Beyond the Mac

I found myself in the pub with a group of friends over the weekend, one of whom is a furniture designer.

He pulled out his worn sketchbook – it was spectacular – full of the handdrawn. In this digital age there seems to be less freedom and imperfections within a designer’s work. Clients demand that your designs look slick and glossy, even at concept stage, which results in more time being spent on prettyfying, rather than thinking about that big idea.

My friend was quick to correct me that his sketchbook was a piece of junk and suggested I look at some of his sketches that he had recently retouched and posted on his website.

This confirmed my thinking that when you spend a vast amount of your life looking at polished visuals on screen you really do miss and crave the handdrawn and the character it’s imperfections bring – absence makes the heart grow fonder.

Okay, I digress, rant over, back to my friend and his lovely sketchbook in the pub. We were discussing all things design, as we often do, a few more friends arrived and an idea comes to mind as of a result of our discussion. So I pull out my notepad, as I usually do, to scribble an idea that needed remembering. This simple action was met with a mixture of amusement and confusion by my companions, who naively believed me to be the most enthusastic design geek they know, given my profession, and clearly expected me to pull out an iPhone, netbook or something more befitting.

I went onto to explain my preference for the pen and paper for keeping on track with my to-do’s and working up ideas. I went on to explain that migrating to a digital device was starting to make much more sense, the ability to store all those thoughts and reminders all-in-one place, and in an editable format is very appealing.

Admittedly, I have been a little slow with my migration to a digital notepad but the issue that I have always had with digital note taking is the lack of freedom and speed compared to my trusted pen and paper.

I am no artisitic genius, my sketches are often unneat and erractic to say the least but this is the result of the freedom and speed of thought that the pencil and paper allows. The bigger the paper, the bigger the ideas, actually I can’t back that up, some of the biggest ideas come from the smallest scribbles, but you know what I’m trying to get at.

The computer can be an obstactle in your thought process and just the process of moving away from your desk can open up a whole new uncluttered way of thinking.

Remember the age-old techniques we learnt at school? Mindmaps, keywords, word association, simple diagrams… they all serve a purpose, they get the brain into gear and focus your thoughts on the task at hand.

Don’t get me wrong I love the iPhone – I think it’s fantastic – it’s changed the way people live, communicate, take notes, manage themselves, as well as their businesses. The user experience is great, so that’s the speed boundary over come, now for the freedom. The iPhone is making inroads in this direction too – there’s an app for just about anything – mindmaps, diagrams, and task management. The iPhone is also incredibly flexible, it will save to various formats and all can be seamlessy synced with your home and work computer, resulting in no more lost notes or duplication.

At present, I take my sketchbook everywhere with me, I feel lost if I don’t have my trusted pen and paper. There is nothing that frustrates me more than forgeting a good idea because you didn’t make a note of it. Nevertheless, I believe iPhone has developed to the point in which it’s interface and functionality allows me to notetake with both the freedom and flexibility that I require. At this point I have to confess that my iPhone is on its way.

I love what I do, big time and think migrating to a digital notepad will benefit both my work and social life. The worry I now have is will I ever be able to leave my work at home when I’m carring such a powerful device, I think not, but I like the idea of mindmaping with friends in the park and pushing email in the pub.

Lastly, I would like to conclude with the following thought. I recently went on holiday to Istanbul, Turkey, it was fantastic, such a different world and was good to break the mould of work. I came back a firm believer that a computer can give you an insight on so much and add speed to your workflow but it’s amazing how much you see when you leave your Mac at home, you should try it… I arrived home revitalised, ready for work, and hitting the power button on my Mac.

Print is dead?

After a discussion with my boss about digital design, I began to think about digital versus printed material, and as I was looking into this topic I discovered that a wide spread view is that print is dead (well at least dying).

According to an interview by Microsoft last year there will be a day soon where we will no longer have books or magazines as these will be accessible via digital means only. As the demand grows for more and more information at our finger tips we are using printed means less.

Companies like Issu are a great example of how many magazines are making their way to the screen.  And the rumblings of the Kindle by Amazon as the new way to read downloaded items or even on the digital advertising on the underground. Add to that the trend of companies now opting for eCards instead of printed greeting cards and digital DM instead of printed direct mail.

People are turning more to the web for their resources and I believe this will continue to grow, especially as more people cut back on using paper for environmental reasons, and in light of the recent downturn in the economy companies may consider digital over print due to cost. (Although I’m not sure digital is any cheaper than print).

Is this a battle of print versus digital?

Environmental reasons may be one consideration, but isn’t it also because the majority of the western world, uses the web, mobile phones and computers. Businesses can reach more people and faster.

