Floating type...

As part of their final project, design graduates Joseph Egan and Hunter Thompson created anamorphic typography installations that appear to float in mid air. The large slogans that are only legible from certain angles are meant to explore the relationship between architecture and graphic design.

Egan and Thompson's work makes you challenge the conventional view that graphic design is largely a 2d oriented art from. At first glance these photos look like photoshopped images and not something you can actually step into. Although the photos are obviously very impressive I can't help but feel that we're missing out on the true impact of these fantastic graphic installations by not experiencing them for real.

Check out the video below, it is truly astounding. It proves to the world that Graphics in the 21st Century has no boundaries and is more than just nice images printed on nice stock.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oCSCG-1ywJA&feature=player_embedded

Salts Mill

This weekend I took a trip over to see the extremely impressive Salts Mill in Saltaire. As you walk up to the gigantic building built in the 1800s you almost feel like a tiny Mill worker from days gone by. It's so imposing and stands so strong after all this time you can't help but be impressed.

I instantly regressed back to my excited youth, drooling over the hundreds of art and design books surrounded by the beautiful old brick walls and 19th century architecture. The book that really stole the show for me however was this small book of postcards by Charley Harper. His illustrations create order out of the chaotic natural world. I enjoy the way the animals are broken down in to their most simple forms; shapes and patterns. All the pictures are perfectly balanced through the use of precise shapes and geometric principles. He wonderfully combines patterns, colours, lines, shapes and textures to create such interesting and unique images.

The best yet Pixar!

Now I didn't think Pixars' short films got much better than Knick Knack (you know the one with the snowman stuck in a snowglobe) but their latest short animation is by far the most creative and is just so sweet.

When Day encounters Night sparks fly but when suspicions turn to curiosity they realise that their new friendship can offer a new perspective on the world. Yes it's a nice little story that makes you feel all warm and fuzzy inside, like you just want to hug the person next to you but this is not what makes this animation so great. The contrast of the colours and moods within the Day and Night characters make the film so dynamic. The characters interact and move together seemlessly even though within their bodies they reveal two very different times. The character design is simple so to keep the attention on what's inside the silhouette of their bodies and not on just what they look like. The use of sound is also incredible! The characters never say anything with their mouths but the noises of the scenes going on inside their bodies reflect their movements and emotions.

This might all sound a bit random and confusing but believe me, this animation is quite a hard one to explain so just watch it! Go go go. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDAnUF5i6Uc

British Comic Art

A couple of weekends ago I went to the Rude Britannia exhibition at the Tate Britain in London. If you're thinking of going and expect just a bit of Beano or Spider Man comic history then you will be in for quite a suprise. This exhibition will definitely make you squirm a little and be conscious of who's around you... Gasp, cringe or just laugh out loud it will definitely cause a reaction.

The exhibition has been put together by some of the best-known cartoonists and comedy writers and explores British comic art from the 1600s until the present day.

I was so suprised how far satirical and comic art went back, with one sketch of a Lord saying 'Kiss my arse' created in the 17th century! I was impressed by the sheer variety and range of British comic art exhibited, including paintings, sculptures, film, photography and of course graphic art and comic books. It was interesting to see how it all started out and was brought forward by artists like Hogarth. Artists grabbed hold of the greed and self-delusion which characterised their modern consumer society and ridiculed it with no shame.

It was great to see how the art of caricature developed over the centuries. It is now a very widely used art in British public life, with politicians, royalty and celebrities being mocked in magazines and newspapers. There were many pieces of satirical art based around recent politicians. These were very interesting because the artists picked up on those characteristics that make each politician recognisable and exaggerated them to create humour. They picked on specific events and situations and used them within the joke. It is very impressive how caricaturists can express someone's emotion and personality in such a simple drawing. I would love to develop this skill myself...

I really recommend this exhibition if you fancy a bit of giggle, and enjoy naughty British humour.

Calling all type geeks!

Hyperactivitypography from A to Z is an activity book for typographers. The nostalgic vintage style illustrations give it a sweet and childlike look. It takes you back to those classroom days and makes you feel young again, just if our GCSE textbooks looked like this!

The book is packed with activities, ranging from silly to hard core nerdiness so why not take a look and see how much of a type geek you are?

Out of season

First post, here goes nothing...

Had a spare half hour at work today so was just faffing around on the web as you do and fell across these fantastic illustrative Christmas cards created by Tad Carpenter.

It may still be summertime (even if it is pouring with rain in Leeds right now) but it's never too early to stock up on your Christmas cards, especially when they're this awesome. I normally make all my cards, but these I may actually buy.

Each year Carpenter tries to design a new series of cards which are silkscreened onto chipboard. I love the untraditional colour palette, the use of metallic grey with bright yellow is a bold move that's really paid off. I admire anyone that can make Christmas graphics look this good, not an ounce of red or green anywhere... Nice one.