rich cousins • blog

NEW BLOG HOSTED ON TUMBLR

2010-03-15T16:54:00.000Z

New Blog at http://richcousins.tumblr.com. Redirect yourselves there now!

New Blog

2010-02-22T14:22:00.001Z

I am moving over to Tumblr. I much prefer the overall useability, speed, and how easy it is to customise it. So from now on all my posts will appear on there. However it will take me a while to update everything, the style and links etc, so give me a few weeks. But for now add a new bookmark and I'll keep you posted. Rich.

But How Does It Float

2010-02-09T15:42:00.000Z

I posted this blog a while back, but think it's worth another post. Amazing inspiration every day. You should take a look now. But Does It Float

Deviant Art

2010-02-07T11:05:00.002Z

A couple of years ago I used to spend a fair bit of time on DeviantArt.com uploading my work and discussing others' work. I was suprised to receive a cheque from them this week! I had sold 6 prints of my Lion artwork (above), plus received lots of comments and favourites. This cheered me up greatly knowing that people know have prints of my work! Admittedly I don't think this is my best work ever, but the folks over at DeviantArt seem to like it!

Floating

2010-01-29T14:17:00.001Z

While looking through some surreal photography, I found this. I couldn't quite get it out of my head, there's something quite mesmorising about it. See it on DeviantArt.

Great Logo design

2010-01-28T11:58:00.001Z

I have been doing a bit of Coporate identity design at work, which is involving designing a logo. After nosing around on the internet I came across this list, and thought it was worth a post, as it gives a very quick overview to logo design.

45 Rules for Creating a great Logo

1. Do not use more than three colors.
2. Get rid of everything that is not absolutely necessary.
3. Type must be easy enough for your grandma to read.
4. The logo must be recognizable.
5. Create a unique shape or layout for the logo.
6. Completely ignore what your parents and/or spouse think about the design.
7. Confirm that the logo looks appealing to more than just three (3) individuals.
8. Do not combine elements from popular logos and claim it as original work.
9. Do not use clipart under any circumstances.
10. The logo should look good in black and white.

... read more

In My Apartment

2010-01-26T13:56:00.005Z

The view from my apartment; the main piazza of Pesaro.

I have now moved out my temporary room that was in the studio, and am living in an apartment in the centre of Pesaro. It's kind of a studio flat, because I have my own kitchenette in my bedroom, but I share a bathroom and living room with three others. It's in the second oldest building in Pesaro, and I have an amazing view out of my window!

Now I'm settled it's finally sunk in where I am and what I am doing! But in a good way, it's great so far! The studio have given me a bicycle and I am cycling everyday to work which will be good for my fitness! Although today it has heavily snowing all day, so cycling may not be so pleasurable anymore. I honestly can't believe the weather, it is warmer in the UK! Hopefully it'll get a little warmer in the coming months. Oh and today my designs for 5 t-shirts went to the printers, and some designs for a new bag went off to the client. I will post more about my experiences at the studio later this week, when I have sorted out my internet!
Ciao tutti!

La Prima Settimana

2010-01-16T16:57:00.006Z

The closed entrance to 'Rotti', a designer shop in Pesaro.

Hello all! I have been at Marco Morosini's Studio for a week now, and I'm just enjoying my first weekend here. It has been pretty tiring because the days are long because Italians like to have looong lunches so I don't finish until quite late in the evening. But other than that it has been really good so far.

Other than Marco himself, there are only 3 others in the studio: a graphic designer, a web designer, and another lady. They all work very hard as there is a lot to do, so I've been helping on all sorts of things. We've been finishing off an ice-cream recipe book, which involved some tweaking of indesign layouts, a bit of Italian to English translation and cleaning up some photographs. Also I worked on some developmental ideas for a Makeup stand. They are a regular client and wanted some new graphics for a new range of makeup. Also I am starting to work on developing a new design for a t-shirt range for Marco's own brand, Brandina The Orginial.

As I said before I am living in the annex of the studio which is great, but it's a little odd only walking three paces to work! So I am looking for a room somewhere, with not much luck so far, but hopefully something good will come up next week. See you all for now! Ciao!

