Sand Sculptors

I recently came across an article in an inflight magazine which talked about the art of sand sculptors. Every summer many sculptors all over Europe settle on the beaches in Germany, Denmark, the Netherlands, France and Portugal to create temporary wonders that last for a few weeks, months or only a couple of days. Having read the article I was totally taken back by such a technique. I wanted to find out where it took place and how they constructed such incredible sculptures. It is one of the most beautiful things that you can see. Every year on holiday I try to build a castle or a race car, but after researching this topic I might attempt a tougher challenge. As a designer this type of sculpture has taught me to look at the simple materials around me to create great designs.
How to create a Sand Sculpture-

In order to create something like this you can't use any old sand. Professionals select their sand carefully (it must have some clay in it to bind the grains together). The sand is then pressed and shaped into large blocks, which are piled up like bricks to the right height. Then the really tricky part begins: starting from the top, the scultor shapes the sand using all sorts of tools, from trowels to kitchen spoons.

Picture House- Film, Art and Design Exhibition at Belsay, Newcastle

On a recent trip to Newcastle I visited the new exhibition at Belsay Hall. A group of 15 artists, designers and performers were commissioned to respond to the atmospheric rooms of Belsay. The property itself is the subject of this event, which spanned from the cellars to the first floor of the hall, the castle and also the gardens. The exhibition consisted of a wonderful, theatrical and eclectic mix of sound, visual, moving image and strange goings-on. This allowed the viewer to engage in what it would have been like to live in the Hall when the Middleton family occupied it since the 12th century.

Below are a selection of photos that capture some of the most powerful and innovative scenary during my visit.

This photo was taken in the New Dining room. On entering the room the visitor sees a strange, coffin-like structure upon which sits a pair of servant's shoes. Through an eyehole embedded at the back of the shoe coffin you see a film that traces the subjective journey made by the servant's sole. However what the eye sees and the ear hears are only the footsteps themselves that have been left impronted in time's dust.

A picture taken in the Housekeeper's Room, the artist here tries to convey a sense of domestic routine- the daily struggle to heat the house, to dust and banish cobwebs. As you walk through the room a poem is spoken which weaves together the fragmentary recollections of those who worked in the house, whose lives were shaped by domestic routines, while trying to both evoke and absorb the elemental loss of this experience and memory from the heart of Belsay Hall.


Fashion duo Viktor and Rolf loved the elegance of the pillar hall at Belsay. In this picture they tried to mimic the statues that had once been positioned between the iconic pillars. Viktor and Rolf's bridal gown, dipped in real silver, stands proud within the centre pillar hall claiming its presence within Belsay's severity. Romantic and visually arresting the wedding dress seems to freeze a moment in time. This reminded me of the old Dutch tradition of dipping a baby's shoe in silver as a reminder of something beautiful and precious.

This picture was taken within the bedroom of Kitty Middleton. The dreams of a young girl inhabits this room. Longing for love and romance, her childhood world dissolves into social connections, potential husbands and family obligations. The artistic vision is exceptional and the presence, atmosphere and emptiness of the room is filled with memories which are both imagined and real.

The picture here is taken within the Estate Office. The artist felt a lack of presence within the room which needed to resolved and resulted in a that work that deals with memory and perception and how spaces can be affected by what has happened in them over time. As the viewer approaches the 'history mirror', the traces of previous visitors appear on its surface. What appears to be an empty room when entered seems to be now inhibited by others. Connected now by a group of strangers, one becomes part of the room's history for others to discover in the future.

£20 Note

The new £20 note greeted me with an element of surprise as it was dispersed out of the cash machine. With very little publicity surrounding its launch, its was almost slipped into circulation without anyone really noticing it.
It is the first time that the Bank of England has outsourced the design of a banknote and, thankfully, De La Rue Currency has created a contemporary note that successfully maintains the reserved nature of British currency design.
Ultimately, the design feels limited, but attention to detail has not been sacrificed for the enhanced security features. The regal purple hues, traditional fonts and intricate illustrations remain, yet the note has a refreshingly modern look and feel, though from the small yellow circles to the contemporary '£20' watermark font, the similarity to the Euro design is undeniable.
Disappointingly, introducing a contemporary image of the Queen did not form part of the revamp, which is odd considering the publicity surrounding her 80th birthday last year. On the reverse, Elgar has been replaced by economist Adam Smith.
Overall, this is an impressive design that retains tradition yet re-establishes sterling's position at the forefront of banknote design.

Why do I find the Apple brand so powerful?

