The Escape - Hampshire Design Agency

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Desktop Art

Remember the Mac Desktop Art? Well, here is some more - and it’s much cooler.

Posted in: Design- Bit of Fun

Creative Thinking

Came across a story today on the trusty BBC site and my eye was caught by bubble.us. It’s a very simple and totally free web application that let’s you brainstorm online. Funky.

Posted in: Design

Creative opportunities will never die

So. You’ve picked the music, pre-selected your outfit for the occassion and asked everyone to be happy and to ‘celebrate’ your death. Then you turn up in a mahogony box with brass fittings… so last year darling!!!
Image of a tram coffin

This article on the BBC website just goes go prove that there is a place for design even where you least expect it. I find this refreshing for 2 reasons. Firstly it provides an opportunity for humour to be introduced into what is always regarded as a sombre occasion. As much as many request it in their dying wishes, when did you last go to a funeral where everyone ‘did’ have a good laugh?

Secondly, I love the fact that we have created ourselves yet another medium for design. As an agency, this might not necessarily be a service we would usually offer but it proves yet again that there is a demand for creativity and people place a value on it. It also proves yet again that design is about telling a good story. I love the idea of designing a coffin showing someone holding a piece of paper saying ‘For christ sakes let me out… I’m not dead’. That lasting story/memory of ‘Fred Bloggs’ in the box is that he had a sense of humour, and that was delivered by design.

Posted in: Design- Bit of Fun

Free vector graphics

Found this useful resource for all you lazy tykes (and students) out there… FreeVectors.net

Posted in: Design- Tools

New UK coin design

Could it be that UK coinage is getting a tad modern?

As much as people love to cling onto the past, especially when a nation’s identity is at stake, I like the new coin designs from the Royal Mint. There’s something very ‘three lions’ about them.

New British coin design

The new designs were chosen from an open competition which attracted 4,000 entries. The winning designer is 26-year-old Matthew Dent, originally from Bangor who now lives and works in London as a graphic designer

Posted in: Design

Tool for creating graffiti

Nice tool here via Stumbling this morning - The Graffiti Generator.

What’s not so cool is my attempt…

Graffiti Attempt

Posted in: Design- Web Design- Tools

How to resize an image for the web

Great tool - Picnik.com - for resizing and optimizing an image for the web. Here’s how to do it.

Posted in: Design- Web Design

Why can’t technology just work together?

Apple fans will not be happy that the next version of Photoshop will be friendlier with a PC than a Mac. But, who’s fault is it…? Jack Scholfield discusses at Guardian Unlimited

Posted in: Design

Photoshop Express and online image apps

Techcrunch are talking about a new online version of Photoshop call Photoshop Express and they also highlight a couple of online basic photo apps called Piknik and Fotoflexer.

This is obviously cool news but the main reason I mention it is because perhaps it’s something I take for granted, with Photoshop CS on my Mac: the ability to resize images.

As more people begin to use our Escape content management system, I see the real need for a basic image resizing capability for optimized images. These babies could be the answer.

I’d still invest the few hundred pounds into Photoshop myself if you are doijng these things on a regular basis, but like I said, I’ve been spoilt.

Posted in: Design

Movie scenes in typography

If you don’t mind the bad language, check this out…

Great Pulp Fiction one as well and check out the related ones on You Tube…

Posted in: Design

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