A real book

So I picked up my book from the printers this afternoon and I am absolutely amazed at how good it looks. It's basically a real book; the colours are so bright, all of the type and illustrations look great, it's neatly bound and the cover is actually shiny.
It feels reals.

The actual deadline for everything is next Friday (it will all be over this time next week) so I will take some proper photographs after then – as I have two copies of the book and only need to hand one in. But for now, here's a sneaky peek.

On its book stand for the show.

I love the colours!

Don't ask me why, but I sat on the floor with the book on my lap to take these photos.

Oh yeah, so this is what the book is called.

I also got an A2 poster printed today for the end of year show. Now there's only the leaflets, flyers and postcards to print/make.

I love Amazon

Now I wouldn't normally post something like this on my blog but I have experienced brilliantly efficient customer services from Amazon and I thought it worth sharing the story so that others in the same situation might benefit as I have.

Basically, as you probably know if you read my blog regularly or know me personally, I got a Kindle for Christmas and I love it. I love reading as much as I love the physicality of books and with a Kindle I am able to read far more, whilst limiting what books I actually purchase in physical form – which is now mostly graphic design related books or maybe something like a graphic novel.

But on Friday night a tragedy occurred and some how, I'm not quite sure what I did, my Kindle's screen was broken. I didn't drop it and it was in its case but I think it got pressed a little too hard and bam, broken with faint horizontal lines residing on the screen to prove it. So after panicing for a bit and phoning my dad to tell him I'd "done a bad thing" – my parents gave me the Kindle for Christmas – I consulted Google and discovered that lots of other people had suffered the same e-reader fate.

AND, here's the best bit, if your Kindle is within warranty you can phone Amazon up through a special Kindle-only helpline explain that your screen is broken and they will send you out a new Kindle free of charge. So I phoned the Kindle customer services on Saturday morning, or rather I should say they phoned me after I tapped my number into the online form. The woman I spoke to was very helpful, understood my problem and said I'd be posted a replacement Kindle that day! On a Saturday.

And hey, it arrived early this afternoon. If that's not great customer service I don't know what is. I've had no reason to dislike Amazon in the past, but now I love them.

ps. don't let this put you off getting a Kindle, they are amazing. I just need to get a sturdier case and be more careful with mine.

Chuck Ragan Facts Book in photographs

I've finally taken some photographs of the Chuck Ragan Facts book that I designed a couple of months ago. My wooden desk makes for a brilliant backdrop.

Check out my website for a little more about the book and more photographs.

Trees aplenty

It's about time I made a second edition of The Book of Trees, in some form or another. I'd like to do something slightly different with a second book, but I'm not sure what yet – maybe it won't even be a "book".

Here's some trees that a photographed (on my phone) on my walk back from sea swimming earlier today.

National Park icons

These are simply lovely. National Park stamp-style icons for locations in the US. Someone (me?) needs to design something similar for the UK, maybe National Trust spots or areas of natural beauty.

The stamp icons have been designed by Valerie Jar for a National Geographic parks app, and I found them through Design Work Life – one of my favourite blogs.

Pictogram movie posters

I was researching for uni work, honest. These super pictogram movie posters, by Viktor Hertz, just happened to come up on a Google image search for "cafe pictogram".

Telegramme Studio

“Telegramme Studio is run by illustrator & designer Bobby Evans in London. He is inspired by music, people, unique ideas and beautiful things and directs his energy into a wide range of illustration, design and art direction projects. Telegramme also specialises in screen printed gig posters and hand painted signage.” – Telegramme Studio

Music + graphic design/illustration. Perfect for the eyes and ears.

The first two bands I love.

The second three, I just like the posters.

EDIT: and hey, Bobby studied at Falmouth! Amazing/amusing that I didn't know at first.

London bound

Tomorrow I am travelling up to London (for once, sadly, there will be no live music involved) for a portfolio evening organised by my course, at the RSA Vaults. We will be sharing our portfolios with various graphic designers from around London, and perhaps even further afield. It should be a very beneficial evening, talking about our work with real graphic designers, and I'm rather looking forward to it. Although of course, a tad nervous.

But then, on Thursday I will be returning to RSA for an interview – don't worry, I was already planning on staying in London for a few days. I have been short-listed for the RSA Student Design Awards Good Journey brief. Needless to say, as one of 6 out of 127, I am thrilled that my idea was considered good enough – Walkways.