Visionaire

Visionaire is a magazine with a difference. In fact, I don't know if you can even call it a magazine. It's described as a 'multi format album of fashion and art produced in exclusive numbered limited editions'. Whatever it is, if you buy it, you're officially too cool for school. It's published three times a year and each issue features a different format and theme. Famous artists from the fashion, design and art world collaborate with each issue, making each one completely unique. With a volume costing around £135- it doesn't come cheap. But they always sell out fast.
Issue 26 (above) had the theme 'Fantasy'. A round box held pieces of round, unbound artwork. Featuring work from Tim Burton and Victor & Rolf, it also included a mask designed by Hermes.
To celebrate the 50th issue, 'Artists Toys' came as a collection of ten toys by ten different artists that sat in a white tray with a silk screened clear cover. Each toy took the form of a Russian doll, housing another two, within it.
Issue number 54 'Sport', is now available and you can you actually wear it. Using special printing technology, photographically printed Lacoste polo shirts feature work by artists including Nick Knight, Phil Poynter and Karl Lagerfeld to name a few. This issue is available in four different sets, each housing three collectable shirts.

Click here to visit the website, where you can see more of its amazing issues.

Brand Spanking New Banking

A trip to the bank is usually a pretty dull affair. But if my local branch of the Abbey looked like this, I'd defintely be making excuses to open every type of account they had. This is one of the new CheBanca! banks in Milan. CheBanca! means 'What a bank!' and the design reflects their whole concept of simplicity, transparency and innovation. I'm surprised more places haven't done something like this. Good design doesn't just look nice, but is essential in giving a good impression of a brand's values. By putting this much time and thought into the decor of their branches, you'd assume that they'd treat their customers with even more care and efficiency. With the rise of online banking, banks need to be pulling out all the stops to get customers into their branches. I say they get off their bottoms and take a leaf out of this banks book.

Quirky Korea part 2: Vending Machines

In Korea, vending machines are everywhere! They pop up more often than a Starbucks (and that's saying something). They're reasonably priced and beautifully designed. They display their products in a way that makes them look like works of art. Here's a few that I found...

This is your typical vending machine selling soft drinks. It sells a wide variety of products from chilled green teas, iced coffee, juices and fizzy drinks. The clean, white design with decorative touches is a lot more appealing than the brash Coca Cola branding we tend to get in the UK.




I found this one selling books at Busan station. The covers of the book open and close so you can have a peek inside.


This type of vending machine was often found at the entrance to a public loo. It sells all sorts of handy things from chewing gum, mouth wash, painkillers, wet wipes and feminine hygiene products. Everything you want in life at the touch of a button!

Quirky Korea part 1: Brilliant Bogs

I've just got back from a trip to Korea in which I discovered all sorts of innovative and crazy things. Koreans are very much into their high-tech design and I was constantly impressed by their forward thinking. Being half Korean, I though I'd dedicate my next few posts to my second home.

Everywhere I went, I was pleasantly surprised by something, often in a place I least expected. This leads me onto my first post, dedicated to the wonderful toilets I came across. Never has going to the loo been so exciting!

I discovered this little gem at a department store in Seoul. A special little loo has been built so that mother and child can pee at the same time. Now that's what I call bonding...


I came across this clever device when I made a trip to the ladies at Seoul City Hall. It's called an 'Etiquette Bell' and you use it when you want some err, discretion. At the press of a button it creates the sound of flushing so you can poop to your hearts content.


This digital pad is a toilets best friend and I found them everywhere. Even my Grandma has one. You can control the temperature of the seat so your cheeks are nice and toasty. If you press the wash button, a little nozzle pops out the basin and sprays water so you're sparkly clean down under. Naturally, you'd blow dry afterwards.




This is the hygiene king of toilets. The seat is covered in plastic wrapping and when you press a button , it revolves so it's all fresh and new. You won't catch anything from this bog. As you can see, I had fun playing with this one. I think I need to get out more...

