It's all getting a bit festive!

I am well and truly excited for Christmas now. The shopping chaos in complete and now all that is left is to wrestle with the snow chaos on my way down to Devon. To get the rest of you into the Christmas mood why not check out the D&AD Ad-vent calendar. It showcases a different bit of work with a Christmas theme every day so you have a whole week of goodies left to see. I absolutely love the Christmas card that works both ways up and the cheeky Lynx calendar

Check it out by clicking here

Some Christmas inspiration

This photoblog has managed to draw my attention to some very stylish bits and pieces all of which could grace any Christmas stocking. A nice find indeed.

Click here to check subnetwork out

Young Me Now Me

Here at the Glow studio we have been keeping abreast of the phenomenon that is "zefrank", so much so that Lisa (the MD) submitted a retro (she'll love me describing it as that) photo of herself and her brother, which now takes pride of place on the Young Me Now Me "FAVOURITES" blog page. We like to treat you and this is definitely worth a read:

http://www.zefrank.com/youngmenowme/blog/

Courtesy of Creative Review

Kyle Bean...

I love this designer's work and was made aware of it courtesy of Creative Review who tweeted him this arvo. Take a look at his intricate hand crafted, interactive and ever so innovative work...

http://www.kylebean.co.uk/

Love it!

Screenshot of designer's website: http://www.kylebean.co.uk

The Spectator

I have seen a couple of adverts from this series while on the train and think they are great. You don't have to see the logo to know that the ad is for The Spectator. The tone of all the short statements is so right. The campaign is to promote the magazines new look. It will now feature shorter articles and more quotes from industry leaders and will also put more emphasis on its coverage of culture, arts and literature. To reflect this the statements used in the campaign all comment on these areas. The magazine's stated mission to "provoke debate through elegantly written and highly opinionated comment". i think the campaign they have created ticks all these boxes.

The Cloud Community - An Introduction

Forget blue-sky thinking – Get your head in the clouds!

To a ‘civilian’, digital media sounds technical, perhaps exciting – or even boring but definitely daunting to those unfamiliar with the term. Surprisingly, the majority of us have contact with digital media on a daily basis. I’m not talking television, video or DVD - or even iPod, Wii consoles or broadband. I am talking about the intangible source of information in the clouds.

We all know the success of Facebook, Twitter and Myspace and the ability to connect with forgotten friends and share our lives on the ‘world wide web’. And some may even know of ‘cloud computing’, which allows access to files remotely from any location providing you have a computer, internet connection, a login and a password. These tools are two examples falling under the umbrella term ‘digital media’.

The UK has embraced cloud power on a personal level. The next logical step was to apply this format to business. In my world this all happened rather naturally. One minute I was a Graphic Designer come Marketing Assistant, the next I was appointed ‘Communications and Digital Media Manager’ – no formal training required – or not as the case may be. As I mentioned earlier, the job change came naturally but on reflection, my responsibilities at Glow had morphed over the years to accommodate new trends in communication and technology and subsequently my skills have been adapted and increased in order to use these tools effectively (a case of cloud evolution me thinks). Perhaps the change was apparent when I chose to take on a ‘Digital Print’ degree as opposed to a ‘Screen Printing’ course. Or maybe I should have noticed a shift when I taught myself to build websites on a whim “in case the need arises” which, I hasten to add it has. On the other hand maybe I shouldn’t have seen the shift – maybe I am over-analysing, after all technology makes evolution so much faster these days so maybe we just notice it more than say those living in the 1700’s.

I digress. The importance of this article is to recognize, not analyse, the presence of digital media.

I imagine digital media as a community above our heads connected with motorways, A roads, and more pleasant and relaxing country lanes. Throw in a few railway tracks and you should be able to visualize my head in the clouds. This community is the whole world and we have access to it all. A live feed of information available to everyone and powered by various digital media tools: The Cloud Community.

We can browse the web at our leisure using the country lanes, do some window shopping and stop for a chat at social media sites. Or we can conduct business, network and seal deals using the motorways, taking advantage of the live feed of information and instant communication tools.

