Stuart Hobday
I’m just working on my own site at the moment (I’m updating to a cms) and was looking for inspiration. Really love this site from Stuart Hobday.
Getting it right
A decent start to finish tutorial on creating a css layout. It’s been around for a while but it’s something I keep finding myself coming back to.
Muggie Ramadani
Some incredibly comprehensive brand identity projects. Really eye-opening stuff! Not much on his personal site but his behance is very comprehensive.
polimekanos
Some great work from design studio Polimekanos. Unusual to see such high quality print and web projects.
Some very high profile identity work in there too.
New Serial Cut website
I’ve been a fan of Spanish design studio Serial Cut for a long time now and I was dead excited last night when I surfed onto their new website. On first impression the site is a slick minimal creation finished in the trademark ‘Retro Chic’ aesthetic Serial Cut have become famous for; on closer inspection the site is a technical masterpiece of JQuery and CSS coding (for the unitiated this is real web design, not an Adobe Flash cop out).
Unfortunately, for me anyway, that’s where the fun ended. Looking through the selected projects there is a stronger emphasis on pure image making than before. I admit that I’m not necessarily the right kind of person to judge such work but I do get the feeling the ‘cardboard cutout mixed with retro bits and bobs’ approach is well past it sell by date by now.
The graphic design work on show is similarly stale. I was immediately stuck by the tacky branding job for Charada nightclub. This shiny ‘Web 2.0-ish’ identity looks to me like a lame rehash of earlier Serial Cut work. Their work for Springfield though is better. This well finished ‘look book’ would probably take pride of place in most designer portfolios, but remember, this was once a studio that was on the cutting edge of design trend, bright colours and clean type screen printed on uncoated card has been done countless times before, it always looks great but is ultimately now pretty safe design. The work in the images above I feel is the best of the new work. The ‘Akzidenz like’ style of typography is closer to the pulse of current typographic trend, yet still this is not really enough to inspire and excite.
Overall I’m disappointed with the latest body of work from Serial Cut. You may decide for yourself.
The Language of Things
I recently finished reading this book by Deyan Sudjic, Design Director of the Design Museum in London. Sudjic addresses designed objects and how particular objects invoke an emotional response. In the chapter on Archetypes Sudjic focuses on particular examples such as the Anglepoise lamp to inform about the origins, why the product was successful, and how these same principles can still be applied today. Overall he has quite a witty approach and uses Apple, the Walther PPK, a myriad of digital cameras and cars to contextualise his points.
I recently saw Objectified and felt both hit similar points. I’d recommend both as the ideas mentioned really make you conscious of the importance of design in this distinct field. The Guardian have a review of the book here. Also the lovely cover of the book was designed by the excellent Yes Studio in London who recently updated their website.
Mind Design
No website yet just this awesome PDF from Mind Design, London. Of particular note is their Bauhaus inspired Muggenburg Grotesk typeface.
Aires Mateus
Portuguese Aires Mateus has one of the slickest architecture websites I’ve ever come across.
ODOS Architects
After a leave of absence to complete my Visual Communication degree I’m back and ready to make some contributions to DontBlog.Me. Keeping with the theme of promoting home grown talent, check out ODOS Architects who have just been shortlisted for an RIAI Award.
daddy
Thought I’d keep up the lovely open bind showcase. Lovely stuff from Daddy in Denmark. Drastically different from Daddy in Ireland
