Along with giving me an addiction to Fig Rolls and introducing me to the music of Mr Scruff I also credit my old Art Director, Simon Rowlands, with introducing me to the photographic work of Martin Parr about 6 years ago… and ever since then I’ve been a fan of his unique views of both Britain and the world in which we live.

Internationally recognised as a brilliant satirist of contemporary life, Martin Parr has led the development of the British documentary tradition with wit, style, and intelligence in a career that boasts numerous publications and exhibitions. His work is held by major galleries and museums worldwide. ‘Common Sense’, which this week graces our reception area, combines extravagantly lurid and luscious colour with Parr’s trademark sense of irony. Though hilariously funny – as always with Parr’s work – there is a sharp and biting edge to the humour.

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Well hello ducky, how bona to varda your dolly old eek!

Don’t worry, I’ve not been overdoing the sweeties again…

Believe it or not, I’m actually paying you a compliment. The phrase is Polari, a secret language invented by the British gay community in the early 20^th century – back in the dark old days when homosexuality was illegal.

Never heard of it? Poppycock! If you’ve ever described something as ‘naff’ or ‘manky’, put on some ‘slap’ before a night out, or popped to your local for a few ‘bevvies’, then you’re practically fluent darling!

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Nick Knight is near the top of my imaginary ‘photographers I’d love to commission one day’ list. I’ve been an admirer of his work ever since I laid my eyes on his series of fabulous, color-drenched images created for Yohji Yamamoto in the early nineties. Nick Knight is now the uncrowned king of the digital fashion photography with his striking, beautifully composed, digitally manipulated images that often challenge the conventions of fashion photography.

Despite being a perennial favourite with the great and the good of the fashion world he hasn’t shied away from tackling controversial issues as racism, disability and ageism within mainstream media. My favourite example being his stunning photography for a Levi’s Jeans campaign featuring the original wearers of Levi’s Jeans, some of whom were over 70 years old.

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I like words. They happify me. In fact, they make me tripudiate with joy. I’m one of those people who take far more pleasure in hearing about a crepuscular splodge than actually seeing one; and would much rather read about a spelunking scrimshanker than go and cheer him on. I get a kick out of the English language and, at the risk of being philodoxical, I think everybody should. Language may be fundamentally a means of communication, in the way that food is fundamentally a means of nutrition, but both offer pleasure far beyond their function. Words should be savoured like a sumptuous steak.

Of course, when I try to convince my chums about the myriad delights of mellifluous language, they call me a ponce. Well, until a few weeks back. All of a sudden, they’re casually dropping obscure words into every conversation. It’s frippet this and proprioception that. And while I love to think it’s down to my strategic nagging, I’m afraid it isn’t. They still think I’m a ponce. But they’ve become huge fans of this website called Wordle. Read more…

Negative Space by Noma Bar

Can a picture really paint a thousand words? Well, yeah, if Noma Bar designed it. A modern-day master of the ‘less is more’ approach to design, Noma’s ingenious use of negative space gives his work a startling subtlety that creeps up and smacks you between the eyes.

Throw in some incisive wit in his creative handling of current political and cultural issues, and you’re looking at one of the most prestigious designers of the minute. He’s hot stuff. And once you’ve seen his work, you’ll know why. Read more…

You get a great feeling of pride when you see your work appearing in a book. It’s like that nice feeling you got when your Mum put that picture you did at school on the fridge for all the family and relatives to see. I knew when I received my copy of ‘Touch this, Graphic Design that feels good’, that I had a piece inside it… it was only when I flicked through the pages that I was amazed to see three pieces of work I did with my then Art Director, Simon Rowlands, had been chosen to appear in this fabulous book.

Compiled by Designer Scott Witham, who has worked for global clients including Sony, Virgin, Orange and the Royal Bank of Scotland, ‘Touch this, Graphic Design that feels good’ features intriguing projects that incorporate a gamut of “you can’t print on that” materials, including pleated, Issey Miyake type forms and razor-thin metal business cards; X-ray film; heat-sensitive inks; ceramic tiles; and carpet samples. In short, there are design solutions in this book that use any and everything, except plain paper.

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Back when I got my first job in 1996, my Creative Director gave me a book to look at called ‘LaChapelle Land’ that simply astounded me. Needless to say I hunted down my own first edition numbered copy… and it takes pride of place on my bookcase at home.

‘Heaven to Hell’ is LaChapelle’s third in a trilogy that began with ‘LaChapelle Land’. The images contained within the pages and follow in the same astonishing, color-saturated, and provocative style but this time there is more of a reference to Renaissance, art history, cinema, The Bible, pornography, and the new globalized pop culture… hence the title ‘Heaven to Hell’.

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After a few fun, intense days of editing I’ve just uploaded my entry to the Getty Mishmash Music Video Remix Competition. From the moment I heard about this competition I knew I had to enter as it gave me the chance to dabble in two of my favourite things: music and film. There was also the small matter of a shiny new 17″ MacBook Pro with Final Cut Studio installed for the winner. Phwooar. The rules to the competition were delightfully simple: make a music video using Getty footage and music. Er that’s it. After whiling away a few hours sampling the delights of the Getty film footage catalog and music collection an idea began to taken shape. You can see my video ‘The Devil & Mr Jones’ here. I’m excited about the result although i’m up against some stiff competition from those pesky professional film directors/editors.  Feel free to post ego massaging comments after you’ve viewed it. Thanks.

Who’d have thought a Swedish furniture shop could provide the ideal location for a gripping melodrama?

I thought it was just somewhere couples went to have arguments.

Ikea Heights is a spoof soap opera filmed entirely at the Burbank store in California without the store’s permission. It’s really well done too. Customers are milling around in the background, busy deliberating whether the BILLY or the FLÄRKE bookcase would better complement their lounge decor… blissfully unaware of the scandal and intrigue unfolding around them.

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According to the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), illegal downloading of music is solely responsible for a 23% decrease in worldwide sales of music CDs between 2000 and 2006. And in 2008, music sales fell from 449.2 million in 2007 to 360.6 million in 2008, according to Nielsen Co.’s SoundScan service.

It will come as no surprise then that people’s attitudes towards illegally downloading music have changed dramatically in the last few years. Researchers in the UK from the Strategic Advisory Board for Intellectual Property (SABIP) found that 1.3m people used one file-sharing network on one weekday, from that they estimated that over one year these downloaders would have free access to material worth £12bn. And there is no sign of attitudes changing towards illegally downloading music.

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