joes[a]fiend

OKI SATO OF NENDO TALKS DESIGN

2011-10-11T20:11:00.002+01:00

DESIGN - Max Reyner my good friend and Head of Insight at Prote.in talked to Oki Sato, founder of legendary Japanese design studio Nendo. Sato has consistently designed objects that are simply beautiful, in a world where we adorn and badge objects to give them status, Sato simplifies and adds meaning. A skill that only a handful of designers have.

To read the full interview click here.

Ravi

RENT A BILLBOARD FOR $100 A WEEK

2011-03-29T23:34:00.010+01:00

ADVERTISING - The Waffle Shop billboard is a re-purposed rooftop billboard structure atop the [you guessed it] Waffle Shop building [Pittsburgh]. It replaces the static message of a commercial sign with a changeable monologue. The system uses a set of custom-made letters that float on rails, with only the sky as the background, to create a live [ish] structure that can change on demand.

Here’s how it works:

: They are looking to promote stories and ideas and as opposed to businesses and will reserve a few spots for non-profits, but request that they keep the aforementioned in mind.

: They are able to accommodate roughly 25 characters a line [including spaces] for a total of 125 or less characters on the 5 lines of the billboard.

: They will change the text every Sunday or the next day if the weather is bad [since it does involve two people up on a billboard for four hours]

: For people that want to rent for a month it’s $400, plus $50.00 for any weekly changes beyond the original post with the maximum cost being $550 for the month.

: All text for the billboard must be approved by the Waffle Shop as well as Eve Picker from We Do Property and Skip Schwab from East Liberty Development [they haven’t said no yet].

: Email them if you are interested at billboard@waffleshop.org

joes[a]fiend

IN CONVERSATION WITH THE BLIZZARD

2011-03-11T10:46:00.008Z

Print is dead. Long live print. The more we hear on this debate, the more quality magazines seem to crop up. From Manzine to Lost in London - there are plenty of reasons to be cheerful. So we were chuffed to hear about The Blizzard, a new football magazine that isn't afraid to publish lengthy articles on obscure games and how Dennis Bergkamp can be compared to New Labour [seriously. It's in issue zero, available here, and is well worth a read.]

We asked Jonathan Wilson, editor of The Blizzard a few questions about the mag, here's what he had to say:

Why did you opt for the 'pay what you want' model for issue zero?

We were very conscious that our audience was likely to be global, and obviously there are vast disparities in wealth between different countries. With pay what you want, people can set a value they feel comfortable with, wherever they happen to be from. And that, of course, even within countries there’s a scale of wealth. Students were always likely to be a big part of our readership; now they’re not priced out, and hopefully as and when they leave university and find jobs they will up their payments. And I guess with the economy squeezed there are a load of people out of work or whose businesses are struggling who can buy low now and hopefully up their payments as their personal circumstances hopefully improve.

It requires faith, obviously, but our writers, who are being paid as a profit share, had faith in us; now we’re placing that same faith in the public to pay responsibly. We’ve said what the RRP is, what we would be charging if we didn’t have the PWYW model; then it’s up to people to respect that and take it as a marker as to what it's realistic for them to pay. It's a gamble, of course, and if it doesn’t work we’ll be forced to change, but the early signs are pretty positive.

What has happened over the last few years in football journalism that has inspired The Blizzard to start?

The internet. On the one hand it’s squeezed papers who are now chasing the middle ground, increasingly focusing on the glamour clubs and players to try to boost sales. Football magazines, similarly, seem to have shortened the length of pieces; and I’m sure they have sound economic reasons for doing so. And on the other hand the internet raised the model of the long tail. Newspapers are big beasts with large fixed costs; by selling through the website, using social networking sites to raise awareness and selling in digital as well as printed formats, The Blizzard can operate with relatively low overheads and so we can explore more esoteric areas and the sort of more leisurely or in-depth pieces that have disappeared over the past decade or so - although we're able to run articles of greater length than has ever been done in the football press.

How is the magazine going to be different [to the likes of When Saturday Comes and The Green for instance]?

The major difference from WSC is length. We’ll have pieces stretching up to 8000 words long, which necessarily means a different style of journalism and different subject matter. As a quarterly, there’s no point us attempting anything newsy. I suppose the base ethos isn’t that different from WSC, but I think we’re very different products. I’d be surprised if readers saw us an somehow an alternative; I think we’re far more likely to be an addition. As for The Green, I haven’t seen a huge amount of it, but they seem to have placed far more emphasis on design and photography, whereas we’re all about the words. I suspect they’ll appeal to a different part of the market.

Do you think that being based in Sunderland will help you to bring a different perspective on the game?

Aside from our innate north-eastern canniness, I’m not sure. The magazine is based there, and I was born there, but I live in London now, and our contributors come from all over the world. We’re certainly not planning a series of interviews with the likes of Jim Montgomery, Gary Rowell and Gary Bennett. Not yet, anyway.

What magazines/publications have served as inspiration during the creation of The Blizzard?

Well, there was Perfect Pitch, which I suppose attempted something similar back in the late nineties, although it didn’t have the freedom the internet has given us. And there are foreign football magazines with a similar feel, such as Josimar in Norway and Hard Gras in the Netherlands, but I don’t think there was a moment in the design process when anybody got out a copy of a magazine and said ‘we want it to look like this’. It looks like it does because of a series of small decisions based on ‘what looks/feels right?’ rather than having any template in mind.

What is your favourite footballing memory?

1992 FA Cup quarter-final replay, Sunderland v Chelsea. Sunderland had edged the first half and were 1-0 up, but Chelsea, who were then a division above us, had battered us in the second. They hit the post, missed sitters and Tony Norman made save after save, and then, with four minutes left, Dennis Wise dinked in an equaliser. I was sure that was it; I was standing next to Peter, the co-founder of The Blizzard, at the time, and I said to him, ‘Please let them finish it now.’ We were knackered, and all I could see was extra-time being horrible and us taking a hiding. Then Paul Bracewell played a long diagonal towards Davie Rush, who was rubbish but was being hyped because he was a local kid and he’d got the winner at West Ham in the previous round. Steve Clarke intercepted, but, perhaps overestimating Rush, put it out for a corner.

Brian Atkinson swung it in, and Gordon Armstrong, with his big shiny forehead, got on the end of it. I was at the opposite end of the ground, and you could see the ball was looping towards the corner, that Dave Beasant wasn’t going to get there, but it seemed to take forever, the ball looping, Beasant diving... what we couldn’t appreciate was that Armstrong was about 18 yards out and that’s why it took so long. And eventually, after what seemed like minutes of anticipatory silence, the Roker End went up, and we knew it was in. And then of course it was absolute mayhem. And there was still time for John Kay, the hardest man in the world, ever, to nail Vinnie Jones. I well up even thinking about it: there’ll never be another night like that.

IN CONVERSATION WITH MARWOOD

2011-02-23T10:00:00.006Z

Marwood is a brand that we have been keeping an eye on for some time now. This summer sees the launch of its first collection of ties, all beautifully handcrafted in the UK.

Today seemed a fitting day to publish an interview with Becky French [the lady behind Marwood] as she is presenting the brand at London Fashion Week's menswear day.

Where did the inspiration for Marwood come from?
Inspiration came from a friend venting his frustration at not being able to find a certain tie. It got me thinking that I see so many bad, cheap looking ties... too shiny, too puffy, too brash. After that conversation I kept coming across really lovely vintage patterns in a slimmer width with a matt finish and interesting patterns and colour combinations and started to collect them. I had wanted to work on my own project of some sort and this evolved from there.

How did you turn Marwood from an idea into a brand?
I started Marwood by creating a blog. It was a simple way to start putting something down on paper, but in a more official and considered manner. It has been an effective and disciplined way to record research and make me think about what Marwood could be if there were no boundaries. The branding had been integral to Marwood from the start and I worked closely with graphic designer Sarah Carr (who designed all of the branding) to create a clean, non fussy, strong framework for the product.

Why did you decide to make neckties?
Neckties became a vehicle to explore all the elements of design that interest me - acute attention to detail, pattern, colour and proportion. It also needs experienced craftsmanship to be made properly and so allowed me to work closely with skilled manufacturers in the UK and learn their process.

Patti Smith - Horses [1975]

If you could pick anyone to wear a necktie who would it be and why?
Patti Smith will do nicely. Or Jack Kerouac in his day would have been the perfect man for the job. As muses they have the right sensibility and attitude to design for - independent and individual to the core.

What are your plans for next season and beyond?
Next season is currently in the development stages. We are still going to be working with English lace and the silk mill that we have started with... But we are moving it forward. We also want to add complimentary products to the range but it will be gradual. Ideally it will evolve steadily so that each product can have the type of attention that the necktie is having.

How important is local manufacturing to Marwood?
Local manufacturing is really important to us. To have constant and accessible contact with your manufacturer ensures a considered, quality product. Also it feels right to use the genuine skill and experience of a historically English product rather than imitating it for a cheaper price point. I think it is about finding the best people to do the job and if that's on home turf then that will always be the first stop.

What is the perfect accompaniment for a Marwood necktie?
A sharp looking tie bar. Some of this seasons silk and wool patterns would look great with a grey chambray shirt or tattersall - anything textured. I would love to see the lace mesh bowties used as a new take on the dinner suit [black/white tie] as well.

What keeps you busy when you're not at the helm of Marwood?
Outside of Marwood I still freelance. Aside from work I am trying to make time to train for a half marathon in May - however this feels ambitious at the moment!