On the other hand, print is not dying out, when the election news in America broke about Obama becoming President, the Times newspaper had to print 75,000 more copies as people were queueing in line outside the head office to get their hands on the paper. As I travel to work on the train everyday I see approx 80% of commuters pick up a Metro newspaper and on their way home they pick up a London lite and a London paper, even though we now have RSS feeds and the news at out fingertips at our desks, people are still opting for the printed medium.

Also, opening up a web page just doesn’t compare to opening my favourite magazine and feeling the uncoated paper between my finger tips, and the fresh smell of ink just off the press. There is something so satisfying about holding a well designed piece of literature in your hands and having a sense of realism about it, there is a feeling of wholesomeness and truthfulness about holding a book, a magazine or a brochure. The digital feels intangible and is ever changing, where the truth could be adapted. I believe there will always be a place for print design. The need to hold an item in your hands, I think also there are different types of audiences out there, some for web and some for print. I like a good mixture of both I wouldn’t choose one over the other.

Should we as an agency guide our clients to go digital over print as a way of being environmentally friendly, or should we be guiding them that way because they will reach more people and faster? The answer maybe both. There is such a wide choice of papers to choose from. It’s our job to inform clients. As we are an agency fully equipped to handle both we can definitely guide them in the right direction.

Print versus digital its not so much a battle but the way the world is changing.

Style or no style?

Looking around it is apparent that certain designers have a particular style to their work, for example if you want a website with a patterned background we all know where you’d go (no names mentioned!).

That is the style that they are known for and companies jump on the bandwagon. They all want what they perceive to be the latest thing and therefore label that designer as the one who does websites with patterned backgrounds.

That led me to thinking – is it good to have your own style or is it better to have no set style?

With having your own style companies know what to expect I suppose. But if you’re creative enough to adapt to each brief and fulfill the objectives without turning into a production line of the same ol’ same ol’; surely that makes you more valuable and gives you longevity as a designer.

The problem with the latest thing is exactly that, there’s always a new fad just around the corner and you must be able to adapt accordingly.

Online marketing show

I recently attended the online marketing show part of Marketing Week Live. It was my first time to this event and I was full of anticipation as to what I would discover.

For me the highlight of the event was an excellent presentation concerning Digital Marketing. The speaker had many hints and tips that I look forward to applying to future projects.

What struck me though was the man’s excellent presentation skills. SO often people get presenting wrong – they have too many slides, on which they try to cram as much information as possible with the most complex diagrams and then ramble aimlessly about it.

But this guy I thought knew a thing or two about presenting. He had one point per slide, which he elaborated on verbally and had examples of Youtube clips which actually worked on cue!

The designer in me appreciated that these points were positioned centrally and were large enough for the whole room to see. This was a refreshing change from the usual, hundreds of bullets and tiny type. He spoke clearly and concisely and got straight to the point under each heading.

Besides from the presentation the show its self was very informative and I’d recommend marketing people go along next year and see what’s hot and what’s not.

Student exhibition shows

I recently attended a student exhibition show and was surprised by the lack of enthusiasm from students in meeting industry professionals. There were groups of them sat around on the floor, no one manning the stands and they even started taking down their work before the end of the show.

To be frank, these people don’t strike me as graduates who want jobs! As far as I was aware the whole point in having a show was to invite industry people to it so they could view your work and decide whether to invite you along for an interview that may turn into a job.

I went expecting a lot it would seem. I remember having my show and being eager to meet the people that were in the know. Get talking to them  and  pick their brains about the design world, but these students didn’t appear interested in anybody – chatting amongst themeselves and with tutors.

Is this the next generation of designers? Are we really going to employ these people? It’s not just about how good your work is but about how passionate you are as a person about what you do. Come on students make an effort!

Why go to university?

A top design agency recently commented that it was ‘not interested in potential employees degrees but in their personality, motivation and creativity’. “So why go to university?”

Going to university gives you a wide scope on lots of skills you can learn and it teaches you how to apply your creativity to actual problems that need solving. The skills learnt can help you function in any job roll; you have to self motivate, work to deadlines, work with people you wouldn’t necessarily choose yourself, work to set briefs, approach people in the industry, project manage, time manage, present in front of large groups and listen to critisim from your peers and tutors. University can be a great life experience that will help you again and again through your career.

Idea generating and applying creativity are essential to any design role, University helps you to build on this by small group discussion, questioning your ideas and researching. This is very much the designers responsibility to be and stay creative, to be aware of what inspires and to go after inspiration to stay constantly creative. As designers, every day demands our creativity, problem solving and idea generation, so its imperative we stay on top.

I do believe though that in life, to get to where you want to go you need to be a people person. You need to be able to have a personality that gets along with others, that is approachable and likeable.

