Yazaroo

08/10/2024

When speaking with people about design, most lump things into two camps - its either good or its bad.

But I would suggest most lingeres in the grey area - its not bad, but those who care about design would find it distasteful.

The thing that spawned my thoughts on this was the album cover for Magical Mystery Tour by , which is sandwiched by Sgt Pepper and the white album - both lauded as two of the greatest album covers of all time.

But here in the middle was an album so hideous to look at I never took it seriously, despite it containing some of the Beatles best music.

It works as a cover - has the Beatles written on it (in colorful stars), and will protect the vinal, it has the four of them on the cover (dressed as nightmarish walruses) So technically, functionally it ticks all the boxes. -Objective.

But I hate it because I think it looks terrible. - Opinion.

Most of what we talk about with design is really about taste rather than function. are the worst snobs (speaking as a complete design snob myself) but the truth is most people just don't care.

How many times have you seen a laminated in a shop or hospital in that someone has just printed out and blue-tacked to a wall? Why bother with a nice in when this will do the same job?

Coming back to the album cover, I am a big Beatles fan, but as I said at the start of this I never took seriously because it looked terrible to me.

Thats a big problem if you're selling a product or service. Functionally it may be fine, but if it is not suited to your customer's taste, you won't sell it.

Or maybe it will be fine and no one will notice.

26/08/2024

Is your signage working for you?

Signage is important for any business. Taking the time to get it right means it will last for years to come and present your brand in the best possible way.

We can design, source and arrange of of all shapes, sizes, and materials.

Get in touch to find out how we can help solve your signage problem.

This is a bespoke fabricated and we designed, supplied and installed by

24/08/2024

I found myself stood staring at this sign, questioning the thinking behind it.

A designers job is to solve a problem... yes it is doing that, and it is on-brand.

But for some reason, presumably only known to whoever designed this sign, they have given it a wood effect background. Printed on a Dibond aluminum sign.

Why would do that?

If you want a , have one made. If wood is not an appropriate material use metal, but don't make a fake wooden sign from metal.

I think it's important to let the medium dictate the aesthetic when designing print and . If you don't like the aesthetic, change the medium.

This only serves as a signal to anyone looking at it that the brand is fake, and any attempt to be more green or sustainable is as shallow as the sign itself.

If you need signage, get in touch, let's have a chat!

13/08/2024

Engineering has scope to create some fantastic brand work.

It is as geographically diverse as it is technically groundbreaking, leaning itself to a smorgasbord of creative solutions and marketing opportunities.

If you run an engineering company, consultancy or organisation, we would love to hear from you.

We can help you attract the right customers and talent with targeted design.

04/07/2024

08/05/2024