Kerning Game

This game is a really good test to see how good you are at kerning. I got 96/100..was a little wonky on one but got 100% on most! Give it a try!

Kerning game crafted by Mark MacKay for Method of Action

Barcode Design

As a designer it's important to think about the whole experience for whoever's viewing, buying, selling or doing whatever with a designed item. Barcodes are generally a necessity for packaging, however they don't have to look so square and boring. They can be made so much more interesting by just giving them a little thought. Even though the style of barcode won't sell the product, as a consumer, I would feel more confident in buying it if I could see that it had time spent on it to make it appeal to me, and the company felt it was worth going that little bit further in the design.

Designboom

Came across this website today. Quite a few 3D related articles but a good read all the same. It's a good source of current and past design competitions (with photos of the winning entries).

All found at designboom.

La Presse new logo

La Presse is a french newspaper based in Montreal and have recently updated their logo.

The new square logo has replaced the previous rounder version, and I've noticed a trend recently in angular shapes in logo design. Squares work really well as they give a frame for other items to be placed around them, both in print and digitally.

With newspapers generally declining as people read the news online, it's important to have a non-cluttered web page where people can find the article they are interested in quickly and without hassle. Some of the websites I find most annoying are the ones which have too much useless tat taking up valuable space! A good grid is essential in all cases.

Image taken from newseum.org

Branding Article

I've been reading articles refreshing my graphic design brain and came across this interesting one from Fatima Mekkaoui at sixrevisions.com. It's good to read something that is well written and doesn't bulk up the article with useless babble.

A few photos from my American travels

A huge elephant at San Diego zoo, the classiest watering hole in Tijuana, Mexico, the amazing ceiling at the Griffith Observatory, Los Angeles, weird backlit skull sculpture in a restaurant in Las Vegas, a never-ending corridor in The Venetian, Las Vegas and a beautiful sunrise whilst flying over the Atlantic.

Morrisons Own-Brand Range

Morrisons recently redesigned their own-brand range of products. The company chosen to undertake the project was Coley Porter Bell, who also designed the Tesco Organic range.

With more people unable to afford dining out, it is important to make the dine-in ready meal/cook at home ranges to seem like something special and a treat. The bistro range does that, with black packaging and warm foody coloured accents.

According to Design Week, the Morrisons Value range will be next to have a facelift. I'm expecting great things!