Design and marketing

Top Gear series 18 trailer

2012-01-24T15:30:00.000Z

Top Gear blow up a caravan to mark 10 millionth fan

2012-01-23T11:08:00.002Z

Honda Civic Follow Happy Promo Film

2011-11-18T15:35:00.004Z

A nice little interactive campaign for Honda Civic that's simple but very well executed. When designing the Interior of the New Civic, the Honda Engineers realised they needed Happiness to be their guide. For them it was the image of a Happy Dog in the back seat of the car which made them keep the Magic Seats. This game hopes to take you on a similar journey to Follow Happy.

Double click the vid about to visit the youtube channel, turn on your microphone and use your breath and voice to complete a series of tasks. Nice stuff

Post sponsored by Honda

Top Gear Forza 4 trailer

2011-11-16T11:26:00.003Z

Eminem Chrysler ad

2011-11-08T12:32:00.003Z

Francis Rodino

2011-07-20T15:00:00.005+01:00

A native New Yorker of Italian heritage and a child prodigy cellist, Francis Rodino survived a solid classical music education in both the US and Italy, before being bitten by the Rock ‘n’ Roll bug and arriving in London as a guitar playing singer/songwriter.

Here he is playing a huge gig in Amsterdam:

Francis Rodino (Sampler) by Francis Rodino

For those in London, he's playing a gig at The Half Moon in Putney on Thursday 28th July. Tickets are £5 on the door or £4 in advance from ticketweb

Top Gear Rally game

2011-07-08T10:48:00.006+01:00

Following the DS3's success at the World Rally Championship, Citroën have launched an addictive online game on Top Gear which is challenging and features three races in France, Jordan and Sweden with snow, asphalt and off-road conditions. It is part of a broader campaign from Citroën with their Facebook page giving the opportunity to win a limited edition DS3 racing and Citroen racing goodies.

Top Gear Series 17 preview

2011-06-25T12:38:00.002+01:00

2nd Sound off video

2011-06-17T17:48:00.001+01:00

When pens go digital

2011-06-09T15:31:00.007+01:00

In this digital age, there is still a need to write things down - as I sit here I have a to list, notes from meetings and sketches around my laptop, but there is now a product that helps to integrate those notes with your computer, ipad and iphone. Livescribe as is a pen that has a lot of interest tricks up it's sleeve.

Record
It records audio while you're writing that can be allocated to a particular page of notes - good for lecture's - imagine reading back notes from a particular lecture and hearing the lecturer explaining the content.

Digitalise what you write
The pen creates pdf 'pencasts' - I like the idea of being able to draw on paper and have that drawing then imported into illustrator to work on as a vector.

Sharing
Then there's sharing, it's possible to email notes, upload to google docs and post to Facebook.

Orange Glastonbury 2011 app

2011-06-01T10:27:00.002+01:00

Orange has released an app for iPhone, Android and Nokia for those going to Glastonbury festival to help them plan their long weekend of music. Having been a few years back I know what it's like - so many bands and stages, the place is huge and it's often the case that their are clashes between acts that you want to check out. This handy app shows the lineup in a way that this can be avoided.

The app is available for free from Orange

Them Changes - Lie to me

2011-05-24T09:56:00.002+01:00

Them Changes are a band from North London. This is their debut single "Lie to me"

They're asking viewers to confess your lies in the comments below for a chance to win an exclusive free download of 'You Stand Alone'.

You can download 'Lie To Me' from itunes at http://tinyurl.com/6bpmar5

check out more info at http://themchanges.com

Video Director: Razor Edge @ Offkey Creatives

Fashion filmmaking

2011-04-28T17:16:00.002+01:00

JN Motion is a video production agency delivering fully integrated campaigns to the fashion and luxury industries that has been launched by sister company JN Production, JN Motion utilizes an unrivalled global network of established industry contacts, fresh talent and cutting-edge resources.

They understand brand values having already worked with Puma, Issa, Jasmine Di Milo and Collette Dinnigan to deliver bespoke online and offline advertising services - ranging from viral or traditional advertising, to online seeding, social media PR, video look books, promotional videos and backstage films.

Check out their showreel:

JN Motion Showreel 2011 from JN Motion on Vimeo.

Follow them on twitter to stay in touch with them.

Sound off for Justice - Access Denied

2011-04-26T11:32:00.009+01:00

The campaign, Sound off for Justice has just released this film, it's called 'Access Denied' and aims to draw attention to the governments proposed cuts to Legal Aid - those needing help in cases of medical negligence, divorce, employment and welfare will no longer have access - effectively they will be silenced and this interactive video demonstrates that:

Visit Sound off for Justice to get behind the campaign, record a voicemail for Justice Secretary, Ken Clarke and sign the petition.

Motorola Xoom at Carphone Warehouse demo viral

2011-04-21T09:22:00.003+01:00

To demonstrate how incredible this next generation device is, The Carphone Warehouse decided to put the Motorola XOOM 3G to the ultimate test, with a video crew capturing the XOOM gloriously fulfilling its potential in all kinds of hair raising situations. To view the video which includes a race along the Thames, a stomach churning see-saw ride and a death defying scream from the wing of a plane

Available exclusively from The Carphone Warehouse and Best Buy from Thursday April 21st

2 Fly by The Score

2011-04-18T15:52:00.010+01:00

The Score are a super talented five piece group from LA and London who produce, write and compose all their own music blending R&B, soul, hip-hop, jazz and pop. They have already worked with Basement Jaxx, Faith Evans, Jada Pinkett Smith, Lindsay Lohan, jazz legend Marcus Miller, Natasha Bedingfield, Omarion and Rhian Benson.

