Do You Want Them Wrapped Or Open?

The Chip Shop Awards produce some fantastic work every year with some amazing graphic communication.

One of my favourites this year has to be the Best Use Of A Shop Window Postcard. It goes to show that you don't need a massive budget or be a digital whizz kid to produce amazing work. The ideas shown with such a simple medium are fantastic. Have a look:

Also they are known to get some quite shocking work submitted which isn't to everyone's taste but nevertheless still communicates the message in an original way. It is worth looking at their website as is normally the case, some of the more risky ones which I didn't really want to show on my blog are some of the funniest. But, there are a few that are meant to shock and offend in one way but end up communicating the message in the most effective manner. So get the salt and vinegar ready and head for the chip shop awards.

Papercrafting Part 5

Whilst most paper cut techniques and work is seen as more craft based, the next artist has taken a traditional craft and turned it into a successful commercial business.

Yulia Brodskaya, as the name suggests, was born in Russia but since 2004, now lives in the U.K. After studying a range of techniques from textile painting to collage at Hertfordshire University, she started to experiment more with paper so she could combine her love for typography, paper and creating detailed objects.

Her client list continues to grow with Starbucks, Cadbury, Cafe Rouge and Orange, just to name a few. I first saw some of her pieces in a newspaper editorial and immediately liked how she had turned an old craft such as quilling into typographic creations and I have been following her avidly ever since.

I have tried to make my own pieces but haven't quite mastered the technique yet to a proficient enough level. Anyone who knows me will testify that i am a stickler for details and if something is not quite right i am not happy until i have perfected that chosen style or technique. The hardest part is trying to keep the shapes in the right place whilst the glue is drying but on a visit to Hobbycraft yesterday, a company has just brought out a small refillable plastic bottle which has a really fine point. Needless to say it went in the shopping basket ready to try again at a later date.

My idea is when the situation arises, to use this technique for a piece of packaging and can imagine designing some quilled typography to be used as a label or all over on a wine or beer box. I think it will look really good and will stand out in my portfolio as another technique that can be used in the future. I also remember reading somewhere that she uses the same photographer as he knows how to make it look 3D with the delicate shadows, which is something I haven't quite managed to do yet either, so another point to consider. So watch this space in the coming months for the results!!

Papercrafting Part 4

One of the things I have wanted to do for a while is to create an installation of a handcut, paper, piece of artwork for a show. I really enjoy working with paper and the slow process of cutting by hand but it would be great to work on a larger scale having a large white wall to work on. So I was looking again through some of my contacts on papercrafting and forgot how good Charles Clary's work is. His style is a great process of layering pieces of card to create a 3D effect. the sort of effect could be described as seeing map contours brought to life.

He is based in America but has started to exhibit all over the world in the last few years and you can see why he is gaining in popularity as his pieces have a great colourful, tactile quality to them. Not only does he compose pieces directly on to a wall but also he creates some amazing canvas pieces which are self contained artworks formed of cutting through the canvas and creating a 3D artwork beneath. The beauty of these is that they are easily transferable and also more commercial in a purely practical sense.

With some of them its like seeing a bacterial organic shape taking over a wall and you never quite know how big it may get. there seems a lack of cohesive symmetry to them which appeals greatly as they feel like a free expression instead of obeying a set pattern or set of rules.

Decline Of The High Street

Now I know that she is not everyone's cup of tea but I really admire Mary Portas. I have been following her programmes for quite a while from helping small independent shops to her fashion endeavours. Even to the point of recently applying for a job at Yellow Door, her design company based in London. I can imagine her being a tough taskmaster but I envisage some amazing projects to get involved with.

Anyway, her most recent crusade, is to help our ailing High Streets. I have been avidly reading her blogs and following some of the messages posted in response with great interest. If there is a solution for the future, we are nowhere near finding an answer in reality.

Part of the problem is our over reliance on the car and some peoples inability to walk further than a hundred yards to their chosen shop. You only have to look at the growing range of out of town shopping parks which are gaining popularity. For convenience, they are ideal but let's be honest, they are quite boring and sterile environments to visit. You have the same shops that can be found in any other town and city in the country. There is no real character to the buildings and you get no sense of the city you are in.

