Recent Live projects

Fisher-Price® Expert Series website and press campaign
We were engaged by our good friends Gun Communications to produce creative and develop a website for the new Fisher-Price® Expert Series initiative Step by Step Parenting. The campaign provides practical parenting tips to parents from a ongoing series of Fisher-Price® Experts - the first is Kathy Walker. See the website

Phillip Johnson Sustainable Landscape Systems
We have recently completed work on a new interim website for one of Australia’s leading Sustainable Landscape Designers - Phillip Johnson. Working with Gun Communications we have also taken care of creative for print and promotional collateral for the brand, in time for their involvement with this years Open Gardens Scheme. See the website

Selector - architecture, building, design and landscape products
F/F were engaged by our good friends at Reuten to provide the creative direction and logotype for the new project from Architecture Media - Selector.

Brotherhood of St Laurence
Continuing our work for BSL we have implemented updates to their successful Brotherhood Green website including the new Phoenix Fridges campaign.

Just Auto Group websites
Late in 2008 F/F were engaged to work with Just on the development of a new independent classified network for Australian Automotive. The result is a social media and classified crossover network under the Just Auto umbrella. Spanning Cars, Bikes, 4×4 & Outdoors as well as Trucks and Heavy Equipment the network is the leading destination for genuine Auto enthusiasts, leading the way as the real alternative, in this space.

F/F were responsible for product and concept development, information archtitecture, prototyping and creative concepts for the project. This also lead to us developing a re-design for their existing print publications, to bring the whole portfolio of online and offline titles together. See the website

Other News
We are working on some concepts for new tablet devices and WordPress integration - anyone interested in collaborating in this area please email us.

We have a number of other web and brand projects on the go with our good friendsThe Royals and Code Create, stay tuned for updates on these in the coming weeks.

This stuff is awesome - it’s part of a show from Harvest by Haroshi called Skate and Destroy currently showing at plsmis gallery in Tokyo, Japan until the 27th Feb. All the artworks have been created with old worn, or snapped, skateboard decks.

So what is causes the gap to keep growing. The answer is what we ‘WANT’. We want so much and we in the west more so than anywhere are fed messages 24 hours a day that blur the line between ‘need’ and ‘want’. You know when your kid comes up and says daddy I need such and such, it’s an age old story - in truth there is very little that we need. Yet even adults tell themselves that you can’t just opt out the world is like this so we must participate, and in our western society the things we ‘want’ quickly get excused as the things we ‘need’.

So with an estimate by the UN of 6800000000 people on the planet in 2009 imagine the difference just 1% of people sacraficing just $100’s would make. In short sacraficing something each year they ‘want’ that costs at least $100 for providing something someone ‘needs’

Well it would raise exactly $1 per person on the planet, at anyone time, no small sum of money $6800000000 and rising. Given that the international poverty line is $1 per day - that’s 6800000000 days of basic life for people in the poorest countries alone.

Now obviously poverty is relative to the cost of living in any given country but even so, people in developed countries need to step and think about these kinds of basic figures - every time we buy a pair of running shoes we don’t need for $200!!

I genuinely think there is a campaign idea in this - and sitting there pondering the idea has made me realise how much more I can do even at a monetary level, how little I really ‘need’ vs how much I think I ‘want’.

1% of can equal $1 per person, by giving $100 what a simple idea!!

At BGreenNow™ and Function/Form this is the kind of action we like to see and support. Well done to Sophie, Caroline and Nat for their efforts and good luck with the Three Trees project.

About Three Trees
Vastly experienced, Three Trees’ founders, Sophie Thomas (thomas.matthews), Caroline Clark (Lovely as a Tree) and Nat Hunter (Airside) will continue to run their respective award-winning design practices while working within the industry to share their collective 25 years’ experience in creating effective sustainable design.

When it comes to sustainable design, there are no excuses. Sooner or later our industry will have to rise to the challenge. As creativity is our business, we should be comfortable with the notion of making our design work that bit harder; creatively and for the environment.

via designweak.com

Interesting project by Steve a Plan-B Studio. To celebrate 10 years in business he is going to donate 10 days a month to a different Non-Profit/NGO organisation each month. He’s offering to do anything from give up his creative expertise to working in the soup kitchen - will be following this one to see how it all goes for him.

If you are a Non-Profit/NGO organisation drop him a mail and see if you can take part steve@plan-bstudio.com

Posted via web from arcd

Creative review articulate some of the views on tablets and the future of magazines we’ve been discussing at Function/Form since the arrival of the iPhone and the future of tablet/touch devices.