They have supported Lemar on tour and performed with the Pussycat Dolls and N-Dubz, the summer of 2010 saw them on tour with JLS. 2011 is a very exciting year for the band who have finished recording their debut album, which will be out this summer. Check out their first release, 2Fly:

The story of the music video is particularly interesting, the illustrator Dapo was initially approached to create a t-shirt illustration for the band. The response was so positive from the fans that the label then asked them to produce an animation music video based on the original illustrated idea, here's the T shirt:

For more information go to www.wearethescore.com.

What is Black Helix?

2011-03-15T12:46:00.005Z

Alternate Reality games (ARG), otherwise known as Transmedia games cross multiple platforms to fully involve the player with real world elements such a parcels in the post, phone calls and co-ordinates for meetings. They are fully immersive games in which players interact with the characters as well as each other. Each ARG has a trailhead which starts the game and helps you to find the next place to go.

The Dark Knight used ARG to good effect to promote the release of the film, the success of the 'Why so Serious?' campaign was phenomenal with 10 million participants online:

Black Helix is a new ARG that is running throughout March 2011 and looks to take Transmedia gaming a step further. Over a period of four weeks players are engaged into an interactive game that will include live events, phone calls, parcels in the post, real world tasks and a final role playing event.

Unlike most ARGs (and this is where it gets really interesting) players of Black Helix will become part of an unwritten story - the game is responding to the players and the alias names, information, research and sub plots that develop over the period of the game will all be integrated into the final story to create a unique ebook.

What's more, players can join the game at any point via the Black Helix website where all of the videos, photos and clues so far are presented. There is also a Black Helix Facebook page and Twitter feed.

The plot revolves around the kidnapping and players must hunt both online and off to discover the victim’s whereabouts. Here's the first video:

I've been playing the game and it's been really good, although I've not got as involved as other players who have received packages in the post.

The game is set to step up a notch tonight at 9:30pm GMT with a live interrogation on Tolerate Nothing with players able to ask questions to help them in their hunt to solve the case.

Booth at the end

2011-03-07T13:11:00.008Z

The Booth at the End is a web series for Fox Entertainment that seems to have been made for the age of internet and short attention spans. The entire series is broken down into 62 short episodes with one episode released each day.

Xander Berkley (24, CSI, Terminator 2) stars as a mysterious man who sits at the booth at the end of a diner. People come to him with things they want: a parent with a sick child, a woman who wants to be prettier, a nun who wants to hear god again. The man can make these things happen. For a price. In exchange for what they want, these individuals must sacrifice their morals and do deeds normally inconceivable to them. Set off a bomb. Rob a bank. Kill a child. They must return to the man and describe every step in detail. As the characters' tasks begin to overlap, complications ensue. But the man never forces anyone to do anything.

I really want to visit the location where they filmed this

What's more, they're promoting the series with the Can you kill? game to test the morals of the player - would you kill for the thing you want?

if only:

Lee Washington Design blog

2011-01-31T16:49:00.003Z

The design side of my blog has now been moved and will continue at design blog

The marketing side will continue here for the foreseeable future

New series of Top Gear

2011-01-14T17:16:00.014Z

Sony NEX5 launches Facebook comp

2010-11-25T14:33:00.006Z

Sweet camera that combines the best of both worlds of SLR and compact. Now there's a chance to win one in a very simple competition that taps into that part of Facebook that we all like to make sure really reflects who we are - the profile picture.

The SONY NEX5 Profile Hero competition has five categories (I definitely have friends that fit into these):

Family Funster - If you love your family more than life itself then you've found your category. We want to see your proudest moments captured here.

Night Owl - Night Owls come alive after sunset. They know how to have a good time and are the life of the party. If this sounds familiar then this is the category for you.

Portrait Poser - Portrait Posers don't shy away from the camera and they look great close-up. If this sounds like you then this is your category.

Sports Star - Fancy yourself as a bit of a Becks or R-Fed? If so then we want to see your most dynamic action shots.

Worldly wanderer - If you like to go wherever the wind takes you then this is the category for you. We want to see your most breathtaking panoramic travel shots.

The competition runs for four weeks with a chance to enter new profile pics into each of the categories each week. Enter yours here

Pizza Express Living Lab

2010-11-25T10:39:00.004Z

Pizza Express has created the Living Lab concept restaurant at their Richmond location in London where they are experimenting with just about everything, from design and acoustics to service and food with a concept restaurant put together by a creative team including architect Ab Rogers, fashion designer Matthew Miller, artist Enzo Apicella and graphic designers GTF

The striking parabolic booths have been installed that act as mini recording studios, reflecting background noise whilst bouncing back the sounds of the conversation at the table to create an intimate acoustic chamber. In addition, the booths feature an ipod doc to allow the diners to choose the soundtrack to their meal.

Top Gear Stig Farm

2010-11-12T09:52:00.003Z

Twenty5 Ethiopia

2010-11-04T23:38:00.005Z

Twenty years after the great famine in Ethiopia, two young filmmakers, Nic Yeeles and Ehsan Bhatti, were given the opportunity to explore how Ethiopia has changed as a result of our generous donations 25 years ago.

The task was to create something unique, that goes against everything we're used to seeing in a charity video. They wanted an honest insight to what they saw and I believe that they have achieved that in this inspiration and uplifting short film:

Get involved and show your support at www.twenty5ethiopia.org

Tiger Beer Know the not Known

2010-10-28T17:37:00.006+01:00

‘Know The Not Known’ has just been launched by Tiger Beer and features up and coming contemporary talents from the four fields of art, music, design and film and will provide access to the best parties in London.

