Francesca Bennett's Blog

Thornback and peel

2010-03-25T14:02:00.001-07:00

A website with some really lovely products on it!

www.thornbackandpeel.co.uk

Slightly price but the jelly and cake wallpaper is a favourite

Back to Blog

2010-03-25T13:57:00.000-07:00

Its been a while but i've been super inspired recently so going to start up the blog again.....

Lovely Letter Press

2009-09-01T05:27:00.000-07:00

The thing I love most about letterpress is the tactile quality it brings to the design. It can instantly bring life to something so flat, and works well whether its just type, just graphics or an elaborate combination of them both. Here are some of my favourite found while browsing the web

Portfolio Shout Out

2009-08-15T18:01:00.000-07:00

As University has come to an end, and everyone begins their separate endeavors its time to get your work out there, and as a designer theres only one sure way to go....Online portfolio! While I too have been working hard on my own website www.francescabennett.com, here are some of my friends websites. They all have some great work on there and are definitely worth a browse through. So to name a few...

www.lindseycull.com
chrisbelldesign.squarespace.com/portfolio
www.ariella-mostkoff.com
www.morganslavens.com
www.becciedeighton.co.uk
www.amykett.com
www.amandaheggland.com
www.anthonyjohnsmith.co.uk

Coins

2009-05-28T07:26:00.000-07:00

I have to say even though these coins have been in circulation a while it was not until recently when they won a D&AD that I came across them. Designed by Matthew Dent a London based Graphic Designer to replace the current designs which have been in circulation for about 40 years, they are a simple sleek deign which incorporates tradition in a contemporary context. Very nice.

Topshop NewYork

2009-04-12T09:40:00.000-07:00

Topshop has opened its first American store in its shopping capital, New York. They have gone all out with the funky innovative interior, keeping a strong British motif throughout the design concept and used Kate Moss a great British Icon to launch the great British Iconic Brand of Topshop. Simply sublime!

Pepsi Rebrand

2008-12-01T10:21:00.000-08:00

This rebrand has been done by Arnell Group in a bid to update and reflect the brand by tweaking the logo to look like its a smile/grin. Personally I am unsure of the logo, initially to me it looks like it has been butchered, maybe just because I am used to the more symmetrical predecessor. Pepsi has always had a strong brand but has constantly found itself battling with CocaCola perhaps this is its latest efforts in the battle!?

Alison Charmichael

2008-11-28T11:53:00.000-08:00

I have recently discovered the work of Alison Charmichael, I realise I may be somewhat behind on jumping on the bandwagon for this successful 'Handlettering Artist' but none the less I thought I would share.

Some of her work is clever, some commercial, but all if beautifully crafted. For more of her work visit her website www.alisoncarmichael.com it has become a favourite of mine.

Thoughtful Ballet Poster

2008-10-12T04:56:00.000-07:00

This is such a great little poster, simple clever and eye catching. Would have been cool to see maybe a few more layers so it doesn't diminish quite so quickly. Although maybe that would have made it to complicated!

Kate Moss is Golden

2008-10-10T07:35:00.000-07:00

This 50kg, £1.5 million gold statue of Kate Moss was recently unveiled at the British Museum in London. The statue, entitled 'Siren', is by artist Marc Quinn and is said to be the largest gold statue created since Ancient Egyptian times. The gold statue is of the supermodel in a yoga pose and joins a series of contemporary sculptures in the exhibition, called Statuephilia, with the works intermingling amid pieces from the museum's permanent collections.

Perhaps most interestingly it has been described by the British Museum as an "Aphrodite of our times", Moss' statue sits alongside sculptures of famous Greek beauties in the Museum's Nereid Gallery. An interesting concept that a drug and alcoholic addicted frightfully skinny supermodel, however pretty she may be has been immortalised a modern gold goddess statue.

Illustrator 88

2008-09-30T09:02:00.000-07:00

After my recent rant about Adobe releasing CS4 only 2 months after I finally got CS3, my teacher at UF told me that he used to use Illustrator 88, so I had a look on YouTube and found this.

Its hard to believe how far we've come n such a short time. Now we live in age where we get frustrated if it takes more than 3 seconds for a website to load I cant imagine not having this high tech software, however I having witnessed the progression from Illustrator 88 to now it makes me appreciate it a little more.