Great use of both Google Earth and the power of the cloud to map and monitor deforestation rates around the planet. Nice work

Posted via web from arcd

Really like the simplicity and overall design of this great modular storage system from Housefish in the US. Key is a new highly modular storage system that ships flat and assembles easily- the only tool you need is a hammer. The parts are cleverly joined into an exceptionally strong structure by machined aluminum tenon keys. The wood is sustainably harvested, FSC certified maple or walnut plywood, finished with a zero VOC finish. Key is our effort to redefine what sustainable, green, modern furniture can be. Available with optional sliding powdercoated metal doors in a variety of colours.

Posted via web from arcd

Wishing I was in London to see this exhibition both for Rams work but also the great exhibition design by Bibliothèque.
http://designmuseum.org/exhibitions/2009/2009-dieter-rams

Posted via web from arcd

Nice approach from the tcktcktck COP15 campaign

Posted via web from BGreen-Now™

Could this have gone anymore wrong. What does it tell us about the state of the creative vs client culture we work in when at the final presentation the client asks itself ‘why are we doing this?’.

Posted via web from arcd

nice simple concept by VW - great way to highlight they are a think outside of the box kind of brand, while producing some great viral activity.

After a time, ‘Fun’ can no doubt turn to ‘Novelty’ and we all know ‘Novelty’ easily wears off, but I love the notion of causing changes in behavior with positive actions rather than threats or consequences. So far in the climate change debate, for example, too many messages are about ‘Massive Doom and Gloom Scenarios’ - for one reason or another these messages are rarely a catalyst for change with the masses - subconsciously overwhelmed they all too often continue with behavior as normal. VW may well be onto to something here with their Fun Theory…

Posted via web from BGreen-Now™

Lubalin Now will be a new exhibit in the re-located Herb Lubalin Study Center of Design and Typography. Would love to check that out…

Posted via web from arcd

It’s kind of in the post title really Classic Hip-Hop and LEGO, great concept nicely executed… Would be ice to see done with Playmobil figures.

Great follow up to the Wu-Tang covers piece from a few weeksn back as well.

Posted via web from arcd

Check out the createdemocracy.com event brought to you by the team at SUMO. We been invited to include our ‘Brewster’s Millions’ inspired submissions to the exhibition book.

Posted via web from arcd

Great new initiative to raise awareness to the issues of FAKE design within the product design industry. We are all very aware of this issue when it comes to knock off handbags and sports goods, but think less about it when it comes to ‘reproductions’ of well known products like say an Eames furniture design… This initiative addresses the issues of actual quality vs just the look of the product, by reminding us that the more expensive licensed original contributes more to the designers and brands championing good design, will always have better overall quality of manufacture and lifespan and also supports the retailers who supply the goods.

As they ADA asks - Support original design.

Posted via web from arcd

9/10 October sees the Semi-Permanent design conference heading to Melbourne. As always there is a great mix of international speakers offering up a more colourful mix than many of the more serious design related conferences on the annual calendar.

Speakers for 2009 include:
Grafik Magazine
Collider
Industrial Light & Magic
Three Drunk Monkeys
Jeff Soto
Hammer & Tong

for a full list of details, tickets and more got to the event site

Posted via web from arcd

One interesting aspect of this identity will be how strong it is compared to the actual Metropolitan Melbourne identity. Essentially this is a brand that only applies to the CBD not Greater Melbourne which seems a shame as it is a very comprehensive and adaptive as a brand system which would certainly answer the challenges of a brand working across a whole Metropolitan area.

F/F are looking forward to seeing the brand in action here in Melbourne - but note the local reaction so far (including the desing community) has been a little frosty.

Can’t help but noting that it also has a little nod to the system Wolff Olins developed for NYC earlier this year.

http://www.wolffolins.com/nyc.php

Posted via web from tony’s posterous

the one and only Andy Bobbin goes live with his excellent bobbindrawthis illustration blog - “more tea Ern?”

Posted via web from tony’s posterous

Posted via web from tony’s posterous

True Northern Class!

Posted via web from tony’s posterous

Droga5’s Million mobile phone reward programme for schoolkids may have won a lot of awards but, beyond the hype, how effective will it prove to be in the long-term?

The Million project has picked up awards around the world, including top honours at this year’s D&AD. Some in the industry have described it as the ‘future of advertising’. Looking past the ad industry hype, we asked educators whether they thought giving mobile phones to schoolkids was really the best way to raise standards and levels of achievement. Read more here

Posted via web from tony’s posterous

Start of a new series of experimental packaging solutions for Creative Review subscribers - will have to wait and see if the overseas subscribers get this as well - F/F hope so.

Posted via web from tony’s posterous