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John Lewis - The Bear and Hare - 2013 Seasonal CGI Amazing coloured pencil drawings Tokyo City Symphony Luis Nieves - Baywood Red Light

26 February 2010

Frame Magazine online

Frame magazine is a well known reference for interior architecture and design focused on retail, exhibition, leisure and the office.
The magazine does come at a price , however their 'free' website is well worth a look.
If you're a talented design company or freelancer then it may be worth uploading your own portfolio, helping you get your work out to a wider audience.
I've also attached a link to their latest online edition featuring the recently refurbished Sake No Hana restaurant in London.


http://www.framemag.com/allissues/62/FRAME-Print-%2361.html 

http://www.framemag.com/portfolios  

 

Graphics of the week! #3

Hi all,

This weeks images come from Daniel Quinones and the Depthcore collective.. Enjoy!



24 February 2010

New US Embassy in London


Below is a few shots of  the design proposed  for the new US Embassy in London.


My first reaction is to query whether the  Apple Cube has been stolen from Manhattan, genetically enhanced and relocated to Nine Elms in Battersea.


The £500 million complex, expected on site in 2013,  is already creating a stir and provoking real debate. Is the synergy with Apple's flagship store deliberate? Is it a tank bombarding its way into London city or is it a stunning glass castle set in beautiful grounds, water and great views?


I believe it’s probably a mixture of all three. The design appears to have inherrent contradiction, deliberate or not. The American architects have commented that one of the drivers behind the design was to create a safe haven for US nationals working in the UK. Inadvertently, the powerful statement required to deliver that message appears to have also resulted in a building that has a  distinctly authoritarian aesthetic.


So safety achieved through a statement of power... sound familiar?  

A controversial design that is provoking a great raft of opinions. It certainly wouldn't look out of place nestled among the slick, contemporary Architecture of Canada Sqaure.

23 February 2010

Photoshop CS4 - Keyboard Shortcuts

Hi Photoshoppers

For all those of you who want to get faster and more efficient at Photoshop, we have uploaded a really easy to use pdf of keyboard shortcuts to our webspace for you to download and use.

The download link is

http://www.sovibrant.co.uk/transfer/photoshopshortcuts.pdf

Enjoy!

22 February 2010

Do you suck at Photoshop?! Quite probably.

If the answer is yes.... these are a fantastic set of tutorials for beginner/intermediate photoshop users that take the traditional mindless youtube tutorial format and turns it on its head and actually deliver the sessions in a way that really is memorable. . So if you think photoshopping a cat inside a plastic bag, taking wedding rings off cheating partners fingers or making your boss incredibly fat, sounds like a fun way to learn clone stamp and liquify, these are the tutorials for you.

Links below to the first 3. 

Lesson 1 - Distort warp and transform
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U_X5uR7VC4M

Lesson 2 - Covering your mistakes 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VXeZ0s8DXZ0

Lesson 3 - Clone stamp and manual clone
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MWn0lxRNqos


If anyone needs any specific tips on photoshop, by all means post a comment on this article and we will do our best to help.

Wally Hermes Yacht - Why


Why is the product of a joint-venture between the iconic Parisian house Hermès and Monaco yacht brand Wally, to develop a new type of motor yacht redefining the art of living on the sea.





Why was developed by a team of dedicated talents in design, engineering, and naval architecture. Thanks to its specific hull, Why 58x38 requires less power at cruising speed than a boat of equal size. Its diesel-electric propulsion is the most efficient motorisation today, and the surface of the photovoltaic panels, almost 900 square metres, covers most of the boat’s auxiliary system needs.

19 February 2010

Happy 20th Birthday Photoshop !!

the first official release - Photoshop 1.0 - was out on this day in 1990!

No cutting-edge design studio should be without a copy of Adobe Photoshop. At SoVibrant we are leading the market in visuals and interior graphics and  Photoshop is an integral part of our workflow. It  plays a key role in keeping up with and also leading the crowd.

