Places I’ve been – Manchester

(June 2010)

Blossom at the Cathedral.


You have to look for rivers and canals, they are hidden...


At the Royal Exchange Theatre, you have the strange feeling they landed a lunar module under the glass domes.

Places I’ve been – Berlin

(A week-end in May 2010)

A disturbing walk through the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe.


Memorial for the Victims of War and Tyranny (this one has a long story).


The twins cathedral of Gendarmenmarkt.


A better use of the Berlin Wall: art. (West Side Gallery)


Looking for the Berliner Philharmoniker (in the back), I found a Haring. What's not to like?

Recently read

Over the last months, I’ve been reading a couple of trade books recommended by teachers and colleagues. Here are my reviews.

Just finished:

The Guardian Book of English Language ++

A small book containing extracts form Guardian Style, edited by David Marsh (2007)

A useful reference as how to write things right, such as titles and dates, which expressions to avoid, or to get to know a bit of Polari (basically a British gay slang). The more you know, the more you realise how little you know…

A Duo by Paul Arden:

It’s not how good you are, it’s how good you want to be +

Whatever you think, think the opposite ++

The first is the famous one; the later is the interesting one. Maybe it’s because I read Whatever first, sometime last year, and I thought it was a witty book, that was in accordance with all the things you don’t really know how to justify. Not to mention the beautiful layout of the book. Then, I read It’s not how good. The same type of layout, but the magic didn’t work. A bit too patronizing, maybe?

Read in small bits:

The Big Moo by Seth Godin & 32 of world's best business minds +

This is a follow-up of Purple Cow, where dozen of stories help you to understand how you can be truly remarkable (a purple cow in a field of brown cows) and make sure people hear you too. Easy reading on the tube, inspiring stories to give you the guts to challenge everything.

And, last but not least:

D&AD Annual +++

Until this year, only a privileged few could get their hands on the bible of creative excellence in design and advertising of the year, according to the D&AD. For the first time, Taschen makes it available to the public. Marvellous! I like to think of it as my year book… Well, let’s say that I’ve studied some of the featured work during my Master. The only bad thing about this book is that I will have to buy it every year now!

Coming up:

• Conversational Capital (I’m reading it now)
• Jokes and their relation to the unconscious (when I’ll feel psycho-enabled)
• A Smile in the Mind (I just ordered it)

Design Project 2

And here is project number 2. This one was produced in the class of Ruth Sykes, from the same design business as Emily (project 1). The brief was to design a poster to convince people to act or adopt a new behaviour. We had to come up with everything: the idea itself, logo, copy, illustration/photography, and a supporting object.

I came up with the “Dance with you umbrella” initiative, which I fantasized to be sponsored by the Mayor of London (explaining the use of the ultimate British typeface, gill sans). The first poster is the general one, to create awareness. The other one, a bit more complex, would fit in the tube or any other place you wait for a couple of minutes, so you can actually figure it out.

As for colour, I chose a blue sky blue and a sunny orange. Yes, because when you dance, there are no grey skies. I started with an existing illustration I bought from Carlos Benigno then changed pretty much everything, created the partner, etc.

My supporting object was, of course, an umbrella, featuring the official colour and logo.

The launch of campaign would also include one or many “forgot your umbrella day”, where a promotional team would walk with people without umbrella on a rainy day. While they get them from the tube entrance to the local coffee or from the bus to work, they would chat about the umbrella etiquette and introduce them to the dance.

Design Project 1

We had, for the last 5 months, two design classes. Working with Emily Wood from Reg Design, we had an assignment entitled "Everyone I've ever known". It seems ambitious - well, it is. We had to collect data about the people we had encounter in our life (some made a list of 2000, I stopped at 150), then categorise and finally illustrate the information about them.

Along my collection period, I kept asking myself how to define the people I’ve known. How come I remember them, why are they important to me? So my project became articulated around the values I share with them or those I admire from them.

The tag cloud imposed itself as a representation of importance of the value, the shape of a chain of little men holding hands became a symbol of sharing. There even was a chain coming out of the poster (as shown below). But, I still have an issue with colour. It still doesn’t feel right… Well, it just proves that I’m not an art director (yet). ;-)

Symbol Workshop

Weird assignments give weird results.

"Create a warning sign saying: Beware, bankers drink here". Ah, British eccentricity. Can't wait to see my pictogram on the City's pubs doors.

Designers of the year

On the south bank of the Thames, a small but mighty museum presents the greatest design ideas of the year...

I won't list them all, but I'll gladly share my favorites, so you know what to get me for Christmas in years to come.

Gocycle, UK - Karbon Kinetics Ltd.
Beautiful, strong, handy, clean. I would use it everyday.