What have you learnt that you would have liked to have known when you set out with Marwood?
A crash course in business/sales/press would have been great. Saying that, I am not sure I would have embarked on it if I had known the extent of the jobs needed to get a product out there. It feels good to have learned so much already.

Do you think that making in the UK is viable for small businesses?
I think it is viable but in my experience it produces an expensive product... So it is for a high end product using quality cloth.

What challenges do you envisage for Marwood?
Challenges are definitely price points. Ensuring that we don't out price ourselves and stay honest to our customers. They will want to know that, if they are paying a lot of money, they are getting an individual product that will last.

Do you have plans to sell online?
We are currently offering a personal order service online and this will eventually lead to an online shop. Marwood has moved so quickly since launching in January, so we are going to watch and learn this year to time any big ventures properly.

Marwood will be stocked at bStore from April for an exclusive Spring/Summer 2011 collection for them. The Autumn/Winter 2011 range will also be available in bStore and Edifice [Japan] from the end of May/June.

If the the Marwood blog is not in your bookmarks we highly recommend it as a source of sartorial splendor: marwooduk.blogspot.com

joes[a]fiend

Marwood photography by Emilie Bailey

FOUND: NEW[ISH] MAGAZINE - LOST IN LONDON

2011-02-12T09:51:00.012Z

PUBLISHING - In joes[a]fiend's opinion there are not enough magazines that discuss foraging, walking on riverbeds and local history. In fact, we're not sure that there are any. Therefore, Lost in London has gotten us really excited.

We found out about the beautifully designed magazine through magCulture's 24-hour long 5 year anniversary celebration and were immediately taken by the idea of a truly seasonal magazine. The publication inspires by sharing information on the capital through the changing seasons and the first issue conveys a love for the outdoors throughout.

Pick of the articles for us was Helen Babbs piece on the November 'draw-off' of the Thames at Richmond. In many ways this article is what the magazine is about - telling you about something you were not aware of and making you want to go and see it for yourself. The first issue also comes with a map of fruit trees in Hackney - again, prodding you to head outside and explore.

'We wanted to make something that showed London in a completely different way, reflecting all the things that are good about the city - there is so much more to it than busy tube trains and smog,' Lucy Scott, editor of Lost in London, told joes[a]fiend.

The design of the magazine is also a vital part of its appeal [as you can see from the pictures.] Tina Smith, the art director of Lost in London and Lucy Scott see the title as a backlash to the ubiquitous free-zines that are increasingly common in London.

'We had seen a few independent mags launch with uncompromising editorial and design values and it seemed to us like a backlash was underway against the multitude of free-zines popping up everywhere - not that they're bad necessarily, but just that there's a different sort of publishing to be had on the other side. The Ride Journal in particular was an inspiration.'

With the first signs of spring well and truly upon us [you can smell it along the New River Walk in Islington, honest] we are very much looking forward to the next issue of Lost in London. We shouldn't need to say when it comes out...

joes[a]fiend

GOOGLE ANALYTICS FOR HIP HOP

2011-02-02T05:38:00.022Z

MUSIC - 'The Hip-Hop Word Count (HHWC) is a searchable ethnographic database built from the lyrics of over 40,000 Hip-Hop songs from 1979 to present day. The database is the heart of an online analysis tool that generates textual and quantified reports on searched phrases, syntax, memes and socio-political ideas.

The idea to build the Hip-Hop Word Count came out of having hundreds of heated & passionate discussions about Rap music: Who was the best rapper of all time? Which rapper had the smartest songs? Which was the most popular champagne in Hip-Hop during 1999-2003? Which rapper uses the most clever metaphors? Which city's rap songs use the most monosyllabic words? Does living in higher altitudes create a natural proclivity for Gangster Rap?'

What intrigues us is the ability to search music lyrics for brand names and brand references. To be able to understand which rappers were talking about which brands at what point in time. You could easily take the data and see which car brands rappers talked about most frequently in the summer of 2004 in their lyrics, or which fashion brand was on the lips of the hip-hop community in 2006. Personally we would like to use it to track the rise and fall of particular alcohol brands in hip-hop; from Snoop's Seagram's gin (1993) to the clunky reference to Courvoisier by Busta (2002) and chart these references next to sales over time. We wonder whether these nods to the bottles on the top shelf have any long lasting effect on the fortunes of the brands?

Get over to Kickstarter and pledge now to ensure the HHWC gets full funding.

joes[a]fiend

DAY 8 IPAD APP BY DUNHILL

2011-01-01T21:52:00.000Z

DIGITAL - joes[a]fiend was invited to the breakfast launch of Dunhill's new DAY 8 iPad app [iTunes link] recently. Over a delicious/insightful breakfast at Bourdon House we took the opportunity to ask Richard Ascott [Head of digital] of Dunhill a few questions about the new digital launch and how luxury experiences translates online. Here's what he had to say...

Why the iPad?
We chose to launch DAY 8 as an iPad app because it is the best screen in the world and we wanted to pay our content justice. With the iPad you know precisely the size and resolution of the end users' device, so it can be optimised in a way never before possible.
How will the iPad content be different from the 'traditional' digital offering?
Content will be shared across both the app and the DAY 8 site. The app also has the added functionality of caching content, allowing DAY 8 to be a truly mobile experience – a lot of Dunhill customers are time poor, being able to access DAY 8 during a flight for example allows us to work around our client's timetable and lifestyle.

What is the biggest challenge for a luxury brand going online?
It’s a balancing act - heritage vs contemporary / exclusivity vs. accessibility and convenience. Ultimately the most important thing is to use technology only in a way that adds to the end user experience, not just to tick a box or because everyone else is doing it. There is an element of temptation with all of the accessible platforms and technologies out there; being a luxury should be as much as showing restraint as adopting these.

What is the biggest opportunity for a luxury brand going online?
To be able to engage. To provide a joined up world where all communication touch points lead wherever you are in the world. You are also able to know your customer like never before. A live streamed fashion show, for example, is not for everyone. If what you are doing does not improve the experience for your customer, do not do it.
Who aside from Dunhill is leading the digital landscape in terms of brands and why?
Net-a-porter: They have a joined up approach where experience, commerce and customer service are seamlessly integrated.

Nike+ : Have created an elegant solution to a problem that we didn’t know we had and have given it without asking for anything in return.

Why is the content relevant to the digital Dunhill offering?
To play in the digital world you have to be relevant and engaging to your target audience. Everything that makes it onto DAY 8 is aligned with the Dunhill brand pillars; Creativity, Intelligence, Culture, Travel & Elegance. Many pieces of content fall into more than one of these categories.

We can never let our editorial standards slip because, along with product, it’s the content that shows our customer we understand the values that they share with us.

What should luxury brands avoid when going online?
Becoming a ‘me too’ brand. Just because an online strategy works for one brand it does not mean that it will work for another – however similar the brands may be. There must be honesty when communicating online, the online customer is incredibly savvy and is only two clicks away from being able to share their opinion with the world.

What is the most experiential part of the Dunhill online offering and why?
Our aim is to create the perfect experience for Dunhill customers online. DAY 8 is showing that people want to spend time there and we see it as one of the services that adds value to our online user.

In addition we have spent a lot of time on the e-shop to create the simplest, easiest and most efficient shopping experience, BUT, this is always a work in progress. With digital if you ever think you have it completely solved or finished you might as well quit.

What is the most experiential part of the Dunhill offline offering and why?
The Homes of Alfred Dunhill - the pinnacle of male luxury. Services are at the forefront of the Homes concept, whether it be the Spa & Barber’s and Private Screening Room of Bourdon in the heart of Mayfair, or the fine wine reserve and restaurant of Prince’s Building, Hong Kong. Each Home is a totally immersive experience – a journey into the Dunhill world whilst also reflecting the city in which it stands. From the perfectly restored 1920’s neoclassical style of the Twin Villas, Shanghai to Ginza Tokyo with a façade designed by leading robot designer Mr. Tatsuya Matsu.

We view Dunhill.com & DAY 8 as the global brand Homes for Dunhill. They embody the brand and are ideals everywhere.

What is your favourite iPad app and why?
One app we love is the Guardian eyewitness, it is widely thought of as one of the best photographic experiences on the iPad. We wanted to use this as a starting point for the way we presented imagery, to see if there were any areas we can improve and add in video and copy.

joes[a]fiend

LINOTYPE: THE FILM: TRAILER

2010-11-28T17:17:00.006Z

FILM - "Linotype: The Film" is a documentary about Ottmar Mergenthaler's amazing Linotype typecasting machine and the people who own and love these machines today.

This film is about a machine from the past, but that does not mean this is a sentimental fact-film lamenting the loss of a technology. We are compelled to dig deeper, and find what the Linotype has to say about the present and future.

To make this film, we have extensively researched and talked with experts to learn as much as possible about the history of the Linotype and how the machine works. We’ve been able to talk to numerous people in the Linotype community, from small town printers to typesetters for national publications.

joes[a]fiend

THE UNDERGROUND GOES OVERGROUND

2010-11-24T13:42:00.005Z

SPOTTED - At the Whitechapel underground/overground station the underground goes overground.

joes[a]fiend

TRUTH + TRANSPARENCY = TRUST

2010-11-20T18:49:00.021Z

SPOTTED - On a recent trip to the north of England (to teach a group of third year university students) I spotted this poster showing the exact amount of money that had been raised at the train station for The Poppy Appeal.

What struck me was, the person who made the somewhat shoddy poster had a fantastic insight into people:

: The poster extends the relationship with The Poppy Appeal past the initial interaction/donation

: It makes donors feel that their contribution is part of a larger community/group effort

: It offers feedback, we all like to know how we're doing

: It enhances trust, how many times have you dropped your small change into a collection box in exchange for a 'social badge', then never hear anything from the charity again?

