David Smith and the art of sign writing

With so much horrendously kerned insensitive type and signage about, it is inspiring and reassuring to see the work of David Smith, an English sign writer. Perpetuating the tradition of hand cut, gilded ornamental glass signs, he creates the magnificent signs that can be found in pubs throughout Great Britain. A master class in typography and the art of sign writing.

Paul is on Behance Network

www.behance.net/paulvickers

Rubberband Alphabet

Brilliantly observed typeface by eylab via accidental mysteries.blogspot.com

Retail design at St Pancras International Station

Sourced Market, recently opened at London's St Pancras station, is a great example of station retailing and food services.

It has all the ambiance and quality ingredients of an outdoor market, locally sourced food, fine wines and great design by Shaun Clarkson and branding by Thoughtmatic. An original concept for a rail station. Also at St Pancras is the Grand Champagne Bar, ideal for a drink before boarding the Euro Star.

As someone who travels through Paris’s Gare d’Austerlitz station almost every week, I wish the SNCF would upgrade the quality of services offered here, the overall interior design and furnishings which do not appear to have been touched for 50 years.

When we lived in New York I travelled through Grand Central Station each day. A great restaurant overlooks the main ticket hall and on the lower level there is the Grand Central Oyster Bar. With quality services, restaurants and retailing, rail stations can become a genuine destination and an experience, not just a functional travel hub.
Top images St Pancras, last image Gare d'Austerlitz

Logorama - the world of brands

Logorama from Marc Altshuler - Human Music on Vimeo.

For those that have not seen it, the Oscar winning animated film by François Alaux, Hervé de Crécy and Ludovic Houplain of H5 French film collective, starring 3 000 logos. Four years in production, it opened the 2010 Sundance Film Festival and won a 2010 academy award in the category of animated short film.

World's first billboard written entirely by bees

SOS - Save Our Swarm - is the first message ever written by bees. 100 000 bees attracted by the Pheromone of a Queen Bee spell out the message for Plan Bee, an environmental agency, in Devon. Creating quite a buzz!

Useful info graphic - Largest Bankruptcies in History

Click to enlarge

You can't miss the bike shop

Sign for a bike shop in Altlandsberg, Germany, made of 120 bicycles.

logolounge's 2010 logotype/brand trends

Always a fascinating insight, Bill Gardner's, analysis of branding and logotype design trends has just been published. Identifiable trends from the 35 000 odd logotypes analysed include:

• O shaped designs inspired by the Obama Presidential campaign,
  
• Transparency as an expression of honesty and ethics,
  
• Brighter colours, influenced by screen based applications as opposed to print based, and signifying a message of optimism,
• Faceting, animation and circles...

For the full article: logolounge.com

Gotham - the typeface of the decade

Created for GQ magazine, famously used for the Obama 'Yes We Can' campaign, adding gravitas to film posters and Coke advertising, Gotham by Hoefler & Frere-Jones is the typeface of the decade. The full story here.

What are we working on today?

One of the major projects that we have on the go right now is an important branding and packaging design assignment for an industry leader in the Heath & Beauty category.
The project includes naming and verbal identity, brand identity development and global packaging graphics.
Currently confidential we are targeting, with the client, a product launch in the Spring of 2011. Watch this space.

A truck full of nuts...

Amongst on-going projects for Fazillac Noix, we are working on branding development, stationary, new packaging and collateral. Here is our proposal for a printed colour full vinyl wrap for delivery vehicles. The bag - but big!

Strate Collège Designers workshop/critique

Final presentation and Paul's critique workshop at Strate Collège Designers with 4th Year and Master's students of the Branding/Packaging/Merchandising assignment: 'Active Sportswear Product' - Using design to bridge the gap between the product and the consumer.
Projects include Illusion Snowboard goggles using optical illusions, the visible and invisible; Alfalfa edible packaging for horse riding accessories; Silence a shrink wrapped white blank-canvas skateboard for personalisation and Golfing Polo's packed in transparent plastic tubes set in a green growing wall.

New packaging projects for Fazillac Noix

Three years ago we created and launched the Fazillac Noix brand of walnuts and 100% virgin walnut oil. Following the creation of the distinctive brand identity, that is grounded in regional south west French authenticity, we designed the packaging and labelling for flow-packs and glass bottles. A new brand launch, it has been very successful and is now distributed by major supermarkets throughout the country. We are currently working on several new branding and design projects for Fazillac Noix.

The Mori Hills Building on Omotesando

The Mori Hills Building on Omotesando, Tokyo continues Frank Lloyd Wright's Guggenheim Museum spiral architecture concept, but here the building fits into a triangular site as opposed to a circle. I visited it just after its opening and the effect of walking from the top floor to the ground down a continuous gentle slope is still a bit disturbing. Nice use of OLED lights on the restaurant window.

Coke Crate Man Johannesburg

A nice brand happening, art piece, sculpture and recycling project for Coca-Cola in Johannesburg. Particularly like his friendly Lego man look.

Frost byte for the State Library NSW

Some more examples of the typeface and design work developed by Frost Design for the State Library of NSW, Australia. A unique typeface created as part of the Libraries identity.

Go Global, Get into Australia campaign

Two more typographic posters from the Sydney Vodaphone campaign by Yello Brands and Am I Collective.

Ecole Bleue for The Haiti Poster Project

Work by my 4th Year students in support of the Haiti Poster Project is exhibited on the HPP website and in the accompanying exhibition and catalogue. It can also be seen on the Ecole Bleue website.

Grand Paris at the Ecole Bleue

The Grand Paris project, initiated by the French Government, aims to envisage the future vision of the Paris Metropole: urbanism, environment, transport, culture, ecology and the diversity and vitality of a major 21st century metropolis. 4th year students at the Ecole Bleue, responded with a poster campaign to communicate the concept.