davidthedesigner

grab yourself a few hockneys (but you'll have to be quick)

Actually, not that many of you will have been reading this blog since its start. But if you had of been (or indeed, if you have) then you might have noticed that my first declared hero was David Hockney (and that post isn't quite complete because TypePad lost the picture). So I was looking forward to last night's 'Imagine' film on the BBC. In the event, though, I found it rather frustrating. It was a nice enough portrait of someone who still has a sense of mischief and a wonderful mastery of the craft of painting. But I found the lack of information or proper explanation let the whole thing down. As a small example, the film creates the impression that it's documenting the last three years of Hockney's working life. And it talks at length about his return to Yorkshire and cites the paintings he did of and for his friend Jonathan Silver. Yet Silver died in 1997, and the film fails to explain that Hockney's return to Yorkshire as a subject matter covers a much longer period than just the past three years.

But, anyway, that's enough of my gripe. And on a brighter note, Hockney is giving away three of his iPhone art images.

 

But you'll have to be quick because they're only available for download today and tomorrow.

neither one thing nor the other

I've not really engaged with Wimbledon yet this year, but last night I watched the second half of the Murray/Wawrinka match. It should, for me, have been full of novelty: I'd never watched Andy Murray play before (nor Wawrinka); I'd never seen a Wimbledon match played under a roof, nor after dark. But somehow it didn't grab me. Andy Murray has been held up as a potential Wimbledon champion this year. Now, no disrespect, but he's not, is he? You can see it in the body language: he just doesn't have the killer instinct and mastery of the court that defines all great champions.

But it wasn't really Murray that was troubling me. So, was it the roof? It certainly changes the acoustic, so the match didn't really sound like Wimbledon. But I don't think so. Maybe it's because it takes away the drama of whether a match is going to be interrupted by rain or bad light. But there was certainly enough tension in this match, and the crowd were animated enough when points were won or lost.

But something was troubling me.

And then I realised it's the scoreboard. It's set in Optima. The font that's neither one thing nor the other. It's horrible.

pretty in pink

My Pantone Past, which is being featured in the July issue of UPPERCASE, is looking good on the proofs.

i'm off for a walk

Well, not quite just yet. But on Sunday 5th July I'll be walking 20km around Trent Park in Enfield, North London. And I need your help. Because it's not just a weekend stroll in the country, but a sponsored walk to raise funds for Shishukunj. Shishukunj is a charity dedicated to the cultural, educational, spiritual and physical development of children. It has been in existence in the UK for over 30 years and now has three core centres. All its activities are organised and run entirely by young volunteers. It draws its strength from a strong relationship between workers, children and parents. One of its projects, Life for Children (L4C), has been established to relieve distress and poverty amongst children in the developing countries, specifically focusing on food, health, education and shelter.

So I need you to pop over to my Just Giving page and make a small donation. It doesn't have to be much (although it would be jolly nice if it was), because every penny helps.

I don't do this often. In fact, it's only the third sponsored event that I've got involved in, roughly ten years apart. So I won't be tapping you for more cash for a long time yet.

And, remember, the tough bit for me is going to be getting up in the morning in time for an 8.45am start.

Go on, do it now before you forget.

Oh, and spread the word.

Thanks,

David

UPDATE: A huge, big thanks to Ace Jet 170's Richard for kicking off the donations. It's not that I'm trying to twist your arm or anything, but go on, now it's your turn.

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.

this made me smile #79

It's a bike inspired by the Bauhaus: the design follows a set of formal rules, limiting the geometry to straight lines in a pattern of 60 and 90 degree angles in proportions following the principle of the golden section. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, it's the BauBike. (via things)

Of course, it would be even more fun if you went out riding it dressed like this:

this made me smile #78

From 10 Awesome Ads (For Traumatizing Children).

via O.K. BLOG

is this logo worth £80,000?

It's for The Art Fund and you may well already know that it was designed by Johnson Banks. And I bet you're now thinking that Johnson Banks' fee was £80,000, aren't you? Well, perhaps it was, or perhaps it wasn't. That's not what this post is about.

No, this post is about this painting:

 

The dead Christ supported by the Virgin and Mary Magdalen by Marcantonio Bassetti.

You see, The Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge wanted to purchase this fine work for £175,000. And it successfully applied to various bodies for grants to aid the purchase, including the V&A, MLA and The Art Fund. The Art Fund's contribution was to be £80,000, but it came with a condition: that their logo had to appear alongside the painting when it went on display. The Art Fund's position is that it is an independent charity, which does not receive any Lottery or Government funding, and it had insisted on the display of the logo after the Fitzwilliam failed to show it next to other recent purchases acquired with its help. According to the Cambridge News, a spokesperson for The Art Fund said: "To raise money we have to raise our profile. If people see our logo next to a painting they see what their money buys." Fair enough, you might think.

But Dr Timothy Potts, the museum's director, does not agree: he says "Logos are the currency of marketing and commerce and this introduces a promotional element into the galleries that we regard as an unnecessary and unacceptable distraction - no matter how worthy the object of promotion."

Apparently, the Fitzwilliam offered to credit The Art Fund's contribution in a list alongside other supporters, as well as alternative acknowledgments: which were, one assumes, perfectly adequate for other grant-giving organisations and benefactors.

It's an argument that calls to mind my post about sponsor logos.

So, who's right on this? Discuss.

snap!

Deisel, the fragrance (only for the brave, apparently - I can see why)

Tiger Tim

this made me smile #77