Through their Facebook page your curiosity is rewarded by access to underground, invite only, Vice magazine and Tiger supported events.

The first of the NotKnown events will be kicking the series off with a real bang. Held in East London’s The London Fields, the event will be part Secret Cinema, part Halloween party this weekend.

Russell Hobbs starts global hunt for K1 kettle

2010-10-18T16:03:00.004+01:00

In 1955 the K1 kettle was released by Russell Hobbs, it was revolutionary, being the first kettle in the world to automatically turn itself off once boiled - up until this point the kettle needed to be watched so that it did not boil dry, the K1 solved this problem with a valve switch that turned off the kettle with the steam from the boiling water. It was genius.

Now, over 50 years later there doesn't appear to be a working K1 in known existence. So they have started a search, using the power of social media and the web to find a K1 kettle that may be hidden away in someone's garage or attic.

There are prizes up for grabs for those that still have a working K1. Here's a photo of it:

Spread the word and let's get this kettle found! You can send photos in via their Facebook page, tweet it to @RussellHobbsUK or add it to their Flickr page.

Doc Martens goes apocalyptic

2010-10-06T13:07:00.005+01:00

For the latest in Dr Martens 50th anniversary celebrations at Dr. Martens 50 - Michael Davis of MC5 & D.O.A. cover Cold War Kids' Something Is Not Right With Me.

The video, directed by Klaus Thymann features some jet ski jousted. Pretty damn cool

Interesting way to promote a book

2010-10-04T16:50:00.001+01:00

For the release of the book Deception their is a viral campaign where they have brought the lead character to life as he investigates the murder of Elise Freeman at www.alexdelaware.co.uk

The website features an evidence area and an online test to determine your criminal empathy - although apparently I am a 'victim' and am 'taken advantage of'!

The creepiest part is that they have recreated the video plea that the victim has recorded in the book - bringing it to life online and engaging the audience to find out more. You can then further interact with Alex Delaware via his twitter feed, having your own go at cracking the case! Very cool.

Extraordinary videos

2010-09-13T16:04:00.000+01:00

Intercasino and the Raindance,the UK's largest independent film organisation ran a short film comp on youtube called 'Welcome to the extraordinary' - the brief was to demonstrate what the extraordinary meant to them.

Some pretty cool vids, my favourite is 'Extraordinary toys'

Manhatten 4:33pm is also pretty clever:

There's a lot more at Welcome to the extraodinary

Bulmer's launches iphone app

2010-08-27T15:56:00.005+01:00

There's still a tiny bit of British Summer left, and even better, it's a Bank holiday weekend so it's time to head to the nearest pub garden and soak it all in before the leaves turn brown and we all lock ourselves away in our homes for six months gazing longingly out of the window waiting for the big ball of orange burning gas to shows it's face again.

How does one find such a pub garden you may ask? The answer is simple - with this new app from Bulmers that uses Augmented Reality to guide you on your way. There's a nifty demo video here:

What's more it's free! You can search for 'Bulmers' at the app store or get it from itunes

Taking cinema to the next level

2010-08-26T18:50:00.004+01:00

Secret Cinema is a cool concept - the secret part is that you don't know the movie and you only know the location two days before. I went along to one of the first Secret events a couple of year's back. In fact, if you look at this video at 1:16 is an interview with me:

With each year these events have become bigger and better. I kicked myself that I didn't go to the Alien screening at Haloween (although I think we were throwing our very own circus party that night so that would be why). Still, it looks amazing.

And the reason for this post. Well there's another one coming up - it's on the 3rd, 4th and 5th September and will see 5000 people each night watch the movie. Insane! You can find out more and get tickets at http://www.secretcinema.org

Facebook T shirts in a book

2010-08-23T16:57:00.003+01:00

It's been a white since I've posted about Facebook T shirts. The mini business is still going - I sell a handful of T shirts each month. I'm not spending as much time on it as I used to as I build on my viral marketing business.

I'd like to spend a bit more time on my design work, but that's practically on hold at the moment while I focus on a little bit of deficit reduction - four years of study paying fees up front has taken it's toll on my bank balance. Anyhow, I digress....

The good news is that Facebook T shirts are now in a book called Never Use Pop Up Windows and 50 other Ridiculous web rules by Anneloes Van Gaalen. You can buy it from Amazon if you'd like

The Suso Master

2010-08-11T16:25:00.004+01:00

The guys at SUSO have always claimed to be about more than just a fizzy juice drink. Their brand ideology, as presented on their website at www.suso.co.uk, shows us that when we harness our imagination, creativity and determination there is nothing we can’t do. Here are found tales of achievement in adversity - of people doing what many said couldn’t be done - a showcase and tribute to an attitude of NO CAN’T DO

This summer the SUSO Master will feature in a series of virals, short films and tutorials online and on digital Outdoor sites across the country. The aim is first to entertain and inspire and thereafter support through specific tutorials encouraging the development of aspirational skills in the field of music, sport, and the creative arts:

The campaign is amplified through social media allowing even more interaction with the character via Twitter and Facebook.

A-Team comes to iphone. What you wait'n for fool?

2010-08-02T16:55:00.007+01:00

Here's a sweet new app for the iphone that I've been involved with. The A-Team Action Pack

You can relive those classic episodes or create your own over-the-top action sequences with vehicle sounds, catchphrases and motion activated weapon sound effects. If you need to see more check out this demo showing what you can do with it:

I personally think it’s best when you and a mate download it and lob grenades at each other across a room.

It's to promote the A-Team Series 1 release on itunes making it possible to watch vintage original A-team on your ipad, iphone and ipod touch!