: The hand-drawn element adds a human element to the charity. It shows that there is indeed a real person counting the donations, not some automated banking machine

: Most importantly, it thanks donors for their contribution

I personally feel brands/charities need to learn that by being truthful and transparent, they will earn the trust of the people. This poster embodies key elements that brands/charities must embrace to earn the trust of the public.

If you've seen anything similar to this, drop us a message.

joes[a]fiend

ACCIDENTAL? BRILLIANCE? ACCIDENTAL BRILLIANCE?

2010-11-17T23:41:00.034Z

SPOTTED - Last night I attended the launch of the Hermès pop-up store in the Rochelle School Of Art. The aim of the store is to show people how versatile the iconic Hermès scarves can be. In addition to the pop-up store Hermès has created a Fanzine in collaboration with photographer Matt Irwin. Irwin took four models around the world to capture the ways you can wear the Hermès scarf.

As part of the festivities the incredible LA based band Warpaint played a few songs from their debut LP The Fool [Rough Trade Records].

Before Warpaint came on stage I noticed what must have been a Hermès employee tying a scarf to the bass drum [that's the big one in the middle]. I thought to myself, that's quite subtle, a nice little branded touch. When Warpaint came on to play, this all changed, it soon became a stroke of absolute genius or complete luck. As the drummer [Theresa Wayman] began to beat the bass drum it caused to Hermès scarf to flutter elegantly to the beat, it was mesmerising.

Now, cast your mind back to December 2009, when Japanese designer Tokujin Yoshioka had an installation in Maison Hermes in Japan. The installation was a window with an image of a woman projected on to a monitor. It would appear from the outside that the projected face was gently blowing a Hermès causing it to flutter in the wind.

Was this tie in a piece of marketing genius, or sheer good luck?

It would make sense for Hermès to create a campaign based on the beauty of the flowing movement of their iconic scarves. Imagine a campaign where you see a close-up of the fluttering scarf which then panned out to an iconic moment. The image that springs to mind when I think of the Hermès scarves is a chic woman driving a 1985 convertible Mercedes SL with the top down, on a hot summer's day in the south of France. Imagine the shot; close up of the scarf flowing in the wind [possibly in slow motion], then a soft zoom out to the striking, powerful woman driving the car. Formidable!

joes[a]fiend

FARM:LONDON

2010-11-06T14:13:00.016Z

RETAIL - 'How much food can we grow in a shop?' Was the question posed by FARM:London, a concept devised by Something & Son, an eco-social design practice. They aim to answer the question at 20 Dalston Lane, a derelict shop they have converted into London's first urban farming hub.

At FARM:shop you'll find exhibitions that change with the seasons and as nature takes it's course. For the opening you can expect to see the following:

- 'Aquaponic' micro fish farming
- High tech Indoor allotment
- Rooftop chicken coop
- Polytunnel

FARM:shop Dalston [illustrated above] has three main aims:

1 To excite and inspire Londoners to grow their own food, fabric and medicine
2 To create direct links between farms outside London with communities in London
3 To grow food commercially via a network of FARM:'s across London

If you've made it down to FARM:shop let us know what you thought of the concept/space.

joes[a]fiend

KEROUAC'S DOG : NEW TRICKS

2010-10-13T20:56:00.010+01:00

We were so intrigued by the title of Kerouac's Dog, a new cultural magazine [covering new writing, design, illustration, photography, architecture, fashion, and creativity in general], that we had to grab 5 minutes with its creator, Oli...

First off, please tell us a little about your background and how the Kerouac’s Dog Magazine came to be.

The whole project began as an itch in my head that simply refused to go away. I was travelling Australia in 2008, and one hot summer evening in my apartment in Surry Hills, Sydney, I sat down and scribbled down what I wanted.

I wanted a magazine that was truly independent, with no advertising, no classifieds, and no editorial-led advertising. I wanted a magazine that oozed pure creativity, with a free-thinking, uncensored, underground-press feel. I wanted to give aspiring creatives of all disciplines, from all over, the opportunity to exhibit new writing/new design/ new illustration/ new photography/ new whatever, in something beautiful and tangible. And at the same time, pay homage to the philosophy of the Beat Generation. Kerouac’s Dog Magazine was born. I suppose the idea was conceived long ago, but born when I actually put pen to paper and started putting things in place to make Kerouac’s Dog a reality.

Why Kerouac's Dog? Why now?

Because I genuinely believed it was needed. I think keeping print alive in a truly independent publication in a digital world is really important. In a digital age, getting stuff in print; in something real and tangible is incredibly exciting. I think having something that you can hold; that you can thumb through - rather than click-through, scroll through, or touchpad flick-through - is still an exceptionally beautiful thing. It still means something. It’s evocative, resonant, and it stays with you.

Who out of the people that you're working with should we be keeping an eye on?

I’m not going to pick anyone out, mainly because the work that has been submitted for the inaugural issue, and Issue 2 next year is of such a great standard. But yes, there are lots of people you need to be keeping a serious eye on.

What format is the magazine? Which magazines do you see it sitting alongside?

Issue 1 is A4 – and we’ve got other format ideas for future issues too. [Except digital – Kerouac’s Dog will exist solely in printed format.]
Well, I hope it stands out on its own. I don’t think I’d be doing it any justice if I tried to group it with other magazines.

As you aren't having print ads are you looking to collaborate with brands at all?

We’ve started as an independent, and we want to continue to be independent. Many ‘independent’ magazines that exist today, started off the same as we did, and have, for one reason or another, given in to advertising, and brand and organisation collaboration – mainly for financial reasons. True independence is a tough ideal to live by, especially when you’re totally self-funded, but I think it will be worth it.

What are your favourite magazines?

Wow. Where do I start. There are so many. I love EYE magazine. I love Wallpaper* Magazine. I also read a lot of ‘Mad’ while in Australia too – that was really great.

Where do you see Kerouac's Dog in a year?

Still having fun; still getting new creative work out there; still believing in ourselves, in why we’re doing what we’re doing, and in the people who submit such awesome work; still holding on to that creative fire that got us into this.

joes[a]fiend

I LIKE NY

2010-10-02T22:47:00.005+01:00

GRAPHIC DESIGN - Utpal Pande has given the iconic I Heart NY logo designed by Milton Glaser a reworking for the Facebook generation.

joes[a]fiend

1-BIT SYMPHONY - TRISTAN PERICH

2010-09-09T16:23:00.010+01:00

MUSIC - 'With 1-Bit Symphony I wanted to revisit that an album of music could be more than just a recording, more than just an audio CD and when you listen to an album you could actually be experiencing first hand the production of the music itself' Tristan Perich.

The aspect of 1-Bit Symphony which truly captures our imagination is how the artwork transcends the divide between between aesthetics and the music. Is it the modern equivalent of having a song sheet for an album cover?

joes[a]fiend

YOUTH IN REVOLT [2009]

2010-09-05T15:19:00.010+01:00

CINEMA - Youth In Revolt directed by Miguel Arteta starring Michael Cera, Portia Doubleday, Jean Smart was a visual treat. Click here to see all 44 moments that we captured.

joes[a]fiend

THE NAMESAKE [2006]

2010-08-30T18:24:00.008+01:00

CINEMA - This new addition to joes[a]fiend is pretty simple. Each film I watch from now on, I will compile a series of screen grabs to catalogue the visual delights within each film. These could vary from extreme emotions, scenery, fashion or anything that I find visually arresting.

The first film of the new section is The Namesake [2006] directed by Mira Nair. To see all 30 or so 'movie moments' click here.

joes[a]fiend

WHO'S BEEN GIVING APPLE THE FINGER?

2010-08-03T17:28:00.015+01:00

ADVERTISING - The Apple adverts created by TBWA have always shunned the 'harder, faster, stronger' approach that many consumer electronic goods opt for in their advertising. Instead they go for a benefit based approach to their campaigns. Whether it be how an app on the iPhone can help you spot tree leaves or aid your cooking, the user benefits are always clear to see beyond a bigger screen etc.
The thing that has been bugging me of late is, whose finger is that in the Apple adverts? Are Apple adverts the Holy Grail for finger models? Is it even a real finger? Do Apple localise the finger for specific regions? The more I look at it the stranger it looks.

Do you know who the finger belongs to?

joes[a]fiend

LUXURY MAKES ITS WAY INTO THE DIGITAL WORLD

2010-07-30T23:53:00.014+01:00

DIGITAL - In a world where the oxygen we breathe is digital and Facebook has reached 500 million active users, it is clear that the way we communicate, consume and create has fundamentally transformed. Brands are beginning to realise that the ‘old’ way of retailing might not be the best way. When it comes to the luxury industry digital is often completely ignored.

Marc Jacobs is a prime example of an innovative, edgy luxury brand yet is only entering the world of e-commerce this September. Let us not forget that Net-A-Porter was founded in 2000; so it has taken the Marc Jacobs brand 10 years to realise that online is not just a place for bargain fashion. I personally thought 2010 would be the year for flying cars, not luxury brands realising that the Internet might be a key retail space.

This brings us neatly to the events of last week, I was kindly invited to the Veuve Clicquot Polo Gold Cup: nice to be invited but men on horses hitting a ball isn’t really me. However, when the guys at Veuve mentioned their new iPhone app [iTunes link], my eyes began to roll into the back of my head, with undertones of yellow. Then they mentioned GPS and a champagne concierge and my ears were pricked. The Veuve Clicquot iPhone app allows users to order champagne within the polo ground, which is then delivered to your location via the iPhone's GPS tracker.

