I am not sure how we can be in April already but the year seems to be flying by. This is quite scary as we have a load of projects that we want to produce before 2012 is over. I have been meaning to write about the last few months for ages so here it goes.
A month or so ago I was invited by British Council and Pervasive Media Studio to be part of a week sprint based around envisaging what a playable city could be. The week brought artists and designers from the UK and also East Asia and Australia. It was a great five days and one that brought a lot of questions into my head regarding design and art and how you really can't have one without the other. To this end I really want to investigate how this can work over the next year or so in some of the projects we are involved in. You can find a video of the week www.watershed.co.uk/dshed/playable-city-sprint
I have tried to write exactly what happened during the week but there was so much so I hope the video gives you an overview.
Its that time of year again when we have to say Penblwydd hapus to ourselves and divulge our age, but maybe you can guess how old we are? We would also like to thank all our customers, colleagues and friends over the last ...... years!
So the end of 2011 went by pretty quickly. It seemed to be one of the busiest we have had. Which ment that we didn't get through all the 'What we learnt in 2011' post's we would have liked down to you.
So we thought we would have a quick look forward to see what everyone's new years resolutions are:
- Random act of kindness each month
- Start running / get fit
- Get Fit
- Go to somewhere new each month
We will pop some others once we get round to thinking of more.
Last year we spoke about implementing things to do outside of the studio to help with new ideas and generally just getting out there to be influenced by different things. So this year we have been screen printing, attended multiplatform courses, organised a design pub quiz, tried to make lunch, LUNCH (as opposed to being in front of a screen) and finally we learnt to float!!!!! (no seriously) We have tried to go to as many things as possible. It's a big change to make, but we are getting there with, and hope that 2012 we can do even more.
So if there is something to be learnt from this. It's the old "you have to speculate to accumulate" but this is NOT in money terms but in experience, knowledge and social terms. So here's to more events and unplanned trips.
In preparation for our forthcoming screen printing marathon we popped over to Printhaus on Tuesday afternoon for our induction.
So after my first piece about the Cardiff Design Festival and some of the more business/design related events I thought I would write a bit about the smaller events that centred around designers socialising and generally getting to know each other. It's an odd paradox while most designers spend their entire day developing to things to communicate and make lives easier we sometimes aren't the most social of people. So I think the social events are really at the core of Cardiff Design Festival. Without designers on board then the festival is never going to be what it could. So the events that I went to were (for obvious reasons) the NakedWales pub quiz, and the Design Wars out the back of Milgi.
I think both offered something totally different. The quiz was a great chance for people to catch up or meet, have a few drinks, and answer (or maybe not) some quiz questions. The great thing is that we have done three of these quiz's over the years and each time it has got busier and busier until this year when we ran out of chairs. So while I can't say what it was like as I had to read the questions out I think people had a good time? Let us know what people thought.
The Design Wars started last year and I think from hearing about it from other people it was a highlight. So this year I had to pop in and see what it was all about. I think the idea is great and it pulled in a variety of of students, practicing designers and just people interested in what was going on. I think the thing it made me think was that the Design festival did start to bring together recently graduated designers together. Almost the length of the festival has allowed them to grow up with the festival and now as people who are practicing they are now supporting it.
So following on from Julian's blog on his design:
http://www.hoffi.com/blog/julian-sykes/5p-carrier-bag
I'm throwing my design into the ring, there are 3 more designs to come
Once again there are some great events happening during this years Cardiff Design Festival, among them is the Naked Wales Pub Quiz! It was great fun last time, so bring yourself and anyone else you can think of for a 'chin-wag' and a drink or two!! We will be taking over Gwdihw, which is located in Cardiff City Centre just off Churchill Way.
To confirm (RSVP) your place at this event, please email elin@hoffi.com
Gwdihw Cafe Bar | 10 October @ 7pm
£1 per person to participate with a cash prize!!!!
Last night Renato (follow him here @Kyanos)twittered a link to Yowayowacamera a Japanese photographer that takes pictures of herself levitating (and some cats). Amazed by how eerie her pictures looked (and egged on by Renato) we decided to have a go for ourselves
Above are her efforts, and below are ours :)
