Jan 15, 2013

8 days, 8 posters

Last friday, we started the 'A Poster a Day' project. This means, that there is an email with a new poster task every day. The email arrives around 8–10 am. We have 24 hours to fulfill it. Its nice to receive these emails with the mission of the day. Today, for example, it said: 

Poster 3: For public information.
Create a poster from a piece of advice that someone once gave you

 
(start by summarising the advice into one sentence or phrase). 
With the brief, we got some texts about posters.
I realize that what I love about the poster, and what defines poster-ness for me, is the way it is conceptually attached to a motivating force — a product, or some event that will happen or has happened on a particular date and at a particular place. Temporal and physical fixity are integral parts of the visual language of the poster, anchors that help prevent it from floating into the ether of art. Ultimately it's the tension between those anchors and the tug of the designer's artistic ambition that produces the powerful, beautiful poster.  
Design Observer / Alice Twemlow: When Did Posters Become Such Wallflowers?

Design Observer / Alexandra Lange: Stop That: Minimalist Posters

Susan Sontag: Posters: Advertisement, Art, Political Artifact, Commodity
Looking Closer 3, Michael Bierut, ed. (Allworth Press, New York, 1999), pp. 196-218

Jan 12, 2013

saturdays, 6am



Every Saturday early morning, my Flatmate Jo visits to the car-boot sale. 
Once I had the pleasure to accompany her. We went to Wimbledon and visited 
the market which is next to a dog race stadium.You have to pay entrance 
as a visitor, depending when you arrive (the early morning is more expensive). 
It was a pleasure seeing Jo doing her job. She has a special view and 
discovered things there I did not recognize at all. Later, she gives them 
back to the public: on her blog, in a webshopat Spitalfields Market 
and recently also at Brick Lane Market.

east street market


East Street Market is the closest market to where I live now in London. 
It rules life on East Street in Camberwell every day except monday. 
You will find everything you need for your everyday live. It feels 'authentic' 
cause it is mainly used by the (multicultural) surrounding neighborhood. 


 East Street Market is one of London's oldest, largest and busiest markets 
and is as fondly visited now by local people as it has been for decades. 
There are a wide a variety of goods on offer, from fresh fruit and vegetables
to African clothing and materials. 

(Southwark Council website, more informations e.g. opening hours there)


Also I found these 1990s beauties there. 

Jan 11, 2013

trees, embracing




--------

In Offenbach, there is a painting on a garage door that I pass from time to time. 
It shows two trees standing next to each other, overlapping a bit. Since I saw
this picture I always think that that's the way trees are embracing each other, they
just grow into each other. Once they decide to do it, there is no going back. 
I was thinking of this, when I saw these two trees in Hamstead Heath last autumn. 
For now, it's not more than a hand shake. But there is no going back.

Jan 3, 2013

ask questions!





Yesterday, we went to the Natural History Museum. (By the way, a lot of other people did this). I really liked some of the exhibition design styles and the way, you are trained to ask questions. Although you expect from a museum visit like this to get answers, I always go out with more questions in my head. I think, we should ask more questions in general. It is a valuable culture we have to keep and to train.

 For a toddler, a single toy may become a close companion.

the new

GOODBYE 2012


After saying goodbye to London in December, there where incredibly many 
Hellos back in Germany, unavoidable followed by the same high amount of Goodbyes.
Back to London, we had a proper New Years Eve Dinner in our flat and then a 
proper New Years Eve Party in our Flat, too. I think, dancing is the best 
way to welcome a new year. (Now some left over decoration still reminds to 
this ritual and to the very new year, that has just started.)

HELLO 2013