This is my recent branding and packaging design concept for Lukie’s Farmhouse and Wadmans Family Grocer. As the desire for us to be closer to the makers of our produce increases, the popularity of farm foods continues to grow, creating exciting new opportunities for small businesses to compete on a wider scale and alongside more established producers. 

Key to this success is to ensure that the products branding and packaging design communicate your message, whilst understa...

I really enjoyed this article where Ilya Kalimulin has recreated 30 household name brands for the Russian market. This is something that has interested me for some time. You may need to translate this article, but it is worth it! Read it here.

 

One of my recent branding and packaging design projects, 'LithaFlora'  has been featured on packaging of the World website. The project for long time collaborator, Yolanda Methvin, required packaging for tea blends, bath salts and cleansing bars. The ‘Litha’ brand, (pronounced lee-tah) which means ‘star’ in Zulu, was created to look both high-end and to imply the health benefits of the products. The packaging needed to also be easily transferable across the range of different packagin...

A huge inflatable floating art sculpture called Kaws: Holiday was recently towed into Hong Kong’s Victoria Harbour. Huge crowds flocked to see the 37 metre figure that is the work of American artist Kaws (real name Brian Donnelly), renown for his characters with X’s for eyes. The artist comented, saying that he hoped his work will help people to relax. This particular character, named Companion, will remain in the harbor for a month and plays a part in the city’s art festival. 

 

Valencia FC’s 100th anniversary logo is being challenged by DC Comics because of the likeness with in the bat symbol. DC Comics are making their case, based on how the Spanish football club’s logo could cause confusion and highlighting all of DC’s European trademarks as a focus. Valencia, however have been using a bat in it’s crest since 1921. It will certainly be interesting to see the developments in this story. More here.

 

Last night I tuned into one of my favorite internet radio shows and to my surprise, the station was playing back to back Prince tunes. It was out of character for this station, but I wasn’t complaining as Ive been a big fan of Prince over the years and continued to listen, wondering if the DJ had scored an interv...

I can clearly remember the first time that I ever tried authentic west country cider with strong cheddar cheese. I was with my father and it was from a place that he called Lukie’s, in the mendip region. On a recent trip back to the UK (I currently live in Cape Town), I could clearly see that Lukie’s no longer existed… that’s even if it was called Lukie’s in the first place as my dad seems remembers it as Luke’s, without the ‘I’

 

A Link Ba...

The case study from the Igor Mitin Design Website:

         

THE TASK /

HAPS is a hardware store. Under the marketing plan, a number of the measures have been proposed to the clients in order to increase the buyer loyalty. One of these steps is a small promotional gift fot the purchase. It has been supposed to make a present for the buyers such as the bathroom accessories and tools needed for house...

When I left the UK for South Africa back in 2009, my brief was to help grow a fully operational design studio. It has taken a lot of blood, sweat and tears and I have loved every single second of it! I am so proud that today, not only have we achieved our objective, but I strongly believe that we have a world class design team with some of Ca...

For more than 100 years the Shell pecten emblem and distinctive red and yellow colours have visualised the Shell brand and promoted the company's products and services all over the world.

The Shell logo has changed considerably since it's inception in 1900, yet you can still apreciate it's iconic form, whether viewing the original logo or in its current form.

I always remember Michael Wolff recounting his work on a redesign ...

There are also a number of case studies, featuring renown package design work for some of the worlds largest businesses, including M&S foods, R Designs original work for the ‘Food Doctor’ (before Pearlfishers redesign) and Pentag...

This particular tin uses the same type style, narrative illustrations and decorative pattern elements as the previous two, however this version uses a totally different ‘rounded’ construct. The colour palette is also very different and uses tones of blues, silver and cream.

As...

The detail in the tin’s design is just incredible and it has a different image, beautifully illustrated, on each of its side panels. I have placed images next to each other, from both times that I have viewed the tin, to help show how the illustrations had changed subtlety between different production runs.

The beau...

In 1934, Steer wrote Printing Design and Layout. The book is a masterpiece and has been referred to as “A Complete Course in Typography" and as the “Typographer’s Bible”. The book is a thing of beauty and I was lucky enough to see an original copy, whilst working with one of my print partners in Cape Town. 

 As the creative director of a branding and packaging studio,...

I love the artwork on the packaging! A fantastic illustration style, very representative of the time, showing two young boys engrossed in the enjoyment of the game. The image really captured the excitement ...

On route we came across this wonderful trading post, with the buildings outside lined with vintage signage hoardings and the inside with an impressive collection of packaging from the past. My poor pregnant wife literal...

More here:

Matthijs van Leeuwen project page

Johnny Trinh (website) project page

About Interbrand (from their website)

At Interbrand, we believe that growth is achieved when an organization has a clear strategy and delive...

The stories are retold by Sara Hawks Sterling. It has some beautiful full page colour plates, illustrated by Rowland Wheelwright, each framed with a detailed line drawing. 

   

With it dating back to the 1930′s, I can only assume that it came into his possession from my dads, mum’s (my nan’s) husband, as I have recently found other items th...

From 1982 to 1987, Carson worked as a teacher and also at that time was also a professional surfer, reaching 9th in the world ranking. Carson himself often attributes his recognisable style to discovering graphic design and never being taught it. Without knowing any of the rules has allowed hi...

One of the most confusing for me was seeing what look liked the Red Bull brand, but when I tasted t...

There were over 125 natural disasters last year, add this to areas of conflict and the number of people starving as a result gets to breath taking levels.

  

Acc...

Here are some of my brand and packaging highlights from this years Cosmoprof Bologna fair.



I felt really uncool at this years show. I was one of the only men without a beard and when I...

