All 8 entries tagged All Things Graphical

R.I.P. Weather symbols

Writing about web page http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/4550703.stm

Weather Symbols have disappeared from BBC TV forecasts for good, causing a depression to form among fans of the traditional yellow sun and fluffy cloud.

So, new technology ushers in a new era in weather forecasting. Apparently, audience research showed that people found the symbols 'old fashioned' and 'boring'. I guess even weather forecasting has to move on with the times, but personally I have always liked the symbols, finding them clear and easy to understand, strangely comforting even if inaccurate! They have always had a slight authoritarian tone too which I have always associated, somewhat reassuringly, with the BBC.

: 16 May 2005 11:36 |  Tags: All Things Graphical |  Comments (9) |  Close comments |  Report a problem

Warwick Blogs in the Guardian

As John has drawn attention to in a recent post, todays G2 supplement carries an article about Warwick Blogs.

There is a scanned version of the article in here ,and although its probably easier to read in the on-line version, this shows the layout and inclusion of one of the poster graphics, which is somewhat pleasing to see in a national newspaper! The back page contains an image of another of the posters also.

: 05 May 2005 17:14 |  Tags: All Things Graphical |  Comments (3) |  Close comments |  Report a problem

MacWorld Conference @ MaxExpo 2004

The MacWorld "Conference Seminars" were held at the Design Business Centre alongside MacExpo 2004 on the 18 and 19th November. Adobe software is now pretty much ubiquitous, and such seminars are a good opportunity to get some fresh inspiration and see commercial designer and artists 'in action'.

The first session: 'Digital Art Masterclass' featured digital artist Jose Villarubia some of his work and talking the group through his techniques and artistic sources. The work he showed was generally sourced photographically, illustrative and derived from classical sources. His tecnhique is generally quite simply, advocating the use of a small number of layers, focusing on atmosphere and emotion. Other work he showed was the colorization of line artwork for comics, also interesting to see the way in which he builds up mood and character through the use of colour and lighting.

The second session: 'Digital Design Agency' was run by members of the Illustration design agency 741, looking at the concepts, best practices, tools and techniques behind some their recent work. They are a multi-disciplinary agency consisting of a wide group of illustrators with varied skill sets, some working mainly in Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop. It was this harmony between Illustrator and Photoshop that I was most interested to see. The tendency seems to be to work pretty much as I do: using PS to composite and as the dominant package, but Illustrator/Freehand where a cleaner, sharper vector result is needed. The illustration work was shown by four different members of the group, ranging from painterly styles through to calligraphy. I was slighty dissapointed that the artist who works pre-dominantly with vector-based linear work wasn't there, it would have been interesting to see him build up his artwork from scratch. However, the other members of 741 demonstrated their processes in a humourous and engaging manner and it was good to pick up tips and tricks.

A very crowed MacExpo was also a chance to browse through a well stocked book shop, to see the latest G5 a bit closer up and to see other Adobe products demonstrated.

: 22 Nov 2004 12:48 |  Tags: All Things Graphical |  Comments (0) |  Close comments |  Report a problem

Harnessing the power of red

Flicking yesterday evening between the US election coverage on CNN, Sky TV and BBC 24, (yes, sad I know) I couldn't help noticing how similar the screen graphics were. Basically, all contained shots of both men (not unpredictable), with large sections of red with white and black text. News updates flash across the screen usually with white text reversed out on a white background. This is reflected on the websites too. The predominant colours on the BBC 24 homepage are red and black, the CNN site has its main heading in red, with dark blue.

Working with colour all day as I do, such details can't escape my notice. I suppose that red brings a sense of drama and immediacy and grabs the attention in a way that other colours simply do not. In Britain the colour red also has a traditional political connotation of its own.

Red seems to be intrinsically encoded with a sense of immediacy, boldness drama and even danger. Red makes a visual statement that cannot be ignored. What is the origin of this? Maybe it is derived from nature, from the colour of blood. Wherever it derives its influence, its seems to be universal.

Interestingly enough, Mugabe has banned the colour red TV in Zimbabwe because it is the symbol of the opposition. Clearly he has taken the power of association very seriously.

: 03 Nov 2004 11:08 |  Tags: All Things Graphical |  Comments (1) |  Close comments |  Report a problem

You'll be under my wheels: BMW Series 1

Writing about web page http://www.theonly1.co.uk

I am really struck by the originality and creativity of the new BMW Series 1 screen advert, which stand out from current automotive advertising. Its probably one of those ads that evokes a strong reaction in one of two directions. The strong visuals revolving around a kaleidoscope depicting a turtle, a girl on a tricycle or a donkey are really memorable, working in almost perfect synchronization with the music. Its is especially powerful on a huge cinema screen. The sound track is Prodigy: You'll be under my wheels.

I can't find a copy of it anywhere on-line but apparently the ad was put together in-house and not by an advertising agency – I like that. Great design isn't only in the hands of designers sitting in converted warehouses. If anyone has a promotional cd or knows where I can find it on-line, please let me know!

: 12 Oct 2004 15:00 |  Tags: All Things Graphical |  Comments (17) |  Close comments |  Report a problem

Blog: the brand

I will be working on a bunch of marketing and publicity ideas for the 'blog' brand at Warwick over the coming weeks. (I know, I get all the fun jobs!). I am at the brainstorming, oops, mindmapping stage at the moment, generating ideas and concepts.

I am interested in coming up with a definiton for 'blog', especially since it is a relatively new term. This might (or might not be) used in any branding ideas. Heres one I have concocted from various sources (no originality claimed) and am interested in any others. It sounds a bit emotionless at the moment so if anyone is inspired….

Blog: short term for weblog, a personal journal that is frequently updated and viewable by others.

: 15 Jun 2004 15:58 |  Tags: All Things Graphical |  Comments (2) |  Close comments |  Report a problem

Poppy power

Follow-up to Sunday poppy from Hannah's handbag

Its amazing how similar this poppy image is to the one I took the other day. I suppose its not really that surprising though – it is poppy season!

: 28 May 2004 15:27 |  Tags: All Things Graphical |  Comments (0) |  Close comments |  Report a problem

Adobe Live Conference

I spent yesterday at the Adobe Live Conference at Olympia. It was a really worthwhile day showcasing the (newish) Abobe CS suite. I attended seminars on digital video, print and web publishing and proffessional digital photography. The integratation between applications (which were once designed and used in isolation) is really developing in leaps and bounds, and Photoshop just gets better all the time.

Demonstrations showed how Premiere Pro, After Effects, Encore DVD and Abobe Audition (sound editing) create a seamless and intuitve work flow, with tonnes of pre-set features for editing.

Its always good to pick up tips on current software and to see the new upgrades showcased by the leading lights of the design and animation industry. I was able to learn more about the RAW file formats for digital SLR photography, and amazed to learn just how much control Photoshop CS offers to the RAW digital format.

There was even time for a spot of shopping in Oxford St at the end of the day!

: 28 May 2004 09:47 |  Tags: All Things Graphical |  Comments (0) |  Close comments |  Report a problem