The Society Of The Spectacle

I can across this very interesting project a couple of days ago, and thought it was worth a share. It’s the Dollar ReDe$ign project. Running for a few years, the project is a response through design to the ongoing economic woes that plague the United States. Now admittedly, the scope of changing the Dollar design is dwarfed by the various stimuli that have been undertaken by the Federal Reserve in the last few years, but it does present an interesting Design Project, that therefore deserves more attention.

The initial design that drew me to the site was this set by Dowling Duncan, this US/British Design Studio’s approach is brilliantly graphic, with strong hints of Swiss Modernist design running through them, but they have a real freshness to them, really unexpected and bold, what you imgine the best of the USA to even in the way they have been shifted 90º to a portrait style which adds gravitas to the imagery selected, and works much better as a ‘set’ (however unrealistic that might be in practice.)

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Add this to your collection of must bookmarks. A growing, and fascinating archive of type of the ‘hand painted signage’ variety. This is TYPE ARCHIVE. It’s an open project, with the goal of publishing a comprehensive archive at some later date. Broken down by continent, as well as sub categories of 3D signage, cars and neon signage examples, it is a brilliant visual reference, full of inspiring forms and also reveals the different characteristics of each continent’s approach to visual communication in days gone by. Lovely.

I never got around to weighing in on the Aol. rebrand, stuff seemed to get in the way as it were, however, it was one of the more recent brand launches that had real smarts behind it, and fitted quite nicely with some of my thinking on how branding must evolve in a digital environment. The new releases of work seem to press home both the philosophy and show exactly how a brand is now just a blank canvas as the Wolff Olins boys say, it’s not the identity that matters, it’s how it behaves. The new series of updates from Wolff Olins (with a little bit of help from the Universal Everything crew) have given me the perfect opportunity to take a look at the new work, and weigh in on a subject that I feel passionate about. The evolution of ‘Branding’, With two examples. (more…)

(All photos from Mikeyashworth’s Flickr photo stream)
I guess it’s not that surprising to find something this unique on the underground, it’s not like it hasn’t been around for ages, but that’s exactly what the guys at London Underground have discovered at Notting Hill Gate tube station while undertaking some renovation work. A beautiful and brilliantly old school set of posters c.1956/59. Amazing how through all the dirt and grime they still feel fresh and have such a fantastic graphic language. Check out the full set here.

I don’t really like bananas, don’t like the texture, don’t like the taste, but I do like what bananas represent, sunshine, brightness, fun, the exotic, available daily on rain soaked Ridley Road. You might be wondering why this blog might suddenly have gone all foodie, but it has everything to do with the wonderful re-brand that has taken place on one of the biggest brands out there. Chiquita. (more…)

I’ve been sitting on this on this link a while, and it’s great to re-discover it, as this collection is truly a labour of love. Simply titled the Movie Stills Collection, it’s aim is to catalogue as many classic and iconic opening title screens from the cinemas (both Hollywood and Foreign) that they can. Chronicled by decade, they reveal themselves to be a testament to enduring power of film to stir out collective emotions right from the very first frame. But maybe just as importantly, show not only an evolution of graphic styles through each decade (including the most awesome collection of type styles I’ve seen in a while). The Movie Stills Collection is a love letter to the role of the art director in film. The names may not be familiar to many outside the design industry, but the work of Saul Bass, Maurice Binder, but their graphic legacy is huge. Check out the whole collection here.

A nice way to end November (apologies, I can’t remember who did these, but if anyone knows then give us a shout…) More after the jump. (more…)

Following on from the must see/mysterious 93, posted a link to the complete Blue Note record cover catalog. It’s a masterful evolution of design, from the frenetic bebop inspired first forays of the 50′s towards it’s gradual decline as the 60′s entered their peak. These covers feel instantly familiar, beautifully conceived and a master class in design. It’s fascinating to trace a fragmentation of the Jazz scenes reflected in the less cohesive, more bloated (in some cases) covers that documented the late 60′s early 70′s. (more…)

This is the work of fellow Central Saint Martins Grad Danny Sangra. He had a very well received exhibition last week, where seemingly everyone turned up. (more…)

This is great little website, very much in the vain of Business Guys On Business Trips. There are some lovely little insights, and I love the simple drawing style. Kudos!