Here is what the HP website has to say: This is design and technology taken to a whole new level. Artisan materials and striking craftsmanship create an experience unlike anything else. With a un...

I love the use of type; breaking the serif on the brand name Seixo giving it some real identity. The finish is also beautiful, employing the use of embossed lettering and illustrative elements, texture paper stock and touches of gold foil.



On my recent trip to Bologna I came across these wonderful old Vintage Sandeman b...

Then, have your say! You can now help make the final selection by clicking here.

I recently moved house. Living in Cape Town Ive built up quite an impressive collection of local wines and one by one I pulled out each bottle from the wooden rack and wrapped them in bubble wrap. Within the collection was one very special bottle and I knew eventually that I would re discover it. Im not sure I will ever drink it. Not because of the wine inside (I don't even know what wine is inside!), but isntead for the memor...

I used to come across it a lot. For example; a client who after signing off a job, gets back in touch and asks, “Can you ‘just’ make a change for me.” "It’s 'just' something small and I need it quickly." This usually translates...

Symbol by Steven Bateman and Pentagram partner Angus Hyland has been a valuable source to me when developing logos and brand identity systems. There are over 1300 logos included with the boo...

Published by Taschen the book features approximately 6000 trademarks/logo's, focusing on the forty-year period between 1940 to 1980, a time where Paul Rand, Soul Bass and Massimo Vignelli were changing the industry with their modernist approach to corporate identity. The book is divided into three chapters; geometric, effect, and typogr...

This years Awards consisted of three categories: 1) under R60 a bottle; 2) over R60 a bottle and 3) labels forming a seri...

Creativity has always been a part of my life. Some of my earliest memories are of drawing and mark making and it's been a life long passion that ultimately turned into my profession as a designer. The recent addition of writing about all things creative has been a natural and organic extension of my love for what I do.

Don't get me wrong. My practical design work still comes first an...

I have a belief that love and hard work go hand in hand! I strongly believe that if you don't love what you do then you'll be unable to dedicate yourself fully to it and it's unlikely you'll be able to produce great work! It may be hard work to get out of bed and drive to the office each morning. It may be hard work to get through each day, but that doesn't mean that your actually working hard at what you do! if you don't love what you do then how can you invest yourself t...

As an active member of the AIGA, I fully support the organisation and their initiatives. Below I have featured an article that outlines their design for good program, which is creating projects that have a positive social impact that benefits the world, our country and our communities. Please get involved and support the fantastic work that the AIGA are doing. Read more here.

After finishing his degree in architecture at Technische Universität in Berlin he chose to return to his home town of Gando in Burkina Faso and to use his education to help re build his community. Using the limited materials that were available in Gando, Kere worked with his communi...

This wonderful collection of vintage and rare beer packaging from all over the world can be seen at the Wild Clover micro Brewery. A veritable feast for any branding and packaging designer/vintage packaging enthusiast like myself!

The owner Ampie Kruger kindly let me take these images of the full collection of labels whilst telling me the amazing story of how it was donated to him. Apparently the original collectors wife insisted that he give this incredible treasure away!!!

Wild Clover pro...

I’ve been living in South Africa for almost six years now and anyone that knows me will also know that I am an avid collector of anything of visual interest. In fairness most would think what I find visually interesting strange. It can be anything from a texture on a wall, aged billboard signs, street art, old architecture to vintage branding, signage and packaging design. The cell phone camera and large hard drives have saved my family home from a man cave cluttered with all the stuff. In ...

In another new series for the Design Life, I wanted to write about some of histories design icons. Everything around us has at some point been designed. The designers who produce the worlds most recognised symbols, branding and packaging, play a role in our daily lives, but the designers themselves seldom get the notoriety or the similar celebrity that is awarded to those who work in the world of music, film, sport, fashion, art or even product design (Jonathan Ive, Philip...

The World-renowned 'design Indaba' conference takes place each year in February at Cape Town’s CTICC conference centre. The event sits at the top of the design community’s calendar with the three-day program including presentations and insight from both the worlds most established and celebrated creative professionals along with local up and coming talent.

Renowned graphic designer Michael Bierut has helped host the conference since 2010 and will be returned this year...

A huge thanks to my company CTTC Design and Nedbank for the invitation to the premier of 'Refuse the Hour", a chamber opera (performance art) by South Africa's most internationally acclaimed artist, William Kenteridge.

The venue for the evenings  performance was the Cape Town City Hall. It always feels like such an honour to be inside this important and beautiful building. The very same place that in February 11th 1990, Nelson Mandela, standing on the balcony, made his fi...

My family and I recently visited 'The Art of the Brick' exhibition which is currently on show in Cape Town. The exhibition by artist Nathan Sawaya is unique in that it's constructed completely from Lego blocks!

There's a short film as you enter the exhibition, where Sawaya tells the compelling story of his journey from an unhappy lawyer to an inspired and celebrated artist with his work from Lego blocks. He speaks about believing in yourself and doing the things that you ...

This is my first post featuring my deep interest for vintage branding and packaging design. My fascination began whilst a student where we would often visit the Robert Opie museum of vintage packaging at the Gloucester Docks in England. From that point on I was hooked and it's since grown into a leisure pursuit (some might say obsession) of mine, with my poor wife and son often having our trips away interrupted with me snapping away at old boxes and signs. The invention of...

Welcome to The Design Life. I have created this site to encourage topical discussion on creativity and innovation, celebrating both the beauty and success of the finished product, along with the journey and the processes involved.

I want us to talk about inspiration, ideas and where they come from, taking risks, failing and succeeding. The Design Life is a place where I wont be taking anything for granted. I'm going to be asking why a lot. There will be design resources,...