Tuesday 30 December 2008

The Best Design of 2008!

I know here at IP we have been slow to add new entries to the blog this month, so hopefully the next few instalments will make up for it! This is the first entry of "The Best Design of 2008!” This will be a collection of the best of the best, from artwork, to print, to album covers - if it's great it should be here!

The list is in no particular order...

Best Book Cover...
Designed by Isaac Tobin & Lauren Nassef.

We'll let the work speak for itself! This work is probably one of my personnel favourite book covers of all time. Clean. Simple. Sophisticated. Here are a few words from the creators of the cover...

Tobin:
Most of the credit for this cover should really go to Lauren, my wife and frequent collaborator. When I was assigned this project I knew it had enormous potential. Because the book discusses many ways of thinking about obsession, I wanted to avoid anything too specific (i.e. a stock photo of hand-washing), and thought it would great if I could make the design a result of obsession rather than a depiction of it. My first attempts were made on the computer, but just didn't work — the computer made the repetition meaningless. Lauren and I always discuss ideas for our projects, and we realized that the cover needed to be made by hand. We realized a pinprick drawing technique she had used before could work for this book.

I then designed the cover as if it were type-only and black and white, trying to get the title as big as possible so that the pattern would be clear and the title would still be readable. I gave Lauren a printout of the title type, which she traced with pinpricks. That took a very long time. We then photographed the results, and adjusted the design — I think the pin as a dividing slash (which makes everything come together) was Lauren's idea. Luckily the design was approved, although the author was disappointed that we couldn't afford to actually punch holes in every jacket.

Nassef:
Isaac decided to collaborate with me on this cover after we talked for about two weeks about potential directions for the design. We're married and so are always talking about his books at home.

We knew that the design itself should be obsessive and, thinking of this, I remembered some drawings I made in college using pinpricks. Since they were the most obsessive things I'd ever done, I suggested using the technique for the title.

Isaac chose his custom typeface Attleboro Gothic for the letterforms and then I punched them out of heavy white card. Once we scanned it in and Isaac laid it out, it
was clear that the pin needed to be there to emphasize the act of making the letters.

Best Album Cover...
Gnarls Barkley second album, The Odd Couple, has been chosen because of it's great non-conformist approach not only to it's music, but to the cover art. The album’s cover reflects their unique urban awareness set with undertones of refreshing electronica and dynamic Brit-pop flavours that is embedded in their music.


Best Flash Website...
I do love a well-constructed beautiful flash website. Get The Glass is a fantastic example of one! The best this year I think. Not only because of it's ease of use, but because the graphics are outstanding, with captivating animation and a very slick cool approach.
Get The Glass is the work of the California Milk Processor Board and was designed to encourage increased milk consumption by inviting visitors to participate in a comically entertaining Flash based game whose objective is to Get the Glass - of milk of course!
Do check out there regular site GotMilk.com it is another great flash website, with outstanding graphics.


Best Free Font...
designed by Andrew Paglinawan

We really wanted to add something for free, and with a world of horrid free fonts we found something of quality that just sparkles with beauty. We found this font at booooooom.com where they also voted this No.1. You can download it here.


Best Print Ad...
click image to enlarge
(we added the tagline in large to make it easily readable)

Advertising Agency:

Young & Rubicam, Buenos Aires

Creative Director:
Juan Frontini

Art Director:
Alejandro Sibilla

Production Manager:
Horacio Marquez

Copywriter:
Rodrigo Ruiz

Illustrator:
Daniel Romanos

Other:
Executive Creative Director: Guillermo Vega.

Well thats the end of Part One; enjoy the last day of 2008!

Keep Creative,

James

Wednesday 10 December 2008

iPod Just Gets Better!

After recently acquiring my new iPod Touch I felt it just had to be an entry in our blog. But what to discuss? Maybe the pros and cons of the iPod compared to its competitors, or the annoying way people refer to the machine as an iTouch. Of course not! Lets talk about its astonishing beauty, ease of use, and the fact that they have just now announced you can use it as a phone as well - well sort of!
Apart from Mac's ever changing creativity within all of it's products, they always seem to be able to set a standard that there other competitors just seem to merely produce a poor imitation of, and without the class. For example Microsoft’s awful Windows Vista operating system. Apart from containing numerous bugs, the operating system was (unofficially) the answer to Mac's OSX that came out 6 years before the new Windows Vista! Or the epic first iMac (see "We love design! - Design Classics") where every appliance, electrical equipment, etc, copyed it's see-through plastic cover, or even after the iPod all the many poor cheaper looking mp3 players trying to follow it's slick cool look.
Let's face it, Macintosh has done it again, the iPod Touch and Phone is just irresistible. Touch screen, ease of navigation, slick rotating windows... beautiful! I wonder how many more products will try and imitate (well the list has already started)!
But wait I here you say... the iPod Touch can be used as a Phone!?
YES! (and I'm not refering to the iPhone!)
Well sort of... I read an article yesterday from ITProPortable.com saying that the iPod Touch can now be used as a virtual mobile phone with the Internet company Truphone.
Truphone have launched a new Wi-Fi application that transforms the music player into a caller device. With its Wi-Fi capability, the new application enables users to make and receive calls through VoIP with other iPod Touch users, Truphone’s Internet telephone service customers, and Google Talk’s messaging service users; eventually, the addition of feature to make or receive calls from landline devices is also there on the cards, the company asserted.

For dialling, the app utilizes a virtual keyboard over the interface of iPod Touch devices, and necessitates the addition of headset integrated with microphone.

The software is available through Apple’s App Store, and as it utilises the Wi-Fi ability of the device, calls made using the VoIP feature are free of charge.

Quoting the move as company’s another step towards becoming an established internet player globally, Truphone’s CEO, Geraldine Wilson said in a statement, “There are a slew of new features we're rolling out for the iPod Touch that will let users call landlines, Skype users or send instant messages. We're talking weeks, not months, before these go live".

Don't you just love it when creativity inspires more creativity!

Keep Creative,

James

Monday 1 December 2008

Bloggers Unite: World Aids Day

Today is a slight change to our usually entries. Today is World Aids Day, and as part of a few blog forums, bloggers are being asked to contribute. Here at IP we loved to help good causes, so please support the day however you can. Go to BloggerUnite to find out more about the cause and how you can help.

HIV/AIDS has been a global epidemic for more than 27 years. Most of today's youth have never known a world without it. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently published national HIV incidence (new infections) that showed much higher numbers that previous estimates. The time is now. Together, we can prevent the spread of this pandemic – through awareness, care, prevention, education and research.

“HIV/AIDS has now become a pandemic that has literally put the world at risk, affecting diverse populations in different ways”. –Dr. Nora Volkow, NIDA Director
Also on another note. BloggersUnite is a fantastic site, with strong graphics and a great identity - a must see for the creativity as well!

Keep Creative,

James