Hayao Miyazaki – best Japanese animator, ever!

The creator of “Spirited Away” and “Howl’s Moving Castle”, Hayao Miyazaki is the grand master of Japanese animation. I can’t remember when I was first introduced to his works, but if my memory serves me right, I was probably 12 (that was 1986) when I first saw “Nausicaä of the Valley of Wind”. He is the most imaginative animator and is considered one of the best (if not THE best) in the world. If you have never seen his films, may be you should this winter break. You can find out more about him and his films here. Click on titles for synopsis and production info.

Here is my top 5 favorite Miyazaki films:

#1 – Nausicaä of the Valley of Wind (trailer made by a fan)

#2 – Princess Mononoke

#3 – Grave of the Fireflies (trailer made by a fan)

Not suitable for children. This is a moving film about 2 kids surviving WWII after America bombed Japan. The film does not exonerate Japanese war crimes, but instead focuses on the real victims of war – ordinary folks, especially children. Very sad. Directed by Isao Takahata, a partner in Miyazaki’s studio.

#4 – Spirited Away

#5 – My Neighbor Totoro (trailer from DVD set)

Silly Instructions

I found this webpage that lists some really funny instructions on products.

Some examples of why the human race has probably evolved as far as possible:

Do not use while sleeping – on Sears hair dryer.
Gee, that’s the only time I have to work on my hair!

You could be a winner! No purchase necessary. Details inside – on a bag of Fritos.
The shoplifter special!

Directions: Use like regular soap – on a bar of Dial soap.
And that would be how?

Serving suggestion: Defrost – on some Swann frozen dinners.
But it’s just a suggestion!

Fits one head – on a hotel provided shower cap in a box.
The big one or the little one?

Do not turn upside down – on the bottom of Tesco’s Tiramisu dessert box.
Too late! You lose!

Product will be hot after heating – on Marks & Spencer Bread Pudding.
Are you sure??? Let’s experiment.

Do not iron clothes on body – on packaging for a Rowenta iron.
But wouldn’t that save more time? Whose body?

Do not drive car or operate machinery – on Boot’s Children’s cough medicine.
We could do a lot to reduce the rate of construction accidents if we just kept those 5 year olds off those fork lifts.

Warning: may cause drowsiness – on Nytol sleep aid.
One would hope!

Warning keep out of children – on a Korean kitchen knife.
Or pets! What’s for dinner?

For indoor or outdoor use only – on a string of Chinese-made Christmas lights.
As opposed to use in outer space.

Not to be used for the other use – on a Japanese food processor.
Now I’m curious.

Warning: contains nuts – on Sainsbury’s peanuts.
But no peas?

Instructions: open packet, eat nuts – on an American Airlines packet of nuts.
Have a lobotomy

Do not attempt to stop chain with your hands or genitals – on a Swedish chainsaw
What is this, a home castration kit?

Wearing of this garment does not enable you to fly – on a child’s Superman costume.
That’s right, destroy a universal childhood fantasy!

Really Cool Packaging

Here are some great packaging I found on the web. Good art direction and execution.

Double Cross Vodka – The packaging does not tell its story, but you can read it on their very cool website.

B.E.E (natural cleaning products from New Zealand) – This a wonderfully designed packaging campaign. The label tells its story and uses large headlines to get attention. Go to their website to read more about each product. Nice!

Little Dish (natural frozen-dinners for kids from the UK) – Beautifully designed packaging that appeals to concerned parents when they make sensible decisions on what they should feed their kids. I love the illustrations and I bet Sam would agree. Visit website by clicking here.

Illy Ready-to-Drink

Packaging – Cat Wine Bottles

These cat bottles don’t really have a story, but I love them! I have the white one. I love cat stuff and I am thinking of starting a all-things-cat collection. But I am lazy. So we’ll see…

You show yours and I’ll show mine…

OK. I am doing major back tacking on show and tell stuff. Might be too late, but what the heck. To refresh your memory, I did show JPEGs of mid-century furniture that I have in my apartment. I LOVE mid-cen stuff. LOVE LOVE LOVE them. I think they have such personality and style. The post-WWII did bring about great advancement in design and progress in almost every aspect of society and culture. Here are some of the few I have right now… I hope to get more soon when I have $$$$:

My Red Couch and Funky Rug - bought these from Home Anthology in Cantonsville

Bedroom Dresser – found this at Take It Or Leave It, a consignment store in Laurel.

Red Armchair, TV Console and Warhol Cat Prints – the armchair is part of the couch set. Bought the TV console from Target, Thomas O’brien retro collection. Warhol prints.

On Choosing Type {from www.ilovetypography.com}

{http://ilovetypography.com/2008/04/04/on-choosing-type/}

I really dig this article from ilovetypography.com. John D Boardley, the creator of iLT, makes his case that “typography is not a science. Typography is an art… That typography and choosing type is not a science trammeled by axioms and rules is a cause to rejoice.” I like his attitude towards typography and his easy 4-steps rule when dealing with type:

Rule 1 – Honor Content. “… good typographers, most likely won’t even have to consciously think about this—it’s instinctual”

Rule 2 – Read it. He makes it clear that we should always read what we are designing so that appropriate fonts would be selected. And when he says read it, he really means try understanding the content as well.

Rule 3 – Audience and Canvas. Knowing who will be reading the text will give you an idea which fonts to use because each font has it own language. Also, knowing the canvas (i.e. is your design part of someone else’s template) will ensure you keep to specifications.

Rule 4 – Does it Look Right? Print and check.

Rule 5 – “…the decisions you make, including type choice, are subjective. If you’re unsure, ask others.”

Finally, I like his argument that there is no scientific proof on whether sans serif is better than serif fonts, and vice versa. He argues that “we read most easily that which we are most familiar with.”

One of my Favorite British TVC

I remeber this TVC when I was a teenager. The visual was stunning, music was soaringly captivating, and the concept was clever and heartwarming– simply mesmerizing. To this day, the advertisement still moves me. Thought I should share this with everyone.

1989 British Airways Commerical

Funny TVC from Singapore

Found some really crazy TVCs from Singapore. One is from the Republic of Singapore Navy and the other is for bottled bird’s nest tonic. I really like the Navy ad because it gets the attention of its potential recruits (boys age 16-25). The bird’s nest ads are just plain silly. Didn’t believe the client would actually buy it!

Republic of Singapore Navy: Stop Dreaming

Eu Yan Sang Bird’s Nest: Not too Sweet

More Funny Thai Commericals – Smoothe E Facial Foam

OMG! This TVC campaign for a facial foam from Thailand is super funny. If you search for “Smooth E” on www.youtube.com, you will find a number of crazy ads for this innocent product. Here is my favorite, which is a 4-part series! 4-parts! How crazy right. PS: the perfect example of a narrative in TVC format.

Smooth E Facial Foam – Part 1

Smooth E Facial Foam – Part 2

Smooth E Facial Foam – Part 3

Smooth E Facila Foam – Part 4

Narrative >> Low Rollers

I really like this illustrated narrative. The style and treatment of the illustration really add tone to the story. I really like it and will bring to class tomorrow. (Scanned from Bad Idea, the same British magazine which featured a narrative on the financial crisis. (Click on the image to download the PDF)

Low Rollers