Archive for February, 2010

Our True (North Strong & Free) Colours

Friday, February 26th, 2010

I’ve been working up to this post for some time now. As an avid (or maybe rabid) Olympics supporter and a general sports enthusiast, I’ve been exceptionally proud of the way Canada has embraced these Olympics and the way our athletes have performed under pressure. I’ve been even more impressed, however, with the way Vancouver has branded itself for these games. Perhaps our success over the past two days (3 gold, 1 silver, 2 bronze) has put a little extra glow in my heart, but I can’t help but tip my hat to those responsible for executing the vision for these Winter Games. At first I was only moderately excited at the Vancouver 2010 brand. I perceived it’s vector illustration style as less-than-original. Seeing it’s full execution, however, I’m extremely appreciative of the attention to detail. Look no further than the green-and-blue coloured houses of the curling rinks, Canada Hockey Place with it’s green and blue painted stairs, or the halfpipe’s green and blue markings. The placement of the cameras has been addressed with extreme attention to detail as well. The gates of the downhill events have been carefully planned for impact with the home audience, likewise with the Bobsled track placement of “Vancouver 2010″ on prominent turns and Canada Hockey Place displaying the Olympic rings on top of the net for the camera to broadcast to the public. On top of this, I’ve found the typography to be excellent as well. The type chosen has been clean and clear, with one of the best examples being the numbers on Speed Skater’s helmets. Here are a few examples of branding done well, courtesy of Boston.com.

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Typographic Thursdays

Thursday, February 25th, 2010

Another awesome quote, this time courtesy of Clients from Hell.

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Hola!

Thursday, February 25th, 2010

I’m trying really hard to get used to the lack of sun, beaches, flip flops and strawberry margaritas here in Winnipeg… needless to say, it’s not going so well. My friend and I went to the Mayan Riviera and stayed at the beautiful Catalonia Yucatan. It was about 20 minutes outside of Playa Del Carmen and close to many historical and touristy destinations. I would definitely recommend a trip to Tulum to experience a bit of the Mayan culture and to see the gorgeous beaches that surround the village. Xel-Ha is a natural park that offers outdoor activites like snorkeling, scuba diving, swimming with dolphins, hiking through the jungle, cliff jumping and the best Mexican food.  One more thing I would recommend - bring a strong sunscreen and a hat. I learned the hard way. Adios!

Note- All of these photos were taking using the ShakeItPhoto app for the iPhone

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Inglorious Artwork

Thursday, February 18th, 2010

This seems like a ton of unreserved fun. A series of artists have created alternate poster art for the film Inglorious Bastards to be displayed at the Upper Playground Gallery in LA. All proceeds will be donated to The American Red Cross to help the victims in Haiti. To top it all off, each print will be signed by Quentin Tarantino himself. What Inglorious fun!

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Matthew-Lyons

Wednesday, February 10th, 2010

On the topic of great illustrators, here is another in Matthew-Lyons. Again, this link has been kicking around in pen form in one incarnation or another for some time, but it is completely worth saving.

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Brent Couchman

Wednesday, February 10th, 2010

A myriad of topics and artists to blog about have been piling up on my patented monitor-of-sticky-notes for a few weeks now. It seems as though we’ve been just busy enough that I can’t quite put thoughts to paper (or in this case, screen). I can’t remember where I came across Brent Couchman’s illustrations, but he has fantastic work. I love his vintage colour palettes, and his site is perfectly fluid. It’s another great example of simplicity in design.

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The Wooden Sky

Wednesday, February 10th, 2010

I had the privilege of attending a show last night at the West End Cultural Centre for The Wooden Sky and headliners Rural Alberta Advantage. If you haven’t listened to The Wooden Sky before, you’re missing out. Great live, great vocals, great songs. Simply put, I like them and I enjoy their cover art.

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Igloo livin’ aint too bad

Saturday, February 6th, 2010

Saturday afternonn and haven’t froze yet. Life is good. Please donate at goodbear.mb.ca

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Making Igloo Progress

Friday, February 5th, 2010

We’re well on our way to making igloo magic. Come down to the Forks and check out our progress.

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It’s Not How Good You Are, It’s How Good You Want To Be

Thursday, February 4th, 2010

We’ve had this little book in our library for some time now. Callum recently took a journey to Scotland, and he brought back with him a pirate’s bounty – in book form. Somehow a few of these books got lost in the shuffle, and it wasn’t until I needed some creative energy this past Tuesday that I discovered “It’s Not How Good You Are, It’s How Good You Want To Be”. The aforementioned book, written by Paul Arden, is an anecdotal look at creative processes. Many of these anecdotes may be obvious, however they are often overlooked in everyday life. I found the book to be the shot in the arm I needed to continue creating and be inspired to do so. I recommend reading the book, as it serves as a reminder that altering your perspective can keep us fresh and help us to continue to progress as individuals.

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