miscellaneously inspiring

OK, so I’ve been super neglectful of this blog.

So here’s an attempt to record at least a little bit of the stuff that has made me go “oh lord, that’s AWESOME ” in the past month.

1) THE DUNLOP MELODY RD

Place: the wilds of Japan. Problem: people hooning on the roads. Opportunistic brand: Dunlop tyres. 

 Basically, they picked a certain road in the aforementioned wilds and carved a series of grooves along it, in such a way that as you drive along it, your tyres play out a melody.

Then they made a billboard telling drivers that if they slow down to 40km/h, they’ll hear a tune.

CLEVER! Unsurprisingly, it won a whole lot of addy-type awards last year.

I’d love to find out more. Unfortunately most of the website is in Japanese.

2) COMPARING INK USAGE OF DIFFERENT TYPEFACES

These two designers had a smart idea.

They picked some common typefaces, and drew out large scale versions. They used a different ballpoint pen to colour in each typeface.

They then turned the pens they’d used into a bar graph, using the remaining ink levels to display the ink efficiency of each typeface.

Very elegant.

3) SPEAKING OF TYPEFACES…

Why not create type that looks like your own face?

(Alright, true, on one level why would you bother…

But it’s nice to know that if you want to, you now can.)

4) There is no number 4.

…Beyond this brief foray into self-referentiality.

 

5) A RANDOM IMAGE FROM (APPARENTLY) AN ARTIST IN PARIS.

Not that any context is really relevant.

I just find this picture oddly compelling.

thinking is good for you

It’s official.

Thinking is good for you, according to the latest in brain science research.

The best way to keep a hold on your marbles through later life, scientists say, is to keep yourself mentally active earlier.

There are a few ways to do this, researchers say. You can learn a language. Do crosswords, sudoku. Start playing chess. Start playing the cello. Whatever is new and challenging and works for you.

Me, I like to collect ideas.

That’s what this site’s about.

It’s simply a catalogue of stuff that provokes, inspires, stimulates, challenges. Those kind of ideas so awesomely, exquisitely honed that they cut into your mind like a blade, or a needle, so the world after is forever slightly changed for you.

Some of the ideas on this site are from advertising, some are from design, some are just random. Most are things I’ve surreptitiously stolen from cleverer people than me.

And the rest are my own stray thoughts, looking for a home.

Please comment, challenge, debate, dismember as you will.

It’s all in the spirit of a healthy brain.