Spotted recently in Marks and Spencer's cafe, these lovely displays made from fragments of their old packaging. Obviously this one was best because it's mostly biscuits and buttons.
Spotted recently in Marks and Spencer's cafe, these lovely displays made from fragments of their old packaging. Obviously this one was best because it's mostly biscuits and buttons.
Out now Carry On and Hammer Horror commemorative stamps from the Royal Mail. Better pictures on The Guardian website. They're miniature versions of the original film posters and look absolutely great, even when they're tiny.
The Billy Liar House, from the 1963 film shot on the outskirts of Bradford is the subject of the latest print from We Live Here. This is a slight departure from their usual brutalist masterpieces but it's just as lovely and a steal at £20.
davidthedesigner's alphabetical guide to 52 fonts you could use instead of Helvetica is now half way through. It's been very interesting so far. Thanks david!
Publishers Faber and Faber have a fine Flickr stream full of their book covers, catalogues and author photos, old and new. Penguin covers deserve the attention they get but by comparison Faber's covers are hidden treasures. Their Faber 20th Century classics like Ariel (above) are so simple, but so striking. The modern day poetry series with typographic covers continues the text-only tradition (thanks Gareth).
I wouldn't normally comment on something like this, not being a designer like, but Pentagram's redesign of Dairy Today magazine is fantastic. Look at these cows - they're as glamorous as movie stars (via Acejet170).
It sometimes feels like the web is saturated with design blogs, all swilling the same links about. Then along comes Grain Edit which is clearly a cut above the rest. Specialising in vintage children's and rare graphic design books it's choc full of beautiful rarities like Saul Bass's only kids' book Henri's Walk to Paris (above, also on Flickr). Even the archives are beautifully laid out. Add a little style to your day (thanks Will).
Flensted have been making supercool mobiles since 1954. They've got various ranges: kids, Bauhaus and Calder-inspired abstract ones, even some styllsh Christmas decorations (including Santa, above). My favourites are the Danish ones, with vikings, viking ships and the delightfully mournful Puffing Troll (above right) who will take all your troubles away. They're lightweight and pack flat so make great gifts for kids overseas. Buy from Danish Design and shops worldwide.
Quite possibly the cutest things ever, tiny cardboard synthesizers and musical equipment by Dan McPharlin. An electro fanfare to dustysevens for this one.
The wonderful Keep Calm and Carry On posters that proved such a big hit are now reproduced as a lovely tea towel. I've got one and it seems like a perfect marriage - stoic advice right where you need it. Not that I'd dream of actually drying the dishes with it. It's far too nice for that.
They're available from Lark Designs who also do a whole heap of other great stuff, much of it based on classic children's books. Although based in Australia they ship internationally at no extra cost. They're also available from Pedlars - another mail order company specialising in fine items with vintage styling such as old Routemaster destination boards and Lonodn Underground signs. The posters are still a steal at £3.60 from Barter Books.
This is my new favourite package. It's Extra Gentle Melon After Swim from Superdrug. It comes from a kids haircare range which all have these great scratch-and-sniff monsters on the label. They also have a bit of fun with the instructions - "Oh-no! You've been swimming and you pong like a pool!". It stands out a mile from everything else on the shelves, even the kids' stuff which is supposed to be fun and eye-catching. I can't find out who designed them (reminds me a bit of Tim Biskup or Pete Fowler but that's not very likely) but well done whoever it was, and well done Superdrug. It made me buy something I didn't need, so job done.
Found in Pittenweem, this lovely old box, with all its little forks inside. After all this talk about giving things fancy names it's a nice reminder of less complicated times.
Paynes Poppets have had a makeover. It's sort of Icons of England meets I Love the 1970s with spacehoppers, slinkies, furry dice and the like. There are 4 different designs for each flavour ("an industry first" they say), with 4 flavours altogether - raisin, peanut, toffee and orange (coconut and "crunchy" have fallen by the wayside). The packets drive home the nostalgia thing with a message "to help you Remember When?". The one on this packet was about burying someone up to their neck in sand. I like Poppets but I'm not hit by waves of nostalgia every time I bite into one, so this seems like over-egging the pudding a bit. Maybe that's just me. I did find some Tooty Frooties (have they gone away and come back?) and was instantly transported back to the park I used to play in when I was wee. Still, the packets are very nice (they're going into the museum) and stand out a mile in the sweet shop - makes you realise how dull most chocolate wrappers are. For enthusiasts the history of Poppets (from 1937) is on Fox's website.