Let it snow!

This year for the Moller Architects xmas card photo shoot, we took the Moller logo to the Northern hemisphere (figuratively, not literally). Cleaning up the 'snow' took longer than the actual shoot, but fortunately the results were worth it. Alas, one beanbag was harmed in the making of this Christmas card.

Inhouse wins gold

The 2009 Designers Institute of New Zealand (DINZ) BeST Awards were held last night at the Auckland Museum. We are delighted to announce that Inhouse picked up a gold award in the editorial and books category for PILOT magazine as well as gold in the biggest category of the program - visual communication. Objectspace catalogues have won this award three years running now, so a huge thank you to Philip Clarke for his continued support of good design. Silver awards were won for Shane Cotton's catalogue published for Melbourne Art Fair and also for the Auckland Art Gallery's Reading Room Journal. Second year running for that project too. Nice one.

Space is the Place

Recently stumbled across an epic collection of matchbox labels over at Flickr. The designs are mostly Eastern Europe from the 50s and 60s, we especially love these space related ones:

Scandinavian Logos

Oliver Tomas has a super set of Scandinavian logos from the 60s and 70s up on his Flickr account.

Slanted magazine

Inhouse's favourite design/typography magazine to thumb through these days is Slanted from Germany. Dean picked up an air-freighted copy from magnation and instead of sharing we've all got our own copies to fawn over. Great type, great layouts, great paper stock changeouts – all things we love about a good magazine (just like Pilot actually – issue 3 coming soon!).

Oh Lars Müller

Lars Müller Publishers can't seem to do wrong when it comes to design books. Corporate Diversity is a recent edition to the Inhouse library and we love all the Swiss-i-ness about it. Studio Geigy's pharmaceutical packaging with it's tasty modernist type and bold, striking colour palettes make this something for design-appreciators to really savour.

IN A NEW PLACE (3)

Artist books, multiples, framed posters and works on paper from the irrepressible John Reynolds are now available at the new Dead letter Office HQ at 4/62 Randolph Street Newton. Open daily.

IN A NEW PLACE (2)

Jason recently returned from a sojourn overseas and returned home bringing this fab set of cards with him from the uber talented Antony Burrill.

IN A NEW PLACE

After 12 years in the studio at Ponsonby Road we have officially flown the coop to new bright and breezy premises in Eden Terrace. The new neighbourhood provides great coffee, average parking and excellent local pub - The King's Arms.

Home baking brings home the bacon ...

The baking bible Ladies, A Plate continued its success when it picked up the supreme Nielsen Award for Best Book at the PANZ Book Design Awards. Designed by Alan Deare from Inhouse Design, it also won the Best Illustrated category of the awards.

‘It isn’t particularly flashy, nor particularly “designer”. It is just right, and a deserved winner,’ said Peter Gilderdale, the 2009 Convenor of Judges. He described Ladies, A Plate as a beautiful cookbook that also invites easy and continual use, and stressed that ‘the cover is a superb evocation of the tradition of home baking, yet … it turns the nostalgia crisp and contemporary’
.

Monster Stamps

Our friend Adam McCaulay, an illustrator in San Fran (and all-round peachy keen guy) just won a gold medal from The Society of Illustrators for this killer stamp set. Represent!
You can see more of his work here: www.adammccauley.com

wow

Amazing High speed photography. http://www.flickr.com/photos/13084997@N03/sets/72157608258335431/

Way out west

OFFF 2009 titles

The title sequence for this year's OFFF festival is a thing of beauty.
Created by Kyle Cooper, Ilya Abulhanov and Elizabeth Newman.

Water Horses

A crisp autumn morning at Bethells, a bit chocolate boxy granted — but it was a nice moment

tick.

There's a few things that you really should try to check off when doing a PJ harvey film clip:
Notorious artist directors, such as Jake and Dinos chapman? tick
Pj? tick.
Pj on a bright bouncy castle with fairy lights? tick
Pj on a bright bouncy castle in a spooky forest with strobes? tick
Pj on a bright bouncy castle in a spooky forest with strobes in the rain? tick
A beautiful hi speed camera to capture it all? tick
There is just something lovely about the simplicity of the idea, and the contrast of lighting and colour and execution of this clip... check it here

one odd planet.

