Christmas Card 2012

I wanted to make a Christmas card for my friends this year. I've been loving Art Nouveau for a while, and I wanted to design something that resembled that style.

Happy Christmas!

Vapour - Nike ACG 20th Anniversary Brochure

I found this work a year or so ago, and recently came across it again, and still really like it. It is created by Vapour, a design agency in Leeds. The retro feel, colours, shapes and patterns work well with the brand Nike have established for themselves. The photographs appeal to the active type of person that they are wanting to connect with, and are very far removed from the typical outdoor clothing and accessories that can be plain in colour and not very attractive.

I know it's taken me a while to post this, as the work was produced in 2009, but I like it and think it deserves to be shared.

Halloween Pumpkin Carving

I don't get into the Halloween spirit. It's really not my thing unfortunately, but I do appreciate a good pumpkin carving! These are pretty amazing!!

  
 
These amazingly detailed pumpkins were carved by Ray Villafane. He uses clay modelling tools instead of just a knife, and because of that he manages to achieve textures and lines that really stand out from the traditional pumpkin.

Below are some more great examples of other peoples pumpkins.

Tetley Team Tea Poster

The lovely people at Tetley Tea Folk found my motivational team tea poster on my website, and they liked it so much they shared it on their Facebook page! The poster has also been tweeted by Strudel, a design company based in London. I had fun making the poster and I'm glad other people are enjoying it also. 

It can be viewed by clicking here.

Scott Duncan-Brown - Illustrator

This is my friend Scott Duncan-Brown's work. He is an amazing illustrator, currently working as a story board artist at Kuro Dragon in Gateshead. He is also working with an author to illustrate a childrens book titled The Bare Bear.

His website is having a bit of a revamp at the moment and can be found at www.scottduncanbrown.com, but take a look and check out his work!

Ribena Light Packaging Redesign - Aesop

New Ribena Light packaging by Aesop in London. Much simpler, cleaner and feels more refreshed. Removing some of the imagery makes it fit with the idea that there's less sugar. A sort of scaled back version of the 'full-fat' original version. Ribena have recently made a big effort to show that they use blackcurrants grown in Britain so to have a redesigned packaging will refresh the image and keep people talking about the brand.

I still have the idea that if a product has to have a 'light' or 'diet' version, then the original must not be too healthy for you!

National Vodka Day

Happy National Vodka Day! To celebrate, I've been having a look at some beautifully designed vodka bottles.

eBay Logo Redesign

eBay have announced they have redesigned their logo after seventeen years. I haven't been a massive fan of the original logo. It's seemed rather childish and hastily put together, but over time it's grown on me and the colours and style is now totally associated with eBay.

The new logo has lost the playfulness. It's like the brand is trying to grow up, but whilst doing so it is taking away the community feeling that the previous logo had. I'm not a massive fan of the lack of kerning. The letters should either be how they were previously, or not connecting at all. I do prefer the colours, particularly the blue as it seems to flow more, and my eye doesn't get stuck on the letter b.

It's always going to be a tough job to redesign such a memorable logo, and everyone has their own opinions. This design could have been better, but could have been a lot worse.

Diet Coke and Jean Paul Gaultier

Diet Coke is still viewed as a ladies drink. Coke Zero is more masculine and has been marketed as such. So a connection between fashion and Diet Coke seems like an obvious thing. At the beginning of 2012 Jean Paul Gaulier was selected as the creative director for Diet Coke. Since then various things have been created to promote the two brands. He isn't the first fashion designer to collaborate with Coke. Karl Lagerfeld, Matthew Williamson and Roberto Cavalli have also worked with the brand.

The obvious change is the packaging. It's an easy and very visible way to get consumers to see the connection between the two brands. There have also been adverts which include the small puppets and Gaultier himself. Posters which feature models using photos of Gaultier have also been created.

I think it's great for designers to collaborate and work on different projects. It must be refreshing to be given a different task, and to be able to make your mark on something that you wouldn't usually have the opportunity to.

Darrin Crescenzi - A Game of Thrones icons

Like many others, I've become obsessed with the series A Game of Thrones. I'm currently working my way through the novels which is taking quite a while as I seem to be really busy at the moment.

Darrin Crescenzi also loved the series, and created a series of icons for each of the families. It was a personal project, and probably quite a nice change from the Nike brand design he usually works on.
It's brilliantly designed, colourful, and a good contemporary take on what could have ended up being too traditional.

A poster was available but has sold out.

Tips for getting a design job

There's so many articles available on the web with help tips for graduates and people looking for jobs. With so many people applying for each job, it's important to stand out and use blogs, websites social networking etc to your advantage.