Digital media agencies are being formed specifically to offer digital media services. These can be anything from e-marketing solutions to the integration of more technical systems. Cashing in on the services offered by digital media agencies and the like are companies such as OpenAmplify, who monitor the use and context of words in online conversations and articles:

"OpenAmplify uses multi-patented text analysis software to 'read' and understand the meaning of every word in every sentence and paragraph that it analyses across social networks and the wider web. It understands what's being discussed, how, when, where and why - making it extremely valuable for anyone seeking to monetise, analyse or create value from online content. It understands whether a topic of discussion is positive or negative, how emotionally engaged the author is in the topic, and what the author plans or intends to do about it. And it can do that automatically, hundreds of millions of times a day."

Mark Redgrave. http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/pda.  27^th October 2010

The existence of such companies already demonstrates the power of digital media and the already expanding possibilities and opportunities that are presented as a result.

In conclusion, this short article has merely been written in recognition of digital media and it’s presence in society. I hope to re-visit the topic in the near future providing examples of what and how to use digital media effectively. This article is a case in point – if you are reading it you have entered the cloud community!

Like Mom, Like Dad

A follow on from 'young me now me' this link is another nostalgia fuelled web based project featuring photos of mothers, fathers, sons and daughters. This time we are treated to some anecdotes depicting similarities between the afore mentioned relatives.

Like Mom Like Dad

Thanks to Rhys McCarthy for introducing me to the delights of "zefrank", we should all take a little time out to appreciate the simplicity of these amusing yet heartfelt projects that join communities across the world wide web!

Enjoy :-)

Shall we all go home now?

I found this really interesting article on the Design Assembly website. I find this site is a great resource for opinion based news stories about all aspects of the creative industry. This particular article struck a chord as I have only been working for a year having graduated in 2009 and therefore, as I suppose is natural, take a great interest in the future of an industry I spent years preparing to enter. I have spent much time worrying about it's stability and the role of the designer in years to come as clients become more design literate themselves. Following this theme I hope you find the following article of interest.

Part of the article is below but to read the whole article use this link

http://www.designassembly.org/2010/09/24/shall-we-all-go-home/

Choosing graphic design as a career choice has never been more popular; in my decade plus of studying and working in the field, it has become much easier to explain my occupation to strangers. In fact, I rarely have to explain at all, after I’ve answered the question “what do you do?”. They usually respond with “oh my sister does that” or “my nephew is starting his course in the autumn”. Part of me does yearn for those days where I had to explain the difference between architecture and graphic design to elderly relatives.

Alongside the dramatic mushrooming of the population of graphic designers over the last ten, twenty years there has been an overall increase in non-designer’s awareness of graphic design and typography. Every office computer is equipped with a hundred or more fonts and basic graphic or publishing software. Inevitably this has led to people making basic design decisions everyday; whether composing an email, pulling together a PowerPoint presentation or composing a passive-aggressive note to stop people stealing their milk. Regardless of the merit of the finished design, everyone with a computer suddenly has the tools to become a graphic designer.

A positive outcome of a more design-literate culture is good for designers, the clients may be more open to radical ideas and the communication between the two becomes easier. The downside is the client may becomes a back-seat driver, and encroaches on every decision from point size to Pantone colour.

Digital Mapping

I have become obsessed with this format. I have to say I was not overly aware of it until I read the article in this months Creative Review. It involves projecting an animation onto a building or structure. The clever thing is that the animation is digitally mapped to fit to the building. The overall effect of this makes the animation feel like it is an organic part of the building and blurs the lines between virtual reality and the real world. features such as windows on the buildings can become portals to another world or panels in an elaborate pinball machine. In a way a guess this has a similar theme to my last post. It seems the future of advertising, as with the future of the web, lies in greater user interaction. check out the examples below and make up your own mind.

NuFormer - Samsung, Amsterdam, May 2010 - One take from NuFormer Projection on Vimeo.

NuFormer - Sony, Madrid, Colegio San Augustin, May 2010 - One take from NuFormer Projection on Vimeo.

