What is Good?

Monday, 16 August 2010

IdN - Opinions

Why do you like IdN? What makes it good? Do you have a favourite issue?

1.
Well, I like it a lot just because you seem to get a lot for your money. Most graphics magazines try so hard with the simple is better that you just end up with 10 different designers. Where as Idn attempt to find as many as they can relating to one specific subject. Also they look at more than just design for print but the entire spectrum. It is generally just a feast for my eyes and really inspires me with ideas and use of colour etc. i dont think i have a favourite issue... although... saying that, the first one i ever got, when i fell in love with it was all about hand rendered/crafted work. Loved it.

2.
I personally love IdN over most other design magazines for the sheer quality of the publication, everything from the interesting grid system used, combined with the creative interplay with typography and image makes each page a fascinating piece of graphic design in its own right. The Print techniques and paper qualities are also far better than most other design magazines on the market, which just adds the to visual quality of not only the images, but the aesthetic of the magazine, making passing over £10 each time well worth the money. However most importantly to me about IdN is a great contextual resource for up and coming designers, illustrators and artists, and also the less famous or highlighted experimentalist in the industry from all around the world. The publication acts as a great platform for fresh talent to be noticed and acknowledged and thus a great resource for any aspiring graphic design student to own, if merely for the in-depth interviews with some of the designers, telling there own personal stories of how they got noticed and successful in the industry.

My favorite issue? hmm, that is a tough one, I would have to say that my favorite issue changes with what ever project's I am undertaking. Each publication that comes out is a treasure chest of inspiration, and knowledge if the right project comes around. Currently I am researching into origami an other related paper art forms, and the Handy Graphics Issue has become an absolute god send for my research, as it contains some vital information and interviews with designers that have taken the traditional art and made it fresh, contemporary and commercial in todays creative industry. However some of the other issues that I regularly dive into include ; We Infographics,Typography Issue - In their own words & Editorial Design Issue.

In regards to other comments I would say that the online resource is well worth mentioning. The IdN website is great hub of information when the publication is being created for next month, and the blog is also great for insights into what is coming up next, and just finding some more of the greatest fresh creative and experimental design solutions.

The final comment I would make is that I wish more magazine shops would stock IdN as since Borders folded , finding an issue outside of london is near next to impossible, its so much better than that rubbish computer arts and computer arts projects magazines, grrrrrr!

Friday, 13 August 2010

Berlin - Eyewitness Travel

'A CITY REDISCOVERED'

"Berlin is an ever-changing city, a cultural blend of German-Prussian traditions and proud history, with an insatiable longing for new, daring architecture, art and music. Life in the German capital has always been on the cutting-edge from the wild days of 1920s cabaret and the horrors of World War II, to the menacing wall and the sudden reunification and reinvention of this metropolis. Culture, art and festivals have always been a means to cope with life here, along with the quirky, cheeky humour and slang of Berliners.

Walking through the streets of historic but hip Scheunenviertel, alongside scruffy buildings that haven't seen paint since 1920 and are still freckled with bullet holes, then suddenly coming across a brand-new glass and steel architectural gem by Helmut Jahn or Jean Nouvel is like taking a roller coaster ride through European history.Culture is in continuum here, as art galleries and boutiques sprout up next to sombre-looking museums loaded with high-brow art.

Due to the Cold War division of the city, there are two clusters of world-class museums, situated in what was once divided as East and West Berlin. The more historic centre on Museum Island is a massive, grey colossus started in the late 19th century, home to the famous Pergamonmuseum. Its West Berlin counterpart, the Kulturforum, near lush Tiergarten park, holds the Philharmonie, a tent-like showcase of 1960s architecture that shimmers golden in the sunlight, and the Gemaldegalerie, which has an exceptional collection of fine art. The Hohenzollern monarchs who amassed the city's treasures once lived nearby, in suprisingly playful palaces such as Schloss Charlottenburg, which has been restored to its former glory, reflecting the long-ago excesses that present a stark contrast to the grey post-war years.

But Berlin is at heart, a youthful city, especially at night when the latest European hip hop, techno, electro pop and other computer-based beats can be heard in its clubbing and bar scene. This is a city throbbing with new-found energy and life, shaking off its history to emerge at the heart of modern Europe."