Design Debate

What striking packaging, a mystery wine that was created when the cartoon The Simpsons started, 1987. The designer, Constantin Bolimond from Moscow took the iconic colours of Marge and Homer Simpson and created a Piet Mondrian inspired wrap to encase the beverage.  The wine itself is a mystery, they have been using the same ingredients but in different variations for 26 years, keeping the recipe a secret. I just love the colour blocking and the fresh approach. I also quite enjoy the combination of Homer Simpson and artist Mondrian, an unusual coupling perhaps but it really works. The question is, would Homer consider swapping his beloved beer for something a little more refined?  Found at The Dieline , see more at Behance . 

Vincent van Gogh The Son of Man by Rene Magritte Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci American Gothic by Grant Wood What a great advertising campaign! "Every child is an artist with Lego". These blurs of colour instantly recall the great works of art they represent. It must be testament to the iconic status of these famous works of art that just pixels are enough. (Though I have to confess, "The Son of Man" does resemble Frankenstein's monster a little, just a little!) All credit due to designer Marco Sodano along with agency Geometry Global and creative director Kenny Blumenschein.  I just love Lego, it really is the starting blocks of so much fun and creativity! I found this story on blog Plenty of Colour . 

Don't you just love wood, the grain, the depth of colours and that history. Greg Klassen , furniture designer, has really caught my eye with his River Collection.  He takes a piece of wood and carves the outline of a gorge and fits pale blue glass on top to create the suggestion of a flowing river. These pieces are beautiful, each unique, the practical kind of art that fits comfortably into a home.   I think he has a real understanding of wood and handles it with respect but also with confidence, creating bold pieces that exude warmth.  Lovely. Found at Design Taxi . 

Wow, isn't this brilliant? Such a simple concept. Sculptor Gerry Judah created this talking point at the Goodwood festival of speed. The two Mercedes-Benz cars appear to race 26 metres over Goodwood House in this 160 tonne steel sculpture - 90 metres long!  The sculpture celebrates Mercedes-Benz who have been motoring through three centuries, starting in 1894. It features two race cars, passing in different directions. The modern car being the Mercedes AMG Petronas Formula One Team F1 Wo4. This car has raced in no less than 15 Grands Prix in 2013 by driver Lewis Hamilton. The vintage model is the 1934 Mercedes-Benz W2, it won the Nürburgring Nordschleife on its first outing.  The shape of the sculpture echoes the silver arrows and reminds me of playing Scalextric with my brothers, we had great fun creating epic crashes and taking over mum's living room. Photographs are by David Barbour, originally spotted on Moco .   

Viktor Varga I know this isn't really very seasonal, today as I type it is a gorgeous sunny June day, but how about some sparkly lights? I came across these beautiful trams from Budapest, Hungary. In the winter holidays the transport company covers the public transport in 30,000 twinkling LED lights.  Krisztian Birinyi Englishhungary And the result when captured in a photograph is something quite ghostly and beautiful, a trail of colour.  Read more at My Modern Met .   Krisztian Birinyi Andras Csore

I am loving the work of South African illustrator, Kirsten Sims . I think she matches depth of colour with a light handed delicacy. I love the play with shadows in her black and white pieces especially.  Kirsten graduated from Stellenbosch Academy of Design and Photography in 2011 with a BA in Applied Design, specialising in illustration. She also teaches high school students and is this year taking an honours degree in Illustration.  She really strikes me as someone who would draw in her sleep, the shower, on the bus - anywhere and everywhere, its as natural as breathing. Beautiful work! 

As you know I am a designer at North Cornish graphic design studio Pickle Design , and I thought you might like to see some of our recent projects.  We design pretty much everything, from t-shirts and websites to signs and menus. One of the things I love about my job is the diversity. We have clients from pretty much every field imaginable, but I must confess, projects where I can use my illustration are my favourite.  Here is a project we have just completed, well almost, we are currently designing some jam jar labels and correspondence cards. This is Lanneves Cottage Holidays, a lovely luxury self catering cottage right in the heart of Cornwall. We designed their logo, business cards and website. The website allows them to edit all text and images, add blog posts and to take online bookings. All custom designed to fit the brand we created.  Another project newly completed is this brochure for Wavehunters, a surf school right on Polzeath beach. We ...