Procrastinator? Me?

I'm supposed to be doing my dissertation. But then a little parcel arrived for me and left with me with some really tough decision making... which frames to buy? So I need your help. Here are the 4 frames in question. Tell me which ones you like the best, top left?... bottom right?... decisions decisions. The frame with the most votes I will go with. Then I'll get on with the dreaded dissertation - promise! Thanks folks. x

"Design is Everybody's Business."

With the festive season comes a chance to chill and soak up some inspiration... and sherry.

I passed by Margaret Howell's store the other day and had my nose pressed up against the window in awe. I love Howell's style - simple, elegant and undeniably British. I did some homework on Howell and it was nice to discover some commonalities: a passion for mid-century design and a strong belief in the importance of good design in the World in which we inhabit. Her ethos reminded me I must get a copy of Form, Function & Design by Paul Jacques Grillo, a great read which really made me think about the importance of design. Grillo's open and honest intro that addresses young designer's is really motivating and makes readers warm to him instantly. Although about architecture, this book has some interesting perspectives about design that I feel are appropriate to graphic designers. Here's a peek at some of Grillo's wise words which I'm sure will inspire you to read more.

"Design is not the product of an intelligentsia. It is everybody's business, and whenever design loses contact with the public, it is on the losing end. For the first time in history, there is today a total disconnection between art and the people. When I say that design is everybody's business, I don't mean that design is a do-it-yourself job. I mean that it affects everybody , at all times , in our lives . Unless we gain a better understanding of design, we shall witness our environment getting steadily worse, in spite of the constant improvement of our machines and tools."

I won't natter for much longer but talking of inspiring reads, I came across this website Quotes on Design which was fun to flick through. There's some good quotes on there from the likes of Paul Rand to David Ogilvy and I've just had a gander and picked up the following quote which is quite appropriate to what I've been wittering on about!

"I love designing, it is something which permeates my whole living, whether it is simply choosing the colour of my clothes in the morning or organising my household. Design to me is akin to beauty, an externalisation of my inner process regarding beauty & contentment with life." Martine Moeykens

Anyway, the reason I want to share these references is because the importance of design often gets lost in the clutter of mediocre, functionless design that gets outputted. It's important that good designers try to resist poorly paid, fastfood style design briefs and both realise and endorse the value and importance that good design plays. I learnt this lesson recently with a goodwill job I did for very little money and it's made me realise not to undervalue my service and not be tempted to thrash out designs for a quick buck. 

The bright side

Walked the family dog along Bexhill seafront today and came across these cool beach chalets I had never seen before. On what was a cold and blustery day, to stumble across this spurt of colour was a really nice surprise. Funny how inspiration can come to you when you're not even looking for it.

Merry Christmas!

It's kick back time when the slouchy clothes come out (allowing for extra indulgences), the heating gets turned up and we make our annual purr-chase of the Christmas edition of the Radio Times to highlight the Christmas viewing. How I do love Christmas. And as our Biggles kindly demonstrates, these are our plans for the next 2 weeks. Bliss. Merry Christmas one and all. xxx

Undone

An illo in response to Illustration Friday's theme for this week, 'undone'. A delicate sketch of teeny toddler's shoes with untied, loose laces. 

School's Out

Another term ended, another deadline met! It's been a long old term with lots of hard work and it was super satisfying to see the fruits of my labour all laid out. Below is my submission for my reflective module which is all about 'the happy collection' from Pen&Pringle. I shan't reveal all as this is going to be tweaked for my business so I won't reveal any secrets just yet! But I just had to give you a sneak preview. Forgive the quality of the shots - iphone camera is pants. x

Retro to Go

My lovely Routemaster print has been featured on Retro to Go!! It's only a limited edition of 20 so don't miss out! Available to buy here.

All I want for Christmas is...

Make Christmas shopping easier with this pretty booklet of Christmas Wishlists. 

With a set of 5 lists, get your family to let Santa (wink wink) know what they wish for this Christmas. Be it big hugs or a Christmas jumper, you can rest assure everyone gets that little something they've been after. Plus, these make lovely little keepsakes to show your little ones when they're older! For sale here.

Front Row 2009

It's always a pleasure to be involved with the local fashion show Front Row and this year, the theme was Recycle. I had the lovely job of designing the packaging for one of the show's gifts: a teacup garden which comprised of a vintage teacup, a bag of earth and a flower bulb. Staying true to the theme of the show, I designed a simple leaf print that was applied to good old newspaper. The prints were then folded into tea-leaf/coffee style bags which worked wonderfully! T'was fab to help the Front Row team who I must say did a spectacular job!