Hive Health

Apparently a 2 minute advert during the coveted super bowl half time slot last week has caused some controversy in the states.

I was intrigued by the article in the Metro today, mainly because the legend that is Clint Eastwood stars in it. If you missed it this morning, I have attached.

What do you think? Clever half time themed advertising or cheesy politically charged nonsense?

A couple of weeks back I went on a D&AD course called Taking Ideas for a walk. The course tutor was an extremely enthusiastic graphic designer called Malcolm Kennard, who proceeded to do the obligatory ice breakers and then talk in depth about his experiences and the ways in which he tackles a typical brief. All very enlightening, especially when he spoke about finding inspiration by observation, sometimes in the least likely places! I appreciate that going to galleries aren’t the most original places to go for inspiration, but I’d never dreamed about finding it in a Turkish bath in Budapest!

The day progressed with a number of small uni style briefs, with few restrictions and constraints but a whole lot of scope – lovely! The aim here being to get us back into that early mindset we all use to have, before the commercial world took a firm grip and creative expression became more of a challenge to channel through all the rules, regulations and pressured clients!

Our final task of the day presented us with a mop and bucket and the brief headline Work, Play and Rest! A mop and bucket already works, so it was how I reflected the latter two aspects in my creation that would be assessed. My solution is pictured above.

Being a kid for a day again was truly inspiring. Tapping back into that freedom of expression was really refreshing, and is something that I’ll be aiming to do a lot more often!

A few months back I was fortunate enough to be invited to a talk by King’s Speech set Designer Eve Stewart. Curious as hell to know how an Oscar nominated set designer goes about her work, I showed up at The Billiard Room on 33 Portland Place on the afternoon of the 6th May.

To add extra spice, The Billiard Room was the actual location where the speech therapy sessions where filmed – atmospheric distressed wall and all. On a funny note, i have since heard it is also the site of alleged “sex parties” and so-called “porn discos”.

A really insightful talk followed. Eve opened up about her inspirations and how she achieved that really distinguished wall effect using a blow torch and a canvas of water paints. However, the thing which really resonated with me was her mention of going that bit further to infuse her craft with – I can’t recall how she put it – functional emotion. Once her sets were designed, Eve would create a note or scribble that the characters may once have used – a shopping list, a letter from loved one or a reminder note about some drinks they might be hosting. She would slip this quietly into the relevant actor’s pocket. When they chanced upon it later, the realism  would absorb them further into their role and make their surroundings feel even more genuine.

Finding new ways to stretch the effectiveness of her craft seems to be another art that Eve has mastered! I guess this explains her 2 Oscar nominations.

Something both exciting and unique happened to me in 1991…….

I bought my first 12 inc record album. The band was called The Prodigy and the album was called Experience and I had managed to purchase a limited edition white sleeve special. The slick minimalist style of the cover contrasted vastly with the atmospheric colouring and transient use of typography within the inner sleeve. The music was an array of cutting edge sounds and lyrics mixed with mesmerising beats and a unique series of piano keys. Fast forward 18 years and the band are once again proving that they see design as an essential ingredient in expressing their music.

The use of animated graphics in the new video for Warriors Dance  is truly magical and inspiring….