Danielle Evans

I absolutely love these pieces create by Danielle Evans.  She create 3D typography using foods which represent the words she is producing.  'This is my Jam' was created out real raspberry jam and sprinkles as part of a project by the name of Food Type.  This piece almost reminds me of something I would do as child, messing around with the jam on a saturday afternoon waiting for my cupcakes to cool so that I can decorate them.  I feel like her project is to evoke memories and good feelings when viewed.  Does it make me feel happy?  Yes, it brings back many fond childhood memories and also makes me slightly hungry.  Her aim is to create as many words as possible using food products.   - http://foodtypography.com 

I especially love this piece as I can only imagine how time consuming it must have been.  It is remarkable how she managed to push each crumble of the cookie in an exact location in order to create a crisp and easily readable quote.  I like how she included the half eaten biscuit at the bottom of the image as if to make it obvious what the words were made from - otherwise it may have been hard to know it was biscuits that she used, thus destroying the point.  It may have created an interesting contrast if she had used different types of biscuits, for example digestives and bourbons as the two contrast greatly in colour.

Lucy Norris - Dreamscape Typography

Lucy Norris is currently studying Graphic Design at University and I recently came across her design blog.  She was set a new project where she had to create a new typeface made completely from wire.

'I had to pick a quotation use my new typeface and present it in a visual way. My typeface is called Dreamscape. I chose to twist the wire to create a fantasy effect.'  

 -http://www.behance.net/gallery/Creative-Typography/1686914

"Imagination is more important than knowledge".  I can see why Lucy chose to wind the wire round several times to create loops as it makes the typography look a lot dreamier and magical.  It reminds me of something that you would see at the start of a fairytale story, almost grand in a way.  The tiny loops also remind me of little flies or bumblebees, maybe connecting the idea back to nature?  Even though that may seem ironic as metal is considered quite industrial; the opposite of natural.  

The typeface is successful in communicating her 'Dreamscape' idea, as it is called, however I do find it slightly difficult to read as she put so many loops in there.  The darkness of the wire also makes it seem quite eerie in a sense, so there could be improvement when considering the colour.  As a 3 dimensional typeface, it works wonderfully as it able to stand alone and you get the lovely shadowy effect when light is shone sideways on it.  In all, the typeface has been beautifully constructed and suits the quote perfectly.  It seems as though she might also be questioning if your imagination is suppressed and bound up as such by the tight wire so of society.  Does society appreciate the wealth of knowledge more than the wealth of imagination?

Leeds Love Wall

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This was a strange yet inspiring installation set up in a local shopping centre.  The designer of this wall remains anonymous but we can only assume it was set up by the managers of 'The Light' in Leeds.  

The wall was set up during the week prior to valentines day, in the middle of the centre.  Beside the wall were a pile of red papers hearts, some sharpies and blu tac.  The objective was to write a message to your loved and be entered in a competition to win a romantic getaway for two.  It was strange who the wall attracted; young, old, manly men, children and one woman even found her marriage proposal attached to it! 

I find this idea quite enchanting as hand writing a love letter is a very personal and intimate action, even though it would be posted on a public wall.  Isn't that what we do on Facebook anyway?  Nonetheless it was an opportunity for people to express their love even if the person it was meant for would never see it, it was out there for the world to see.  I enjoy this type of art as it allows the audience to physically engage and become involved in the Artist's vision.

The Handwritten Letter Project

'DEAR READER.

The HAND.WRITTEN.LETTER.PROJECT was after a conversation about how personal a letter can be:
a fact that is currently drowning in a tide of depersonalisation, with junk mail and automated correspondence.

There is always something nice about receiving a letter, especially these days when email, text, status updates, and tweets, dominate our communication, leaving many to lose sight of the things that have been around for a while (like
ink and paper). However, it is important that they do not.'

http://www.handwrittenletterproject.com/about/

This is probably one of the most inspiring artists I have discovered.  Leading influences and designers around the world have written to Craig in order to have their voice published in a book.  Is this form of communication feasible?  I can only imagine how many letters Craig would've had to open and how many paper cuts he acquired along the way.  Surely some of the letters must have a been misplaced, or got lost in the mail; Something which wouldn't happen if send via digital email.

