We had some well-needed rain recently and although the sun was in full view today, it reminded me that Summer is on the wane and I soon must turn again to my beloved bookshelf for cold-weather comfort.  I was gleefully encouraged by a terrific lost Ladybird Book that found itself to the top of a [...]

Anything can happen in films these days. Floating worlds with blue people, city-stomping robots, Victorian London recreated etc… CGI has gone beyond trying to look real, its designers and technicians have opened the envelope and created the ‘hypereal’. CGI has to be especially crap for us to even notice it these days. Indeed, much of [...]

The internet is leaning rather heavily to one side with all the Sasek pictures, Sasek posts and Sasek chat that is out there. I also have been tempted to spill my ‘Sasek beans’ more than once through this blog, but have always declined through fear of having nothing to say that hasn’t already been said. [...]

I used to have a handmade bookshelf when I was a kid that my Dad made. It was painted in deep red, the colour of a pomegranate jewel.  At each end, the sides were cut into the shape of horses heads in a Scandinavian style and there was a time when the whole bottom shelf [...]

I have no shame in admitting that I’m English (I can see my Scottish mates rolling their eyes right now when I say that… heh heh). Although, I have to say that my personal hierarchy of loyalty goes in the following order: I’m a Yorkshireman first, then I’m British and English last. But why English [...]

A few months ago I took a position working for the Imperial War Museum as a designer – a move which has been rewarding, motivating, challenging and tiring. One thing I became aware of quite quickly was that working in situ at the museum has provoked me to think acutely about the way in which [...]

Matthew Lyons has been around for a while and I’ve been tempted to add a post about his sun-bleached  illustration work for some time. He has recently started adding some new work to his portfolio, so I thought now would be a good time. His work sits somewhere between the lonely, wizened modernist backdrops of  [...]

Typographer and illustrator Jessica Hische has been running her sideline project, Daily Drop Cap since last year. Although I’ve not been checking it religiously, I have recently revisited it and was totally surprised how it has taken off and just how much content she has added. What I love about this site is the spirit [...]