JKR

Two colleagues were enjoying a drink in Claridge’s last Saturday (alright for some). Desiring a glass of wine, they were presented with the list on an iPad. As they said, this felt wrong for ordering wine in general and doubly wrong in the art deco splendor of Claridge’s. It burst their little bubble of glamour. But someone had obviously decided that iPads, being the latest thing, would add a sheen of glamour to any occasion. To be fair, there are reports of wine sales going up where this approach has been adopted in the States. But it still acts as a good example of technology seducing a designer into a choice that is inappropriate, but shiny enough to catch said designer’s magpie eye.

The Interweb is adding to the designer’s toy box daily. New ways of presenting and archiving material are allowing us freedoms of expression and scope for exploration at a pace and incline which would make our predecessors’ heads spin. This is obviously a wonderful thing. Trouble is, it is making our heads spin also. And beneath all the technological whistles and bells, is there (in the immortal words of Tallulah Bankhead) ‘less to this than meets the eye’?

The digital world is reducing our ability to edit and focus in a craftsman like way. Once prints were produced by great photographers showing the negatives’ edge. This was a way of showing that the entire image had been framed in camera by the photographer, without even the need to crop. Showing off one’s skill, to be unkind. And of course some still work this way, but for the rest of us, along came Photoshop. And if one looks at the chart below showing the amount of photographs stored on Facebook and how it dwarfs the works biggest libraries of photography, we see evidence that precision and judicious choice is a thing of the  past. The full story is here.

Digital photography is seducing us into an incontinent approach to capturing and sharing images. And by the by, have any older design studio hands noticed how few design college graduates are good at drawing these days? How random is that? (As said graduates might express this phenomena).

I hope these don’t sound like the rants of an over the hill Luddite (although in truth they are, a bit). But I would observe that designers will only maintain a quality of output by playing with new technology rather than allowing it to play with them. It’s a poor workman who lets his tools dictate how the job will be done. Perhaps before hitting the keyboard, having clarity of purpose (say, a pencil sketch) would be a sound approach?

But let’s end on a happy note. Another shiny new toy. Have you seen these still images that subtly move before? They are called Cinemagraphs. The best ones are stunning. And I don’t think the technique is really being applied to graphics yet. Pretty seductive, huh? See plenty more here.

A little schoolboy humour for Friday. It’s funny how branding condoms with famous slogans changes their meaning entirely. There’s a whole bunch of them mocked up to see here – on a site which proves that advertising has a potentially one track mind, and also that there is no end to the random endeavours the Internet inspires in people.

Meanwhile, in a less double entendre  manner, Creative Review is asking for votes to find out the best advertising slogan ever here. The interesting thing to me is that I can see no example in their proposed shortlist that creates a perfect storm: a memorable line attached to an unforgettable piece of branded typography. I wonder, is this because one would cancel the other out? Do great words benefit from simpler expressions?

“Leave only your footprints” runs the sign on many an unspoilt virgin beach. Pop-ups should work in the opposite direction. When they have gone they should leave a lasting impression in the minds of their visitors. Coming to London in September is a new edition of ‘Galleria Illy’. Basically a pop-up setting which also showcases some new crockery designed by David Byrne, Julian Schnabel and suchlike. The space is designed by German Tobias Rehberger and is, to say the least, eye-popping. It’s very much in keeping with the Illy va-va-voom aesthetic and looks unlikely to attract too many members of the WI looking to pop in for a quick coffee and a rest.

I think it’s great, but it did make me wonder why so many pop-up concepts are so flaming dull? In principle they should always be a knock-out; a chance for a brand to marry advertising and design in a temporary and uninhibited showcase of where they are at. Branding that is 360 in a very real sense. But the reality is often little more than a logo, some product to buy, and a bit of ersatz trendy furniture.

The zero temperature Absolut icebar was the last such place I was inspired to visit. Friends with You gained kudos for their very cheerful ‘Rainbow – environmental installation’ in NYC for AOL.

But I can’t think of many others – perhaps I need to get out more. But can any of you suggest some really top quality pop-up branding that made an impression on you? If the best media is ‘earned not bought’ it strikes me that too many pop-ups miss this point and instead try to sell us something, rather than give us a great experience that we will tell our pals about. The best pop-ups are surely embassies whose quality of design and experience convert us all into brand ambassadors.

When brands collaborate with celebrities to create design, one suspects the extent to which the celebrity actually ‘designs’ is pretty limited. Often they have played the role of muse. A new collection of prints for Liberty is an exception. Many of them have actually been designed by the rock and pop stars that have been involved.

They follow a daunting pedigree of collaborations with the brand from William Morris to Rossetti to Yves Saint Laurent and Vivienne Westwood.

The results are actually really good. I particularly like the one at the top by Blur’s Graham Coxon and the bird drawings by Edwyn Collins are lovely. For decades it was a truism that many of our successful musician’s career paths detoured via art school. Coxon was at Goldsmiths. So perhaps we shouldn’t be surprised to find them capable of making a good fist of such a project.

Two thoughts: good for Liberty to get their celebrities to actually design the works (albeit there are still a few exceptions. Florence Welsh chose some favorite designs from the archives. Perhaps she is less handy with a pencil). The whole range is very rich and will appeal to a broad church. Secondly, once upon a time the idea of musicians (or anyone else for that matter) turning their hands to creative work outside the box we have put them in would be met with derision. I think this attitude is softening. Perhaps the web is generally allowing for a more diffuse, less limited view of what we can and can’t all turn our hands to. Which can only be a positive thing…

You can find all the designs here. A quick plug – I found this story on the Creative Review blog. Most of you will be aware of it, but for those who are not, it’s a really good dose of inspiration.

As Harry Potter casts his final spell over the nation, what next for the multitude behind the scene that have all helped make the brand such a colossal success. I don’t think we need hold our breath for Emma Watson but what about the design team?

It looks like we needn’t fear for their future either. A friend of mine was looking for some pictures to decorate her new baby’s bedroom and stumbled across these prints featuring collective nouns in pictures. Being quite particular about her interior design, she wanted something that would appeal to her son but also ‘fit in’ with the overall feel of her home.

What’s nice about these prints is that they have vibrancy, life and fun to appeal to children but enough sophistication to satisfy adults too. No surprise then that they come from Woop Studios, a company started by two of the Harry Potter graphic designers.

Like these prints, the genius of J. K. Rowling’s brand is that it makes children feel more grown-up, without making grown-ups feel like children. That’s quite a clever trick.