As a prime example, you only have to look at Telford. Whilst you have a large indoor shopping centre which may have every shop you desire, the place itself is like a concrete wart on the landscape. It has no soul whatsoever and feels cold and uninviting. Drive a few miles up the road and you arrive at Shrewsbury. One of my favourite places to shop because you can park before you get into the town and walk over the English Bridge and the uphill winding road into the town is crammed with interesting independent shops that you will not find anywhere else. Also most of them are staffed by the owners who obviously have a vested interest but this transposes into some great customer service. You are served by someone who wants to be there, wants to help you and above all, is an expert on the stock contained within.

Another example is on Saturday, I needed to find some jewellery blanks for a project. So I knew there was a small shop in Lichfield which sells hundreds of different beads to make jewellery from. I spent a while trying to find what I needed until I asked for some advice. The lady behind the counter couldn't be more helpful and gave me some alternative solutions to try and I ended up with a few purchases. The shop was extremely busy but the staff were not flustered at all and were happy to chat with the customers and the place had a great atmosphere. On from there, I needed to go to Hobbycraft in Tamworth which on arrival, announced its new fresh look. Yes it did look great inside but as everything had moved I couldn't find what I wanted to start with but couldn't find a free member of staff to ask. I managed to find someone restocking some shelves and asked them for help. This was pointless as they said they had no idea where I could find them and instead of trying to find someone who did know, carried on with the monotonous task. So I decided to join the queue at the cash desk and was sent in the general direction of where to look. Not surprising but it was totally the wrong location and had to weave my way up and down the aisles again. As an experience, it was really annoying and frustrating. Whilst they may have spent thousands of pounds on their new store, the staff had no idea where anything was, couldn't even force a smile and were basically cashiers. For a creative and artistic store, there is so much more they could be doing.

So it is no surprise that as soon as I got home, I ordered what I needed off the Internet.

The reason I went into that long winded story is that I know one solution that could change the face of the great British High Street. You are not going to attract the big chains back because they think they need more floorspace and you are not going to stop people buying their favourite brands overnight. But what could change is the excessively high rental prices which might attract back small businesses to take that start up risk. Mix this with a vibrant multi rental space for more creative businesses that cannot afford an expensive long term rental agreement. Then stop local councils allowing too many fast food businesses, estate agents and pound shops in the same area. All the planning departments care about is who is prepared to pay the most and less about what the business is going to contribute to the local area. Everyone should be able to have access to some sort of High Street presence regardless of how small your business is, so long as you bring credible value and a create a genuine need for your product or services.

Then what needs to change is to make the High Street an attractive place to be. Replace some of the concrete with some green space and instead of worrying about people hanging around, install more seating to encourage different generations to interact more instead of creating a bigger void between them. Then try and make the areas traffic free to encourage people to walk and cycle more.

Another possibility is to stop the concentration of pubs and restaurants in one area as this creates all sorts of late night anti social behaviour as they are the only places that are open after 6pm. Why don't we have shops staying open later not just at Christmas time but on 2 or 3 nights a week as a trial. It creates more employment for part time workers and may lure people away from the big supermarkets where they visit after wok on the way home. It might not work but its worth a try.

So, whilst I do buy a lot of stuff from the Internet, I would much prefer having an exciting and vibrant local High Street where I could walk to and enjoy passing the time of day with the owners and being able to support local businesses instead of giving my money to online faceless businesses.

Whatever you may think about celebrity crusaders, at least they are using their network to make a change for the better. Like Jamie Oliver and his school dinners campaign. We all know that our children are being fed rubbish at school and walking to school eating chocolate and crisps but this is only happening because the schools and parents responsible, couldn't be bothered to put any effort in to effecting change. I for one hope that Mary Portas will make a difference to our shopping habits but it is going to take a few years yet before we see any noticeable changes. But these are people that I admire and respect, for trying to make a stand. We need the Jamie Olivers, Wayne Hemmingways and Mary Portas's to use their perceived celebrity status because they can get access to the decision makers easier.

