St. Vitus Cathedral- Prague

St. Vitus Cathedral in Prague is a Roman Catholic Cathedral. This Cathedral is the most beautiful Gothic cathedrals that i have visited. The Gothic architecture is the most important and biggest in the country. The detail of the carvings are stunning and one aspect of my visit which was mind-blowing for me was the stained glass windows. The rose window, as shown above shows the scenes from the biblical story of creation. And when the sun light shines through the window the stained glass reflections in the cathedral are breath taking, the cathedral becomes its own art piece to admire,  words can not explain how stunning it is. 

The inspirational thing about this cathedral is the harmony you feel when you are inside, its peaceful and is a pleasure to be in. Definitely worth a visit when you can, this is truly memorable and is an experience you will not forget in a hurry. 

The Jolly Postman

These books written by Janet and Allan Ahlberg are books that i used to read when i was younger, they were my favorite books ever and they still are, even they are meant for younger children. What inspired me most about them was the interactivity of the book. On every page there is something different for you to do and find, each page is full of another surprise. This book is magical and shows a high level of imagination and creativity. The illustrations are also a joy to look at too.

Selfridges- Own brand products

While i researched for a previous project brief for pork pies, i came across this clever packaging for Selfridges. What is so eye-catching and clever about this packaging is that the words are so strong that there is no need for imagery, which a lot of products on this line normally would have. However, through great use of layout, colour and typography these products communicate to the consumer clearly about what the product is and also through using such simple, clean design this packaging portrays itself as rather smart, elegant and unique amongst other similar products. 

OSO Food Wrap advertisement

I really like this clever campaign for OSO Food Wrap. Its got a really lighthearted and fun feel to it and you grow to love the cute characters in each image. With the copy saying " Dont expect your food to look after itself", the imagery works perfect in expressing that message. However what is great about it, is that the product has transformed from a usual boring form of food packaging into a fun, joyful and more desirable product.

This Ad is excellent as it can continue with this concept as there are many other options for this design to go, and many other options for these Food characters to harm themselves accidently.

Hooked-anti smoking Ads

This "Hooked" anti smoking ads campaign is a really effective campaign which really leaves you thinking about it after viewing it. It really does shock you when you look at it, it is somewhat disturbing, but it does make you stop and think about the message of the campaign. 

The posters read " The average smoker needs over five thousand cigarettes a year. Get unhooked". I personally think the imagery works great with the copy and really makes you think twice about smoking.

This Ad did spark nearly 800 complaints about the imagery as it deeply offended a lot of people but surely this is exactly what the campaign was meant to do, it was meant to shock people.

The way that it sparked controversy makes the campaign more appealing to me.

Knitted Icons:25 celebrity Doll Patterns

I found this book and it made me smile when i saw what it was and the idea behind it. This book by Carol Meldrum is a book full of patterns for creating dolls of the worlds personalities such as Madonna, Marilyn Munroe, Elvis Presley, Gandhi, Queen Elizabeth, King kong.....and many more. 

Inside the book is a photographed image of the doll in colour and a short biography of the world known icon.

Even though this book isnt quite for me, as for one i am pretty bad at knitting, and i dont really want a knitted toy replica of a world known celebrity, however this book is fun to look through and is interesting in terms of how to transform some wool into a world wide known celebrity. 

Cabot Circus- Bristol

Bristol is the 8th largest city in the UK, however the shopping facilities was ranked as 23rd in the country. So there was need for change and Cabot Circus was going to be the answer.

The new Cabot Circus shopping centre in Bristol is one of the closest shopping centers for me to visit now. It has only just opened on Thursday 25th September.

I think the new building is highly impressive in terms of architecture, and it definitely will transform Bristol. Cabot Circus has been uniquely designed and is rather striking in terms of looks. A main aspect of design which is rather impressive is the new elegant glass-shell-shaped roof, which to me looks like a net from the inside. This clever design creates a light, spacious and airy feel to the shopping area and it also become the main focal point in the shopping centre.  

This architecture is great because the design has brought the outside in.

Bridget Riley

An Artist who is one of Britain's best known artist and who's work I consider to be very inspirational is Bridget Riley.

Bridget Riley is an English painter who is one of the foremost proponents of Op Art.

As evident from her collection of artwork, her work expresses a great variety of geometric forms that produce sensations to the viewer of movement, even though the pieces are physically still.

What I admire most about her work is that it is highly distinctive and the end products of Artwork always engage you in and allow you to feel various sensations. 

Andy Warhol

Andy Warhol, born August 6, 1928, is considered an inspiring artist to me due to his unique and recognizable artwork. Andy Warhol is widely known for his exploration of Pop art, mass producing images of mass produced objects.

The image above is Warhols most famous depicted Campbell's soup cans. What i love about this piece, is that Warhol turned something so boring and normal into something rather fun and interesting. 

