Lee Clow - TEDxChapmanU - Creating Icons

Lee Clow shares his thoughts on what makes a genius, icon, and maverick and provides
great insight into how intensity, passion, and desire led him to the successful career 
he has today. He touches on his working relationship with Steve Jobs and how the 
experience impacted his life.

R.I.P - Alexander McQueen

So sad to here the news of the death of a true creative visionary yesterday!

Alexander McQueen: Inspiring, daring, cutting-edge, pioneering, imaginative, innovator...

are some words that spring to mind... and still seem to underestimate his creative talent...

a sad loss not just for fashion, but for what creativity stands for!

Below is a clip of a memory I have from 1999 when, for me, his genius really shone through...

I became a fan and took interest from this moment on...

BANKSY BRISTOL EXHIBITION - £10 million into the city's economy!

The homecoming exhibition of Bristol boy Banksy finished yesterday in Bristol. I was lucky enough to catch it last

month and have to say it's probably one of the best exhibitions I've ever seen. Braving the rain in a queue for 1.5 hours,

sometimes reaching 6 hours long, the show did not disappoint with many of the pieces made especially for this

one-off homecoming exhibition. See the promo clip here...

A couple of things that made it great, for one thing it was free, so attracted a far wider audience who maybe aren't

your usual art goers. The wide spectrum of ages, from kids to grannies... great for kids to see the animated

animals which are a reflection on animal rights and where food comes from. You could take photos (without flash)

thus spreading the exposure to friends, family and the world! Also by making it free it created quite a shift of posters

and books in the gift shop. Smart move!

More amazing facts below...

- £10 million into the city's economy and doubled the turnover of a number of local businesses.

- Over 12 weeks more than 300,000 people, around 4,000 each day, matching the museum's own annual number of visits.

- Visitors queued come rain or shine for between two and six hours to see more than 100 works.

In a statement sent by text message, Banksy said: "It's nice to see it's been so popular but it makes me a bit suspicious.''

See why in the full article...

BANKSY BRISTOL EXHIBITION - Video...

ART & COPY - Advertising & Inspiration

Art & Copy is a powerful new film about advertising and inspiration. It reveals the work and wisdom of some of the

most influential advertising creatives of our time -- people who've profoundly impacted our culture, yet are virtually

unknown outside their industry. Really wanna see this!

STANLEY KUBRICK - R.I.P.

It's 10 years to the day since the late great Stanley Kubrick passed :-( There will never be a filmmaker who has the 

same level of craft or vision he held. I so wish he had be able to live to make his A.I. project instead of Spielberg.

And below another maverick creative, Brain Eno talking about the very underrated Kubrick film - Barry Lyndon...

TDR - Closes :-(

On Tuesday last week The Designers Republic closed for business :-( The highly influential design company inspired

a whole generation of graphic designers over their 23 years in the game. One thing I always admired about the company

was their refusal to move to London, or open an office there to be closer to their clients and industry. I'm sure there

will be a lot of retrospectives to them this month, so I won't go into the iconic work they have created over the years.

For me the company was never the same after Michael C Place left and set up Build, after helping to create such

an iconic look and style it was hard for them to then find their voice again.

More info and statement from founder Ian Anderson over at CR...

TERRY RICHARDSON - Raw Start

Terry Richardson created a style and look I like to call raw, which through the 00s has been so copied and almost

become overused, especially in editorial / fashion. When you see his work these days, it still has that edge and

beauty (just more shinny maybe). Check this clip above where he talks about the start of his career. Sticking with 

the style after being ridiculed shows real passion and dedication to something you believe in. Nice one Terry ;-)

More of the video interview...

BARNEY BUBBLES - The Life And Work Of...

Just in time for xmas comes this book about the very underground, or under-hyped graphic artist Barney Bubbles,

who sadly committed suicide back in 1983. A much admired designer by most of the UKs current industry legends

and design heros. I became aware of his name 3 or 4 years back and was intrigued I hadn't heard of him... which

fuelled me to find out more. He mainly worked within the music industry, and in the late 70s started to work entirely

anonymously, or under many layers of pseudonyms. Which probably explains why little is known about him. 

I must put this on the xmas list for Santa, or pick it up from Magma...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY - Paul Rand

Paul Rand - August 15, 1914 – November 26, 1996. Arguably America's greatest graphic designer of the 20th century.

He revolutionized the advertising world with his simple communicative designs, and was among the first to embrace

the international style of design that emerged in Europe during the 50s and 60s. His corporate identity work is most

recognizable, and he is largely credited with convincing businesses of the importance of design.

GEORGE LOIS - Slams Esquire Cover

Legendary Esquire designer/AD slams the October Esquire cover design!

This guy is a legend and knows what he's talking about, he saved MTV in the beginning!

Video interview here... 

Brave move by Esquire, bad headline though and I'm sure they could have done something more creative?

BANKSY - Does It Again!

Just opened in the West Village, New York Bansky's animatronics installation "The Village Pet Store and Charcoal Grill"
Moving away from his stencil and street art approach, this new work is receiving rave reviews for it's commentary on our
relationship with animals. This is amazing idea which has been well carried out!

From the artist: "I wanted to make art that questioned our relationship with animals and the ethics and sustainability of factory
farming, but it ended up as chicken nuggets singing."

Check more here...

FABIEN BARON - In The NY Times

Nice little read here about one of my creative hero's, titled... Fabien Baron: The Art Director Star.

He even has a holiday house in Sweden, I wonder what it looks like? I can't imagine him living in

one of the standard red painted traditional setups.

MUSICAL MOMENTS - #1

In early 2005 I was lucky enough to see the King Monkey himself perform at the adidas Superstar 35th anniversary

party in Stockholm. I believe it was the first time he'd done those early classics, rather than his solo stuff, which 

was a great surprise! That summer he did the festival circuit with the same set, but you can't really ever get better 

than the Glastonbury festival! The BBC coverage is always outstanding from Glasto if you're stuck at home :-(

HAPPY BIRTHDAY - Stanley Kubrick

Today would have been the birthday of the late great Stanley Kubrick (July 26, 1928 - march, 1999)

The maverick director has influenced all aspects of the movie world, the likes of which will never be seen

again. His meticulous approach has often been described as lunatic, but I find it so inspiring and love to

hear all the stories that back this up. Check out this brand new documentary... Stanley Kubrick's Boxes 

And probably the best documentary about him - A Life In Pictures

BANKSY - The Scarlet Pimpernel Of Modern Art

The Mail newspaper goes on a year long investigation to uncover the true identity

of Banksy. This is a great read and brings back some nice memories for me. Coming 

from Bristol originally (then to London, then Sthlm) and rolling in the same circles... I have 

already been sworn to secrecy, but if the price is right I could be swayed ;-) 

Offers now welcome!

VIVENNE WESTWOOD - Opus Book

Vivenne Westwood is a true legend and innovator! Somebody I rate very highly in creative terms.

It was great to catch her retrospective exhibition at the V&A in 2004, really inspiring!

Now she releases a very limited edition book, Opus. 900 copies, 9 different covers - all signed.

The book gives insight into her designs and collections, it also contains various images of friends

and family taken on a very special Polaroid camera. Lovely, but not sure of the cost ;-)

MASTER COMMUNICATOR - George Lois

I think I became aware of George Lois when his book $ellebrity came out and I then realised how 

influential he was to advertising. He created the concept of celebrity to sell product, amongst other things...

which is still a huge appeal today. But I just love how he turned the failing MTV project round. Legend!

Also read...