Ace Jet 170

Squirrel with tree and nuts

AceTweet followers might have seen this last week but I like it so much I didn't want anyone to miss out. You know the way every parent thinks their children are really, really clever and better than the other kids? No? Well they do. The difference with our kids is that they actually really are really, really clever. And here's the evidence.

Build Fringe 1

Airside's Interactive Designer and keen photographer Guy Moorhouse is coming to Belfast to talk about their work on Wednesday 4th November. So I've gone and done a set of posters. And yes, that red line is supposed to be there. In fact, it's crucial, I'm just not going to tell you why. The talk is a Build fringe event. Build is going to be ace:

"Created for obsessive-compulsive designers, Build is no ordinary web conference. From internationally renowned speakers to a jam-packed social calendar, Build is bringing the best of the web to Belfast’s Waterfront Studio on the 5th November. With a variety of companion workshops, lectures, parties, meetups and an unconference, Build was created for those enthusiastic about the web and passionate about what they do."

I'm going. I hope I understand some of it. Mark Boulton's talking and so is Tim (Made by Elephant) Van Damme. The good news is, you don't have to be a conference delegate to get to hear Guy, you'll just need to pay a few quid. Sign up here.

 

A Games of No Halves

 

On Saturday I nipped over to Queen's to see the Abram Games exhibition at The Naughton Gallery. I mean, a graphic design exhibition in Belfast! That's a pretty rare thing but at least when they do happen, judged by this one anyway, they are of the toppest of notches. 

The show is basically a version of the 2003 Design Museum exhibition Maximum Meaning, Minimum Means but if it's a condensed version (the Naughton Gallery is a tidy space) it's still very, extremely impressive. Not that I haven't seen almost everything before (in print), but actually experiencing Games' posters, in the flesh, at their original sizes, puts it all into perspective and it all totally lives up to his Maximum Meaning goal.

 

 

So if you're in Belfast with an hour or so to spare, you've got until Sunday 11th October to see Abram's amazing work, including scribbles, sketches and doodles. If you're not in Belfast, don't already have the book and missed him at the Design Museum, I've posted a pile of stuff on Flickr.

   

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Powerful texts and interesting designs from DAHRA's 3 Minutes. Mine arrived a few days ago, get your's here. My favourite if Jeff (Research Studios) Knowles', but they're all good.

Dog Days

  

Ben at Bark Design has very kindly sent me a copy of their self-promo-experimentalism Fig.It Out. Printed in a run of 1000 by Sharman and Co a specialist newspaper printer. It's really great and reminded me how, when I started Ace Jet, it never occurred to me that I'd get stuff sent to me. Like lots of bloggist, I get my fair share of emails/comments highlighting the work of other designers or events, or where I can get cheap viagra or watches (if you want to know, drop me a line). But there's no substitute for actually being sent actual stuff. Stuff is ace. Well, the good stuff is; like Bark's thing. So, thanks Ben! All hail the stuff.

   

Flights of the Castelao

Argentinian illustrator Leandro Castelao has some lovely work.

(Via butdoesitfloat)

Help

 

Does anyone recognize these images? They were pulled off a website or blog ages ago and came my way recently. The one on the dark background is especially lovely. I'd really like to know where they came from. Who do they belong to?

Thanks Yotam. Thanks Guy. Andy Gilmore it is. Beautiful work.

Go Give (again)

If you didn't know already, David's going to walk about a bit for charity. And all you need 

to do is pop over here and make a small donation. I mean, he's doing all the hard work, 

you don't even have to leave your seat.

OK, so there appears to have been a technical problem over on David's donation mechanism so if you've already tried - of course you have! - and been unsuccessful, please try again. Actually, try right now - I've just been over there to check and it seems to be fixed now but if it still doesn't work, don't give up. You can guarantee David won't be giving, he's got 20km to do and all the blisters and arse chaffing that goes with that. Put it in your diary, "Must give lots of money to David" and mark it as "Most extremely urgent".

Theoretical Reconstructions of Imaginary Objects etc.

 

Well that was easy and I have to say, really enjoyable...funny even. I was expecting it to be heavy going, like Ways of Seeing from the same Penguin series - which, I'm reluctant to admit to be struggling with...again. It seems to me that Ways is one of those books that every designer is supposed to have read but everytime I give it a go, well, it just leaves me with a headache.

Munari's Design as Art (originally published in english in 1971), on the other hand was a joy: insightful, broad, macro, micro and witty. If you don't know it, and I didn't until recently, it's a collection of, kind of random, essays on aspects of design; not unlike Beirut's and Vignelli's books. Munari covers topics like: colour education for all; central images in posters (which, I thought, had parallels with something Ben had reported on recently); fit for purpose; how (unnecessarily) complicated Western life is; making a lampshade out of a nylon stocking; how to geometrically construct the thorn of a rose; how many things are (unnecessarily) made to look like other things; the similarity between the growth of a tree and a nuclear explosion; and loads of other things. But what surprised me was how accessible it all is. There's no high-brow, over-intellectualising; just plain wisdom and perceptive observation. And you can get it for just a few quid so it's damn good value for money.

   

Incidentally, I haven't given up on Ways. A lame, perhaps vacuous, strategy it may be but what I've decided to do is re-purchase it in the new format/design, in the hope that I'll be more inspired to persevere. You see, there's something about the Yes designs. I particularly like how the uncoated cover board deteriorates almost the minute you handle the book...not sure if it's an intentional aspect of the design but I welcome it either way; I love a dog-eared book. Anyway, I'll let you know how I get on.

Tea but no seas

 

A few weeks ago Michael Hodgson from Ph.D in Santa Monica very generously sent me a pile of stuff he'd picked up in a local thrift shop; numerous copies of the Ford Times, which I'll be posting about over the next couple of weeks; they're really interesting. He also slipped in a copy of their little self-promotional booklet, Terms and Conditions. It's a kind of dictionary, the book explains, "This particular version of the dictionary gathers together 16 years' worth of biases, interests, opinions and obsessions". It's small and beautifully formed.

    

It's a lovely piece of work and so is Michael's letterpress printed business card...