Remember:
If you're in trouble, if you need an app, and if you can find it, you need the A-Team app!

Clothes peg

2010-07-22T12:31:00.004+01:00

Continuing the theme of how design can help improve the quality of peoples' lives is this video from Product Tank

Jane vs the remote

2010-07-20T17:13:00.000+01:00

I went down to this year's RCA Product Design show and was thoroughly impressed and inspired. For me one of the most interesting and successful projects was by Tom Stables who created an overlay for remote controls to make them easier to use for the elderly. The video is a great example of how observing human behavior can lead to design innovation that can genuinely improve the quality of life for the user.

JANE VS THE REMOTES from tom stables on Vimeo.

Mum's revenge

2010-07-14T10:24:00.006+01:00

Boppy have just created this game to test your knowledge of breastfeeding. Not something that I know about so it was quite fun trying to guess the answers.

Requires Flash Player

Fun game - get your revenge on Mauricio Espinosa

2010-06-30T10:51:00.007+01:00

I'm currently seeding this Bounce back attack game for the new film The Rebound. It's a very basic game, but to give it more relevance and encourage people to play I've created a Mauricio Espinosa version for fans to vent their rage with.

Dr. Martens 50 – The Cinematic Orchestra cover Lilac Wine

2010-06-28T16:04:00.001+01:00

For Dr. Martens 50th Anniversary, The Cinematic Orchestra covers Jeff Buckley’s Lilac Wine

To celebrate our 50th Anniversary, we asked 10 artists to record their version of a cult classic track which represents the spirit of the people who've worn DM's over the past 50 years. We also asked 10 directors to make videos for each of the tracks. Listen and watch here

Don't let them lift the whaling ban

2010-06-21T17:14:00.004+01:00

A ban against whaling has been in place for the past 24 years, dramatically reducing the numbers of whales killed. However, today in Agadir, Morocco the International Whaling Commission (IWC) will begin the process of voting on whether to lift the ban and potentially open the floodgates to whaling across the globe once again.

A graphic film which featured model, Alice Dellal, narration from actor Christopher Eccleston and music from The Horrors, has been created to move millions of people to sign up to an online e-protest against the proposed lifting of the commercial whaling ban.

The aim of the protest, led by the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society (WDCS) is simple; to directly challenge the proposed lifting of the whaling ban and potentially save thousands of whales from being needlessly slaughtered in the future.

Each e-protest (accompanied by an individual, personal message) will be sent directly to the most high profile supporters in favour of the plan to lift the ban, which surprisingly include Barack Obama and the Prime Minister of New Zealand.

Ipad game - save the world

2010-05-06T13:15:00.004+01:00

Had my first go on an ipad this week, playing this nice little game called W.A.R.P from Unit 9 - it's got a great physics engine.

It's available from the itunes store if you fancy a go at trying to save the world.

New York destroyed in 8 bit wonder

2010-04-08T10:34:00.001+01:00

This video was created by Patrick Jean from the Paris-based special effect studio One More Production, and the production level is nothing short of amazing. See for yourself. Music track is Naïve New Beaters "L.A. trumpets

PIXELS by PATRICK JEAN.
Uploaded by divisionparis. - See the latest featured music videos.

Dr Martens celebrates 50th anniversary with huge music project

2010-04-07T10:07:00.004+01:00

Dr. Martens boots are celebrating their 50th Anniversary, having been closely associated with music, they have enlisted ten contemporary bands and ten film directors to help celebrate their birthday at http://50.drmartens.com

My favourite is DāM-FunK performing Human League's Things that dreams are made of, with the video directed by Ace Norton

Random fact: The 1460 boot was named after 1st April 1960, the day of the first production.

All of the tracks are available for free download and further tracks will be released throughout the rest of the year.

Anthony Hegarty sings in Italian

2010-03-25T17:09:00.004Z

Since 1991 Lavazza has produced the "Lavazza Calendar", featuring artistic fashion photography from some of the world's leading photographers. The 2010 Calendar for the first time features a musical component in the form of Anthony (of Anthony and the Johnsons) Hegarty’s version of Puccini’s original song Nessun Dorma with the Roma Sinfonietta Orchestra. The orchestration of the recording is Puccini's original, and Hegarty performs the song with his famous, quavering delivery. The song is available for free download at http://www.lavazza2010.com/en/brano

Joanna and the wolf, Favela Chic, Wed 31st March

2010-03-23T10:53:00.010Z

The incredible Joanna and the wolf are playing a FREE gig at Favela Chic in London on Wednesday 31st March. Definitely worth heading down there!

"Her incredible siren's song coaxes the crowd in with each careful, quivering octave." - NME

"Their live shows are essential viewing." - The Fly magazine

Give them a listen at www.myspace.com/joanaandthewolf

More about the venue at www.favelachic.com/london

Joana and the wolf from LeeLondon on Vimeo.

Tropicana "Arctic Sun"

2010-03-17T16:59:00.001Z

A nice piece of activity/ad/viral

Habitat

2010-03-04T11:13:00.003Z

Currently working on home office furniture designs for Habitat.

I am researching at the moment - looking at competitors, analysing photos of home offices, looking at objects in the home office and interviewing people who work from home.

I am looking for as many contributions as possible, so feel free to help out.

Take a couple of minutes to fill out the survey

You can contribute photos to the Facebook group

World Cup fever begins

2010-03-03T12:31:00.002Z

As The Official Beer of the England football team, Carlsberg launches it’s “England Team Talk” competition, calling on the nation to show their support for the Three Lions ahead of this summer’s World Cup Finals.