My desk at Marco Morosini Studio after week one.

Happy New Year!

2010-01-10T12:40:00.004Z

It's been a while since I posted something here, but I've been busy sorting myself out for Italy. I am here now temporarily living in the annex of Marco Morosini's Studio. It's really nice and am excited to start working tomorrow. My Italian is coming along slowly, but still having to say "Pu ò ripetere per favore" every now and then. I just cycled over to the supermarket and bought some amazing stuff! Italian food is so delicious! I will post again next week when I've started working and properly settled in. Ciao!

Google Logos

2009-12-27T11:21:00.001Z

Hope you all had a great Christmas! Surfing the internet this morning, I came across the google archive of all the custom logos they've made over the years. There are so many; nearly one for every day of the year! There are some real gems, and above I've shown you some of my favourites from recently this year. I do wonder who designs these, and plus wouldn't it be a great job to design these everyday?!

Merry Christmas

2009-12-25T10:10:00.001Z

A very Merry Christmas to everyone!

Celebrity Big Brother 2010

2009-12-23T10:24:00.001Z

I just saw the advert for the new and final series of Celebrity Big Brother. It certainly looks interesting! I've been put off Big Brother in recent series but this hellish theme is enough to get me to watch the launch at least. I really like the new classical-themed music, the fire, the logo... But I do kind of miss the simple graphic logos of past. I have been wondering if this logo has been designed by Daniel Eatock, like every other? Nothing has appeared on his site as yet, so if anyone knows please let me know!

7 Design Rules

2009-12-18T09:44:00.001Z

I found these on Harmonie Interieure, which is a workshop decorating site. This wall sticker highlights seven great design rules, which really sum up everything up ;)

New Honda Ad

2009-12-15T12:05:00.003Z

Some nice work from Wieden + Kennedy found on the Creative Review blog ...

Christmas is coming...

2009-12-12T16:34:00.002Z

Graphic Nothing

2009-12-04T12:59:00.000Z

Some nice simple designs from Graphic Nothing.

Sketchbook / Year Out Update 1

2009-11-28T12:18:00.002Z

My year out in industry may have started off slow but things are good at the moment. I have several placements lined up for next year in Italy, which I am very excited about! More to come on that as it happens; I will be in Pesaro, Italy from beginning of January, working at Marco Morosini's Studio.

Currently I have just finished my fourth week at the How To Spend It Magazine, at The Financial Times in London. I am staying on for a couple more weeks up until Christmas, as I'm really enjoying myself. It is a small-ish team of people: Editor, two designers, two picture researchers, a subs team, and some admin people, but everyone is very friendly and they all work suprisingly hard! Everyones on the go all the time, it's a busy time of year I guess! I've been helping out around the office with various issues, as at the moment they are working on one every couple of weeks, rather than monthly. I have been doing some page layouts for the January and February issues; it'll be very exciting to see my work in print! I've also been to a few photo shoots, a couple of product shoots at studios and a portrait of a couple of art dealers.

My sketchbook (above) is looking a bit worse for wear, nothing a bit of tape and sprucing up can sort out, and hopefully it'll last me until the end of year and develop as I go on. It's been really good to see the magazine industry and they way the world works outside of university. I look forward to my last couple of weeks at the FT and going to Italy (if not slightly nervous about that!)

Lost And Found

2009-11-28T12:01:00.004Z

These are a couple of little prints I forgot to upload a while back, they've just been sitting on my radiator... They were from the Pop-Up Letterpress Shop on Carnaby Street in Design Week. It was a really nice place to see some old letterpress equipment and have a go yourself. These are a couple of the image letterpress blocks they had.

Astronomy & Studio8

2009-11-24T20:41:00.000Z

First up are some nice posters for the International Year Of Astronomy. It started as a self initiated project by Simon Page and they went on to be used by the IYA organisation. They have a very retro feel with dark muted colours, faded printed fills and simple typography. I like them a lot! Plus also shown above is a new typeface from Studio8.

