Steve Jobs 1955 – 2011
Many people woke this morning and read about Steve Jobs’ untimely passing on a device that bore the brand Apple. Fifteen years ago that would have been unthinkable. Steve Jobs fits into the classic mould of the maverick. Irritable, Stubborn, Driven, Passionate, Genius, Visionary, Impulsive, good and bad in equal measures. An immigrant son, adopted, college dropout he proved that by simply ‘thinking different’ you can achieve great things. He cared and taught that form and function could be partners rather than diametrically...
read moreBranding helps your business grow
Maybe I’m preaching to the converted here but having a clear identity not only allows you to differentiate yourself from the competition, it also enables you to clearly signal changes and growth within your organisation. This piece in the Washington Post, highlights how business and utilities use branding to signal a clear change of intent, personality and focus. Moving from being a simple function of naming into something more characterful, emotive and dare I say it ‘holistic’ a good branding strategy and a programme of...
read morePresenting Per Ardua
It’s always nice to be recommended by one client to another, we were introduced to Per Ardua in 2009 and have worked with them since then to refresh their brand both in print and online. Per Ardua Associates are an executive search firm, specialising in financial services sector. Even to us creatives it was very apparent early on that they have extensive knowledge and experience of the market and are consistently high performing both as individuals and as a collegiate team. We’ve found them to be a very switched on client, open to...
read moreHarrisment designs WordCamp Portsmouth
It’s July so that means one thing (well and rain) and that it’s time for WordCamp. Every year the UKs best, most passionate, curious and innovative WordPress folk gather and dance naked smeared in loam around piles of burnt out monitors (sorry wrong weekend!) …gather round and hear presentations from across the whole spectrum of WordPress life, from basic users and bloggers on WordPress.com to the developers and code gurus involved in moving the platform forward and large and frankly very impressive enterprise installations....
read moreThe end of Brand Hollywood?
Ricky Gervais punctures the Hollywood bubble at the Golden Globes. Let's be clear about this, Gervais is a cult. A marmite. You either love him or hate him, you either get him or you don't. He either aggravates or deflates in equal measure. Those who are offended probably lack the self awareness of where the entertainment industry actually is, the sound of bubbles bursting is long overdue.
read moreDesigners love cock
Yes you read it right, but it will only make sense if you were at the Pecha Kucha event in central London this evening. Organised by the D&AD (Designers & Art Directors) it’s another of the President’s Lectures. Hosted by the President himself, Sankey was a great host, keeping the evening moving (which is the essence of PK) and generally making sure that everyone had a good time. The cast of speakers was fairly glittering in design terms. Speakers included members of design studio Bibliotheque, branding experts (the logo...
read moreiPod Apps for Designers
This is a companion piece to an item I’ve written for the DBA on the top 10 Apps for the iPhone for designers and those in the business of design. Having squeezed into down to 10 I was left thinking that there were numerous Apps that missed the cut by a mere whisker and probably deserved a mention. For those of you who’ve missed the piece for the DBA I’m going to include the original list in with those I’ve added subsequently. It’s by no means comprehensive or scientific, if you’ve got any suggestions then...
read moreS4C Eisteddfod identity looks very familiar
I don’t think this has happened to me before. You’re sitting down to watch some TV and there it is! Something that looks pretty much like something you designed months and months ago… but it’s not yours, it’s not something that you designed… it’s very close though, you could almost say inspired by or in homage to, the cynic would obviously say ‘ripped off’ or ‘stolen’ but we don’t want to use words like that here… naturally I’m very flattered… Have a look...
read moreHRH Prince Philip on Design
An interview from October 2009 with Kevin McCloud talking to Prince Philip about his views on design and society, celebrating 50 years of the Prince Philip Designers Prize.
read moreMagnificent Maps
“Maps are works fo art that need to be visually pleasing in order to convey information successfully”. Something all the artists in this exhibition at the British Library seem to have taken to heart. A history and an art exhibition, while not exhaustive it gives a good snapshot of the map maker and the politics and nuances sometimes underlying the map’s creation and distribution. From giant and gorgeous Venetian posturing maps to the limited horizons of the mappa mundi there’s a lot to see and absorb. Lots of exquisite...
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