It was a plus that we had the same space as last year so we had a good idea of how much room we had to play with. To be honest, it took us a while to get started when we got to the venue. We sat in front of the stand, literally for about an hour, just staring at the empty space surrounded by all the products and wooden crates. Very cool crates by the way – cheers Kentergraph! Once we got going though, we were on fire. The good ‘ol Kiwi ingenuity kicked in so we were able to tackle any problems that came our way – the impressive thing was we were able to make-do with the things we had on site.

We really wanted a stand that would stand-out (really, no pun intended), something that’s different from your conventional tradeshow stalls but at the same time, display the products effectively. Last year, we made the space look like a home environment so that the buyers can see the products ‘in-situ’. This year, we have evolved the brand quite a bit so the concept of this years’ stand was ‘The Newbies Workshop’.

I must say, I have to give it to Sally (Newbies Director), she was brave and trusting enough to give me full creative license to do whatever I wanted to do with the stand. Especially since we were dealing with an interior space – it wasn’t a graphic design piece where there were turn-arounds and client feedback – whatever I produced was the final result. There was no turning back! I suggested drawing on the wall – she said “Go for it”. We have collaborated on projects for quite sometime now and there’s a nice synergy in the way we work together. Plus, there’s never a dull moment!

I like events like this, you get to chat to the other exhibitors, it has a nice ‘community’ feel to it. It was really cool having the other exhibitors come up and complement our stand. All in all we were really stoked with the final outcome. It displayed the products nicely and the overall environment was very inviting. I was able to have a look at the other stands the next day and the Newbies stand stood out by far.

Special thanks to Kent for all his help, especially during the lead up to the Fair – you have been an absolute star. Thanks also to Kentergraph for producing all the wonderful products!

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Newbies Baby Feeding Journal tags

Newbies Baby Feeding Journal packaging

Behind the scenes of the Newbies stand

Newbies Business Cards

T by Newbies – I LOVE Spooky!

Newbies War Planes (adhesive chalkboard)

Newbies Baby Feeding Journal

Newbies Bird Cages

Newbies Special Guest: Kitset Light by Nexus

The Newbies Workshop

Check-out the Newbies website

You can instantly tell that it’s a quality product – if they take this much care on the packaging can you imagine just how much care they put on the actual product itself? I don’t want to post-rationalise it too much but I do like the concept of the package, the way it’s sewn and treated to look like a leather package. I also like the pattern on the inside and how it reflects the inside of the wallets.

Bellroy is an Australian based company and they describe themselves as “a small group trying to improve the way we carry”. I believe that they have done just that, as much as I love the wallet (gotta love the Hide and Seek by the way), I’d actually use the packaging as well. As a designer, I always aim for my designs to have a longer life-span, something that people want to hang-on to because they love it as much as you do. It’s an added bonus that it’s better for the environment as there’s less waste.

Since it’s a Japanese creation, it’s all about balance and harmony. The design is simple,understated and elegant. I really love the carefully crafted shapes, with it’s soft curves – each cup, plate & bowl is designed specifically for different drinks & dishes. I was also drawn to the textures, the top looks like it was made of some sort of cloth material and the bottom is like smooth cardboard. To me, the weight and how it feels in my hands when I hold it is very natural.

Also, the material is made out of reed, bamboo, and bagasse (sugarcane waste) pulp so it’s eco-friendly. Reed and bamboo have a strong life force, and are in no danger of depletion. Bagasse produced after extracting juice from sugarcane, is often discarded, but it’s intrinsic nature is perfect as paper material. - Wasara

Something like this is perfect for one of those dinners that last for the whole evening, enjoying food & conversation with friends. Maybe one of these days, I could do a one-off pop-up dinner, kinda like those under-ground restaurants, and use these for the tableware… Now there’s an idea…

wasara.jp

“This is a significant undertaking for our company, and only the second time in our history – the first was in 2005 – that we’ve had the opportunity to explain ourselves in these expansive spaces.

The windows in Myer Sydney and Brisbane will feature images from Robert Arnold’s film The Morphology of Desire (1998), an exploration of romantic love in popular culture. Windows in Myer Melbourne will host a selection of unique pieces of twentieth century design generously loaned to us by Geoffrey Hatty Applied Arts (www.geoffreyhatty.com).

We chose to include work from outside the beauty industry since we are known not only for our exceptional skin, hair and body products, but for our longstanding respect for creative expression. Also, we felt this was a fitting opportunity to engage in further collaborations with people we admire.” - Aesop

If you are lucky enough to be in either Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane then this is a definite must to see! The displays run for 6 weeks and will be up until Tuesday the 7th of June.

Photography by Michael Warnock.

I was really moved by this animation created by Eran Hilleli, which won the best animation award at vimeo’s first film festival. This animation is a debt to his childhood and other lives he hoped he lived. Inspired by words of songs that he admires. – Eran Hilleli

It just goes to show that you don’t need dialogue or fancy effects to be able to tell a good story. I loved the simplicity of this animation, from the simple geometric illustration style, limited colour palette right to how the story was told. He didn’t try to shove everything down your throat in 30 seconds, I felt that it was executed with great control.

Less really is more.

Animation by Eran Hilleli. Original music by Ori Avni and Daniela Spector.

http://eranhilleli.com/

I was scouting around for inspiration for packaging ideas on a project I’m currently working on, and came across Crumpled City. It’s a city map printed on a soft, material. As a traveller, this is something I would definitely use – it’s discreet, it’s durable, it’s waterproof and most importantly it’s designed. It would be handy in cases where a bird decides to drop a little welcome present right in the middle of the map blocking out the central area (happened to us in Barcelona), but it would have been particularly handy for our recent trip to Thailand.