Penguin by Design

2009-11-23T13:01:00.008Z

I love this cover design by David Pearson for 'Penguin By Design - A Cover Story'. Some other nice work on his site, so take a look.
A post of my time so far at the Financial Times coming later this week...

Alex Gollner's Idea for Tube Map

2009-11-19T17:24:00.003Z

After the new tube map caused a stir recently this is quite a nice solution: read his blog post if you like.

Updated Site (Again)

2009-11-15T19:48:00.001Z

I have updated my site again, after realising there were some serious problems with the previous version in Internet Explorer. I could not see a way of fixing these problems without seriously changing the site, so decided to go with a whole redesign! Plus the previous design was too slow, the images took too long to load, and there was too many clicks needed to do things.
This new design houses all my work on one page, and only loads each image as you need it, therefore a lot quicker! You can click an image to read about that project, or click one of the links at the top to zoom to the image and expand it. To view more images of the work, click on the 'View Work' links at the bottom of each description, and then scroll through the images!
Hope you like the redesign; let me know if anything doesn't work for you!

Nendo Exhibition

2009-11-13T20:56:00.001Z

Absolutely exqusite curation for the nendo exhibition at the museum of arts and design, new york. Check out the blog post at design boom...

Eatock's Bookshelf

2009-11-06T20:51:00.003Z

Amazing piece of work from Daniel Eatock, truly inspirational!

Display Book Shelf: MDF shelf, 6 feet long, 1 foot wide, 3/4 inch thick, resting on two metal brackets displaying books borrowed from Belk Library. The shelf sags under the weight of its contents in a graceful arc, the top edges of all the books are perfectly flush as a result of a conscious selection of volumes chosen to accommodate (or compensate for) the arc of the sagging shelf.

really rich

2009-10-28T23:19:00.002Z

Some more freelance illustration work for www.reallyrich.com

fallen leaves

2009-10-28T10:56:00.001Z

Sorry I have not been particularly active on my blog! I have been extremely busy with all sorts of things. I will try to update this more to let you know of everything that is going on in my life. In the mean time, this is book I own which was inspired by the current season.

This book which I've had on my shelf for a while but never really paid much attention to is Ken Garland's 'A Close Look At Fallen Leaves'. It's a simple book which a simple story. All the leaves shown in the book Ken collected on a street in Northwest London in a hour one Autumn morning. The leaves are photographed and displayed actual size. He found the leaves fascinating, and wanted to show them as a collection of beautiful objects. There's not much more to it than that, but this simple idea acknowledges what is usually a depressing time of year as something more than just that.

updated site

2009-10-20T18:10:00.000+01:00

The past couple of days, I have spent some time coding a new version of my site. It's flashier and has some nice effects. I have also re-photographed some of my work to really give you a good idea of what it is. The site also preloads all images, and displays them fullscreen behind the text. You can view more images using the thumbnails below the text at the bottom. Your comments are always appreciated. Thanks and hope you like it!

the beautiful new apple products

2009-10-20T18:06:00.000+01:00

sketchbook

2009-10-14T14:14:00.004+01:00

My current sketchbook. 1/8 through, hoping it will last my whole year out. It's already taken a battering however...

2D AUF 3D

2009-10-14T10:34:00.001+01:00

These are some great posters I found when flicking through some sites. I love the simplistic concept of these designs. Check out more of Alex Ketzer at his site www.rockedbeuro.com.

&

2009-10-06T11:22:00.001+01:00

This is a great piece of work. Kind of like the channel 4 idents; only viewable from one angle. It'd be interesting to see it from different parts of the room, to see what different forms it makes. Check it out on Conor & David's site.

business card

2009-09-29T21:29:00.002+01:00

My newly designed business card: 85 x 55 mm. Grey board with yellow adhesive vinyl. Info stamped with black ink. All handmade, and each one completely unique.

