I’m loving the intrinsic folkiness of James Pearson Howes‘ photography work at the moment. His unique choice of subject matter in each series is an acid commentary on the absurd twists and turns of modern British culture. I’m not sure if the work is supposed to be a ongoing catalogue of present day folk circles or if it is supposed to sit quietly next to the ‘folk theme’ in general as a sort of plastic-wrapped partner.

Either way, if doesn’t really matter. There’s no oily over-processing or style pandering here and James is clearly skilled at making his subject feel like they can be themselves. I especially love the ‘E9 Hong Kong-style’  lads looking every bit the Kings of their post-code empires that they probably are.

James has got a nice little photography book of his ‘British Folk’ series for sale on his website for under tenner, which I might just bag. He also runs a blog called Powerbastard. Cracking.

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. But then I came across a rarity that I snapped up from ebay and thought it might be time to have my (one and only?) ‘Sasek’ moment.

Mike and the Modelmakers (1970) has never been anywhere near as popular as the city books that Miroslav Sasek illustrated. Partly because of its limp commercial connection with Matchbox model cars and partly because of the fact that this book hasn’t been hammered into our pupils like the other books have.

I’m very fond of this book indeed. There’s the usual meticulous humour, mid-century detailing and unmatchable charm of any of Sasek’s illustration works, but there is also the omnipresent focus on a typical British industrial process of the time it was written. Unintentionally, Sasek illustrated something that has tragically become rare here. The camaraderie of the factory floor, the building design, the affable characters and even the tea trolley all convey a rather special reflection. I thoroughly recommend chasing a copy of it even to serve as a light-hearted reference point.

The official Sasek site is well worth a visit if you just need a quick fix. But it might also be worth noting that some splendid soul has taken the time to upload one of the super-rare animated versions of the city books to Youtube.

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 of it was end-to-end with Mr.Men books.

The creator, author and illustrator behind these books was the sadly departed, Roger Hargreaves – a man who (along with Oliver Postgate and Co) has ploughed a recess in my mind that has allowed me to see the brilliance in the simplicity of story characters, but also to revere the skill of captivating an imagination through illustration. The books, and later the first two animated series by Flicks Films (Featuring the voice of Arthur Lowe from Dad’s Army) were a testament to the observational mind of Hargreaves. The Mr. Men world, was in effect a rather splendid way of teaching children to celebrate differences and diversity – with a good story thrown in.

Roger’s family have picked up where their Dad left off and when all said and done, they have managed to uphold the charming story-telling legacy that they inherited. Although, I have noticed a general lean towards a homogeneity of shape and form of the modernised Mr.Men characters – No more Mr. Skinny? Perhaps this a product of our soft-livered society or maybe it’s just progress. Either way, there’s a great interview with the Roger’s family on the Telegraph site about how they came to take over the Mr. Men Empire. It might also be worth having a peek a Roger’s incredible archive of work and perhaps, even meet some of the Mr.Men.

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 last?

I often feel that being English is demonised. More so here in the UK than anywhere else. It is a taboo that has become mired with unsavory connotations of idiotic football fans, past colonial hauntings, foolish sunburned holiday-makers and flabby politics. But perhaps there is a misunderstanding here. There is a whole raft of peculiarities, folklore, culture, customs and traits that define the English. I think it’s positive to celebrate and uphold all that, just as long as it’s not done too loudly… Nobody likes a show-off.

Some nice people who agree with me are the folks from Common Ground. I think it’s important to say that their remit is far from being restricted to the English. Instead, it is a quietly intelligent approach to celebrating variation, tradition and distinctiveness anywhere. Their masterpiece tome, England in Particular is one of the finest and most revered books that sits on my shelf. Not just an archive, but a highly detailed and endearing chronicle of customs and things that shouldn’t be forgotten. Druids, orchards, doocots, laylines, the greenman, weather veins, hedgerows, bridges, wassailing, puddings, cycle routes, dances, topiary, modernist architecture and odd-shaped trees are just some of many curiosities. But, for me the suggestion that all these things are never static and should never be fossilized is what makes the approach fresh.

The book itself is so neatly ordered that it lends itself to either casual flicking or more topical encyclopedic reference. The illustrations are fittingly simple too and have been produced in an charming line/woodblock style. I’m not sure who the illustrator is, so if anyone knows, do tell. If I had written this book, I would probably expire having no further duties to complete.

You can have a peek at a sample of the book on their website or pick a copy up from Amazon. Long live localness!