The books itself is very inspiring as it visually shows how art and design has been evolving in this modern world.  Also it includes many ideas of individuals aspiring to make the world an even better and brighter place.  Since some of the responses were received in 2007, it is interesting to see if dreams have become reality and if not, why not?  Our culture and the way we live is continuously evolving, even as I am typing this.  

Why did he turn the letter he received into a book and not an online blog?  I suppose that would probably defeat the purpose of the project, but it would be interesting to see the responses nonetheless.  In all I think the project is a success as looking through it there are a lot of very interesting ideas accompanied with some of the best handwriting I have ever seen.  You can tell a lot about a person from the way they dot the 'i's and cross the 't's.

'Let's make a dent in the Universe' - How inspiring! but can you dent it enough to cause change?

The Happy Mail Project

The Happy Mail Project is a run by blogger Merissa Cherie.  People who follow the blog can send in hand written letter using paper and envelopes which they have hand made and personally designed.  When Merissa receives the letter, she returns a reply on paper which she has created or picked from a paper shop.

I especially like the one she has picked to send back to Anna Fatovich in Greece.  I think you can tell so much about the nature of a letter according to its packaging and typeface used to state the address. Anna seems like young girl who possibly loves the colour orange and find solace in butterflies.  

I think the idea behind this 'mailing service' as such, is wonderful.  It almost works like a pen pal service, one of the most personal forms of communication to someone who you probably have never met.  Each card is a unique design, never to be replicated and meant for one person only.  I think there is something beautiful in that.  Are hand written letters still considered as an important form of communication?  I think so.  There's no better feeling than ripping open a letter to find what lies inside.

Before I Die..

This 'Before I Die Wall' was created by Candy Chang after she lost someone close to her.  The aim was to help her deal with the extreme grief she was experiencing.

'Anyone walking by could pick up a piece of chalk, reflect on their lives, and share their personal aspirations in public space.  It was all an experiment and she didn’t know what to expect. By the next day, the wall was completely filled out and it kept growing: Before I die I want to… sing for millions, plant a tree, hold her one more time, straddle the International Date Line, see my daughter graduate, eat more everything, abandon all insecurities, be completely myself… '

The concept behind this 'wall' is very inspirational.   It brings communities together and allows them to physically engage with each other.  It is quite like social media where you post things on a wall for people to see, however I feel that this one is a lot more personal.  'Before I die' is quite an intimate question to ask yourself.  Are you living life to the fullest? or have you given up on your dreams.  It restores perspective, something which is so easily lost in this modern world.

'Over 450 Before I Die walls have been created in 30 languages and over 65 countries, including Kazakhstan, Portugal, Japan, Denmark, Iraq, Argentina, and South Africa.' - This statement is truly inspirational and gives me hope that people are still kind, sharing and most of all human.  

From a design perspective, the wall is a great interactive piece which can be reused and altered as many times as the creator would like.  The chalk markers are easily removed using water, meaning that anything which doesn't not bring joy or positivity to the wall can be taken down almost immediately.  There is a very positive aspect to this installation as it allows people to share their lives, hopes and dreams with each other, letting their personalities roam free with no restriction. 

Durex Earth Hour

 

Durex campaign promoting Earth Hour.

I feel that this campaign is very thought provoking as the interruption of technology is becoming an increasingly terrible problem for our generation.  It has been proven that 6% of the population would check social media sites even during sex.  What does this say about our human relationships and current social interactions with each other?  Sexual relations are very personal and intimate, but figures like this prove that they will become alien in no time.  Does the art of real conversation/intimacy still exist?  It is hard to know with so many online dating sites being promoted through social media, people have more reason than ever to be glued to it.  I feel that Durex are the right company to promote such a hard hitting problem that we all face.

By using sites such as YouTube to promote the campaign, Durex is able to target all ages and gain widespread awareness.  They have cleverly included a generational key by hash-tagging the campaign at the end of the video, making it easy to find online.  If you hashtag something online, it is sure to spread like wildfire within 2 hours of being uploaded.  #TurnOffToTurnOn, the use of an oxymoron at it's best.  With this slogan, I think that more people than ever will be joining in on Earth Hour.  I know I will be.  Will you?