The Design Block
If you're looking for the latest in advertising and marketing, design related technology and lifestyle tips, and art or design highlights then you're in the right place. Find all this and more with the Design Block blog.
To combat harassment, women are buying anti-pervert flamethrowers
Assaulting women is never the right thing. And now, would-be sex attackers could end up burnt or even disfigured by flamethrowers being marketed at women in China.
Clever ads use optical illusions to encourage pet adoption
Pet adoption is a wonderful thing. Ask any pet owner, and they’ll probably tell you that their furry friend has made their family feel complete. Photographer Amol Jadhav along with art director Pranav Bhide took that concept and transformed a brilliant idea into striking ads that are more than…
Discover the art of aquarium decorating
Aquarium decorating, also known as aquascaping, is the design and arranging of aquatic plants, rocks, or driftwood within an aquarium; basically, gardening under water.
Font Map helps designers find relationships between Google Fonts
Typography enthusiasts can identify most fonts by name. However, it’s always useful to explore fonts using visual similarities – in case you wanted to shake things up a bit. Every typeface has its merits; hell, even Comic Sans work as an attention-grabber because it’s so despised. But with…
For your long weekend: Interesting facts about beer
Anyone of legal drinking age has no doubt downed a beer (or six). But how much do you really know about this alcoholic beverage? Probably not as much as you think.
Add sparkle to your room with optical glass sculptures
Glass sculptures have been around since ancient Egypt. And although modern day glass art has advanced over the years, many artists continue to follow the same techniques used by ancient glass artists.
LEGO builds its way to award-winning campaign at Cannes festival
After a decade of being nearly forgotten, LEGO has rebuilt itself into a global toy juggernaut. Fuelled in part by The LEGO Movie‘s popularity, the company surpassed rival Mattel to become the biggest toy manufacturer in the world. The LEGO bricks are available in 53 different…
Illustrated charts visualize what an asshole client is
We all have them: the asshole client. There’s no getting around it; you’re going to encounter them from time to time working in design. And as much as we’d all like to believe that what goes around comes around, the reality is they don’t get what’s…
100 graffiti artists asked to paint a school before it’s renovated
The majority of schools are pretty bland; neutral coloured paint and politically correct designs. But 100 graffiti artists have turned the walls of a dormitory in Paris into stunning canvases of art and creativity.
Google successfully teaches AI to edit images like a pro photographer
Can a machine be trained to edit images that most people would think were shot by a professional human photographer? That’s what Google is trying to figure out with a machine learning research project.
For those who like it darker: Black ice cream
Ice cream comes in almost any colour and flavour you can think of accept black – until now that is. After gaining a bit of a cult following last summer in the US, black ice cream has made its way north of the border.
Irish artist crafts intricate sculptures from avocado pits
Peoples appetite for the avocado has grown just about every year for the past 15 years; invading kitchens and menus across North America. And while most of us see the avocado pits as trash, Irish artist Jan Campbell sees them as an opportunity.
Smirnoff humorously trolls Trump with new transit ad
Whether you like your vodka straight, on the rocks or in your Bloody Mary, there’s a reason Smirnoff received a ton of buzz recently. In its new transit shelter ad campaign, Smirnoff takes a shot at President Donald Trump.
Creative apps that stole the show at the Apple Design Awards 2017
Each year, Apple honours the achievements of some of its most creative and talented developers at its Worldwide Developers Conference. This year’s Apple Design Awards comprise a variety of games that use the company’s hardware and rendering technologies in unique ways. It also showcased productivity apps with…
100,000 banned books are used to build a full-size Parthenon
The Parthenon was built in the mid-5th century BCE and dedicated to the Greek goddess Athena the Virgin. However, this full-size German replica is constructed out of 100,000 banned books as a symbol of resistance to political repression.
Prada retails a single paperclip for $185US
Prada is selling a $185US money clip that looks like a paperclip. Yes, it’s literally just a fancy version of a paperclip that’s probably on your desk. Barney’s New York has just retailed a sterling silver Prada clip, and it’s the latest item to join the list of things…
You can now turn your favourite songs into wall art
Imagine your favourite songs. Now envision what those songs might look like. Vibrato is an online service that brings your songs to life by turning them into a wall art. The eye-catching artworks use sound waves, resulting in beautiful prints resembling inky, delicate nebulae.
