Spotted that the video for Mark Ronson’s new song “The Bike Song” came out while I was on my hols and you may remember me saying (if you follow me on twitter) that they had been filming the video on our street here in London. There was a big truck full of bikes parked up outside… though I didn’t spot Mark Ronson -.-

Had been waiting to see the finished product for a while now, I was not dissapointed. Directed by Warren Fu, same guy who made the awesome Bang Bang Bang video, there is a continuance from how that video had ended to how this video started. Awesomeness.

This new release has also become the theme for the London Get Cycling campaign… though I don’t see anyone in this video on those damn clunky Boris Bikes.

Also I’m 100% sure my bike is cooler than any of them in the video, way better than any ponsey Brompton! ^_- Introducing ‘The Red Menace’!

“Without content there is no form, so without form there is no content…” the famous words of Paul Rand, and something I have had to look into for the final MA project. Hasn’t every designer had to study Paul Rand at some point?

I actually can’t wait to show you the outcome for this project, but it’d be a huge mistake to go ahead and talk about it before I’ve shown my tutor… juuust incase he tears me to shreds.
Having said that, I might just get impatient and sneak it to you anyway!

Found this Paul Rand retrospective video over at Vimeo, made by Imaginary Forces, they say:
For Paul Rand’s posthumous induction into The One Club Hall of Fame, Imaginary Forces created this short film, combining original animation with a videotaped interview of Rand himself, that encapsulated his unique and timeless contribution to the design community.

Click through to it from the main image.

Sooooo goood!

Gorgeous vegetable calendar by Victoria Macey. It visualises the best times to grow/plant a selection of different vegetables. The calendar flips vertically for different halves of the year Summer to Winter.

Only bugger is that it’s for growing veggies in California. Someone should really make one for England then I might actually be able to keep plants alive!! …maybe. Posters can’t work miracles, Charlotte.

Was sifting through my ‘likes’ on Vimeo recently and no idea why I didn’t blog this sooner but realised this might be really useful for a few friends on the MA looking into the subject of digital/tangible reading. If any of you are reading, I hope this helps!!

It is a prototype for a UI how one might read and interact with digital magazines in the future.

Weirdly, this came out before the iPad was announced, the horizontal to vertical switch of the spreads is almost like those clevercloggs at Bonnier R&D had their mitts on an iPad prototype. So bloody clever.

Completely different from anything out on the market at the time, like the Kindle, which with its non-glare screen may be great for reading reams of text in comparison to the iPad, but not exactly ideal for pretty editorial layout.

I love this!

I’ve encountered my fair share of beastly clients while freelancing as a graphic designer and before landing the dreamy jobs and magical contracts everyone is bound to get atleast one! So I thought I would compile a post identifying how to be a good client… maybe even a great client! While there are many ways you can become the apple of your designer’s eye, I have tried to keep it fairly straight forward.

1. Know what you want first – including budget!
you might know that you want a website, brochure, spread, packaging… but what do you want it to include?

If it’s a website you want, then what do you want on the pages? Designers can’t get a design finalised unless we have all the info about what content we have to allow for. The more specific you are the more accurate the outcome will be be. Have any inspiration or ideas in existing material? Let us know. Be organised, be ready to go the moment the job is agreed.

2. Time is money friend
The “easier” you make it for us, the less time it takes and the less money you pay! That said, make sure you agree a budget before work starts. If the budget is unrealistic for the amount of work required then the designer can let you know what is achievable. Nobody wants to get half way through a project only to run out of money.

3. Good design takes time
I cannot stress this enough. If you rush a designer, then it will show in the end product. This involves saying stupid things like ‘this should be fairly straight forward’ or ‘I have some quick amends for you’, because there is nothing more infuriating than someone telling you how long they think something should take, when actually, they have no idea.

Observe the quote “You can have the project done on time, done on budget, done properly. You can only have two.”
I could have made this blog post a hell of a lot shorter by JUST writing that quote alone, because if there were ever a rule to observe then this one is the holy grail.

4. A camel is a horse designed by committee
When you get a draft of the work, at any stage, PLEASE try to remember that you hired us for a reason. “My secretary thinks we should make the text red it’s not bold enough so give it a bigger drop shadow”… “My colleagues son didn’t understand it” and “it needs to appeal to Joe Average” Trust us. Start asking ten or so different people for their advice and you will end up with a Frankenstein of a design.

5. Pay invoices on time
Luckily for me I’ve only ever had one consistently later payer (and they don’t read this blog) but thankfully as I have multiple freelance clients who are absolute angels and pay me on time, month-in month-out, it’s never been a problem, but that doesn’t mean it’s right.