music + video = nice

2009-09-28T12:44:00.002+01:00

Normally Minimal House music doesn't get music videos, so this was a pleasant surprise. It has a VJiing feel about it, but really nice. Good track, good video.
(http://www.vimeo.com/6555286)

but does it float

2009-09-26T22:37:00.001+01:00

This is a blog I have recently started following. Every day they post something inspirational and thought-provoking. Well worth subscribing. But Does It Float

great designer: Rob Joe

2009-09-22T14:16:00.000+01:00

missing river / semblance / art of persuasion

2009-09-18T11:07:00.002+01:00

The new tube maps that will be released in December, have caused a bit of a controversy. The river is now missing, as well as the fare zones. I think these will probably be reinstated after the upset caused, but it would be shame to clutter up the map again now that it's looking so much nicer. Maybe they could make the river a simpler, smoother shape? And a zone could just be thin grid-like lines?

I love this new photography. Check the website out.

This work by Dutch painter Ronald de Bloeme, is great! He takes visual motifs, signs and symbols from the commercial world and uses them in his paintings. Read the Creative Review blog.

the royal mint

2009-09-12T12:48:00.001+01:00

It has taken me some time, but I have found the 50p today, and completed the collection. A very smart and original design. Well done Mr Matthew Dent. I have however read some criticism today also: there are no numerical values, which could cause trouble for tourists and no welsh recognition. I guess this isn't perfect, but can these sacrafices be justified by the great design... thats for you to decide.

paper under the knife

2009-09-11T20:38:00.003+01:00

This looks like a fantastic exhibition. Although it is in New York. I shall make it my aim to see it before April.

shouting capitals

2009-09-06T12:03:00.002+01:00

READ THIS BLOG POST BELOW.

All capitals can be a big mistake in designing, alluding to shouting or demanding. This BBC news article looks at why. It's an interesting read, so take a look.

some nice work

2009-09-04T12:59:00.002+01:00

1. [link] In B Flat. A concept for an online orchestra. Very nice idea, it's great how it surprisingly fits together!
2. [link] Maths Dreamed Universe. A dual-sided poster. Very nice mathemtical detailing. Check the link for more images.
3. Not sure where I found this, or what it is, but I love the type.

1.

2.

3.

boring birthday card

2009-09-01T22:18:00.003+01:00

I just had to jazz up this boring birthday card. Only slightly though.

something different

2009-09-01T22:15:00.012+01:00

I thought for a change, I would post something different from all the design-related stuff I have on here.
I love music and one of my hobbies is to DJ. These are a couple of mixes I have done recently. Have a listen!

Error *001 (Approx 40 mins. House/Techno) Download

Error *002 (Approx 1h 10 mins. Minimal/Techno) Download

Back to more design posts tomorrow!

new site content: road maps

2009-09-01T12:31:00.001+01:00

Check it out; click the image...

twisting technology

2009-09-01T08:50:00.002+01:00

the evolving brochure

2009-08-28T19:43:00.002+01:00

I found this on the Creative Review Blog. It's a really great concept for an exhibition brochure. I love the way it evolves and changes, and how it gives a new twist on the conventional bound-forever-book format. Read the blog post here.

afom

2009-08-28T16:16:00.008+01:00

Suzy from AHOM. New updates. Really nice simple typographic work!

aakash nihalani

2009-08-28T09:37:00.001+01:00

Some great street art by Aakash Nihalani.

fiat trees

2009-08-24T22:39:00.003+01:00

'per fare un albero' is on display in Milan until september 30, 2009. Very simple, very nice.

recent found stuff

2009-08-14T09:28:00.009+01:00

First up I saw this great making of video for Calvin Harris' Ready For The Weekend.... what a cool idea! I love the idea of the electricity and music traveling through people, and the fact that all these people are playing together to make a near perfect rendition of his single. Also there's something weirdly aesthetic about the inky hands. Can't wait to see the final video.

This new typeface "Client Mono" is great. Just up my street; it's monospaced, old fashioned, and kinda techy geeky.