Mmmmmm nothing like a pastelly, weird, sluggy, waxy, moist, undulating slightly rude and disgusting - yet beautiful and yummy... ummmm...thing. Make sure you visit the link to see this beautiful little project in full motion. And to the cats at more soon? a big "nice" and "next?" from inhouse.

visit the movie and some other cool motion work here...
www.moresoon.org

Geometry G-wednesday

I always love checking out old geometric graphics, here are some tasty samples I've stumbled across lately.

// Covers of Latvian magazine Jauna Gaita


// Book covers for world architecture series (via Book Worship)



// Geometric Abstraction Art Gallery by Zanis Waldheims

tbc.

The tobeconfirmed project is a new lo-fi photography project conceived by Jason and Arch, aiming to showcase the personal work of both local and international artists. It will take place not only as a permanent online gallery, but also in the form of exhibitions, publications and limited edition print and poster series. Series one, curated by Jason, is a random view of some of life's recent visual curiosities and moments. tbc is now online, and for those looking for a wee treat, each shot featured in series one is available to purchase as a limited edition, framed signed and numbered artist print. 

Check out the site for more info,  tobeconfirmed.co.nz

ARTHK09

I recently travelled to Hong Kong with John Reynolds courtesy of the Dead Letter Office to check out the Hong Kong Art Fair and help install John's epic Table of Dynasties work. Big fun had by all. Julian Opie's walking girl was jaw-droppingly good!

Felice Varini

We're loving the work of Felice Varini at the moment and his book published by Lars Müller is definitely one for the coffee table — viewed at the right angle it becomes a wonderful 2d experience. Very clever printing.

PILOT on the press

Pilot issue 2 is on the press and only moments away from the news stands. Look out for the 2 colour Fashion vs. Architecture special pictured here ...

Sleeves, tin lids and science ads

Here are a few retro graphic design goodies that I've stumbled across recently.
Record sleeves/envelopes (lots more found here):


Some beautiful typewriter ribbon tin lids (close-ups here):


And some ads from science-y type magazines from the 60s and 70s (great collection here):

A SIGN

I spied this poignantly baked Aussie road sign during a recent visit to North Eastern Victoria. It was an eerie 44 degrees - in the distance is the smoke from nearby bush fires creeping up the valley from Bright towards Harrietville. Both highways out of the area were closed on this particular day.

Celebrating 100 Years

Not many family-owned businesses can say the are 100 years old, especially here in New Zealand. To help ECC celebrate this milestone we modified the logo we designed last year incorporating 100 with a splash of gold. The new logo will be used on stationery and advertising material throughout 2009.

Berlin Bonanza

If you're in Welli between the 18th and 28th of Feb, be sure to check out the Berlin Bonanza. The line up is wunderbar and we love the ident designed by Luke Wood.

Transient random-noise bursts

We were lucky enough to catch Stereolab at the St Jerome Laneway Festival in Melbourne. A brilliant succinct set of all the favs. One could only feel thankful that such a brilliant and unique band has pressed on through the years.

Order & Progress

A cute example of vinyl signage in downtown Melbourne.

Inhouse Rocks

After 2007's new year gift - the INHOUSE RULES moleskin graph notebooks, we followed up with the INHOUSE ROCKS compilation cd - a collection of each of our favourite tunes of 2008. The highly contentious track listing is still yet to reach a consensus within the studio!

On the Night Shift

A shameful late night visit to Burger King yielded a pleasant surprise in the malfunctioning order screen.

Take off!

Issue 1 of PILOT launches. Available in all good mag stores now. Go on - go get yourself a copy today.

crEATe

Dada wines has been featured in German publishers Gesalten's new book crEATe -Eating, Design and Future Food. A 216pp hardcover book available at www.gesalten.de

Some type of Heavy Metal

It's not that often that you get to see hot metal type, in fact this is my first time. These little lumps of lead are curiously fascinating as objects and make you realise how far we have already travelled in the digital era. This title will be letter pressed, as part of a new book project for Keith Hill's, What the Poet had to say During His Apprenticeship.