We at SoVibrant just wanted to wish Photoshop a happy 20th Birthday!!  The link below from Adobe is a 20th Anniversary documentary that shows how Photoshop became the industry leader it is today!

18 February 2010

The Carbon Reduction Commitment Energy Efficiency Scheme (CRC)

The Carbon Reduction Commitment Energy Efficiency Scheme (CRC) comes into force on 1 April 2010 (see article attached).
Local authorities, universities etc will have to comply with the targets to reduce carbon emissions.
One of the key ways they can do this is via space management.
Universities have just had a new strategy published on how they can achieve carbon reductions and space management is listed as one of the most viable ways of doing this.
The CRC will affect approximately 20,000 large non-energy intensive organisations, namely schools, colleges, local authorities, companies and charities.
So the services of workplace analysis, interior design and space management should help these organisations hit their new targets.

http://www.businessgreen.com/business-green/analysis/2255466/crc-fast-facts-businesses-know

17 February 2010

Furniture to create interaction

Orestad College focuses on student interaction, social spaces and opportunities to learn from each other.

Orestad College is the first secondary school built in Denmark after the introduction of the secondary school reform with its added emphasis on strengthening and improving students’ academic proficiency, giving students an active responsibility for their own learning.

The open spaces are supplemented by sections of innovative 'space division furniture', making it possible to create flexible, temporary spaces and learning environments for any size of group.

We specifically  like the modular furniture that creates informal meeting spaces and great landscape furniture in an open plan environment.

16 February 2010

I-PAD - a genuine gap in the market or the ultimate in contrived design!


The launch of Apple's new I-Pad product has created genuine controversy in the design world. Initial excitement about a new Apple product seems to be quickly being replaced by lethargy now people have realised it is nothing more than a scaled up i-phone. The bottom line is there is not a scenario in which the I Pad truly comes into its own. You already have to carry a lap top, you already have an i-phone. Does anyone out there need a third item to carry around. It is clearly not a laptop and has very limited functionality as far as that strange word "work" is concerned,  so therefore can't replace your laptop. It is too big to put to your ear so who cares if it has a phone / skype or 3G built in. Any digital reader currently on the market is far more portable than an I Pad and your trusty laptop has a better quality screen for movies on the move. Further than stimulating a bit of an "ooooooooo" from your clients when you show them a movie on it, it really doesn't seem to have any mileage.

Bizarrely, those experts at Apple who have been historically brilliant at tapping into genuine gaps in the market seem to have missed the mark big time with this product. No doubt they will shift a few to the fashionistas out there who suffer cardiac arrest if they don't own Apples new products but to the majority it is almost unjustifiable as a purchase. £400 to do nothing different seems like a lot of money.

Ultimately most theorists will tell you that  design at its most base level is about solving problems -  that is how design is generally distinguished from the world of  Art. Therefore it would seem that Apple have lost the plot and created a product that has solves no discernible problem and looks great....Otherwise known as a piece of art. The problem is, most artwork is left at home on a day to day basis. Not great when you also double as a portable media device.

Don't get me wrong, I love my i-phone.  Just not enough to buy myself a giant one.

15 February 2010

Classic car of the week - Mark 1 Lotus Cortina

 
The start of the Lotus Cortina story begins around 1961, when the best of Ford and Lotus got together to produce the awesome track and rallying, 180 bhp Mark 1.
The engine's 1st appearance was in 1962 at the Nurburgring in a Lotus 23 driven by the legend, Jim Clarke. By 1965, the Lotus-Cortina was winning everything in sight, but I've got to get home now, so that's enough for this week. 


