Assuming I'm not drunk in a gutter somewhere, I'll be updating this blog every evening about all the weird shite I'll be doing!
Thursday, 31 March 2016
Viva la Sweden!
Assuming I'm not drunk in a gutter somewhere, I'll be updating this blog every evening about all the weird shite I'll be doing!
Saturday, 26 March 2016
Aesthetics & Functionallity
I write all my blog posts on my windows laptop, but the other half got herself a pretty new MacBook and I found myself pointlessly using it; which has evoked this writing.
It's been about 90 minutes. I've been using Gaby's new MacBook Air to do absolutely nothing useful, I've scrolled all the blogs, watched some YouTube and posted to Twitter once—all these things could very easily be done on my regular Window's laptop but I didn't want to use that.
I had all the want and drive to use this lovely designed machine, and none for the one that has been ever so faithful to me. My laptop runs Windows 8, it's edited multiple music videos and has basically pulled me through university, being strong enough cope with all design tasks in the after hours when I wasn't in the studio. I have nothing against my laptop and for the price I paid it's an outstanding piece of kit, but there is one problem; it's not pretty.
The shell of my laptop is completely made of plastic and is chunkier than a Pro-trump Texan. My laptop runs Windows, which is an operating system that I know better than my family's birthdays, but unfortunately it runs Windows 8. Windows 8 is horrid, and my laptop's physical design isn't much to leer at, so 8 just seems to drag it down further.
On the other hand, we have this MacBook air. It's made of sleek, matte, smooth metal. The keys light up, the trackpad has about 30 different features and from a full metal shell, the sound quality is fantastic. I love the design as a whole, the aesthetics are top notch—explaining why every student that studies under the title of 'designer' owns one.
The thing that makes this MacBook so desirable is quite important. It's operating system.
For me Windows operating systems are highly functional and I don't need them to be pretty because they do everything I need, and I can fix them if ever I need to. Mac has always been about aesthetics, making things work by being beautifully designed. But windows have noticed this and tried to emulate that mantra, making some strange hybrid of functionality and aesthetics to suit everyone; but as always, when you try to please everyone, you please nobody.
I can't stand the current Window operating systems but I deal with them because they are the most accessible for me at the moment, but now I've got my chance to turn towards Aesthetics. But there is a difference, where Windows XP was just functionality and did it incredibly well, Mac have always pushed great aesthetics and slowly it's making them more functional.
Everything on this lovely computer is clean and well designed, everything works seamlessly and makes perfect sense. I've always argued with design that you should choose functionality over aesthetics but they are creating one by excelling at the other, and that is something beautiful.
Gaby asked me if I was writing a blog post, she said 'Are you writing about how much you like my new Mac?' and that's exactly what I've done. I love it. I've been bitten by the Jonathan Ives bug.
It's been about 90 minutes. I've been using Gaby's new MacBook Air to do absolutely nothing useful, I've scrolled all the blogs, watched some YouTube and posted to Twitter once—all these things could very easily be done on my regular Window's laptop but I didn't want to use that.
I had all the want and drive to use this lovely designed machine, and none for the one that has been ever so faithful to me. My laptop runs Windows 8, it's edited multiple music videos and has basically pulled me through university, being strong enough cope with all design tasks in the after hours when I wasn't in the studio. I have nothing against my laptop and for the price I paid it's an outstanding piece of kit, but there is one problem; it's not pretty.
The shell of my laptop is completely made of plastic and is chunkier than a Pro-trump Texan. My laptop runs Windows, which is an operating system that I know better than my family's birthdays, but unfortunately it runs Windows 8. Windows 8 is horrid, and my laptop's physical design isn't much to leer at, so 8 just seems to drag it down further.
On the other hand, we have this MacBook air. It's made of sleek, matte, smooth metal. The keys light up, the trackpad has about 30 different features and from a full metal shell, the sound quality is fantastic. I love the design as a whole, the aesthetics are top notch—explaining why every student that studies under the title of 'designer' owns one.
The thing that makes this MacBook so desirable is quite important. It's operating system.
For me Windows operating systems are highly functional and I don't need them to be pretty because they do everything I need, and I can fix them if ever I need to. Mac has always been about aesthetics, making things work by being beautifully designed. But windows have noticed this and tried to emulate that mantra, making some strange hybrid of functionality and aesthetics to suit everyone; but as always, when you try to please everyone, you please nobody.
I can't stand the current Window operating systems but I deal with them because they are the most accessible for me at the moment, but now I've got my chance to turn towards Aesthetics. But there is a difference, where Windows XP was just functionality and did it incredibly well, Mac have always pushed great aesthetics and slowly it's making them more functional.
Everything on this lovely computer is clean and well designed, everything works seamlessly and makes perfect sense. I've always argued with design that you should choose functionality over aesthetics but they are creating one by excelling at the other, and that is something beautiful.