In my day job as a trend forecaster for The Future Laboratory we talk about living ‘inline’; this is the notion that living online or offline no longer exists due to ubiquitous connectivity and we now live ‘inline’. To me the Veuve Clicquot app was the embodiment of ‘inline living’. The brand is offering the ‘luxury moment’ facilitated by a digital device.

One of my favourite restaurants in London, Bob Bob Ricard, has a button at each table stating very simply ‘PRESS FOR CHAMPAGNE’. It is quite incredible how often your finger ends up pushing the magical button. Both of these levels of service work because they make your life simpler; they allow you to consume the product in a seamless manner and, most importantly, they make you feel special.

joes[a]fiend

SCAN TO SEE WHAT INSPIRES ME...

2010-06-22T09:56:00.007+01:00

BRANDING - The 600+1 video was commissioned by Nike Global Design Team. The aim was to create a 2min video about what inspires Shanghai based creative Yehenala.

There are nine stories in the video, and a QR code is always centered in the frame. 'inspiration' is hiding behind the code, audience need to scan the code and receive a URL link to a web page. The web page contains photos of 'inspiration' in each of the nine stories in the video.

joes[a]fiend

GEOTAGGED IMAGES BECOME ART

2010-06-13T18:49:00.011+01:00

London

New York

DATA VISUALISATION - I'm currently slightly obsessed with infographics and data visualisations. If you haven't got InformationIsBeautiful.net bookmarked or on your RSS reader, you should!

The maps above of New York and London created by Eric Fischer show where photographs have been taken. Location data comes from the public Flickr and Picasa search APIs.

As you can see the more photographs that are taken in a specific location the higher the concentration of lines. The images start to depict an interesting narrative as to where is popular and were isn't. It would be great to see this map in real-time, you would begin to see physical parts of your city 'trending'.

To see all 100 maps click here.

joes[a]fiend

HUMAN BILLBOARDS MAGAZINE BY STUDIO ROOMSERVICE

2010-06-06T21:12:00.009+01:00

PUBLISHING - Some of you may know that eBay is rife with people selling their bodies as an advertising medium. For over two years, graphic designer Jacco Kranenburg purchased as many of these human billboards as possible to advertise his design studio Roomservice.

This is what Jacco told us about the reasoning behind the project:

"Out of sheer curiosity, I started to bid personally on several human billboard auctions. One thing that struck me was the utter confidence with which the different providers presented themselves.Without an exception, they were all convinced that they could provide unique and valuable advertising opportunities. For over two years I purchased as many of these human billboards as possible, advertising my design studio and web address. Instead of actual effective advertising, it did provide me with some delightful views into personal lives. Some of these most fascinating transactions are presented in this magazine."

How much would you sell advertising space on your body for?

joes[a]fiend

A CLEAR BRAND MESSAGE

2010-05-25T23:35:00.008+01:00

ADVERTISING - In a time of 'brand blandness', it is even more important for brands to step up. American Apparel has a pedigree of doing this, although its efforts are sometimes over shadowed by it founder's [Dov Charney] somewhat questionable behaviour.

For this advertising campaign American Apparel gets eleven out of ten. It takes courage for brands to take the lead and it can leave them somewhat vulnerable to the press if their credentials don't stand up to scrutiny. If the brand can withstand the pressure, why not step up, be counted and make an impression?

joes[a]fiend

SUPERMARKET FASHION

2010-05-23T17:17:00.009+01:00

SPOTTED - The term ‘fast fashion’ has become common in recent times, as of last week it gained a whole new meaning for me. I found myself with half an hour to spare before a meeting near Topshop [Oxford Street, London], so thought why not pop in have a little look around to kill some time?

Whilst loitering in the store, observing what people were picking up and generally being nosy I heard a familiar voice. Not the voice of a friend, family member or celebrity, but the voice of Tesco. When I say this I don’t mean from an advert, I mean the voice that summons you to a vacant cash register to pay for your uninspiring lunchtime sandwich. This provoked a whiplash inducing double take. I moved closer to the till to confirm my initial hunch. To my shock it was the automated voice of lunchtime doom, moonlighting by beckoning the followers of fashion to ‘till number 4’.

In my line of work we talk about the ‘Theatre of Retail’, this includes the level of detail required to ensure the physical retail experience is a memorable one. TopShop offers a great retail experience. They just need to remove the voice of the supermarket from their store. Why not use the voice of an employee? Wouldn’t it be nice to be served by the voice that came over the loudspeaker?

joes[a]fiend

FANCY DESIGNING THE COVER OF WALLPAPER* MAGAZINE?

2010-05-05T22:45:00.007+01:00

PUBLISHING - Wallpaper*, the home of wonky legged chairs and expensive 'lifestyle' items is inviting readers to design their very own cover for its August Handmade issue [on sale in July].

Budding designers can access the application at Wallpaper.com where they can create a cover. On the site you can select and manipulate images, graphics and patterns by James Joyce, Nigel Robinson, Anthony Burrill and Kam Tang.

Each reader’s cover will front their own copy of the Wallpaper* Handmade special issue.

Editor-in-chief Tony Chambers says, 'Wallpaper* readers are a very creative bunch and they are going to love this. After all, they’ll be joining the ranks of Philippe Starck, Zaha Hadid, Anish Kapoor and Karl Lagerfeld – all of whom are previous Wallpaper* cover artists.'

joes[a]fiend

30 YEARS OF ALLY CAPELLINO @ THE WAPPING PROJECT

2010-05-02T16:06:00.009+01:00

EXHIBITION - We finally got down to the Wapping Project to see the 30 Years Of Ally Capellino exhibition and were throughly impressed with the retrospective of British designers work. The exhibition runs until the 6th June, if you're in the area it's worth a look.

joes[a]fiend

Images via Akira Chatani

MANYSTUFF #1: ONE POSSIBLE CATALYST

2010-05-02T14:37:00.010+01:00

PUBLISHING - Graphic design blog Many Stuff have just unveiled their beautiful printed publication 'One Possible Catalyst'.

Many Stuff explain the publication as 'A graphic design publication with the objective to use the printed support, paper, to fix a laboratory of experiments and meditations released from formal and theoretical prejudices.'

joes[a]fiend

TUBE TRACKING: CHROMAROMA

2010-04-27T12:09:00.004+01:00

DIGITAL - Chromaroma is an online multiplayer game played out as you travel the city with your Oyster Card. By using Oyster data they are able to show you your Tube travel, and every journey means you amass points, taking a few steps further along the way to owning London.

Chromaroma is a type of location-based top-trumps. Where you collect places, identities, modes of transport and passengers as you travel around the city; discover and investigate mysteries attached to different locations and build alliances with fellow passengers that share your journeys. It's a game you can play on your own, or part of a team.

Location gaming is all the rage at the moment, Nike utilized payphones with their Nike Grid and Starbucks is using Four Square. It's going to be interesting to see how location gaming evolves..

joes[a]fiend

VIA Dave Haynes

UPDATED: NIKE MUSIC SHOE

2010-04-15T11:20:00.004+01:00

ADVERTISING - So after much digging we found out that the Nike Music Shoe video is by Wieden+Kennedy Tokyo Lab, the track is by Hifana.

I do like the disclaimer at the end of the video, "Shoes sold at retail will NOT make music when bent or twisted."

joes[a]fiend

SPOTTED [VOL. XIV]

2010-04-03T14:42:00.006+01:00

SPOTTED Whilst is Soho [London] taking a stroll I spotted this amazing Rapunzel like art installation in the Riflemaker Gallery.

joes[a]fiend

SONAR AUDIO/VISUAL

2010-03-28T23:23:00.005+01:00

AUDIO/VISUAL - This is a post that is hard to describe but incredibly easy to justify. Sonar, by Renaud Hallée, is an award winning short flash animation made up of nothing more than dots, dashes, bleeps and ripples – anything more and it would certainly be ruined. Think Pong meets 1960s sci-fi book covers.

We were impressed further to read that the animation is script free; made manually bleep by dot by bleep.

Disarmingly simple, Sonar is well worth the two and a half minutes of sanctuary from whatever you’re up to right now.

[J] ALLAN

UNPLUG: DISCONNECTED HOLIDAYS

2010-03-23T00:13:00.014Z

DIGITAL - 'DisconnectedHolidays.com is the sweetest escape from the everyday life cycle. It is a service that helps you to disconnect from the things that stress you. You can send your mobile phone, laptop or calendar away for a certain period of time. By doing so, you disconnect from the rest of the world and concentrate on yourself and your loved ones.'

For a while now, we have been talking about 'The Big Disconnect', we live in a world of omnipresent Internet and highly networked lives. With devices buzzing and screens blinking for our attention, where does it stop? Our hunch is that in 2012 we will see the first big digital switch off to coincide with the final broadcast of an analog television signal [in the UK].

Just a few weeks ago we blogged about the Web 2.0 Suicide Machine, we predict there will be a wave of new digital products to help you unplug and switch off. Perhaps our nAPP app wasn't such a bad idea...

joes[a]fiend

LEAVE YOUR SHOES AT THE DOOR

2010-03-11T23:44:00.004Z

INTERIORS - I love this concept by Dominic Wilcox, the aim of the project was for Dominic to make his living room more welcoming. To make it even better there is a patch of carpet where the door mat should be.

Not sure if I'll be doing this in my flat.

joes[a]fiend

CAN YOU RESIST WALKERS CRISPS?