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 I obtain inspiration for my work. Being exposed to their rich and historically important archives of wartime poster design has been particularly thrilling.

On my first day, I was handed a copy of a recent publication that the museum put out called British Posters of the Second World War. This compact catalogue focuses on the works and personal stories of some of the artists from the collection (many of whom were immigrants escaping nazi persecution) and weaves a stirring and comprehensive summary of some of the most iconic posters of the last century. The layout and format is clear and most pages have a good amount of the total percentage given over to large and well-toned images.

Everyone from Dorrit Dekk, to Abram Games, to my hero, Frank Newbould has earned a nostalgic place in this book. The well recognised (and often copied) classic themes are in there too. There’s the sickeningly omnipresent ‘Keep Calm and Carry On’, the optimistic ‘Dig For Victory’ and the politely commanding ‘General Post Office’ series.

For £9.99 this book is an absolute steal. I keep a copy to hand for emergency inspiration purposes, but I’d love to see a volume two featuring the imperialistic typographic posters of the 1st world war. I must try to find the publications department for a chat… Hmm.

Bit late on the draw with this one, but it’s still worth a post. I’ve had Scuba’s new album, Triangulation for a couple of months now and I’m still waiting for anything to top it this year. There’s been a few that have come close and bitten at its heals, but by and large, this has been on my stereo very frequently.

Triangulation acts as a skilled refinement to Scuba’s ever-shifting sound cabinet and it also clarifies the reputation of label it came from (Hot Flush). It’s a varied collection of diverse tempos, dubstep atmospherics, jerking percussion and tech-edged stabs. It’s really hard to pinpoint the style; sometimes there’s a definite ‘dirty club in Dalston’ feel and other tracks are more comfortable accompanying you whilst you stare into the patches of apricot afternoon sky whilst waiting for the bus home. It seems that Scuba’s time between Berlin and London has opened the sides to his musical sphere and the resultant blend of styles feels like a ultra condensed purge of electronic music as it stands this year. I’m not sure I wanted that, but now it’s here I’m so glad I’ve got it.

There’s a cracking back-to-back mix with Gilles Peterson on his website where Scuba chats about his new release and plays a few tracks interspersed with the usual quality of Peterson’s record bag. A more eloquent review and some clips can be found on Resident Advisor, but I think this one should be bagged regardless. No disappointment experienced from my end.

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The BBC have just launched their new (and improved, but not yet perfect) news site. I thought I would pick out a feature that caught my eye as an excuse to test it out.

The other day, the MOD announced their new impressive looking Taranis UCAV.  Seemingly capable of mashing up a small village without the pilot actually being on the same continent. Not wanting to be outdone across the pond, Boeing launched their ‘Phantom Eye‘ yesterday, which not only sounds like a failed Marvel super hero, but looks like cartoon bomb with a 2×4 nailed to the top. Interestingly, this battle of technology is not over yet. Boeing proudly announced the air-life of the Phantom Eye to be 4 days, the MOD swiftly counter-attacked with options for a new UAV that can stay up for a week.

Somehow this all feels very much like a classic engineering battle akin to the ‘spac- race’ or the ‘age of flight’ in the last century – But I’m still not convinced. Firstly I think the general architecture of these things makes them appear like blind dolphins with anger issues. They seem basic, savage, uncaring and even disposable. Secondly, huge of amounts of money is being wasted on these projects. Do we really need a UAV that can stay up for a week? Some would argue that the technology will filter down to the commercial sector and we can all benefit from economical flight – but I’ve got a feeling this will remain fairly secret for some time. On top of all this, I’m not entirely at ease with the fact that a morose military chap sat in a dimly-lit room somewhere in Arizona could kill us all with a video game joystick.

Without any future chances of being a dashing, moustioached, silk-scarf wearing fighter pilot, I may just have to build my own drone.

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  Hanna Barbera cartoons and a mid-century film poster. I’m particularly fond of the subtle nods to Lyons’ wit and faux-filmesque humour, something which he often manifests with in a solid and complimentary typographical style. For me though, it is the careful processing techniques and hand-made feel that makes these pieces look so raw and deep. Matthew has worked-in a very adept method of softening his sharp shapes and linear angles by utilising gentle Earthy tones and familiar textures.

You can have a good scout at his new work on his blog, which is a nourishing meal for the eyes – or if you prefer the dour, but loyal interface of Flickr, there’s plenty to see there on his profile too. Oh, and just in case you’re listening Mr.Lyons, will you please get to work on a story book! Thanking you kindly.