Blog
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Ben Saunders identity launched
Just launched is a new identity for polar explorer and record-breaking long-distance skier, Ben Saunders. Designed in collaboration with Studio8 Design, the mark is a play on North/South compass pointers. The first applications of the new identity are an exhibition stand, postcards, polo shirts, equipment branding and plasma screen animation (below) for the Ski & Snowboard Show at London Olympia.
Next year Ben will embark on two new expeditions; a solo and unsupported North Pole speed record attempt and Scott 2012 – tracing Captain Scott’s footsteps on the centenary of his ill-fated trip to the South Pole. Nobody has completed the 1,800 mile journey from the coast of Antartica to the pole and back on foot. We are looking forward to expanding the identity in support of these two extraordinary expeditions later this year. Watch this space…
Ben Saunders Identity project page
Flickr set of Olympia show -
Applied Works featured in Weave
We’ve recently popped up in a couple of overseas design publications. First, German magazine Weave ran a feature on our work for The Times, focusing on an interactive Health Map of England (below).
Weave interviewed yours truly and Jon Hill at the Times about the project. Unfortunately its all in German so I’ve no idea how it reads – looks nice all the same.
Secondly, a Korean Design monthly magazine also showcased the Times work as part of an infographics special (below).
If anyone does sprechen Sie Deutsch, an except from the Weave article is featured on their website: weave.de/video/appliedworks0510
Read more about the project on our Times project page.
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The Times Ryder Cup scoreboard
Here’s another one! The Times asked us to create an interactive Ryder Cup graphic for their iPad edition and thetimes.co.uk. The graphic features live scores for the three day competition (maybe four if it keeps raining), a course guide with video flyovers, player profiles, and a Twitter feed comprised of golf experts and enthusiasts.
Anyone who knows me will be surprised to learn that I’ve played the role of Applied Works golf expert for this project – yes, there is a sport that I know something about!
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The Times Pope timeline
To coincide with this week’s Pope visit to the UK, today’s Times iPad Edition and thetimes.co.uk feature a timeline of key events in the history of the Catholic Church. Designed and built by Applied Works, 15 key dates from 1517 to the present day are illustrated with accompanying text, audio and newspaper clippings.
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こんにちは from Japan
Friend of Applied Works, Lidia Leto, is an Accessories and Leather designer for luxury menswear brand Alfred Dunhill. Working with products and fashion, Lidia’s job constantly references both craftsmanship and creativity. Here we ask her to highlight some of her recent finds.
I recently travelled to Asia on a research trip as well as visiting Duhill offices and stores. My time was split between Shanghai and Tokyo. Tokyo really lives up to it’s name as a Metropolis, it is a city where you are overloaded with amazing buildings, people, shops and products.
The first thing I noticed was that the consumer market I am designing for in Japan is completely unique and after a few days it became clearer why. Japan is truly a place of creativity and innovation. Incredible craftsmanship has been passed down through generations and reinterpreted into innovative new products, from fashion to home design, creating a unique hub of creativity. Brands who are already respected in their own rights frequently collaborate on limited edition products, constantly striving to bring something fresh to the market. There is always something new to see.
In terms of bags, lightweight and practical is the key. From the businessman to the trendy shopper, nylon totes and document cases are everywhere. A far cry from the rich leather bags the western luxury customer would be carrying.
Taking a break from fashion products, I went to the amazing stationary store Itoya in Ginza and the incredible Tokyo Hands in Shibuya, possibly my favourite store on earth. A whole morning had to be scheduled in for that one store….and here are some of the things I found:
A wonderful eraser with never ending corners! Everybody loves a precise corner on their eraser, here lies the solution. Designed by Chiaki Murata.
A lemon squeezer that so easily becomes a mexican!
An intricate and delightful greetings card titled ‘Infinity’, designed by Masahiro Chatani.
Here’s the blurb written on its packaging;‘One piece of paper creates an ultimate space. Countless lines produce 3-D space beyond reality. You can have numerous different images whenever you see this paper from different angles.
Infinite bright possibilities are waiting for you in the future.
This would be a gift ideal for an unforgettable happy occasion in your life such as an entrance ceremony at schools and companies.’
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We’re busy: send us your CV!