Put The Kettle On

Another trawl around some of my bookmarked sites today and saw the new designs for Kettle Ridge Crisps which caught my eye. Designed by the fantastic Turner Duckworth (would love to get a placement there!). The brief was to communicate the everyday youthful positioning of Kettle Ridge Crisps. I have liked Kettle Crisps for a long time, especially the hard to find unsalted variety.

On these packs the word 'Ridge' takes more of a prominent size to enforce the difference more but still suiting the overall hierarchy. I love the illustrations which match the typography design and style whilst hinting towards the individual flavours, along with the strong vibrant base colour to reflect the intensity of the flavours.

Needless to say my favourite designs are the ones for Salt and Malt Vinegar and Sea Salted flavours, as I love the sea illustrations. Them and the others are shown below:

Global Creativity Gap?

No More Marketing Bad Choices

It has been on the cards for a while but now Australia in particular is forging ahead by banning all logos and marketing on cigarette packaging. The world is watching to see how they tackle the problem of marketing cigarettes to the public.

There is a case for both sides in reality. The cigarette manufacturers claim that this will trigger a rise in illegal sales and imports. But will this really happen? Surely if you smoke, you are going to have your own particular liking for a type of cigarette. It has to be one of them brands that get a loyal following from its buyers. Certain brands like Silk Cut and Marlboro have such a strong brand identity and brand loyalty that I don't think it matters how the packaging looks, but I may be wrong.

In this country along with France, Iceland and Belgium, we are in favour of more neutral plain packaging that will carry just a plain text warning on the box.

My problem with banning on pack branding, is how far should it go. Personally if people want to smoke themselves to death, then so be it. We all know the dangers and the horrible health problems that can arise from smoking but what about alcohol advertising?

Alcohol abuse costs this country far more than smoking. Not only the negative health associations but from a social perspective. Think about all the top design agencies and how many of them have alcohol brand designs as part of their portfolio. I would guess that more than 80% have at some time designed some packaging for alcohol. So why is there not the same stigma attached? It causes more problems for society and families on the whole but on the other side, is somehow more socially acceptable.

Can you imagine if the government proposed a ban on all alcohol advertising. How much revenue would be lost across the whole media spectrum. Some magazines wouldn't be able to survive. Some Marketing and Design companies would seriously have to adapt to other markets and no doubt there would not be enough work for everyone. Not just from a revenue perspective but could you imagine how boring your local pub would look with generic packaged drinks in it. Surely part of the experience of going out to a pub is the brand experience of your favourite drink and your perspective on how you are seen drinking that particular brand.

Whilst I don't smoke I wouldn't like to see the proposed changes take place. I see it as another design opportunity disappearing just like the much lamented record album sleeves which used to be the bread and butter of many designers. Now all we get if we are lucky on our MP3 tag is a picture of the artist.

So whilst I can understand the reasoning behind the proposals, there are more pressing health and social problems that also need tackling, not only alcohol abuse but the rising problem of drug abuse which is steadily rising every year. It is not a case of if, but when cigarettes are banned totally, because of our addictive personalities, no doubt there will be something else that we will become fixated with that will do us more harm than good.

Finally, the one thing I do miss is the older style packaging which makes most of the current brands plain enough anyway.

Johnnie Walker in Shanghai

Another winner of the recent D&AD awards is LOVE, based in Manchester and their design for some limited edition bottles for a new Johnnie Walker House opening in Shanghai.

The bottles themselves will only be available for visitors and are limited to 1000 of each design. The illustrations are fantastic and the bottles represent the blue Chinese porcelain that we all recognise.

Johnnie Walker House is a feat of interior design in itself. The concept and design was in association with Asylum who are based in Singapore. With whisky, it isn't always the taste that is important but the whole experience of drinking it.  Good whisky contains many layers and finite nuances to its flavours and that is what they have tried to create inside. Some of the walls are made of peat and barley and even the floor has a certain 24 degree and colour stain to it which symbolises and reflects an element of the whisky story.

There are also some great artistic installation pieces such as the whisky constellation which tries to illustrate and convey the different flavour combinations. Also there is model showing the art of distillation along with a blending table.

What they wanted to create was an engaging establishment which would spark conversations about whisky and its flavours. Unfortunately you cannot just visit the House as it is invitation only but they do also hold special events such as masterclasses and lectures.