Mark Gowing has a new website

I have always admired Sydney designer Mark Gowing: he is easily one of my favorite graphic designers in Australia – not because all his designs necessarily match my own tastes, but because he is such a thoughtful designer who brings an intellectual rigor to his aesthetic choices.

Mark has a talent for inventing typefaces; his designs are disciplined and geometrically meticulous; there is a modernist, almost industrialist edge to his work; yet his designs are still evocative.

Yesterday, Mark unveiled a new website that's worth a peek: www.markgowing.com

Left: the Miro-esque Circa.11; and Hopscotch typefaces; plus a poster by Mark Gowing Studio

ADFEST, Phuket

see you in phuket!
Originally uploaded by Barbarella07

It's February and I'm already drowning in deadlines, so I am excited to say I just booked my flights to Phuket for ADFEST 2011...

James Gulliver Hancock

James Hancock is having an exhibition in the city tonight - I can't make it, but I heart his work. I purchased a print from this series last year (only mine is a drawing of an exploding lawnmower). I almost worked with James when I needed a new designer at CREATIVE but I think he would have been bored working on the same magazine so long. He lives in the US now with his pop singer wife, but his work is still often published in Australian magazines.

Things I’m researching… the history of kitchens

This may not sound very exciting. But this week I’ve learned that if weren’t for an Austrian architect named Margarete Schütte-Lihotzky, kitchens might look very different. In 1926, Grete got the sensible idea of designing a kitchen that facilitates the tasks it’s used for. Seems obvious, but before Grete kitchens were just big, smoky rooms filled with clunky furniture.

After Grete, kitchens became much tinier but a lot more functional, with built-in stoves, stainless steel sinks, cupboards and storage.

She was one of the first architects to realize that design fused with functionality would become an important 20th Century trend.

And her kitchen – called the Frankfurt Kitchen – influenced every other kitchen that came after it. Grete was also an anti-Nazi campaigner, a Communist, and the earliest female architect to feature at MoMa in New York. She died aged 102.

Picnic Etiquette: six steps to a delightful afternoon

This summer, the National Gallery of Victoria has been hosting picnics in its sculpture garden – a darned delightful way of attracting patrons.

I love to picnic often and always, so last weekend in Melbourne I stopped in at the NGV and ordered a hamper with bubbles to enjoy with friends. I noticed this thoughtfully penned guide to picnic etiquette, which accompanied the menu - if only all marketing directors could commission such charming copy:

"the Basket
Even when lunching on a lawn in the city, one’s basket should give the impression of a day in the country. A good basket should be large enough to appear plentiful, but not so heavy that it makes one perspire.

the Blanket
To make the right impression, one needs the appropriate blanket. Laid flat, it should seat approximately four persons and, as you are in public, sleep only two. Colour should be chosen in accordance with one’s clothing.

the Perfect Spot
While arriving early does prevent one from being fashionably late, it can be necessary for securing the ideal location. Look for grass that is not damp underfoot, and sun and shade in equal measure.

the Refreshments
No need to overcomplicate this matter. Drinks simply need to be properly chilled and never-ending.

the Long Lunch
Remember, there is no such thing as a quick picnic.

the Conversation
Dull weather and dull conversation are the only two things that can ruin an afternoon picnic. Make sure to choose guests wisely and, if in need of inspiration, attend an exhibition prior."

Words by: Chris Barton, Right Angle