SEVEN

It's a miracle! Oh wait, no...

Sat, 18 May 2013 11:00:29 +0100

We stumbled across this and it got us thinking (and chuckling) about the whole camera and design culture that we live in. As much as we and countless others love photography, many use the throwaway comment that it removes miracles from the world, in the same way as can be said for science.

But with science, just because we suddenly understand why something happens, it doesn’t make it any less beautiful, or scary, or breathtaking. With photography, many say that it actually helps to capture miracles and eternalise them, although that in itself can work against the whole “miracle factor”.

And then we have Photoshop, which since 1989 has helped us to create miracles where they don’t even belong. From a model being stunning to an otherwordly extent, to a monk fighting a bear on a bouncy castle (it probably exists somewhere).

It’s a bit of a catch-22 situation: you capture the miracle and it stops being a miracle, so you create new ones, but since they’re fabricated they’re not miracles to begin with.

You want our advice? Don’t worry about it. Snap away and have the best digital gallery around. Just don’t take pictures of nothing but your evening meals, as unless the pork chops suddenly spring to life and start dancing, there’s nothing miraculous there whatsoever!

The happiest animal on Earth

Fri, 17 May 2013 11:00:41 +0100

The axolotl, or Mexican salamander, is a bizarre little creature. It usually retains its aquatic larval form, meaning that it remains incredibly pink and cute its whole life.

Rather than posting a photo (you can easily find one yourself via Google), we thought we’d share this lovely cartoon version by illustrator Abigail Nottingham. The fact that axolotl “has a happy” makes it even lovelier, because if anything on the planet should be moronically blissful, it’s this little aquatic critter!

[Abi’s portfolio can be viewed here.]

A very steady hand

Thu, 16 May 2013 11:00:25 +0100

How long must it have taken to get these just right? Not just the painting process itself, but the initial design, the position of the hand, the angle of the camera; everything!

This kind of design is one of the best: done simply for the love of creating and sharing. Plus the pieces boast a factor that doesn’t apply to many types of art, in that they’re so temporary and can only have lasted a few hours, from the first brushstrokes to the hand being scrubbed clean. Yes, they can be redone, but these particular versions existed for barely any time at all.

It’s moments like this that the entire Force-7 office gets really animated and we all have a go. Unfortunately our attempts will probably look like Muppets run over by a steamroller.

Bang goes the punctuation!

Wed, 15 May 2013 11:00:52 +0100

Many people will have never heard of an interrobang, and yet it’s something that would make their writing, texting and tweeting so much easier.

An interrobang is a nonstandard punctuation mark that combines the question mark with the exclamation mark. So basically:

? + ! = ‽

(If the solution to the above sum hasn’t loaded on your screen, check out the comic below.)

The name derives from the question mark’s alternative name of the INTERROgative point and the exclamation mark’s nickname used amongst printers as the BANG.

Unfortunately, it’s neither universally accepted nor actively requested, so it probably won’t be added to our traditional QWERTY keyboards anytime soon. This is a crying shame, as its application would really tidy up a lot of text.

Sentences such as “What are you doing with that aubergine?!” and “Where the hell’s that tarantula gone?!” would look far better with a single piece of punctuation to denote both a query and surprise/anger.

And if you’re still not convinced, an interrobang would also save you a character when tweeting. Could a punctuation geek ask for more?!

Love this! But as much as we’re thinking Yeah, you loser,...

Tue, 14 May 2013 17:27:57 +0100

Love this! But as much as we’re thinking Yeah, you loser, stop taking pictures of your food! No one cares!, each of us is probably guilty of doing it at some point.

From showing off…

“This caramelised alligator steak is braised in distilled elephant urine, which is holy in some countries so it’s more expensive than the gold plate I’m eating it off.”

To quite the opposite…

“I’m so skint right now that I’m having baked beans! I’ve put them on top of some toast. It works quite well. I might share the recipe online.”

Or the downright odd…

“Is it just me, or does this burger look like Mark Wahlberg?”

Whatever the case, EAT IT, DON’T TWEET IT!

Have you heard the HIV Hop? It’s a creative HIV awareness...

Fri, 10 May 2013 18:07:35 +0100

Have you heard the HIV Hop?

It’s a creative HIV awareness campaign from last year, commissioned by the The Centre for HIV and Sexual Health in Sheffield, and we we love what they’ve done with it. Even the beginning to the video made us laugh, with its message that “It’s literally real.”

fer1972: Stillness in Motion by Olga Ziemska

Wed, 08 May 2013 16:03:37 +0100

fer1972:

Stillness in Motion by Olga Ziemska

The Apprentice.....

Wed, 08 May 2013 13:38:13 +0100

Having being glued to the TV set during the last few series’ of ‘The Apprentice’ due to its incredible entertainment factor…Last night was no exception. It was great!

Full of the bitchy, backstabbing but most importantly business minded professionals that we have come to love on the show.

I must admit I thought it was one of the most difficult first tasks that there have been - especially with the lack of sleep! But I loved it and thought, as always, Lord Sugar was merciless when it came to the traditional ‘you’re fired’ moment!

