Earlier today I was flicking through the News of the World Sunday magazine Fabulous and came across four advertisements for various products that stood out to me for a number of reasons. I’ve included the adverts with a little analysis as to why I was drawn to each image.

I can only apologise for the quality of the images. Trying to scan a flimsy magazine page is without getting the print from the other side showing through is no easy task.

All original images copyright their respective creators.

Ribena

This advert looks as though it was painstakingly made by hand (which it probably wasn’t), and the way the designers have constructed the product from items the product itself is made from is very clever. Recently I’ve developed an interest in typography created from real-life objects as oppose to computer graphics and I feel this image is a reflection of that style.

Elastoplast

I love the photo manipulation on this one. This advertisement visually demonstrates with great effect Elastoplast’s new range of plasters that include skin-healing cream (even if the ‘cream’ does look a little like ”Mr Whippy’ icecream).

Uncle Bens

This advert is my personal favourite because of it’s simplicity and bold colour. Using 5 grains of rice to symbolise a thumbs-up is genius. I’d like to imagine the idea coming from the designer spilling rice and having a ‘eureka’ moment.

Cathedral City

Again, this advert caught my eye due to the simplistic style of the illustration. Using the cute little cheese-grater as a jail cell to illustrate low fat cheese being ‘a crime against taste’ is quite clever

What do you think? Which was your favourite and why? Have you come across a stylish, eye-catching advert recently? Leave a comment and let me know.

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I’ll admit, I’m a little slow posting these (over a year too slow it would seem) but great designs are great designs, regardless of age, so I’m bringing them to light again.

Flickr user spacesick has created a number of quaint, retro-inspired book covers based on several famous films. The “I can read movies” flickr set features novelizations of Ghostbusters, Back to the Future and Batman Returns to name but a few, all of which use simplistic, recognisable elements from the films in question to illustrate the cover. Read the rest of this entry »

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The tissue manufacturer Kleenex are running a design competition in the UK, giving 3 lucky winners the opportunity to have their designs printed and used on the packaging for Kleenex’s collection cube. The overall winner will also receive an Apple iPad!

Entry to the competition is exclusively via the Kleenex Facebook page, and as the entries are selected for a short list via a voting system by Facebook users, it seems to me that the winners are likely to be those who have the most Facebook friends and can drum up the most publicity via their extended network.

Many of the entries are simply stock images or copyrighted imagery, so it’s possible that actual design talent MIGHT be able to shine through. The final date for entry is 31st October 2010, but if you’re entering, get your entry in ASAP!

If you’ve entered the competition, or know of anyone that is, be sure to leave a comment below letting me know.

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On Monday 21st June 2010, the legendary Mancunian comedian Chris Sievey sadly lost his battle with cancer, aged 54.

Chris was best known for his iconic and much-loved character ‘Frank Sidebottom’, an aspiring pop star who never let his (many) failures get him down. Through his work, performances and TV appearances, Chris put Frank’s home town of Timperley on the map. Read the rest of this entry »

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Personally, I often find it hard to come up with an idea for a design to help keep my creative juices flowing and my portfolio up to date. Over the last few days I’ve been brainstorming ways to come up with my own design briefs that are not only going to help me gain content for my portfolio, but also give me experience of trying new techniques or areas of design.

Here are my suggestions. I’d love to hear of ways that help you to keep creatively active via a quick and easy comment at the end. Read the rest of this entry »

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The world famous Harrods department store in London have issued an Essex business with an order to change their logo or face legal action over copyright infringement.

The logo in question is that of Hollands Cafe Lounge which the business owner Nigel Holland (pictured) claims is based off of the way his wife, with  whom he runs the business, writes their surname. Read the rest of this entry »

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