I have finally decided that because of all the travelling back and forth from london I have been doing, it is time to get a laptop!

So yesterday I called up the Apple store and got myself a Macbook. Should arrive anyday now, and I really can’t wait. I already have an iMac, as you may or may not already be aware, but staying down in London for weeks on end… and at this rate… god knows how long it’s going to take me to get that permanent job of my dreams down there.

Freelancing is fun and varied but I guess what I am after is job security, and a steady stream of money so I can get my own place.

(If anyone is based in London reading this and you’re looking for a Junior Designer feel free to contact me and in the mean time have a look at my portfolio page.)

So I am officially a new improved portable version of myself! Expect more work and more blog posts… and hopefully… a shiny new job!

… and stop blogging!

Click for the full size version, I think I’ve found a new desktop background!!

found on the wonder that is Made in England via ffffound

A poster with an alterable structure to display messages - a visually professional and attention grabbing alternative to messy blackboard writings.

“Pixel It” consists of two layers of paper. Cuts on the white outer layer allow the user to fold parts out and therefore create a “Pixel-Structure” by showing the coloured layer underneath.

Source

The text reads:

“Albums employed text, photographs and graphic design to illustrate how a network of artists created a musical language together.
Without the physical album, online music stores will play a much larger role in teaching new listeners. The digital music era should offer listeners more information not less” - Wayne Bremser

Online music retailers have not yet to take full advantage of mp3s metadata flat liner notes are rarely included, album artwork is unnecessarily small, and the provided info and release dates are often woefully incorrect.

With enough support we can encourage the industry to improve the quality of information provided with its downloads. To commemorate the 5th anniversary of the iTunes music store this April please sign the online petition and refrain from downloading digital music of all forms.

We owe it to the music fans of the future.

Um also, I am aware that this is really out of date! I found it here via ffffound

“A love of letters is the beginning of typographical wisdom”

I found this beautiful video from Sébastien Abes via Vimeo (my website of the moment!) The combination of the music, the colour and the tranquility of the countryside makes me wish I was outside having a picnic under a tree.

Personally, my favourite shot is of the sunbeams on the hillside. Perfection! Click here to see it in HD.

“jerry likes his dotty quiff”

Here via ffffound

Well! I’ve spent a fun filled week in London and while I was there among other things I went to see the newest installment in the Batman movies; The Dark Knight.

It is completely impossible to not have an opinion on the film, even if you haven’t seen it. With Heath Ledger rumoured to be up for a posthumous Oscar nomination you know you are about to witness something special.

I decided against seeing the movie in IMAX, just to save pennies, (even though it’s supposed to be amazing) and I took myself down to Vue at Islington and it was *fully booked!* No available tickets whatsoever! So failing that I booked ahead for the evening and when I came back, arriving exactly when the doors opened, the cinema was completely packed - again - so I had to sit a bit near the side of the cinema… but thankfully not too much so I didn’t have to crane my neck to see.

As you may have seen, I posted the first 6 minutes of the film on my blog so I did know what was about to happen at the beginning of the film, that didn’t make it any less chilling seeing The Joker for the first time on screen. Heath really does play a very chilling version of The Joker.

I don’t want to ruin it for anyone who hasn’t seen the film so I will be brief, but the entire movie was just excellent in every way. There are clever twists, there isn’t just one scheme for Batman to try and solve, but many. It keeps you glued to the screen all the way through the film.

The *only* problem I had with the movie was Christian Bale’s Batman voice.

If you have seen Batman Begins then you will know that when Bale slips into the character of Batman, he tends to get raspy and dark… but this really is something else. In the Dark Knight, he sounds way too much like its a joke, and at one point when Batman is losing his temper towards the end of the movie the gruntyness got so bad that I couldn’t make out what he was saying.

For any reason you were undecided about going to see The Dark Knight it really is a brilliant film, one that I’m sure you will appreciate seeing at the cinema.

This video wasn’t long enough, so we made it double-spaced.

Via CollegeHumour

That clever clogs over at Geenius just made a post on his favourite viral adverts of the moment, which I just had to share with you. There are some clever nuggets of graphic language included, advertising is definitely a good industry to be involved in if you can help it.

I love the American Apparel ad, though this could possibly be because I love everything about their brand.

In essense Dov Charney could either be seen as a clever guy for creating one of the most internationally successful clothing companies for the age range of 17-30 year olds (and still being able to keep the prices low) or a lazy man for tapping into what is quite frankly an obvious selling point. Having porn stars and scantily clad models in your clothes will obviously sell. Sex sells. Can’t there please be more than that? No. Apparently not!

Something that I do admire about AA is that while their models look positively post coital they don’t Photoshop them, which I find inspiring, it must save them quite alot of money too! I personally do not have a problem with the raunchiness of their adverts. I love the innuendo and the way they convey it is very well thought out.

For example, in the advert above, the use of the white bar refers to the fact that in the 1960’s a white rectangle used to appear in the lower right corner of the screen to announce upcoming explicit sex scenes. Clever huh?

Click over to Geenius to see the full adverts…