Wedge Bench on Design Spotter!!

Another blog appearance! This time on Design Spotter...check it out HERE!

Wedge Bench on Moco Loco!!

We made it on to another blog! Check it out HERE! (Thanks Natalie for the heads up!)

Wedge Bench on Design Boom!!

Good news!! The Wedge Bench was featured on Design Boom. A fantastic blog that you should check out HERE!

Alexis Anne Mackenzie

Her work is absolutely amazing. If you want to see some beautiful illustrations and a very unique approach to type, check out Alexis' website HERE.

CONSOLLECTION

This is the nerd in me coming out so bear with me. I love video games. Although my girlfriend finds this shameful, she is still up for a good game of Wii bowling or Kung-fu Panda. Anyways, for all you video game lovers out there this is the site for you. It shows all the game consoles ever released...ever. Check it out HERE. It is positively amazing.

Bantjes does Foil

Another favorite of mine, Marian Bantjes, has added some new work to her portfolio. One piece that literally caught my eye is this embossed foil piece. I think the use of the material is fantastic and it works very well with her patterns. Make sure you check her out HERE as she never seems to disappoint!

The Pattern Foundry

I love patterns. Patterns are both simple and complex, all at once. There are so many out there and so many artists and designers creating new patterns everyday that it is difficult to even keep up. One place however is dedicated to just this. Collecting patterns and making them available to anyone and everyone. If you love patterns, you must become familiar with The Pattern Foundry. Check out their website HERE. They are in the process of updating the site but it is still definitely worth a look.

THERE IS

I stumbled across the portfolio of Sean Freeman and loved it. He has a way with typography that is very beautiful and poetic (that one's for you Jonny) and he isn't afraid to experiment. Anyways, I am not going to go into it too much but rather let you see for yourself. You can check him out HERE. Enjoy!

"It took me all my life", and other quotes.

A series of 10 inspiring quotes were realized by 10 different artists. My personal favorite being the one above (not so much for it's looks but mainly for the story itself) which really got me thinking: I might tell this story to all my future clients! You can find the rest of the quotes HERE, all of which are well realized and worth the look. So go and be inspired!

O.K Periodicals Submissions!!

Submit your creativity to O.K Periodicals and be featured in their next issue! The deadline is February 28 and the theme is "Curiosities". You can submit anything from design, photography, science, illustration, new media, writing etc. So let those creative juices flow and get noticed! Check out the website HERE for more information, and good luck!

Wedge Bench

No glue or nails required. Only wedges. This was a project I collaborated on with designers Jonny Wray and Richard Beumer last summer whilst working on the design for an office interior. The dust has since settled and we have now worked out all the kinks so the next logical step would be to produce this baby. It's exciting and we are still thinking of expanding the line, but I am putting it out there to all you beautiful people to speak your mind, add input and just tell if you would like one...or two, or three!! :-) You can see more of it on my website HERE if you fancy it.

Klaus Haapaniemi

He creates worlds and scenes of pure whimsy and beauty and he does it an a way no one else could even begin to imagine. Another of my favorites, Klaus Haapaniemi has a style unlike anyone else I have seen. Intricate, detailed, vibrant and almost a throwback to the beautifully real/surreal illustrations one saw when they were a child. When things weren't simplified down to mere shapes and pastel colors, as if children today don't have the ability to process complex visuals. I think in this sense his illustrations are very pure. You can check out more of his work at Big Active or visit his website HERE, which is under construction but will hopefully be up soon!

The Fantastical Moomin Valley

The fantastical interior of the Moomin Valley will be sure to leave an impression. It is a very whimsical, almost child-like play on an interior that I appreciate very much. It's almost as if the rooms could be illustrations rather than a real space. The blurred line between what is real and what is not is very beautiful throughout the spaces and it leaves a nice impression. Check out some more photos of the interior HERE.

this IS the good stuff

No long wind, just a simple image that speaks louder than words.

Autobahn Studio of Graphic Design

Experimentation is the key to discovery, innovation, and new ideas. It's about trial and error, and turning error into something beautiful. That is what graphic studio Autobahn from Utrecht, Netherlands strive for. They aren't afraid to try new things and see what happens. Whether it be creating type from toothpaste, or grooming one of their members backsides into a beautiful landscape, they try it all. I am a strong believer of experimenting and "seeing what happens". You learn something from even the greatest disasters. Check out their website HERE. They are a group of very talented individuals who aren't afraid to try something new and this is definitely reflected in their work. Enjoy!

Iconic

There is just something about icons that I absolutely love. I don't know if it's their simplicity that makes them so straight forward that I like, or if it's just that so much is crammed into one simple gesture that everyone just somehow gets them that makes them beautiful. Making a clear, understandable icon is itself a great feat, but a fun one. However, I think my love for them goes beyond their simplicity. I think what really gets me is they take the normal and the "everyday" and make them iconic. They say so much in so little, and you can make them say whatever you want. A heart for love, and arrow for direction, a lighting bolt for caution, touch this high voltage item and you may be blown 50 feet into the air and not live to see another day. I think if Dieter Rams were a graphic designer, he would be a master of iconography. You can now download some of these great icons HERE for free! They come in both vector and raster form, so go ahead and admire and have fun!