People can upload their Team Talks at www.englandteamtalk.com Those uploading a video Team Talk can win the chance to meet some of the England players and deliver their words of inspiration in person, at an exclusive day at Wembley Stadium, or see them train in Austria. If that wasn’t enough, others will also star in the next Carlsberg commercial, seen by millions across the UK.

I reckon this girl's in with a good chance of winning!

Same day. Same statistics but very different viewpoints

2010-02-17T15:49:00.001Z

Old Spice ad

2010-02-12T12:29:00.001Z

It works because it doesn't take itself seriously and it's ridiculously funny.

Kirsty Almeida at Favela Chic

2010-02-11T10:26:00.005Z

I'm working helping to promote Kirsty Almeida and her band who are playing a residency at Favela Chic near Old Street for two more weeks. I went along and it was a really good night- she plays with a seven piece band and has so much energy. It's also a great venue. I highly recommend heading down there, she plays tonight and there's one more gig next week on Thursday 18th February.

All photography copyright Kinver Miles Photography.com

Google Superbowl commercial

2010-02-11T09:04:00.001Z

A little late on this one but it's a beautiful ad that demonstrates how useful the internet is as an information source. We take it for granted that we have so much information at the touch of a few keys or in our pockets.

Useful Hackney/Islington listing website

2010-02-10T13:12:00.003Z

Having lived in both Hackney and Islington for the past four years it's always good to find new things to do - loads of good venues that are waiting to be discovered are here. Just came across a nice website called Liveatyourlocal that has things to do - music, film, art, design, comedy and poetry. Definitely worth signing up to for

Let Tiger beer guide you

2010-02-09T17:33:00.005Z

<a href="http://www.linkedtube.com/782JdQ_kbjw18c63e2e1573db47024048aba68bfbd6.htm">LinkedTube</a>

Working with Exposure to promote their iphone application for tiger Beer. It being the year of the Tiger as of the 14th of February they have very cleverly made them the source for all things Chinese New Year. They have a microsite which provides an excellent guide to the goings on plus an iphone app with augmented reality. Download, head to Chinatown and let it be your guide for the night.

For the bus ride down there, there's this addictive little game, make deliveries in your tuk tuk avoiding crashing.

Cycling project completed

2010-02-09T17:30:00.001Z

After one of the busiest weeks of my life and an all nighter I have submitted my final self directed project at college. Very pleased with it all and think I have a product that has potential to be sold in shops. Needs more work to bring it to market though.

Next up is the client project which is very exciting. I will be designing furniture.

Create the perfect woman (or man) for yourself

2010-01-21T15:33:00.002Z

I am currently seeding this campaign for Surrogates release on DVD and blu-ray, I'm working with Firebelly Creative who have made an online game where you can make your perfect woman or man at Surrodate
Enter your preferences for eye and hair colour along with your interests and it will generate your Surrodate. This is what it came up with for me. Not bad...

Siftables

2010-01-07T12:54:00.002Z

Developed by MIT these little blocks could revolutionise education - I particularly like the way they can be used to create sums and words.

It does appear to be that successful products today create the hardware that supports open source software that allows for infinite possibilities - the iphone being the best example of this. If the software for these blocks became open source then there are so many possibilities.

Visit their website

T shirt sale now on

2010-01-07T12:21:00.003Z

One Man Band is still going, but I think this year I shall be working on it slightly less so that I can focus on the design and marketing side of things. I have therefore started a sale on the site to sell the remaining stock that I have - some great T shirts from ten pounds at Facebook T shirts

New viral seeding launch

2010-01-07T12:13:00.004Z

Happy new year! I'm starting the new year by getting through all the jobs I've been meaning to do, building the foundations so that the rest of the year goes nice and smoothly. First off I've and created better branding and redesigned my Viral Seeding website which now includes most of the campaigns I have worked on and the results for each of them - the nice bits of coverage that I achieved. At the end of the day it's about results so I wanted to include this. It is also has a bit more about what viral seeding is about.

The good news is that it's already providing results. Traffic is increasing and I'm getting a few inquiries.

Next up is another redesign, along similar lines for Lee Washington Design which also features a CMS which will make it easier to add new projects.

Perspective on the same

2009-12-22T10:32:00.001Z

Checking the news this morning, it was interesting to see two different view points of exactly the same data. Why it's important to use the internet to get news from as many different perspectives as possible.

Tension

2009-12-14T11:24:00.002Z

An excellent short film beautifully shot with a superb track. The tension builds and builds until...

Metal on Metal "BASTARD" from The Glue Society on Vimeo.

via the superb 22GL

Got a dog? There's an app for that

2009-12-11T10:49:00.006Z

The applications for iphone are staggering and I am currently seeding my first iphone application - Dogbook. While at first you wouldn't believe there could be an iphone app for your dog, it is actually incredibly useful. You can locate the nearest park anywhere in the world via your location on GPS, you can see what other dogs are nearby should you lose your dog you can send an 'arf' alert to other users within 15km with a photo of the dog so it can be found again. Iphone makes life that little bit easier once more. Download it for free from itunes

Record breaking cocktail genius!

2009-12-09T10:42:00.001Z

Currently seeding this viral for TGI Fridays featuring some pretty awesome bar tricks - particularly like the flaming sambucca's. It's from Viral Factory who are always very good at making virals that make people have huge debates in the comments section as to which bits are real and which bits are fake. Creates a lot of buzz and 210k views in the first week is not bad at all.