Finally, these photographs from Nils Jorgensen are really clever and beautifully shot. I can't help but keep clicking to see the next one. They all play on coincidence of shape, placement, colour etc. There are over a hundred, so go take a look!

good read: visual rhetoric

2009-08-09T15:38:00.007+01:00

"We tend to overlook a different level of rhetoric that has to do not with a calculated objective but with a broad set of meta-beliefs. Design artefacts are particularly effective at this second level of persuasion; they offer audiences communicative data that reflect, and also orchestrate, an array of cultural concerns. This persuasive substance includes the aesthetic form and material composition of any object."

Quote from 'Visual rhetoric. What we mean when we talk about form' by Leslie Atzmon

rafaël rozendaal

2009-08-06T15:37:00.003+01:00

http://www.newrafael.com
This is a site I came across today. Rafaël Rozendaal portfolio of work, ie. collection of sites he's created. I featured "Jello Time" a while back on my blog, and have finally come across his site with all his other great pieces of work on. All fun and interactive, on the same sort of level of my previous post. They can be changed and interacted with, by the visitor. The doors are my personal favourite, as you can leave some of them open, and the sounds are very accurate. Take a look.

marpi.pl - sculpt

2009-08-04T17:05:00.002+01:00

www.marpi.pl
This portfolio of work I came across is really interesting and fun. All 3D interactive pieces of work, and above is and example of the sculpt piece. You create the shape you want through click and dragging the sphere.

{post no 38} really rich chiwawa

2009-08-04T10:24:00.005+01:00

This is a quick piece of illustration work I did for a friend's website; www.reallyrich.com. They wanted a cute and friendly chiwawa (correct spelling? I have no idea). I designed this from a sketch and then brought it into Illustrator. My first serious use of the tricky pen tool, so I'm pretty pleased overall. What you all think?

{post no.37} lot lot

2009-08-04T10:18:00.003+01:00

These are flyers for club Lot Lot in Oslo. Club flyers are generally really awfully designed bar a few. This however in my opinion is one of the best I've seen. I love the red/green contrast and delicate typography. Made by Kristian Hammerstad and Levi Bergqvist.

{post no.36} i heart anything

2009-08-02T23:32:00.005+01:00

Looking for all sorts of 'I Heart' things, and I came across some real corkers, ranging from good to bad and just plain awful.

{post no.35} how to be a graphic designer without losing your soul

2009-08-02T14:08:00.003+01:00

Had this for a long time, but this is my bible at the moment. Great book, great advice from Adrian Shaughnessy; well worth a read! Plus what a beautifully designed book!

{post no.34} piktogram (poland)

2009-07-31T12:20:00.005+01:00

I received my magazine from Poland today. They didn't charge any delivery, and look at all those stamps - very nice of them. Piktogram is an art and design magazine published in Warsaw and this issue's theme is Fourth Dimension and Typology. I'll feature some of the content soon.

{post no.33} daniel rossa & urbanscreen: 555 kubik

2009-07-28T17:33:00.007+01:00

'the conception of this project consistently derives from its underlying architecture - the theoretic conception and visual pattern of the hamburg kunsthalle. the basic idea of narration was to dissolve and break through the strict architecture of o. m. ungers 'galerie der gegenwart'. resultant permeabilty of the solid facade uncovers different interpretations of conception, geometry and aesthetics expressed through graphics and movement. a situation of reflexivity evolves - describing the constitution and spacious perception of this location by means of the building itself.'

Art Direction: Daniel Rossa
Production: Urbanscreen
3D Operator: David Starmann
Sound Design : Jonas Wiese

{post no.33} a polished sketch

2009-07-27T14:26:00.002+01:00

The polished sketch: two ideas, in and out of the heart. Which is better?

{post no.32} random finds

2009-07-27T11:01:00.011+01:00

From the design practice of James West, Create/Reject, comes this fun piece of work. I'm not sure how new this is, but I came across while I was browsing through some websites over the weekend. He sits in secret location viewing who is standing by the installed led screen and writes messages relating personally to whoever is there. Some of the reactions seen above, show the confusion and surprise of the viewers. I really like this piece of work, it communicates and interacts directly with the viewer and is no longer a flat piece that people just look at. They become part of the work. Check out his other work, some really nice stuff in there.