After all this modern design, I breathed a sigh of relief when I discovered this classical style loo at the Deoksugung Palace. It even came with male and female signs dressed in traditional attire. Brilliant!

Wild Beasts Video

This is the crazy video for Wild Beasts new single. It was directed by OneInThree and is a kaleidoscope of imagery. The never ending maze like effect is hypnotic, but will leave you a bit cross eyed at the end. Here's a bit about it:

"It pioneers an amazing mind bending visual technique called the 'Droste Effect' which is based on an uncompleted lithograph that Escher made in 1956. The maths behind the lithograph was so complicated that Escher was unable to finish the centre of the picture and so left it blank. OneInThree developed the technique from Josh Sommers code so that it could be applied to moving images and apart from a grade & online at The Mill did all the VFX themselves."

What clever chaps they are!

Typographic Artworks

Here's a collection of impressive images created from typography. I'm in awe of the time and precision it must have taken to create each one. To see the rest, click the link below:

http://www.designflavr.com/resources/21-Inspirational-Typography-Artworks--from-DeviantArt-i116/

Kapitaal

As you're taken on a journey through this branded city, you open your eyes to the amount of messages that are forced upon us in the urban environment. This animated film highlights the typography and signs in a typical city, yet this alone is visually overwhelming. It makes you wonder how much you're actually taking in, and how much rushes past you. The execution of white type on black is simple, sexy and powerful. It's a good example of how simplicity is what really makes you take notice.

It was created by Ton Meijdam, Thom Snels and Bela Zsigmond and was financed by De Beyerd Museum of Graphic Design, in Breda, Holland. It's won a load of awards which I'm not surprised about- I think it's fantastic.

Cool Calendar

I thought this was an interesting take on calendar design. It was used as a self promotional piece for the designer Jonathan Davies. Each month is represented by the colour associated with it- January being blue, July being orange etc. It's a shame this summer hasn't quite lived up to his positive cover descriptions...

Sell Yourself

Go to http://www.fubiz.net/blog/index.php?2008/04/15/1692-70-amazing-business-cards
to see a selection of 70 inspiring and original business cards. These are a few of my favourites!

Cinematypography

This A1 poster by September Industry features 70 film titles and typefaces. The names of the films have been cleverly combined with typeface names to create a witty poster for any film and typography enthusiast. It's had creative input from some of the UK's best designers and agencies. Only 50 have been printed and are being sold at £15 each with 25% of the proceeds going to Oxfam.

The House of Victor and Rolf

The exhibition at The Barbican is a fascinating showcase of the fashion designer's work. It's based around a giant dolls house where the dolls model miniature versions of their key pieces. Surrounding this, the exhibition is divided into sections representing each season of their work. Life size dolls display the clothes and in the background their catwalk shows are projected on the walls. At first it seems a little creepy- the dolls and their blank expressions can look a bit disturbing. But as you wonder round, learning about the inspiration behind each collection, you start to appreciate the theatrical nature and master craftsmanship of their work.

One of the most impressive collections is from A/W 2002-2003 entitled "Long Live The Immaterial (Bluescreen)". The designers adapted bluescreen technology into their work to "go beyond the product, to design something that is immaterial". The clothes contain elements of chromakey blue which when combined with a live video feed, seem to come to life. The models become walking screens, displaying moving footage from the urban and natural world, making them look almost 2D. You can see it below (it's 18 minutes long and gets better towards the end so it might be worth winding forward if you don't fancy watching the whole thing).

Viktor & Rolf Fall 02 Fashion Show (Full)
Uploaded by FBK1976

Among their other talents, I discovered that the duo are masters of self publicity. In 1996, early on in their career, Victor & Rolf were feeling frustrated with their status as novice artists. So, to gain some publicity the pair launched a fake fragrance entitled "Le Parfum". In the fashion world, a perfume is the symbol of a fashion houses success. They produced 250 limited edition bottles, that were sealed shut, with a publicity still to accompany it. Later that year, they rebelled against the dictatorship of the fashion industry by refusing to stage an A/W collection. During fashion week they plastered the streets of Paris with posters announcing "Victor and Rolf On Strike" which were also sent to magazine editors. There's nothing like kicking up a bit of a fuss to get you noticed...