2010-03-05T16:44:00.004Z

ADVERTISING - They don't make 'em like they used to. A little bit of inspiration for your weekend.

joes[a]fiend

A BLOGGER IN NEED, IS A BLOGGER INDEED

2010-03-05T10:22:00.006Z

TECHNOLOGY – I’ve had my digital umbilical cord ripped out, phoneless, app less and uncontactable. So we reached out to Nokia who kindly gave us the new Nokia X6 to test, which I’m in the process of doing now.

First impressions are good; the unboxing of the device was a great experience, so good in fact after it was all unboxed I put everything back in and did it all over again.

Recently, I wrote an article entitled ‘Music 3.0’, it looked at the current state of the music industry and the future of the industry. One of the things I touched upon was the Nokia Comes With Music service, which is a blessing for a music fan like myself. The only thing I would say, is I was overwhelmed by the choice, it would be awesome if Nokia developed a plug-in for iTunes and help me find new music from artists I like and are available from Nokia Comes With Music.

The biggest difference from going to an iPhone to an X6 would have to be the camera, after a while I found myself not even bothering taking pictures on the iPhone. The X6 has a 5 megapixel camera which is a joy to use. The only thing that is lacking is a New York Times app, I used to read the NYT on my iPhone on the way to work. If this was available in the Ovi Store [Nokia’s app store] it would be a very complete package.

More to come soon…

joes[a]fiend

IT'S NICE THAT: ISSUE 3

2010-03-04T10:25:00.010Z

PUBLISHING – The guys from It’s Nice That dropped us a line saying we could have a sneak peak at the forthcoming issue of the It’s Nice That publication. How could we say no? The spreads look fantastic and are a joes[a]fiend exclusive.

It’s Nice That Issue #3 has some big hitters in its beautifully designed pages who span the creative disciplines, included in the seven interviews are graphic design legend Milton Glaser, fashion designer Sir Paul Smith, furniture designer Tom Dixon, filmmaker Keith Schofield, illustrator Tom Gauld and artist Maisie Broadhead.

The team behind It’s Nice That have given free-rein to creatives to write about a subject that excites and interests them, with articles including Illustrator / designer Geoff McFetridge, writing about his frustrations with graphics in comparison to the written word.

If you want to get your hands on the publication do so NOW! All pre-orders received before midnight on March 31st will receive an exclusive, large-scale screen print from world-renowned illustrator Parra. The print is 980 x 550mm when unfolded and has been commissioned exclusively for everyone who orders the publication early. It is available nowhere else in the world.

www.itsnicethat.com/shop

joes[a]fiend

SOPHIE HULME A/W10

2010-03-02T22:42:00.006Z

FASHION - Sophie Hulme has lived up to her reputation of being a young British designer to watch. Each season her contemporary women's wear range gets better and better. Above are a few images taken at her A/W10 presentation.

joes[a]fiend

GIULIANO FUJIWARA

2010-02-28T23:31:00.005Z

FASHION - Giuliano Fujiwara A/W 2010 womenswear.

joes[a]fiend

ZONA TORTONA IS WELL ABOVE PAR

2010-02-27T15:32:00.005Z

DESIGN - Zona Tortona lives up to its reputation of being the cooler younger brother of the Salone Internazionale del Mobile with the help of the creative collective La Bolleur from Eindhoven. This year will see La Bolleur turning the design fair into a playground, well a Mini Golf Club. The golf course visually stunning, although the Club House may be a little too small for a drink.

The La Bolleur collective is made up ten of the bests creative minds to come out of Holland. Five years ago they decided to change the scene at La Bolleur - a former brothel in the city of Eindhoven. They literally transformed this inglorious lounge an made it their own by undertaking major creative projects which the city of Eindhoven never experienced before.

Check out the La Bolleur website - www.labolleur.com

joes[a]fiend

UTILITY STORE

2010-02-22T09:00:00.002Z

“Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful”

RETAIL - I stumbled upon this true retail gem whilst in the British seaside city of Brighton. The inspiration behind this retailer's concept is from the World War 2 directive that demanded goods were produced with a minimum of wastage, due to a shortage of raw materials. Utility only stocks products that embody this philosophy, in addition they must be functional and hard-wearing.

Now, more than ever this attitude towards products should/will be appealing to the average consumer. When we stopped by Utility we loved the space and products. The store stocks household goods that are made by small, family-run businesses.

In addition to the products curated by the Utility team they have also created their own range of tea towels, aprons and mugs, which are an aesthetic delight. The guys behind the store describe themselves as 'self confessed font freaks' and we like that a lot!

joes[a]fiend

Details:
Address: 28a North Road, Brighton, BN1 1YB
Tel: +44 [0]1273 626 222
Open hours: Monday to Saturday 10-6 and Sunday 12-5
Website: http://utilitygreatbritain.co.uk
Email: info@utilitygreatbritain.co.uk

TYPE HAS NEVER BEEN SO SEXY

2010-02-21T16:56:00.004Z

ADVERTISING - Campaign for Durex by Andrej Krahne.

joes[a]fiend

SPOTTED [VOL. XIII]

2010-02-20T21:19:00.011Z

SPOTTED - We've all been in that awkward situation: when you're on the tube and you see what you think could be a pregnant woman... then you begin to doubt yourself. You start thinking is she really pregnant? If she isn't pregnant and I offer her my seat will her fist be speeding towards my nose? If I don't offer my seat and she is pregnant, am I a truly vile person with an express ticket to hell?

Let's be honest, these aren't the thoughts anyone wants running through their head in the morning, sat on a sardine tin like tube.

When I was on the tube today I spotted a woman wearing the 'Baby On Board!' badge. For a guy (or girl) that isn't a selfish twat and is more than happy to give up his/her seat on the tube, this badge could help a lot.

If you have a 'bun in the oven' you can get the badge for free by contacting Transport For London [babyonboard@tube.tfl.gov.uk / 0845 330 9880]. If you know someone who is expecting, let them know!

joes[a]fiend

LACK OF HEALTH CARE VS TERRORISM

2010-02-19T11:57:00.006Z

GRAPHIC DESIGN - According to Harvard Medical School, 45,000 Americans die a year due to lack of Universal Healthcare. That's 58 times the number of people who die yearly due to terrorism, at least according to the US Department of State [although we're not entirely sure what they class as 'terrorism'].

In this poster there are a total of 59 skulls to represent the 1:58 death ratio. The poster was designed by UK based Schuhle-Lewis.

joes[a]fiend

NAPP APP

2010-02-18T00:30:00.015Z

DIGITAL - This year has got off to a hectic start. I've been researching in 3 continents, 10 cities and amassed a huge carbon footprint. The fatigue is catching up with me and I find myself needing some down time.

I started thinking about how my iPhone hasn't stopped buzzing/bleeping and I would love an app that would shut down all the features of the device until I had fully recuperated. No more phone calls, FourSquare, Facebook, email, SMS/MMS, twitter accounts, New York Times, mp3 and what ever else is on the four pages of apps on my device. Please excuse my super crass mock-up.

Then I realised that my app wouldn't be appearing in any TV adverts, or be the most popular download in the app store. The clever guys at Apple had beaten me to it, it's called the 'off switch'. So time to use it and get some sleep!

joes[a]fiend

CHEEKY MARKETING

2010-02-14T14:33:00.007Z

MARKETING - American Apparel advertising and communications, as we all know, tend to be a little revealing to say the least. The brand's latest campaign sees them seeking out the best bum in the world to 'front' a new campaign. As they put it:

"We're looking for a brand new bum (the best in the world!) to be the new "face" for our always expanding intimates and briefs lines. The winners will be flown to LA, photographed and featured online. Send in a close-up photo of your backside wearing American Apparel panties, bodysuits or briefs for consideration and vote for your personal favorites."

Fear not guys, they're not only looking for female rears, so get on your 'tidy whities' and clench. When team joes[a]fiend have submitted our pics we'll be sure to let you all know.

Click here to see the site or don't, and turn the other cheek.

joes[a]fiend

PS.
We blurred out the image as we know a fair few of our readers access the blog from work. We wouldn't want to anger the 'IT guy'.

AESTHETIC [VOL. XX]

2010-02-09T21:19:00.007Z

'save me'

ILLUSTRATION - This illustration is by Kee, a recent graduate from the London College of Communication. Check out more of Kee's work by clicking here.

COMMUNICATE CLEARLY

2010-02-08T11:31:00.003Z

ADVERTISING - We love this 'double take' advertising campaign by Scholz & Friends NRW for Vodafone Germany which makes use of the NATO phonetic alphabet.

joes[a]fiend

SPOTTED [VOL. XII]

2010-02-06T12:42:00.006Z

TECHNOLOGY - We have been talking about QR codes for over two years, in that time we have seen them become ubiquitous. This advert was spotted on Broadway Market, London.

joes[a]fiend

MY CITY VS YOUR CITY

2010-02-04T07:13:00.006Z

MUSIC - At joes[a]fiend we throughly believe that data is beautiful, we hate spreadsheets but love the creative complexity of data visualisations from the likes of Aaron Koblin.

My City Vs Your City utilises user data from Last.Fm, the hack allows you to compare the music being listened to around the world. My City Vs Your City was created at Music Hack Day in Stockholm by Michael Schieben.

Go and have a play... http://www.rockitbaby.de/projects/mycityvsyourcity/

joes[a]fiend

SOCIAL SUICIDE 2.0

2010-02-04T06:46:00.004Z

SOCIAL MEDIA - Are you feeling Facebook fatigue? Is twitter tedious? If you're feeling it's time to cut the digital umbilical cord Web 2.0 Suicide Machine is here to help you with your assisted social media suicide.