Design and cycling update

2009-12-09T10:20:00.002Z

The project is going well. I wanted to share the entire process with you, but as soon as I moved to generating concepts I realised that in order to protect my ideas it wouldn't be a good idea to post them on the web. While initially I'm all for sharing ideas, the tangle proof headphones experience gave me a quick introduction to intellectual property and the number one thing I learnt was do not post ideas on the web too early. I am designing a coat for women and I will share the finished product and info on the degree show.

Which means this blog shall now return to talking about design and marketing, with the occasional update on the design and cycling project.

Making cycling safer

2009-11-02T18:31:00.004Z

One of the conclusions of the survey was that a big barrier that prevents a lot of people from cycling is that it is viewed as being too dangerous, and given that most of the cycling accidents are caused by a collision with a car or pedestrian, I started thinking of ways for cycling to become safer:

- Reduce the damage caused by an accident. One of the responses to my survey that really stood out was "If you cycle regularly, it is a matter of time before you are involved in an accident. All you can do is minimise the risks." Therefore there need to be more products that incorporate protection for the body when the rider comes off their bike.

- Increasing visibility. If a cyclist is seen they can be given enough space. Products should make the cyclists highly visible on the road.

-Sound. One area I was thinking of was that perhaps a cyclists needs a better means of making themselves known on the road that's more effective than the standard bell - one that can be heard by cars and lorries.

A bit of searching however and I came across this product

and this rather crazy demonstration video

Whilst this product does allow for the cyclist to make their presence known it does so in an antisocial and aggressive way. Perhaps a more 'friendly' version could be designed, one that responds to how hard you push it - making less noise for pedestrians but more noise for vehicles.

Bike in the home

2009-11-02T17:55:00.003Z

In my survey, 59% of cyclists keep their bikes in their house and I'm curious as to how they are kept! Many of the respondents keep the bike in their kitchen.

This is a call for submissions of photos of bikes in the home - are they hung on the wall? Or just kept in the hallway.

here's where my bike is kept when not in use.

Please help out bu uploading a photo of your bike to the Facebook group or sending it to me in an email

The results are in

2009-10-30T13:32:00.004Z

Firsty, a huge thank you to all those that took part. Here are the results from the cyclist research.

Overall conclusions

Non Cyclists
-Cycling is perceived as being dangerous by non-cyclists, despite 75% of cyclists surveyed feeling safe. Perception of safety is a key part of getting non cylists cycling as once they begin cycling and build confidence they feel safer.
-Fear of getting a bike stolen is a factor for both cyclists and non cyclists
-93% of non cyclists in London live within 10 miles of their commuting destination
-80% know someone who cycles, often they are told about the benefits but also that you do have to be careful
- Over half of non cyclists surveyed will consider cycling when the superhighways are introduced. Safety, bike parking and crime are still major set backs however.
-Cycling has to be perceived a being safer in order to get more people cycling.

Cyclists

-Cyclists have a love hate relationship with cycling. Many enjoy the benefits but find it frustrating
-Shockingly 61% of the cyclists surveyed had been involved in an accident (89% of them cycle everyday). The biggest cause of accidents are collisions with cars, interestingly, this was followed with collisions with pedestrians.
-The majority keep their bike in their house
-85% encourage friends to cycle
-The biggest downsides are theft, being sweaty and lack of cycle parking

-It was generally viewed that the best way to improve cycling in London is to educate and train cyclists as well as other road users
-Cycle lanes were generally critisised for having poor road surface or being poorly designed. Some even wanted cycle lanes removed altogether, believing that cyclists are better off sharing the road.
-Many suggested a change to traffic lights, with a green cycle light to allow bikes to set off a few seconds before the rest of the traffic.

A key quote that stood out:
"riding regularly its not a question of if but when you will be involved in an accident. all you can do is minimise risk as much as possible."

I have included both survey results here:

Survey Results - Non Cyclists in London

View more presentations from Lee Washington.

Survey Results - London Cyclists

View more presentations from Lee Washington.

Thanks for your comments

2009-10-28T10:03:00.002Z

A quick note to say thanks for your comments so far - it's really good to get feedback, particularly when I start posting up the initial ideas.

Thanks also to those that filled out the survey.

I would still love some more responses from the non cyclist - so if you live in London, but do not cycle, please take a couple of minutes to fill it out here

Housemate in accident

2009-10-28T10:00:00.002Z

This week my housemate was knocked off his bike and sustained a head injury requiring nine stitches. He wasn't wearing a helmet. There's a full account on 22GL

As my project progresses I am focusing more and more on the safety elements of cycling and how this can be improved.

Week two

2009-10-27T11:25:00.003Z

Large goods vehicles are the main cause of death of cyclists in London, and this is an area that I am examining. I conducted an interview with a very helpful driver called Ray who let me sit in the cabin and experience the view of the road. Visibility of cyclists was is huge problem, especially when the LGV turns left and the trailer moves.

Bike Tree

2009-10-27T11:22:00.002Z

Slightly cheesy production values but an excellent solution of storing bikes out of the reach of criminals. I would however imagine that this is prohibitively expensive and would require maintenance - all things that would prevent an employer or council installing it.

Nike Plus

2009-10-19T17:47:00.002+01:00

Nike plus represents the commercialisation of a sporting activity with a series of products that are designed to encourage running and increase the enjoyment of running.

They may have asked themselves the question “How do we get more people running” just as I am asking “How do we get more people cycling?”

