MAC vs. PC

Thought this was quite amusing.
So...
which is it to be?

Henri Cartier-Bresson

"For me the camera is a sketch book, an instrument of intuition and spontaneity, the master of the instant which, in visual terms, questions and decides simultaneously. In order to “give a meaning” to the world, one has to feel involved in what one frames through the viewfinder. This attitude requires concentration, discipline of mind, sensitivity, and a sense of geometry. It is by economy of means that one arrives at simplicity of expression.

To take a photograph is to hold one’s breath when all faculties converge in a face of fleeing reality. It is at that moment that mastering an image becomes a great physical and intellectual joy.

To take a photograph means to recognize – simultaneously and within a fraction of a second– both the fact itself and the rigorous organisation of visually perceived forms that give it meaning.

It is putting one’s head, one’s eye, and one’s heart on the same axis."

Henri Cartier-Bresson was a french photographer. He is known for his candid style photographs. He is considered to be the father of modern photojournalism and helped develop the 'street photography' style.

He achieved his intimate photographs by wrapping black tape around his camera and hiding his camera with his handkerchief and pretending to blow his nose.

He also used fast black and white films and sharp lenses so he was able to photograph almost by stealth to capture the events.

I'm particularly interested in his work as I am looking at candid photography for my dissertation, investigating whether you can ever have a truly natural photograph.

The Mighty Boosh

The Lynx Effect, you never know when

This is quite an old advert for Lynx and I was reminded of it the other day when I went to the Media Museum in Bradford. It shows a couple lying in bed and going around the city picking up their clothes and putting them back on, as if they are going back on a journey they have just taken. The ad ends with the couple back where they started, meeting in a supermarket.

I think this advert is nicely presented and it helps that the couple are both truly gorgeous people. I've decided to include this in my blog as I feel it is a gentle, clever way to express the idea of the 'Lynx Effect'. Subtle.

More Trey Ratcliff Photographs

Thought I would just include some more photographs by Trey Ratcliff. I am particularly interested in how people are presented in photographs and how they react to the camera as this is what my dissertation and independent project is related to.

I love how Ratcliff has captured the character of these people and the high dynamic range style has created depth and detail as if we were looking directly at these people.

Coca Cola, Holidays are Coming

It loathes me to write about coca cola in a favorable light, but they're TV commercials (and their innovative bottle design of last year) are sometimes quite something.

Christmas is coming, well according to the advertising world it is, and already we are seeing awful Argos ads with "I wish it could be Christmas everyday" playing in the background. The question is, when will we see that famous Coca-cola advert, 'Holidays Are Coming'. That advert from that corporate brand that makes us feel all warm and fluffy and tells us Christmas is on it's way... strange really.

Sam Taylor-Wood, Soliloquy

I found this picture on a postcard at the Tate Modern years ago, when I went on a school trip when I was 16. I found it the other day so decided to do a bit of research and find out what it is all about. I’d always loved the style of this image, with the subject of the photography appearing as if asleep in a dark, dreamland.

Sam Taylor-Wood's video installations and photographs show human dramas and isolated emotional instances, showing tense social gatherings—people in solitary, awkward, or vulnerable moments. He often presents these psychologically charged narratives on a grand scale in room-encompassing video projections or 360-degree photographic panoramas accompanied by sound tracks.

This image is taken from The Soliloquy series with the photographs structured like Renaissance altarpieces, making specific art-historical references. This image, Soliloquy I (1998), shows the languid pose of a sleeping man, representing the dying poet in Henry Wallis's The Death of Chatterton (1865).

He called the collection Soliloquy from the name of the theatrical monologue during which an actor disrupts the narrative to directly address the audience. This state of disengagement is implied by the combination of large photographs (representing the conscious state of the subject), while the strip of smaller images shows a filmic tableau of the subjects’ subconscious fantasies.

The Very Interesting Thoughts of Edward Monkton

Edward Monkton is a strange man. He is an illustrator who writes what seem random thoughts about anything from potatoes, shoes and ninja biscuits. I like them for their simple innocence and 'doodle', quick sketch style. Some really are quite funny.

The Penguin Of Death is really bizarre, reading:

Things you need to know:
1. He is strangely attractive because of his enigmatic smile.
2. He can kill you in any 1 of 412 different ways.