The Drawing Machine

Not so long ago, a good friend of mine Alice and I decided to do something. Why you ask? Well we both love drawing, and food (sometimes not in that order) so it was a natural attraction so to speak. We started going to the local screen printing studio here in Eindhoven called Daglicht where we both went from unsure beginner screen printers, to obsessed beginner screen printers. A long story short we are now working on a collective called the Drawing Machine, which will be a place to show and sell our work online. One of our challenges amongst the many is to do a poster a month each. I know I'm excited! We are currently in the process of working on our identity and all that fun stuff so for now check us out at Society 6. It's an online community that promotes illustration and graphic design and is crawling with talent. Our page is obviously called "the Drawing Machine" and you can find it HERE. Wish us luck!

New Gorillaz! The countdown begins...

And they're back! The Gorillaz are set to release their new album called "Plastic Beach" in roughly one months time which for some (me being one of them) seems like an eternity. On the bright side however, for those of you who can't wait that long and need something to sink your teeth into, you can listen to one of the tracks called "Stylo" online HERE!! The song features non other than the amazing Mos Def and if the rest of the album can carry out the same quality only Damon Albarn knows how to produce, this will definitely be another must listen. Be sure to check out the Gorillaz site as they vamped it up to ring in the new album. New album means new album art by the fantastic Jamie Hewlett...but thats for another day.

A quiet day

Today is one of those days when motivation is low and projects all just seem a bit off. So, in the name of good fun and keeping the morale up, I present to you the Weird Machine. It does nothing useful by the looks of it (and I can't even remember where I found this image) but it's a heck of a lot of fun trying to figure out what, if anything, it would actually do. Maybe it will make my dinner tonight. Actually better yet, it will give me my next greatest idea by using it's rotating feet to stomp ideas through my ear and into my brain. I suddenly have the urge to draw my own ridiculous contraption. I leave it to you now to figure out what this machine can do and in the meantime I am going to draw stuff, and maybe even eat things in the process.

MACHINARIUM

If you love interactive games that make you think and puzzle and think some more, then go no further! Machinarium, by Amanita Design was recently released not too long ago and it is already getting rave reviews and winning awards. It's a flash based game so the only gaming skills you need is the ability to point and click, and the rest is easy so to speak. The game is quirky, whimsical, smart and very addictive. You start off as a robot in a junk yard who has clearly seen better days, and the rest is you going through beautifully illustrated worlds solving puzzles to help your robot through the land of Machinarium. You can check the demo out HERE, but be sure to also visit the website of Amanita Design for other free fantastic flash games they have developed, all of which are equally as beautiful and addictive. Enjoy! I know you will!

The Modern Blanket Fort

Not so long ago I got together with a good friend of mine, Natalie, and we decided to collaborate on a project together. After much talk about life, and design, and the meaning of both, we decided to do a project around the modern blanket fort. Actually, it didn't begin like that at all, but while doing research on our topic (which was broad and seems to have slipped my mind) I came across the blanket fort. Whilst admiring, thinking, and most of all reminiscing about the countless blanket forts I used to construct as a child, it got me thinking: how cool would it be to have a blanket fort that transcends all ages? If you break down the essence of a blanket fort as seen through the eyes of a child you will discover that it's primary appeal is that of escape and protection. Escape into the far lands of the their imagination , and protection from what those far lands have lurking. As "adults" we are always seeking this except instead of imaginary, these things we need protection from are real. Whether it be the stress of the day or the need to not be found; to be within ones own element, fortified. I have my first official skype meeting with her today (noon her time and 8 p.m my time) which I am very excited about. Perhaps we are on to something?

Soon to be ENGRAVED!!!

I sent it off!!!!! In my previous post regarding "my greatest new discovery" which spoke of a fabulous website called Engrave Your Book, I said I would put up the engraved moleskin design once it was completed. I just sent it off to be engraved and it will be a bit until I receive it in the mail, however I couldn't wait to show everyone the final graphic so here it is! It's an owl (my girlfriend loves owls) and an acorn (she loves acorns too) and if you can see it, there are also two people kissing above the acorn. The story is the owl lives in the acorn and the two people kissing found the acorn with the owl inside (is it a tiny owl or just a big acorn?). The acorn now hangs in their home and the owl likes it that way because he has a warm home and two warm hearts to protect and love him. Anyways, I can't wait to see it in leather! I hope you enjoy.

Machine Lights

Designer Frank Buchwald has created a series of lights called the Machine Lights. Looking at them at first glance they almost seem alive, as if they were little mechanical creatures out of a Tim Burton film. Perhaps that is what Buchwald was getting at. Looking at the machine as not only a series of working parts, but as if those parts together had life and personality and were not dependant on human interaction. The human within the machine, or the machine world. A comment very relevant in todays world considering the advancements of machines and virtual reality, and how machines are becoming more autonomous as they gain more capability and intelligence. Personally I love these lights. They are beautiful and animated and just very interesting. Check out the entire series HERE, they will all blow you away.

Engrave Your Book

My new greatest discovery! Engrave Your Book is a website where you can either buy already beautifully designed moleskin jackets, or...wait for it...you can design your own, submit it, and they engrave it for you!!! I know, I am still blown away. I am currently working on one for my girlfriend and I can't wait to send it off. Once I get it in I will definitely be posting it so you can take a gander. Check out their site HERE to submit your own, but be sure to look for the ones that have already been done by some fantastic artists as they are very beautiful. Again, enjoy!