Ikea Advertising

2008-09-28T12:29:00.001-07:00

Ikea take their products to the street in different cities to show how a few simple items can brighten up a space!

Shipping Container Houses

2008-09-28T09:38:00.000-07:00

In July 2007, three Americans formed PFNC Global Communities -- PFNC stands for "Por Fin, Nuestra Casa," which roughly translates as "Finally, our own home." The company makes the homes you see above out of inexpensive, readily available, shipping containers. Their goal is to provide affordable housing for some of the poorest in Cuidad Juarez, Mexico. These poor now live in houses made of scraps of paper and tin. PFNC wants factories who employ these people to offer homes as part of workers' benefits. What a great Idea, at the state of our housing market right now, we could probably do with a few over here to house all the people whose real houses have been repossessed.

Plant Drip

2008-09-28T08:51:00.000-07:00

I bought a plant for my room nearly two weeks ago and haven't watered it once yet. I clearly need this! I guess it would also be practical for plant lovers who go on holiday, no need to give the neighbours a Key anymore! Maybe this idea could be used to feed your pets aswell?

When logos Look alike

2008-09-23T10:10:00.000-07:00

This is a great article of a cool website

check it out

http://www.logodesignlove.com/similar-original-logos

Battle of the Supermarkets

2008-09-20T10:59:00.000-07:00

Sainsbury's feed four for a fiver.

M&S 2 dine for 10.

With the credit crunch here super markets are doing their bit to help you save money. It seems they all are, Saisburys, M&S and even Aldi has a new Commercial out with a chef making a meal on a budget. Seems theres a lot more choice that just beans on toast if your on a budget!

Battery Sculpture

2008-09-18T09:39:00.000-07:00

This reminded me of the Sound Wave I posted about before. It is a collection of small used object that has been created into one large sculpture, it is intriguing to look at and a useful solution to getting rid of old batteries.

Super Kingdom

2008-09-18T09:28:00.000-07:00

'Super kingdom' by london fieldworks is based on research of animal hibernation patterns in england's
king’s wood forest. Designed by artists these are an unusual take on your average bird house.

Adobe CS4

2008-09-15T08:57:00.000-07:00

Adobe has announced the newest incarnation of their suite of industry-standard design software. CS4 is scheduled to launch in early November, 18 months after CS3 hit the market, and 2 moths after I finally got it on my computer! Annoying! Although the packaging is devine!

Fuck the rain

2008-09-14T09:16:00.000-07:00

After spending a year in sunny Florida, this is my answer to the British Weather!

Flower Tower

2008-09-13T08:25:00.000-07:00

This building In Paris known as Flower Tower os wrapped in an outer layer of bamboo, becoming a vertical urban garden. Designed by Paris-based architect Edouard Francois' this unique building draws attention to the tower-block and mimics the Parisians use of apartment balconies for Flower pots and baskets!

Sound Wave

2008-09-12T10:20:00.000-07:00

"Sound Wave" (2007) by Jean Shin

Fun Food

2008-09-12T10:17:00.000-07:00

I wish my pack lunch used to look like this. These a Japanese bento boxes. They are crafted so well, I wouldn't want to ruin the design by eating it.

Paul Rand Tribute

2008-09-12T10:08:00.000-07:00

A video in tribute to the Iconic designer Paul Rand

http://www.oneclub.org/downloads/podcasts/0058_PaulRandTribute.m4v

Everything he says in this video is so meaningful and relevant and I Love his quote "Don't try to be original just try to be good". So many people try to be the first or only person to create a design just so the can be original that they loose sight of what the purpose is!

Vintage Photography

2008-09-11T07:54:00.000-07:00

After watching a documentary on the famous 60's photographer Lord Snowdon (Princess Margret's ex-husband) I began searching for vintage photography, I cam across these rather nice ones on fffound.com

Type Camp

2008-09-08T20:14:00.000-07:00

Seriously Check this out http://www.typecamp.org/ its a place where you go for about a week with other people interested in typeography and learn about, design, critique, draw, talk and analyze about typography. The projects, the campers, and the instructors change every year so its always different!

