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Design Is ...

"Design is 70% dealing with people, 3% the idea, 2% selling the idea, 2% the brief, 2% being pig headed, 1% printing, 3% eye for detail, .6% invoices, 2% coffee, .7% tracking, .1% warm glow, .6% panic, 1% 4am, .6% staring, .2% checking, 1% letting go, .8% keeping hold, .7% estimates, .3% checking, .4% proofs, .1% colour, .9% understanding, .4% marketing, 1% checking, .8% beach ball, .5% mice, .3% keynotes, .4% persuasion, .2% bragging, .5% smiling, 2% knowing when to stop."

Duane King (via viafrank)

Mooli - Soho

I've been going on mini expeditions with my friend around London. Feeling very hungry we circled Soho and sniffed out a quaint lime green hole in the wall Mooli's. The food was incredible; wholesome bites of indian wraps that come in a variety of flavours, meats and ring of fire-ness. What made it all the more interesting was the men's toilet above, and the poster that sits unassumingly amongst the the customers with a catchline of : Not to be consumed with low grade cocaine.

Beautiful

Nose Design Studio

Hello - so I thought that it was time to come out and prance around in my latest project : Nose Design Studio as a freelance designer + collaborator with other nose enthusiasts and designers. This is my mini-design consultancy with a big personality, for those who want something more daring and inspiring. Thanks to my awesome friend Lana (pictured above), I was able to brave the questioning and bewildered faces that greeted us along the way to Holland Park. The best part of my day was an 8 year old gasping and saying, "That's so cool!"

I'll be posting many photographs of where the Nose spent its day out.

Tall Paintings

Got this off the Thought Catalog, when basic physics meets cubs of gooey paint makes beautiful paintings by Holten Rower. A room of these boxes would be a fantastic addition to any trippy-seeking-hipsters.

Ali Jabbar A la Noma Bar

A friend of mine shared this awesome blog by another design blog enthusiast, Design Fetish. These are a series of minimalist portraits by a Dubai based graphic designer, Ali Jabbar.

Guju Man

Had a long break from drawing until I started up in the new year. This isn' t one of the first but its the brightest. Didn't know where I was going with this one til midway looked like a man.

Etsy Magic: Heidi Burton

In the confines of my burrow, receiving lots of loving mummy attacks and sisterly cuddles, I came across Heidi Burton, a British/Finnish Illustrator who had these beautiful Moleskin sketchbooks made for sale on Etsy. Very Simple, reminiscent of Hark a Vagrant and Quentin Blake.

Hayv Kahraman

Very reminiscent of the Persian Islamic painting, Hayv modernizes the narrative - A Sufi Swan Lake. I'm in love, it plays on many levels that I feel deeply relates to me, my culture and religion.

From her exhibition Waraq (paper) Illuminates, the three out of ten document some of her own experiences of being an immigrant traveling from her native Iraq into Sweden, Italy and the US.

Roald Dahl Note

"And above all, watch with glittering eyes the whole world around you because the greatest secrets are always hidden in the most unlikely place. Those who don't believe in magic will never find it."

Featured Work/Beautiful Sketches

I usually love going to logofromdreams.com and was lucky enough to get my stuff featured for the 30th of November! I have found some amazing artists out there that I wanna blog about and share with you all .. hopefully I'll get the chance in the coming weeks.

In other news,

for more of this magic ... secretsketches.tumblr.com

Recent Work

HR Conference Poster

Hanna Marie Hutchinson

I have been unbelievably busy over the past month and a half running from one country, one class, one printer, one job to the next and slowly climbing up the freelance ladder which I have to say is unbelievably volatile and rewarding. However.. I do get very frustrated with pitches that go so well but aren't fully appreciated. Thinking that its easy to make just like Microsoft clip art, when really the thought process is a lot more enriched and reflective.

In super news, one of my old clients HMH is launching nationwide next year. Cheers to you, Hanna.

Ahlan Online

After Yahoo's fruitful takover of Maktoob blogs, Google decided to take the initiative and do a series of online arabic infomercials for the Arab Peninsula. As 5 of the top ten bloggers in the world hailed from the Middle East with a whooping of 2.3 million visitors a day, the initiative is to skew the Arabian market towards Google as a portal for all members of the family, the dominant demographic with spending power.

Small is the Future; Mirco-Designomics of our Industry

Small design agencies are popping up globally and are fast changing the business model that the creative industry once thrived on. With no more than 3 - 4 designers & a network of freelancers at their fingertips big companies are turning their backs on retainer fees and nabbing the small but fortified design studios.

Why would anyone use small businesses you may ask? Well, why not when they are highly adaptable to current trends, flexible enough to explore other market opportunities beyond their own borders when the markets are stalling. More cost effective as it eliminates expensive office spaces, hiring in regional MD's to manage the studio. Equipped with a tiny army of freelancers who have their ear to the ground and are closer to the mindset of the target market segments. It could prove to be a fatal blow if agencies cease to change their strategy in the future.

Don't believe it? Just look at their increasing numbers.