Related Links:






Design Classic No.007: Aston Martin DB5 
Design Classic No.28: The Triumph Bonneville
Design Classic No.38: AEC Routemaster Bus
Design Classic No.43 - Concorde
Design Classic No. 65: Penguin Book Covers
Design classic No. 74: The Telephone Box
Design Classic No.88 - The Egg Chair
Design Classic No. 111: The PH Artichoke pendant lightfitting
Design Classic No.122: The Sony Walkman
Design Classic No.145 - The London Underground Map
Design Classic No. 166: The Supermarine Spitfire 1936
Design Classic No.234: Sinclair C5
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Design Classic No.246: Ferrari Dino
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British Design Classic Stamp collection...
Modern Design Classic No. 71: The Balzac Chair

One for all you Man Utd Fans

Proposals for first zero carbon house in Bolton for Gary Neville

A new zero carbon family home to Bolton Council which, if approved, will be the first property of its kind in North West England. Commissioned by English footballer, Gary Neville, the proposed four bedroom, single storey property will be deliberately embedded into a Pennine hillside so as to minimise the impact on the surrounding views. A roof of meadow grasses and flora will flow seamlessly over the property and into the surrounding landscape.
This underground house is definately design from the inside out providing our 'interior of the week'

Graphics of the Week!

This weeks top designs are by Matei Apostolescu,  David Waters and Rik Oostenbrook...

 

  

 

Welcome back Brookie!

SoVibrant welcome back Paul this morning after hurtling down the alps skiiing in Chamonix all last week.

Glad to see you back in one piece with no broken bones!

9 February 2010

New Designers: Welcome to Victoria!

We are delighted to welcome another member of the SoVibrant team - Victoria Stares. Victoria joins us as Project Designer, working within our interiors team.

We hope you have a great first day / week!

5 February 2010

Visualisers ... Hoooooooooooo...

Hey again all you budding 3D Visualisers!

I just  wanted to upload and share a bunch of cool IES light files that I managed to find on the internet a while back. I have added a link to the zip file below with them in, but below is an image of the different IES Light-spreads.



I mainly use these along with a Vray IES light in most office environments to give that added realism and increased shadow detail over the normal Vray Light.
If you want any info or assistance on using them, please don't hesitate to reply to this post and I will help out however I can

These are free files that I managed to find by trawling the net so enjoy them !!  : )

- Mo'Town

4 February 2010

If You Could Collaborate

If you Could Collaborate is an exhibition aiming to provide a platform for the finest creatives from all over the world to question their conventional working methods and outcomes. The contributors have been challenged to produce something a little unexpected, by working with a partner of their choosing from any discipline, profession or background. There is no brief to answer, or format to honour – the only limit being the enterprise and imagination of the artists involved.





Photographer John Hooper and film maker  Michael Moloney made a time-lapse film set 2500ft up a big hill in the Great Langdale area of The Lake District. They shot continuously for 24 hours with the camera rotating twice through 360°.  A great short that really captures the cyclical nature of our world.


 

The following was a submission by Craig Ward & Sean Freeman & Alison Carmichael. Craig Ward is perhaps best known under his pseudonym, ‘Words are Pictures’. As his self-dubbed moniker suggests, he’s a typography nut who is excited by the forms and shapes of letters. This intrigue allows him to transform standard words into fully-realised, artistic statements.Not content with just one partner, Craig drafted in the typographic expertise of Sean Freeman and Alison Carmichael to come up with what they have named ‘Calligraffiti’.

We love it.

Terry's Chocolate Factory Gains Planning Permission


BUSINESS leaders in York have welcomed a decision to approve a £165m plan to redevelop the former Terry's chocolate factory.
After a marathon four-and-a-half hour planning meeting last night, City of York Council granted planning permission for developer Grantside to convert the site into homes, hotels, shops and restaurants, a project expected to create 2,700 jobs.
Grantside, whose original plans for the historic site beside York Racecourse had been thrown out by councillors 18 months ago despite unanimous officer recommendation, brought forward a completely new £165m scheme which received widespread support second time around.