If we as designers work on a brilliant design as efficiently as we can so we can meet your deadline then why shouldn’t you make the effort to pay us on time? Fair is fair.
Standard payment deadlines are 30 days from date of invoice, but if you pay consistently late then designers are perfectly entitled to add late payment charges (with prior notice of course) As clients, you have to remember this is our income and everyone has bills to pay. If you know you are going to pay someone late give them a warning in advance, it’s just polite.

I read this article a while ago on why “there’s no such thing as a bad client“… it is partly rubbish. There are millions of bad clients out there and just because you learn a lesson from dealing with them doesn’t mean they’re not a bad client.
However, I do agree that you learn some lessons by dealing with bad clients that then, in turn, help you decide who to take on as a client in the future. I mean, why do you think I’m writing this post in the first place?

Designers can excercise some common sense to avoid getting stuck with bad clients, but hopefully any prospective clients out there will be able to enlighten themselves on the do’s and don’ts, learn how to be better, even if they just change one thing, before they end up on Clients from Hell

Finally. The documnetary on Joaquin Phoenix entitled “I’m Still Here : The Lost Year of Joaquin Phoenix” has a release date… and now a poster.

The film follows the esteemed actor on his downward spiral out of the Hollywood spotlight. Rumor says we’ll see Phoenix trying to launch a rap career. Maybe it will explain the last 12 months of crazy and wash away the memories of his tragic late-night television appearances and public meltdowns.

“Joaquin, I’m sorry you couldn’t be here tonight.” Classic.

He’s a brilliant actor and I’m sold on the documentary because I’m intruiged. But to be honest I am more interested in the design for the movie poster. Never has there been a picture which sums up such a large level of insanity, and to top it off I love the typography.

Roll on September 10th!

Found some cute illustrations over on ffffound (but I’ve lost the direct link) that depict an ideal world where nothing goes wrong!

These pics show idealisms like a pencil that you can sharpen without the lead breaking off and stickers that peel off clean from surfaces. It’s the little things, that would make the world a wonderful place.

A girl can dream, right?

“Things may come to those who wait… but only the things left by those who hustle.” – Abraham Lincoln

So apparently everyone fits into one of these three work categories. Charlatan, martyr or hustler. Which do you think you are?

Damn these geometric shapes! Ever since the square project I find it impossible to avoid them! This poster was made by Joey Roth and for the bargain price of $25 (that’s just £15 England!) one of these 1000 limited edition prints can be yours!

I want one… as soon as I’ve cleared some wall space.

Brilliant print by Plaid Creative. Tom and the team at Plaid created this awesome coffee chart that maps out everything from the Café Latte to the Miami Vice – that’s americano + cubano coffee + hot water + sugar.

This print is only part of a limited run, so if you’re interested in getting your mitts on one, just email Tom for more info.

It was a bit surreal actually! Mainly because the questions that I was asked… I had never really even thought about how to answer them before. I hadn’t ever stopped to think about what my design inspirations really were, or how to explain them to people.
In my head I know what I like, but its difficult to put into words. It’s like if someone asked you to describe what makes you happy, or how you feel when you are most relaxed?

Also it was a strange feeling to be asked “what’s next?”, as I guess everyone has an end goal but I’ve never been asked to address it before, to sit down and think about it seriously is another thing entirely. Next?? What do you mean next!? I only ever just have my head around what’s going on now!

I’ve included the questions I was asked, and I encourage you to attempt to and answer them, whatever stage in your (design) career you are at. I know most of them are focussed around my MA, but instead, swap it out for your current job position/university/college course whatever. You might learn something about yourself, I know I did!

1. Who are you and what do you do? (university name and course, education history, current profession, current situation)
2. What is it about design that gets you excited?
3. Why did you decided to do an MA? Is it something you would recommend?
4. How does it differ to an undergraduate degree?
5. If you can remember, what was the hardest thing you had to overcome as a graduate?
6. What has been your key to success?
7. What’s next for you?
8. Based on your experiences do you have any advice for this years graduates & those considering taking an MA?

Once I’d finished, I did feel a bit like perhaps I might get in trouble for that interview… and every draft I did I thought that perhaps I should make it a little less “honest”. Perhaps the World of Warcraft insight was a bit too much information, but it might be of use to know everyone fucks up. Not everyone glides perfectly into the job of their dreams, there are struggles, and mishaps, if WoW counts as that? And actually I think its the difficulties that craft us into better designers, harder workers and better people.

The other way of looking at it is, who wants to read an interview where everyone says the same old thing?? ^_-