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.

Find out how you can appear smart in meetings

Not everyone enjoys meetings. Some see it as a waste of time—where they could be completing their work—while others find it a necessity to keep on top of current projects. However, it can be pretty nerve-racking if you don’t know what’s going on in the…

American Egg Board wants you to wake up to eggs and… Kevin Bacon

In its latest campaign to get Americans to start their day with eggs, the American Egg Board decided to pair eggs with back — Kevin Bacon to be exact. Actor Kevin Bacon has traded off the whole six degrees thing in ads for years, but now…

Making fun of common type mistakes using Star Wars quotes

More than just arranging pretty fonts on a nice background, typography is an essential part of most designs—they can make or break a project. Unfortunately, common type mistakes tend to make a bigger statement than good typography. They stick out like a sore thumb, while good…

Honest, humorous descriptions of popular apps

Downloading apps onto your smartphone can be incredibly addictive. Every Android or iOS user has their favourite apps, such as a beloved social networking app or an entertaining, time-killing game. With the thousands upon thousands of popular apps available to download, do you know what any…

The differences between single and taken men

There are two distinct types of men in this world: those who are single and those who are in a relationship. That’s how comedy site ScrollDroll sums up all men, anyway, in a poster series illustrating the key differences between the two groups.

Funny, minimalist letterpress Valentine’s Day cards

Happy Valentine’s Day! Yes, it’s that time of year again when we spend copious amounts of money to show our loved ones just how much we care. 

Sarcastic poster series shows the reality of being a photographer

Few careers are romanticized like that of a photographer; traveling the world, engaging with people, places and things. But is the reality all that attractive?

The most-backed Kickstarter project ever: Exploding Kittens

The name says it all doesn’t it. Exploding Kittens, a card game created by Elan Lee (Xbox, ARGs), Matthew Inman (The Oatmeal), and Shane Small (Xbox, Marvel), has officially become the most backed Kickstarter project of all time.

Humorous versions of 2015’s Oscar-nominated movie posters

For many the awards season is the time to glue yourself to the television with a bowl of popcorn and hope that your favourite movie gets nominated. Some years you’ll see well known movies, other times they’re niche documentaries with German subtitles.

Humorous first drafts of popular movies

Brainstorming is one of the best ways to come up with new ideas. It’s also a good way to get the crappy ideas out or your head so you can think more clearly. And even the most experienced writer won’t come up with great ideas…

For Ad people: A website that generates badass job titles

Do you not have a title at work or don’t like the one that you have? The Badass Advertising Job Titles website lets you create your very own important-sounding job title.

Hilariously rude holiday cards for a very sweary Christmas

If you've gotten tired of run-of-the-mill Christmas cards, these rude holiday cards are just what you need.

What they didn’t teach you in design school

No matter what path you took in life, when it comes to our careers we all wish I learned ________________ in school. So, inspired by the gaps he perceived in a conventional design education, Professor Phil Cleaver published the very readable What They Didn’t Teach…

Humorously pointless missing posters

Once upon a time, before the Internet, people relied on flyers, missing posters, and community spirit to help them find their lost pets. They’ve also used to spread the word about cool events going down around the neighbourhood. Nowadays however, public announcement posters are just basically…

Instagram account mocks inspirational quotes and clichés

For those on social media who overuse them, please stop with the inspirational quotes and clichés. Certain bits of “wisdom” have been overused; and they weren’t that great to begin with.

Watch: Every customer service call ever

Anyone who has ever had to make a call to customer service centre can relate to the frustrations of waiting for someone to answer.

IKEA instructions humorously depict handling real life situations

Are you having trouble figuring out exactly how to behave in certain situations? Have no fear, IKEA is here. Actually, UK-based artist James Chapman is here with a humorous illustrated series of IKEA instructions. They demonstrate the dos and do nots of handling situations in…

Why designers don’t need to be told how to do their job

When design-illiterate executives get involved in the design process, it’s never a good thing. Designers often face this unavoidable scenario; various individuals wanting to contribute their two cents’ worth in the design process.

Funny ad features Sarah Silverman crowdfunding equal pay for women

According to this campaign regarding the equal pay for women, women lose out on salary to the tune of almost $30 trillion US.

Hilariously profane cookbook wants you to eat like you give a fuck

These days it’s hard to eat healthy; especially with food like galaxy donuts and the secret menus at restaurants. But if you’re the type of person who’s looking for inspiration to start eating delicious and healthy food, this cookbook is for you.

Witty uninspiring posters about life’s lows

For most of us, that uninspiring or depressed feeling comes and goes. But when sadness persists it affects your ability to function at work, at home, or in other aspects of your life. So if you’re currently in a funk, you might want to avoid…

The international styles of kissing

A survey of 3,500 singles regarding their thoughts about kissing, found that most have dated a bad kisser. 73% of those singles polled, also claim they’ve been stuck in a bad kissing situation.

Humorous superhero mashup illustrations

The superhero genre has never been more popular. From Batman to the Avengers and X-Men, there’s a story for everyone. But what would happen if they started to crossover with pop culture, comics, or even famous personalities?

The greatest fears that a gamer can relate to

As someone who has grown up playing video games, I know there are fears that gamers can relate to; like when you die, but forgot to save. 

