Posts from — April 2008

Tuk Tuks and Rickshaws are a fascination of mine because of the care, attention, and pride that is sometimes shown on them when they’re well looked after and decorated. And there’s something about the tiny portability about them that is also appealing….

From Lost At E Minor:

You don’t have to venture far in Bangladesh to encounter a rickshaw, the nation’s most popular means of transport. Powered by the pedalling of wallahs (rickshaw men) through rain, hail or shining humidity, rickshaws are truly all purpose vehicles.

The number of rickshaws in Dhaka (the capital of Bangladesh) is well over 600,000, and this makes for some stiff competition for business. But the crowds of rickshaw wallahs that glide through intersections and sit poised at shopping mall entrances posses a unique weapon in the conflict for customers - art.

Rickshaws in Bangladesh are decorated from bumper to bell with paintings, engravings, tassels, embroidery and even gold leaf in an attempt to attract customers. The art must be eye-catching but not too elaborate in case it disappears in clouds of exhaust before it can be fully appreciated. And rickshaw art is incredibly diverse as the rickshaw fleet owners, the ‘maliks’, each have their own tastes and budgets.

Read more on Lost At E Minor

Technorati Tags: art, design, Bangladesh, rickshaw art

For designers, designing your own business card is always a bit of a challenge as you’re under pressure to summarise all your skills into a tiny piece of print.

However, Jose Antonio Contreras has got quite a simple elegant solution, which might get recipients attention more than most cards.

Via SwissMiss

Technorati Tags: business cards, design, designing your own business card, Jose Antonio Contreras

Designers have to work with alot of words, and its usually latin placeholder text. I find it a pleasure when I get to use good copy, and so I appreciate it when I come across cleverly written stuff.

Blank is Like Blank, Analogies to live by is a simple but great blog project by talented copywriter Justin Feinstein.

They say pictures speak a thousand words, but that’s probably because the words aren’t as good as Justins…

See more on Blankislikeblank.com

Via Swissmiss

Technorati Tags: Blank is Like Blank, copywriting, Justin Feinstein

These Scissor Spiders by sculptor Christopher Locke, are handmade from scissors confiscated by airport security.

You can still tell they’re scissors, bringing a familiar element to the way these sculptures look, but they’re creepy for the same reason that such a common household object is made into an arachnid!

See more on HeartlessMachine.com

Via Uncrate

Technorati Tags: scissors, sculpture, spider scissors

Its been awhile since I’ve seen any watercolour work. No idea why. But I just came across artist David Scheirer’s website which he uses to showcase his drawings, watercolors, paintings, comics, and photographs.

Here are a couple of his watercolours.

Before embarking on my design training, I’d previously been using watercolours all my (student) life. There’s something about the medium which allows it to capture the sensibility of life over other media and seeing David’s work is making me itch for a paintbrush again.

To see more of David’s work, visit his website, Studio Tuesday

Via NotCot

Technorati Tags: art, David Scheirer, painting, watercolours

Do you eat to live or live to eat? Whether food is an inspiration to you or not, these photos will bring a smile (in a mischievous sort of way) and hopefully give you ideas.

See more on Snurfy

Technorati Tags: food, photography, quirky photography

If you ever need to design a bank logo, any logo, or just like looking at tons of bank logos, then the following link is for you!

There are lots of black and white bank logos - not the best quality - which seem like they’ve just been scanned in from receipts from newspapers. Nevertheless, they good enough to give you an idea and insight into branding in this sector.
Black and white Bank logo Resource

Via Creative Review magazine

Technorati Tags: Bank logos, design, logos

Here’s something a little unexpected - a rap track about design and coding issues for websites. If you work on the web and you’re a bit shaky when it comes to accessibility, check it out. The rhymes might help you with your coding standards!

Technorati Tags: Design Coding, rap, video