"Liberate your newbie friends with a Web2.0 suicide! This machine lets you delete all your energy sucking social-networking profiles, kill your fake virtual friends, and completely do away with your Web2.0 alterego. The machine is just a metaphor for the website which moddr_ is hosting; the belly of the beast where the web2.0 suicide scripts are maintained. Our service currently runs with Facebook, Myspace, Twitter and LinkedIn! Commit NOW"

Are you ready for the long sleep?

joes[a]fiend

THE ONLINE BASKET IS FULLEST IN THE UK

2010-02-03T18:41:00.004Z

RETAIL - UK shoppers spent more online than anywhere else in Europe last year, accounting for almost a third of all European sales, research suggests. UK consumers spent £38bn online in 2009, or an average of £1,102 per shopper, according to the Centre for Retail Research (CRR).

Online sales now account for almost 10% of total retail sales in the UK, the centre calculates. It added that internet shopping would continue to grow sharply this year. The centre foresees total online sales hitting £42.7bn in 2010.

Via the BBC

joes[a]fiend

LET IT SNOW, LET IT SNOW

2009-12-07T17:04:00.007Z

ADVERTISING - At joes[a]fiend we always look forward to the Christmas period, mulled wine is great, secret santa and office parties are even better. The thing that really gets us going is advertising agencies unleashing their creativity, not to mention the one-upmanship that comes with Advertising Agency Christmas cards, or websites and now apps.

Last year was a good, we loved the AKQA microwave song. However, this year our favourite so far has to be the Ogilvy 'White Xmas' app. It's a simple iPhone camera app that adds snow fall when you take a picture within the app.

Click here to download the app [iTune link].

joes[a]fiend

MINCE PIES & VERSACE TIES

2009-12-07T14:23:00.003Z

FASHION - Zone7Style will be showcasing ‘the hottest forgotten brands’ in their Pop Up Shop in Kingly Court, London. We’re looking for the selection of Pendleton, Christian Dior, Persol and Valentino. Not to mention the Nike deadstock, which seems to be our Achilles heal.

The Shop will be open from Friday 11^th December, just in time for your Christmas shopping needs. Click here to find more info about the brands on offer at the store.

joes[a]fiend

CHOCOLATE-WALL

2009-12-04T12:33:00.007Z

INTERIOR DESIGN - The Japanese interior design firm Wonderwall, renowned for their work with streetwear label A Bathing Ape have worked their magic on a new store for Godiva located in Harajuku.

As Wonderwall put it themselves:

"This is Godiva’s new concept flagship store. Godiva’s idea was “treat thyself”. Wonderwall’s intention was to add a breath of fresh air to the more traditional image Godiva instill. The shop features humorous design details such as “melting chocolate” ceiling combined with the primarily classsical interior design. The boutique’s popular and fashionable location of Harajuku has also been considered in the overall design. Passers-by can view both its entrance as well as the costumers enjoying their time with chocolate on the second floor cafe."

joes[a]fiend

THE INTERNATIONAL YEAR OF ASTRONOMY 2009

2009-12-03T16:57:00.004Z

GRAPHIC DESIGN - Simon Page is a self-taught graphic designer from the UK. He's really good and we like him a lot.

He's so good, in fact, that these posters were originally made up for purely self-promotional purposes that is was until the IYA themselves got in touch asking if they could use the series for their promotional work.

A limited print run are available through Simons website.

[J] ALLAN of Losing Face

HENDRICK'S ETIQUETTE FOR GENTLEMEN BY HERE DESIGN

2009-11-30T00:33:00.012Z

GRAPHIC DESIGN - Here design are without a shadow of a doubt one of the best, if not the best graphic design studio in London. Their work spans all industry sectors, yet retains a sense of integrity few studios can maintain when undertaking such a broad range of work.

Here designed The Hendrick's book of manners, which is a facsimile of the original published around 1900 and is no larger than a credit card.

joes[a]fiend

FIRE & KNIVES

2009-11-28T10:19:00.005Z

PUBLISHING - This new food mag, edited by The Guardian's Tim Hayward and designed by Supermundane looks good enough to eat...

Bill Freeman

HOW ARE YOU GOING TO GET THAT ALL BACK IN?

2009-11-24T01:52:00.003Z

A proper plumber never brings more than he needs.

ADVERTISING - Print campaign by Bates United, Oslo.

joes[a]fiend

SIGHT UNSEEN

2009-11-15T10:40:00.004Z

Sight Unseen 'takes readers inside the worlds of design, art, fashion, food, photography, and other creative disciplines. Through revealing interviews, first-person accounts, and behind-the-scenes documentation of process, Sight Unseen uncovers the stories, inspirations, and obsessions of people who love to make things'.

The photography on the site is just as pleasing as the editorial content - www.sightunseen.com

joes[a]fiend

FOR ALL YOUR HEAVYWEIGHT SHIPMENTS

2009-11-15T02:10:00.004Z

ADVERTISING - DHL billboard by Ogilvy & Mather, Makati City, Philippines.

joes[a]fiend

THE FIVE DOLLAR COMPARISON

2009-11-14T22:58:00.012Z

FINANCE - The Nokia design team poses the interesting question, 'What can you buy for $5?' The project aims to "explore the relative value of five dollars we are collecting examples from around the world by asking people to submit photos of objects or services that cost the equivalent of $5".

There are some really interesting examples of what $5 can get you. Above, a two colour screen by entitled 'Free' by Mike Perry. Below, Strawberries going cheap in a grocery store in Japan as they're too ripe to keep any longer.

Click here to go to The Five Dollar Comparison site.

joes[a]fiend

MINI ME - DOVER STREET MARKET GOES POCKET SIZED

2009-11-06T15:17:00.008Z

RETAIL - Our favourite retail space Dover Street Market (DSM) has teamed up with the Reload space within the St. Martins Lane hotel. The space has been dubbed Dover Street Market Xtra Small. What we like most about the space is how they have used photographs of the full size DSM to decorate the space and recreated to feel of the full size DSM.

Products that will be stocked in the space are Comme des Garçons Shirt, Dover Street Market label, Comme des Garçons’ perfume, Wallet and PLAY collections and other little goodies. The space will be open from 12.00 to 22.00 until 7th January 2010.

joes[a]fiend

THE FIELD HOUSE

2009-11-02T00:32:00.016Z

RETAIL - One of our favourite retailers has extended their network of retail spaces. Blackbird has recently opened The Field House, located in Seattle. The store will be stocking the likes of Pendleton, Woolrich Woolen Mills, April 77, Filson, Bee Raw Honey and Cire Trudon.

The story behind the space is:

"the field house is reminiscent of general stores that were once at the heart of rural towns across America. Its shelves are stocked with a wide variety of merchandise, including classic work wear, vintage goods, basic groceries and candies, flowers, and perfumes and candles. It captures the history, geography, and folklore of times past, when goods were less disposable and had more meaning, a time when people canned their own food and took a moment to converse with strangers."

joes[a]fiend

WHERE DID GOOGLE COME FROM?

2009-11-02T00:25:00.004Z

TECHNOLOGY - This 2minute 13 second video takes you on a whistle stop tour of the history of the little known company called Google. If you watch the video you can find out what Google was first called... I have no doubt that it will be a question in a pub quiz, if it isn't already.

joes[a]fiend

FAO SCHWARZ

2009-11-01T23:29:00.007Z

Better rewards, better kid.

ADVERTISING - New York based advertising agency Gang Of One created these fantastic print campaigns for FAO Schwarz the American toy retailer.

joes[a]fiend

HAPPY BIRTHDAY LOUNGE BOHEMIA

2009-10-25T17:13:00.013Z

GRAPHIC DESIGN - When the owner of my favourite bar in London, Lounge Bohemia, called to let me know about their second birthday party, I couldn't wait for the invite to follow.

Without doubt, Lounge Bohemia serves the best cocktails in London; they vary from the best Old Fashioned you could ever imagine passing your lips to molecular concoctions.

The invite arrived, delivered by hand, which was a great touch. Given the postal strikes most invites that we have been sent are arriving about two weeks late. It came in a Czechoslovakian urine sample tube. I'm not sure how this relates to the party... maybe I don't want to know.

joes[a]fiend

THE WEAK SHOP

2009-10-21T00:26:00.021+01:00

ADVERTISING - There's nothing we like more than an advertising campaign created around a funny little product. So when we saw this effort by DDB, Canada for the BC Dairy Foundation we were in awe.

The Weak Shop sells products aimed at people who don't have the energy to go about their daily lives and need a little help. Our favorite product is towel clothing; it's something that would certainly benefit some of our contributors. Also, if you think you can do better you can submit your own ideas for a product to The Weak Shop here, the competition closes on February 1, 2010.

This campaign certainly contains all five key elements needed for success:

1. Simplicity
2. Reflective of the values of the brand and/or product
3. Memorable
4. Playful
5. Collaboration

If you buy anything from The Weak Shop, they will throw in two pints of milk [in bottles, we hope].

I wonder what my first purchase will be... That's if I have the strength to complete the purchase.

joes[a]fiend

THE FUTURE

2009-10-19T00:11:00.005+01:00

PHOTOGRAPHY - Styling by Webster + Stokes photography by David Sykes.

joes[a]fiend

UNIVERSAL ADAPTOR

2009-10-18T20:51:00.005+01:00

Get a world view. Read The Economist.

ADVERTISING - This billboard for The Economist by BBDO, New York, no doubt resonates with the readership and reflects the global nature of magazine's editorial content.

