After two highly successful issues and a nomination for this years Brit Insurance Design Awards, the It’s Nice That boys are back to their old tricks with their third issue of the magazine which has just been sent out to print and is now available for pre-order.

This issue sees promising …]]>

After two highly successful issues and a nomination for this years Brit Insurance Design Awards, the It’s Nice That boys are back to their old tricks with their third issue of the magazine which has just been sent out to print and is now available for pre-order.

This issue sees promising interviews with Milton Glaser, Sir Paul Smith, Tom Dixon and Tom Gauld to name but a few. We’re also excited to see a feature from Geoff McFetridge who has also created some unique work for the magazine.

As with previous pre-orders of the magazine, to reward those early birds, anyone who pre-orders before March 31st will receive an exclusively commissioned poster, this time from Parra.

You can now pre-order It’s Nice That Issue 3 via the It’s Nice That Shop for £10. Get it whilst it’s hot.

The VitraHaus, built by Herzog & de Meuron — home to the Vitra Home Collection. Discover furniture arrangements in different style genres, inspirational ideas for your home and the VitraHaus café, I wonder if they can top Ikea’s hot dogs…

There’s always a fine line between Art and Design and The Sleeved Blanket for Happiness in Bed is a prime example of where the lines are blurred. However when a brilliant idea is well executed it doesn’t matter how you categorise it, it’s still a great piece of …]]>

There’s always a fine line between Art and Design and The Sleeved Blanket for Happiness in Bed is a prime example of where the lines are blurred. However when a brilliant idea is well executed it doesn’t matter how you categorise it, it’s still a great piece of work.

The Sleeved Blanket from Andrea Ayala Closa answers that problem many of us have come across of cold arms in bed when read and provides a witty solution that reminiscent of Dom Wilcox’s work. I can already see a whole range of these being made available from Single through to King size.

Made & Sold charts the efforts of designers outside the usual 9 to 5 bill paying work. Published by Laurence King and edited by FL@33 towards the end of last year; FL@33 have built themselves a reputation for editing quirky titles often …]]>

Made & Sold charts the efforts of designers outside the usual 9 to 5 bill paying work. Published by Laurence King and edited by FL@33 towards the end of last year; FL@33 have built themselves a reputation for editing quirky titles often focusing on work produced for pleasure as much as for the pay. Made & Sold continues this trend showcasing a wide range of work from some well known trend setting creative maestros.

Most, if not all designers and illustrators at some point in their careers have had to produce dull client work stripped of creativity and visual flair. Outside this mundane work creative types have produced zines, tees, books, toys, prints and much more on their own time to stay creatively limber and fulfil the void that can only be achieved by boundless client-free projects. The essence of Made & Sold captures this playful and slightly jovial attitude in a lot of the work which makes for an enjoyable and inspiring read.

The majority of projects presented illustrate their creators own lust to produce a desirable product with the odd exception such as James West’s Create/Reject which donated proceeds to UNICEF. Though the work is often self-indulgent, this is usually out of necessity and acts as a force for good within the design community, bringing both pleasure to the creator and consumer whilst creating a perpetual motion that inspires more creatives to go on and produce their own wares. Made & Sold does a good job of distilling this ethos into a book that will not only please the eye and bruise the pocket but gives you a jolly good kick up the bum to start producing your own merchandise.

However fulfilling, self-gratification isn’t the only driving force for putting in the extra hours after work. It gives creatives the chance to experiment techniques and explore ideas often too risky for client paid work. Inevitably the free reign often feeds back into their day to day work as well as an extension of each creatives brand, which sees Made & Sold acting (in the most forgiving way) like a shopping catalogue as much as a snapshot of creative endeavours.

Each page contains quotes and a short description of the artist. This works well and brings context to them and their work. However these quotes run centred along the footer, seeming a little awkward with the rest of the grid. Apart from this, Made & Sold is well produced with plenty of detailed images that present the work well. Though some of the work really needs to be seen in the flesh the uncoated stock helps to carry the handmade feel of the work but at a relatively low price—just don’t expect any high end production finishes.

