Creative Review

Any one who’s familiar with Creative Review knows that something very interesting is happening with its magazine. Editor Patrick Burgoyne and his team are constantly coming up with really exciting features, and ideas to engage with its audience. Features range from short pieces and caption stories to really interesting longer pieces that actually explore topics that are being discussed in design studios and blogs around the world.
This month’s main feature talks to some of the key people who shape the Tate’s brand. There is a monthly diary from Will Gompertz, Cornel Windlin talks about the brilliant Tate etc. magazine, as well as other key players who offer an insight on how such a big organisation runs its public image.

Forgotten Arts

A little retrospective of calligraphy through the ages with particular emphasis on the elegant appeal of the decadent swash, care of Francesco Moro c.1560-70, Giulantonio Hercolani 1574, the mighty George Bickman's Universal Penman 1741, and the modern day John Stevens. All this plus many many, more examples to be found in St. Brides library off Fleet Street which has a great late night opening on a Wednesday night until 9pm.

Monocle

We here at things to look at have been keeping an eye on Monocle and to be honest, we can’t help but be impressed. Tyler Brûlé and his design team must be commended on creating a magazine that can’t be ignored. Of course it’s not to everyone’s taste but its very clear and direct about what it stands for. Its a different magazine from the Brûlé Wallpaper* years, but it has taken a part of what made wallpaper* so interesting for me in the first place, its mix of soft politics and economics with a combination of fashion and design.
As a publisher you can see how passionate Brûlé is about magazines, he is also very much aware of the power of the web. Its website has been incredibly well designed, and editorially its very smart with its mixture of videos and extra non published material.

St. Brides Re-invigorates

So a great start to what St. brides terms its re-invigoration plan. The demonstrations by Caroline Webb of stone carving and Douglas Bevans of Bookbinding were really interesting. It was just a shame that Paul Antonio was ill, so instead there was a 'who can do callingraphy the best' competition. The Things to Look at team are hopeful entrants in this nerve-wracking affair. If there should happen to be another such evening as this, then we thoroughly recommend a visit, if not just to see the new reading room alone, which sadly lacks the grandeur of its predecessor but is full to the brim with typographic gems.

St Brides

Tonight St Brides are doing demonstrations of letterpress printing, stone carving, calligraphy and bookbinding. Paul Antonio will be there showing us all how we really should have learned to write. If you're interested in attending click on the title of this post. More pictures tomorrow perhaps.

Tom Ford For Men

Tom Ford's collaboration with Terry Richardson has produced these new ads for his men's fragrance.
I'm so blown away by its bravery that I don't know whether I like them or not. I wonder what we will think of the campaign over time, will we think its provocative and ground breaking in a Helmut Newton/ Guy Bourdin way or has it stepped over the mark and gone into tacky territory? At the moment I just cant decide.

You Know You're Old When...

You could write an epic blog entry about the effectiveness of the below.

Fashion Type

Why are fonts with high contrasting thickness such as Bodoni and Didot so closely associated with fashion typography? Abbot Miller's article in the current issue of eye magazine
looks at this question and also examines the role of sans serif typefaces.

The article is a fascinating subject; how is that so many brands in the same industry can use such similar typefaces and still carve out distinctively different identities?

It seems that any brand which uses either a thin or a moderately bold typeface or a combination of the two would be accepted as a fashion/ luxury brand. Virtually all the brands which makeup the fashion landscape adhere to this rule.