davidthedesigner

england, scotland and wales: things to see

Actually, I'm going to do this in reverse order. So we'll kick off with Wales.

If you're in or around Cardiff this week, then you should pop along and see the degree shows at Cardiff School of Art & Design (on until this Friday). Cardiff has given us some pretty good student bloggers in the past year, most notably (in my probably not completely impartial opinion) Sian and Tom Harle. In fact, if you ask Tom nicely, he'll arrange to give you a guided tour. I'm looking forward to following Tom's blog as he leaves academia and moves out into the big wide world of working for money.

Next up to Glasgow School of Art, where you have an extra day in hand, since their show is open until Saturday.

There you'll find a set of wonderful illustrations of Glasgow's ice cream parlours by Louise Lockhart made up into a guide book, working together with Rosie Ferrier (and thanks to Anne at I Like for the heads up).

And finally back down south of the border to Chelmsford, where botanical illustrator Niki Simpson will be exhibiting at the RHS Hyde Hall Garden between 23rd June and 31st October. Niki's work really is ground breaking and has deservedly won her many awards. Catch it if you can.

'ello tosh, got a toshiba?

I've got this box sitting on the shelf in the back room (not as shown here, obviously, since I've plonked it on the garden table to take its picture for you). But goodness knows where it came from. I've never owned a Toshiba computer. And I don't recognise the stuff that's inside, either. So it's all a bit of a mystery. Probably something that someone asked us to look after some time ago - and it's been there ever since.

Anyway, that's all besides the point really. Because what intrigues me is the design on the side of the box. For a computer that probably dates from the mid 1990s, this box couldn't be any more of it's time. But why is that? At face value, it only has the illustration, restrained typography, two colours and white background that you might expect on today's Apple packaging. It's not a million miles away in concept, just worlds apart in terms of execution.

And here's why, I think. First, the name: T1800/60. What's that all about? Well, I'm guessing that the 60 refers to the size of the hard disk as 60MB (yes, you read that right - megabytes). But the 1800? Nothing on a mid 1990s computer ran that fast or was that big. Unless, perhaps, it refers to the weight of the thing. But you couldn't get away with that today, could you? Because all computer names now either have to start with a lower-case 'i', or be named after something, like a Fox or a Storm.

And then just look at that illustration. Two simple things give it away for what it is: those overlapping edge lines on the top corners of the screen and that single cross-hatch. It's what you'd expect (or expected) to see on an architect's drawing. Except that no architect (or at least none that I've ever come across) draws like that. No, it's a stylistic technique that's only ever used by people who'd like you to think they were an architect.

Anyway, all of this musing on Toshiba and the mid 1990s has reminded me of their Ian Dury voiced television adverts of the time:

about a motor car

I've told you about things magazine before. Maybe you took my advice and went over and had a good poke around; maybe you didn't. So, if you need a bit of encouragement, get over there now and have a look at the wonderful 'about a motor car' by the equally wonderfully-named Phyllis Ladyman.

a line is a dot that goes for a walk*

I have to be out for the day - down in deepest Dorset where there is no mobile signal, let alone broadband. So, before I go, there's just enough time to tell you about The Campaign for Drawing.

* Paul Klee

an open letter to visual communications students at harford community college*

*and any other design students who happen to stumble across this blog.

Yesterday's post from me was about connections, and about how valuable those connections (although virtual) are to me personally. But connections work both ways, and this week I find myself listed as a reference for this week's assignment for Visual Communications students at Harford Community College, Bel Air, Maryland.

So, welcome my young friends - you're very welcome here. But I do notice (from my statistics) that you're not hanging around for long. That either means that you think you have nothing to learn from someone like me, or you're out getting yourselves wasted and saving up your assigned work until the last possible moment. My first piece of advice to you is: that's not a wise strategy if you want to transition your studies into a design career.

But the best piece of advice that I can give you is to learn to love typography. It's not easy, I know - especially when you're young and hot with hormones. I thought it was the most boring thing I'd ever encountered when I was your age (except, perhaps, double-entry bookkeeping). It may have been my tutor, though - he certainly didn't have the presence (or the beard) of your Professor Kenneth Jones. Or maybe I just started out with the wrong font - Univers. The most unforgiving typeface of them all. But I stuck with it and plodded on (well, I am a Taurean) and gradually I came to like it, and eventually - after ten years or so - to love it.

And the reason you should learn to love typography - and all things type - is that, should you follow a design career, the only thing that will remain constant over the years ahead will be type. Everything else will change - and change several times over. And you will need to accommodate and make those same changes yourself. But if you love type, you'll always find a way to make that happen.

So, good luck with your studies. And don't be shy - drop me a comment and let me know what you think.

(Oh, and one last piece of advice to the student at bottom left: lose the hat.)

i can't believe...

...that matthew green isn't just another illustrator.

(via the serif)

ghost in the machine

Scottish delivery vehicles, part 2

I've always admired people who keep sketch books. It goes back to art school days where we were all encouraged to do it, though most of us failed. But there's something very compelling about looking at someone's book - it's that thing about putting up an easel outdoors and everyone passing by will almost certainly want to have a look at what you're doing.

And it's funny how when the oldest technology meets the newest, and sketch books end up on a blog, that they seem to become more compelling still (like Gwen Yip's Working Holiday in London). One of my favourites is Wil Freeborn's Ghost School - and I'd suggest you go over there now and have a look because "there’s a log just by the water at Gourock that's ideal for eating your supper on".

Don't forget what I always say when I point you to another blog: have a good poke around in the archives - that's where the treasure is buried.

I’m as serious as cancer when I say “Rhythm is a Dancer”

take him to the tower of london

© Wolff Olins

the human body is like a factory

There's a really lovely collection of historic Chinese public health posters over at the United States National Library of Medicine.

Thanks to my good friend Jeanne (who doesn't blog) for pointing me in the right direction.

a few sheets of paper and a scalpel

Give those to most people and they'd soon be reaching for the Band Aid. Give them to Jen Stark, on the other hand, and you end up with something else entirely.

Truly beautiful work at jenstark.com.