T& Cake

T&Cake, Huddersfield. Must pay a visit. Branding courtesy of Build.

The Herdy Company

"We want our brand to support, represent and generate awareness of our region and we want our customers to love, enjoy and get a long life from our products." 

I think this is a great way to brand the Lake District using simple contemporary graphics. 

To see more visit www.herdy.co.uk

Delicious

A Viking Night Out

The annual Lantern Procession in Ulverston - Where the local people take to the streets with their handmade lanterns. This year the theme was Vikings. Amazing fireworks at the end!

Cote et Ciel

I love this rucksack.

What is Va Va Voom?

Can't get enough of this advert!

Spot of bother

Market Town or Ghost Town!?

In the cobbled streets of Ulverston I encountered a poster campaign regarding a new supermarket coming to town centre. For full details have a look at the North West Evening News write up here. But in a nut shell; local traders are disputing the plans for fear of Ulverston losing it's proud Market town status. When i saw the poster I could help notice that (a.) I nearly didn't notice it and (b.) there was just too much text and no imagery.

Something eyecatching like the poster Karmarama did for their local mini market when Sainsbury's moved round the corner would be much more effective and get the message across quicker.

Without getting too involved in the politics of the local town (although my love for the local butchers is known by many and a supermarket could effect trading!) The said poster needs some TLC, and I think I'm the one to do it! So watch this space! 

Dental Angel

Spotted this whilst on the bus over the weekend. The photograph here doesnt do it much justice, but the Dental Angel in Kendal looks super sleek and contemporary. LOVE the logo. Wish my dentist looked like this, it would make the pain of going much more bareable!  

All things bespoke and beautiful...

I've been working with Nicolas Lowe, Creative Director of Butternut Studios, for the past few weeks to create a brand identity suitable for his bespoke furniture. Above are some of the pieces he's created. Lovely.

Tea or Gin? That is the question. Either one is a good celebratory beverage!

Ali, Alicante!

After 9 months of being inside, never further than 10 metres away from my Macbook, I decided it was time to pack a bag and seek some sun. The destination: Alicante. The company: some long lost friends. The weather: fantastic! Here are some lovely things I encountered between sunbathing and sleeping...


I loved the exterior to this beauty spa. It stood out so much down the old twisting streets. The idea of having perfectly painted white walls with a distressed stripe running round it anchors the idea of someone going in rough and tired but leaving fresh and clean.

A building site of former flats. I found it amazing that you could see the shell of what were once peoples homes; the tiles they had in their kitchen and the colour they painted their bedroom walls. The doors all lined up reminded me of the opening title sequence to Monsters Inc.

Nespresso window display.

Yomy; a contemporary twist on the old streets of Alicante. After living in America for 3 months I became a huge fan of soft serve frozen yoghurt and miss it so much, so to encounter this little gem was a real treat. The interior was amazing. Everything was white, connotating the yoghurt, and the colour came from the mood changing lights hung from the ceiling. So cool. Shame about the actual yoghurt; It will never compare to the delight that was Moolala of Long Island. Best frozen yoghurt EVER!!!

The flight home. Sob sob. The End.

The Giraffe and the Pelly and Me

Possibly the best story ever! The ladder-less window cleaners.

Ted Baker Eye Infection

Not the best photograph, but the opticians in Kirby Lonsdale was shut and I couldn't walk past without capturing this advert. Initially I thought it was something for the NHS promoting the importance of having your eyes tested to avoid conjunctivitis or losing your eye. Yet on closer inspection it's purpose is to advertise cool, trendy, british Ted Baker eyewear. Not sure it answers the brief which is a shame as the tag line 'glasses on the blink?' is quite witty. Not sure the gamy eye is the best way of illustrating it.

The pitter patter of tiny feet...

This is one of my Dad's favourite gifts to give newly weds! I'm sure Will & Kate would have just loved them... I came across the 'little nipper' mousetraps today in 'Pellymounters' of Ulverston, a traditional ironmongers, which sold all things miscellaneous. It was ridiculously busy inside many just walking straight to the counter requesting, traps, weedkiller and egg cups to name a few. The lady behind the counter knew where everything was and efficiently sold the strangest of things to the local people! 

