…but that doesn’t mean we can’t occasionally sit back and appreciate great work done by someone else, somewhere else in some other industry. In this case TrueCoffee in Thailand designing a great hot dog pack. Well done:

“To design is to communicate clearly by whatever means you can control or master” (Michelangelo)

“Good design keeps the user happy, the manufacturer in the black and the aesthete unoffended” (Raymond Loewy)

“A logo should look just as good in 15-foot letters on top of a company headquarters as it does one sixteenth of an inch tall on company stationery” (Steven Gilliatt)

“If you can’t describe what a logo looks like then how will you be able to remember it?” (Anon)

“Image means personality.  Products, like people, have personalities, and they can make or break them in the market place” (David Ogilvy)

Borrowed with pride from all over the place

This week’s Design Blog is about the work of Alan Clarke, as featured in the July edition of Creative Review.

I was very impressed with this work , particularly in the clever way in which each poster managed to communicate its message powerfully through the intelligent use of space, simple graphic shapes and low key yet intelligently placed type.

On his website Alan Clarke states that, “The designs focused on the movement and speed of the athletes equipment. They were used to help travelers associate relevant tube stops with the Olympic events that are being held there”.

This is just as well, as I feel that each poster works best when displayed on its own; thus avoiding any conflict between the colours (which are not only vibrant contemporary in feel but are also cleverly chosen to associate with the sport in question).

The power in these posters are in their simplicity and clever use of shapes which convey a subliminal feeling of movement and energy. Further clarification is given by the name of the sporting event displayed in the top right hand corner and the well known Olympic rings in the top left corner of each poster.

Alan also states, “I have come to believe in clear, considered, communication solutions, simplicity and great ideas”. In my opinion he has achieved this with elegance and great composition in these striking posters (which won Best in Show at this years D&AD New Blood exhibition).

Well done to Alan – and great to see the Olympian brand being interpreted in a distinctly London style.