Avalanche!

Luckily it's an avalanche of interesting things (my favourite kind of avalanche).

I WANT ONE!!! This is the first Kinect game that I want. It makes great use of the movement-tracking capabilities of the Kinect AND presents me/us with an opportunity to be creative in a video game. Normally it's about following the script, competing with friends and enemies (mostly enemies), and completing defined tasks, so the chance to break free of those boundaries is more delicious than a chocolate sundae.

In this ambient stunt Nike transforms Dagenham swimming pool into a BMX park. It's slightly predictable and isn't really exciting in the sports industry. However, I will always be a fan of making something positive out of the negative - the crisis/opportunity philosophy - and creating an event as a spectacular send-off a local swimming pool is a great gesture.




This video deserves a shout for the outstanding animation work (some of the best I've ever seen). It's C Beebies meets Kill Bill and one hell of a video that's sure to go viral.

Junkyard jumbotron allows you to merge together an image and make one big display. I like this idea because it has so much potential. It can be used to create a fragmented message or puzzles and can really engage people if it's used right. I think it would also make a great medium for some adventurous digital artwork.



This is the Mountain Dew Pinball Skatepark in New Zealand. It turns the skateboarder (you) into the pinball. It records your score and lights when youride over elements of it. It's soooooo awesome! If I become a millionaire (and I'd like to think that's possible) I'd want one of these in my back garden, next to my recording studio.

Where good ideas from you.

Beautifully illustrated video on the origin of ideas. Well worth a watch!

Real Writing

This may seem controversial but I don't like this advert. Everyone in the ad world seems to love it's beautiful writing, but I find myself lacking a connection to it. It's so generic that it lacks any real heart. I hear those words and it sounds like something pulled from text books and articles.

For all it's talk about storytelling, and emotion, it doesn't make me feel anything at all.

I'm not impressed by Dustin Hoffman either. He could be reading a shopping list.

This is much closer.



For me this is much more real

This feels genuine. I find myself attached to the people in and their words. I can feel their sadness and fear. This is something with emotion.

But for me, a truly great story is in the details - the tragedies, the imperfections. These are what make us interesting and human, and what makes our stories worth listening to. That's why I'm in love with this piece for Luta clothing. It speaks to me. It's a living, breathing piece of writing and it makes me feel inspired. It isn't the voice of a guy in an office, it's true and honest.

It's brilliant.

Star Players

Some things just go together -

Bread and Butter,

Ying and yang,

Batman and Robin,

but none more so than alcohol and gambling. The vice brothers often party together hand-in-hand on a Saturday night as people (mostly men) give in to their dark sides.

Heinekin have decided to blend the two together, quite literally, by creating a branded mobile game.

Star Player allows it users to compete against each other in predicting what's going to happen next in any match that's occurring on television. The idea is genius, and a great way of combing social media with brands and entertainment. What's more. It actually looks like fun, as opposed a lot of branded games which focus on the branding before enjoyment, with complete disregard for the purpose of the application.

With the realisation that men watch most football matches in the pub, and all almost all with friends and some variety of beer, this app acts very similarly to a point of sale advertisement and strongly reinforces the brand values.

I can't wait to try it. Too bad I'll have to wait until next season.

Someone Else's Words

Wow! Brilliant! A Plus! * Applauds *

There's lots of writing out there in... the world. And a lot of which, yours truly, wishes he had wrote. Seriously, I've had my nose in three different books today and each one inspired a mild feeling of envy. It's a passion (and probably a disorder) but it makes me happy. I think in my own simple way I think I'm still impressed at how many words there are, and how changing one in a sentence can make me feel something entirely different to what I felt before.


This (look up!) is an environmental sign at the Design Museum in London Bridge. I have to say I was a bit surprised by how well it was written. You really only expect visual brilliance when exploring a design museum but there can be no mistake, this is some impressive writing. In case you can't tell from my awful picture (I'm not a photographer, alright?) it says:

"Usually associated only with childhood, play is activity that continues throughout our lives. It can help to drive the imagaination, aid learning and enhance even the most serious experiences.

Good design is responsible for making play enagaging, accessible and stimulating. Aspects of play, exploration and discovery can enhance the understanding of a product, creating a dialogue between user and object. An element of play is also vital to the development process of many designers, with a sense of playfulness often evident in the finished work."

That is remarkable!

It found a perfect balance between the message and style. It's playful, sweet, charming, honest, smile provoking and thoughtful. Not only that, it reflects how creativity should be. I honestly couldn't have written it better myself.

Consider me inspired! That's the kind of writing I would LOVE to be responsible for, hopefully in the near-future, but for now I'll have to settle for typing out someone else's words.

Someone Hire This Guy!

This is a wonderful use of QR codes. They're more popular than an underwater oxygen store at the moment, but I think this has earns extra points for it's relevance and ingenuity. I hope this guy got the job because he deserves it for this idea (and I'd prefer not to compete against him for a job).

Creative Creatures

How cute are these little guys?

I was inspired by some beautiful superflat work I found online by Japanese artist Takashi Murakami and ended up creating this wallpaper of creatures. I hope they make you as cheery on this sunshine filled Sunday as they made me while I was making them.

Just Add Sunshine

The world is one giant step closer to transforming into an episode of Glee.

Rather poetically, this Adidas spot has quite a lot in common with the US musicom. Glee takes a great song and simply adds a little something to make it more fun and well... sunshiney. And everyone enjoys sunshine.

Surely inspired by this, when Wieden and Kennedy made Nike Musical Shoes in Japan (aka this):


welcome to optimism: Nike music shoe by Wieden + Kennedy Tokyo

... Adidas came along and did the exact same thing with their MEGALIZER (sounds like a transformer, doesn't it?). Points for originality: 0. They did, however, do something Nike didn't. Make it applicable. Nike just dropped a 95lb bomb of cool in our laps and said, 'there you go' and no-one really knew what to do with it. Adidas have gone the extra mile and showed us something inspiring, outside of the laboratory. They took the idea and made it universal.

They Gleed™ it up.

I'm A Man Of Few Words

I've had some trouble with writing this post.

I've had trouble finding the words to explain my experience with during the D&AD awards. The truth is that there are no words. It was absolutely amazing. It was the glistening cherry on top of a delicious placement that I have loved from start to finish.

It has been so wonderful.

The people I've met, the inspiring conversations I have had with all kinds of people in the creative industry - I have been so lucky.

I have seen THE BEST CREATIVE WORK IN THE WORLD.

I sit here here humbled and inspired.

Congratulations and thank you to everyone who took part and got involved (especially the Spring project crew).

Orange Power!

A truly new idea from Tropicana (I love Tropicana. Have I mentioned that before?) It's a billboard made out of oranges... Amazing!