Friday 31 August 2012

So what's all this about infographics?

If you are a regular internet user it is highly likely you will have seen the term 'infographics' being banded about. Upon first reading this term I thought it was yet another boring social media expression that had been created to confuse people, but when I delved in to it, I was pleasantly surprised.

For fellow novices, Wickipedia's definition (I know this isn't always 100% accurate, but in this case it is spot on) states "infographics are graphic visual representations of information, data or knowledge". 


More than just a boring chart or a quirky way of presenting information, infographics seem to be developing in to an art form all of their own.

They have been around for a long time but with the growth of social media, they have truly come in to their own.

They are a great way to present relevant findings, timelines, statistics, instructions; pretty much anything that involves data can be made to look amazing.

The beauty of an infographic is their use as a quick reference tool. All the information you need to present is there in an instant and it looks great. A picture is worth 1,000 words after all!



According to marketingtechblog.com, infographics:

•Are easily transportable (ie simple to download, easy to share and quick to create).
•Attract a lot of attention and often go viral (are shared socially) because they look so good.

Also, infographics:

•Are another way of enhancing your brand.
•Keep people on your website for longer.
•Increase traffic to your site.
•Can be interactive and allow cross-channel promotion by linking to Youtube, Twitter, Pinterest and other platforms.

A little experiment carried out by an agency shows an example of the success of a well promoted and well designed infographic at http://tinyurl.com/97w4skl


If you want to try and make one of your own, visit www.hongkiat.com for 20 FREE infographic creation sites.

These days you get infographic specific agencies, infographic news, infographic awards-they really are taking the internet by storm and their popularity is set to rise.

So, a selection of our must-see infographic sources are detailed below, and we had a go at making one of our own!
www.coolinfographics.com
infographicsnews.blogspot.co.uk
www.informationisbeautiful.net



Here is our attempt: Some Exmoor National Park facts and figures! (Made using Easel.ly) For the high resolution or to share with your friends, visit: https://s3.amazonaws.com/easel.ly/all_easels/23448/Welcome_to_Exmoor!/image.jpg






Tuesday 14 August 2012

The Katz whiskers!

"Born in 1927-American Artist Alex Katz is one of the most innovative leaders in the return to figurative realism and representation among avant-garde artists in America and Europe today. By 1960, very early in Katz' career, Alex Katz had already found his original and poetic solution to the dilemma of choice between earlier, dominant abstraction and realism by giving primacy to style over subject matter."
www.artbrokerage.com, 2012

After studying at the prestigious Cooper Union in New York and Skowhegen School of Painting and Sculpture, Alex Katz has gone on to have over 200 solo exhibitions and 500 group exhibitions and now has a wing dedicated to his works in the Colby College, Maine.

He splits his time between New York working and living in artists' residences, and Maine where he uses paint,  pencil, print and sculpture to create iconic portraits and landscapes.

His works explore colour, shape and light to create a distinctive artistic style that looks as new today as it did over 60 years ago when he created his first pieces.

His influence can be seen today in graphic design, painting and textile design. We absolutely love his signature style; clean, experimental and perfectly simple. Currently showing at the Tate St Ives, it is definitely worth a look.

A minimal colour pallette is used to its best effect.

This image gives the viewer a real sense of space and freedom
with a large foreground and small subjects.

Integrating everyday objects in to a timeless image.

This striking black and white image uses highlights for maximum impact.

One of the more well-known works which captures a simple
side profile creating a unique portrait.

Although the tree silhouette is at the forefront of the image,
the clever use of colour draws the viewers eye to the background.

A simple sunset scene which explores the sun, boats and foliage as shapes
rather than detailed images, but creates a clear portrait scene to the viewer.




Thursday 2 August 2012

Long Live the Olympic Logo

When I first saw the London 2012 Logo designed by International Brand Agency Wolf Ollins, I was less than enamoured. It reminded me of a child's drawing or a ransom note, neither of which I felt best represented what Britain was hoping to be the ULTIMATE Olympic Games.




First launched in 2007 it received bad press across the nation and when Wolf Ollins stated people 'would learn to love it', it went down like a lead balloon. 

People didn't quite get it. The jagged edges, the zany colours, it just didn't appear to represent the Britain people were familiar with.

"Lines reach out from the shape and angles of the Emblem to create a dynamic geometry that forms the basis of all elements of design for artists, architects, sculptors and graphic designers. The lines represent our invitation to the world to join together and be inspired by the energy of the athletes competing at the London 2012 Games."
London 2012

Well what exactly does that mean? who does it really benefit and who came up with that spiel?

People were used to seeing logos which did exactly what is said on the tin. Pretty much without exception they included red, gold, green or blue taken from the colours of the rings. Okay, so this makes perfect sense, keep within the grand scheme but Wolf Ollins and the Olympics committee wanted more than that.

" It is unconventionally bold, deliberately spirited and unexpectedly dissonant, echoing London’s qualities of a modern, edgy city. Containing neither sporting images nor pictures of London landmarks, the emblem shows that the Games are more than London, more than sport."

Okay, so when you look at it like that, it kind of makes sense...


Past Examples of Games logos.



Five years later and its become engrained in our psyche, and yes, I have to confess, irritatingly, it really has grown on me.

The logo and the rest of the branding including the four base colours of pink, blue, orange and green plus the Gareth Hague's 2012 and TFL's Johnston typefaces have translated well to a variety of surfaces, promotional items, buildings and whatever else they could possibly be applied to.

'That' pink and 'that' blue.

That's the impressive thing about good branding, when its done well, it's versatile, flexible and engaging and that is exactly what the brand has come to be. In a very short space of time people recognise 'that' typeface and 'those' colours and 'those' shapes ordinarily that type of brand penetration takes years.

I mean, who can really remember the Sydney Olympics logo? I am not being biased here, just honest. In case you need reminding, I've included it below!

So, all in all, Wolf Ollins and the Olympics Team have done a pretty good job of fulfilling what they set out to do and in creating something that really has gone up in people's estimations. Here's to an all round successful London 2012!