The Newspaper Club, UK - Ben Terrett
Who said that print press was endangered?


Sugru, UK - Jane ni Dhulchaointigh
The ultimate ergonomic tool! A plasticine that harden and improve everything you put it on.


GINA Light Visionary Model, Germany - BMW
I am usually not into cars, but this one is made of fabric. Very promising.


Graffiti Taxonomy: Paris, France - Evan Roth
I wished I thought of it. Sounds like a terrific subject for a master thesis in Graphic Design.


Real Time, Netherlands - Maarten Baas
An ever surprising clock. For once, it's awesome to watch time go by.


And so on...
Great ideas, guys.

4 approaches to inspiration

Among our many tutors in London, we had a way too short session with Dr Kit Barton about Inspirational Ideas and Thinking. The class usually takes 45 hours, we got 3. Well, just enough to know what to look for in my next readings!

We discussed 4 methods used to get inspired, or as we like to say, to be creative. Here is an overview and some links to know more about each of them.

1. Psychoanalytic Exploration
Thinkers: Freud and Jung
Concept: Creativity lies within you, in the unconscious. This is the part of the mind that we are not aware of, where all instincts and drives reside. So, how can we access the unconscious? Sometimes it manifests itself through Freudian slips. We use a lot of ideas repressed in the unconscious when we tell jokes. Or, if you can remember them, the best way to access the unconscious is dreams.

The principle that creativity lies in the unconscious becomes even more interesting from Jung’s point of view: the collective unconscious. Ah, what a treasure for storytellers! Think of all myths and legends, which address the same issues all over the world. Then we understand how come Star Wars was such a success…


2. Symbolic Systems
Thinker: Ferdinand de Saussure
Concept: From a semiotic point of view, every name is a sign. Concept and sound-image are closely related; they are the signified and the signifier. Considering that the relation between the signifier and the signified is arbitrary, there is an opening for creativity here.

Simply use different signifier(s) for a signified. You can get something new that people will understand if there is an alteration of some elements that makes the concept. This approach is particularly used in design.

Now, how can we alter signifiers enough, but not too much, and therefore become more creative? Sources of inspiration often come from outside your culture of from the micro-cultures you can find in your own.


3. Hermeneutic Analysis
Thinker: Martin Heidegger
Concept: This approach discusses of the interpretation of things. Heidegger developed a quite complex theory, but here is a rude shrink-down of the principles exposed in The Origin of the Work of Art.

We can consider than there are three levels to interpret things.

1. As an aggregate of qualities under a single term. To interpret a door, you say “door”.
2. As a description of its natural qualities (a “scientific” approach). The door becomes “a large and thin piece of wood with a handle”, etc.
3. As “equipment”, i.e. the thing being interpreted by its purposes. The door then is a mean to go through a wall, or a way to cut us from the activity on the other side of the door, therefore intimacy, and so on.

The creativity would use the third level, or simply the opposite of level 1: let things speak for themselves. Instead of saying door, let the door say something to you. Allow yourself to be spoken to by objects.

Note: The noun hermeneutic comes from Hermes, the messenger of gods, who interpreted messages.


4. Radical Synthesis
Thinker: Nietzsche
Concept: Last but not least, the simplest way to try to be creative (I say try, because it is not a infallible technique). Radical Synthesis can be simplified into the idea of doing the opposite.

Identify what the rules are. Then willingly break them.

According to Nietzsche (Thus Spoke Zarathustra), there is the herd and the others (we can call them creatives). The herd edicts rules to keep you in the herd, mainly using guilt. Being alone or different is guilty.

Then, the others are as a matter of fact lonely and not understood. They choose that state, they are adepts of non-conformism. So, being creative is an ongoing act of will. (I got to admit I agree!)

There is also the Dionysian aspect – where you have to get rid of your inhibitions, commonly with the help of alcohol and drugs. But, not surprisingly at all, the professor did not develop that idea. Shall we discuss that over a drink?

Places I’ve been – Scotland

Somewhere between Glasgow and Edinburgh.


Perfect moment at Loch Lomond. (I'm the one with less hair.)

View from our Hostel in Edinburgh, on the North Sea.


I just loved the pictograms of the Lighthouse in Glasgow (Center of Design and Architecture).

Places I’ve been – Paris

(Autumn 2009)
Detailed skyline of the Opera Garnier.


Pyramids over Palace (Louvre).


Medieval ceiling at the Conciergerie.



Angry man at the top of the Arc de Triomphe.


At the top of the hour, it starts running.

Places I’ve been – Marseille

(Christmas day, 2009)


The famous Chateau d’If (Comte de Monte Cristo), with the city’s “Bonne Mère” in the background (church on top of the hill).