Warhol experimented using various media. He developed with film, sculpture, silkscreen and paint.

Warhols art has inspired many designs and most people would recognize his work due to him becoming a international pop art icon.

Planet Earth- The Photographs

This book invites you to experience and enjoy a very special collection of photographs of todays earthly creatures. If you have seen the series on Tv of 'Planet Earth', and you enjoyed it, then you will definitely enjoy this magical book. There are breathtaking captured images which take you in and give you a sense of awe. 

What inspires me most about this book is the remarkable photography produced. The colours and the setting are fascinating and stunning. This is a book you can look over and over again, you will never get bored of it.

Dyson Vacuum cleaner

This product created by James Dyson changed how we all saw Vacuum cleaners. After the DC01 was launched in 1997 we no longer saw the vacuum cleaner as an inefficient, heavy work horse for the household wife, or an eye sore better kept under the stairs! This new development of Vacuum cleaners moved vacuum cleaners into the pride of place in any household male or female, thanks to its technology, efficiency and colourful design.

Skittles

I love skittles, and decided to look at their website. The website is so much fun and highly creative. Skittles, which are known for having all the colours of the rainbow, have taken this on board in their design of the website.

The website is very interactive and when i went onto it, i found myself clicking and exploring for ages. There is sound which fits in with the actions going on on the page, and each page has something different to offer. I also love the graphic style of the website, with it looking very pop-up book-like. Have a look and start clicking around. 

To view this Website: CLICK HERE

Finding Nemo

I watched Finding Nemo last week and i think it is one of the best animated movies made. It is funny, exciting and endlessly imaginative.

The animation is superb, the animators have captured every detail you can imagine, from textures, light, shade and movement. The film is so colourful and looks great on HD. Finding Nemo is an outstanding aquatic animation and i recommend people to watch it, it will definitely put a smile back onto your face.

Imperial War museum-London

I visited the Imperial War Museum not long ago and it was such a unforgettable day. It was fascinating to learn about the World War and to see many aspects from it.

The museum holds a series of exhibitions to commemorate the experiences of those who lived, fought and died during the Wars. This experience is for all ages, and there is so much to see that you need a full day to properly appreciate it. The Museum is inspiring as it takes you through a journey which tells you everything you need to know about the Wars. This Museum is well worth a visit.

Madame Tussauds

I went to Madame Tussauds recently and had such a amazing time. Not only was it fun posing for photos with all the stars but it was amazing to experience how real the wax made celebrities looked. The attention to detail was breathtaking, and even up close the wax models still looked convincing. This was inspirational as it shows how talented some people are in terms of design and how different materials can create various effects. The wax for example looks great to replica the skin on humans.

Another part of the Museum which is great is in the planetarium. This part was great as its a animated show about these cartoon characters in space. Its good fun and the graphics are great, the only downfall is the neck ache from looking up at the ceiling to view the show.

Florence, Galleria dell'Accademia Museum

Any visitor going to Florence Italy, must visit the Galleria dell'Accademia museum, a place which houses many wonderful works or art and sculpture, most notably Michelangelo's, Davids statue which is hugely inspirational. What was so memorable was the size of this statue, it was huge and the detail was sensational. When i was there, the look on the peoples faces emphasized how truly amazing this statue was. Its hard to believe how one human being could create such a huge impacting statue out of a piece of marble.

Graphic Design for the 21st Century

Another amazingly inspirational book which has been a huge help to me. The book contains a collection of prints, Ads, Flyers, personal portfolio, web designs, illustrations and book cover designs. This book is a must have to designers as it holds such a variation of graphic designs and will inspire everyone in some way during their education or career.

Los Logos

Los logos is a great book to have for inspiration. This book has become a logo bible for me.  The book is full of fresh logos, all from the past and present years. I love this book so much as it shows how much thought and time goes into logos and how much meaning there is behind them.

Advertising Now-print

This book is a extremely useful book. It is full of advertising campaigns from food and beverage to electronics and clothing etc. Its a great book to stimulate ideas for projects and briefs. The ads in this book grab the viewers attention in a funny, shocking, original or touching manner. This book has been extremely useful to me so far and will be for many more years. This book is definitely worth the money. 

Anne Frank- Beyond the diary

This book affected me so much after reading it. Its all about the well-known Anne Frank and her life before she was forced into hiding from the Germans during World War two. 

The book is filled with original photographs around the life of Anne Frank. The photographs makes you gain a clearer understanding of what happened during her life. Even though the book can come across as a bit depressing, it is a real eye opener to realizing how lucky we are that we didnt live in those very tragic times, and how easy we have it today.   

Krazy Kids' Food!

When i got given this book as a present, i grew to love it. What intrigues me most about the book is noticing how different the food graphics are now on food packaging for kids. A lot of the old kids food packaging used to have a cartoon character on, such as Mickey mouse or Yogi bear. Manufacturers jumped on the character marketing bandwagon and the kids' food business as a whole boomed.