I want...

My housemate, Miss Hayley Lomax, 3rd Year Fashion student has created this A-mazing outfit for her collection! The fashion students organise a photo shoot to model there garments professionally and boy does this look professional. I think theres something amazing about creating clothes, it's all quite risky and daunting as you stitch away but seeing the final piece like this must be very rewarding!

*Hayley, if you get rich... remember those who lent you hats =) 

An English Country Garden

Oh how I've been waiting for this day! And it didn't fail to disappoint. The Sarah Burton dress was so beautiful. However, what I found more amazing was the flower display within Westminster Abbey. Rich leafy greens with ditsy cream flowers and a small avenue of trees lining the longest aisle in Britain brought a natural, romantic look to the ceremony. An English Country Garden within a stunning old building. Like a fairytale. Television coverage from inside Westminster Abbey juxtaposed with the imagery from the infamous tree lined Mall was fantastic. It was as though there were two aisle on the day, one of which the bride walked down and the other which the public lined. All the flowers were taken from Royal estates and will be replanted, so totally homegrown, as it should be on such an iconically British day. Click here to watch the florist responsible for creating such beautiful arrangements.

Brit Design Awards 2011

What a difference a day makes.

I'd like to be in the top floor of the Hilton as the sun is setting over Manchester, but I'm much more intrigued as to what it would be like looking out into, well, nothing but cloud and fog!

Going around in circles...

Have a butchers...

An old YMCA basketball court in the US has been converted into some swish apartments! This interior pretty much sums up how I'd want the shop fit for the contemporary butchers shop I've been creating. Plush grass walls, glossy white counters and bright pink details. Delicious! 

Look familiar?

Tim Head, Cow mutation 1987. 

Uwe Loesch, Radioactive cow 1986.

Coincidence...?

Dance here.

Counteracting the idea that galleries are static spaces, the Tate Liverpool had a exhibition evoking the discotheque. The included disco balls, light up dance floor and wireless headphones full of toe tapping tunes! The space was used to celebrate the changing visual of the human form, from neo-classical to modern day. I found Liverpool Tate, as a whole, more exciting and cheerful than the average gallery. Walls were painted bight colours as opposed to white and it just felt like a better place to view art. 

Anish Kapoor

I visited the Manchester Art Gallery and was a little unsure about what to expect from Anish Kapoor's work. Sometimes I find I can go to exhibitions and aimlessly wander around, never really inspired or wowed. I was expecting the same from this exhibition, however I was pleasantly surprised. The sculptural work made from pigment, wood and fibreglass was pretty memorising to the point where you didn't want to walk away. My favourite piece was called 'When I am pregnant' which can be seen above (the photographs don't really do the piece much justice!) A huge bump is coming out of the wall and can be seen from all over the room. But when you stand directly in front of the sculpture the bump blends in with the wall with just a small shadow to be seen. It really plays with your eyes and almost makes you feel a bit sick, yet you cant hep but look at it. Don't' believe me...? Go and see it.

Meat & Bread

I love this identity for a sandwich shop in Vancouver. Glasfurd & Walker created this strong clean branding for the "man made" style store. My favourite part are the small animal icons on the business cards, they are so simple and beautiful. My current project, rebranding the local butcher, is proving quite difficult as people don't want to see the actual meat or notion of the animal. However, I feel it's important that people should see the animal the meat came from and these little logos evoke that idea, but in an anonymous way; the animals don't have eyes of a mouth and are all black in colour... they lack personality (which is ideal as people are then less attached to the idea of it being a cute pig etc) The branding really does have a masculine no nonsense feel to it! Thumbs up from me.

D&AD Good!

D&AD fundraiser club night actually was DEAD GOOD! It was lovely to see people off our course outside the studio environment. I think the promotional poster was very attractive and the use of the ampersand as an 'E', very smart!