The Wilderness Downtown

This interactive film by Chris Milk featuring the track "We used To Wait" by Arcade Fire is a look into the future and some of the capabilities of HTML 5. By entering your address at the start of the video it becomes customised around the viewer. You also get some opportunities to interact with the content. All this adds together to create a very immersive environment.

Sure it takes a lot of processor speed and is therefore quite glitchy and the video is only able to work on certain browsers but I think this is a good example of how this format could evolve to follow the current trend of user interactivity in new technology.

http://www.thewildernessdowntown.com/

The Power of Downtime

We all know that stress at work can be worsened by the constant interaction we have with smart phones once we leave the office. But did you know that our downtime periods could also be in jeopardy by our time filling habits.

What used to be a 5 minute coffee break has turned into a “Do I have time to check my bank account” or “Can I complete the next level in 5 minutes?”

“At the University of Michigan, a study found that people learned significantly better after a walk in nature than after a walk in a dense urban environment, suggesting that a barrage of information leaves people fatigued” (Matt Richtel, The New York Times, Sep 2010)

The problem is that due to advances in technology, this walk in nature now entails a text to a friend, checking the train times and sending an email whilst listening to an MP3.

“People think they are refreshing themselves, but they are fatiguing themselves” says Marc Berman, a neuroscientist at the University of Michigan (New York Times Sep 2010)

This multitasking can be taxing for the brain. What we class as relaxation time has turned into an invasion of our much needed downtime. This overload of information prevents our brains from processing and maintaining it.

Click here to read the full article

This fab image was taken by http://www.urban75.org/blog/tag/brockwell-park/

Young Me Now Me

Such a great way to bring people together again - this is a fab link for its simple nostalgic value, you may have to skip quickly through the try hards but there are some gems amongst the hundreds that have taken part!

http://www.zefrank.com/youngmenowme/

SMART goals

Setting goals acts as a great self-motivator, whether professionally or personally. We all run the risk of getting stuck in the same mundane rut but with a little help from the SMART guide to setting goals you’ll be ready to achieve as much or as little as your heart desires.

If you regularly set yourself goals, write lists or lose post-its, and never seem to move forward it may be time to adapt your goals to fit around your natural work/life pattern using the SMART approach. Working with your personality and acknowledging your natural approach to life will help you achieve more.

“Are you happy to leap into the unknown and brave what may come? If not, take small steps beyond your comfort zone. Leap too far and a failure may knock your confidence too much to try again. Plan too much and you may avoid taking any steps at all” www.careers-creative-living.co.uk

Taking a SMART approach ensures your goals are tailored to your personality and work patterns making the tasks less daunting and more realistic.

Your original goal may be “to find a job”. Using the SMART guide, this large and daunting task can be divided into smaller, more manageable steps and achieved more successfully. Using the SMART guide helps turn a daunting task into a more manageable and enjoyable process that leads to professional or personal satisfaction.

To read the full article including the SMART guide click here.

Out of Africa

Patrick Mavros is a self-taught sculptor and silversmith. Although harrowing, his story is beautifully simplistic; born and raised in what was then Rhodesia, now Zimbabwe, Mavros fought in the Rhodesian army. Injured and out of action Mavros found himself carving earrings for his wife Catja from Ivory. So popular was the gift that he began taking orders and so the story goes and a business was born.

Adopting for a more sustainable material- silver, and more pragmatic methods of production such as lost-wax casting, Mavros' signature designs are captured in magnificent sculptures inducing the beauty of his beloved african surroundings.

Patrick looks like any other middle aged man. His appearance is not suggestive of wealth nor hard times. To meet this man would be awe inspiring I'm sure. the family home doubles up as a wildlife sanctuary, a gallery and a workshop where the community gathers and locals can be trained and employed.

what differentiates Mavros' work in a land full of creativity and life is perhaps the brains behind it. Africa in renowned for it's colourful eclectic mix of prints and pottery but these intricate, exquisitely carved pieces offer a contemporary alternative and Patrick Mavros is all too aware of the commercial possibilities.

Prints Please!

Our purses aren’t flush at the moment but does this mean our wardrobes should look just as drab? The origins of this post may be fashion inspired but the concept could be applied to many aspects of our lives....

