DesignYak

New Packard Bell logo is u-g-l-y

I don't normally use DesignYak to poke and laugh at other items of design, but I've just seen the new Packard Bell logo on the design week website, and it's god-awful. Just extremely ugly. The logo features the initials 'PB' as they aim to drive the brand to be known by the acronym over time. The logo and brand was created by an as yet unnamed Italian design consultancy. PB now carries the tagline 'Puredesire', you can see this on their new website. See what you think...

Tetris plant pots

Here's some cool ceramic plant pots by Stephanie Choplin, inspired by Tetris. 

For those of you saying 'I wish I could play Tetris right now..!' Don't fret, click here to play... Ceramic article via Industrial Design Served

Alphabet Chair

Eric Ku has created this alphabet chair as part of his Mission Redefinition project, which you can see here. Via FFF

London Design Festival 2009

Promotional material for the London Design Festival, by Pentagram. The theme for this year's festival was Be Bold. The promotional materials use the distinctive red and white of the festival and use quotes from designers, including Pentagram co-founder Alan Fletcher. 

The Festival will run from the 19th to 27th September, click here for details. More about the work to be found at the Pentagram site.

Orbital album cover by Farrow

New compilation album and logo for Orbital's 20th anniversary, designed by Farrow. More new work to see on the Farrow website.

Sad to be leaving Black Sheep

Today is my last day at Black Sheep. My time here has been great. I have made some really good friends and developed a lot as a designer, and I'm very grateful they gave me my first job in the design industry. I thought though that it was the right time to leave for a different challenge and so I'm starting tomorrow at Staziker Jones. I'm really looking forward to it and I'll let you know how it goes. Sad times to be leaving the Sheep, but also exciting times ahead with Staziker Jones. I'm also moving to Bristol at the end of June, which I can't wait for. So lots of changes coming up, as is life. Thanks everyone at Black Sheep.

Turn the Tap off!

Sales are going well for my t-shirt on Teepay.com. I need another 11 sales for it to go to print, spread the word if you know anyone who is passionate about saving water, energy and the environment. Click here to buy and view the t-shirt!

Toblerone Bear logo

I have never really looked at the Toblerone logo before, it's just an image of the Swiss Alps. How wrong I was. The chocolate, most famous for being the standard chocolate along with a chocolate orange to receive at Christmas time, has a hidden surprise in it's logo. Toblerone originated in Bern, a city whose name supposedly means City of Bears. Now look closely at the logo and you'll find a bear.

Don’t turn it off!

 

Another entertaining and considered article today by Charlie Brooker (you can read the whole thing here), really enjoy his column in the Guardian. His most recent musings were on the BNP’s latest political broadcast; unfortunately (I think) I missed the production but thought it was worth a viewing considering Brooker’s assessment. And the fact that he described designers as having a “thoughtful and inquisitive nature”. 

He described the graphics that accompanied the BNP’s ad as “gaudy and cheap, like a bad pizza menu”, a perfect description I think. The production value is terrible, and like Brooker says, if the BNP were the greatest British party, they’d have the greatest designers working with them, but they don’t.

The whole thing is pretty awful, from the scripts and sound quality to the colour combinations and graphics… god knows what the little blue men represent! It’s pretty shoddy, summed up by the opening line by Nick Griffin… please, please, please “don’t turn it off”. If racism and bigotry isn’t enough to make most people turn off, I don’t know what is. See what you think.

Sch… you know who

Loving the current campaign for Schweppes, inspired by 18^th century artist William Hogarth, they are releasing a new advert every 2 weeks. Creative agency Mother London is behind the campaign, a continuation of Schweppes history of satirizing current affairs. David Hopkins is responsible for the illustrations. Awesome.