Design Debate

Looking through the movie paraphernalia available from the larger chains, I once again moved on, finding them overwhelmingly mainstream. I need a new wardrobe and have been looking at the movie related T-shirts, but even when these large concerns attempt to be edgy, they somehow miss the point. Companies that claim to be associated with films are just a short step away from the faux pop culture shirts your local Next stocks. For the true film geek, something with a little more depth and obscurity is required. Most shirt designs, emblazoned with the name of a cult classic, are the clothing equivalent of going up to the cool kids at school and saying, “I like The Arctic Monkeys, can I be in your gang?” True film lovers look for websites like Nerdoh , who offer a range of shirts carrying references only other aficionados will recognise, and for those who do not spot the connection, the designs are strong enough to stand alone. The movies that have received this treatment include legends l...

This month's Zeitgeist features an eclectic selection of images from the web. Within these ten pictures you will see pop culture illustration, fashion photography from the early sixties, and the two shots above that portray vivid pattern.

Here are five images for the first Zeitgeist post. I will scour the internet each month to find pictorial representation of the moment.

Pickle Design have just released a very limited run of uniquely designed t-shirts. Pictured above, there are two styles featuring the same design which designer, Emma Julian, talks about here... "We have just received delivery of the Pickle t-shirts, standard and girl-fit. I was asked to use my illustration to create a graphic image that could work well for unisex t-shirts. "Having just completed some illustrations for our self-initiated Calendar and Badges project, the t-shirt graphic certainly contains influences from the themes I used for my contribution into that project. For example, I used some aspects from the images I created for the Third Man badge. "Really, the design is a graphic explosion of pattern, type and image. My thoughts came from doodles on my note pad and bits of inspiration from around the office. The overall effect is quite comic strip. I had created several designs which we put to the vote on our news blog, and this one won (thankfully my ...

I need some assistance. After watching the latest Mr Muscle advert run once more, I have begun to lose faith in the British public. Update, August 2026: the original video embedded in this post disappeared from YouTube years ago, so I’ve replaced it with a copy of the advert. At the time I wrote this I hadn't been able to locate the UK version, but this is the advert I was talking about: I am not going to even begin to critically analyse this travesty, not even going to start to question the thought process that went into it, but will address the lack of respect we are being shown by all the companies involved in putting it on our screens. The fact that this campaign appeared in different versions around the world emphasises the point. A very brief spot was intended to work across different countries simply by dubbing it for each market. S.C. Johnson, an American firm, and worth vast sums of money, own the brand Mr Muscle, as well as another offende...

"Shared Experience" advertising; TV spots that are filmed in public places with, ostensibly, actual reactions from passers-by. They seemed to begin in earnest after the very successful Fallon adverts for the Sony Bravia. I have written before regarding the affect of those award wining spots, and so much seems to stem from them when analysed. The halcyon photography, folk music soundtrack and vérité direction, has been endlessly emulated from Orange to Berocca. Some work, others are embarrassing. Take a look at the latest from Halifax, their first advert to depart from the apparently troubled relationship with Howard, the previous face of the company: Again, they have filled their advertising with actual members of their staff, and they should be commended for that, especially when those chosen are able to convey the required level of sincerity. But they have altered the style and approach of their advertising campaign dramatically, approaching the established Delaney Lund Kn...

I have finally decided I can wait no longer and am going for a new phone. I have been waiting in the vain hope that Apple iphones will come down to a more realistic price, but now a mobile device with good quality internet access has become a necessity, not a luxury, forcing my hand. The technology in the iphone is very attractive, but cost has always been an issue, prompting me to examine different options. The souped-up standard mobiles initially looked a possible alternative, and as I already had a Samsung I took a look at the Samsung Soul. I also speculated that a Blackberry may supply the functionality that I needed, if not the brand name. The Storm jumped out as an option. But in the end, as a designer, I could not seperate the products from their marketing. The Samsung Soul for instance has been given a very feeble advertising campaign that absolutely baffled me as to the item itself. Take a look at the following spot: This was an advert designed for a pan European appeal, and ...