NakeFit stick-on soles let you go barefoot
A barefoot stroll on the beach is one of the life’s simple pleasures; unless the sand is scorching hot. To get people out of their flip flops, an Italian company believes they have the perfect solution: stick-on soles.
Winners of the World Illustration Awards 2017
Every year the UK’s Association of Illustrators (AOI) brings together their World Illustration Awards. Now in its 40th year, the winners for the 2017 awards have been announced. The World Illustration Awards showcase 50 shortlisted projects across eight different categories. The exhibition will be held at Somerset House…
You can buy this bikini made from real pizza for $10,000
Whether it’s to celebrate a victory or a quick way to feed the family, pizza is an incredibly popular food; especially in Canada. But why eat your pizza when you can wear it? To celebrate National Bikini Day today, restaurant chain Villa Italian Kitchen has partnered New York-Based food stylist Jessie Bearden to create…
ASICS responsive print ad determines the running shoes you need
Running is one of the easiest sports to jump into, and one of the most popular. But did you know that it’s hard on your body and can lead to serious long-term injuries? In fact, thousands of runners don’t use the proper running shoes for…
Korean barista turns coffee into incredible Cremart
Latte art is nothing new; your barista at the local coffee shop probably serves up drinks adorned with hearts or flowers. In South Korea, the latte art scene is growing at an astonishing rate. And spearheading the movement is Lee Kang Bin, a talented barista. His latte art, which he…
Multidimensional landscapes created from hundreds of photos
Japanese artist Nobuhiro Nakanishi doesn’t believe that time can be physically grasped. However, with his latest exhibition, he shows us what it might look like if we could. Nobuhiro’s Layer Drawings series explores time, space, and memory by photographing landscapes over time.
A brutally honest take on a graphic designer’s logic
The concept of the left and right brain has become a well-known part of human psychology. While we all use both sides of the brain, each of us has a dominant side; this dominant side makes up for a huge part of our personalities. For…
Artist turns scrap metal into nature art
It’s true that one man’s trash is another man’s treasure. And for this self-taught artist based in Gloucestershire, UK, scrap metal is his canvas. Dan Rawlings works with recycled tools, old vehicles, and anything else he finds; turning this scrap metal into beautiful tree and plant…
McDonald’s puts its drive-thru on wheels
If you’re in a hurry, getting lunch at the drive-thru is a convenient way to get your fast food. But what if that wasn’t convenient enough for you? Well, McDonald’s isn’t going to wait for you to come to its brick-and-mortar; rather, it’s taken the initiative…
Brushstroke cakes are the latest hit on Instagram
Do you eat cake for dessert? Or is it something you only have on special occasions, like your birthday or divorce? Russian cake designer Kalabasa recently ignited the latest social media cake trend with her brushstroke cakes. Also known as feathers, they’re true masterpieces of food…
When to use Adobe Photoshop vs Lightroom
If you deal with a lot of photography, you need to know what to do with it. So whether you’re a photographer or a graphic designer, which software should you be using for your design project? Adobe Photoshop vs Lightroom: which one is better? The truth is,…
Mixxtape portable music player works like a cassette
Dallas-based company Mixxim brought the cassette tape into the 21st century with the Mixxtape.
Why did your great employee quit?
To have success in business, you need to have exceptional employees. However, hiring them is only half the battle. Have you ever had a great employee, and thought, “This is the one!” They’re smart, engaged, driven, and seemed to really love the job. You can…
Danish fashion label RAINS sues Zara for copying its raincoat design
Zara has a reputation for taking runway designs and making affordable versions for everyday consumers. However, they’ve taken a lot of heat in the last few months, starting with their Love Your Curves ad, and now this: Danish outerwear label RAINS recently announced it is filing…
Not just a typeface, Helvetica is now a coffee
Helvetica is a sans serif typeface that’s one of the most popular in the world with designers. That’s why it shouldn’t come as a surprise that its influence has spread far and wide; but to coffee? Now that’s something you probably didn’t see coming.
3D portraits that are made of thousands of screws
After two years and the help of nearly ten thousand screws, Andrew Myres, has finally completed his work. You might think he was doing some home renovations, but that’s not the case. Andrew used them to create amazing 3D portraits.