What not to say to a photographer

Bing a photographer is a complicated and sometimes challenging job, requiring talent and knowledge. But that doesn’t stop some people from treating them like free photo dispensers. 

If the 90s were a movie, this would be its trailer

Has anyone else noticed that Hollywood has no new ideas? It seems all they make these days are remakes of toys, cartoons, and franchises from the 80s and 90s.

Witty, offensive cards that fold out into awesome greetings

Receiving greeting cards from a loved ones makes every holiday or celebration that much more special. But how would you react if that card said Santa Hates You? If you’re sick and tired of those cliché greetings, you’ll just love these!

The pros and cons of dating a programmer

Are you single? Are you looking for someone who likes to strip, touch, finger, unzip, and mount? If you know I’m talking about Linux commands, then you must be a programmer.

Why owning a PC is like owning a dog

Did you know that PCs and dogs have lots in common? Well, OK, owning PCs and dogs are mostly similar – until you get to the part where you have to consider buying a new one. 

Ridiculous requests and things you shouldn’t say to a graphic designer

If you’re a graphic designer (or even an art director like me for that matter), one of the hardest things is trying to accede to your client’s vague, obscure and sometimes ridiculous requests; the ones that don’t clearly state what they want.

Do you think about sex every 7 seconds?

It’s been estimated that men think about sex every 7 seconds. If we believe the stats, thinking about sex every seven seconds adds up to 514 times an hour. Or approximately 7,200 times during the waking day. Is that a lot? I’m not sure, but…

7 fun ways to make your desk job more like a RPG

When you’re playing the game of life, you probably imagine it to be some impossibly complicated RPG. It’s filled with awful consequences and no right answer. Life really is just about moving forward and completing quests. 

Pocket Art Director gives you on-the-spot design advice

When deadlines are on the horizon, chances are your art director is nowhere to be found. If talking to your other colleagues would result in a prolonged ramblings, then you need the Pocket Art Director. 

Hilarious images poke fun at hipster motivational posters

If you’re regularly on social media, you certainly get a good dose of the usual hipster motivational posters posted on Facebook, Tumblr or Instagram. The pattern used to create these trivial posters is always the same: a heavy processed or filtered photo, with a motivational sentence placed somewhere…

Break the bad news with humorous and beautiful calligraphy

How do you break bad news to someone? Do you sugarcoat it or tell the truth? If you’ve ever had to break bad news to someone, but weren’t quite sure how to do it, there’s now a solutions. Seb Lester is a graphic designer from the UK. He has a love or…

25 things you don’t know you’re doing that make you look like a douche

Douche is a word that is used to describe someone who has shown themselves to be very brainless in one way or another; thus comparing them to the cleansing product for vaginas. As society continues its downward spiral, I thought that it would be good to point…

Humorous middle class problems

As the middle class has grown, so have middle class problems. The online world is jammed full of parents and Millennials blogging about crises that are anything but. A life of privilege obviously brings hardships for many, like when “Starbucks all out of pumpkin spice, now I have to settle…

The Survival Kit: getting you through office “emergencies”

A lot of unexpected things can happen in the course of a day at the office—and making it through an office emergency can be difficult. So don’t wait until disaster strikes. It’s a smart idea to have office survival kits prepared for you and your…

Do you know the origins of the 10 greatest insults?

Insults have been around since humans could communicate with one-another. Many have come and gone, but others have evolved over time. Read up on the obscure history of 10 PG-rated slang terms below and share with your friends.

Infographic: Translating client-speak like a pro

If you’re in the marketing industry, like myself, trying to understand client feedback can be a tricky and confusing affair. Clients say one thing, but they actually mean another. It’s basically listening to a non-designer trying to explain type theory to you.

Truth Facts about our daily routines and habits

Each day you wake up and rush to get ready for work. You shower at lightning speed, wolf down your breakfast and grab your coffee before running out the door. After work, you eat dinner, sprawl out on the couch and binge Netflix. Then it’s…

Ridiculous demands made by advertising clients

Clients often come up with ridiculous demands, but none more than to those in advertising and marketing.

Infographic: Crazy shit that people search for on Google

Have you ever started typing a legitimate search into Google, only to have a disturbing, funny, or crazy shit pop up as auto-complete suggestion? Why does this happen?

Photos that poke fun at silly United States laws

In the United States, there are both federal and state laws; each of the 50 states are allowed to formulate and implement their own laws. Some of these laws are rarely implemented and are even considered weird, controversial and obnoxious. While some are outlandish and…

If our childhood cartoons were scientifically accurate

When you think back to your favourite cartoons of the 80s and 90s, you’re probably brought back to happier times filled with colour, innocence, and laughter. Well that’s about to change.

22 common phrases we all secretly hate

What makes a phrase cringe-worthy? The Huffington Post editors were asked which common phrases bother them the most. The common thread among the responses was uselessness. Often, the phrases that we find off-putting are those that serve as conversational fillers, implying that the speaker is vapid or…

Can you imagine if women hit on men, like men hit on women?

I’m sure that most women know when a guy is hitting on them—it’s like a sixth sense. Whether it’s in the gym or the supermarket, and no matter what they look like, every women gets hit on from time to time. Which must be tiring.

Every brand video ever, in one sweeping parody

This fake brand video highlight reel is designed to emotionally connect consumers to a giant corporation.