2009 was a year I’ll never forget.
I married, honeymoon’d, moved to the south coast and even bought a Volvo estate. And I already know that 2010 will be another record breaking year for me.

Wishing all my readers a happy and prosperous year ahead. I am looking for bigger and more challenging projects in 2010 and am available now! So if you are (or know of someone) looking for a creative with a decade of experience please do me the favour and pass my details on.

Designers Toolbox has a useful set of iPhone Interface elements for you to design your application with.

Download the PSD now

I’ve recently upgraded my Macs to Adobe Creative Suite 4. It’s a great update to the workhorse package. (Apart from a troublesome upgrade where my serial number was invalid, then valid, then invalid again which left me reinstalling CS3 then CS4 three times!)

One thing that was annoying me in Photoshop CS4 is the compass that appears when using a MacBook trackpad. It’s actually a “Canvas Rotation Tool”.

Thankfully Adobe had created a Photoshop Plug-In to disable this. Go here to download and simply drag into the Photoshop Plug-Ins folder.

Creating you own wedding stationery! I began preparing for this job a year before actually putting ideas onto screen. I started the project by visiting the south coast and purchasing a 1950’s Adana Press, a beautiful hand letterpress with a 8×5″ chase, along with two 6ft tall chests full of metal type. It’s what any typophile dreams of finding – I had an instant museum in the garage!

Next was finding someone to make Polymor Plates for the 8×5 chase, this took me to Plymouth and a lesson from a retired master of the craft. Sourcing paper was more local to home and from an excellent supplier (JPP) in Stockwell. I opted for a 300 gsm Somerset Texture – the world’s finest paper! – and it’s made in Wells.

I had everything I needed to start the letterpress. I was my harshest critique but after lots of love, sweat and a few tears I produced invites, rsvps and order of services this bride and groom were very proud of.

Photos from the story can be seen on Flickr

In 2005 The Royal Mint announced a competition to design six of the eight kinds of coin in circulation in Britain, the first full redesign of the coins since decimalisation in 1971. 

You can tell they were done by a graphic designer; even with the complexity of the Royal Arms, the designs are clean and sparse, with pleasing variation in placement of the inscription, and on the 20p there is a sense of refraction through the thick border of the coin. I think they’re fantastic, in fact, they’re astounding!

(via Ministry of Type)

After recently reading this post on CR Blog and coincidently finding a QR reader application on my iPhone it reminded me to explore the wonderful world of QR codes and their possibilities.

QR (Quick response) codes are the modern day version of barcodes but instead of using a traditional reader you’d find at Sainsbury, you use a mobile phone camera which sometimes has software built-in or you download an app to read the codes. The QR codes generally contain a ‘machine’ readable URL that automatically sends the user off to your website. This is especially useful if your domain name and specific page is long and unfriendly for typing out or writing down – one snap on your camera and you’re away.

2dcode.co.uk is a blog that helps you screw up your code as the code itself allows for 30% deterioration while still remaining readable.

Create your own QR code over at Kaywa.

Portraits, a geometric exercise by Icelander Siggi Eggertsson. Love them!

Nice poster by these people

Lovely lovely old posters over at Blanka - all of which I can’t afford. If anyone is feeling charitable – my birthday is in July.