So it’s Friday again. Maybe it’s just me but there seems to be less than 60 minutes in an hour and 24 hours in a day recently. It’s been a very interesting week, with triumphs, tragedies, frustrations and breakthroughs in seemingly equal measure. We’ve received fantastic news, had a bad knock, done (and presented) some awesome work, on both a speculative basis and for actual live projects, and seen our influence in the UK design press and local TV grow – so all in all, a good week.

This morning saw further coverage on the Enquiry into the Past report, (a Whitenoise project) and some critical press over the new BBC Northern Ireland ’sub-brand’ (not us), also launched this week. At the same time Mark Canavan, Rory Jeffers and me were presenting concepts for a new corporate identity project to a district council department and found ourselves discussing with the client the whole thorny issue of logos that look like other logos – the Belfast ‘B’/Devon and Cornwall Food and Drink Association logo(s) being the most recent and high-profile.

We can all think of many instances of logos that suspiciously/unfortunately bear striking resemblances to each other, or which are new but definitely unimproved replacements for timeless classics, or are just ill-conceived, badly designed and hastily implemented – for what seems at times to be ‘unrealistic’ fees – and all of which leave us as a profession open to sometimes justifiable criticism.

Rather than dwelling on this I think we have a golden opportunity here to produce some absolutely first rate work, without taking short cuts or employing lazy thinking, and show business, consumers and society in general that excellent, well-thought out, intelligently applied graphic design can play a massive part in driving the economy through the current recession.

Let me say that I am immensely proud – firstly of Whitenoise and the amazing talent we have, but also of some of the fantastic design work I see every day produced by our competitors and peers – and believe that here in Belfast (and Northern Ireland too) we have nothing to be ashamed of in our industry – but I also have to say that I have on occasion seen work that lets us all down. So come on guys, let’s show the big names in London what can be done right here.

Mark C

So we’re in the news again, it seems. Senior designer, team leader, Open University professor and all-round nice guy, Paul Allen, features heavily in the latest edition of Computer Arts Projects, the design magazine that is fast becoming an essential read in studios across the land. 

We’re also pleased to see Teethgrinder is starting to generate a lot of buzz – check out the page on BBC2 NI’s portal HERE. Finally, if you haven’t already caught it on the news, Whitenoise is pleased to announce the launch of the Consultative Group on the Past’s report:

We hope the document, and the work of the Group, receives the balanced and unbiased attention and support it deserves.

Stand by for more announcements over the coming days…

Mark C

It’s the end of an era, and you heard it here first (unless you already knew, of course). Sheffield’s finest, Designer’s Republic, has closed for business. There aren’t many people in our industry who haven’t heard of the studio, or followed it’s founder Ian Anderson’s work with interest and admiration over the years. For those interested in finding out more about this sad news, check out this LINK.

On a more upbeat note, I hope you all resisted the temptation to watch Jonathan Ross’s apologetic triumphant return last Friday, and instead tuned into BBC2’s new show, ‘Teethgrinder’ with some fab Whitenoise titles and continuity graphics? No, you say? Rossy was more interesting? Shame on you – and get it Sky plussed this Friday, BBC2, 10.30pm! Here’s a quick reminder of what you missed:

Or alternatively, check out the whole show on the Beeb’s lovely iPlayer.

That’s it for now. Mondays – don’t you love them?

Mark C

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Say hello to the new Invest NI corporate brochure. This was actually printed and delivered over a week ago, but for some reason it just kept slipping through the net…

And that’s DEFINATELY me finished for the week. Thankyou, and goodnight.

Mark C

Woohoo! 10pm tonight sees the airing of BBC2’s new show, “Teethgrinder” with some awesome title sequences and continuity graphics courtesy of Peedy and Ryan, Whitenoise’s gurus of the moving pixel… Get Sky Plussing!

I have to say I’m glad it’s Friday, as this week has been very busy and, at times, quite stressful – with less than 72 hours prep time (a clever trick to keep us on our toes I suspect) we made an excellent presentation to a fantastic potential new client – fingers and toes are all crossed on this one and I’ll keep all you blog watchers posted on how this develops.

Various other projects were either started, significantly progressed or completed this week including TWO new Invest NI magazine re-designs, a business conference for Northern Bank, show stands and materials for RFD in Miami and Belfast City Council in Cannes, the Evolution 2009 music festival, THREE new websites, the Magners Light Style Awards motion graphics, Annual Reports for ICVA England and Scotland, promo work for Tinderbox Theatre, the Balmoral Show, and the Irish Congress of Trades Unions… phew!

So, having said all that, I am definately taking the weekend off… See you on Monday.

Mark C