More than 270 homes will be created on the former Terry’s site,  which previously manufactured such iconic brands as Terry’s Chocolate Orange and All Gold.
The new development will  create two hotels, offices, restaurants, a care home  and a variety of shops and restaurants, as well  as a mix of houses, apartments and affordable accommodation.

Grantside went to considerable lengths to engage with local  interest groups, participating in a Community Forum before finalising its application, for which it received considerable praise.
English Heritage, York Civic Trust and Yorkshire Forward were amongst the organisations that gave their backing to  the scheme.

Steve Davis, the managing director of Grantside and Peter Callaghan, development director, expressed their delight at the outcome of the meeting.
"This is a great result for York,"  commented Mr Davis, who added that it would provide a massive boost for the local economy, which has seen other York developments at Hungate, Germany Beck and Derwenthorpe stalled in recent months.

Andrew Lindsay, a director of Leeds, York & North Yorkshire Chamber of Commerce and a partner in Denison Till commercial  lawyers in York, attended the planning meeting and was also a member of the Community Forum.
"I am  delighted the scheme has received approval,"  he said. "The Terry’s site will  provide much needed new homes and will attract new business to York, helping to compensate for the recent cancellation of HSBC’s data centre at Monks Cross."
Shaun Watts, president of York and North Yorkshire Chamber of Commerce said: “Development in York has suffered a series of unexpected setbacks over the past few years and so the announcement that the planning application for the Chocolate Works has been approved is great news for our city and sends out the message to investors that York is open for business.

“This is a strategically important development for York and will play a vital role in our city’s growth as we emerge from the recession, as well as creating much needed jobs”.

Not everyone was pleased with the outcome. Labour councillor Dave Merritt argued strongly against the scheme, in spite of the obvious economic and housing benefits.

3 February 2010

Nice little bit of animation

I'm sure most of you know all about media City in manchester, but they have a couple of really nice bits of animation and my favourite are the little characters which invade the space. being a bit of an animated character follower it's right up my street!


http://www.mediacityuk.co.uk/gallery/index.htm

Listed buildings gone crazy....


This photo shows a new build in Sheffield sympathetically working around a presumably listed building...oh dear.
Publish Post

Images of the Week

One of our fave artists - Mike Harrison of Depthcore's new work is simply gorgeous. Mike is responsible for this weeks "images of the week!"

 

  

 

Interior of the week - Hadid’s Middle East Centre in Oxford
With experience working on projects in Conservation Areas and with Listed Buildings I know how tricky it can be to get Planning.
One lady who always impresses me with her negotiation skills is Zaha Hadid.
Her latest project divided local residents, with some suggesting that the building would look out of place next to its Victorian neighbours.
However the forms and shapes Zaha sculpts create some beautiful flowing internal spaces.
It was finally given full planning permission in March 2009.
If the finished interiors look anything like the visuals it definitely deserves - interior of the week.

Tough Guy complete

Hi everyone,

Just a quick post to let my fans (well all probably 1 or 2 of them) know that I am STILL ALIVE !

Attended Tough Guy and survived, medal in hand. It was definitely the hardest thing I have ever done in my life. Not to mention that I ended up in hospital for 7 hours with Hypothermia, while they frantically tried to raise my body temperature to regulate my heartbeat again. scary times!

(I am on the left with my friend Paul Cooke)

SoVibrant sponsor "CLOSE TO THE EDGE TOUR" for Cystic Fibrosis

We are pleased to be sponsoring Jonathon Skinner in his fantastic venture, motorcycling around the perimeter of the UK, in aid of Cystic Fibrosis. Jonny has really taken it upon himself to do something pro-active and worthwhile to support a great cause.

For more info on the route, and the mission please visit www.closetotheedgetour.co.uk

If you would like to support Jonny and make a donation please visit http://www.justgiving.com/Closetotheedgetour/

Good luck Jonny!

1 February 2010

The Cool Hunter

For monthly newsletters on what's hot (or not - you decide) in the world of design, architecture, art and fashion, subscribe to The Cool Hunter's site...