?When we first read about this book being released we were very excited, as a lot of the work on show can be far more insightful than the work people do as part of an agency. There’s a sense of authorship in every piece of work in Made & Sold which is a refreshing change and a major factor that is so alluring and spurs on creatives to keep producing this sort of work. FL@33 have become dab hands at producing these sorts of titles, producing visually exciting books that will definitely titillate the creative mind. With a resurgence in craft, this area of design is poignant and it seems a shame Made & Sold only touches the surface. Probing further, discussing the comeback of craft, out of hours work over the history of the industry and looking into creatives who make a living out of the products they create could of added depth. Those of you who like to fritter your pennies away in Magma, Analogue, Etsy etc or have dabbled in product lines will definitely enjoy Made & Sold and at the low price point it’s a great springboard to see what’s possible outside 9 to 5 whilst still developing your creativity. So go grab a copy and set up shop but don’t expect the millions to be rolling in any time soon.

Made & Sold is available from Amazon and all good local book stores now.

FL@33 have also created dedicated site for Made & Sold.

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Words: Gil Cocker
Photography: Malcolm Menzies

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Untitled Magazine is the brain child of designer and art director Mike Perry. The latest copy of the magazine dropped through the FFF post box recently which was a nice surprise. A hefty little publication, it’s more like a paper back book than a magazine, but …]]>

Untitled Magazine is the brain child of designer and art director Mike Perry. The latest copy of the magazine dropped through the FFF post box recently which was a nice surprise. A hefty little publication, it’s more like a paper back book than a magazine, but the simple lack of colour, monotone patterns for the end papers and the diverse range of creative work on show makes for an interesting read.

Though this is Mike’s baby it’s great to see him handing over the design to Emily Anderson and curation to Anna Wolf in the latest issue. Next issue sees guest curation by creative agency Hugo & Marie on the topic of Love & Sex for which we expect big things. Issue 4 showcases work from Ana Laura Perez, Georgia Kokolis and Lizzie Stewart to name but a few as well as the peculiar cover by Løber Nøgen which shows of a bunch of guys streaking.

Mike Perry Studio’s work is also worth checking out for its mixture product and furnishing design, illustration, publishing and a whole lot more. It’s pretty clear the studio has a lot of room for creative exploration and the work in places has psychedelic influences. Mike is also the guy behind the book Hand Job in 2006, showcasing examples of hand drawn typography.

Untitled Magazine has published it’s fourth issue and is available through the Untitled Magazine site as well as back issues with plenty of shots so you can see before you buy, something we’re always a big fan of.

Wallpaper* and Phaidon have made a name for themselves over the years for producing small but well crafted city guides for the self discerning tourist. A pocket sized and well designed guide can be a real insight into a city’s character but carrying around a city guide isn’t …]]>

Wallpaper* and Phaidon have made a name for themselves over the years for producing small but well crafted city guides for the self discerning tourist. A pocket sized and well designed guide can be a real insight into a city’s character but carrying around a city guide isn’t for everyone and does shout out TOURIST. However, Wallpaper* have developed their city guides into a line of iPhone apps that are as well designed as the guides themselves if not lacking a little in content.

Currently Wallpaper* are giving away the Berlin City guide on the iTunes App Store for FREE. Yes FREE. So go grab a copy now and get your tickets booked for Berlin. Oh and £2.39 for each other city guide, it’s pretty competitively priced though we’d still like to have the printed publication as well.

Praquin is a Paris-based agency with a portfolio which is limited in quantity, but broad in spectrum, with projects covering literature, packaging and product design.

Robert has busily been updating his site, having recently designed the communications package for The ArtEZ Academie voor bouwkunst’s 60th anniversary.

Not sure how we’ve managed to overlook these guys for so long. So, better late than never: ‘obsessive’ London agency Designers Anonymous.

A very sweet alarm clock concept from ex-IDEO member Durrell Bishop. A combination of a specially designed bird box housing and an complimentary iPhone app wakes you with charming bird chirp and a window into their world.

Nicely executed. Bird Box is available on the

A very sweet alarm clock concept from ex-IDEO member Durrell Bishop. A combination of a specially designed bird box housing and an complimentary iPhone app wakes you with charming bird chirp and a window into their world.

Nicely executed. Bird Box is available on the Luck Bite website now.