This site I found this weekend has gone straight in my bookmarks. Who said anything need to be complicated. Need an odd symbol that you can't find on your keyboard? Click the symbol (or multiple) and it'll copy them straight to your clipboard to use in whatever program you want it! I can't help thinking if only this was a dashboard widget... Take a butchers.

Until next time!

{post no.31} stereotypes of london/londoners

2009-07-22T11:02:00.002+01:00

An idea for development of my I Love London project. Playing on stereotypes. Any suggestions?

{post no.30} moving back home

2009-07-21T17:09:00.006+01:00

I am now slowly moving back home. I've brought about half my stuff back now, and more in the coming weeks. Until I'm officially out of London by the end of August. It's a sad time, I'll miss London and everything it has to offer, but I am very excited about my year to come, and all the potential opportunities. Being back at home now (without a job - poor) means I have a lot of spare time on my hands. I have updated my site as you've seen. I'm also in the process of updating my 'marketing pack', as I've heard it been referred to (ie. my cv/pdf/portfolio .. general promotional stuff).
As well as this, I am keen to continue to develop some more of my projects. I Love London is interesting and any comments would be greatly appreciated, as I plan to develop the my ideas into something more polished and professional. I also plan to continue with the Time Machine project and make a book format of the sculpture, so watch this space.
I am also keen to do some freelance work, so get in contact with me if you need anything done. Bye for now!

{post no.29} site overhaul

2009-07-19T23:53:00.004+01:00

After working on this all weekend, I have finally overhauled my website. It is now all left aligned, making it easier to read. Also everything fits to your screen and window size, therefore looks in proportion wherever you view it, and on what computer. There are more images and they're all a lot bigger, and everything is scrollable. Plus you can view my PDF on the site without downloading! Have a browse around and let me know what you think!

{post no.28} london love

2009-07-14T20:01:00.006+01:00

A little update. Inspired by London's 2012 logo design, its youthful, fun and bold, but slightly more friendly and rounded. I like to think anyway. Comments always appreciated.

{post no.27} berliner

2009-07-10T13:31:00.009+01:00

We found this poster exhibition: '100 Beste Plakate' or '100 Best Posters'. Here are some of my highlights.

{post no.26} quick one

2009-07-08T18:13:00.009+01:00

Hi this is my first post in a while... been in Berlin. I'll post some nice shots a bit later on.

Gormley's plinth is up and running, and although I haven't had a chance to see in person yet, I like what he's doing. It's a bold idea and potentially troublesome, but I guess that's the idea, whatever the people want to say/do on the plinth, is up to them and not Gormley. I'll post any interesting people I come across.

I absolutely love this book covers. These are 3 of 6 of Steve Hares designs for the recent Penguin non-fiction classics. Each has an image from the Magnum archives. It's such a nice, refreshing idea to leave the cover simple and striking with one big image (the circle on the front is a sticker which can be peeled off). Also the barcode/title etc. being on the spine, with individually typography for the blurb; now that's classic.

{post no.25} ba(hons) gmd degree show at lcc

2009-06-26T16:53:00.010+01:00

A great show... loved the curation and a lot of superb work. These are my highlights... also check out the site (5:1).

Maximo Recio (Moving Image Pathway)

Elliot Hammer (Typo/graphics Pathway)

Marie Fisher (Typo/graphics Pathway)

Becky Lyddon (Typo/graphics Pathway)

Becky Lyddon (Typo/graphics Pathway)

Moonkeuum Kim (Illustration Pathway)

Margaux Soland (Illustration Pathway)

Kris Skellorn (Illustration Pathway)

{post no.24} polygon

2009-06-25T15:26:00.003+01:00

Interesting typeface, but really well designed site! I love the interactionabilty (real word?), the fact you can move everything around and the little sounds too.

{post no.23} i love london

2009-06-17T17:21:00.006+01:00

These are further developments of an I Love London logo... comments please?

{post no.22} time machine

2009-06-17T13:09:00.002+01:00

This is one view of my Time Machine final piece... more to come!