Going back to basics where our clothes are concerned must act as some form of psychological solution to the guilt we feel when purchasing the non-essentials! Why should basic be boring? Of course a collection’s commercial viability is paramount and it makes good business sense to produce something that’s safe and saleable in the current economic climate, but in my opinion the companies opting for the 'safe' should re-visit their client base and ask themselves if 'basic' is what their customer's

I say we should be encouraging people to look on the bright side of life by introducing colour and print to their lives! Mind you, I’m not entirely sure people need encouraging, do we really

In a bid to support my passion for print I spent my pocket money on some printed hareem trousers from Topshop this week. These trousers are possibly the best I’ve bought in years. Forget the style and the fit, the print makes these trousers an effortlessly stylish addition to my wardrobe and makes me feel like I've injected a little high fashion into my life on a budget!

Very uplifting

Are you in need of some midweek inspiration? I stumbled upon this great quote from Daniel Burnham an American architect born in the 19th century which might just do the trick.

World of LEGO

I was a massive LEGO fan when I was a kid so I think I have definitely identified my next must-have piece of equipment for the glow office. May slow down productivity a bit though.....

Pixar- Day & Night

I recently went to watch Toy Story 3 (which is a great film by the way) but I was struck by the beauty of the short film which preceded it. Pixar are well known for their short films which sometimes sit alongside their major features but this one is by far the best I've seen. Day & Night features two 2D characters (one called Day, the other Night, as the title suggests) who's feelings are played out by 3D scenes within them. It's really hard to describe but carries a great message about not being prejudice and how we are all the same even if we look different. It is also just brilliant to look at. Here is a making of video which gives you a sneak peek but I really would advise you to go to the cinema and see Toy Story 3 even if you leave after this short film, your money will have been well spent.

there is also a small description of the film on Pixar's website which you can view here

http://www.pixar.com/shorts/d&n/2.html

Brand New Experience

A brand is much more than a logo, it communicates on a wider level.

Of course a logo is vital to the making of a brand and serves its purpose as a symbolic, identifying tool, but your brand is your strongest asset. It is the personality of your company, the culture and the ethos. A brand is the essence of what your company can offer and deliver. It should reflect the experience your client can expect if they choose your company. Whether you wish to increase sales, reach a wider audience, enter new markets or find new partners, correct branding will create the right impression.

A successful brand is easily ‘read’ through a carefully crafted set of perceptions and images that represent a company, product or service. Take Coca-Cola, an iconic brand, which to the consumer eye has not changed a great deal over the years. However even the big players need to reinforce their branding strategy regularly to stay at the top of their game:

The Coca-Cola brand is taken for granted, after all it hasn’t changed for decades has it? In fact the Coca-Cola brand underwent 18 months of design scrutiny (largely due to the size of the organisation) resulting in seemingly effortless changes to the iconic brand in 2009 which, according to some, may seem like nothing more than an easy tidying up exercise but which in fact was a huge project, taken on by Pio Schunker and a team of independent design consultancies, with an aim to reinforce the brand.

Click here to read this article in full.

Images: D&AD website

X-rayted! sorry, that's a terrible pun.

These images are from a brilliant calendar to promote EIZO, a Japanese medical display monitor company. Amazingly these lads-mag type poses were created from individually spliced x-rays of separate body parts taking a total of 3 months to complete. The designers have done a really great job of creating some extra interest out of what could have potentially been a very dry brief. I really want a copy.

Great thinking!

This campaign is quite old now but as it was run in Lebanon many of you may not have got to see it, which would be a shame. The hair has been die-cut out of the billboard so that it changes colour throughout the day. This is a fantastically creative way to illustrate that the hair dye range is made from natural ingredients. Enjoy.

The new Flake advert

The new Flake advert has been causing much debate, which in terms of marketing must be a good thing. Personally I quite like it. The imagery is stunning and the music (Unfold-by Warren Ellis) is equally beautiful.