Wonderbra

I saw this on Nada's blog and just had to include it in mine.

This advert is fantastic and so simple. Set in the iconic Economist red and serif typeface, at first you think it is an advert for the publication.

It's one of those ads you see and you think, 'Damn, I wish I'd thought of that'. I think this is brilliant, so very simple, straight to the point, clever and a bit naughty. Just brilliant.

Get me a Wonderbra now!

Two Very Different Banking Adverts

Here are two very different examples of advert for two of the leading UK banks. Lloyds TSB and Halifax could not have a more different image when it comes to their advertising.

The TSB advert shows a sixty second animation, showing the story of a couple and their life's journey on a train called The Black Horse, relating cleverly to the Lloyds TSB iconic black horse identity. We see the couple fall in love, get married, move into their home, have a child who grows up and the whole cycle begins again, with the couple waving their daughter off from the platform as she too embarks on her journey on The Black Horse.

The idea is simple, TSB is with you for your whole life, constantly there to help you on your way. It won an award for best computer animation in the British Television Advertising Craft Awards 2007, and rightly so, as the look of the piece is beautiful with each scene flowing, folding and collapsing itself gracefully into the next.

Halifax, however, have a slightly different approach. Which involves a bald, be-speckled fellow called Howard. Why ever Halifax chose to promote their bank with this all singing, all dancing nerd is unknown to me and the cringe-worthy montage of popular songs and banking lyrics, I feel gives Halifax a rather childish, jokey image which I'm sure is not what people want from one of the most well known banks in the UK. This advertising campaign is awful and because of it, I have made a conscious effort never to use Halifax as my bank.

I thought it would be interesting to see the comparison.

Good Tutorials Website

http://www.good-tutorials.com/

This is a fantastic website for teaching yourself anything from illustrator and photoshop to flash and HTML. There's not really much on there that you'd want to make, but by doing a different tutorial every now and then, you pick up skills that you can use and adapt when doing final designs.

It's been extremely helpful to me.

Trey Ratcliff, Photography

Everyone must see this website if they are interested in photography. http://stuckincustoms.com/ It shows the work of photographer Trey Ratcliff.

Ratcliff's photographs are all shot in high dynamic range. The effect of this form is quite dramatic, some photos appear exactly as we would see in real life, with the image practically bursting off the page, creating a sense of depth, whereas some appear artificially three dimensional and what can only be described as magical.

HDR is a set of techniques that allows a far greater dynamic range of exposure, where we see a large range of values between light and dark areas. The aim of this form of photography is to represent a more accurate range of intensity levels found in real life scenes.

Ratcliff's images are inspiring and well worth having a look. Since seeing his photographs it has encouraged me to try working in the HDR format. The result is photographs not as I have ever seen before, with the images looking almost like a mystical view of the scene. I'm not sure if I've quite got the hang of it yet but I will post some of my examples on my blog soon.

(Have a go at zooming into the photograph of the Bangkok aerial view at night, the amount of detail is incredible!)

Media Museum, Bradford

On Wednesday I went to the National Media Museum in Bradford (originally the National Photography Museum). The main reason for going was to do some research for my dissertation which is on photography, looking at how people react to having their photo taken, specifically looking at candid photography.

However, when I got there, I found much more to do than just wonder around the exhibition of Sarah Jones', apparently "intimate and contemplative" photographs that to me possibly seemed a bit cliche even though the images themselves were beautiful in their colour and composition.

The animation section and advertising section were of the most interest to me, and I found myself spending the whole day watching advert after advert and ancient examples of animation.

Remember this...

"People seldom improve when they have no other model than themselves to copy" Oliver Goldsmith



I Found this quote by Irish poet, writer and physician, Oliver Goldsmith, the other day which I think articulates the reason why we are doing our blogs, quite nicely.

Lion Hug

Admittedly this has nothing to do with graphic design, but I felt I had to include it in my blog due to the effect it has had on me. This short film shows a grown male lion hugging the woman who saved him when he was badly injured. The lady who nursed him back to health goes to the lion and on seeing her, the lion bounds up to her on his hind legs and wraps his arms around her.

This clip made me extremely happy. Perhaps I am too soft for my own good, but how great would it be to hug a huge African lion?