Interstate rolls

PILOT magazine

We've just spent the last couple of weeks frantically designing and laying out a new 256pp magazine – PILOT. Editor at large Andy Pickering says:"PILOT issue 1 celebrates the imagination and verve of a broad mix of individuals with something to say, show and share. From David Lynch’s stunning fashion collaboration with Christian Louboutin, James Jean’s jaw-dropping artwork for Prada and Michael Braungart’s quest to save the world, all have a unique voice and uncompromising vision. If there’s one underlying theme to PILOT it is simply creative culture in the widest possible sense.'
Launches December 15.

Interstate Launch

The Interstate longboard project finally launched at Webb's last month after years in the planning. 20 longboards were exhibited featuring 15 artists, designers and typographers. The full range of the exhibition can be viewed and purchased online at www.interstate.co.nz

Cool McLeavey

image 1. Rick Killeen's 2001 portrait 'Cool McLeavey'
image 2. Peter McLeavey with Liz Maw's 'Cerberus'

be like mike.

Between 1968 and 1977 Mingering Mike recorded over fifty albums, managed thirty-five of his own record labels, and produced, directed and starred in nine of his own motion pictures. In 1972 alone he released fifteen LPs and over twenty singles, and his traveling revue played for sold out crowds the world over.

The only problem is it all took place only in his imagination.
From the extensive linear notes, deluxe handmade gate-sleeve packaging and vinyl grooves drawn by hand directly into cardboard 45's, Mike lived the dream...

I really like Mike.
A lot.

check more of the vinyl here

Cover of the Rolling Stone

Well not exactly the cover of the Rolling Stone, and not quite my picture on the cover – but Mum will get a copy.
Prodesign celebrates the best from the Best Awards 2008, with one of our favorite Objectspace projects on the cover. The on going series of exhibition brochures received a gold in the very tightly fought Visual Communication category.

New Dutch Coin

I recently noticed these over on the Creative Review Blog.
Just another example of the Dutch taking it to a higher level.
The designer Stani Michiels has managed to squeeze so many great ideas onto one small coin, while still keeping the whole thing beautiful...

Michiels won a Dutch Ministry of Finance competition to design a coin with the theme of ‘Netherlands and Architecture’. “I approached the subject ‘Netherlands and Architecture’ from two points of view,” he says on his blog. “On one hand I paid tribute to the rich Dutch architecture history and on the other hand to the contemporary quality of Dutch architecture. These form also the two sides of my coin. Traditionally the front of the coin needs to portray the queen, while the back side displays the value of the coin.”

For the front of the coin, Michiels listed the names of prominent Dutch architects according to how many hits they gained on the internet: “Of course this order changes over time and as such this is another time stamp on the coin besides the number ‘2008′. Only the first 109 architects fitted on the coin, so that was immediately the selection.”

Using different weights of a monoline font that he designed especially for the task, Michiels arranged the names to create a portrait of the Dutch queen.

On the reverse, Michiels referenced the sheer number of architecture books published currently, arranging different sized books around the edge of the coin so that the space between their tops forms the outline of a map of The Netherlands. “The books rise as buildings towards the center. Through their careful placement they combine to outline the Netherlands, while birds’ silhouettes suggest the capitals of all the provinces."

BeST Awards 2008

The BeST Design Awards are a national award programme of the
Designers Institute of New Zealand, recognising New Zealand's
best graphic, product and spatial design.

Interstate Longboards

Launching 6 November at Webb's. Artists / Graphic Designers /Typographers / Fashion Designers / collaborate to create Interstate Longboards. The edition decks are individually screenprinted, lacquered for a hard wearing mirror finish and feature a unique tail cut-out allowing the board to be hung as an artwork. artists include: BILLY APPLE / BEN BUCHANAN / ED FELLA / HAILWOOD / RICHARD KILLEEN / TONY LANE / LIZ MAW / ANDREW McLEOD / MICHAEL C. PLACE / HOWARD MATIL / DENIS O'CONNER / RAINBOW MONKEY / JOHN REYNOLDS / WUNDERKAMMER.
Preview times: 6 Nov 2008 6.00PM - 8.00PM. Viewing times: 7 Nov - 14 Nov 2008 9.00AM -5.30PM

DLO vendables launching soon

Stand by for the next project from the Dead Letter Office. Lucky dip vendable artworks and publications. Coming to a condom machine near you.