A lot of the issues people have with it do ring true though. The first time I saw it a thought it must be for a fragrance, only in the world of fragrance ads can the content bear seemingly no relation to the product until the final shot. The yellow dress with the purple ink is to subtle a link to the packaging colours for most. The imagery does also make me think of jelly fish and sea creatures (although many have compared the dress to floating tripe) at first which is not overly appetising.

There have also been comparisons to a hologram of Kate Moss at a Alexander Mcqueen show which may suggest the idea is not as original as many had thought. The video is below so you can make your own judgment.

Viewing marketing as a luxury is so yesterday!

History tells us why marketing is a must for growth...

Despite a slightly more positive feel, businesses are still struggling to stay afloat in the UK’s challenging economy. If only these businesses knew that their chances of recovery and stability could be increased by a focus on marketing as opposed to cut backs.

Strategies for growth have been set aside by many of the big players past and present, in favour of survival strategies that employ the more obvious cut backs such as heavy discounts and reduced over-heads. Although to employ a strategic marketing plan for growth seems hard to justify in today’s economic environment, committing to a marketing plan and a ‘real’ budget can work wonders for your business and your brand’s longevity.

The depression of the thirties offered opportunities beyond survival and for Kellogg’s, whose profits increased by almost 30% through an increased advertising budget and the launch of a new product – Rice Krispies! Kellogg’s competitor, Post, joint market leaders at the time, employed the cut back strategy and as a result never regained and faded away.

“The Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM) claims companies are increasingly realising it is the creative marketer, ripe with innovation, imagination and the right budget, who grasps the downturn as an opportunity”

Kate Hilpern, The Independent, 24.06.10

In her article in The Independent, Kate Hilpern discusses why the CIM claim that committing to a marketing plan pays off in a downturn. According to the CIM, there are 6 key reasons.

Click here to read about these reasons in detail and view the full article.

Social Media

A short post to let everyone know that Glow is now 'as one' with Facebook, Linkedin and Twitter. We hope to keep you in the Glow loop through regular updates, including upcoming events, topical issues and interesting bits and bobs from the glow team, enjoy...

Visit our website for all the links

Very nice stop motion

This Is Where We Live from 4th Estate on Vimeo.

I found this great stop motion animation which was created for the 25th anniversary of 4th Estate. now called 5th Estate, this is a place where writers can go to post opinion and debate, try out new material, and where readers can fight back on all the issues that interest them.

The animation really gets you in a literary state of mind and you have to appreciate the craftsmanship in the book-based landscapes and also in the lighting and post-production.

Do I remember the moment I fell in love with print?

I have always found flicking through the pages of magazines, catalogues, brochures and books more satisfying than surfing the web. This could be put down to my background in the arts and the extensive scrapbooking, sketchbooking and collecting of paper based data that this involves. Or it could simply be that print offers fantastic tangible qualities that the internet can't such as the smell of paper, the feel of stock, and the sound of pages turning.

In short, no, I don't remember the precise moment I fell in love with print, however I certainly fell in love all over again when passed a copy of 'What's Next' magazine created by Sappi and agency, John Brown.

It is rare to find a journal that differentiates itself quite as much as this one - I was hooked before I'd seen any content and it wasn't the cover's imagery that lured me, it was the stock: Magno Satin 300gsm. Printed on 5 examples of Sappi's finest papers, the magazine is designed to discuss and explore the issues facing and shaping the print industry.

The qualities of the cover stock (which drew me in) are difficult to articulate, Sappi describes its' touch as "suave beyond conventional satin finishes" and it is hard to find an alternative description. Imagine a smooth silky surface paired with a velvety richness to the touch. The sumptous, almost rubbery satin finish invites print lovers to wonder at the exquisite reproduction of colour and detail.

After much appreciation of the tangible nature of the cover stock the journal itself does not disappoint. Sappi and John Brown obviously have a firm grasp of what works for the genre. Its opening feature 'On Paper' asks 8 global creatives "do you remember the first time you fell in love with print?" and proves an interesting read.

Fab imagery, layout and type; great articles and exquisite use of stock throughout. I can't wait for the next issue.