Cadburys Advert

A gorilla playing the drums to Phil Colins is the new advert for Cadburys chocolate. The advert starts by showing the copy 'a glass and a half-full production presents' stating immediately the brand being advertised. We then zoom close-up to the gorillas face with the trademark purple in the background. The first time I saw this advert, I initially thought we were watching a real gorilla, until I saw it start drumming along to the music.

Some might argue it is dangerous for Cadbury to not actually show their product in the commercial, however, I disagree. I find this advert uniquely refreshing in comparison to the usual chocolate adverts, where more often than not, we see beautiful women seductively licking their fingers.

Although a gorilla has little to do with chocolate, I think the idea trying to be conveyed is the feeling one gets when eating Cadburys. Chocolate is about pleasure and this gorilla certainly shows his feeling of euphoria while playing the drums.

Why the music has to be Phil Colins however, is a different matter.

Lonely Planet Guides

Where would I be if it wasn't for these books? Stuck down the black hole of Calcutta probably. I always use Lonely Planet guides when I go traveling. One of my ideal jobs would be to be a photographer for Lonely Planet, I think this is one of the reasons why I loved the Lonely Planet brief last year so much.

These books were extremely valuable to my trip and made sure I didn't get lost or robbed. However, taking their advice did lead me to a particularly grim night in a pink hotel in Pahaganj in Delhi, where the ceiling fan was so low and so loose that I nearly decapitated myself several times.

The Green Festival

These photographs were taken at the Green Festival this summer in Newcastle. The Newcastle Community Green Festival is the UK’s biggest free community environmental festival and a celebration of the environment, arts, music and more, beginning in 1990. The festival strives to raise awareness for environmental issues. Over the years the festival has grown into a flagship environmental event in the region. In 2006 the festival became entirely powered by renewable energy sources, including wind, solar, pedal and bio-fuel power. They also aim to recycle 100% of the waste created through the festival.


I had a fantastic day when I went to the Green Festival, set in Leazes park in the centre of Newcastle, the festival is spread out around a small lake. There was so much to do, live music, book stalls, vegetarian and vegan food stalls, art tents etc.


In one corner of the park there was a tree, a wish tree. Where people were writing their wishes on pieces of cloth and tying them to the tree. I found it really interesting reading people’s wishes and the whole thing quite magical.

100 Habits of a Successful Graphic Designer

This is the kind of book that every graphic designer should own. Like it says on the cover the book lists 100 things that graphic designers should keep in mind when working. Written by famous designers past and present, advice ranges from "everything you do should promote yourself" to "travel as much as possible". I've found it extremely useful as a reference and a reminder of what i should be doing.

Travel: Pushkar, India

These are my photographs taken in Pushkar.


This summer I travelled around India. This was my third time visiting the country and people often ask me why I keep going. All I can say is that I feel an invisible pull towards the country that I am unable to really articulate. Perhaps it is because India is so different to Britain, or perhaps it is the staggering landscapes that change vastly as you move up and down the country. India is a place of colour, the people are friendly and inquisitive (sometimes to the point of annoyance, the last thing you want when you arrive in a new town in the burning midday sun is deal with a gang of rickshaw wallahs fighting over who gets to take you to a hotel), perhaps this is what appeals to me. Or is it the constant contrast between the spiritual and traditional with the modern, or the combination of different languages and different religions? India is one of the places in the world where such a variety of people can live together and accept each other.

One place that I remember most fondly from my travels, is the small pilgrimage town of Pushkar in Rajasthan. This small desert town clings to the side of a small, beautiful holy lake, surrounded by bathing ghats and 400 temples. The town is amazingly small, with no traffic allowed in the narrow maze of streets.

It is said that Lord Brahma dropped a Lotus flower in Pushkar, creating the lake which is the central focus of the town. Mythological literature describes Brahma as having sprung up from the lotus originating in the navel of Vishnu. Brahma then becomes the source of all creation, the seed from which issues all space, time and causation. His consort Saraswati was manifested out of him, and from their union were born all the creatures of the world. He is the inventor of theatrical art, and music and dance were revealed by him. He is sometimes depicted with four heads representing the four Vedas and the four Yugas (great epochs of time), other times as Visvakarma, the divine architect of the universe. Saraswati is the wife of Brahma. Literally her name means 'the flowing one'. In the Rig Veda she represents a river deity and is connected with fertility and purification. She is considered the personification of all knowledge - arts, sciences, crafts and skills. She is the goddess of the creative impulse, the source of music, beauty and eloquence. Artists, writers and other individuals involved in creative endeavours have for millennia come on pilgrimage to Pushkar to request the inspiration of Brahma and Saraswati. According to the theory that shrine myths are often metaphorical expressions of the specific power of a pilgrimage place, the lake, hill and area of Pushkar have a spirit or presence that awakens and stimulates the human capacity of creativity.