Drink Driving

2008-09-08T11:08:00.000-07:00

This is a great use of ambient media for drink driving. Recently Drink Aware has stepped up its campaigns for promoting the awareness of the consequences of drink driving! This certainly gets my attention!

Burger Logo

2008-09-08T10:12:00.000-07:00

Neat logo. Self explanatory.

Golden T-shirt

2008-09-08T09:42:00.000-07:00

After learning about the golden section in Design theory, this T-shirt made me laugh, I wonder how many people would understand it though?

See-Saw shelf

2008-09-05T14:05:00.000-07:00

This past year I have got really into books and accumulated quite a few, while searching for a new book shelf to house all of these new books I cam across this amazing seesaw bookshelf, unfortunately I don't have enough room to to put it anywhere. Maybe one day.

Scrabble cushions!

2008-09-03T10:09:00.000-07:00

A very cool Idea to use cushions as scrabble pieces, maybe they could get a bit more creative with what they spell out. I would buy them!

Shower Gel Dispenser

2008-09-03T10:01:00.000-07:00

I like this shower gel dispenser, even if it is a little immature, I think it would be a good talking point when you had guest staying the night.

Sleek Calendar

2008-09-02T08:58:00.000-07:00

I think this is a really sleek simple design for a calendar, it brings back the original purpose of knowing the date instead of it being a 12 page poster book!

Animal match boxes

2008-09-02T06:53:00.000-07:00

I love these little illustration match box covers designed by Cruz Novillo + Olmos. The matchboxes feature an illustration of an animal for each letter of the alphabet. They are so small and cute proving big is not always better!

V+A buys Rolling Stones logo

2008-09-01T08:18:00.000-07:00

I heard on the News today that The Victoria and Albert Museum have purchased the Iconic Rolling Stones Logo for nearly $100,000. Apparently the logo was designed by a young design student after the band hadn't liked any other suggestions by its record company.

Olympic Stadium

2008-08-24T09:21:00.000-07:00

I have been watching a lot of Beijing 2008 Olympics and have been taken back by a lot of the quality and design produced for this event. However by far the most superior piece of design is the National stadium which cost over £200 million and is the largest steel structure! It was designed by a Swiss architecture firm especially for Beijing 2008 and has been commonly referred to as the Birds Nest.

Type Systems

2008-08-21T11:38:00.000-07:00

These were sent to me by a teacher this year in Florida, and are great to see different ways of arranging type!

Some dynamic, some systematic.

American Smile

2008-08-17T10:33:00.000-07:00

I loved this little logo of the classic smilie face with america as its smile. I miss studying abroad there and this definitely put a smile on my face! I think it was done by someone at Pentagram although I'm not sure what for!

Peugeot Shop

2008-08-14T07:32:00.000-07:00

A car show room with a difference...

In paris along the champs alysse are an array of glamorous shops, this one however caught my eye. It was a Peugeot shop which sold peugeot branded items and displayed some elaborately decorated cars....maybe for the female market!!

Cool Chairs

2008-08-08T18:50:00.000-07:00

Philippe Starck had some great chairs on exhibit...loads of them.

I Liked them so much i checked out his website www.philippe-starck.com to see more of them! The best thing is he designs loads of cool stuff from lamps to lemon juicers to tap all of it so sleek and....expensive!!

Centre Pompidou

2008-08-08T18:46:00.000-07:00

This modern art gallery in Paris is a master piece itself. Its bold modern glass front juxtaposed with the elegant historic building surrounding it was enough to draw me inside!

Blank page Syndrome?!?!

2008-08-08T06:59:00.000-07:00

A great but useless gift found in the Pompidou gift shop.....

Literally a book of black pages...just like the cover states!

Bling

2008-08-04T19:08:00.000-07:00

I first came across this water in a designer department store in Paris last week and was drawn to the packaging from afar! However as I got nearer and realised it was just another brand of bottled water I was outraged that they were charging 35 euros for it! After our second year project on promoting tap water this is definitely an example of paying for the packaging! As lovely as the packing is I think you would not only have to be rich but also stupid to but this!

Business cards that stand out!

2008-08-04T11:47:00.000-07:00

Business cards with a twist, these are some great examples of tonnes of business cards I found while looking for inspiration! Each has that element of creativity relative to the purpose they are promoting!