Face Food

I came across this amazing little book yesterday that I'm really excited about.  Being a complete foodie, I was hoping that I could write about something food related on my blog.  "Face Food" is a collection of images of Japanese bento boxes that are more like works of art than your average packed lunch.  Parents have literally created visual feasts for their children's lunches.  I think it's a brilliant way to make kids enjoy their food and encourage them to eat healthily.  Most of the components are made from rice, vegetables and fish cakes so not only are the meals nutritionally balanced but great fun too.  They make ham sandwiches and a packet of crisps seem somewhat pathetic...

An Eggs-traordinary Toilet

If you want a toilet experience that's out of this world, you must visit Sketch.  It's a gallery, restaurant and bar located on Conduit Street in London's West End.  But the best part about it is the loo!  To get there, you walk through the restaurant, into a spaceship-like zone.  You then walk up the stairs- ladies go right, guided by the pink lights, gents go left, guided by the blue (obviously).  

Once you get to the top, you feel like you've arrived on another planet.  The cubicles are egg shaped pods to which you enter at your peril!  As you sit on the loo, you're greeted with strange noises, to enrich your err, sensory experience.  I've come across the tinkle of cattle, baa-ing sheep, coughing fits and hysterical laughter.  It's all very surreal and you emerge out of your egg, like a little chick.  

It's not to everyone's taste- I know some people who couldn't get out of their pods quick enough.  But as far as I'm concerned, anywhere that makes a trip to the toilet exciting is pretty impressive!

Chinatown Art

When I was in San Francisco, I was taking a stroll through Chinatown when I came across this fantastic building.  It's been covered in murals that depict the cross culture in the surrounding area.  On one side, are traditional Chinese characters and motifs and on the other are symbols of American life.  But it was the clothes hanging to dry on the balconies that I found the most charming.  It's nice to see people living, doing normal activities within this eye catching structure.  Sometimes it's the most ordinary, real things that make you smile.

Green Graffiti

I think the concept of environmentally friendly graffiti is really interesting.  Graffiti can be seen as damaging our environment, but when using a biological medium, it can only be seen as a positive thing.  This was created by Anna Garforth, an illustrator.  You can see more of her work at:

http://www.crosshatchling.co.uk 

PingMag

A cool website that's should be checked out is http://www.pingmag.jp

It's an online design magazine based in Tokyo that covers a whole range of subjects; from illustration to product design to advertising to traditional crafts.  Articles and interviews with artists and designers are added every couple of days so it's a great source of inspiration.  The feature on Visual Kidnapping is worth a look.  It's about the French street artist, Zev, who distorts the logos of big brands.   http://pingmag.jp/2008/08/11/zevs-visual-kidnapping/

Slick Design in Seattle

These magazines caught my eye when I was in Seattle last month. They're free weeklys about the city, providing info about what's on that week. I was quick to scoop up a copy of each as I love the design, particularly the covers. The artwork, colours and typography really grab attention. They're printed on newsprint which gives them a raw, down to earth feel, which works well with the retro designs. I like the way the two magazines compliment each other, especially in that both cover headlines are attractively morbid!

Surreal Things: Surrealism and Design

This exhibition at the V&A museum is fascinating. It shows how Surrealism transformed from an art movement into the commercial world of theatre, film, fashion, interiors, architecture and advertising during the 1930s. Most of the pieces are truly bizarre, such as Salvador Dalí's famous Lobster Telephone and Oscar Dominguez's silk cushioned Wheelbarrow. There is an ongoing sense of wit and fantasy throughout the exhibition which I love. The highlight for me was the final section on advertising and magazine design. Some of the old covers of magazines such as Vogue and Harpers Bazaar are real works of art and so different from the typical magazine covers we see today. With work from artsists such as Salvador Dalí, Joan Miró, René Margritte and Man Ray, to name but a few, this exhibition is a real treat for any art and design lover.