As soon as I arrived in Pushkar I was hounded by a group of men trying to get me to go down to the lake to perform a blessing on my family, and donate a large sum of money, telling me “yes madam, you British and Americans, you pay well, you give often 1000 rupees.” 1000 rupees!! Thinking this was just another scam to get money out of me, I ignored the offer and made my way to the hostel I would be staying.

During the next days I became entranced by the magic of Pushkar and understood its magnetisms that so many travellers, Indians and foreigners alike, felt towards this beautiful little town in the middle of the desert. Every where I looked there were narrow streets (full of ‘holy’ cows wandering about) leading down to the lake, covered in small shops selling fruit, silk and incense. Pushkar felt completely different to all the places I had been to so far, compared to the rest of India, Pushkar had an air of calm perhaps due to its highly spiritual and religious history. Also, the town was completely vegetarian, which was ideal for my vegan self.

I began to feel the days slip past me in a haze; I had already stayed in Pushkar a week longer than I planned, yet I was unable to leave. I had fallen into a relaxed way of life, which I knew would dissolve the second I got back on the bus to my next destination and rejoined the chaotic business of India.

Knowing that I had to leave in order to have enough time to reach my other destinations, after two weeks, I decided on my final day to go down to the lake to perform a blessing. A Hindu priest took me down to the lake and we kneeled by the side of the water. It was dusk and the sun was just going down, creating a beautiful golden glow, showing the beautiful colour in the saris that surrounded me as people bathed in the holy ghats which surround the lake. The priest asked me to scoop up some of the holy water and repeat after him an incantation to Brahma, and say the names of my friends and family I would like to bless. He then placed rose petals in my hands and asked how much I would give the lake in order to bless my family, funny how religion and money often get so inexcusably entwined. I told the priest I would give him fifty rupees (about sixty pence) ten rupees each for the people I care about most and an extra ten for good luck (Indians often add one rupee on a bill for good luck so I thought the priest would appreciate this). The priest looked mildly taken aback but ginned and wobbled his head all the same, and continued with the blessing. As I threw the rose petals into the lake (a gift for Brahma), the priest tied a red and yellow woollen bracelet around my wrist as a symbol of the blessing and “a ticket to all the temples in Pushkar”.

As I walked barefoot by the side of the lake on the burning hot ground, I looked as the sun set below the beautiful white temples. Pushkar was a beautiful and enticingly magical town, and I felt very lucky to be there.

Icarus Allsorts, Roger McGough

I was first aware of the poem Icarus Allsorts by Roger McGough at school, when my eccentric but brilliant English teacher burst into the classroom shouting the poem in an American accent. Ever since then it has been one of my favourite poems.

Icarus Allsorts is based on a real incident, where a general at his radar screen mistook a meteorite for a bomb so started a nuclear attack. The poem starts in an ironic tone of voice that sets the feel for the whole piece, reading, “A meteorite is reported to have landed in New England. No damage is said…” The whole poem shows this style of news report against the idea of a nuclear holocaust. The poem is written in a humouress manner, as if making light of the situation, however, perhaps McGough is emphasising the point that war is such an absurd, horrific thing, that the only way you can talk about it, is with comedy. How can you be serious about such things?

The first verse echoes this sense of ironic wit, “A little bit of heaven fell from out the sky one day. It landed in the ocean not so very far away. The general at the radar screen rubbed his hands in glee and grinning pressed the button that started World War Three”. I think the use of black humour is quite effective in delivering a hard-hitting message, the situations is so desperate that all we can do is joke about it. McGough shows this dark humour by using a surreal comparison to a nursery rhyme, “Phillip was in the counting house counting out his money. The Queen was in the parlour eating bread and honey. When through the window flew a bomb and made them go all funny”. By using common conventions from our culture, McGough is expressing the absurdity of war and driving home the reality of the situation.