This delightful book has pages full of wonderful imagery, and makes you realize how much the design on kids food packaging has changed in terms of graphics. I personally love the old school designs and preferred the materials used for the packaging.

Gladiator

A film which has to be my favorite film ever is Gladiator. I love Gladiator because i feel it is one of the best made films yet. It is realistic due to the amazing graphics created, one scene which is created so realistically and skillfully is the fight scenes in the Colosseum. Without such amazing artistic ability, the film would not carry the same mind blowing effect of recreating such historic events.

Another aspect of the film which is inspiring is the music soundtrack to the film. The music composed by Hans Zimmer  is chilling and extremely moving. The film without the music would not have the same impact on the viewer.

Gladiator is a realistic and powerful film, and i deeply recommend it.

Help, I have a headache

A company called 'Help Remedies' has created environmentally friendly packaging to protect there products. The packaging as shown in the example above is organic, pure, uncluttered and 100% compostable. It also has a friendly tone of voice, that will put a smile on your face. The packaging is made out of paper pulp, a unique choice of material used to package these pharma products.

This packaging design has inspired me as it is a complete contrast to the usual nasty materials used and the typical same old graphics used on the packaging of these type of products.

 

Forest Gump

A Film I watched which has inspired me is Forest Gump. This film is a story of a man called Forest Gump ( Played by Tom Hanks), who is a highly intelligent man and tells the story of his epic journey through life. During this journey, he meets historical figures, and experiences famous historic events. A story of determination, courage, achievement and love, Forest Gump leaves you with a message that even the most simplest person can achieve whatever he/she wants to achieve.

Shawshank Redemption

Shawshank Redemption, a 1995 film starring Morgan Freeman and Tim Robbins is one of the most inspiring films ever made. Its about a man a who is wrongly convicted for murdering his wife and her lover, and he is then unfairly sentenced at the notorious Shawshank prison in Maine.

In the prison Tim Robbins (Andy Duframe) befriends with a Morgan Freeman ( Red). And they both form a powerful and loyal friendship.

I wont explain the whole synopsis of the story, just in case you havn't seen it yet. 

However this film is breathtaking and also leaves you with a strong feeling of hope at the end of it. It also teaches you about how valuable friendship is.

The Glass house

I was watching a film called the Lake House, and in the film there is a Lake house which is made out of Glass and steel. This reminded me of an inspiring piece of architecture that i knew of, called the 'Glass house'.

The Glass house is a 47 acre property, built in 1949 in New Canaan Connecticut by architect Philip Johnson. This building inspires me due to the basic materials used and the proportion, geometry and minimal structure. This building expresses geometry and proportion and also keeps in with the natural environment surrounding it.

The exterior is composed of glass sides and charcoal painted steel frames and a brick floor which is 10 inches above the ground. The interior is a huge open space which is divided by walnut cabinets, which also keep in with the surrounding natural environment.

What is clever about this glass house, is that the landscape and views become the real walls of the house, and act as a sort of wallpaper in the interior and exterior.

Ryan Mcginness

Untitled: Ink on paper in 642 buttons pinned to a chloe dress

Hyperreal sister: oil on translucent plastic and wooded frame

Installationview: Iris print on canvas

Japanese OK: Acrylic on velour

Untitled: oil on stretched canvas

Tug of War: Iris print on canvas

Ryan Mcginnes is an extremely exciting artist. What i love mostly about his work, is his versatility and diverse approach to art. 

As evident from the above examples, his work varies from using different mediums and materials. I am fascinated by this stencil-like art work due to the boldness and simplicity of it. 

His ideas are quite unique, for example his use of buttons to make a dress, where each button has been designed individually using ink on paper. 

To view Ryan Mcginnes work: CLICK HERE 

Ice hotel- Jukkasjärvi

The Ice Hotel is a great example of innovative architecture. The Ice Hotel is situated in a village  in Jukkasjarvi which is 200km north of the Artic circle in Sweden.

The Ice hotel is only a temporary hotel, made up of snow and crystal clear ice. The hotel has 80 rooms, which are decorated with ice carved sculptures by artists around the globe. The hotels fixtures and fittings and walls are held firmly together by using a substance called Snice, which is a replacement for the Mortar which is normally used for brick work.

The buildings entire design is breath taking and magical. This is no ordinary hotel experience. 

Adhemas Batista

Adhemas Batista is a 26 year old graphic designer and illustrator who is based in Sao Paulo Brazil. Impressively, Adhemas opened his first ever agency at the young age of 19 years old. He has had an outstanding career so far, working with major brands such as Havaianas, Coca cola, Toyota, Kiss fm and many more.( http://www.adhemas.com/).

I love the vibrance and energy of his work. Its colourful, lively and unique. His curvy illustrations create movement and leave your eyes following all the twists and turns.