I recently came across this article on graphicdesignblog.co.uk which outlines the steps that are needed to successfully get that first job in the design industry. It's worthwhile reading the tips from articles such as the one linked, because as a student or graduate, there's still a lot to learn about the industry,

Big Fish Design Studio

I've been looking around the web at design studios for inspiration, and to see how they like to present themselves through their website. One studio that really caught my eye was big fish. They started in 1994, and since then have created "60 brand identities, over 1,000 items of literature, and gazillions of packs, written 27 brand strategies, 32 marketing strategies, a hell
of a lot of words, designed & built over 100 websites, art directed over 1,000 photoshoots, shot many 1,000's ofhigh definition images in our photographic studio, written, designed & produced 140 press ads and have directed & produced our first cinema commercial."

With a very impressive client list, awards, and an obvious love of what they do, big fish are certainly a bright team of creative minds.

Below is a series of work created by big fish. Fresh, clean and beautiful.

Bic For Her - just what I've always wanted.

It's ideal to know about your target market when creating and selling a product, but sometimes it can go a bit far. Bic is a huge seller of pens all around he world and so must have done a lot of market research, and had some success stories and also failures. Well I can show one failure.

Bic have created a Bic Cristal 'For Her' range. These pastel coloured pens are described as has a 'thin barrel to fit a women's hand', and an 'elegant design - just for her!'. Why do women need a specific pen? Surely as long as the pen works it's ok? I can understand why there are different lengths of pens, different types, ink, biro, pencil etc, but why have these pens been marketed at women? I'm sure there are men out in the world who would like to use a thinner pen. A more successful brand would have seen it being sold as being a slim version, useful for both men and women. I've come to wonder if Bic are running out of ideas for their products.

There have been many hilarious reviews of this product on the Amazon site, both in the UK and USA. Very sarcastic, witty, and tearing apart the product which may be useful but marketed badly.

The reviews on the Amazon.com site can be found here. The Amazon.co.uk site and more reviews can be found here.

Microsoft New Logo - Rebrand

Microsoft are unveiling a new logo, 25 years after the last update. With the company about to release Windows 8, and new versions of almost all of their products, it's the perfect time to freshen up the look. There are so many platforms for the windows products, including desktop computers, laptops, notebooks, tablets, phones and games consoles. It's important to make sure that their brand works visibly and efficiently without any weak points.

Microsoft Old Logo

Microsoft New Logo

Regarding the logo, I feel that it could have been a bit more exciting. This was an opportunity to really go for something new. The 4 squares are quite plain, however the kerning of the letters is perfect and pleasing to look at. I'm not saying that the logo is totally bad, and until I have seen how they are implementing it across the whole brand, it's wrong to criticise.

Australia Cigarette Packaging Law

An Australian court has backed a new law which stops all branding on cigarette packets. Instead the packaging will now be olive green and will feature graphic health warnings and images on smoking related illnesses.

The tobacco companies are huge, and I'm sure they will have tried to fight this new law, but I think that they probably presumed that the law would not be successful. Smoking laws have been getting stricter, with people not being able to smoke in public places in the UK, even at bus stops. I personally agree fully, and think that people who don't smoke should not be subjected to other people's harmful

Regarding the branding of cigarettes, it has been getting more restricted over the last 20 years. Advertising on tv ceased in the mid 1990s, with shops following in 1999. As with alcohol, the cigarettes can't promote that they are good for your health, make you look cool, professional or calm you down. It's all up to the recognisable logos, the colours, shapes and styles. Tobacco companies have argued that it will be easier for fake cigarettes to be sold, as the packaging will be easy to copy. I think this is probably true, but I think that preventing the companies from using bright, attractive packaging will be a step forward in stopping people smoking.

Britain is considering a law on plain packaging also. Australia have paved the way for other countries to follow in their footsteps, to try protect the health of their nation.

I hope that this law stays as it will hopefully save lots of lives, free up hospitals and clinics from people who have smoking related illnesses, and promote healthier living.

Royal Mail London Olympics 2012 Team GB Stamps

After the wonderful success of Team GB at the London Olympics this month, I think it's fitting that they are celebrated as much as possible. Stamps have been around for so long, and there have been many different collections and styles over the years. Every Christmas there are different illustrations, and it is also a good showcase for the people who design them.

Each of the gold medalists from the Olympics has been given their own stamp, with a photograph of them as they were competing or on the podium after receiving their medal. The stamps are a long rectangle shape, to give the most space for the image, alongside the Olympics logo, the words 'Gold Medal Winner' and the winners name and the queens head, which is a standard on all stamps.