Throughout much of Icarus Allsorts, the poem ironically shows comparisons to universal devastation, an example of this is a bold reference to the Germans in the Second World War, "Raus!’ cried the German butcher as his shop came tumbling down". By using references to classes, cultures and hinting stereotypes, the poem is showing how when war is upon us, we are all the same and we are all effected by it.

The end of the poem mirrors the beginning, repeating, “A little bit of heaven fell from the sky…” but the tone is suddenly different. Icarus Allsorts ends on a serious note, differing from the humour which is expressed throughout. The final cold statement reads, “But that wouldn’t bring three million, seven hundred, and sixty eight people back. Would it?" By giving the precise number of fatalities, McGough is making the final statement more realistic and personalised, showing each person as an individual. The final, short rhetorical question secures the ruthless truth of the consequence of nuclear war.

I chose to write about this poem because it had a huge effect on me when I was younger and is one of the reasons why I became so interested in poetry in later life. The rhythm and constant build-up of words create a relentless effect, which expresses McGough’s humouress tone. By using this breed of ironic, black humour, I think the anger felt by the poet is delivered extremely well, you can really feel McGough’s frustration at the situation. This poem inspires me to create work that reflects this same energetic passion.


Icarus Allsorts

A little bit of heaven fell From out the sky one day It landed in the ocean Not so very far away The general at the radar screen Rubbed his hands in glee And grinning pressed the button That started World War Three From every corner of the earth Bombs began to fly There were even missile jams No traffic lights in the sky In the time it takes to blow your nose The people fell, the mushrooms rose. 'House!' cried the fat lady As the bingohall moved to various parts of the town 'Raus!' cried the German butcher as his shop came tumbling down Phillip was in the counting house Counting out his money The Queen was in the parlour Eating bread and honey When through the window Flew a bomb And made them go all funny In the time it takes to draw a breath Or eat a toadstool, instant death The rich Huddled outside the doors of their fallout shelters Like drunken carol singers The poor Clutching shattered televisions And at last week's editions of T.V Times (but the very last) Civil defence volunteers With their tin hats in one hand And their heads in the other C.N.D supporters Their ban the bomb badges beginning to rust Have scrawled 'I told you so' in the dust A little bit of heaven fell From out of the sky one day It landed in Vermont North-eastern USA The general at the radar screen He should have got the sack But that wouldn't bring Three thousand million, seven hundred, and sixty-eight people back, Would it?

Advertising, The Guinness Campaign

Guinness are known for their iconic advertising, from illustrations by John Gilroy in the 1930s to the famous, ‘tick, follows tock, follows tick, follows tock’ advert by director, John Glazer. This new advert follows the same “Good Things Come To Those Who Wait” campaign, with a narrator explaining how his brother has always been able to swim out in the sea, timing himself to the pouring of the Guinness pint. He always arrives at the bar just as the pint is finishing. The advert ends with the narrator saying that his brother is worried that he is getting older and one day will not make it back in time, that he will loose, “he will never loose” the narrator replies. It ends with the typical Guinness style of emphasising the exceptionally long preparation of Guinness “it takes 119 seconds to pour the perfect pint.” I think this is quite an upbeat advert that makes one feel light hearted and good about life. Not overly complicated but still driving home the famous message that “Good things come to those who wait.”

Packaging, Dr Stuart's

Known for its designs for iconic brands such as Green and Blacks, Innocent Smoothies and Absolute Vodka, Pearl Fisher are the faces behind the new designs for herbal tea company, Dr Stuart’s. When asking Only Natural Products managing director, Keith Garden, he claimed “We wanted a radical new look for Dr Stuart’s to shout about our quality, embody the brand’s unique personality - warm, distinctive, quirky and quintessentially British – and fly off the shelves.” I think the new designs set Dr Stuart’s teas apart from all the other herbal teas available. I work in a health food store and have noticed the striking difference between these teas and other tea designs; they certainly stand apart from the crowd. The designs that appear on the tea box show illustrations that show similarities to the iconic Monty Python illustrative style. Images are extremely bizarre, only relating obscurely to the product, for example ‘Lax Plus’ (laxative tea) shows someone going down a helter-skelter, conveying the idea of release. I think these new designs are eccentric and beautifully executed.

