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.
Everything designers need to know about the golden ratio
Good designers are always on the hunt for the latest tools to help them step up their game—whether it’s a new app or the latest Adobe update. Yet some of the best design tools are actually those that have been around the longest.
When an architect bakes desserts, this is what you get
Dinara Kasko isn’t your everyday pastry chef. In fact, she’s actually an architectural designer. So what happens when an architect likes to bake? Apparently, incredible things. She creates pastries by approaching them as if they were buildings.
Artist uses water drops to create dress designs
Plenty of fashion designers have a muse, so it’s no surprise that illustrator JaeSuk Kim employs the same idea in his stylish paintings. JaeSuk enjoys experimenting with watercolour and water drops.
College student’s photo series protests rapists release
In June of this year, Brock Turner, a former student at Stanford University in California, was sentenced for rape. He received only six months for sexually assaulting an unconscious woman behind a dumpster at a campus party. As you can probably imagine, many people were understandably…
Artist creates monsters next to subway passengers
If commute on the subway, you either stare at your phone, the floor, or enjoy the pleasures of people watching. It can be interesting to observe people’s emotions and expressions. And the New York subway can be a pretty strange place, even at the best of times. Sometimes the expressions of these strange…
Make reading magical with glow-in-the-dark bookmarks
Want to find your book in the dark? These bookmarks glow in the dark after briefly being exposed to light.
Spectacular triangle mountain cabin sits the edge of a cliff
Are you looking to unplug and find a cabin in the mountains to relax? Based in Hamburg, Germany, architect Matthias Arndt has created a stunning concept named the Triangle Cliff House that rests on the edge of a fictional cliff.
Everyday Backpack surpasses Kickstarter goal by 1200%
With comfort and functionality as priorities, lots of people now use backpacks for their everyday commute. Just throw it over the shoulders and go. You probably think that there’s not a lot of room to improve here. Well, that’s where you’d be wrong. These new Kickstater backpack is designed…
3D chalk art playfully interacts with street objects
Sidewalks are boring. If you live in the city, you’ll walk a lot of them and it’s usually not very interesting to look down. Usually. For nearly thirty years, Michigan-based artist David Zinn has created temporary illustrations with chalk and charcoal.
Ad agency immortalizes funny quotes from a client
Have you had a client that said funny things or asked stupid questions over the course of a project? For example, there are things clients say when wanting cheaper work and their ridiculous demands. A project team at ad agency Strategy Creative in New Zealand has definitely heard some humorous things. While working…
The 10 best Google Fonts for your designs
As a web designer, you’re probably well aware of the importance of typeface. With the growing amount of businesses engaging in content marketing, font selection is becoming all the more crucial.
Company lets kids design their own clothes
Many people assume that you are either born creative or not. Not true. Creativity is actually more of skill that you can learn, which makes it a skill parents can help their kids develop. That’s what Jaimee Newberry, mother of two did with her kids.
Low polygon animal head trophies made of colored paper
Trophy hunting animals is all about the thrill of the kill. Without trying to defend or shame trophy hunters, hanging the head of an animal in your home seems a bit tacky. Especially from a design perspective. But if you want to give your home a distinguished hunter’s…
Water Tables create the illusion of animals emerging from the glass
Derek Pearce's Water Tables series features animal bases emerging from glass tabletops.
Sliced lamps made from real firewood
There are many people who like sitting in front of an indoor or outdoor fireplace and enjoying each others company. In fact, humans have been using wood-based fires to keep ourselves warm for thousands of years. However for LA-based designer Paul Foeckler of Split Grain, a simple block…
Pirate Printers use sewer covers to print bags and shirts
There’s nothing like utilizing the tools in front of us to create art. Look around you. Art is everywhere if you want to find it. For example, who says you need a fancy printing press and machinery to create your own t-shirt designs?
The unintentional exercises designers do while working
It takes a lot of work to get a chiselled look and rock-hard abs. The way I see it though, who needs a six-pack when you have a keg. That being said, physical activity has a positive impact on brain health.
Fashion Illustrator uses his environment to complete his designs
You may remember a previous post about an illustrator who uses food items to finish his fashion sketches. This time I’m featuring Shamekh Bluwi, a Jordan-based architect and fashion illustrator. He uses clouds, buildings, and whatever else he finds to decorate his dress designs.
Mesmerizing kinetic sculpture floats over Pershing Square
This eye-catching kinetic sculpture casts moving shadows over those who walk underneath.
Shazam-like handheld tool for font finding
This handheld tool captures typefaces — even colours — from the real world and searches for them online.
Mesmerizingly colourful quilled paper art
Quilled paper has seen a resurgence over the last few years, and it’s arguably all thanks to Yulia Brodskaya.