Since we were in Thailand for Songkran, the traditional Thai New Year that runs for about 4 days (depending on the city), it’s basically a country-wide water fight. We literally had to get a fresh new map for each day as it just got absolutely soaked and ripped to bits. With Crumpled City, it would have reduced the hassle of folding it… Placing it in my bag (already full)… As well as trying to prevent it from getting wet etc… All I would have needed to do is shove it in my pocket and whip it out when we needed it.

Designed by Italian industrial designer Emanuele Pizzolorusso. Crumpled City maps are soft, yet hard-wearing, waterproof and meant to be creased and crumpled. You can place the area that you’re interested in on the palm of your hand to spot street names then just screw it up, stuff it back into its case or your pocket, and carry on. - http://www.pizzolorusso.com

From what I’ve seen so far, there’s a total of 12 maps: Rome, New York, Paris, London, Berlin, Amsterdam, Hamburg, Barcelona, Milan, Lisbon, Tokyo and Sydney.  The actual box design reminds me of the Wallpaper City Guides, which I guess is a nice link. I do like the simple graphics that relate to each city.

Crumpled City is made of Dupont™ Tyvek® material. Tyvek® is the original non-woven technology that is a lightweight and durable material, developed from an initial discovery made in 1955. It’s used for quite a few different applications like: construction, vehicle covers, envelopes, packaging (industrial and medical) as well as protective apparel. On top of that, Tyvek® is recyclable.

‘This is one occasion when the destination is as important as the journey. Each of these kits is dedicated to a street for which we feel great fondness and affinity, so much so that we have chosen these locations for our stores.’ Dennis Paphitis, Director

Aesop has long believed travel is an essential part of life, offering one the opportunity to learn from other cultures, explore unfamiliar cuisines, and stroll intriguing laneways. We prefer to take the road less travelled both in our personal and professional lives and these streets, each of them surprising and intriguing, have inspired and shaped our thinking. We have named this year’s kits after the captivating streets in which we have situated Aesop signature stores. - Aesop

I couldn’t have said it any better myself!

At first glance the store looks understated yet there is a certain strength in the essence of the design. For me, the reason is due to the powerful story that lies behind this particular store. When you walk into the store, it smells faintly of Japanese cedar. Local architect, Jo Nagasaka has used the wooden materials of an old abandoned house, the Murazawa residence in Nakano-ku, throughout the store to make it a functional yet poetic space that draws on the history of that area. Nagasaka managed to rescue an old medicine cabinet from the same house and has used it to display the balm testers at the entrance to the store. An epoxy coating has been implemented for the concrete floor to give the customer the impression that they are walking on water and the same coating has been used for the bench tops as well. I find the way in which Ngasaka has tied the materials so seamlessly together with the aesthetic of the building quite beautiful.

For me, I personally love taking an old article and recreating it into something new (almost reinventing it). There is a certain charm to a moment when people look at something familiar in a new light. I’m sure that a project like this would have brought its fare share of technical challenges as well, especially incorporating both old and new materials. This stunning space is as a result of a successful collaboration between Jo Nagasaka & Aesop’s very own Director Dennis Paphitis.

I’ve tried to do further research into the architect and the seamstress house but I think it will require some digging… I did come across another one of his projects called ‘Paco’ (a concept box), which I will share on a later post.

The identity pays particular attention to the bold and understated values of the department store concept. Timeless typography is used as the foundation for the identity, applied in a manner that is both elegant and modern. It creates a sense of nostalgia, referencing the time period from which the concept is derived from.

A common style has been created as an extension of the overall Department Store brand, under which all the retail stores sit. As a result, the identity provides a feeling of unity across the different brands within the store whilst still retaining each brand’s individuality. The visual language translates well into all the different key touch points of the store from the signage right through to the newspaper.

The Department Store identity was created by my dear friend and mentor, Brogen Averill. There may be a little bit of bias as to why I like the identity but I reckon the work speaks for itself.

Invitation design for grand opening

Packaging design

The Department Store newspaper

Interior signage

Exterior signage

If you want to see more of Brogen’s work check out: thingwebsite.com

I’ve never really been big on ‘commercial’ jewellery but I do have great appreciation for well-designed and crafted accessories. These small things tend to be over-looked at times but I find that they can communicate a lot about someone’s personality. Bandada have a lot of lovely pieces in their blog but I have chosen to feature these wooden Mirador Rings because I find them so interesting. The strong linear lines formed by the layering of the wood creates a nice visual effect giving the rings character. It also reminds me of a cross-section of a tree trunk revealing the wood grain, which tells a story, just like how this ring would tell a story about the person wearing it.

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He estado en busca de interesantes piezas de joyería desde hace algún tiempo y ahora por fin he encontrado con algunos hermosos anillos de Barcelona basado en los diseñadores de Bandada. Adriana Díaz y Ana María Ramírez, tienen experiencia en el diseño gráfico y de producto y el dúo se han fusionado sus experiencias de sus diferentes disciplinas para crear joyas impresionantes. Utilizan procedimientos hechos a mano con acabado industrial.

Nunca he sido realmente grande en “comercial” de joyas, pero tengo un gran aprecio por los accesorios bien diseñada y hecha a mano. Estas pequeñas cosas tienden a ser pasados por alto a veces, pero me parece que se puedan comunicar mucho de la personalidad de alguien. Bandada tiene un montón de hermosas piezas en su blog, pero he escogido para presentar estos anillos de madera Mirador porque me parece tan interesante. Las líneas fuertes lineal formada por las capas de la madera crea un buen efecto visual dando el carácter de los anillos. También me recuerda a una sección transversal del tronco de un árbol de revelar la veta de la madera, que cuenta una historia, al igual que la forma este anillo podría contar una historia acerca de la persona que lo lleva.

http://www.cuadernobandada.blogspot.com/