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The Big Fat Picnic – London Graphic Designer Meet-up

It’s time to get those picnic blankets out and grab the sunscreen! I’ve finally got my act together and organized an awesome meet-up for my somewhat neglected London Graphic Designers group. (Sorry, guys! But this will make up for it)

Join us for a Big Fat Picnic at Regents Park on June 16th, 2013. This one is for all you creatives, living and working in London, who want to connect and have some great conversations over a drink or two. If this sounds like a lot of fun (which it will be) but you’re not a creative, well, don’t worry! You’re more than welcome to come along and meet up with some fun people for a laugh and a drunk game of rounders. We’ve got a pretty open ‘the more the merrier’ policy and we’re all looking forward to get out into the sun and have some fun with some interesting people.

You can find all the information you’ll need at this link: London Graphic Designers Meetup.

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Pick Me Up Exhibition at Somerset House

Last Friday some friends and I decided to pop around to The Pick Me Up exhibition at Somerset House for a glimpse at the work of the design industry’s elite. Colleagues in our industry had tons to say about the exhibition and it definitely was worthwhile seeing. It’s even been dubbed ‘The UK’s original contemporary graphic arts festival’ and judging by the level of design excellence we encountered there, I can see why!

Although we all agreed that this year didn’t quite match up to the extremely high standards of last year’s superb exhibition, it was a great chance to enjoy an exciting and diverse mix of quirky workshops. Plus it’s a great place for an inspired conversation over a pint or two!

Unfortunately, the exhibition ended last week, but you can still pick up some great stuff over at their webstore.

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Zurich’s Armin Hofman – Farbe Exhibition

If you happened to be in Zurich during 2012 and you didn’t check out the Armin Hofmann – Farbe exhibition then I’m sure you’re just about ready to kick yourself. The exhibition ran from August to September 2012 at Galetie Susanna Kulli in Zurich and featured a whole portfolio of silkscreen prints. Hofmann used the prints as a chance to focus and experiment with colour and I love the final results. These might not be what you’re used to seeing from Hofmann, but the prints that were created from 1989 up until 1999 are definitely worth doing some research on, if you’re a fan of his interesting use of colour. You might just find yourself staring at these designs for hours on end!

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The Badge Of Courage Awards – A Huge Success!

It’s always nice to hear that a client is really happy with the work i produced. The Badge of Courage Awards was set up in honour of Ginny Valentine, a revolutionary market researcher. The event was a celebration of bravery throughout the market research industry to those who demonstrated sheer guts and will to battle on in the face of criticism and steadfast opposition. It attracted hundreds of industry experts to join and praise these unsung heros. (Photo Above: Left, Betty Adamou and Alison White. Photo Below: Phil Alexander and Fiona Blades).

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What I Know About Design

Late last year, i attended the ‘What I Know About Design’ event… the talk resonated on so many aspects from design in the home to the effects aesthetics play on ones mind – it also taught me the importance of striving for simplicity and really considering the end user whenever i’m designing. The speakers were… William Yeoward (Creative Director), Nina Cambell (Interior Design) and Susan Crewe (Editor, House and Garden). Here’s a link to their website with details of other forthcoming talk, i really do recommend them! www.tomaxtalks.com

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First Group Meet-Up for ‘London Graphic Designers’

I always love going along to the Design Museum down at Butlers Wharf, and this occasion did not disappoint. The ‘This Is Design’ exhibition was an opportunity to marvel at some of the fantastic iconic designs in interior, product and graphics design. Brilliant!  

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Post Modernism at The V&A

This was a bizarre exhibition that acknowledges the distasteful and odd designs (in all design disciplines) of this period. With the shows cut-off point being 1990, ironically we could argue that in many ways we live with more excess now. It was frightening to see a lot the exhibits at the show have not aged well at all. Fingers crossed we wont be saying the same in 20 years time of our current creative expressions.

Support Good Design Practice

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