It looks set to be another great series and I can’t wait for the Brewery episode next week!

What Lizzy Thinks Of Fashion...

Wed, 08 May 2013 11:21:01 +0100

With fashion always being a hot topic, and especially this week with the Met Ball, our street team member Lizzy has written a blog on what fashion means to her:

Me and my friends are very fashion conscious and like to keep up to date with the latest trends!

Everyone says that fashion goes in cycles – but I believe some things we wore when we were younger should never come back in to fashion. For example…

I remember going to school in high-heeled silver Jelly Sandals which everybody had and stone always used to get caught in! Also another fashion no no was the quilted blow up backpacks (although they were pretty cool).

However – skousers (shirt and trousers in one) and coloured cord felt flares should be banned for the rest of eternity. Along with string vests and bags made out of bright coloured fluff!

I’ve looked over a few old pictures of myself in these items and I know they will haunt me forever, I think future generations should be saved from such fashion embarrassments !!!

This animation by ADHD and the Layzell Brothers is just so...

Tue, 07 May 2013 13:11:41 +0100

This animation by ADHD and the Layzell Brothers is just so freaky that we had to share it! The thing is, despite its frenetic pace, wild colours and social behaviour that may make you weep, it’s also scarily relatable.

Please note that it gets pretty damn dark toward the end, but it’s still funny and filled with brilliantly simple but engaging animation.

Photo

Tue, 07 May 2013 10:37:40 +0100

So nearly two weeks ago I carried out my final year graphics...

Tue, 07 May 2013 08:40:00 +0100

So nearly two weeks ago I carried out my final year graphics project at Leeds University, with the help of Force-7 as one of the main event sponsors (THANKS!). From working at Force-7 during my year in industry and experiencing events production, I knew I wanted to create a live event as part of my final design project. So I decided to hold a traditional print day celebration to help educate and promote traditional printing techniques to students and young creatives.

Over the past century a major paradigm shift has been seen to occur in the production of graphic design artwork. A movement away from the more traditional handcrafted forms of graphic design has been seen to be replaced by digital production. Techniques such as letterpress, letraset, screen printing, calligraphy, darkroom photography and lithography are being phased out by one tool – the Apple Macintosh computer.

Bob Gill discusses how technology has taken the ‘mystique’ out of ordinary design and print. He states, ‘“Programs fit words and images into professional looking formats. They even throw in some special effects”. Gill describes how the computer has made the designer’s life a lot easier with, “No more paste-ups and mechanicals. No more dependency on outside typesetting and photostats”.

Traditional design techniques do not have an eraser tool and do not allow easy changes in colour or typography, every part of the design needs to have been carefully planned, as Erik Spiekermann states, “Think before you act”.

Due to the digital perfection which our modern design industry strives to achieve, the flawed product of the human hand is becoming increasingly appealing, especially in contrast to digital design that’s too clean and crisp to have a ‘soul’ of its own.

The Small Town Ink traditional print day included the chance to use letterpress equipment supplied by The Print Project and Richard Lawrence, who both provided drop-in workshops and talks on traditional printing methods. The day also included a print exhibition showcasing work from a variety of local print makers, as well as a print fair for members of the public to browse and pick up some fantastic pieces of work. Local workshops were also in attendance, providing information on what resources are available to young designers in the local area.

From opening at 10.30am on Wednesday 24th April to closing the event at 5pm there was a constant stream of people, with nearly 300 creatives attending.

We have received fantastic feedback and people are already asking when the next event is going to take place. This shows how popular traditional printing is becoming once again and emphasises the need to carry on teaching these skills.

Currently the University of Leeds has a very limited amount of traditional printing equipment, but I hope that this event has emphasised how necessary and beneficial these traditional skills are for young designers to learn and use.

Let’s hope for another print day experience very soon…

Really impressed with this customer service from the NHS blood...

Mon, 06 May 2013 15:04:20 +0100

Really impressed with this customer service from the NHS blood donor service - it’s something I wanted to do anyway but knowing they were genuinely appreciative makes it even better!

How to gain followers and tweet people, by the NHS

Light up the world!

Mon, 06 May 2013 12:06:00 +0100

Light Art is an amazing creative outlet. It’s basically one long photo, with everything that happens between the lens opening and closing being caught on film. The result is something really quite breathtaking… providing you do something more interesting that turning on a lightbulb.

Eloise chats about moving up North!!!

Thu, 02 May 2013 15:34:48 +0100

Coming from 180 odd miles away, right in the middle of Essex, I’ve been subject to a fair few stereotypes since moving to hull to study at uni. While people joke asking why I’m not plastered in fake tan, where my fake nails and lashes are and if i party at sugar hut (stereotypes thanks to TOWIE), I’ve found the people in hull to be incredibly friendly. Yet hull is a place with a somewhat negative perception surrounding it and I’m not sure why people still think of the city in that way. Only the other day someone at the cash machine spoke to me! This is pretty much forbidden the minute you enter the “South” - or “saaaaf” as we prefer to say.