Sick Chimp

Stumbled across this poster whilst trolling through the inhouse archives.

Inhouse Books

Seychelles flag

My new favourite flag has got to be this beauty from the Seychelles, adopted in 1996. A wee description from wikipedia: The oblique bands symbolise a dynamic new country moving into the future. The color blue depicts the sky and the sea that surrounds the Seychelles. Yellow is for the sun which gives light and life, red symbolises the people and their determination to work for the future in unity and love, whilst the white band represents social justice and harmony. The green depicts the land and natural environment.

ARTSPACE Poster

Each year, Auckland gallery ARTSPACE put on an exhibition featuring six upcoming local artists. This year the show was called Architecture for the Nation and there were lots of crazy installations and multi-media pieces that inhabited the gallery space with quite an organic yet somehow commandeering sensibility. Here's the one-colour poster I designed for the show (sans logos):

Havana to Hamilton

Tucked away in the heart of The Waikato Museum, currently exhibiting (19 July - 15 October 2008) is a modest little poster show by a selection New Zealand artists called AOTEAROA LIBERATION POSTERS. The show is curated by Xavier de la Cueva Meade. Meade is an Artist, Designer, Eco-Architect and longtime Lecturer at Wintec - whom some of the good folk at Inhouse have studied under. At his curator's talk yesterday (in his finest Mexican story-telling) he told the intriguing saga behind the show. Inspired by his own passion (as a young adult in Mexico) for poster design, Xavier researched and received funding for an exhibition that explores ideas from our own culture of the liberator / activist - using the language of the protest poster. Closing the loop and adding artisan authenticity to the production of the project, he approached the people at Instituto Cubano de Art e Industria Cinematografica in Havana, Cuba (ICAC being one of the three key agencies responsible for the golden age of Cuban poster design, forming just after the revolution in 1959). They were keen to be involved and inspired by the interest from a little country on the other side of the world. One of the screen printers has literally worked at the plant for over 40 years and produced multiple generations of the same iconic cuban posters that the west (ironically) adores. Upon visiting the workshop, Xavier discovered there were no such things as computers, photographic reproduction or PMS matching. Forget those Illustrator eps files, these guys gridded up hard copy A4 printouts to repro from and used their own colour matching system - what was left in the paint cupboard! To top things off each stencil is cut and printed by hand. One of the stand outs for me is Jenny Rhodes's, Tuaiwa (Eva) Rickard (see below). Set on a bold colour field with just enough relief to suggest Raglan Harbour, Rickard asserts herself from the left (nice) confronting the viewer audaciously, just as she did the Queen in 1995. The flags of Tino Rangatiratanga display proud of her head, like the feathers in the traditional head gear of a Maori warrior. This is classic protest poster iconography happening in our own backyard, getting us thinking about our own histories of colonisation and activism. Good on you Xavier, the artists and ICAC! For more info see Ramp Gallery and Waikato Museum.

Inkahoots at Spark 08

Had the opportunity to catch New Zealand born Jason Grant (from Inkahoots) talk at this year's Spark event in Hamilton. Held at the newish (and swanky) HUB facility at Wintec's city campus, Jason delivered a visually rich and articulate presentation of Inkahoot's work for various charities, community groups and agencies in and around Brisbane, and indeed the world. The key theme that quickly arose was every designer's work is political, regardless of whether it is for charity or a corporate, dispelling any impassivity that we might claim. Jason also discussed their philosophy around aesthetics, arguing how their projects had the right to be strongly represented. There was a great story of a Central Government agency requesting Inkahoots to strip down their studio window poster, which took a satirical look at a faux ballot form for the introduction of nuclear power into Australia. After the second, hand-delivered warning and the threat of genuine action coming from Canberra, Inkahoot's solicitor advised the studio to acquiesce. They responded with turning the written Government warning into a new poster. When I hooked up with Jason after the talk, one of his first questions was where to find find good porridge in Hamilton. After that, it was down to business with discussing the political climate and his 2-year sabbatical in London with Eye Magazine, working with Nick Bell and editor John L. Waters.

an old new beauty

Friends brought me this beautiful old specimen book back from Wellington last week. I'm crazy about the specimen sheets, stock change-outs and typesetter's fingerprints that appear on and off all the way through.