Calling all talented designers and genius developers out there: we’re luckily finding ourselves very busy over the coming months and would love to hear from any available people who’d like to work with us. We’re in need of both freelance designers and coders (HTML5/CSS3/Javascript etc), so if you’re interested, please send us your glowing CV by emailing me (Rachel) via our contact page. No agencies please. Spread the word!!!
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The Times iPad graphics demo
We’ve finally got round to making a demo video of some of the iPad graphics we’ve been creating for The Times (useful, since many of you are iPad-less and the graphics are no longer accessible after 7 days regardless). So here they are in action…
Read more about them on our project page: The Times iPad infographics
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To: Margaret Huber
This ‘guest post’ has been written by London based artist Riitta Ikonen. We first met Riitta in 2008 when she installed a giant worm at our studio. We love her work and are very happy to be sharing her ‘postcards’ with you. The cards are now on display in YCN’s window at 72 Rivington St, London.
In 2004 a holiday project titled ‘Location Vocation Vacation’ called for mail art. One post card per week was to be sent as a document of experiences to Margaret Huber, my then second year Illustration tutor at the University of Brighton (Margaret’s thoughts on being the project’s official recipient follow below).
Around a hundred and fifty A6 sized cards have since been sent (and received) from all over the world. Hair, fish, a sachet of white powder, a piece of broken record, mossy bark… all dutifully delivered by postal workers. Only five cards have never reached their destination, (a few of those due to very poor crocheting). Margaret still receives mail at irregular intervals.
A selection of the cards have been published in the book ‘POSTCARD’ by Laurence King Publishing in 2008.
Sent as is from Exmouth in England.
Carved on a lovely afternoon at Fragrance Lake near Bellingham in Washington State in the US.
Christmas present red leather gloves.
I was very surprised to see this made it. The whole lump from Exmouth beach.
Chinatown, New York. The salesperson was very worried I’d eat these seeds unboiled.
See all of Riitta’s cards on her website: http://riittaikonen.com/projects/mail-art
Margaret Huber says:Riitta started the postal project when she took part in a student exchange programme with Nagoya University during her second year at the University of Brighton. At the time, I was her second year illustration tutor and before she left for Japan we discussed ways to keep her own work going while studying in a very different educational environment. A postcard project that I had previously set as a summer project formed the basis of the idea as Riitta felt she could develop it further as a way to document her experiences abroad.
As the postcards began to arrive in Brighton I soon realised that Riitta was not only recording her experiences, but also using the postcards to test the dedication, patience and humour of the postal system. Somehow circumventing official rules and regulations, the safe arrival of a clear plastic bag full of suspicious-looking white powder, or a neatly sewn cloth postcard with my address on a slip of paper carefully tucked into it’s pocket, was evidence of postal workers who were willing to participate in the game.
Being asked to choose a favourite from Riitta’s collection is difficult. In the years since the project began I have received postcards from all over the world. Each is a new and surprising treasure in it’s own right, but is made even stronger and more valuable when seen as part of a series. Whether constructed from bits of hair from a recent haircut or a piece of tree bark found on the northwest coast of America, all are true reflections of Riitta’s creative ingenuity and her unique view of the world.
Riitta’s postcards are a reminder that sometimes, small ideas can lead to an amazing body of creative work. I feel privileged to be the official recipient of Riitta’s extraordinary ongoing postal adventures. The project is an inspiration to everyone who sees it.
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Green Fingers
I was walking back from Columbia Road flower market at the weekend (in itself a charming place – full of character), when I couldn’t help be drawn to a number of lovingly nurtured little oases scattered about the streets between the market and Bethnal Green Road.
The buildings themselves are pretty unassuming pieces of architecture, but the gardens are so striking people were literally stopping in the street to appreciate them. Unfortunately, I only photographed one (I wish I’d snapped some of the others).
That also reminded me of a ‘green wall’ I’d seen in a shop in Regent Street (below). I’m no horticulturalist by any means – my tomato plant is wilting severely – but felt these were worth a post.
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Ping Pong in the Square
What a brilliant idea: Ping Pong London have distributed 100 free ping pong tables around the captial. Rob and Tom have been knocking up in Hoxton Square right outside the studio. Sometimes great initiatives come along that just make you smile. Awesome…
