Do your xmas shopping on Lambs Conduit St!
(We've heard there'll be loads of food and drinks as well...)
Tuesday, 17 November 2009
Visit Ryan-town
Illustrator and papercutter Rob Ryan is a name worth knowing. His amazing work can be seen at any Starbucks as part of their christmas campaign and in Ryantown on Columbia Rd, a shop entirely dedicated to him.
Have a sneak peek
Thursday, 12 November 2009
Lewin in Packaging News
9 November 2009 | Packaging News
Our own Stuart Lewin features in the latest Packaging News to discuss the state of today's packaging industry.
'If the industry as a whole were given a school report, it would be told could try harder.' says Lewin in his article arguing that the business has made a drastic decrease in creativity.
Click here to read the full article
Free brand managers
for design to flourish
Stuart Lewin of packaging and brand consultancy Vivid argues the industry's clients should take the lead on encouraging creativity in design
It has become increasingly difficult to sound positive and constructive about a part of the design industry that now has some serious issues.
Put simply, packaging design needs a new direction. The market is filled with practitioners performing work that is just good enough to impress undemanding clients, but no better. Diligent designers who take pride in challenging preconceptions and create good packaging design are few and far between. That is not the way things should be. If the industry as a whole were given a school report, it would be told could try harder.
It has been said that clients get the designers they deserve. Behind a truly smart design there is often a smart client, one who knows what is really needed for their brand. These clients take time to find the right designers for a job.
So clients must take responsibility. They should challenge agencies about their creative processes. An economic downturn can make managers, already fearful for their jobs, understandably less brave at taking risks.
The paradox is that in a downturn they really need to be braver than ever. But before we pass the buck to clients, it has to be recognised that they themselves are often wearing a straitjacket foisted on them by the practices of big business. The corporate roster system, whereby a brand manager must choose from a pre-selected list of approved agencies, cements this lack of real objectivity by agencies. It rewards design agencies for fitting in, and for meeting narrow ideas of what is right in terms of creativity. But packaging designers should always challenge orthodox thought.
The packaging of a product is the final touchpoint for a shopper, a final opportunity to seduce the shopper before they place the product in their basket. It can make or break a sale. Good packaging design is a vitally important part of a product’s communication arsenal. So how can it ever be left to a company that has not got under the skin of a shopper and researched fully what they want and need?
By their nature, big companies attempt to regulate things. Establishing a roster of design groups ensures a degree of consistency and a safety net for clients. It takes a leap of faith for brand managers to demand more. But given the freedom to challenge wisdom of their senior management, they could achieve far greater sales.
Unfortunately, getting access to brand managers is becoming increasingly difficult. The crux of the matter is that brand managers are the one link in the chain able to drive change. It is not their fault that company structures restrict their choice of design agency.But they stand to benefit the most from a move away from the status quo.
Stuart Lewin is creative director at marketing, packaging and brand consultancy Vivid Brand.
Contact him at Stu@vividbrand.com
Our own Stuart Lewin features in the latest Packaging News to discuss the state of today's packaging industry.
'If the industry as a whole were given a school report, it would be told could try harder.' says Lewin in his article arguing that the business has made a drastic decrease in creativity.
Click here to read the full article
Free brand managers
for design to flourish
Stuart Lewin of packaging and brand consultancy Vivid argues the industry's clients should take the lead on encouraging creativity in design
It has become increasingly difficult to sound positive and constructive about a part of the design industry that now has some serious issues.
Put simply, packaging design needs a new direction. The market is filled with practitioners performing work that is just good enough to impress undemanding clients, but no better. Diligent designers who take pride in challenging preconceptions and create good packaging design are few and far between. That is not the way things should be. If the industry as a whole were given a school report, it would be told could try harder.
It has been said that clients get the designers they deserve. Behind a truly smart design there is often a smart client, one who knows what is really needed for their brand. These clients take time to find the right designers for a job.
So clients must take responsibility. They should challenge agencies about their creative processes. An economic downturn can make managers, already fearful for their jobs, understandably less brave at taking risks.
The paradox is that in a downturn they really need to be braver than ever. But before we pass the buck to clients, it has to be recognised that they themselves are often wearing a straitjacket foisted on them by the practices of big business. The corporate roster system, whereby a brand manager must choose from a pre-selected list of approved agencies, cements this lack of real objectivity by agencies. It rewards design agencies for fitting in, and for meeting narrow ideas of what is right in terms of creativity. But packaging designers should always challenge orthodox thought.
The packaging of a product is the final touchpoint for a shopper, a final opportunity to seduce the shopper before they place the product in their basket. It can make or break a sale. Good packaging design is a vitally important part of a product’s communication arsenal. So how can it ever be left to a company that has not got under the skin of a shopper and researched fully what they want and need?
By their nature, big companies attempt to regulate things. Establishing a roster of design groups ensures a degree of consistency and a safety net for clients. It takes a leap of faith for brand managers to demand more. But given the freedom to challenge wisdom of their senior management, they could achieve far greater sales.
Unfortunately, getting access to brand managers is becoming increasingly difficult. The crux of the matter is that brand managers are the one link in the chain able to drive change. It is not their fault that company structures restrict their choice of design agency.But they stand to benefit the most from a move away from the status quo.
Stuart Lewin is creative director at marketing, packaging and brand consultancy Vivid Brand.
Contact him at Stu@vividbrand.com
Monday, 9 November 2009
Need inspiration?
5 November 2009 | Design WeekInspired
Nikki
Nechvoglod
Our own Nikki Nechvoglod features in the latest design week to discuss ways in which she finds inspiration.
That ‘scared feeling’. There’s a lot to be said for fear. The gut feeling when you’re doing something new and pushing yourself beyond your comfort zone - you’re terrified of failing, but you know you might succeed.Don’t get me wrong. Contentment and satisfaction are comforting, but they’re nothing compared to the motivation and inspiration that come with utter panic.
I’ve felt it when I snowboarded down a near-vertical mountain in Canada, when I arrived at London Heathrow airport from Australia without a job or a home to go to, and when I snorkelled with sharks. I felt it when I first presented my consultancy’s work to clients, wrote a copy line that made the client laugh, or came up with a concept that I knew was good.
I felt it recently when I pitched for and was accepted into the D&AD Design Workshops. Each week of the course, the fear of failure was a constant companion, but it ultimately inspired me to do some of my best work.
Even if you fail, it’s in the process of trying new things that you learn the most.
There is a common belief that fear is the enemy of progression. Far from it. Fear is its best friend.
Nikki Nechvoglod
Futuretainment by Phaidon
Tomorrow trend analyst and media commentator Mike Walsh visits Phaidon book store on Picadilly to discuss and sign copies of his new book Futuretainment: Yesterday the World Changed, Now It's Your Turn. The book deals with big questions like our consumer culture and the changing media environment, is filled with innovative design made by Frost Design and is only £20.
Read what Phaidon says about the book
Wednesday, 4 November 2009
Pop up a rainy day.
Brighten up a cold and rainy day with some colourful and truly commercial pop art at Tate Modern. See work by Andy Warhol and Damien Hirst, buy unnecessary things in the pop shop and get provoked by challenging work restricted to over-18s.
Why not become a member and finish it all off with a glass of wine on the VIP roof terrace?
Read what Tate says about the exhibition.
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