Songbird Icon 23/11/08
I’m really happy to see that Songbird have added a new icon with the new release candidate of version 1. Songbird is a open-source customisable music player which has been in development for almost 3 years now (version 0.1 was released Feb 2006). Previously, the icon for the application was an egg that got closer to hatching with each new release leading up to version 1. I thought this was a great concept and was sad to see it dropped for a generic pair of headphones with the 1.0 RC1 update. Although different in style, the new bird icon is quite reminiscent of that original concept, and gives the application much more personality.
Design vs Art 23/11/08
This is one of those questions/comparisons that is always guaranteed to start a debate, and seems to popping up more often than not lately, starting with about a month ago when I picked up a 1971 version of Bruno Munari’s book Design As Art at a car boot sale. I’m currently reading though it, and was going to wait until I’d finished before posting about it, but the other day I was surprised to find via the CR blog that Yes Studio has just redesigned the Penguin on Design series, which includes Design As Art. I think they have done a great job of giving the publication a new face and still keeping it so in line with the content and the 1971 cover design.
Secondly, we have Is Graphic Design Art, a web poll I came across via Michael’s twitter feed, which surprisingly, shows ‘Yes’ as the general consensus. Personally, I’m in the ‘No’ camp. Sure Graphic Design and Art share many things in common, and I would definitely agree that Graphic Design is artistic, but the fundamental difference between the two is that the primary purpose of Graphic Design is to convey and deliver information, and not self expression, as I would say is the primary purpose of Art.
But hey, that’s just me …
Plasic Logic E-Newspaper 09/09/08
Following on in the ever exiting (and disappointing) ePaper advancements, Plastic Logic have just announced the next step in electronic readers. Their as yet unnamed decive uses the same technology as Amazon’s Kiddle, but thankfully comes looking a little more like a newspaper and less like a brick. With a screen that is twice the size the Kiddle’s, Logic’s device claims to be able to provide a newspaper like layout which can be continually updated via a wireless link, storing and display hundreds of pages of newspapers, books and documents.
TG Daily has some good pics.
New Font 07/08/08
Here’s a little peak at the typeface I’m currently working on. There are still a few characters to go, and will need some tweaking after they are finished, so might be a little while until its all done.
Surf’s up 06/08/08
Waaaaaaay back in the early 21st century, when I had just finished studying and had landed myself a job with London based Hoop Associates, surfstation.lu was THE design portal. Sure DiK was pretty cool, and INfront was my home grown portal, but with its ‘Pick One’ user submitied photo gallery, free grunge fonts and ever updating design news, to me surfstation was the bee’s knees.
Unfortunately, as the web progressed and sites became more advanced, surfstation stayed as it was. The news became less frequent, the fonts out of date and then flickr came along … and I did what any other designer hungry for news would do. I moved on.
But – as they say – better late than never. After 6 years I’m happy to see that rather than being pulled down, Surfstation is back with a clean new look. And while there aren’t as many sections as there used to be, the guys are looking to expand the site ‘as time goes by’.
Just don’t make it aother 6 years …
I’ll have mine to go … 28/07/08
Today, just as any other weekday, I stopped off on my way to the studio to pick up my morning coffee. But for the first time ever, I actually looked around at everyone else with their little plastic lidded paper cups, and thought about what a fantastic piece of design this little container really was.
I’ve been a fan of this little item for quite some time, often giving them their own little personalities and leaving them to watch on from the window ledge at my desk, but had never thought about who was actually responsible for their initial concept.
Needless to say, Wikipedia has a good little write up on the origin of the paper cup, but nothing about who actually designed it, which is a shame. Interestingly, Dixie Cups were the first to brand the paper cup, and the logo for their cup was created by Saul Bass in 1969.
Coincidently (or not), I received an email this morning about Objetified, Gary Hurswits (Helvetica) forthcoming documentary feature about industrial design and the objects we surround ourselves with, and with the people who make them.
The film sounds great, and I’m definitely looking forward to seeing if Gary is able to top Helvetica, though somehow, I don’t think the paper cup is going to get a mention.
NEXT WAVE 2008 13/05/08
Form the 15th until the 31st of May, the Next Wave festival will once be taking place in Melbourne. To find out whats on and where, head over the website, which was built by Barking Sparrows in conjunction with Chase & Galley, who came up with this years amazing festival identity.
PATTERNS OF CREATIVEAGGRESSION 28/04/08
A friend of mine has just set up PATTERNS OF CREATIVEAGGRESSION, an online publication that displays the development and progress of 5 individual projects in the fields of design, writing, fashion and art. Each installment displays the ongoing development and growth of the project, illustrating different techniques used, research and investigations conducted, and how different outcomes are reached.
There is also a printed version due out at the end of the year.
The Learners 25/02/08
One of my favorite graphic designers Chip Kidd has just released his latest novel The Learners. I am a big fan of his first novel The Cheese Monkeys, so I’m hoping this one is just as enjoyable.