This is a key factor at Landau Reece as we, the designers, are the account handlers. So when employing people we look for the likability factor along with the academic background and creativity. They all go together, if a potential employee has made it through University and has the personality and the drive coupled with creativity, then that person will more than likely get the job.

UK Bboy Championships World Finals

Yes, you may be forgiven for not quite understanding the importance of this event in the world Break-Dancing calendar, in fact I’m still not entirely sure whether this event was the UK’s claim on what they consider to be a ‘World Final’, an actual ‘World Final’ or a ‘World Final’ where the dancers had to be from the UK, it’s all rather confusing. There were contestants from other countries participating, so I suppose that eliminates the last option, but from the other two possibilities, I am at a loss.

These are details though, and these are not the substance of this blog post, what is important is that last Sunday, in a brief departure from the world of post-production, I got the chance to see some of the most extraordinary feats of athleticism, co-ordination and dance I have ever had the delight to observe. To describe the event as one of the greatest enthusiasm motivated, adrenaline injections I’ve experienced in a while, would be to sell it short.

Held at Brixton Academy and hosted by an historic icon of this dance discipline, ‘Crazy Legs’, it was easy to get wrapped up in the 3000 strong crowd’s infectious energy. In fact, after about three minutes of watching various people warm up on stage, I’d totally forgotten about the dreary hour we’d spent queueing to get in. I’ve never really been one for watching live sporting events, the last football match I went to see (Saints versus West Brom back in 1997) I fell asleep during the first half, but this edgy dance event was a completely different experience. Finally I understood other people’s addiction to ludicrously over priced season tickets.

The agenda for the evening included the finals of a number of Bboy related dance disciplines; Poppin (dancing like a robot against an opponent), Lockin (retro inspired, two person per team, routine based dance battle), Solo Bboy (your archetypal vision of breakdancing) and Crew Battle (that same vision of breakdancing, but with more people on a team), it was easy to see how 5 hours of show time were going to get filled.

I can’t possibly describe everything that went on during the evening, in fact I came away at the end flummoxed as to how I was going to share the stories of the moves I’d seen so that others might be able to capture a glimpse of the excitement, but there was one notable occasion that I shall try and let you in on.

It was the moment that ‘Dey Dey’, a Chinese girl representing France, came out to battle Korea’s ‘Hozin’ in the semi-final of the Poppin competition. Hozin was up first and was clearly ‘on-it’ with comments from the host Afrika Islam along the lines of, ‘He knows the song’, the crowd gave suitable appreciation, but when Dey Dey stepped up to the mark, hush fell on Brixton Academy. It’s not that unusual to find a girl battling in the Poppin competition, but no girl has ever won it before. Could today be the day?

Dey Dey responded to the moves displayed by Hozin (I kept thinking of the sauce you have with duck), but when she suddenly broke into a rhythmic, percussive set of faced paced body movements that were metronome perfectly placed on beat, the crowd erupted with whoops and cheers. That was it, she had won the crowd and in many ways the next few minutes were immaterial, she just fed off the adrenaline and Hozin played catch up. Unsuprisingly Dey Dey went on to beat Slim Boogie in the final and took the crown, the first ever female to do so.

The rest of the evening was splattered with moments equally, but differently electrifying, with a smorgasbord of gymnastic moves that promoted similar audience eruptions to those of the Poppin semi-final. I was exhausted by the end, not least because I couldn’t resist popping a few dance moves on the carpet of the lobby on my way to the loo on several occasions.

It was the best 18 quid I’ve ever spent on a ticket to a show, it has further fuelled my secret breakdancing hobby and I can’t wait to go again. Bboy’s of the world, I salute you.

But, as with many things, and to give this post the video angle it probably should at least try and cling to, a picture says a thousand words, but a video says a thousand words 25 times a second, so take a look at the BBOYCHAMPIONSHIPS website to get a more visual grasp of what I’ve just written about. You’ll find some videos on there and when you stumble upon the one profiling a chap called ‘Miles’, you’ll also have found the winner of the Solo Bboy title.

To Wit To Woo

This September Landau Reece was getting down and dirty with Thai Tweeters at the Twittbkk3 conference. Sponsoring the event, our designers provided the panda logo, which made quite an impression on the attendees, who adopted it as this seasons latest fashion trend….

http://twitthai.com/node/32

The conference provided a forum for the latest applications of the Twitter phenomenon to be swapped, along with entertainment which made the night go off with a bang. Our very own Digital Director Andrew Kamthong was on hand to pick up all of the Twitter gossip and gave a few well placed Tweets himself.

Why is the panda wearing a mask you may ask yourself? Apparently organisers wanted to keep the logo current and topical, so the addition of the swine flu mask was stipulated in the brief along with the events corporate sponsors.

