Unwise Words: Trick Or Treat?

I was doing a bit of research yesterday when I stumbled across this blog article:

http://www.creativereview.co.uk/crblog/creative-review%c2%ae-launches-bold-new-brand-identity/

As I read through it, what started out as mild interest turned quickly into disbelief. As I moved through the article, I started to read phrases out loud to my husband sitting next to me (a fellow designer himself). We shrieked and winced in disbelief: this was exactly the kind of pretentious nonsense that builds barriers between the creative fraternity and the cautious, risk-averse small business people that make up a significant portion of our client base.

As we got to the end of the piece, my husband suggested that surely this was a prank. It didn't take much digging around to find that in fact, he was right.

http://www.creativereview.co.uk/crblog/it-was-a-send-up-but-the-language-is-horribly-real/

The article on this second link captures very well the feelings I have about the more pretentious side of the design industry.

Trying to shore up your concept with fancy words and tenuous phrases can be tempting, especially when you're charging a not insignificant amount of hard cash for what results in a 10cm piece of logo artwork. Indeed, there are even clients who enjoy having this kind of blurb on hand to thrust at the Board, in an effort to justify their spending; but as a designer, I hope I can communicate on a level with the rest of the world. I want my designs to speak for themselves. I want people's reaction to my designs to be personal and instinctive, not contrived and conscious.

BMW & The Prodigy

YOUTUBE.COM. 'BMW - 1 Series Advert (07/05/07)'. Available at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7adPhli-SyE [Accessed 23/04/09]

I find this advert absolutely fascinating.

Some of the effects remind me of a very early pop video, with the kaleidoscope effect and simple inverted images.

The addition of graphic marks and pattern brings it up-to-date (for the time it was released, circa 2004).

The image of the wobbly newborn foal is slightly uncomfortable to watch - not just as it struggles to stand but also the eerie way it's duplicated and superimposed on a very clinical white background.

The combination of organic images mixed with images of high-tech, mecahnical BMW detailing works well.

The effect of pattern created from repeats of the organic images is visually interesting and was cutting-edge style wise at the time of creation.

The rhythm of the moving images and the audio track compliment each other perfectly.

Ad details...

Agency: WCRS / Music: The Prodigy - You'll be under my wheels

VISIT4INFO.COM. 'BMW Car Range - BMW 1 Series' (31/07/04). Available at: http://www.visit4info.com/advert/BMW-1-Series-BMW-Car-Range/16404 [Accessed: 23/04/09]

Food For Thought

I’ve always been drawn to using materials out of their typical context; I like the way it forces me to look at things in a new light and to notice characteristics that I might have previously overlooked.

These pictures are from a series of award-winning images by artist Claire Grove, published as greetings cards by Holy Mackerel: a whitty and charming collection of mini-environments, created using models of people placed into food landscapes.

These pictures don’t just make me look at food from a different perspective. They also serve to remind me of some fundamental principles of spatial design that I would do well to remember… that scale plays a huge part in the overall effect of a design [1]; that users of a space become a part of it [2]; that a successful space will always be one that’s designed with the user in mind [3]; and that my work doesn’t always have to be quite so serious!

http://clairegrove.co.uk/index.php?pr=Cards_and_prints

[1] Part of the charm of these images is their scale.
[2] Take the figures away, and the landscapes become meaningless.
[3] I imagine that the figures came first, and the settings were designed based on the suggested activities of the figures.

Michael Reynolds, Garbage Warrior

By many people’s standards, I don’t watch much telly. I struggle enough to fit my life into 24-hour chunks as it is, without having to make time for telly as well. So it’s a wonder that I stumbled upon More4’s documentary last Tuesday entitled “True Stories: Garbage Warrior”, a documentary looking at the work of eco-friendly architect Michael Reynolds. And how pleased I am that I did!

Somewhat of a maverick in his field, Reynolds has been experimenting with his 'biotecture' in the New Mexico desert for the last 35 years. He’s convinced that humanity is headed for oblivion due to our depletion of the Earth's resources and pollution of the environment: “I'm trying to save my ass - and that is a powerful force”, he says.

Reynolds builds self-sufficient, off-the-grid 'earthships' out of old beer cans, bottles and tyres hard-packed with earth. His seemingly magical buildings use power from the sun, harvest rainwater and treat their own sewage, meaning that they are not reliant on any infrastructure.

Surprisingly, despite their make-up and their low-tech construction, his buildings are beautiful and enchanting. And proven to work: as well as living in them himself for many years, his earthships have literally saved the lives of tsunami victims in the Andaman Islands left homeless and waterless after their villages were flattened.

Reynold’s buildings are beautiful and fascinating to look at. Moreover they are immensely sustainable, boasting a build of natural and recycled materials, thermal/solar heating and cooling, solar and wind technology, water harvesting, contained sewage treatment and food production – and a construction time of 15 days to boot.

Yet what strikes me most about Reynolds work isn’t simply the remarkable design of his structures. It’s his drive and determination to push his work forward, despite some seemingly insurmountable bureaucratic hurdles and a lack of vision or support from US authorities – which has even resulted in him having his architect’s licence revoked for a period of time.

Reynolds’ determination is remarkable. He fights endlessly to push the boundaries of architecture and sustainable building and his life and his work are inseparable. Clarity of vision is the lifeblood of his achievements.

http://www.earthship.net/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=4