Gaby asked me if I was writing a blog post, she said 'Are you writing about how much you like my new Mac?' and that's exactly what I've done. I love it. I've been bitten by the Jonathan Ives bug.
Wednesday, 23 March 2016
TLBALB Font
If you are thinking, what the feck is TLBALB then don't look any further—it only gets more confusing!
I wanted to make a font, but I wanted to make a font unlike how I have made a font in the past. As luck would have it we are being visited by a man from Lancaster, living in California, doing a sabbatical in Cumbria. This man is Andrew Byrom; a typographic zero.
No, that's not me slagging him off, he is to typography what a zero is to computing. In the modern era of computers we see everything produced digitally, just as in typography we see all the trends and movements be we never see the root—we never see the binary.
Computers all run from binary commands, everything on this screen is made exclusively from one's and zero's they are the root of development, the root of computing. Andrew is the root of typographic design, his name isn't in lights but it's in Stefan Sagmeister's portfolio and it's in every modern type movement you've ever seen.
Andrew looks at type differently to I, he creates physically then develops the digital. He'll make handrails into type and he flies type at the beach. That why I wanted to work how he does, do something different and make a typeface that makes no bloody sense.
Of course, he is a much greater typographer than I, so I named the font as such; I present to you The Losing Battle Against Lord Byrom
No, that's not me slagging him off, he is to typography what a zero is to computing. In the modern era of computers we see everything produced digitally, just as in typography we see all the trends and movements be we never see the root—we never see the binary.
Computers all run from binary commands, everything on this screen is made exclusively from one's and zero's they are the root of development, the root of computing. Andrew is the root of typographic design, his name isn't in lights but it's in Stefan Sagmeister's portfolio and it's in every modern type movement you've ever seen.
Andrew looks at type differently to I, he creates physically then develops the digital. He'll make handrails into type and he flies type at the beach. That why I wanted to work how he does, do something different and make a typeface that makes no bloody sense.
Of course, he is a much greater typographer than I, so I named the font as such; I present to you The Losing Battle Against Lord Byrom
 |
| It's totally free to use if you fancy it, or can find a use for it |
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/32275779/Fonts/TLBALB/TheLosingBattleAgainstLordByrom-Regular.otf
Saturday, 19 March 2016
GOD DAMN POSTER MADNESS!
Wednesday 'The Hump Day' is usually a day where very little happens. This week, my Wednesday was filled with the task of pushing through 3 full posters. IT WAS POSTER MADNESS!
One day, three posters and four cups of coffee. That is the recipe for stuff done!
Now these weren't all started that day, but they were all certainly finished that afternoon; but my goodness it felt like I had climbed a mounting when 2 o'clock rolled around and I had slain the giant poster beast!
Now these weren't all started that day, but they were all certainly finished that afternoon; but my goodness it felt like I had climbed a mounting when 2 o'clock rolled around and I had slain the giant poster beast!
Firstly, the mighty Loose!
This was not done single handedly, myself and James worked this one out. Building up from a collage to start the poster then frying it with practically every colour under the sun. We have worked on the Loose posters together for a while and with this one (which might our last as we graduate soon) we just wanted to throw all our ideas at the fan and see which ones stuck to the paper. So the outcome was some strange multi-colour indie dreamscape; and if that's alright with The Yard and it's alright with us—then it's all goooooooooooood!
The infamously ugly 90s night.
Somewhere between those faux Californian 'surf tees', Neville Brody and the Spice Girls we have this. It's every colour I could desire and it's full to the brim with random crap—just like the 90s.
Motown and Soul (Again)
As I've been doing these a while, and they've been through a couple and re-designs, and I'll have to hand the soul baton on soon, so I made it a little mad. This hadn't any direction, I just made something that I wanted to make, with a cracking image dead centre.
Saturday, 12 March 2016
All Hell Broke Loose
Recently I achieved something that surprised me, I did something solo that I doubted I could even do with a team.
As you should likely know by now, I do a lot a design for work those there local lads Colt 45 and this time I changed from designer to director to cinematographer to editor. I got the chance to do a music video and I grabbed it with both hands, they were just like "Hey, want to do a music video?" and of course I said "WELL YEAH! But I haven't a clue how to".
After some storyboarding, terrible planning on my behalf and a terrified rush to get a projector, we began shooting. I should add that I could had help but I forgot to ask.
There was me, operating a projector, two cameras and part directing the lads as we went through the shoot. Officially I was the director but there guys knew what they were doing so it wasn't so much of a job than of just bits of chat here and there.
It may just be a music video, but hell, I'm proud of it. Feast your eyes below.
After some storyboarding, terrible planning on my behalf and a terrified rush to get a projector, we began shooting. I should add that I could had help but I forgot to ask.
There was me, operating a projector, two cameras and part directing the lads as we went through the shoot. Officially I was the director but there guys knew what they were doing so it wasn't so much of a job than of just bits of chat here and there.