{post no.21} cities: thomas middleton

2009-06-17T13:07:00.002+01:00

{post no.20} this is the end

2009-06-17T13:05:00.004+01:00

http://www.a2cestmieux.fr

{post no.19} jenny bowers

2009-06-17T13:04:00.004+01:00

{post no.18} final final final poster

2009-06-12T20:38:00.004+01:00

Even though I said that the poster in my previous post that that design was final... this is now the final final final design. DONE.

These are the details:
London College of Communication
Second Year Typo/Graphic Design Show

**Private View Wed 24th June 6- 10pm**
This is the best time to come: Meet the students, have a beer, and enjoy the work!

Otherwise...
23rd -27th June 2009 12- 6pm

The end of year show by LCC’s Second Year Typo/Graphic Design students is an exhibition of collaborations, exploring concepts from The New Fontana Dictionary of Modern Thoughts. Theories from the fields of psychology, sociology and anthropology are explored visually, creating unique platforms of debate between the theories from different perspectives.
There are many different types of work, including print, sculpture, moving image, and installations, all displaying a 'visual debate' between two chosen Modern Thoughts.

Location:
Acquire Arts, 155 Battersea Park Road, SW8 4BU

Nearest Tube: Vauxhall
Buses: 44, 137, 156, 344, 452, N44, N137

{post no.17} cities: final installation

2009-06-08T23:52:00.011+01:00

This is my final development of my public installation for the Cities brief. Check out the Cities link on the left for a more detailed description of what I wanted to achieve. I have left the installation in place overnight to see what affect the wet weather will have, and take some more photographs tomorrow morning.

I nice immediate outcome of the project: A man approached me tonight, to ask what I was doing and what it was all about. It was nice to inform him of the history of the area and he was very impressed and pleased with what I had done!

{post no.16} updated site

2009-06-07T15:31:00.002+01:00

Today I have overhauled my site, perfecting all the images, copy and links. I've updated my About Me page and also added Exhibition Road, check it out.

{post no.15} what a belter

2009-06-06T13:57:00.003+01:00

This is development of some freelance work I am doing. It's a new belt designed to improve a woman's figure. I'm developing a visual style for the belt, and am putting together some posters, flyers, and a website. More to come as it develops!

{post no.14} exhibition poster

2009-06-02T17:53:00.004+01:00

After much agreement and disagreement, we have settled on our final poster design for our second year show. The poster can be viewed flat like you see it, or from two perspectives when the poster is folded along the divisions. I'll get up a photo of it in action when I can. On the back will be all the definitions of the Modern Thoughts in the exhibition and will aid understanding of the pieces of work.

{post no.13} jellovely

2009-06-02T17:30:00.006+01:00

A truely jellovely website. Simple, fun and well designed. Check it out (by Rafaël Rozendaal).

{post no.12} portfolio done

2009-06-01T15:25:00.002+01:00

{post no.11} freerange 2009

2009-05-30T19:28:00.006+01:00

I went today to some of the Freerange exhibitions in brick lane. Some really good work out there, but what surprised me the most was how well the 2nd year CSM students stood up against the rest of the final year work. There was work from all of the UCA colleges along with Bournemouth, and Goldsmiths. The Goldsmiths exhibition was great and some really unique different work. The only shame was we were hurried out of there very quickly because they were closing, but what I saw was impressive. Overall some great work, but the CSM quarter was great and here are some of my favourite pieces below. Click for a bigger version.

{post no.10} updated revival poster

2009-05-29T18:12:00.005+01:00

Recently improved poster, with a smaller image and better clearer typography. I'll leave the old poster up under revival on the left, so you can compare if you wish. Comments?

{post no.9} sun and sol

2009-05-24T15:35:00.004+01:00

After struggling for hours with a piece of acrylic, I have decided to have a break enjoying a sol in the sun, which I now realise means sun in the sun, which sounds rather peculiar. I was attempting to cut a 6ft piece of acrylic into strips, but every attempt - cutting, sawing, snapping - was futile. Everywhere I rang up would not cut acrylic and now I can see why. My advice to anyone: never use acrylic.