Marcus James, the head of design and editorial at the Royal mail said ‘Most stamp projects take around two years to come to fruition,’ says James, ‘with a design period of eight-ten months. With these stamps we had about an hour to design them.’ The stamps had to be finished by the following day after the medal had been won, which is why they had to work quickly.

There are 29 Team GB gold medal stamps available until the end of 2012.

Coke Zero and James Bond Skyfall

After the success of Quantum of Solace, Coke Zero are teaming up with James Bond once again for the 2012 film, Skyfall. I thought their 'Unlock the 007 in you' slogan was good, but the Coke Zero Zero 7 idea was brilliant. I love a play on words - it seems simple but it takes a clever brain to implement the idea successfully.
In my opinion, Coke Zero has always been aimed at men. Diet versions of food and drink are certainly marketed towards women, and Coke Zero have made it ok for men to have a lower calorie drink without losing any of their macho image. James Bond is most definitely a macho man, and to associate the two brands works perfectly.
Below are some images of the Quantum of Solace Coke Zero promotion.

I'm looking forward to seeing the new promotional material, and if it beats the past offerings.

Toscatti Packaging

At first when I saw the images of these containers I thought it was paint, but after reading further I found it was clever packaging for containers by Toscatti. The creatives behind the design are Anagrama in Mexico. The colours are fresh and attractive, the packaging design is clean and tidy, and the sizes and styles of each container is easily seen. The typeface was designed specifically for Toscatti, and is rounded, friendly and importantly, legible.
I like this design, even if it still does look like paint swatches!

New Website Design

I have just finished updating my website I've made it a bit more user friendly with links to each project on the left side, instead of having all the projects on one page. I wanted the viewer to be able to focus on each project rather than being drawn to some and missing others. I've added a 'Freelance' section to showcase some of the work that I have been doing for ELHQ.


The website can be found at www.sophieegler.com

Any feedback on the new design is greatly appreciated!

Yell Rebrand as Hibu

So it seems Yell are rebranding themselves, getting rid of the name and image, and becoming Hibu
Yell needed to do something to refresh themselves after reporting an annual loss of £1.4 million, so they called on Landor Associates to help them out. I'm not really a fan of the made up, nonsense style names, so right now I'm not so impressed, but it may be one of those names that grows on me the more I hear it. The Yellow Pages was always seen by the phone as I was growing up, and some of the adverts (the boy getting the yellow pages to stand on so he would be tall enough to give a girl a kiss) stay in my memory. With the internet and all the information and adverts readily available, and for free, they have to really set themselves as the go-to place for when you need a plumber, a tree surgeon or even a dog walker.

Above is the new logo. Yell said in a statement,  ‘Communities are built on the connections people make and people are connected at the heart of the hibu logo. The identity utilises typography with soft shouldered edges like the human body and coloured dots represent the people behind the identity, diversity, connections and conversation. By using bold lower-case typography with soft edges we project a human and approachable company.’
I quite like the logo, although it does remind me of Gu, the luxury pudding people. I think it's the dots above the 'u' and because both logos are quite rounded.


I think ditching the recognised name and logo could be dangerous, but if done well, they could go back to their directory heyday. Only time will tell.

Metal Business Cards

I've been very busy recently, but been redesigning a few things as I'm looking for jobs. i came across these business cards which as much more interesting and will give a prospective employer a reason to remember you. Cards often get discarded if they aren't required, interesting or designed well, so this will make sure that your business card doesn't get thrown in the bin. Also the price isn't the cheapest, so it will show your dedication to the profession you are seeking to get into. Unfortunately I don't have the funds at the moment so will have to design something exceptional using standard formats.

These cards, along with standard and plastic can be found at Plasma Design

Reusing and Recycling Calendars - 28 Year Cycle

I never realised a calendar is reusable every 28 years! I found this out from  environmentteam.com. It's a great idea to reuse and recycle them, although I can't think of anyone who would keep an unused or old calendar for that long. I imagine there to be a few random shops all over the country who have old calendars for sale but I haven't found one yet. Shabby chic, old boutique, 50's, 60's, doilies and teacups and saucers are all more fashionable at the moment, so some people might like to have a slightly tatty looking calendar on their wall!

Puzzle Wallpaper

I love the idea of this wallpaper created by CinqCinq - puzzles and games which can be filled in by both kids and adults. The games include word-searches, naughts and crosses and a maze. I like how that the wallpaper would be a focus point of a room, would be a talking point and could also persuade some interaction. There's something about it which brings back thoughts of when I was younger and loved puzzle books and a pack of crayons - but from the photos is feels to me that this idea doesn't work - it looks like kids have used markers to draw over the walls.