Nice....Car

2008-08-04T11:33:00.000-07:00

FHM using a car bonnet to get some attention, hopefully won't distract attentions people too much on the road while they are driving!

Carrier Bags!

2008-08-03T14:30:00.000-07:00

Much like the use of media on buses I posted last month, these bags are a great use of media space in an unusual way! It really catches your attention!

Leo Burnett Website

2008-08-03T13:16:00.000-07:00

Great concept for a creative website and a fun navigation system!

Check it out www.leoburnett.ca

Cupcake Clutch

2008-08-03T11:11:00.000-07:00

Bags Don't get much better than this...

A Pencil Ruler

2008-08-03T11:02:00.000-07:00

I was given one of these at the pub quiz on sunday

Now this would be handy for a designer 2 tools in one!

Engrish.com

2008-08-03T10:59:00.000-07:00

You must visit this website....It show lots of bad and funny translations of Chinese into English

These are just some examples, the web site will have you in stitches for hours!

Whats Worse than a Banana?

2008-08-03T10:56:00.000-07:00

A squashed banana.....

Now thats a good solution!

Wall-e Keep Britain Tidy

2008-08-03T10:34:00.000-07:00

In relation to my post about walle I came across the keep Britain Tidy campaign today. Encourage people to follow Wall-e's example and clean up the world. A nice joint venture to set an example to kids and the need to recycle!ad

Tate - Street Art

2008-08-02T11:37:00.000-07:00

An exhibitions with a twist at the tate, this street art is featured on the 'outside' walls of the tate modern! It is really cool and a must see this summer!

Smoking Gun!!!!!

2008-08-02T09:23:00.000-07:00

Now I don't smoke but if i did, this would be the way I would do it!

Hidden Type

2008-08-01T10:40:00.000-07:00

In the parks leading up to the Castle in Barcelona I found some giant type hidden in the bushes, all it said was "A-Z"!

Barcelona Exhibition

2008-08-01T10:30:00.000-07:00

These cool images and more were on exhibit shortly after I left Barcelona but I was so taken back with the ones I did see I had to share!

Litchenstien Sculpture

2008-08-01T10:15:00.000-07:00

This cool Litchenstien sculpture has been inspired by Goudy Barcelona most favoured artist! He uses metallisc and ceramics to mimic Goudy's style seen through out the rest of Barcelona!

Smile in the Mind

2008-08-01T10:07:00.001-07:00

A really nice book with some lovely designs in. One of those inspiration book when you get a little stuck.

Barcelona Beach Sign

2008-08-01T10:07:00.000-07:00

Recently while on a beach In Barcelona they had these really cool signs, maybe because they were so different and stood out people would take notice of them, instead of blending into the background like most sings do....now if Only i could understand what it says!

Gift Card

2008-08-01T09:58:00.000-07:00

A unique and cool pizza gift card box from the American restaurant famous for its delicious pizzas!

Wall-e

2008-07-29T10:54:00.000-07:00

I had no intention of actually seeing this film until I was dragged along to it because there was nothing else on at the Cinema. However I was pleasantly surprised. It was a slow start to what I couldn't quite believe was a disney production. No need to say the Pixar graphics were faultless but the story line was one beyond what Disney normally throws out. It saw humans abandon the earth which they had turned into a giant dumping ground, leaving robots to clean up the mess (ie Wall-e) while they to circle in space a ship on a giant vacation. The cruise space ship offers all the humans needs taken care of by robots and it seem that in the production of hover chairs nobody walks any more and everyone is fat. Every one is also too lazy to eat food and consequently takes their food as a drink they can sip through a straw. People communicate only electronically on a screen and are completely oblivious to the what goes on around them. UNTIL life on earth is detected and its time to finally go home!!!

I'm surprised at how relevant this story is to how our planet is heading now! And apparently it no coincidence! A friend informed me that On the Toy Story box set DVD extras They talk about their idea for Wall-e but decided it would have more impact to hold production until the right time, when people realised just how relevant it is.

Go Elephants!

2008-07-15T19:37:00.000-07:00

Here are a couple of the elephants that can be seen around my local town of Norwich!

