Design Debate

  It has been so busy here at Pickle Design, as I am sure it is everywhere at the moment. I thought though that I would take this opportunity to give you a taster of what we have been up too lately.  I will write a full post in the new year all about these projects, but for now here is just a taster! Keep a look out in London and the South West of England for this new magazine we have designed The South West Magazine Rooke Cottages. A company we have designed the brand and these leaflets as well as designing there website. More pictures to come! The new Camel Camps leaflet is a concertina fold bringing this very active kids camp leaflet alive 

I am excited to announce the launch of a new website for Lizard Holiday Cottages .  Lizard Holiday Cottages came to us with a beautiful portfolio of traditional Cornish cottages and Modern sea view homes looking to create a website and brand that reflected the idyllic setting of their holiday accommodation.  First I started with the logo, being inspired by all the charm of the seaside, drawing a boat and seagull and using fresh blues. Then with the website I introduced a sandy yellow and a bright post box red.  The website has many features and has been made from scratch so is completely bespoke to our client. The home page has an image carrousel, feature boxes, Twitter feed and custom social media buttons. Each cottage has its own page with a gallery fully editable by the client and a section for reviews. There is also a search facility and a custom designed availability checker matching the style of the site completely.  I have also designed g...

Solar Panel roads have markings that would light up This truly brilliant idea comes from American electrical engineer Scott Brusaw . He suggests replacing tarmac with solar panelled road tiles - creating many advantages.  The roads would be able to input energy directly into the national power-grid through photovoltaics which could power an entire country.  This concept opens the way to such potential. It could mean electric cars could be recharged virtually anywhere, and even small business could benefit by being able to go 'off-grid' with EV charging stations. Above: without, bellow: with solar panels These solar roads can provide clean renewable energy but at the same time they can improve safety. With embedded LEDs the road can actually tell drivers if an animal is on the road, and light up road markings make dangerous stretches of road easier to navigate. As well of course it would also be easier in accedients to redirect traffic too. I have to say ...

We at Pickle Design have a very sweet little 'log cabin' studio, fits us all in nicely as well as all of the design paraphernalia we've accumulated over the years.  I do have an interest then in other small spaces, and this 'blob VB3' by dmvA, is really intriguing.  This nose-like structure can be an extension to the house, office or guest accommodation. The blob even houses a bathroom and has plenty of storage space. The'nose' part automatically flips open providing a porch and a gateway to the outside world!  I found this quirky annex at design for mankind

Anything to make life simpler and less cluttered I'm a fan of, and this paint pen is so clever.  The idea is rather than having to store lots of have empty tins of paint for touch ups in your home, you just keep some of each colour in a pen and use it as and when needed.  Really quite smart, it might get a bit addictive though! This Slobproof Paint Pen will last years, smart stuff. Found via  Design Sponge .

Two things that I adore: Chocolate and good packaging, and both can be found in  Amelia Rope 's chocolates . I love how wonderfully modern this packaging feels, but no less luxurious or indulgent. The contrast of texture and colour just work so well. The rough natural card reveals the vibrant wrapped foils, so simple and so satisfying! Found via Plenty of Colour .

This fabulous reception is for creative design agency Boys and Girls. Fed up with their standard entrance, they decided to work with company Twisted Image to design a desk that really was bespoke.  So this is what they come up with! One side of the desk is supported by giant Jenga blocks, and the other, well it looks like it is being held up by helium baloons. Actually these are a permanent rubber composite made to look like balloons and the ribbons are carbo-titanium, but so realistic! Found via  Design For Mankind .

I thought I would introduce you to Just Fab based in the South West of England providing interior design in Cornwall with a showroom in Launceston. We completed a re-brand for them last year, tweaking their logo and creating a striking colour scheme and a new bold look.  We started with their logo and I created an abstract image to complement. Next we designed their signs, our brief was simply to 'stop traffic', safely of course! But if you are driving through Launceston, Cornwall, then I promise you, you can't miss them! We also designed stationery; letterhead and complement slip as well as a beautifully bold business card.   Next came the website. Just Fab are the largest fabric and wallpaper showroom in the South West stocking some amazingly beautiful prints and textures. I had the pleasure of doing the photoshoot and had the chance to rummage through some truly beautiful samples. (I even got to take a couple home and I have a framed square of sumptuou...

