would be great as album artwork.