Berg have released a short film the shows a new invention launching in 2012 called the Little Printer. As well as being very cute (and a bit gimmicky), I can see a real use for this – not necessarily for the huge amount of data we’re subjected to every day, but for selected content that sometimes you just want to have physically and not flickering on a screen. Anything that can encourage looking at print rather than another screen is to be encouraged and it looks pretty environmentally sounds in terms of the amount of paper and ink you’d use. It’s also a great opportunity for artists and designers to discover creative uses with it.

Maybe the fact that I don’t have a printer at home is influencing my opinions about this… find out more about it here

Berg, Little Printer

We’ve all seen the domino metaphor used many a time in advertising (remember the excellent Honda Accord advert, which created a domino sequence using various parts of the car?), but this ad for Fedex has a particularly lovely tone. It doesn’t rely solely on the domino idea for visual effect (although it’s strong enough to keep the viewer engaged); it’s a great concept which is right for the message. It’s also got a great soundtrack, timed to perfection, and the sign-off – “We make less urgent shipping to the US awesome” – is brilliant.

Advert, Domino, Fedex, multimedia

It’s either an inspired piece of tactical marketing – or the conclusion of a clever campaign constructed by some canny strategic marketeers.

Unilever has released a video of glamour model Lucy Pinder apologising for the offence apparently caused by her internet campaign for Lynx deodorant during the summer. The original campaign featured Pinder in various scenarios (and in various states of undress) – such as jogging, applying lip gloss and licking whipped cream off a finger.

Following 15 complaints, the Advertising Standards Authority banned the ads. Now Pinder is back in a new video packing away her provocative props, appearing suitably contrite and uncharacteristically dressed in a high-necked pullover. (more…)

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We were absolutely delighted to host a visit from actor, adventurer and motorbike fanatic Charley Boorman here at Linney Design on Friday. With only a little persuasion and the prospect of meeting like-minded bikers and designers, Charley took a break from his stage tour to drop in and see some of the work we’ve developed over the years for the likes of Triumph and Yamaha. A number of us then joined Charley backstage at The Palace Theatre before watching his excellent chat show, covering his formative years as an actor in Deliverance, to his more recent infamous exploits in Long Way Round and the Dakar Rally. A hugely likeable and talented chap, we’d highly recommend you catch him on tour this winter. Thanks again to Charley and producer Billy for taking the time to drop-in.

Charley Boorman, Linney, Long Way Round, Mansfield, Motorbikes, Yamaha

Here’s lovely six minute whistle stop tour through some of the history and beauty found within the art of motion graphics. There are some gems in this edit. For me, the film titles for Se7en still stand test of time. Gritty, dirty, brave. This clip was produced to promote the Motion Plus Design project. Pause, sit back and enjoy.

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I attended the Typo London conference last week. The event which hosted a wide range of speakers from Neville Brody to Lawrence Weiner, had the theme of ‘Places’ but to be honest was much broader than that. It was brilliantly facilitated by Erik Spiekermann and Adrian Shaughnessy (among others) and was easily the best conference I’ve been to in some time. One of the best things about it was that most of the speakers stayed for the duration and watched the other presentation, which created a real feel of community.

It’s the first time this event has been held in England, having previously been in Berlin and judging by the feedback from everyone, it looks like it’s going to return to the capital next year. I will be putting together a presentation covering all the amazing talks which will be shared here but for the time being here’s additional reading about it from Creative Review and Design Assembly.

Conference, Places, Typo 11

Last month myself, Michael and Iain travelled across to Vancouver to attend a conference called Siggraph (short for Special Interest Group on GRAPHics and Interactive Techniques).  This is an annual conference on computer graphics.

(more…)

Innovation, Siggraph 2011, Vancouver

Life & Fate TVC from devilfish on Vimeo.

I’m a sucker for all things Saul Bass inspired, and this TV ad for BBC4’s dramatisation of Vasily Grossman’s novel Life and Fate is particularly good. Illustrations were by Ben Newman, the ad was produced by Wonky Films.

BBC4, Life and Fate, Saul Bass, TV, Vasily Grossman

Compressed 02 from Kim Pimmel on Vimeo.

Compressed 01 from Kim Pimmel on Vimeo.

A couple of intriguing other-worldly films created by Kim Pimmel using ferrous printer toner and water. The magnetic properties allow the ink to be manipulated using magnets. Beautifully shot, the ink weaves its way through the complex structure of soap bubbles and creates strangely ordered and uniform patterns as it moves to the magnetic force.

More info can be found on Kimm Pimmel’s Vimeo profile

Kim Pimmel, Science, Time lapse, Vimeo

“Back To The Start” is a wonderful animated short film by film-maker Johnny Kelly, depicting the life of a farmer as he slowly turns his family farm into an industrial animal factory before seeing the errors of his ways and opting for a more sustainable future. Both the film and the soundtrack were commissioned by Chipotle to emphasize the importance of developing a sustainable food system, and features Coldplay’s ‘The Scientist’ performed by country legend Willie Nelson.

I absolutely love the tone, pace, style, choice of music and the overall message of this charming film – for me it’s nigh on perfectly executed.

Chipotle Mexican Grill, Coldplay, Farming, Johnny Kelly, Soundtrack, Sustainability, Willie Nelson