This Friday Big Active’s creative director Gerard Saint will be talking about our studio’s art direction and design work at Eye Magazine’s Design for Music Conference at St Bride’s Library in London. For more information please visit St Brides Library or Eye Magazine / Events.

27 January, 2010 - Posted in Art Direction & Design, Gerard Saint, Music | - Tags: Eye Magazine, Gerard Saint, Music Design, St Brides's Library | Permalink

If you haven’t all ready visited the If You Could Collaborate exhibition in London, we really recommend making the time before Sunday 23rd January. One of the stand out exhibits in the show is this film by Letman (Job Wouters), his brother Roel and art mechanic Rene Bakker.

21 January, 2010 - Posted in Art Direction & Design, Illustration, Letman | - Tags: 1234567 Letman Job Wouters & Roel Wouters If You Could Collaborate Rene Bakker | Permalink

Here’s a nice new editorial piece by Siggi Eggertsson for Eye magazine.

21 January, 2010 - Posted in Art Direction & Design, Illustration, Siggi Eggertsson | - Tags: Siggi Eggertsson Eye Magazine Berlin | Permalink

Posted by Jesse Auersalo

I’ve known Jesse Pietilä since we were at the University of Art & Design Helsinki together. He’s a gifted spacial designer so this was a perfect way of us finally getting to work on something together. We set out to playfully explore the roll of a poster and the surface it is designed to appear on.

If You Could Collaborate exhibition runs from 15 — 23 January.

14 January, 2010 - Posted in Art Direction & Design, Illustration, Jesse Auersalo | - Tags: Jesse Auersalo & Jesse Pietilä If You Could Collaborate | Permalink

Posted by Letman

“1,2,3,4,5,6,7.” A short movie by Job & Roel Wouters
Roel and me will present a short movie on the rainbowgun: a tool which allows you to paint simultaneously with seven spraycans. A calligraphic monsterbrush so to speak. The idea derives from the desire to paint larger and faster. Also the rainbowgun is a result in my recent search for new aesthetics in writing. I made some rough sketches of the machine, and after that I took my ideas to  Rene Bakker a genius mechanic who did the actual constructing of the tool.

The gun is a little heavier than I expected, and that makes is pretty hard to control. Also I didn’t take into account that spraycans don’t work when held in certain positions, so the movements one can make while writing are more limited than I initially thought. But over-all it comes really close to the sort of ‘giant-brush’ idea that I had in mind when starting up.

If You Could Collaborate exhibition runs from 15 — 23 January.

14 January, 2010 - Posted in Art Direction & Design, Illustration, Letman | - Tags: Letman If You Could Collaborate Exhibition | Permalink

Here’s a really insightful interview with Parra by 99%, the research arm of Behance.

11 January, 2010 - Posted in Art Direction & Design, Illustration, Parra | - Tags: Parra 99% Interview | Permalink

Siggi Eggertsson contributes to the new issue of Viewpoint Magazine which deals with solutions and innovations that are moving us forwards while coping with the major changes thrown up by the near future. Recession, climate chaos, the death of traditional advertising and news media, ubiquitous web, the challenges of creating in a world where 3-D printers turn everyone into designers. All of these issues and more are provoking groundbreaking solutions, while ushering us into uncharted new territory.

Josh Sims examines the consumer trend towards reductionism, with illustrations by Siggi.

08 January, 2010 - Posted in Art Direction & Design, Illustration, Siggi Eggertsson | - Tags: Siggi Eggertsson Cult Of Nothing Viewpoint 25 | Permalink

Posted by Jody Barton

I’ve always liked MC Paul Barman’s music since I first heard his album ‘Paullelujah!’ in 2001. He’s got to be the funniest, most dry and intellectual rapper ever. His new album, ‘Thought Balloon Mushroom Cloud’ is super-good, and produced by Memory Man, a continuation of Paul’s journey to be the wordiest man in Hip-Hop. I just emailed him and asked if I could do an animated video for one of his songs. He said yes, and here it is! Man! animation is a labour of love but an honour to be part of a project that also lists Michel Gondry as a contributor.

Read this review in Village Voice.

07 January, 2010 - Posted in Art Direction & Design, Illustration, Jody Barton | - Tags: Jody Barton MC Paul Barman Owls Pellets Animation | Permalink

Posted by Jasper Goodall

I recently worked with Microsoft on this image for Zune Originals, I’m calling it “Spirit of Metal”. I wanted to do a twist on eastern deities which have many arms, often depicted performing ‘mudra’ or sacred hand gestures. So the “Spirit of Metal” plays an electric guitar and of course makes the devils horns hand sign.
You can download it as a screensaver for your Zune player or even get the image engraved onto the back of it. Find out more here.

18 December, 2009 - Posted in Art Direction & Design, Illustration, Jasper Goodall | - Tags: Jasper Goodall Microsoft Zune Originals Spirit Of Metal | Permalink

Klaus Haapaniemi seems to have Christmas store windows wrapped up this year. As well as the Tokyo Isetan work we already posted last week, here’s some samples from his work for Printemps department store in Paris.

15 December, 2009 - Posted in Art Direction & Design, Illustration, Klaus Haapaniemi | - Tags: Printemps Paris Department Store Windows Klaus Haapaniemi | Permalink