THIS building

Every time I walk into Leeds these days, I am confronted with a perplexing thought: do I like this building or not?

Each time I see it, I seem to have a different opinion. I can't work it out. From some angles, on sunny days, I love it. From the same angles, on a grey day, I loathe it. It's an eyesore, but when seen against blue skies there is something quite beautiful about its rusty shell.

It rises up from the motorway on one side, and overshadows the old Broadcasting House building on the other, like a tree that has managed to grow through the cracks of some old crazy paving. Like an enormous Transformer toy, from one side its five levels look as if (in some lights) they might start rotating at any moment.

This building is most certainly divisive - everyone I've talked to about it has strong opinions on the matter. Which, I guess, is what the architect intended - for the building to get people talking. And perhaps that's not such a bad thing at all.

Ugly Betty's transitions

I am a fan of Ugly Betty not for its quirky storylines and cutesy charm (not to say that isn't a factor), but for the interesting camera transitions the show uses throughout each episode. They never fail to be creative, amusing or downright zany. Some are so elaborate that someone has clearly spent a lot of time thinking exactly how they are going to work from scene to scene. This shows very clever planning, and adds a fun and unique dimension to the show.

Hertz is brought into the 21st century

(thanks to Brand New blog for the image)

Car Hire company Hertz has brought in Landor brand consultancy to revamp its image, and with that comes a new logo. The Hertz logo has always stood out to me, and it's one which brings back memories of family holidays from years ago. I think it was the bold, wasp colouring and the heavy drop shadow which made it stick in my head. It has something about it which looks quite unique, to me. It might not be that pretty, but it is Hertz.

The new logo does away with the dated shadow, but sensibly keeps the yellow and black (or dark grey) colour pallete. The new typeface slots together nicely, as the old one did, but in a more modern and less mechanical way. Cleverly, they've also kept the italic slant of the lettering, which makes it much more "Hertzy" in feel.

Part of me is going to miss the old logo, but this rebrand has been done sensitively and I feel is probably not before time!

Kafka On The Shore

This is one of celebrated Japanese author Haruki Murakami's best sellers. The story centres around a young boy from downtown Tokyo who decides to run away after a strange experience. The other central character is an old man who can talk to cats. We follow both their lives seperately for while, and then gradually the relation between the two becomes more and more apparent, though not for the reasons you might expect.

I think one of the reasons the story is so gripping is that the characters seem so real, despite the strange and outlandish situations they find themselves in. There are so many twists and turns and you don't really know where any of it is going until the very end. The locations are beautifully described and create a fantastic and intriguing world.

I would highly recommend this book - it may sound like a bizarre plot but it's a rewarding read.

BBC Homepage Beta

The BBC are planning another revamp to their homepage - though this time it's more of an evolution than a revolution.

You can see the beta version at http://beta.bbc.co.uk/

At first glance it's obvious there are many things still to finish (hence why it's in beta stage), but it looks to me like they are making some improvements. Features such as a bigger "media zone" (the box at the top right of the current set up) which can be minimized to a compact version and a new navigation header are welcome additions. At present it can be a bit of an effort to navigate from one section of the mammoth site to another. This new setup puts the most common links, such as News and Sport at the top, next to the BBC logo.

Some of the not so great additions are the garish gradients - hopefully these will be phased out before the beta goes official. Another annoyance is that the news and sport headlines appear to have been reduced to only 1 "top story". Again, I imagine this might be rectified after beta testing, since this would be a backwards step.

All in all, though, a nice upgrade to what is already a much admired (and copied!) homepage design!

Doctor Who Logo

Shockingly (at least, for me), the BBC have just revealed that cult favourite Doctor Who is to get a new logo from 2010.

Before:


After:


Now I'm not a crazy Doctor Who fanatic, but I have watched much of the show since its return in 2005, and I have always been fond of the current, warm, organic looking logo. Although it has been criticised for looking slightly too delicate, I think it looks like a modern sci-fi logo should. Though it has always reminded me slightly of the Farscape one -



I'm not so keen on the new logo for a few reasons...

1. It lacks depth. The old logo looked as if it could have housed millions of galaxies within it, or as if it was alive, or on fire! The new one looks cold, bleak and metallic in comparison.

2. It looks too retro. I can't see kids (the show's main audience) taking to the new logo as much as its predecessor.

3. It looks messy. The tardis "DW" is not so bad on its own, but when put next to the Doctor Who slab serif text AND the BBC logo (which seems to have crept its way into the show's official logo), it's just too much. Hopefully the titles won't feature all of these elements together on the same screen.

4. Lens flares.

Perhaps it will grow on me, but on first impressions I'm not that impressed!

Amazing Spider Silk

I'll admit, I do have a slight vested interest in this artwork, since it was my uncle who created it!

That aside, it is quite an extraordinary piece. Created entirely from spider silk, collected and spun from Golden Orb spiders in Madagascar over five years and woven into a textile unlike any other. Having touched the silk myself I can say it is completely unique to the touch, and to the eye - it shimmers with a vibrant golden sheen and feels almost like touching a cloud! (excuse the flowery language, but I honestly can't think of any other way to describe it).

The textile was designed in a traditional Malagasy style, which is beautiful in its own right. The tassels which top and tail the textile are all of different lengths, which adds to the intrigue and unique feel of the piece.

The textile has gone on public display in the American Museum of Natural History in New York.


Nicholas Godley and my uncle, Simon Peers


A close up of the textile



Sunday Times article
New York Times article
Daily Mail article

Incidentally, I designed my uncle's website over the summer - which you can see at www.peersandcompany.com and includes many pictures of other textiles he has created.

Electric Revolution

BBC Four have been running a new season of programmes celebrating the "Electric Revolution", which explores the way technology has changed the way we live over the years.

As part of this season, the channel has brought in some special idents. All of the idents begin with the regular BBC Four idents, before zooming out to reveal that they are playing on a piece of retro technology.











(thanks to TV Forum for the images - visit for videos)

I'm already an admirer of BBC Four's idents and presentation - I think they present a classy and understated feel for the channel, but these special versions are really nicely done. What a great way of promoting this special season of programmes, by incorporating the existing into some brilliantly set up scenes.

A Supermarket Love Song

A short film by Director Dan Outram - http://www.danoutram.com/Short_Film/watch.html

This is a nicely shot short movie, with a realistic and touching (if slightly uncomfortable, at points) narrative. It's a modern story and shows an interesting dynamic between the old and young generations - how they differ, but also where they share similarities.

The cinematography blends a nice balance between static and moving shots. I'm not sure about the subtle old cine effect in use - I'm not really sure what it's supposed to add. However overall the film creates the desired "daytime" atmosphere well, and the locations are well suited to the narrative.