I stood in the ironmongers (yes, they still exist) alongside my Dad the other week and he announced that they must have run out of his preferred brand of floor polish, Klear. In fact, it was there on the shelf, but in the space of twelve months they'd gone from this: to this to this And since … Continue reading when a re-brand just isn’t Klear
I was in New York last weekend visiting a friend and I’m afraid that the subway system there defeated me completely. It turns out that it’s not just my near-legendary lack of direction that was to blame, my host claimed it took her weeks to get the hang of it and even the Lonely Planet … Continue reading subway signage that makes no sense
My new passport arrived the other day. The cover hasn't changed much since the last one, but inside it’s gorgeous. image from the Home Office's new UK passport design set on flickr, CC applies I hadn’t realised just how comprehensively the design had been changed two years ago and I spent ages oohing and ahhing … Continue reading a passport that’s also a branding tool
Take a look at these handcreams (collected from around my house). Which is the odd one out? It’s the Dove, front right. Because it’s not actually a handcream. I’ve been using it for the last couple of nights and had gone from thinking that it was a funny consistency, to thinking it didn’t smell like … Continue reading perhaps someone needs a hand with their packaging design?
Dear Q Magazine, if you’re going to photoshop out Jessie J’s back fat for your cover shot, remember to make sure that you use the photoshoped version when you repeat it in the feature: (thanks to Liz for pointing this out and lending me her mag)
While I was on a Road Trip last week, for long and complicated reasons I popped into an independent mens and ladieswear retailer in the Yorkshire Dales (which shall remain nameless because I think the owner is a friend of a friend of a friend...). I understand that the business changed hands relatively recently and … Continue reading are design tram-smashes in fashion?
I stayed at an amazing hotel last week – in Morecambe. The two concepts don’t sit terribly well together, unless you’ve already heard of what developers Urban Splash did to the Midland Hotel to bring it back to its former Art Deco glory and how it sits at the heart of the regeneration plans for … Continue reading design fans should check out the Midland Hotel
I was at spectating at Bramham Horse Trials last weekend and in the official programme I found a classic example of what happens when designers and printers don’t talk to each other. This is the map of the cross country course: No less than eight of the jump locations were hidden in the binding. I’d … Continue reading what happens when designers and printers don’t talk to each other
I really enjoy Sali Hughes’ beauty columns in The Guardian (and her snarky twitter feed). And since she isn’t a slave to the Gods of Designer Brands, quite a bit of the stuff she recommends is reasonably priced too. The problem is that in my experience, reasonably priced beauty stuff is very rarely properly packaged. … Continue reading memo to the beauty industry – use your designers better
Since I’m slightly obsessed with Creative Spaces, I’m all for Italian furniture maker Tecno’s new Beta range of office furniture. Its a ‘workplace system’ designed for creative offices that has not only been designed to easily evolve over time but also seems to allow everyone their own little bit of personal space – something sadly lacking … Continue reading the kind of Beta I wouldn’t mind working in
