James Joyce - icount Illustration

I was looking at the icount 'Stop Climate Change' book published by Penguin and I came across illustrations by James Joyce. I really like the use of line to create interesting visuals (from simple lines creating geometric shapes to elegant swirls creating trees and smoke). His drawings have the feel of children's illustration but are dealing with complex situations like climate change.

I feel that it is extremely appropriate to use a medium like illustration to get across a message as important as climate change. People might argue that this type of illustration is making-light of a serious situation but I feel that in order to inform an audience of ways to prevent drastic climate change without boring them then visual devices like illustration act as a way to do this.
For example, the illustration below carries a simple message about the environmental cost of vehicles. This illustation, to me, says more than a long-winded document about fuel-emissions.
I feel that design will have an important role in persuading people to change their current living habits and inspiring people to do something about a global issue. I don't mean to say that every designer needs to jump on the eco-bandwagon but good design and illustration (like the pieces above) can reach audiences who may be numb to facts and figures.

Environmentally Friendly Packaging

This week's issue of Design Week had a section about the new Daylesford Organic milk pouches. This form of packaging is made from a completely new material called Ecolean, a plastic made from 40% calcium carbonate (chalk) with polymers used only as a binding agent. This means that at the end of the lifecycle the calcium carbonate can be separated again and the binding agent turned into water vapour and carbon dioxide after complete dergradation i.e. after incineration.

This got me thinking about other forms of packaging. I am working part-time in retail at the moment and the amount of plastic and waste created by the store could surely be reduced. I was looking at ways this could be done and I saw Tom Dixon's polo designs for Lacoste.


The packaging was designed to show awareness of environmental issues. However, I feel this is more aesthetic than practical. When an item of clothing enters the store it is pre-packed in plastic, unpacked, sold and then put into a plastic bag to be taken away. This doesn't make sense. I understand that the pre-pack protects the clothing but surely there could be another way? Plastic bags are used in high street retail but what is the reason? image? to prevent water damage?

I was thinking what if the clothing was packaged in another way, perhaps in an aluminium can so that it is protected from damage and cuts out any need for plastic. All aluminium and steel cans are recyclable and can be recycled an infinite number of times without loss of essential properties. The can could then be placed in a paper bag that can be fully recycled.

Dizzee Rascal - 'Sirens' dir. W.I.Z.

After watching the short film 'Cubs' by Tom Harper I remembered seeing a recent video for Dizzee Rascal's 'Sirens'. The video follows a similar theme as 'Cubs' with Fox Hunting in an urban setting but what I liked about this music video was the use of symbolism. Fox Hunters riding through a housing estate creates a really interesting visual which seemingly has no relevance to the song until you realise that Dizzee Rascal is being hunted down like a fox. The Fox Hunters are a powerful metaphor for the police and authority and the way that some people feel that the police 'clamp down' on gangs and youth culture.

A really clever aspect of this video is the fur coat that Dizzee Rascal wears, it works as a symbol for youth and 'hoody' culture but also acts as a visual tool to represent the fox (at the end of the video the fur from the coat is drenched in blood and smeared over the youngest hunter in the pack as part of the ritual of the hunt).

The end of the video shows the young boy (presumably related to Dizzee) watching the 'kill' and ultimately becoming what one can only assume will be a trouble-maker. This suggests that although authority is put in place to stop crime it can sometimes develop or perpetuate crime.

Lucha Libre: Good vs Evil

I was watching TV the other night and I came across Jack Black's recent film 'Nacho Libre'. The film involves a monk (Black) becoming a Luchador (Mexican wrestler). Although this film wasn't particularly well received it portrayed some aspects of Mexican culture and the importance of Lucha Libre.

A common characteristic (and the most intriguing from a design point of view) of nearly all Luchadors is the wearing of a mask to wrestle.


There are several reasons for the development of the mask in Lucha Libre and Mexican Culture. Lucha Libre was very popular in working-class Mexico and wrestlers often would have a day job as well; the mask was a means of keeping their athletic career separate to the rest of their life. A more primal reason for the use of the mask is the creation of a persona.Wrestling in its simplest form is entertainment that borrows from archetypal imagery and ritual. Every society has an understanding of good verses evil through mythology and religion. Lucha Libre is no different; wrestlers fall into two categories: the hero (techino) and the villain (rudo) and the battle between good and evil is represented in some form in every match. The mask allows the luchador to fully become the character they represent and protect their true identity - this is very similar to comic book superheros who take on their status through their costume; they are no longer 'human' but instead a living icon. Wearing a Luchador mask is to deny an opponent your true identity and to become the character the mask represents. To be 'unmasked' by an opponent is to lose this identity/ reveal that the luchador is only human.

Whilst researching Lucha Libre I noticed, as with many sports, there are shared archetypal images with religion. For example, the 'church' is the wrestling arena and the battle between good and evil is well documented in many religious texts in some form or another.

Design for the Visually Impaired

"There are two million people with sight problems in the UK. Good design can make websites, information, products, services and buildings accessible to them."

RNIB Website (accessed 13th July 2007)

I have recently been doing some design-based work with my local council and have come across some real-life issues surrounding design and accessibility of information. Any document designed for the council needs to adhere to certain constraints in order to provent neglecting certain memebers of the public. For example, members of the public with visual impairements may have difficulty reading certain typefaces etc.

I found a list of a few design considerations that need to be thought about when designing for the the general public. These aren't strict rules but instead suggestions made by RNIB to maximize readability in design for print.

This is a real issue in design as nearly all of design is primarily about visual stimulus and it seems unusual to consider even thinking about design without this but making your work more accessible can be as simple as using a minimum pt size of 12.

Some of the guidelines I find difficult because they almost stifle creativity. The Marc Quinn Exhibition Catalogue by North Design uses a unique layout on some of its spreads where the breaks in text are spaces instead of paragraph returns. Although this is visually interesting the mere fact that it has broken the convention of the left-alignment and paragraphing means that members of the public with sight problems become alienated - as finding the start of a new line or paragraph will become difficult due to the fact there is no set format to follow.

D&AD Horror Film Festival Poster - Rick Banks

I was looking through some past issues of Computer Arts and I came across some work by Rick Banks (a recent graduate from Cumbria Institute of the Arts). I had a look at his site and found his D&AD entry for the Horror Film Festival poster. I really like his simple use of type and colour to create a confident and well-produced design.

I thought screenprinting was a good touch for this poster and I also thought that the glow-in-the-dark ink mask was a great addition to a good idea. It really enhanced the concept of the poster and also took advantage of the fact that when in a dark room (i.e. when the films are played at the festival) they will glow!



Check out his website for some other great work as well as pictures of his work process for these posters!

The Mangle Badge Show - Limited edition set of badges

I really like the format of these limeted edition badges designed by New Future Graphic. I like the way the underlying image relates to the images on the badge faces, it is a really simple yet nice touch and shows the company's attention to detail