A Desmond

Not bad paper for someone who got the degree that everyone dreads: a 2.2! Desmond's doing very well in his new role as designer.

Be worried, be very worried. Runcie's just bought some magic markers.

The H factor

What are 'hsolicitors' and 'estatehagents'?

Reminds me of Prince Buster's 1964 Ska classic that begins 'Al Capone guns, don't hargue'. And hey, Jeremy [Mr Hopkinson], where's the hapostrophe?

Signsofthetimes?

All wrapped up

So, Lily Allen is designing wrapping paper, and we've also had Helen Mirren and Nicole Kidman's gift wraps, to be followed by Desmond Tutu!

So when I saw recently that Peter Saville had done some wrapping paper for Manchester, I'm wondering if I didn't misread it. Perhaps it was Jimmy Saville?

Peter Saville's a singer with Factory Records isn't he?

Upstate Yorkshire

Harrogate is perhaps best known for Betty's tea rooms and the Turkish Baths (and, of course, the world-famous design consultant who lives there), but this shot in the late autumn afternoon sun made me feel more like I was in New York in one of those cross streets in Midtown past Fashion Avenue. The yellow cabs and the water towers were missing, but otherwise...

Odeon architecture (conveniently blocking out the new Odeon branding in my shot) topped with a lovely piece of art deco lettering. Even the blue neon stripes look good. Try getting Bloggs Signs to space letters like that now... You can't, can you?

(with apologies to any sign company actually called Bloggs, it's not you, this one is an imaginary company responsible for the sign ills of the World.)

Hairdressers' hair

At long last I have got around to posting a holding page on my website - I make a business of advising clients that they should have a website amongst other things. You know, like the way hairdressers always have awful haircuts because they never get around to doing their own.

Yesterday, having had all sorts of problems with the mechanics of uploading the page owing to a highly obstructive process by mine host BT Business, I jokingly made a comment to the effect that like decimal money the interweb is never going to catch on, which prompted Victor Brierley to respond with 'bet you 10 bob it does'.

Anyway, see the wood and the trees on:
www.minards.co.uk

Don't you just love the iPhone?

All done on the iPhone in my siting room from the comfort of my Ligne Roset Togo sofa. The iPhone is more than a phone, it's a timewarp in which one can produce photographs they didn't know were possible.

Even the Garden sign in the previous post was done with my iPhone pretending to be a Polaroid. Ironic given that the last batch of Polaroid film is about to expire.

Wayfinding and orientation

We were in Ilkley in Yorkshire on Sunday for a genteel stroll and tea in Betty's (I refuse to omit the apostrophe like they do). I'm sure that all Ilkley residents will recognise grass and flower beds as a garden, but the town has been really kind in labeling it as such for visitors from the concrete jungle.

However, I was nearly run over on leaving the garden as they had omitted to label the road.