A new currency for people who don’t give zero fucks
Caring too much can be tortuous. For your own health, it’s good to not care what others say or how they feel about you. Professionally, that’s another matter. However, if you want to let people know that you give zero fucks, this Kickstarter project is…
Electric wallpaper doubles as a power source
Decorating your home with wallpaper gives you a wide array of looks: from country charm to traditional warmth. However, design, art, and technology are all intertwined in this new electric wallpaper. Co-developed by wallpaper company Flavor Paper and design firm UM Project, sounds, lights and motions are combined in a…
Real estate ad for a $100 million mansion is basically softcore porn
You’ll hear the phrase often when you enter the advertising industry: sex sells. But do people really buy a product just because it has sexually stimulating imagery attached to it? For this US$100 million OPUS mansion in Beverly Hills, half-naked women covered in gold paint star in a…
Metallic freckles are this summer’s hot new beauty trend
For many beauty enthusiasts, the sun’s arrival this summer will be accompanied by the appearance of a modicum of beautiful freckles. And while beauty trends involving freckles aren’t new, these tiny skin spots are set to take on new life as dramatic beauty marks.
Starbucks debuts colour and flavour changing Unicorn Frappuccino
Starbucks has decided to jump on the rainbow-themed food trend bandwagon with its Unicorn Frappuccino blended beverage. The sparkly frozen beverage, which was only available from April 19 to 23, had quickly become a social media sensation.
36 Days of Type project leads to adorable 3D typography
As designers we love typography. Design and typography go hand in hand; always evolving with various treatments and styles. Designers the world over use it in everything from logos to advertisements, packaging, posters and more. It can make any piece of work stand out from the crowd.
What are the best times to post on social media?
The easy answer is that the best times to post on social media are when the people you want to see the content are on the network. However, each social network has its own best practice. Data from 16 studies proves that posting at the best times will help…
7 colours that could get you sued if used in your designs
There are plenty of colours to choose from. And some shades are so appealing, you’d be hard up not to incorporate them in your projects. However, if you’ve unwittingly been using one of the seven specific colours, you just might get on the wrong side of the law.
In-house designer, freelancer or agency? Who to hire
Does the uncertainty and ever-changing nature of freelancing produce designers with sharper, more adaptable skills? Or does the social, fast-paced, and ordered workflow of an agency create more design superstars? In my nearly 10 years as an Art Director, I’ve seen a few businesses pondering if they should hire…
Brewery reveals cynical Fake News Ale directed at Trump
Fake News Ale by Northern Maverick Brewing Co. pokes fun at the political climate south of the border.
Swiss designers creates lamps inspired by pollen grains
Spring is beautiful, but it’s also a key time of year for seasonal allergies. As plants release pollen, millions of people with hay fever start to sniffle and sneeze. However, Swiss art director Regine Cavicchioli, Roman Jurt and Michael Kennedy from the Zurich University of the…
Doodles become neat line drawings instantly with Google’s AutoDraw
If you’re like me, you probably remember doodling away on the computer using Microsoft Paint, or even Corel Draw. So it’s ironic with all of the amazing things we can do on our smartphones and tablets these days, that creating a decent drawing is still difficult. However, Google’s…
Marble lips are the latest beauty trend to captivate social media
This trend involving marble doesn't have anything to do with home renovation, but your lips.
Artist creates stunning watercolour temporary tattoos
Based in St. Petersburg, Sasha Unisex is an interesting temporary tattoo artist, whose technique and style is so unique and distinctive that it immediately grabs your attention. She is well-known for her distinct and contemporary approach to the art of tattooing; with her minimalist design, geometric shapes and…
McDonald’s dull new uniforms inspire online teasing
Last month, McDonald’s unveiled new uniforms for its U.S. locations in 2017. And with that release, the new uniforms are prompting some online teasing; with comments saying the grey-toned shirts and aprons make employees look like they’re part of totalitarian regimes.
Domino’s new app adds a little fun to your pizza tracking
Waiting for the pizza guy can sometimes get you anxious. Will it be here in time for the start of the game? Has he passed my house? Pizza tracking with Domino’s just became more fun via its new partnership with IFTTT. The duo, with help from…
Art created from light and long exposure photography
Each December for about 50 days, Finland’s northern region has a period were the sun never rises above the horizon. Photographer Hannu Huhtamo embraces the prolonged darkness by making it the canvas for his beautiful light-painting long exposure photos.