Go Elephants! has turned the streets, parks and public spaces of Norwich into a giant urban savannah. A herd of life-size baby elephants are currently on safari in locations across the city until 31 August before being sold at a special gala auction in September 2008. There are fifty-three different elephants each one has been decorated by an artist or community group, creating an outdoor art gallery showcasing the rich artistic talent the region has to offer.

How to use a bus creatively

2008-07-15T16:54:00.000-07:00

These are great examples of getting the most out of your media space....

I was sent these by one of my teachers in Florida a while back and thought it was some of the best use of bus advertising I have ever seen! One of those things that you wished you thought of yourself!

Type in the Sky

2008-07-11T13:10:00.000-07:00

Wow...I remember when I went to New York, all I could do was look up at the skyscrapers which created amazing shapes and reflections in one another! How ever I never saw anything like this. I love that somebody has taken the time to find these letters in the sky and I wonder how many pictures they had to take before they got the right formations. It's also a reminder to look up every once an a while!

Italic Poster

2008-07-11T12:35:00.000-07:00

I came across this rather literal poster and although I really liked it due to its quirky and obvious pun, I couldn't decide if it annoyed me that it didn't have a purpose. It was a poster telling me it was a poster, there is no other purpose for it other than its visual pun.....however it made me laugh which has to give it some sort of validation.

Art Deco Architecture

2008-07-10T11:47:00.000-07:00

Most people think that America lacks character because its so new and all the buildings are made out of concrete and look the same. After spending nearly a year there I can vouch that for the most part this is true, in Florida anyway. However on a trip to Miami's, South Beach I was struck by the amazing Art Deco style architecture. The majority of these buildings function as hotels that have been restored and modernised, some act as restaurants or bars but for about 15 blocks thats all you can see! Sleek smooth lines running up and down the buildings giving the area so much character, class and style! It was one of the most beautiful cities I have ever been in not just because of the style of the buildings, but also because of the uniqueness of the place its self! I've really never seen anything like it!

Fat Pig

2008-07-08T08:19:00.000-07:00

Fat Pig Chocolate really stood out as a simple sleek fun packaging design for the chocolate! So often small packaging looks cluttered and disorganized due to the amount of legally required information they have to put on etc. It is also nice to see something a little more modern as the brand leaders such as cadburys and galaxy and nestle have a much more tradtional approach on packaging!

Growing Creatives

2008-07-07T14:35:00.000-07:00

I have no idea if this was a TV advert, a personal project or made for some other reason, but...I love it! If only it was that easy to get the creative juices flowing!

2008-07-06T19:53:00.000-07:00

This is a cute little gift I found while searching for an anniversary present! Although it has absolutely no use and is probably over priced I thought it was simple and sentimental gesture made through design.

Controversial Copy Writing

2008-07-06T17:41:00.000-07:00

This is an advert for an american teen drama Gossip Girl. It uses an adaption of the popular abbreviation OMG (Oh My God) to portray the steamy shocking story line of the show. It caused an uproar among many, as people were shocked of the insinuation of the word 'Fucking'! Although the words its self was never said it is amazing how much controversy it caused. Whilst in America I saw a news interview with the head of marketing for the channel it is shown on who said It could mean a number of things. This got me thinking if people are angered or upset by this shouldn't they be blaming themselves for assuming that 'Fucking' is what the F stands for, or at least just accept that today swearing is common language and although adverts like these are designed on a level for the younger generation, this age group swears more than any other!

Personally I think its a really clever idea which related to the target audience and got the exposure the show wanted! I'm sure they were aware when they came up with the idea that it would raise some eyebrows, but saw it as an opportunity to gain publicity.

Feltron Annual Report

2008-07-05T11:59:00.000-07:00

This is the Annual report for Nicholas Feltron....This is not a big company but a person! It is the documentation of Feltron's Life in 2007.

Feltron is a Graphic Designer who has collected data from the last year and condensed it into an annual Report. It contains things like how many miles he travelled in the year, the percentage of actives making up an average day and many more unusual statistics!

This is a great and unusual concept which as a personal project has grown to a commercial success for Feltron as designers like myself can appreciate the graphical layout and transformation of brining the data to life. It is definitely worth checking out in print as the images on the web don't really do the whole thing justice!

