What I Did On My Holidays

Just got back from a brief sojourn into deepest Suffolk and whilst Uppercase and Lowercase were busy making sandcastles and trying to keep wasps off their ice creams, I brought a little order to the chaos of the beach. This ensemble of pebbles was gathered within a couple of metres from the Lestaret encampment and forms an almost perfect A4. The image below shows the general scale (I used a little tourist leaflet as a guide) and has not been modified in any way.

It was difficult to gauge the accuracy because of the undulations in the sand – I only smoothed it out a little – but I was very proud of this minor beach composition.

I also made many Goldsworthy style compositions at various locations along Southwold beach, along with a fine pyramid.

All this was done to the backdrop of a deeply embarrased wife (“Oh why can’t you build an ordinary bloody sandcastle like all the other Dads?”) and two rather bemused offspring who began to build less predictable structures in the days that followed (Hurrah!).

Normal service is unlikely to resume…

What the F…riday!

Don’tcha just love money? I mean, we all like the spending stuff obviously, but the design of paper money has always been a fascination of mine (a closet notaphilist?) and I have recently bought a number of banknotes from around the work for a possible book project. Now that I have these wonderful things in hands, I am loath to do anything destructive with them, particularly the old ones. The earliest is shown here; a German twenty mark note from 1914 (detail above). The two sides below are shown as thumbnails but are very large scans so you can get in real close.

I guess the other extreme  note I have here is a one hundred trillion dollar bill from Zimbabwe, just before they re-adjusted the values. Not a particularly interesting design, but I felt the desire for a large demonination, you know how these things can get you?

Damn Bugs!

I’ve just completed my first successful binding using the ‘caterpillar’ method. I had experimented a couple of times before, just as a sampler, each time getting better, but this is the first time I have bound a book using the method. As you can probably see from these images, this is quite a complicated procedure, with each caterpillar created from a single thread, sewn with two needles.

The book is my standard sample size (130 x 90mm) so is quite small, and I used a standard linen thread. Some of the close up images make it look much bulkier, but this is because I got in really close to show the complexity of the stitching.

As this is an unsupported binding, there is a bit of ‘give’ and flexibility in the finished book, so I probably wouldn’t  use this on much larger books unless it was combined with a kettle stich at a few points along the spine. The wrapping of the thread creates the illusion of a raised cord, and can be packed (packing is the term given to wrapping thread around, to add bulk and protect the threads beneath) to give a more solid appearance. I decided at the beginning to create a loose packed stich as I wanted to reveal more of the structure. Apart from this, my earlier experiments had been much tighter packed, so I wanted to see how the looser packing affected the tightness of the overall process.

   

Mmm. Nice. I think I’ll do this again…

Flushed

I went to the East09 exhibition in Norwich today. Lets just say I really enjoyed this sign in the toilets…

What the F…riday! #3

This is just about the most beautiful thing I’ve ever received through the post. It’s a short note from top calligrapher Paul Antonio (his website is currently being redone, but bookmark him here) following a lecture he gave at the college in April 2008. It is written in a very delicate copperplate script with various swashes and curlicues, but not to the point of over embellishment. It is surprising that it made it through the post these days, what with automated scanning and other various machine handling processes todays mail system uses.

I particularly like the orange scan that has been applied during the mailing process; it adds a really striking modern counterpoint to the formal lettering. I think I might do a competition for imaginative mailings at some point. Hmmm…

Competition Time!

In case you have been locked in the cupboard under the stairs for the last month, you’ll probably know that it is 40 years since we (the human race that is, not you and I) paid a visit to the moon. Like a cantankerous elderly relative who has just won the lottery, we have become quite fond of our dear old moon of late, and, never one to miss an opportunity, world leaders are talking of space exploration once more.

Now, imagine, if you will, one of those calendars where you rip off a sheet every day to reveal the next date, furiously sending dates flying in all directions, with the years rapidly progressing in large type in the background. There will probably be some swooshy, dramatic sound effects too, if you’re in the mood. Yes, this literally described visual cliché represents the passage of time.

So now it’s the FUTURE! And, for some, it came as a bit of a shock that we are not alone in the universe. Obeying Darwins theory of evolution, we have adapted to this new situation, and are already reaping the financial benefits of intergalactic trade with our newfound neighbours. However, just like in the early stages of the 21st century, a recession is setting in. Not a global recession, oh no. A UNIVERSAL recession!

Earth needs to assert itself in this competitive market, and it is becoming clear that we are in need of a strong visual identity in order to raise our universal profile. Prior to this, we had just used an updated version of the plaque that was left on the moon in 1969 (yes, thats what the leader image is!).

Design a logo for Earth. There are no limitations for this – Earth has put aside a decent budget for this project!
There are some restrictions though:

no map diagrams (like the ones on the plaque)

no obvious commercial links (McEarth™)

avoid all ‘bleedin’ obvious’ clichés (planets, little human stick figures, sun, moon & earth orbits etc)

Make sure your images are no larger than 276×276 pixels and 72dpi and named in this format skinnerchrisearth.jpg (obviously using your own name!) or .png or .gif  and email them to me for inclusion. If you are sending more than one image, please add a number to them also.  Please note that if you are sending me images, then you are giving me your consent to publish them on the web. Don’t send them if you don’t want them uploading. These images will only be used for this purpose and my own personal jocularity.

I’ll pick a winner on Monday 31st August and I’ll custom make a unique sketchbook for the winner. Best of luck, and pass the word around… let’s make this the best competition yet!

The Designers #5

Reading List

Travels In The Scriptorium by Paul Auster
Death at Intervals by José Saramago (Re-read)
Exchange by Paul Magrs
Jizz by John Hart
Moby Dick by Hermann Melville

Play List

Rivers Arms and Balmoreah by Balmorhea
Float and Home by Peter Broderick
Fi by Bibio
The Enchanter Persuaded by Sinoia Caves
Monoliths and Dimensions by Sunn O)))
Red Walk by Cheer
24 Postcards in Full Colour by Max Richter
Specials by The Specials
Songs the Lord Taught Us by The Cramps
and an absolute ton of old Trojan Ska

We have a winner!

Stacey Neve wins the latest competition to invent the ideal shortcut key for designers – although this one could be applied to design students equally!!! The other entries were excellent again, and I did like the Helvetica key (Sweet!), but Stacey’s was honest and reflected the common quality that we all feel at times! Well done Stacey, a handmade sketchbook will find it’s way to you soon…

I will post the next competition later this week, which I hope will be the best one yet! Keep checking in…