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.
Water manipulating fountain uses colourful lights to shape-shift
If you’re looking to create a relaxing ambience in your home, the sound of water is said to have a calming effect on people. Another way to create that ambience is with light. The lights in your home can make a difference to the way…
AI tool enhances low-res pixelated images into hi-res
You see it in cop shows like CSI all the time. The police are trying to enhance pixelated images to read what seems like non-existent details in photos. As far-fetched as it may seem, researchers have been artificial intelligence technologies to help fill in missing…
Sculptor uses chainsaw to turn old trees into works of at
Sculptors have a way of taking their medium and transforming it into incredible shapes and designs. And the creations from this talented Romanian artist is no exception; the only difference is his tool: a chainsaw.
Street artist leaves ironic messages all over the UK
Street artist Mobstr wanted to see how long it would take before city workers removed the poorly-painted word rats from a canal-side wall. He was shocked that it stayed up for 13 months; it was only removed when the wall in Stratford, east London, was demolished.
Rising Furniture inspired by transformations in nature
Much like how pop-up books give stories dimension, Amsterdam-based designer Robert van Embricqs‘ Rising Furniture gives poetic form to function. If your home has so much furniture it’s difficult to move, these designs can give you some extra space.
Young woman’s spectacular 3D latte art is almost too cute to drink
For 17-year-old Daphne Tan, coffee isn’t just a beverage, it’s also her canvas. The Singapore-based artist is quickly whipping up a storm on Instagram for her spectacular 3D latte art.
Giant straw animals invade Japanese fields after rice harvest
Fall is here, which means that it’s time for the harvest and the annual fairs that celebrate it. In Japanese culture waste is often minimized, especially in food. Sometimes, during the annual rice harvest, the leftover rice straw is transformed into straw animals.
Getty bans Photoshopped images that alter models’ body shapes
Taking effect back on October 1st, Getty images updated its Creative Stills Submission Requirements. The new requirements specify they will no longer accept images of models whose bodies have been Photoshopped; either to look thinner or larger.
Become a better writer with these 15 ways to write faster
Sometimes it seems as if there aren’t enough hours in the day to get all your work done—especially if you’re a writer. Some people are writing machines; they get an idea, pound it out in minutes, and move on to something else. For most of us,…
Zodiac inspired tattoos to reflect your personality
When it comes to commitment, getting a tattoo is near the top. Therefore, if you get one, you’ll want to feel good about it and what it represents about you. For those who are guided by astrology, but aren’t sure which design to get, you may want to…
Artist paints fake shadows to make people look twice
If you happen to be in downtown Redwood City, California, you might notice something out of the ordinary. If you pay particular attention to the shadows, you’ll notice they seem to be mutated from their original shape. Flowers sprout from the shadows of bike racks…
Quickshot photo app help you shoot better photos
There are times when editing you photos gives them that final boost to show their maximum potential; which takes time. That’s why Lightricks, the developers behind Facetune, Memoji and Enlight, has launched the Quickshot photo app.
Makeup artist uses optical illusions to create amazing effects
Makeup can be transformational; if done right it can turn one thing into something completely different. For example, the mind-bending effects from Vancouver makeup artist Mimi Choi has proven she is the queen of optical illusion makeup.
Funny typography puns to put a smile on your face
This series of typography puns is meant to lift the spirits of fellow designers; it’s a good way to start your week. In this DesignTAXI series created by Caisa Nilaseca, you’ll find yourself smiling at these funny typographic puns.
Top 10 winners for the A’ Design Award competition
Whether you’re a designer or just someone who loves well-designed objects, this years A’Design Award winners are amazing to see. If you’re not familiar, the A’ Design Award is the world’s largest design awards and a leading international annual juried competition for designers and other creatives.
Sculptor turns blocks of wood into intricately detailed pipes
For nearly two decades, Sidrit Vaqari has perfected the art of wood carving. He’s made amazingly intricate wood sculpture pipes that often take the form of mystical creatures and characters from movies and pop culture.
Controversial photo of scribbles and spit wins $20K award
Sydney photographer Justine Varga has won the $20,000AUD prize for the 2017 Olive Cotton Award for a large-scale work in homage to her grandmother. However, the win of this controversial photo is causing an outcry amongst photographers everywhere.
Google algorithm erases watermarks from stock images
As designers, when mocking up concepts for our projects, we tend to use plenty of stock images. Instead of buying images the client might not like, we use watermarked images to try before we buy. However, showing watermarks on our concepts look ugly and we…
Some of the best images from the solar eclipse
On Monday, August 21, 2017, millions of people across the northern hemisphere tried to catch a glimpse of the solar eclipse. In fact, according to Netflix, they lost 10 percent of their usual viewership during the solar eclipse.
Tom Bob street art creations are taking over New York
Street art is a movement, an art expression, even an art form in its own right. There are plenty of amazing street artists around the world like David Zinn, Raquel Rodrigo, or even the Pirate Printers.
Twitter account pokes fun at disturbing stock imagery
Stock imagery is used by media outlets when they don’t have a photo to illustrate a particular story; or when art directors are putting together a concept. Either way, there is a disturbing amount of options available on stock websites like iStock or Shutterstock.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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…
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…
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,…
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.
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.
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…
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…
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…
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.
Street art that blurs the border between reality & fantasy
Whether it’s in chalk or paint, on walls or the street, these works of art look almost alive.
Fotojet: An online graphic design tool for non-designers
For people who are serious about content marketing, but are design-challenged, this online graphic design software is up your alley. FotoJet is a popular and useful online tool for photo editing, graphic design and photo collages. So, if you want high-quality graphics but don’t have an Adobe…
Artist turns old cardboard boxes into incredible sculptures
Cardboard boxes are the packaging material of choice for the majority of products shipped around the world. In fact, because of its popularity, cardboard boxes comprise a whopping 9 percent of the refuse in a typical landfill. But your old cardboard doesn’t lose its usefulness once…
Street artist turns dirty vehicles into four-wheel masterpieces
The snow and slush of early spring are gone, but things are still a bit dirty. And chances are that your car could use a good wash to get off the dirt and grime its accumulated over the past season. Those who should, but don’t…
Guetzli by Google reduces the size of JPEG files, making image transfers quicker
If you’re into digital photography and hate the wait for transferring JPEG files, this announcement is for you. Google has introduced a new algorithm that will make it possible to reduce the size of JPEG images by about 35%, without reducing the quality.
Discover this student’s amazing freehand architectural sketches
In today’s digital age, it’s nice to see that some people are still using pencil and paper. And that includes architecture student, Adelina Gareeva. She drafts her work by hand, creating extremely detailed architectural sketches without a computer.