Logo love

I'm not a logo designer. No where close to being one. Perhaps that's why, when I decided to update my portfolio site (which still isn't finished) I spent so much time agonising about the 'brand'. In my opinion (and this is through an untrained eye) a successful logo design should convey the spirit of the product without having to spell out what that product is. I wanted it to say 'Printmaker' with out it saying 'look at me I'm a printmaker'. Does that make sense? No? O.K. well here it is, you decide.

Memento

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Letraset

All I'll say is who remembers these?

For those of you youngsters who have no idea what I'm referring to try this, this and this.

The new me

For a couple of weeks I've been busily re-working my portfolio site. It's current incarnation is clunky and has a very 'I've got a copy of Dreamweaver and I'm going to use it' look about it. Time for a change. Time for a crisp, minimal, grid based design.

Here's a sneak peek. Coming soon to a computer near you.

Memento

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We'll see what develops.

Following on from the last post I found this original advert for the Polaroid Swinger. It's an American add, of courrse, but youget the drift.

And here is a link to 'The Branding of Polaroid' from Paul Giambarda's blog. Paul was the brains behind the Polaroid branding way back in 1958. He's also a great photographer.

Right, I'm all Polaroided out.

Click here for instant results.

For the past five months or so, I've been using my 30 minutes lunch break from the day job to snap a few photo's with my trusty iPhone. After a bit of messing around, accidental deletion and subsequent cursing, I post these on my photo blog, Lunchtime Lens. This is an exercise that serves two purposes; to get me out of that damn office and to help toward developing my obsessive collectors mentality.
 

These days (god I sound old) it is a simple matter to pursue this kind of project. Digital photography is a miracle of modern times. I doubt that there's a kid under ten who would remember those funny film cartridge thingies. But go back blah blah years and I'm just the same.

One day, some time around the beginning of the 70's, my father bought home what was then the latest in photography tech. The 'Polaroid Swinger' (that's its name, not it's lifestyle choice). This was the first affordable instant camera to hit Britain. I'm not sure of the price but from research it would appear to have been about £9 ($19) and it was actually made on home soil. Oh, and it was only black and white, which today would be great for those grainy, moody shots.

But, just like some entry level technology today, it was fiddly to use and temperamental. You couldn't leave the house with out a bag full of new film as it only shot ten or twelve pictures per pack. Walking along a sandy beach with this hanging by it's carrying strap was like having a brick swinging from your wrist. The pleasure came from the moment that you ripped the newly taken snap from the back of the 'Swinger' and waited those tantalising  30 seconds until you could peal the backing from the photo to reveal...that you'd cut of your mums head and wasted another exposure.

The 'Swinger' was in the family for years. I'm not sure where it is now though. It probably ended up on a shelf in some charity shop. In fact it's probably still there gathering dust because, lets face it, who'd want that old thing?

Actually, I'd like it, please. The photo's were flawed by the inaccuracy of the photographers aim. The memory's however, return in the time that it took those photo's to develop.

I like to think that, even if I'm not at the cutting edge of technology, at least I'm close enough to it to get a nasty nick.

David Carson talks to TED

David Carson at the TED talks in 2003