Fun and games

Take a cute, and well lets be honest, pretty freaky looking bear, design an amazing olympic identity, turn it into a rocket and then add some fruity airbrush action and you've got yourself a random winning combination in my book.

Knitting in the South Seas

Pieta and I braved the storm last night to go to one of the beginner knitting classes available at South Seas Knitting (SSK) who we've recently designed an identity and website for. Nothing like a stitch and bitch session for staving off the winter blues!
Click here to check out the site for a treasure trove of yarns, patterns and books.

Objectified

Gary Hustwit, the guy behind the Helvetica movie, has a new doco in the works, and this time he's focusing on industrial design. That alone should be enough to make you check out the site, but if you need another excuse, check out the limited edition screenprinted A2 poster by Build...

Diecut experiment

Initial exploration of die cut cover detail for the exhibition catalogue Turuki Turuki! Paneke Paneke! Opening soon at the Auckland Art Gallery. Will post the final result once the catalogue returns from the printer.

We're on the list

Good on you Netdiver, your choices are inspired.

I have a dream...

Alan gives the opening presentation for the 'Best of the Best', Graphic Design Category, at the Inaugural DINZ National Conference 2007.

The conference featured guest speaker Alastair Fuad-Luke [link to: http://www.slowlab.net/alastair%20fuad-luke.html] who discussed the designers role in the health of the planet.

Alan looked at some of the ideas behind the work for Objectspace in this context, discussing the use of uncoated and end-of-line stocks, along with publications that have multiple folds/formats/functions that require an investment from the reader.

It's not to say that here at Inhouse we don't gloss lam a few things, but we do love this little planet.

Cloudbooks for Christmas

There are still some John Reynolds Cloudbooks for sale.
This limited edition of 250 numbered and signed works are all unique - each having a mix of handwritten covers. Essentially a series of one-off artworks, the Cloud book operates not only as a collectable fragment of the artwork Cloud, but offers its own distinctive pleasures of display and presentation. You want one - right?

cloudenquiries@inhousedesign.co.nz
www.cloudwork.co.nz

More 3d madness

We finally had the Moller Architects logo made in 3d for their office. We took it on an outing to enjoy the brilliant Auckland weather.

Making Making Worlds

After the creation of the key visual, we had the opportunity to build the Making Worlds logo in 3D for the Auckland Art Gallery window - water-cut polystyrene and good ol' fashioned cut and paste ... a lot of fun had by all.

Cover Up

Arch is a featured designer in Hamish Thomson's new book Cover Up.

Listener book Review
Colin McCahon also makes an appearance in Hamish Thompson’s Cover Up (Godwit, $39.99), a handsome and – you’d hope so, wouldn’t you? – smartly designed history of the New Zealand book cover. As was recently said in relation to 100 years of the School Journal, plenty of people we regard as artists made a crust as book cover designers – besides Mc-Cahon (and his wife, Anne), there’s Russell Clark, Leo Bensemann, E Mervyn Taylor, Gordon Walters, Don Peebles, Ralph Hotere, John Drawbridge, Dick Frizzell … And although there’s a lot of cultural nostalgia embodied in the confident, clear-lined modernist designs of the 50s and 60s, the cover story’s far from over, thanks mainly to Auckland and Victoria University Press, the prolific Sarah Maxey and – their names might be new to us, but their designs aren’t – Catherine Griffiths and Arch MacDonnell.

How Not to Frame a Book

From a recent review on Stuff Inhouse's Totem Hole comes out on top.

With its spindly, ungainly typeface and much-too-large “A PREVIOUSLY UNPUBLISHED NOVEL”, combined with a design and image a kinder man might describe as subtly spare but I am more minded to call dully unprepossessing, this hardly does Frame and a prestige title like Towards Another Summer justice.

Compare the cover with Penguin’s for Paul Shannon’s new second novel, The Totem Hole. In some ways, the elements are the same, but look at how more elegantly and arrestingly rendered they are for The Totem Hole.

we're not one to blow our own trumpet, but...

TOOT TOOT!
The BeST Design Awards are a national award programme of the
Designers Institute of New Zealand, recognising New Zealand's
best graphic, product and spatial design.