Landau Reece gave design backing to Twittbkk3 as we continue on our path to global creative  domination with the opening of our Bangkok office.

For more pics/videos/comments of the gathering, or if you are just looking to brush up on your Thai language skills, check out the links below….

http://www.thairath.co.th/content/tech/31285
http://shuu.exteen.com/20090907/twittbkk3
http://sassygirly.wordpress.com
http://www.iamthan.com/2009/09/twitbkk3-twittbkk3/
http://www.poakpong.com/node/1292
http://boonbi.com/twittbkk3/twittbkk3.html
http://www.flickr.com/photos/ohmrefresh/page2/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/warong_lupaiboon/sets/72157622130959849/
http://drrider.blogspot.com/2009/09/twittbkk3.html
http://blog.fukduk.tv/tag/twittbkk3
http://www.thothmedia.co.th/videos/twittbkk3/

London’s free newspapers and magazines

Following on from my previous two blogs about how the recession has changed the way we advertise and promote brands, more evidence of this has been seen on the streets of London in the past month.

Firstly and sadly the London Paper published its last newspaper on Friday the 18^th September 2009. Secondly starting Monday 12^th of October 2009, the Evening Standard will be free. This will come as great news to many readers, but not so much to journalists of the newspaper and possibly the London Lite who will be their greatest rival. My only personal concern is that I won’t be able to get my hands on one of these newspapers by the time I leave the office in the evening. I do hope for the sake of employees in both these newspapers that they will do well.

This week has also seen the launch of a new magazine ­– Stylist. A magazine for women, which I believe is well overdue having had to sacrifice for a ‘Shortlist’ or ‘Sport’ magazine for the past two years. To be honest not being the typical ‘girly girl’, I didn’t think I would find it interesting much beyond the design aesthetics of the magazine, but I was pleasantly surprised to find a number of articles interesting to read. So much so that I found myself reading this magazine well beyond the point of leaving the tube! This magazine can be viewed at stylist.co.uk. For those of you who don’t think this magazine will be of any interest at least view it for the design. The design of this is very refreshing to say the least.  Apart from using a four column grid, the typography used is very interesting having been influenced by what I believe to be the 60’s or 70’s, making it unique, memorable and therefore edgy standing out from other potential competitive magazines.

A lot has happened in the newspaper world this last month, it will be interesting to see what the next change will be, I suspect it won’t be for a while, hopefully not for the worst but for the better.

Marvellous

Whilst we were out shooting our latest series of Dramas for the NHS a couple of weeks ago, conversation blossomed on the subject of Disney’s buyout of Marvel Entertainment. At £2.5 billion, it’s pretty clear that Marvel was worth a great deal to Disney so I thought I’d engage in a little spy work and find out why.

Obviously there’s the less than subtle undertone of asset acquisition at play here, as Disney looks set to increase in value from its already astronomical £34 billion which will obviously please the shareholders, but it’s reasons of strategy I’m interested in and ultimately how Disney’s ownership of Marvel is going to affect me.

After a little further online ‘Sherlock Holmesery’, the evidence suggests that Disney plan to leverage Marvel’s appeal to the male demographic, largely because they aren’t very effectively reaching it at the moment. Market research reveals that for years Disney have been the world leaders in the production of animated entertainment but more recently their slightly ‘cutesy’ image has resulted in the loss of many of their male, and specifically teenage male, followers. This group have often been drawn to the edgier and more violent appeal of films and cartoons such as X-Men and Iron Man.

Disney’s chief executive, Bob Iger, said:

Marvel have a treasure trove of intellectual property that transcends gender, age, culture and geographical barriers.

So it seems Disney have recognised this weakness and are plugging their significant gap, with an equally significant investment.

Disney also plan to have Superheroes wondering around their theme parks too, broadening their dynamic appeal to a wider audience. I suppose this will make for some interesting job ads, ‘One Hairy Gentleman with fondness for Lycra body suits and prosthetic ironmongery required, apply within’.

It all sounds quite exciting, I may have to book another trip to Orlando, Florida once the deal goes through by the end of this year. I’m looking forward to an Iron Man ride where you get to don a mark 3 version of the famous suit and fly around some virtual skyscrapers, isn’t this one of every boy’s dreams? My only hope is that the edginess of some of the Marvel films is not lost in their engulfing by Disney. It will be a sad day if Wolverine has to contend with a mutant that uses it’s soppy Bambi eyes to lull him into a false sense of security.

There is the suggestion of some exciting outcomes to look forward to as a result of this take over, and I’m interested to see what happens, but the proof in this ‘Marvellous’ pudding will be a few blockbuster releases. Only time will tell if this good thing has been spoilt.