Misprinted Type

2008-07-04T13:34:00.000-07:00

www.misprintedtype.com

I stumbled across this website the other day and wanted to share it with everyone! I think this is a really nice example of mixed media. This guys uses retro images with hand rendered type and drawings. Some of his pieces have strong concepts behind them, others are more for fun. However the main reason for pointing this website out was how refreshing it was to see some graphic design that hasn't been churned out solely on a computer!

Jean Kilbourne

2008-07-02T11:40:00.000-07:00

I saw this woman speak at UF and she touched on some really interesting stuff. She basically talks about women in the media and how they are objectified and the results this has on women in the real world. I'm really into this subject and looking into it for a potential dissertation topic. Sometime she comes across as a feminist and exaggerates her point a little but over all it worth taking notice.

Starbucks Logo

2008-07-02T10:01:00.000-07:00

On my visit to a Starbucks in Orlando Florida this summer, I was surprised to see a new logo for the company. On inspection of this much more traditional take on the double tailed mermaid I could not understand how I had not heard about a possible rebrand for the Company. As it turns out there is no rebrand! Merely an attempt for Starbucks to get back to its roots and show it as a established Coffee brewer! This logo is an adaption of Starbucks first ever logo (not wanting to cause a commotion with the original logo as the mermaid bared her breasts) used to convey Starbucks as a more well rounded traditional company after over 35 years of success.

The logo is being placed on cups and cup holders for a limited period of time. I can only think that Starbucks is trying to shed its Image as the Big Greedy Corporate Coffee Making Machine that puts smaller privately owned Coffee shops out of business by opening a brach up on every corner! Whether or not it will convince the people who don't like to fund the big corporations is doubtful, it may however please its existing customers to think they aren't buying into the brand but in fact a 'Classic Coffee Maker'.

Inventive Billboard

2008-06-30T11:42:00.000-07:00

This billboard is board is a great example of thinking of new ways to use an existing media! And consequently a great way to get peoples attention. Lets hope the drivers by didn't get too distracted!

The Cheese Monkeys

2008-06-20T09:27:00.000-07:00

I have just finished reading The Cheese Monkeys by Chip Kidd'. This novel is based on Kidd's real life experience of taking a Graphic Design class at university in the USA. It was a really good read and a must for and Graphic Design student.

It was easy to relate to on many levels...especially in the last chapter where Kidd and friends pulls several all nighters to try and finish his project on time, they are all so close but at the last minute someone cuts there finger with a craft knife causing blood to go everywhere, all over the work and causing a last minute rush to the hospital making them late for the last crit!

Kidd's determination for the class and underlying passion is admirable as the teacher is some what terrifying and destroys every ones work in crit, something that we can all relate to at some point or another!!!! Yet Kidd carries on as he begins to realize that Graphic Design is his calling, ironic seeing as though he only ended up in the class because there wasn't any space in the the classes he wanted to take!

Chip Kidd has also written a second book, about his first design job which I will definitely be checking out.

Welcome...What is this?

2008-05-11T07:56:00.000-07:00

Hello and welcome to my Design Blog!

Last year I was set the challenge of keeping a Blog for a Graphic Design class. However as I was jetting over to America for a Study Abroad year, It was not compulsory, needless to say exploring the beaches in the Florida sun took over as a priority and my Blog quickly diminished.

However upon my return to the UK (and most likely to the same Blog Challenge), I am eager to get a fresh start and get blogging!

Whilst spending a year in a foreign country I have managed to at least quadruple my original 2 suitcases worth of belongings that I bought over with me! As the time has come to pack up and downsize, I realised that 50% of the stuff I collect is stuff that I am attracted to as a Designer. Like not throwing away packaging for make up, tags from new clothes, gift card boxes from christmases and birthdays. Why? Because I like the feel of it or the way it looks. I rip out clever magazine adverts and collect quirky sketches that my friends make. All of this ’stuff’ is cluttering up my desk and my room and soon my life…. OK a little exaggeration. Anyway the point is, in the process of sorting out my stuff I realised that all I need to do is photograph it, Blog about it and then dispose of it. It all makes sense….I get rid of clutter, I have a permanent documentation of all the design I like, and other people get to see what inspires me ! It a win win situation!

Anyway, now you have an idea of why and what this blog is about, I hope you will stay tuned for the good stuff to come!