Marou chocolate bars wrapped in handmade art
The National Gallery Singapore partnered with chocolate brand Marou to create artisanal chocolate bars.
Beautiful lip art from makeup artist Jazmina Daniel
Loved by Instagram's beauty community, this makeup artist creates colourful designs on her lips.
Life’s realities summed up in humorously honest illustrations
Mexican illustrator Eduardo Salles pokes fun at the realities of modern lives with brutally honest illustrations.
The 2016 National Geographic Travel Photo Contest winners
Chosen from more than 10,000 entries worldwide, these are the best travel photos of 2016.
Create your own furniture using SPYNDI locking sticks
You can now build your own furniture in any shape you wish with locking wooden sticks.
Water completes these bronze fountain sculptures
For the past 30 years Malgorzata Chodakowska has been creating beautiful bronze fountain sculptures.
Cheryl Lee’s magical forest inspired jewellery
Allowing our minds to escape into fantasy can be entertaining, distracting, frightening, or even arousing. That escape into our inner world allows us to rehearse the future and imagine new adventures without risk. Thus, it allows the mind to roam freely and aid creativity.
Out-of-this-world galaxy donuts are delicious
A recent time ago, in a galaxy not so far far away… arrived the latest Instagram food craze. Prepare to be starry-eyed with the latest addition to the galaxy confection craze: the galaxy donut.
A blind artist creates a series of hypnotizing GIFs
This legally blind artist has raised the bar in the art of animated images with his ongoing series.
Discover amazingly delicate and detailed hand-cut paper art
I’ve previously posted about intricate hand-carved artworks made of paper before. However, this amazingly detailed hand-cut paper art from Japanese artist Mr. Riu is just as impressive, if not more.
Subway passengers captured like 16th century paintings
If you ride the subway to work or school, you probably encounter different types of people. Some of those people are tourists who don’t speak very good english (although some people who speak english don’t do it well either). Then there’s that whisper-fighting couple where you catch every fifth…
Illustrations portray the death of unlucky cartoons
Dark humour or black comedy makes light of serious, disturbing and/or taboo subject matter. And it also happens to be the subject of some of Illustrator Ben Chen’s work.
FlexibleLove chair expands like an accordion up to 30 feet
Why have multiple seats when all you need is one single shape-shifting chair/couch/bench.
Amazingly delicate, life-like origami creations
Origami is adding a Spanish influence with these amazingly creations by Gonzalo Garcia Calvo.
Cool, minimalist geometric tattoos by Roxx
With a career spanning 30+ years, it's no wonder tattoo artist Roxx is at the top of the ink world game.
TODAY: A beautiful, minimalistic 24-hour clock
This timepiece is designed to relieve stress and change the way people see their day.
These adorable stickers transform doors into cute animals
Made of Sundays discovered that adorable stickers can be a creative way to quickly and easily decorate.
Colourful wall typography from graffiti artist
36daysoftype is a yearly open call that invites designers, illustrators and visual artists to share their view on the letters and numbers from our alphabet. Celebrating this, Buenos Aires and Amsterdam-based artist, Nase Pop, has taken to the streets by graffiting the 26 letters of the…
Miniature fantasy worlds within wooden rings
No matter how much jewellery you own, chances are that you don’t own anything quite like this.
Renaissance art reimagined as Instagram posts
Imagine what these Renaissance artworks would be like today if they appeared in our modern world.
Stunning art made with gunpowder end up in flames
This artist he sets his artworks on fire. However, the flames actually bring these pieces to life.
Artist creates eyelid artworks inspired by famous painters
This artist uses her skills to create incredibly detailed works of art on her eyes and body.
Paper scenes of Alice In Wonderland encased in baubles
If you're a fan of the classic book or even the movies, then it's time to 'step through the looking glass.'
Harry Potter-themed jewellery even Muggles will enjoy
This awesome magical-themed jewellery will make you want to reread (or watch) the entire wizarding series again.
Type-Cycle animated typeface uses 3D bicycle parts
This sleek typeface is created using 3D letters that are cleverly animated to showcase various bicycle components.
Pepsi debuts a series of Prestige Bottles and accessories
During Milan Design Week, Pepsi unveiled Mix It Up exhibit to showcase their Prestige Bottle designs.
Turn the ashes of your loved ones into stained glass orbs
Combined with a custom blend of jewel-toned colours, the ashes float in a swirl inside the glass.
Paper sample kit that doubles as a calendar
This calendar is meant to fulfill graphic designers’ need to meet and track the deadlines of their projects.
Paint swatchs used to create erotic artworks
A few weeks ago at the Lawrence Alkin Gallery in London, visual artist Nick Smith showcased a new series of artworks that were inspired by erotic literature.