BMW Welt

Whilst in Munich recently I visited BMW Welt or BMW World in English. It is a multi-functional customer experience and exhibition facility of the BMW Group. It is right next to the BMW Headquarters and the space is designed to present the current products of BMW. It is also a distribution center for brand new BMW cars many of which are customised.

The astonishing building was designed by Austrian architectural cooperative Coop Himmelblau. The architect Prix describes the space: "the building does not have the boredom of a hall, it is not only a temple, but also a market place and a communication center and meeting place for knowledge transfer".

The space is truly awe inspiring and encourages visitors to explore the many displays and interactive points that are on show through the layout and curves of the building. A must see for visitors to Munich.

Oktoberfest 2009

I've just got back from Oktoberfest 2009 in Munich. I have never been to Germany before and it was a great opportunity to practice my German and immerse myself in the Bavarian culture. I took the two photos above at the festival, which turned out to be much more of a funfair that expected. There were huge corporate beer tents holding thousands of people, consuming millions of litres of beer.

According to wikipedia, "The Munich Oktoberfest, traditionally, takes place during the sixteen days up to and including the first Sunday in October...Visitors also eat huge amounts of traditional hearty fare such as Hendl (chicken), Schweinsbraten (roast pork), Haxn (knuckle of pork), Steckerlfisch (grilled fish on a stick), Würstel (sausages) along with Brezeln (Pretzel), Knödeln (potato or bread dumplings), Käsespätzle (cheese noodles), Reiberdatschi (potato pancakes), Sauerkraut or Rotkraut (red cabbage) along with such Bavarian delicacies as Obatzda (a fatty, spiced cheese-butter concoction) and Weisswurst (a white sausage)."

"The original "Oktoberfest" occurred in Munich, on October 18, 1810: For the commemoration of their marriage, Crown Prince Ludwig (later King Ludwig I) and Princess Therese of Saxe-Hildburghausen (namesake of the Theresienwiese festival grounds) organized a great horse race (the marriage took place on October 12; the horse race on October 17 — therefore, there are different dates named as being the first Oktoberfest)."

More can be found here

Small Stump & Studio Choo

I like the fact that inspiration comes in many forms. From a book cover to a bunch of flowers, a building to a packet of crisps. Recently I have been drawn to flower arrangements, with their vast multitude of colours, forms and textures. I stumbled across the work of these Californian based florists, Studio Choo.

Studio Choo "is the work of two best friends (Alethea Harampolis and Jill Pilotte) who share a love for flowers that are just a little bit wild, things that are made by hand, and containers that are old and sweet. The flowers are locally grown whenever possible, and always fresh and seasonal. The studio can accommodate local deliveries, weddings, private parties, and events."

Small Stump "is an art studio and online shop based in the wee coastal town of Pacifica, California. The shop is stocked with a combination of artwork created by owner Jill Pilotte, floral arrangements, vintage goodies, and a growing selection of designs from other talented artists."

See their blog here

New Website

I have slacked a bit and forgotten to post about the new website. It is now up and running and fully functional. It showcases all my latest projects and will be regularly updated. This blog will also be integrated into the site (see image above).

The design of the site is simple and clean. I designed it all with the idea that it could be constantly updated and dynamically renewed in order to create a constantly evolving portfolio. The site was then produced by Tom Slezakowski, who I worked closely with to bring my designs to life.

Feel free to sign up to the newsletters on the contact page, or send me a message.

Visit the site here

Animal Hands

I love these inventive images, which only use paint and human hands to create quirky animal profiles. Animani, created by Italian graphic artist Mario Mariotti (1937-1997) simply uses paint, clever photography and a few googly eyes but the impact has found his work in major advertising campaigns around the world.

See more of his work here

The London Underground

The London Underground: a designers dream.

The designer of the current London Underground map, Harry Beck (aka Henry Beck) was not graphic designer. In fact he was an train engineering draughtsman who had been made redundant by the London Transport authorities due to economic reasons. He created a much simpler, non geographic version of the map in which distances were distorted and areas moved around. This enabled the user to see more clearly where the train lines intersected and view all underground station names with ease and clarity. It is clear to see how things such as electrical circuit diagrams which would have been used in his profession as a draughtsman, have influenced the form of the map. His designs were initially met with caution and doubt, since he had produced something that the authorities believed to be too radical for the general public. Beck received just five guineas for his work. The success of the diagrammatic map can be seen in public transport systems across the world, most of which have been influenced or directly adapted Beck's design to become city specific.

Watch the BBC 4 Production which must have been filmed in 1987 when the Docklands Light Railway first opened. The film is made before the introduction of zones to the map and is a really interesting retrospective view from the 80s rejuvination of the underground.

watch video

Give Power to Designers

Jacek Utko (pictured above) talks about whether design alone can save the inevitable demise of newspapers as a form of media at the TED conference. Utko, a Polish designer and art director says, "Newspapers are dying for serious reasons. Simply changing the look cannot save them, but design coherent with strategy and content can be used as a tool to completely change the product, the process, and the future of the industry."

watch TED talk



"To be good is not enough"

Utko has won many awards for his ground breaking designs. He has increased the sales of many major newspapers in Eastern and Central Europe. He has the Midas touch when it comes to rejuvenation of tired newspapers.

His attitude to design success is an inspiration. He makes the point that he is from a small poor country and even working for a 'boring' company with low budgets and not much influence in the cultural world, you can make a difference. Everyone can create work to the highest possible level. Here lies a powerful message about personal best and striving for better when the odds are against you. According to Uteko, all you need is inspiration, vision and determination. I think this is a good life lesson, even if you aren't a designer!

Royal Parks

I love this logo. It does what a logo should. Says all it needs to in the motif. If the words 'Royal Parks' were not there, it would still say Royal Parks. Apparently Moon Branding and Communication were behind this gem in 1994. Another one of those that you look at and think, I wish I had come up with that!