Major Ad Agencies are in the red with no speedy recovery on the way anytime soon. With running a company costing them five to six figures a day with very few contracts to go around it's getting harder to justify the logic of signing invoices in the millions. The no none sense guillotining of designers in the recent economic fallout have fueled smaller studios with manpower and connection they needed to be one step ahead of the competition. There's another unsuspecting added pressure; Creative Crowd sourcing. With Threadless, Design by Humans even 4chan emerging as pioneers in this market it's hard to ignore that consumers have more control on what's being produced. Creative Crowd Sourcing involves a lot of people sending ideas or designs to a hub site and are able to refine those concepts with crowd feedback or 'collective intelligence ' and have their ideas up for scrutiny, praise, fame and possibly theft. The downfall of crowd sourcing aside from the fact that they are in the public domain is that they step toes on private launches which could tip off your competitors with your design strategy. Cue small design studios.

Where are these hidden gems? Well for starters they are spread across continents strung together by their networks of designer, photographer friends and fans. Incestuously teaming with other small studios making collaborations as we all know can be wildly magical. Pogo is one of the smallest and hottest design boutiques in the heart of Buenos Aires with clients like MTV, Reebok, Adidas and Motorola they have a proven track record that some of the best things in life come in small packages.

Long gone are the days of the big bad corporations with their die-cast solutions, expensive tweaks, mediocre salaries and zero recognition. With clients and marketing managers getting savvier on the design front, they are demanding innovation. Dismantling the formal relationship that governed Client and Designer into a collaborative effort between two co-workers. This keeps both portfolios and branding healthy.

It's not to say that big agencies don't use freelancers successfully, it's the lack of engagement between designer and client that could falter in the long run. There is the possibility of breaking down the competitive walls and working with other like-minded studios/freelancers instead of working behind the scenes. A symbiotic relationship where agencies and studios can work together, filling the gaps where needed. Realistically, it's not just fiercely competitive on the conceptual end but also with other important factors that include financing, strategy and delivering on a large scale.

Big Companies get caught up with the profit margins so they don't innovate, and the small companies can only survive if they do. The Corporations can catch the wave should they become the element that feeds small studio boom and that in turn would create a force to be reckoned with, even if the organisations don't want to recognize that now. There is an underground community clawing it's way upward to the light of day. With all this coming off of the worst economic crisis in history, it is apparent that designers are taking their fates into their hands and making work what they dreamed it to be : their own.

Polymer Paintings

Meredith Dittmar is insanely skilled having made these mini sculptures out of polymer clay. The depth and detail is phenomenal.

MADE by UCA

Poster Design and Credits : MA Show Design Team, Christina Sinn

I met my students a year ago randomly at a party, little did I know that I would end up teaching them all the way 'til the end. Sadly, in three weeks time they will all disperse into their creative destinies.

In celebration, we are putting up MADE by UCA to showcase their design journies and discoveries over a manic year of abrasive and unapologetic mastery of their chosen fields. What else could you expect from these guys when Carluccio's, Bacco, Rubicon, WHSmith marketing directors and owners are going to come down and see their branding come to life.

Here's an open invitation to everyone to come on down to Epsom between the 6th and the 10th of September. Private View is on the 6th, Industry giants are welcomed on the 8th.

Shanab - (moustache)

Came across this nifty poster for a Kuwaiti movie, Shanab designed by Talal Obeid. I've scouted the internet for a trailer (good idea to get noticed) but the DVD is available via their facebook group - hoping that this style of illustration was used (it would be great, hint frigging hint)

Hezbollah hires Designers! A New Niche Market

Top Left : Swanky Arabic Type

Flowey Israeli Flag

Nice illustration of a Spy Plane

Jazzed Up Arabic Type for Each Segment of the Program

The reputation of graphic designers has been in limbo, for the fortunate few, prestigious internships and jobs, for lots of others starbucks has helped some of us keep afloat during the hardest two years outta uni.

Tonight marked Hassan Nasrallah's news conference propaganda speculation on implicating Israel for assassinating the late Lebanese President, Rafiq Al Hariri.

I was busy on a job when I suddenly heard some cheap sample horror music playing. I stopped. I looked up and my jaw dropped. It never occurred to me: Terrorist Hire Graphic Designers.

When the economy is down, money is tight - well ! Some people are always looking - just depends on where you look. Be more resourceful! The poster must of said : Hezbollah Recruiting! The pansy hipsters went in and the only thing they were good for ? Motion Graphics and Design.

We either work at Starbucks or for Extremists. Kill me now!

What the F*** would the brief look like ? Make it scary on a budget with a modern typeface.

Whats even worse is that they had cool graphics introduce each segment of his 'evidence' WITH GOOGLE MAP TECHNOLOGY!

To be honest I think they could get away with using Music with royalities for free. How the hell would you sue?

They even had cute little Spy Plane illustrations, and a small nifty Israel flag at the corner of a traitors photograph. Aww. Nice 'personal' touch.

Since a lot of it is very similar to Al Jazeera's basic news layout, could it be their design time behind the whole propaganda design?

I'm just wondering, how did they set up meetings and a full dress rehersal? I'm dead curious - will other groups and terrorist alike be jealous of their swanky up do and hire the same company/designers?

Wait .. is there a network of, Fugitive Designers?! Fu-giners (sounds awful).

Have a little pride people! Turn down that fascist brief!

Kuwait : Class of 1990

Wow. It has been forever since the Gulf war, I was 6 at the time when it happened, and I can not stress enough how it has changed my life and shaped me as a person. Here is an amazing documentary made by a fellow NES student trying to piece together her class that was separated by the occupation.

Yeti Laptop Sleeve

If your money is burning a major hole in your pocket you could turn your addiction to Etsy, where laptop sleeves are decorated with shocked road kill-esque squirrels, Blimps and Yetis, the Brokesy maybe for you.