OFFF 2014

This time last week I was in Barcelona and it was the start of three days of OFFF, a design conference/festival which was boasting a line up I couldn't turn down this year. The three days were pretty overwhelming with an abundance of advice and inspiration, so I'm going to cut it down to the top 3 pieces of advice and thoughts I'm taking away.

Lesson 1. Learn calligraphy. This piece of advice I took from Seb Lester, his stunning lettering was a intimidatingly good. From the way he spoke it seemed you can develop a real appreciation for letterforms and type design through the the process of calligraphy, not to mention the value of craftsmanship

Action: take a calligraphy course, or get online/books/reading and start self-teach this.

2) "Everything starts in a sketchbook" says children's illustrator and author Oliver Jeffers, as he spoke about his process and work it was more than apparent how vital a sketchbook is. This was also reiterated by a few other talks from speakers. I feel I've become more absentminded about sketchbooks recently, especially whilst freelancing so this thought really resonated.

Action: Invest in a sketchbook you'll love and don't be afraid to scribble and make a mess, this is part of the design process. I also bought a copy One Sketch a Day from one of the stalls at the festival, which pretty much does what it says on the tin. So far I've done one a day to get me in flow of things, (but it's only been week yet!)

3) Don't be lazy. Kate Moross's final slide pretty much summed up a work ethic which I'm slowly internalising. Don't be lazy, don't do things half-arsed, over-deliver if you have to; sometimes that can feel amazing.

Action: Get into the habit of over-delivering and learn new skills. Don't waste 'free' time, there is no such thing by using every second and throwing yourself into immerse yourself through learning new skills it can stop your from feeling or being lazy.

That's a very, very brief round up, overall the conference was brilliant, my only criticism would be the ridiculously over sexualised branding they had this year, it was verging on cringe-y at times. Aside from that there were thousands of attendees and the entire vibe oozed creativity and design, I loved it. I really recommend a visit next year: the location and time of year is perfect for breakfasts on the beach and topping up that tan too!

Science Museum

After reading about johnson banks's (no caps) branding for the Science Museum I decided to pop by and see it in action. First off, what I find most striking is the typography; it's fantastic (see first picture below). Everything about the geometric style of the typeface, constructed by The Foundry say's 'Science Museum' without stating the obvious. Not only because of the angular type somewhat reminiscent of a digital calculator, everything about the new brand identity is gracefully subtle from the airbrushed faceless face to the primary coloured circles. If you've been around London these past few months, you may have seen some of the posters (second picture below) around the tube stations, with the airbrushed face; I find that sharp lines of the type really draw a distinction between image and type. The only thing I could complain about is how eerie it can seem, the faceless face that is, a little off putting at first: but regardless a fantastic piece of design.

P.s: Shelly, I promise to take you to the Science Museum soon.