Zoe (Graphic Designer)

Mega to Mediocre

Being a not-so-massive footy fan I am unqualified to comment on the technical aspect of the upcoming matches. However I would like to comment, very briefly, on the design hype surrounding the FIFA Worldcup 2010.

From Mega-Cool to Mediocre it's the passion that counts and the creators of these delights have passion a plenty.

Zoe

Print vs Pixels

I found this really nice quote summing up the feelings of most designers on this subject from the Japanese designer Kenya Hara. This humble quote beautifully describes the tactile quality that web based design can never compare to.

‘Thanks to the rise of electronic media, paper can finally behave as it can and should; as an intrinsically charming material. If electronic media is reckoned a practical tool for information conveyance, books are information sculpture. From now on books will probably be judged according to how well they awaken this materiality, because the decision to create a book at all will be based on a definite choice of paper as the medium.’”

A great article on the struggle between print and the web and how this has started to effect designers can be read by clicking here. I hope you find it interesting

.

Harmony

For all you frustrated creative types and potential artists out there I have found this great bit of online fun. Harmony is an addictive online drawing tool offering a few different brush styles. I particularly like the fur option. Go to Harmony to have a go yourself. You can even save your little works of art and impress your friends later.

Reality Football

Being a massive football fan I love this simple collection of football portraits by Alan Powdrill for a project he has called Reality Football. Pictures were taken of Sunday League teams, Pub teams and in local parks across the country during 3 seasons with the aim of showing the real, grass roots side of the beautiful game.

The all-encompassing nature of the sport becomes very apparent as you flick through these pictures. What a varied bunch us footballers are!

To have a proper look visit http://www.realityfootball.org/

OK Go keep things creative

OK Go are building something of a reputation for going the extra mile with their music videos. Who could forget their extremely creative and originally choreographed treadmill dance routine for the song Here it goes again which has been copied and referenced many times including a recent obvious parody by Berocca to advertise their vitamin supplement. Yet somehow they have managed to surpass themselves. This is a very recent video of theirs for This too shall pass which obviously took a lot of time to get right. It is taken as one long, panning shot and is a lot of fun. It also brings to mind the classic Honda advert The Cog in which various parts of the car all interact in a long chain reaction.

AR is the future

The term Augmented Reality has been hovering just outside of my

consciousness for a few months now but it's reputation among the

online community is growing. No doubt it is a term some of you

will have heard of however if you haven't, Augmented reality

involves using a barcode style symbol alongside your web-cam or

iPhone to create media that interacts with the world around you.

As with most technological advances the practical uses were not

apparent at first, most early applications were aimed at the

entertainment market in the form of hardcore gamers however

some companies like Benetton (to create viral promo videos) and

especially IKEA (see the my.IKEA video below) are begining to use

AR to good effect. From the look of these two videos the future is

going to be really cool!

Beautiful object from GF Smith

We recently received this great piece of print from GF Smith to

show off their Colourplan range which glow currently use for

some of our stationery. Stunning in its simplicity and finish,

we have come to expect nothing less from the paper merchants

as they have worked with many design agencies on their

promotional material over the years.

If you like what you see there is a exhibition celebrating 111

years of Graphic Design from GF Smith currently touring Art

schools around the country. The exhibition features

Promotional work from the 60's up to the present day and

features work by Saul Bass, Milton Glaser, Paul Rand, Bill

McKay and SEA Design.

recent logo trends

There seems to be a growing trend for logo design which

implements varied textures and gradients creating a deeper

richer logotype. This almost breaks into a realm of CGI with the

current SKY logo looking as though it is made of glass reflecting

and changing colour at will. Whether things continue to move in

this direction or revert to more minimalist tendencies you simply

have to admire the craftsmanship involved.

Uefa EURO 2012 Branding

I have to say I am quite perplexed by the new branding for the EURO 2012

tournament in Poland and Ukraine. Brandia Central have created a colourful

and fun brand inspired by 19th century wycinanki, an art of paper cutting

popular in both Poland and Ukraine. Areas of this work really well, I love

the stadiums illustrated as flowers as an idea. The only question I will raise

is, beautiful and bright as the brand is, does it suit the world of football?