Beards - aint they just lavvvely

I dont remember where I found this but by god it is good, just puts a smile on my cold cold face in these frosty times Brrrrrr-illiant 

Pink Pigeon

Just look at this gorgeous bottle design!

I’m a fan of Rum, any rum for that matter, but this really floats my boat.

The Pink Pigeon Rum is new on the market and has an attractive design to boot.

Bit of copy from their website:

‘Some of the world’s finest sugar cane is grown on the
 Medine Estate in Mauritius. 
It is from this natural source that we make our rare,
 golden rum.

Uniquely, we add hand-picked vanilla from orchids
 that grow in the rainforest canopy of nearby Madagascar. 
Combined with the exotic, tropical flavours of spice 
and nutmeg, this makes our rum as exquisite and rare
 as the Pink Pigeon itself.

The Pink Pigeon can be enjoyed on its own, over ice,
 or as part of a distinctive cocktail …”

The bottle itself is matt black with a white logo design stretching the length of the bottle, with a classic bold font and thick simple traditional ‘emblem’ design. It really stands out within the crowd of competing Rum bottle designs.

illustration Xmas ideas

here are some christmasy Russian doll illustrations, ideas for xmas cards and wrapping paper etc..  just playing with colours and outlines at the mo.

175 years of Kendals

Today I came across a gorgeous Kendals plastic bag. If you don’t know what Kendals is, it’s a department store in Manchester, probably the oldest one. This year it marks their 175^th Birthday.

1796 was the year John Watts a Didsbury Farmer opened the family business on the corner of Deansgate in the centre of Manchester. And in aid of this celebration, there have been giveaways, live music, competitions and complimentary gifts as well as Russell hobbs collaborating with Coronation Street to celebrate 50 years of the famous street.

This is not what I wanted to blog about though; I want to share their gorgeous plastic bag they have produced for this occasion.

It’s a collage design of iconic buildings of Manchester, not to mention Coronation Street, the Hacienda classic yellow and black stripes, LS Lowry’s illustrious people and Manchester United and City scarves.

With Kendals the prominent figure of the design to show how far Manchester has come since Kendals was built.

The design is simple in colour and in design but it is so striking and edifying. The type itself is laid out like old Victorian typographical posters, which is fitting for the age of Kendals itself. 

I cannot find out who designed this bag, which I’m gutted about because I do love this design, it reminds me of my collage design style which I adopted for my Manchester guide project.The design mixes vintage with modern but makes it work and flow.

David Fullarton

I was looking for some inspiration the other day and I came across the work of David Fullarton. His journal style illustrations are hilarious and really well executed in a doodle style but still convey his feelings amazingly.  He uses a Moleskine notebook to create his art, doing doodles, sketches and typography to document this odd thoughts and feelings. Sort of like a map of his day to day life.

“I was never a big fan of Moleskine notebooks. They always seemed so damn precious and overpriced with their pretentious history printed inside and that fancy-dan knicker elastic to keep your place. But someone gave me one for nothing a couple of years ago, and since it was free I used it. A lot. And I have to admit I ended up liking it. Almost enough to actually pay for the next one”

My new business cards have come!!

ooooo I don't half love MOO.com
When I first started making business cards last year I always wanted a selection of different business cards. But that wasn't possible until recently, now you can choose up to 50 different designs for one pack of business cards. Brilliant. Now I just wish my phone had a better mega pixel.

Illustration book ideas

I am in the process of creating a book of illustrations, right now I am just in the ideas stage, making numerous illustrations a day, using the computer and hand drawn methods and seeing what will work and what style to focus on.