Thumbs up from us.

joes[a]fiend

I THINK YOU'RE WONDERFUL

2009-10-18T20:07:00.007+01:00

GRAPHIC DESIGN - The good things in life are not free, they actually cost £1 and are designed by Supermundane and if the postmen decide to do some work one might well drop through your letterbox (provided you are wonderful, obviously.)

The postcards are available at Present Joys - if you email them the details of your suitably fantastic recipient and the message you wish to communicate with them, they'll send the little beauty for you. Perfect for all those lazy buggers out there.

We wont take credit for finding this gem, Fever Zine gave us the heads up.

joes[a]fiend

BOUNCE TO POGO

2009-10-04T23:23:00.014+01:00

MUSIC - The first time we heard Pogo's mesmerizing beats we were in awe. Pogo makes his beats by 'recording small sounds from a single film or scene and sequencing them to form a new piece of music.' In essence a simple idea, but the execution is anything but. The tracks are emotionally filled masterpieces with hooks, melodies and riffs that get your head nodding.

If you want to give it a go the equipment Pogo uses is 'Adobe Audition for sampling, FLStudio for sequencing and Sony Vegas for video editing.'

It's no surprise that the film and music industries have taken offence to the inspiring aural and visual creativity of Pogo. Sony Pictures Entertainment contacted the artist claiming that 'Bangarang', a rework of the Steven Spielberg film 'Hook' with some added bass and cymbals, was an infringement of their copyright.

You should check out his YouTube channel - www.youtube.com/user/Fagottron. Our personal favourites are Alice [featured above], Expialidocious and Bangarang.

ENJOY

joes[a]fiend

IT'S NICE THAT ISSUE 2

2009-10-02T08:50:00.007+01:00

PUBLISHING - Despite all the problems with the Royal Mail at present they delivered the new issue of It's Nice That's bi-annual on time yesterday. Perhaps they realised the brilliance that was enclosed in the thoughtfully stamped brown box?

A real treat for illustration fans with not only a beautiful Rob Ryan print slipped inside the front cover but also a cracking Tom Gauld postcard, complete with hand written thanks from the It's Nice That gents themselves.

The issue acts as a great reminder of the service that It's Nice That provides - similar to the Now That's What I Call Music albums during the early nineties - but all killer [design] without the filler.
Bill Freeman

PIZZA HUT HATE LATE!

2009-09-25T00:46:00.013+01:00

ADVERTISING - When a brand makes a promise, it's nice to see them show that are trying to stick to it.

Pizza Hut in the Philippines, with the help of advertising agency BBDO, placed large LED timers on selected delivery bikes to draw attention to their 'on-time delivery promise'.

Going back to our 4 key traits of a successful advertising campaign; this one ticks all the boxes. In case you've forgotten them they are as follows:

1. Simplicity
2. Reflective of the vales of the brand and/or product
3. Memorable
4. Fun

We'd love to know what happens if the pizza doesn't arrive on time? Does the bike explode?

joes[a]fiend

KITSUNÉ POPS INTO TOWN

2009-09-21T16:31:00.011+01:00

FASHION – If there were any brand I could take out on a date, it would be the Parisian beauty Kitsuné. After numerous outfit changes I would still feel inadequate. When I finally managed to put something together and catch the tube to a suitably hip location I would be drenched in sweat.

The point I’m trying to make is that Kitsuné has got it all, with a minimal cherry on top. If they aren’t busy releasing their Kitsuné Maison compilations they’re creating a stellar clothing range and collaborating with the best designers in town.

Tonight sees the launch of their ‘Boutique Kitsuné Maison’. The Shop at Bluebird will host the French foxes from the 21st September to 12th October 2009, make sure you check it out. If you can’t make it to the London location the store will be heading to various cities worldwide soon enough.

joes[a]fiend

A MIGHTY MIGHTY GOOD MAN

2009-09-21T14:11:00.009+01:00

PUBLISHING - We were delighted to see the A/W09 issue of Fantastic Man hit the shelves this weekend. It doesn't disappoint with the usual blend of handsome layouts, intelligent colour palettes and witty writing.

Of particular note was the extensive preview [or 'issue zero'] of Fantastic Man's much anticipated sister/girlfriend mag, The Gentlewoman - no doubt this will be a hit when it launches officially next spring, bringing some much needed quality to the women's market.

Also of enjoyment was the seasonal crossword, 'Utterly Unrecommended' [a scathing review of a cafe in Russell Square by James Anderson] and musings on how we will live in 2019 by Gilbert & George.

Bill Freeman

WE LOVE A GOOD CENTRE FOLD

2009-09-20T23:23:00.005+01:00

ADVERTISING - We love a good bit of creativity in print; this campaign by the Grey Group, Hochiminh City, Vietnam for Nha Xinh is one of the best we've seen recently. Like any good campaign, it should be [in our opinion]:

1. Simple
2. Reflective of the vales of the brand and/or product
3. Memorable
4. Fun

Four out of four for this one.

joes[a]fiend

THEY DON'T MAKE THEM LIKE THEY USED TO...

2009-09-18T00:49:00.005+01:00

NOSTALGIA - 'This poster was produced in 1943 to promote the Airgraph service. It shows how 10 times the amount of mail could be sent using the service, resulting in significant savings for the Post Office.'

Whilst browsing Flickr we stumbled upon the British Postal Museum & Archive's photostream. It has some real gems, one of our favorite sets is the Museum Collection Guide.

We wont give it all away, you have to take a look for yourself!

joes[a]fiend

G MARKS THE SPOT

2009-09-18T00:40:00.001+01:00

ADVERTISING - There is nothing that needs to be said about this campaign, it was amazing and still looks fresh, six years on. Although the plug socket should have been dealt with... and that jacket is suspect.

joes[a]fiend

WIRED FOR A TREAT

2009-09-15T17:30:00.014+01:00

PUBLISHING - It's an interesting time for the publishing world, only the best magazines will survive the cull we have seen recently. This is driving some creative developments within the industry. This newsstand differentiation is one of our favorites of recent time. The brief was to create a graphic device that would help Wired stand out from other tech magazines on the newsstand.

The execution by David Styler of Art Center College of Design aims to 'reinforce the brand's connection with technology, making consumers aware that it is more intellectual as opposed to other techie magazines which are mostly just informational'.

Does it do this? We think it does, and does it well. Thumbs up from us.

joes[a]fiend

LIFE IS JUST ACE

2009-09-11T17:50:00.013+01:00

GRAPHIC DESIGN - During a recent clear-out at work I found this little gem in a box destined for the recycling bin. This beautiful piece of graphic design is a press release we received for the Ace Hotel in Portland, Oregon. I'm sure you'd all agree this is beautiful.

Those of you who work in PR and read this blog, take note! This is the level of detail that you should be putting into every press release you send out.

joes[a]fiend

ELLE CELEBRATES 25 YEARS OF LONDON FASHION WEEK

2009-09-08T23:23:00.009+01:00

FASHION - It's not often we pay ELLE much attention, yes we know how that sounds. However, when we stumbled across their project to celebrate 25 years of London Fashion Week we were really impressed. The fashion publication has commissioned 25 pieces of artwork to be displayed across the London Underground network.

Our personal favourite is by the Glaswegian artist David Shrigley for Pringle of Scotland [above]. Click here to see all 25 posters, where you can download all of the posters in high resolution.

Let us know which is your favourite and we'll tell why you should have picked the David Shrigley effort.

joes[a]fiend

WHAT IF? WHY NOT? HOW COME?

2009-09-08T22:00:00.001+01:00

This part of the blog will be a collection of thoughts, free to be stolen/re-appropriated or called your own. It's all about product ideas that aren't in existence that we think should be.

FASHION - If open source and collaborative culture is the future of the creative industries why is the fashion industry lagging behind? Shouldn't fashion be leading the way? People may argue that fashion is about a singular vision of a creative person. For one moment lets forget this assumption. Lets imagine the creativity of a group of people could surpass the talents of one fashion designer.

Imagine if Comme des Garçons added another brand to their range, I understand that currently Comme des Garçons encompasses 14 brands which includes the newly launched Dover Street Market clothing range. This range however would not be controlled by Rei Kawakubo or Junya Watanabe but the members of a Comme des Garçons network of interested and interesting people. The members of this community could submit designs, vote on the best designs then release a range based on crowd sourced garment designs. This model could allow total freedom from what a clothing brand 'should' produce. One collection could be solely t-shirts then, the following collection could be a wider collection of garments.

To me this idea feels inline with the Comme des Garçons brand ethos and would offer something new and exciting to the industry.

It's worth bearing in mind, that with community/crowd sourced projects the make or break is the 'quality' of the community. If no one updated their Facebook profile it would be a dull place to be with no one worth stalking.

Here's a few interesting examples of crowd sourced in action:

Threadless.com - Similar to the idea outlined but deals solely with graphic tees
Quirky.Com - Social Product Development

I know people reading will be thinking, but what about Threadless! It's a step in the right direction, but they are prints on t-shirts. I want to see more than that from a creative community. The community could be a close community where only people who are invited are allowed to join, much like Luxury Society, the private networking site for luxury professionals.

We hope you enjoyed the first of these little rants. If you have an idea you want share, pop us an email. If it's good enough we'll put it up. Let the debate begin...

joes[a]fiend

GET YOUR [BLUE]TITS OUT FOR THE LADS

2009-09-07T10:20:00.009+01:00

PUBLISHING - We are delighted to hear that Manzine have released their second issue. The first was a hotchpotch of diy store reviews, bicycle geekery and psychogeographic porn. We hope for more of the same. Magculture have posted a few pics and until we get our mitts on a copy we shall say no more.
Update to follow...