I absolutely love this magneitc wallpaper from textile designer Sian Zeng . She was born in China, raised in Hungary and studied at Central Saint Martins. I love the fairy tale, folksy style. But the best thing though about her beautiful papers are that they are magnetic! The idea stemming from children's play, Zeng says she was " Inspired by the changeable nature of fairytale stories, where frogs can suddenly become princes". Wallpaper Zeng's only talent, she designs gorgeous fabrics, poetry inspired scarfs and she paints and illustrates as well. 

Just thought I would blog about one of our new websites. This clean and simple minimally designed website was for interior and lighting designers Millard&Flo .  When considering this design, the portfolio and pictures were clearly the focus, so I kept to a rigid grid, lots of white space and aloud the pictures to speak for themselves. We have fading images on the home, two galleries navigated by thumbnails and a bespoke blog. Definitely worth checking out! 

Quite literally! This Paris hotel room has been graffitied by artist Tilt. The room entitled ' Panic Room'  is from the  Au Vieux Panier  hotel in Marseille, France.  This unique hotal has just 5 rooms and all are decorated individually by an artist or graphic designer. Tilt, as you can see just decorated half this minimal white room with his vibrant, colour-drenched graffiti. This room is entitled 'Fusion' by Philippe Baudelocque I am not entirely sure I would manage a night sleep in such a place, and which side of the bed do you choose! An interesting concept, creating distinctly atmostpheric rooms. I like the idea of entrusting the design to creatives who see the room as a concept. I do wonder if it would effect the kind of dreams you have... 

I remember when I took my cycling proficiency test I thought just how dangerous it was to encourage me to actually take my hands off the bike to signal. I would zig-zag all over the road! But thankfully they maybe an alternative.  This great idea is from The Lee Myung Su Design Lab in Korea. The backpack has a wireless controller so when the cyclist stop or signals direction the backpack lights up alerting drivers. I think this is so clever!  It is only a prototype at the moment but I'm sure this will become real one day. The concept won the Reddot Design Award 2010. Found via A Cup of Jo

This morning I stumbled across this beautiful paper art by Peter Gentenaar from the Netherlands.   Peter Gentenaar  'Cloud installation' Office of Joop van den Ende,  Amsterdam He started out as a print maker but faced with the constraints of the process he invented his own beater to make longer paper fibres.  Peter Gentenaar ' Waterkey two' 330 cm high,110 cm at widest point flax & kozo pulp with bamboo frame The twisted forms I think resemble orchids or Autumn leaves caught at a point before decay. It is entirely the process that creates these forms. The long paper is strengthened by bamboo. As it dries the paper contracts and the bamboo twists and distorts the 2d dimensional artwork into a 3d sculpture. 

This mesmerising installation is by artist  Gabriel Dawe . The way the light plays with the different tones of thread just makes the installation resound so much more. To me they speak of prisims and rainbows, tricks of light and even moments of sound.    This series is entitled Plexus.  Gabriel Dawe grow up in Mexico, and I think that is apparent in the richness of the colour he uses. He now resides in Canada exploring themes and concepts in the medium of textiles, which, as a child growing up in Mexico would have been forbidden for a male.  His recent themes look at  notions of social constructions and the and the self-organising force of nature.

This very bizarre picture is actually an installation by Buenos Aires based artist Leandro Erlichs. The piece is called  Bâtiment and is now on display in Paris. It looks so much fun, there is a giant mirror which reflects a house on the floor which visitors can crawl across like Spider man, or hang from windows. All this is reflected in the mirror. I love interactive art, it really challenges you to get involved. See more about Erlichs' work here here . Bâtiment, Leandro Erlich au 104 by Palagret

Carl and Maria recently received this beautiful gift of Champagne to mark the birth of their second son. We liked the packaging so much we thought we'd show you!  Being our brand colour of orange did help to of course. A striking box with spot varnishes, drizzled in red writing and with an inviting button to push and reveal the bottle inside.