How they did it:
-Integration with ipod and iphone
-Create a community, the world’s largest running club
-Provides tools to help you improve your running
-saving your runs
-Rewarding you by telling you how many collories you have burnt
-Allowing people to be competitive
-Making it fun
-The more you run the higher your level
-Integration with social networks

Perhaps something similar could be developed for cycling? A way of recording your journeys, how much money you've saved (in my five years of cycling I've probably saved about two and a half thousand pounds. That's the first time I've thought about that)

iphone Arider

2009-10-18T22:49:00.002+01:00

Personally I see a lot of problems with this design. Firstly you lose vision in one eye due to the eyepiece, or at least you'll struggle to focus between that and the road. Then you have the iphone on your head scenario - it will be annoying if you need to change where you're heading to, having to unclip it and then replace it each time. Not to mention, that it's easy pickings for an opportunistic thief to grab it out of the helmet. A bit too much overdesign in my opinion.

Light Lane

2009-10-18T22:04:00.002+01:00

Whilst offering no more protection, the light lane does at least show the overtaking vehicle how much space to give the cyclist.

London to New York

2009-10-18T20:04:00.001+01:00

LONDON TO PARIS from Amazing Grace on Vimeo.

Week One

2009-10-18T17:56:00.002+01:00

A good start to the project, currently researching.

I visited Sustrans and spoke to them about their efforts to get more people cycling and what discourages people from cycling.

I spoke to the London Cycling Campaign about HGV vehicles - the biggest killer of cyclists on London's roads.

I did surveys at bus stops, asking people what were their reasons for not cycling - most replied to say that it was too dangerous and their were no showers at their work.

I've spent a great deal of time photographing cyclists behaviour and looking for design opportunities here.

I met a HGV driver and learnt about what it is like from their perspective, even getting the chance to sit in the cab and see the road from their point of view. Despite the mirrors their are still blind spots and when turning left, when the cab moves independently of the trailer, they lose a lot of rear vision. Plenty of opportunities here.

Design + Cycling

2009-10-18T17:48:00.002+01:00

I have returned to university for my final year. My self initiated project is looking at ways in which design can encourage more people to cycle in London. Over the next five months the blog will be devoted to my findings in thsi area.

It would be great if you could get involved as much as possible.
Please join theFacebook group
Follow the project on twitter

If you cycle in London, please take a couple of minutes to fill out this survey

If you don't cycle in London, I'd like to know why! Please fill out this survey

Thanks,

Lee

Dyson's Air multiplier in video

2009-10-14T13:13:00.001+01:00

I thought I'd find a video to share of the fan, mostly as my initial reaction was "I bet it's noisy". I'm not a fan of his airblade hand purely for that reason.

So here's a video, the first thing is that it's a lot larger than I was expecting (from the images it looks like it's a small desk fan.) Secondly it doesn't seem as noisy as I was expecting, particularly on lower levels. What is particularly nice is the way you can just pick it up and carry it around - the fan is the handle.

advertising on the blog

2009-10-09T18:00:00.002+01:00

I have finally decided to take the plunge and add some google advertising to this blog. I will try and keep it as non intrusive as possible. At the moment it's just a trial run - the main purpose of this blog is to share my thoughts and ideas but at the same time, if I can make enough money to buy a beer each week, then why not have a bit of advertising?

And if it pays a little more, then I'll be incentivised to get out there and find even more stuff to write about and share!

cheers

Lee

Piano stairs

2009-10-09T17:38:00.003+01:00

Nice video - the power of fun to change mundane activities and daily routines

Also worth noting that youtube is now serving 1 billion view per day. That's an insane amount of content, a lot of people falling off things and pandas sneezing, but also, above all, a lot of ideas being shared. The name of the logo file is logo_holy_crap_1bn_a_day Nice to see that even the folks at youtube are surprised.

Magners and Bungalow8

2009-09-30T12:51:00.004+01:00

Magners have created an exclusive new ‘Bungalow 8’ edition of Magners Pear cider, just 500 bottles have been produced, available now, only at Bunglaow 8 London. The new design was created for Magners by Cake. Last night we held an event at the club and invited design bloggers along to view the new design. The evening was really good fun, it was brilliant to meet the people behind the blogs and get to know more about their world of blogging.

The attendees, all of which are design blogs that I regularly read, were:
It's Nice that
Form Fifty Five
30gsm
Moco Loco

All worth a visit, the bottle is a very fine example of packaging design and if there was ever an example of the intersection between design and marketing, this would be it:

Okay Studio party

2009-09-26T13:16:00.003+01:00

Last night I went to the Okay studio party. If I had to be honest, the number of products on show was pretty slim, but it was still a very good party.

Troika talk

2009-09-26T11:04:00.001+01:00

A very interesting talk about the process behind the cloud project

Troika from This Happened - London on Vimeo.

White Air Festival

2009-09-25T12:11:00.003+01:00

Spent the weekend down in Brighton at the awesome White Air Festival

If you're into extreme sports it's definitely worth booking in the diary next year - the biggest extreme sports festival in Europe, alongside some awesome bands in the evening.

WWF pandas

2009-09-25T12:09:00.001+01:00

WWF commissioned leading artists and designers to interpret the Panda collection box for an exhibition at London's Selfridges.

Found at itsnicethat

The Dock

2009-09-24T11:05:00.008+01:00

Last night I went to the private party at The Dock For me it was great to meet and chat with designers.

I met Dominic Wilcox - a designer whose work I have admired for some time. He'd created a shoelace field installation.

Also, Will and Alex from It's Nice That, a blog which I read daily.

Then there were a few new designers such as James Patmore.

One product which stood out for my was Pyrus, a paper pulp light by designer Mark Braun.

The Dock is a very impressive new design destination in London. The White House nearby housed a series of small exhibitions in each room - felt rather like a houseparty of design. The whole place really demonstrates how much exciting design their is going on in London right now, and it's events like this that make making connections possible.

I'd really recommend heading down there if you get the chance this week.