Bill Freeman

SING WHEN YOU'RE WHALING

2009-09-02T11:10:00.007+01:00

Twickenham band Noah and the Whale have released their second album. Encompassing a traditional 11 track CD and a [not so traditional] 50 minute feature film; we cannot wait to get our hands on a copy. By the looks of the trailer the film will be worth the price alone. If only more bands made such an effort.

Bill Freeman

UNITED COLOURS OF BENETON

2009-08-30T22:42:00.005+01:00

ADVERTISING - This image first captured the public's imagination in 1996 when the fashion brand Benetton unveiled it as a way to commemorate World Anti-Racism Day.

It just goes to show that a great idea never dates...

joes[a]fiend

ADI DASSLER IS A REAL DIAMOND

2009-08-27T22:21:00.007+01:00

SNEAKERS - This year marks the 60th birthday of the Adidas brand founded by Adi Dassler who is the younger brother of Rudolf Dassler, known for founding Puma.

We've managed to get our grubby hands on a really fine selection of Adidas imagery ranging from iconic vintage kicks to some of the very first print advertising campaigns the brand ever created. Head over to our Flickr page to check them out or just click here.

joes[a]fiend

VOTE FRED OR ELSE!

2009-08-25T22:27:00.007+01:00

Photograph of Fred by Dan Wilto n

FASHION - So lets no bother beating round the bush. We all know Fred Butler runs one of the best blogs on the interweb. If you're into fashion, arts, culture and general rainbow coloured fun Fred Butler Style is essential reading.

Fred's blog has been shortlisted for the Dazed Raw Blog Award, so show her some love and click here to vote Fred.

VOTE FRED you know you want to...

joes[a]fiend

PS

Sorry for the lack of blogging we've been real busy. No more excuses though, we're back!

ABSOLUT ANTHEM

2009-08-09T13:57:00.005+01:00

ADVERTISING - "A group of artists comes together in locations around the world to create art pieces that spell out the philosophy of Absolut Vodka. See something different in an ABSOLUT WORLD"

A great one minute video that really embodies the philosophy of the Absolut brand. If you visit the Absolut Facebook profile you can see how they made each section of the advert, which we highly recommend. It's interesting to hear the director, Rupert Sanders talk about his vision for each section.

Nice work Absolut.

joes[a]fiend

AIR TALK

2009-08-06T15:00:00.000+01:00

SNEAKERS - The Nike Air Max 1 [originally released in 1987] is an amazing shoe, yeah it's not our personal favourite, but there's no denying the impact it's had on youth culture, sneaker design and the wallets of teenagers parent's. Whilst talking to a good friend of ours from Nike, he went into the history of the shoe and the origins of the visible 'air bubble'. We thought it was interesting and worth sharing. If you know where the inspiration came from... sorry.

The inspiration to make the air bubble visible came from The Pompidou gallery in Paris [above] designed by Italian starchitect Renzo Piano. The building is famous for the exposed internal piping. All of the functional structural elements of the building are colour-coded: green pipes are plumbing, blue ducts are for climate control, electrical wires are encased in yellow, and circulation elements and devices for safety [e.g., fire extinguishers] are red.

When the idea was proposed to Nike, the designer was almost fired for such a ludicrous piece of sneaker design. Well, lucky for Nike they came to their senses and allowed a great bit of architecture into their running shoes. Lets face it, we all like to see the innards of the things we own. Whether it's taking things apart when they work perfectly well or being fascinated by the crap your Dyson picks up.

joes[a]fiend

MORE THAN JUST A BAND

2009-07-30T18:13:00.004+01:00

Just A Band - Usinibore

MUSIC - Just A Band is a Kenyan band destined for global stardom. Their music is a mix of house, funk, and disco with a hint of electro. The band is made up of Bill "Blinky" Sellanga, Dan Muli and Jim Chuchu.

We could write about how amazing these guys are, but well there’s no need. Watch the video get ‘jiggy’ and enjoy this absolute banger on a Friday.

Check out their YouTube channel for all of their videos - www.youtube.com/justabandwidth

joes[a]fiend

IAM1 LOOK BOOK

2009-07-29T00:09:00.012+01:00

SNEAKERS - We do tend to get a little over excited when a courier arrives at the studio bearing a package. Even more so when you know you haven't bought anything recently and they're not returning your broken iPhone.

The package in question was the beautifully produced IAM1 look book [limited to a production run of 100]. The look book contains stills from the IAM1 videos and profiles of the IAM1 artists including INSA. Taking a look through the book only reinforced how much we love the tilt-shift technique which is used in the stop-motion videos for the IAM1 campaign. The image above has been created using the techhnique, making the Pompidou Centre look like a model.

We took some pictures of our favourite spreads, they're on our Flickr page, click here to take a peek.

joes[a]fiend

REAL MEN DO REAL WORK

2009-07-22T18:27:00.008+01:00

CULTURE - In an age where most people sit in front of a glowing screen pressing buttons on a keyboard, its easy to forget there are real men out there doing real work. Two of our good friends journalist Mark Smith and photographer Robin Mellor [of the 'TIS BUTS blog] got themselves down to Billingsgate's fish market and interviewed and photographed the 'real men' of the market.

Mark asked the questions and Robin took the pictures. Head over to the Guardian site to listen and watch the 'Getting up at 2am is hard on marriages - a lot of the guys haven't made it' visual and audio article. Our favourite quote from the piece was "I must admit now and then it doesn't hurt to have a Burger King".

joes[a]fiend

THE IAM1 JOURNEY [EXCLUSIVE]

2009-07-19T11:02:00.009+01:00

SNEAKERS - Last Thursday we paid a visit to 1948 [Nike's concept store in East London] for the launch of the IAM1 range along with an exhibition of Insa's newest work in the gallery space.

Protein® one of London's hottest creative agencies has produced this outstanding video for the launch. We were told at the event that the video is a series of stills edited together. What we like best about the video is the feeling that London is a model village patrolled by a series of worker ants. Goldielocks adds a dirty spin to with video with her accompanying track.

joes[a]fiend

PS
Make sure you check out Protein®'s website. It's a neat site that uses vivid colour beautifully and in a controlled manor - www.protein.co.uk

HAPPY LOVERS TOWN

2009-07-19T01:48:00.002+01:00

"a typographical game where the typography becomes illustration and imprisons letters between faces, tears, eyes and false third dimensions… the letters becomes hostage of this new world. the phrase enclosed between these lines is resumption in fact from a Woody Allen film where same it explains that in case of war could have only made the hostage…"

ILLUSTRATION - Artwork by Jonathan Calugi a.k.a. Happy Lovers Town. Click on the image to see it full screen and to really appreciate the work

joes[a]fiend

POST NO BILLS

2009-07-13T00:51:00.011+01:00

'Bill Posters Prosecuted' Signs are uglier than the actual bill posters they are there to stop. So the we are encouraging everyone to change that by making these notices beautiful. Bill Posters Project

ADVERTISING - The government in Australia have recently passed a bill to rid the urban landscape of 'undue visual pollution' or bill posters as your average Joe would call them. By passing this bill the government have added to the 'visual pollution' with their own 'Post No Bills' posters pasted over other peoples/brands posters.

So Happy Soldiers [no suprise in the fact they are an ad agency] has come to the rescue of the people of Australia and their afflicted retinas. The agency has produced a set of aesthetically pleasing versions of the traditional 'Bill Posters Prosecuted' posters. To restore the aesthetic balance back to where it should be.

You can download hi-res artwork from the Bill Posters Project Blog itself.

joes[a]fiend

LOOP THE LOOP

2009-07-06T23:25:00.005+01:00

PUBLISHING - Whilst browsing the local bookshop at lunch joes[a]fiend came across the new Faber/Domino Records publication, Loops. The predominance of purple was a little much for such an early hour so instead of buying the paper version we made a few notes and went to the website instead. It appears that the design of the magazine works better online – the site is nice and clean with some great typography [courtesy of Wallzo]. However, much to our dismay you can only read mere snippets of most of the pieces in the magazine online [bar a piece by the young author Richard Milward] so it looks like we will have to part with our money after all.

Ps. According to the opening page there is a selection of Domino tracks to download for free if you type in the following code when prompted: DT4G7KHT. We couldn’t find it though so if any of you do please let us know!

Bill Freeman

LONG LIVE MOTOR CITY

2009-06-29T23:51:00.008+01:00

AUTOMOTIVE - Whilst in New York I had the pleasure of traveling upstate to check out the annual Rhinebeck Car Show. The cars were an amazing sight to be seen, they were weird, wacky and wonderful. It was a peek into real American culture, that I had never had the privilege to see before. Detroit really knew how to make a car and the American people still know to pimp them.

You have to check out the Flickr page which has all the images [click here].

joes[a]fiend

EXPENSES EXHAUSTION

2009-06-29T16:00:00.006+01:00

PUBLISHING - Anyone else now utterly devoid of care for the ‘expenses scandal’ still being discussed by the media may delight in the witty cover of the latest issue of Private Eye [Issue 1239, 26th June 2009). The printed version allows some of the original masthead to show through the masking. joes[a]fiend wonders whether this removal of identity is something of a first for the world of [relatively commercial] magazines?

Also worth checking out is the magnificent ar chive of covers from the previous 1238 issues.

Bill Freeman

UNFINISHED BUSINESS

2009-06-23T11:01:00.007+01:00

ADVERTISING - Regular readers of joes[a]fiend will know that we're big fans of interesting advertising. Especially campaigns that play with the size and dimensions of billboards.

This campaign for Lowe's the American home improvement store is a particular favourite of ours at the moment [created by BBDO New York].

joes[a]fiend