From the office of designer and illustrator Frank Chimero. Check it out.
Finally I should have tattooed on my inner eyelids, for when I have one of those all too frequent procrastination moments.
Friday 19 March 2010
Thursday 18 March 2010
If the world were a village of 100 people…
Ok, so were just talking percentages here, but somehow simply rephrasing it a "if the world were a village of 100 people makes it a bit more, well, real.
And if you lived in that village and you knew, for instance that 1 person, one real person, was dying of starvation, what would you do about it?
This is stunningly good work from designer Toby Ng. The full set are on his website. Simplicity is a surprisingly difficult trick to pull off, ( as Albert Einstein reportedly said "Everything should be as simple as possible, and no simpler") and I think Toby has hit it just right. Not only that, but he's done it with great graphic wit.
So we've got work that looks good, makes people smile, and makes people think. Ticks all the boxes for me!
More great stuff from Toby Ng here.
Wednesday 17 March 2010
Beautiful packaging for the world's oldest bottled single malt whisky
I hope I look this good at seventy. The whisky in this beautiful bottle was laid down by the current owners grandfather in 1938, and now the experts at distillers Gordon & MacPhail think it's ready.
Apparently it tastes pretty good too… which after all, is the whole point; "A smooth, waxy mouthfeel; a sweetish start becoming moderately dry, but not overly-tannic. Dried fig and tobacco notes, and an intriguing light smokiness. A long finish and, for the first time, a hint of planed hardwood in the aftertaste. With a teaspoon of water, the smooth texture in enhanced. The fresh, light sweetness becoming pleasantly sour ('Soor Plooms'), with sooty smoke in the finish."
I know what my granda would say, (if he were alive and had the opportunity of sampling it!), he'd take a good long sniff, then a sip, and think about it for about five minutes before delivering his verdict… probably along the lines of "Aye, no bad".
More on the packaging at The Dieline.
Wednesday 10 March 2010
A great idea, simply executed…
Get wood.
In the last Apple related post for a while (promise), I'm going to give you a little bit of a heads up about case maker Vers, who's mission is to create beautiful, great sounding audio systems and great looking iPod/iPhone cases from renewable resources. The iPad case above transforms almost the device into a piece of furniture… something that would look great in your home or on the Managing Directors desk. (I did originally type CEO there, but I AM in England!).
Although it's not for everybody, there's something nice about the juxtaposition of a natural, organic material such as wood, next to the clean, precise glass and metal of the appliances that really appeals to me. Check out the Vers website here for more information. And have a look at this previous post on a stylishly retro take on the iPhone dock.
Apple's most beautiful computer?
We've just got a new Mac in the studio at Orckid, and boy is she pretty. You may have seen the latest iMacs on the internet, or even in a store, but it's not until you see that magnificent 27" screen in a studio environment you realise just how good it actually is. It makes our standard issue 20" and 23" screens look tiny too.
Everything about the iMac design is just so refined and polished, the machine itself is a true classic of industrial design. When Apple makes desktop computers this good, you just know the iPad is going to be a success. I really think the latest iMac must be up there with the most beautiful computers ever, but I've always had another personal favourite.
Designed by Johnathon Ive, (the industrial designer behind so many of Apple's iconic designs, since the original 1998 iMac that was so important in reviving the companies fortunes) The G4 Cube was a stunningly simple design, a 8" x 8" x 8" computer appearing to hand in mid air, being encased in a 10" acrylic enclosure.
A 'headless' design, the Cube allowed you to add your own monitor and peripherals.
Only sold between 2000 and 2001, and seen at the time as overpriced, the Cube was never really a commercial success for Apple. Secondhand resale values remained high, however, as it started to be regarded as a 'cult' computer, collected for it's design status. Even today, a quick search of eBay shows several example with "Buy it now" prices of up to $900… not bad for a 10 year old computer. Especially when you consider that you can now pick up the spiritual successor to Cube, the tiny and much more powerful Mac Mini for about £500 brand new. With Snow Leopard.
For me, the Cube edges it over the latest iMac. Just. And then I came across this fantastic picture of the original "build it yourself" Apple I on a Time magazine photo story. A completely different design aesthetic of course, but just as beautiful, in its own way. Maybe more so. I can't make my mind up!
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