Onto cheerier things. The sun is out in Britain today. What a lovely bank holiday, and hopefully one of many nice weekends to come. Although being Britain, the best thing to do is expect rain, and if it is sunny, then you're pleasantly surprised.

Other than that, he's some nice links I found recently. A Classic With A Twist. More Soon. Quatro (Free).

{post no.8} a couple of great pieces of work

2009-05-19T00:18:00.006+01:00

This amazing "Clock Clock" from swedish designers Humans. It's made from analogue clocks and forms a digital display. I love the creation of digital technology from old analogue technology; good work!

I was immediately struck by this advert from the Glue Society, Australia, and can admit I was fooled. You could say its a bit of a risk doing a campaign like this and bit out of taste, but they've used a hot topic to promote their show, and one could argue it works very well!

{post no.7} it's that time of year again

2009-05-17T10:15:00.005+01:00

The new Big Brother Logo... Well done Eatock again.

Like it a lot, nice involving a fingerprint into an eye. Whats that trying to say? Plus it feels slightly softer and more friendly then previous logos. Is that a sign that Big Brother will be slacking this time round?

{post no.6} more time machine and more

2009-05-16T15:59:00.006+01:00

With 3 weeks to the Time Machine deadline, this is a midway piece that I created for our Open Studio. I am exploring themes of duality and time, within the book, by allowing the text to be read in different ways: behind itself, backwards, in a mirror etc. It explodes the book and allows the reader to be immersed into the book, walk through it and be within the text. Just an explanatory piece, I am pursuing these ideas further with more research and exploration.

Other than my current university brief, I am creating my portfolio, my cv/pdf, and improving my website. All this will hopefully help me get some great internships next year. So if you have any advice or comments about my site, give me a shout.

Also, I have just picked up some branding work. I've been asked to create a logo and campaign for a new product. Can't give out details yet, but watch this space!

Until next time, Rich.

{post no.5} monospaced found

2009-05-10T16:31:00.006+01:00

I'm not entirely sure why, but I found Arial Monospaced recently, and love it. I've always liked monospace fonts, they seem to make everything look neater, but most are unfriendly. This seems softer and more versatile. Or maybe it's the fact that arial is so ugly normally...

{post no.4} dot dot dots (?)

2009-05-07T22:56:00.009+01:00

A Daniel Eatock project [link] again pushing the boundaries of design into art.
Here's the example, but our DPS class are taking part in the same project. Between 50 of us we have to fill an A1 sheet of graph paper with a dot in every small square. Thats about 2100 dots each. This challenges us to work collaboratively, and the final evidence will be something controlled and simple that represents great group work.

I'm still not completely convinced of the concept, but we'll see once it finished i suppose...!

{post no.3} time machine workshop

2009-05-06T20:29:00.005+01:00

Some images from my initial workshop for out Time Machine project. We had to analyse a section of the book and find a theme that we could visualise and illustrate in some way.
We had an initial description of the time travellers encounters with the Eloi (the evolved human). His views and descriptions are mainly subjective and tell the reader what to think. We cut out everything subjective leaving just facts and actions that allow the reader to make their own opinion.
The choice of display was to represent the 4th dimension. Also is raises questions about the book.. it creates a new space between the pages, which normally we cannot see? thoughts?

{post no.2} huge twinkling type

2009-05-06T20:22:00.005+01:00

A direction to Southwark tube, displayed under a railway arch. really subtle and nice anyone know who did this?
Video won’t display for some reason, view it here..

{post no.1} barcode crazy

2009-05-06T18:43:00.009+01:00

Looking through some images from my camera, and attempting to sort them all out, I came across this great piece of work from the Design Museum, Brit Insurance Designs of the Year exhibition. The Fi.Gen Barcode, designed by PostSpectacular, is a fantastic new visual way of storing detail. The technology and possibilities of them is fantastic, but as a simply visual object, they are stunning. (Another example of function following form!)