If we discount Harry Potter and that vampire series, one of the biggest publishing phenomenons in recent times has to be The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo trilogy. With the books, the Swedish movie versions and now the beginning of the US movie versions you can’t seem to escape the (deserved) hysteria surrounding Stieg Larrson’s legacy.
re:blog collected and critiqued over 60 variations of covers to derive at a single conclusion: it was difficult to find something that wasn’t clichéd, derivative or downright amateurish.
We agree with the author’s that Peter Mendelsund’s versions for the US market at least strive for a unique representation of the subject matter, but are in love with the deluxe version he did. Simple yet descriptive on several levels. In this publishing instance though bad cover design probably wouldn’t have affected sales too much
Casper Schougaard posted this on January 31st, 2012
The scourge of family car stickers have spread across the north faster than mould at the height of the wet season. And faster (much faster) than the Frangipani craze that spread a few years ago. Now while there is quite a variation in the sticker choice… maybe it’s not quite you? Well you now have some options. CartoonSolutions have come up with stickers based on some great pop culture icons. So if you are a fan of Star Wars, Indiana Jones, or – wait for it – Twilight, you can now reflect that fandom in your family sticker choices. Samples below but you can see the whole range Star Wars range here with links available from there to the other collections. (We just hope they have their licensing in order).
Casper Schougaard posted this on January 25th, 2012
It’s Australia Day tomorrow so obviously the good old ‘new Australian flag’ debate rears its not necessarily ugly head. I won’t wade into the debate on whether the flag should be changed or not here (that’ll happen over a few beers and a BBQ tomorrow). But I am going to comment on the latest proposed design to have made its way onto the intersphere.
Below is the latest offering, the Advance Australia National flag, and for me it is one of the better proposals floating around. I like the gold and the and blue colour combination and the retention of the Southern Cross. I do have a small issue with the kangaroo. To me it isn’t resolved well enough. The head and neck are in danger of becoming unrecognisable, or mistaken for a kangaroo’s head and a sheep’s neck perhaps? I guess we need to be careful of not becoming to reminiscent of the QANTAS logo either.
You can catch the whole design rationale and the design of the various Ensigns here. Russell Kennedy, the designer of the Advance Australia National Flag & Supporting Ensigns, has thought through the process quite nicely. Kennedy is an Adjunct Research Fellow at Swinburne University of Technology, Department of Design.
Casper Schougaard posted this on January 18th, 2012
Did you make a new Year’s resolution? Are you, like me, having trouble remembering what it was? (After all, it was probably made while under the influence late one night).
Well Chris Streger over at ToResolveProject has the solution. He’s asked as many creative people as he knows (or didn’t) know to create an iPhone background with their New Year’s resolution on it.
There are plenty to choose from. One of my favourites is shown below.
Casper Schougaard posted this on January 10th, 2012
Here at TBD we love a good infographic as much as the next guy, and this one is right up our alley – comparing the humble fruit apple with the multinational tech giant.
Casper Schougaard posted this on November 30th, 2011
Just love the visual impact of this concept.
“Light” a short film directed by David Parker, initially began as a project intended to bring awareness to energy waste. Bleeding, crying lights were meant to metaphorically parallel the way in which we invisibly squander our natural resources without much thought. While the original sentiment remains, the film also grew into a poetic statement about a world run amok and the human tendency to exploit that which we hold dear.
The film was shot over a couple nights in Los Angeles as two friends drove around with a camera exploring the city’s architecture and abandoned landscapes. Keeping in this vein, the film will be projected in selected US cities in vacant storefront windows and onto walls in alleys as a moving piece of public art.
Casper Schougaard posted this on November 24th, 2011
Here at TBD we love a good informational diagram and recently we came across the one below via Information is Beautiful. We are always reading in the paper that now something is good for you and something else isn’t… the next week something else is now good for you and something isn’t. This diagram shows us through an evidence weighted approach what is actually worth pursuing. So disappointed we couldn’t find red wine or coffee on there. See the full sized graphic here.
Car family stickers and striving to be unique
The scourge of family car stickers have spread across the north faster than mould at the height of the wet season. And faster (much faster) than the Frangipani craze that spread a few years ago. Now while there is quite a variation in the sticker choice… maybe it’s not quite you? Well you now have some options. CartoonSolutions have come up with stickers based on some great pop culture icons. So if you are a fan of Star Wars, Indiana Jones, or – wait for it – Twilight, you can now reflect that fandom in your family sticker choices. Samples below but you can see the whole range Star Wars range here with links available from there to the other collections. (We just hope they have their licensing in order).
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