The Marx Brothers

“I’ve worked my way from nothing to a state of extreme poverty” Groucho Marx

For those of you who are unaware of the Marx Brothers, I have placed a few short films so you can get a feel for their unique breed of comedy. The Marx Brothers were four brother comedians from New York, and particularly famous in the 1920s. They were known for their sharp, improvised humour, which was well ahead of its time; watching one of their films is amusing as it ever was.

Groucho Marx seldom ventured any comment on his own comic style. He felt that humour, like romance and sex, loses its magic if examined too closely: “If you talk about those things, they go away.” When asked why he thought he was funny, he would answer simply, “I'm a funny-looking jerk”. He did believe, however, that all great comedy is based on character.

The on-stage personalities of Groucho, Chico, Harpo and Zeppo are thought to be based on their character in life. In some ways the Marx Brothers have become caricature of themselves, with Groucho sporting his trademark greasepaint moustache, cigar and stooped walk. Harpo, completely mute with curly hair communicates only with a taxi horn. Chico adopts a fake Italian accent that he learnt off the ‘tough guys’ living in his neighbourhood in New York. Zeppo was the romantic of the group, always ending up falling in love.

The Marx Brothers have become one of America's all time favourite theatrical acts. With their sharp and bizarre sense of humour, they satirized institutions such as high society and human hypocrisy. They also became famous for their improvisational comedy in free form scenarios.

I love the Marx Brothers witty humour, as well as their talented music, with all brothers being able to sing, Chico plays piano and Harpo plays the harp. To me, they are completely unique and as relevant to our culture and comedy as they ever were.

“Go and never darken my towels again” Groucho Marx

RSPCA, Advert/commercial

These are the three adverts from the latest RSPCA campaign. The adverts are informing people that animals are soon going to have five basic rights, like humans, the overall message being that ‘animals are more like humans than you think.’

RSPCA claim, “These ads take a humorous approach to a serious subject, and use graphics which are quite ground-breaking for the RSPCA in that they 'humanise' animals. But we think they are memorable and a conversation-starter which hopefully will get our message across.”

I think that this is quite a good way for the RSPCA to raise awareness, and like they say, the effects are quite advanced for them. However, I do think these adverts, as amusing as they are, could have been executed more appropriately. The overall concept is quite effective by putting animals in a humans shoes, but the way it has been done in perhaps too obvious and the graphics not that impressive.

Free Tibet, Advertising

I have searched all over the internet to find a picture of this advert but to no success. However, i would still like to discuss it in my blog. Client: Free Tibet Agency: Euro RSCG, Zurich The poster is completely in black and white. We see five rows of the letter t, the typeface has been chosen to resemble a cross. On the last line we see the row of t's which then turn into the word 'Tibet'. The variation in the visual pattern attract the viewer attention immediately, and represented the message in a striking manner. The message to this poster is to Free Tibet, that "Tibet is occupied by China. Your concern can keep Tibet alive."

The advert was created by Zurich agency Euro RSCG for the Swiss-Tibetan Friendship Society who are one of the man charities involved in the Free Tibet campaign. I think this is an extremely important poster in reminding people an issue that has gone on for many years is still going on.

The Free Tibet Campaign stands for the Tibetans' right to determine their own future. It campaigns for an end to China's occupation of Tibet and for the Tibetans' fundamental human rights to be respected. Free Tibet was founded in 1987 and is a non-profit, non-governmental organisation. They are unable to apply for charity status in the UK as laws deem that there work is to much of a political nature, such as Amnesty International and Greenpeace. Free Tibet generates active support by educating people about the situation in Tibet. It is independent of all governments and is funded by its members and supporters.

This poster is very clever at grabbing the audience attention. The cross, appears like a gravestone, sets an ominous, serious tone to the poster, to drive home the reality of the situation in Tibet.

See if u can find it online.

Gold's Gym, Advert

This is quite a provocative advert for Gold's Gym. What first seems a poster urging people to use the bin to keep the beach 'beautiful', is cleverly using the parallel to keep 'beautiful' people on the beach, and to be a beautiful person, you must got to Gold's Gym. Shallow, maybe, clever and attention grabbing, certainly.

Sophie Toulouse, Illustrator

I really like how Sophie Toulouse uses a range of different medias to create her illustrations, including: photographs, scanners, ink, watercolour and stamps. Her images are delicate, aqueous illustrations, like a 'post-disco spectacle'.