Nur Ahmad Furlong

Category: Design

  • The coolest Eco Footprints I’ve seen

    The coolest Eco Footprints I’ve seen

    When we talk about carbon footprints we think about those forms we fill in online which ask us all kinds of probing questions about our homes, our cars and our activities which impact the planet. William McDonough’s book cradle to cradle discusses the concept of re-thinking how we design things extensively and gives us a new way of looking into the future of product design.

    This is an eco-footprint of another kind which makes fantastic use of the concept of recyclability and re-usability in an ultr-cool way. Like McDonough states in his book over & over eco-friendly design does not have to be boring or less brilliant in functionality or visual appeal to fullfill it’s ecological responsibilities. It’s about the design approach.

    Designer: Ben Chappell, has taken up the challenge with a not completely original but very much unique sneaker design which embraces the cradle to cradle thinking fully. The “Think” sneaker, a fully modular, meaning it’s made of seperate parts which can be removed & replaced, recyclable shoe.

    The Think sneaker - Designed by Ben Chappell, eco-footprint of the future

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  • Re-thinking my view on the London 2012 Logo

    A little while ago I wrote an article discussing the Logo & Identity Designed for the London 2012 Olympic Games. At first glance everything about the logo seemed completely appalling from the colours to the jagged shaped and seemingly meaningless random nature of it all.

    Well I’ve just read something which completely shifts my perspective and I’m not shy to say I’m thinking twice about how I view the whole thing. It might be a tad impulsive of me as my initial criticism was inspired by the outcry which followed to unveiling of the design. I still hold many of my views on the pure graphic nature of the Identity but applying some perspective and context changes the impact of my initial views.

     You’ll have to read my intial article and then this one I found on “A Brief Message.com” written by Rob Giampietro (principal of Giampietro+Smith and a board member of AIGA/NY) and formulate your own opinion.

    Critics, in the excitement of newsmaking, have rushed to judgment. They’re writing history before it’s happened.

    They’re forgetting that the games these identities signify haven’t happened yet. How the London 2012 and Chicago 2016 identities interact with their respective events and audiences will ultimately determine whether they are lasting, valuable marks or not.

    Ugly or beautiful, these identities will ultimately belong to us. We will wear and trade them. We will merchandise and trash them. We will honor and deride them. They will belong to us the way celebrities do, the way monuments do, the way media spectacles do. Years from now, I suspect different opinions will prevail.

    Maybe both perspective have their merits, but sometimes its good to see both sides of the story. Its a good lesson in design, to know that no one design can be perfect or completely inappropriate at the time of their inception, but that perspective, opinion, experience and time are factors which have a say.

  • Why good design is so important to your business

    Understanding the role design plays in business success is crucial to making the best design decision based on your business objectives. Design is the language your business uses to communicate itself to the world.

     good design just makes business sense

    Lets look at en everyday example. You’ve been invited to a business event, those attending will be trend setters in your specific industry. You have a copy of the programme of the event and have a good idea of how you want people to perceive your presence especially during the networking session. So how do you go about getting the results you need? Design!

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  • Branding Bettina Branding

    I was approached by Bettina Moss, a Strategic Brand Consultant, to develop a visual identity for her new brand consultancy, "BettinaBranding" and to assist with creating a simple yet interactive online presence. Bettina had a few ideas for starters which helped get the process going, but once ideas were put through their paces a few new directions developed. One of the initial conceptual ideas was to create a spiral element which conveyed the message of Branding being an inward and outward looking process. As is the case many times what is seen in the mind comes out very differently in reality and we progressed to develop a simpler yet bolder identity.

    Draft Logo & Branding Ideas

    bettina-logo3

    Because of the name BettinaBranding and the emphasis on the B it Bcame clear very early on that the letter B was our friend though at times it wasn’t Bhaving the way we would have liked it to. Oh I’ll stop B’ting around the Bush, oops, couldn’t help that last one.

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  • The Identity Scale – Markbixby.com

    I just read something on markbixby.com that gave a good laugh this morning.

    Client: “We really like Apple’s branding. Can you do something like that for us?”
    Designer: “I love what Apple is doing too, but your company’s a Mortuary?”

    If you’re a graphic designer you’ll completely identify with the hilarity of the scenario above and then maybe immediately after the laughter has died, down as laughter always does, you’ll think back to something similar you’ve experienced with one of your own clients.

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  • Official 2012 logo controversy

    London England, a place many will argue is one of if not the centre of design excellence worldwide, also the winner of the bid to host the 2012 Olymic games. The Olympic Games brings with it to those cities which bid and host it a refreshment of design practices, a burst of local expression and creative interpretation and for many brings a welcome boost to their creative businesses. I remember the time Cape Town was bidding for the 2004 Olympics. As a Graphic Design Student we were given a few Olympics orientated projects from designing icons to posters and an interesting paininting project.

    I first heard about the London 2012 logo controversy on Design Observer in an article entitled: “The 2012 Olympic Logo Ate My Hamster“. Off I went to have a look what all the fuss was about to to my horror, as explained in the article on Design Observer I was faced with something I still haven’t quite figured out. We have come to expect that an Olympic logo would contain the Olympic colours and brand Identity interpreted through the lens of the locality hosting the event. This may be a formula which isin need of changing but in my opinion they have just gone too far. I think it contains the number 2010 and if i squint really hard and maybe do some breathing exercises I might be able to see the word London in there as well

    The logo that’s caising all the fuss

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