Talk by Paul Preistman

2009-09-23T13:52:00.002+01:00

Design Week is underway and I'm trying to see as much as I can - so many interesting exhibitions, talks and a few parties thrown in.

Last night I had the opportunity to attend a talk by Paul Priestman of Priestmand Goode in the very intemate surroundings of a green house at the Wapping Project (an incredible place)

Very interesting discussion on the impact of China on worldwide design and where British design fits into this.

Paracetamol with braille

2009-09-23T13:46:00.002+01:00

A very simple additional to product packaging that ensures that those with poor site can identify their tablets. An excellent piece of design. More packaging needs to incorporate this.

Which brings me on to a little story. My mum was at my nan's house and was made a cup of tea - when she tasted it, it was soapy. My nan had put Lenor in it instead of milk. Quite an amusing story but it made me think - it's not such a difficult mistake to make. Both the Lenor and milk are the same colour, in the same packaging with the same blue label. When both are on the worktop it is an easy mistake to make when you cannot read the label. Another area when design can intervene and make life easier.

Latest Blu animation

2009-09-23T13:42:00.002+01:00

One of my favourite artists, Blu, has just released his latest street art/animation videos and it's incredible:

Via the awesome wooster collective

More of Blu's stuff

Latest Kluster

2009-09-23T10:47:00.002+01:00

My latest Design Den for Kluster magazine just went out.

Viral seeding

2009-09-22T11:05:00.005+01:00

A nice case study from Rubber Republic on viral seeding - it is all about tailoring the message to the audience which is the approach that I take - who will find the content relevant?

500,000 Views In 4 Days - BBC Viral Case Study

View more documents from RubberRepublic.

For a list of projects that I've been involved with, check out viral seeding

Guide to London Design Festival

2009-09-21T09:40:00.004+01:00

This year’s London Design Festival takes place from 19th to 27th September and here are some of the highlights that are worth checking out if you’re in the city. My best piece of advice would be to pick up the Icon Design Trail Guide which is distributed around the festival.

Australian superstar designer, Marc Newson is creating a steel structure called Supercell inspired by marine forms at The Southbank Centre. Art lovers can either gaze up at the structure from the ground, or look down into the funnel from the windows of the Royal Festival Hall.

Spanish Designer Jaime Hayón will be unveiling what is considered to be the centerpiece of the festival, a gigantic chess set with beautifully crafted two metre high ceramic chess pieces referencing the domes, towers and spires of the city that the public will be encouraged to play with.

I'm a big fan of the work of Dominic Wilcox and he’s created a very interesting installation using shoelaces as part of Tom Dixon’s The Dock in what is set to be a new design quarter. Last week we wrote about London being the world capital of design, and for this week, it looks like it might just be.

In the West there is 100% Design which features Designersblock and in the East is Tent London

Did you know 4.0

2009-09-17T13:05:00.003+01:00

The latest video doing the rounds in marketing land that points to how the internet is where it's at and mobile internet is set to be even bigger:

Some nice stats in there and it's nicely executed. However, let's not all get carried away here, so to play devil's advocate I thought I'd put my critical hat on:

- There is still are huge amount of the world's population who do not have access to the internet or mobile

- Engagement with TV, radio and newspapers is altogether different to the internet. When I watch TV I will watch an entire TV programme, when I read a newspaper I will sit and read the whole newspaper. With the internet, attention spans are short. People jump from page to page. The amount of engagement online is so much lower and it's far harder to make a lasting impression. The stat in the video demonstrates this - the Iran election was trending on twitter. Then MJ died and people moved on to the next thing. I suppose this could be true of newspapers and TV also. Maybe all media has a short attention span? Books are the way forward.

The internet has however completely changed the way we live, and with mobile internet set to grow - this really is a revolutionary medium.

Can you replay the tune

2009-09-15T23:48:00.003+01:00

I have just started working on seeding this heart warming campaign for a band called One EskimO.

Their self-titled debut album provides the backdrop for a groundbreaking audio-visual experience combining music and animation in the first ever visual album “The adventures of One eskimO”

The trailer for the adventure can be found at Find little Feather and you can sign up to the quest which involves completing five challenges, with a new challenge released each week.

I posted the first challenge a couple of days back, but I really like the second one - it's incredibly simple, yet frustrating and addictive! I never was terribly good at the piano...give it a go here

The PUMA index - a genius idea

2009-09-14T10:06:00.001+01:00

A new iphone app from Puma - the girls undress as the stock market goes down. Works for me.

FInd LIttle Feather

2009-09-13T22:00:00.001+01:00

Robert Hammond from High Line

2009-09-10T16:29:00.004+01:00

Just watched this. Hugely inspiring and I urge you to watch it.

Interesting things I took away:

- the importance of the logo early on
- How an image that gives peoples ideas and stimulate debate is more important than a fancy rendering of how it will look.
- How you need to prove the economic argument for a project
- Keeping the project open to suggestions from anyone

Had it not been for this man and Joshua David the project would have not happened:

I want to go to New York even more now.

Amron experimental

2009-09-09T14:00:00.002+01:00

Some nice product design from Scott Amron - simple and insightful. Although I can't help but think the keyring key would be a bit difficult to use

Music fun at incredibox

2009-09-09T11:26:00.001+01:00

A wonderfully simple and highly entertaining website - make your own funky music to listen to, it's all at incredibox

Kluster says

2009-09-09T09:30:00.003+01:00

I've just started writing a fortnightly design column for Australian culture magazine, Kluster. Klusters covers art, design, music, fashion and nightlife with writers based in the cities they write about. This week's newsletter can be seen on Kluster's website Definitely worth subscribing.