It may just be a music video, but hell, I'm proud of it. Feast your eyes below.
Saturday, 5 March 2016
Punch Pressed
I'm like a coin, punch pressed like another in the system. Slightly individual, but still a replication.
Studying design I've realised that I've chosen to do something that makes me step over the guidance line of comfort and curriculum. It's not like design is unpopular, and it's certainly becoming something cool and 'different' to study but just as I've step over the line I'm still within the direct line of expectation.
I went to primary school, I dragged myself through high school, I had a terrible hair cut through sixth form and I even did a foundation at college. Now I'm at university, which is a choice of my own and something I've lusted to do for years; but it's painfully obvious that it's always been expected of me to do so. My parents never forced me to do so, but education had drilled into me that this was the plan.
Take me as a one pound coin, I was printed in 1994 and I've got slightly rough edges. I'm still within currency and a legal tender and it's expected that I was going to be like this. I've been working fine as expected, but 3 years ago somebody put me into a collection, put me into catergory. I'm still on the course designed for my life, but I'm being used for something different; design. I'm used for something specialist, though I'm still just as valuable as I would have been spinning through the system of British physical currency.
If you are thinking, what's with all the coin analogies—I'll explain. Recently I met a person who stands out from this, perhaps we could treat him like a Mule rather than a coin. He was punch pressed like myself, but something slightly different happened. Isaac, my friend was designed to work like everyone else in the system but he was punched slightly differently and didn't quite fit in.
This makes him more rare & more valuable but to the general consensus he was less valuable for general currency.
He left school at a young age and began to learn how to craft and learn. He built playground, he learned landscaping and spent many years learning by physical skills and adult responsibility before I even knew how anything outside of the education system.
If you weren't a collector you'd see Isaac as less valuable than me, the regular in currency coin as just legal tender. But Isaac is twice as smart as I, he could build something twice as fast as me and he's spent twice the amount of time in the 'real world'.
I went to primary school, I dragged myself through high school, I had a terrible hair cut through sixth form and I even did a foundation at college. Now I'm at university, which is a choice of my own and something I've lusted to do for years; but it's painfully obvious that it's always been expected of me to do so. My parents never forced me to do so, but education had drilled into me that this was the plan.
Take me as a one pound coin, I was printed in 1994 and I've got slightly rough edges. I'm still within currency and a legal tender and it's expected that I was going to be like this. I've been working fine as expected, but 3 years ago somebody put me into a collection, put me into catergory. I'm still on the course designed for my life, but I'm being used for something different; design. I'm used for something specialist, though I'm still just as valuable as I would have been spinning through the system of British physical currency.
If you are thinking, what's with all the coin analogies—I'll explain. Recently I met a person who stands out from this, perhaps we could treat him like a Mule rather than a coin. He was punch pressed like myself, but something slightly different happened. Isaac, my friend was designed to work like everyone else in the system but he was punched slightly differently and didn't quite fit in.
This makes him more rare & more valuable but to the general consensus he was less valuable for general currency.
He left school at a young age and began to learn how to craft and learn. He built playground, he learned landscaping and spent many years learning by physical skills and adult responsibility before I even knew how anything outside of the education system.
If you weren't a collector you'd see Isaac as less valuable than me, the regular in currency coin as just legal tender. But Isaac is twice as smart as I, he could build something twice as fast as me and he's spent twice the amount of time in the 'real world'.
I have been punch pressed and followed the path I've been guided in, and this always seemed the correct system to follow for me. But upon knowing Isaac it's flipped my world upon itself, knowing that his path is the opposite to almost everyone I've known before. But here's the rub.
Isaac is where I am, but he's got more knowledge than me and he's achieve more than me. His path wasn't direct, or even the suggested path but the snakes and ladder style path he's taken has only aided him and this is something I'd never encountered before.
This is more me writing about perspective, as I always assumed I was taking the most correct route. In reality, the route you take matters not. It matters where you've been and where you are going, and it's quite likely the difference in these paths is what makes this world turn.
Thank you for letting me know you Isaac, I know this seems like you are my test subject, but I just think it's brilliant how different we were but now how similar we are. Our value is subject to whom values us, perhaps David Cameron would value you less but in the grand scheme of things, but I am jealous of your true value.
Isaac is where I am, but he's got more knowledge than me and he's achieve more than me. His path wasn't direct, or even the suggested path but the snakes and ladder style path he's taken has only aided him and this is something I'd never encountered before.
This is more me writing about perspective, as I always assumed I was taking the most correct route. In reality, the route you take matters not. It matters where you've been and where you are going, and it's quite likely the difference in these paths is what makes this world turn.
Thank you for letting me know you Isaac, I know this seems like you are my test subject, but I just think it's brilliant how different we were but now how similar we are. Our value is subject to whom values us, perhaps David Cameron would value you less but in the grand scheme of things, but I am jealous of your true value.
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