Apple in my opinion is a truly unique brand. Every face of the business conveys the brands values of smoothness, quality, innovation and beautiful design. This ranges from its advertisements, products, product packaging, website design, store layouts and promotional campaigns.
The brand globally has brought warmth and passion to people who are incurious to technical products. This is due to the brands emotional connection with its customers, in which it establishes a deep, long lasting relationship. Apple achieves this emotional bond with its customers by projecting a humanistic corporate culture. Its founding ethos was power to the people through technology, and it remains committed to computers in education. The company has created a connection between the customer and brand which seems almost ‘heartfelt’. By purchasing Apple products customers feel as if they are becoming part of the brand. This creates a loyalty and trust between the brand and the customer that is very much more than a business relationship. Having created a unique verbal and visual language and a human like connection with its customers this is why I feel Apple is a great and successful brand.

Is the Big Brother Eye the perfect logo?

You could look at the Big Brothers eye as being the perfect logo. Immediately when seeing the eye you know what the show is about without any words needing to be said. It is perfect also in the sense that it can be reborn each year to communicate the different theme behind each new series.
This is extremely needed for a show that reinvents itself each year, while at the same time remaining very much the same. The audience know that they will be watching a bunch of muppets running around a well designed box, but the producers are very smart as they select a group of muppets that will be considerably different to what was watched the year before.
So what does this years eye promise? It immediately makes me think that Big Brother will have an extremely complicated post-modern gag about television itself entwined within it. This is due to the colours being used and replicated in the design.

'Go to Work on an Egg'

The British Egg Marketing Board have recently tried re-releasing the 'Go to Work on an Egg' advertisement in celebration of it being 50 years of British Lion Eggs. However the ad has been banned by the advertising watchdog, Ofcom for going against the principle of a varied diet. This decision has hit the media headlines and made me want to look into why so many people are disappointed not to be able to see this advertisement once again screened on television. Therefore I have decided to research this famous ad and see what it achieved and how it achieved it.

My Review-

In the 1960s the British Egg Marketing Board launched the 'Go to Work on an Egg' ads. No one within the corperation expected it to be become the most famous catchphrase within this period and transform life within the Eggs Marketing Board. The ads featured 1950s legendary comedian, Tony Hancock and the infamous catchphrase 'Go to work on an egg' was derived from Fay Weldon. Having watched the advert its witty, light humoured, informative about its nutrition and value for money. Finally its catchphrase ties it altogether so that it remains memorable to the viewer. This clearly worked in increasing sales as is in the 1960s the UK egg consumption peaked at nearly 5 eggs a week per person.
For more information and to watch the adverts visit www.gotoworkonanegg.co.uk

New Films are getting a bit to commercial

Having gone to see Oceans 13 the other week, it soon became apparent within the film which brands were sponsoring the film. Close shots of Brad Pitt and George Clooney drinking 'Stella Artois', Al Pacino wanting to get hold of the new 'Samsung' phone, it was all a bit to obvious and deliberate. Its not only Oceans 13 that has done this, when I watched the latest James Bond movie Casino Royale several products were being advertised within the film such as the Ford Mondeo, Omega watches, Sony Ericsson mobile phones, Song Vaio laptops and the classic Aston Martin. Don't get me wrong both films are great, but there will come a point where big blockbuster films will become just like big advertisements. Film makers must remember what the viewer is coming to watch, and products being used on set must fit in smoothly not deliberately.

What a brand change for Skoda and why it has become my favourite ad

It was only a few years ago that Skoda cars were the joke of the school playground. With the cars now getting fitted with Volkswagen engines and some very clever advertising, the brand has totally repositioned itself .

The new Skoda advert is the icing on the cake (avoid the cliche). It has achieved everything Skoda had possibly dreamed of. It is talked about everywhere and it has even gone as far as primary school children doing activities within the classroom replicating the advert.

Why this has become my favourite advertisement:

A team of bakers create a life-size model of the car, which is made entirely out of cake, chocolate, and other gooey sweet products. The concept idea behind the ad was to communicate the Fabia tagline, “Full of Lovely stuff”. The reason for why I rate this so highly is how it makes the impossible, possible and the effect is has on the viewer. To create a car out of these ingredients in real time without any cheating is a remarkable achievement. The viewer feels this accomplishment as they watch a problem being solved in front of them. Having watched the advert the viewer is left with a feeling of happiness inside. This emotion is due to seeing many individual components which people usually enjoy consuming being used together to create a model of great character and innovation. A great advert will leave a lasting memory on the viewer and also become a topic of conversation. In a very short space of time this advert has achieved this. The operation of making a car so precisely out of these ingredients is almost like a childhood dream. This could be why it has had such a positive affect on many viewers and myself.