Taxi drivers here talk to you and people smile of a morning - amazing! There’s nothing worse than getting on a London tube amongst thousands of commuters who probably see each other everyday yet refuse to even lift their head let alone say hello! Its like they’re all on auto pilot…”heads down. Make no eye contact”.

If I’m honest, at first I was having a little bit of trouble understanding the distinctive dialect. After spending time wondering why the letter H became silent as soon as you venture up the A1, I came to realise locals were never going to pronounce it! Once I’d learnt a few phrases like nowt, owt and summat, I had virtually no trouble understanding a standard conversation with people. This is aside from the recent confusion between “burn” and “bone” - where is the distinction there!? The skies might be grey 80% of the time and this winter I may have experienced temperatures I thought were impossibly low in this country but once you get the hang of the lingo and buy a decent coat you’ll be converted to the north! One thing I’ll definitely be trying to bring down south is Chip Spice!

Teeny-weeny tiny macro How do you like your insects in the...

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 10:19:52 +0100

Teeny-weeny tiny macro

How do you like your insects in the morning? I like mine covered in dew. Wait… what?

These incredible photos taken by Miroslaw Swietek in the forest near his Polish home got us thinking about the incredible detail that we often overlook. Even the little critters themselves are totally oblivious to the dazzling beauty that a coating of condensed atmospheric vapour on their wings and antennae creates.

The wonders of the minuscule apply to pretty much everything when you stop to appreciate the individual characteristics that make up the larger object. Next time, take a moment to study the knots of a wooden fence that swirl like a fearsome whirlpool; the red dust of crumbling brick that resembles a Martian landscape; or even the slugs in your backyard as they leave shimmering tell-tale trails behind them like a reversed Donny Darko.

Will you join us in celebrating the macro world? Get your magnifying glasses out, it’s time to get up close and personal!*

*Force-7 will not be held accountable for emotional trauma caused by women making mean jokes about small pee-pees.

Life After University (Jess Clarke)

Mon, 29 Apr 2013 15:21:14 +0100

So. It’s the end of April, moving into May and I’ve reached the business end of my uni life. After nearly 3 years of fun, work, lots of rehearsals and plays (I’m a drama student!) I’ve never had as much work as I have to get done in the next 3-and-a-bit weeks.

But hey, that’s fine - it’ll get done, and hopefully it’ll be good… No, the really scary thing about right now is the dreaded question “So, what’s your plan then?”

I’ll tell you right now, at the moment I have no plan. I have a house in Hull until the 2nd July, and that’s as far as my forward planning goes. My mum and dad live in France so it’s not like I can just move back home whilst I decide what to do!

Although I have lived away from home in a non-uni setting (When I was 19 I moved to London for a year, just because I could) there was always that safety blanket of going back home if I needed to. Now, in the eyes of the government at least, I’ve been an adult for 5 years and so I should know what I’m doing and have a plan, right?

There’s also the onslaught of news, everyday, that never fails to remind me how ‘Youth unemployment is at a record high’ and that there are more job losses, more redundancies and more businesses closing. When I was thinking about going to University in 2009/10 there were similar-sounding news headlines and I thought “By the time I’ve finished my course, it’ll have picked up!”. How wrong I was…

But although I’m painting a rather hopeless, scary prospect actually I’m quite excited. At the moment I’m so bogged down with University work, I’m really looking forward to being able to concentrate on trying to get into the industry that I want to work in, without the 3,000 word essay that’s due in for Monday that I haven’t started yet!

I’ve always been someone that likes adventures, and so, cheesy as it sounds, I’m thinking of the next few months as a big adventure as I try and find my feet without the help of a student loan. I think that work is out there if you want it, it’s just a case of being more creative about how you find jobs, how you apply for jobs or creating your own jobs!

Let’s see what happens…

The next time you miss the bus, drop a fiver on a windy day, or...

Sun, 28 Apr 2013 20:18:52 +0100

The next time you miss the bus, drop a fiver on a windy day, or discover that your car has been stolen and replaced with a Post-it note that simply reads ‘LOL’, immediately visit this website and everything will be fine.

Hey you, The Future, hurry up!

Sat, 27 Apr 2013 18:43:00 +0100

We’re getting very excited about NFC (Near Field Communication) business cards, and Moo aren’t too far from providing them to those with their fingers on the pulse of pocket-sized technology!

If you haven’t heard of NFC business cards, the idea is actually very simple. Your cards look perfectly normal, with their two sides displaying the design and information you would normally have. But then there’s a “third side”, one that’s invisible until you place the card next to an NFC-enabled smartphone.

When you do this, a chip inside the card communicates with the smartphone and feeds it a pre-loaded instruction. This could be to save your contact details into the address book, open the web browser to your website, load a map giving directions to your office or shop, or perhaps even play a YouTube video of you greeting the recipient and talking them through your services. The possibilities are actually endless, as long as you have an imagination.

So look out for the launch of these cards in the (hopefully) near future, and think up plenty of fun, exciting and innovative ways that you can use them to show people just how clever you really are, NFC-style!

Rowing to Paris! (Simon from the Street Team)

Fri, 26 Apr 2013 16:15:15 +0100

A week on Saturday (May 4th 2013) i am participating in a 6 day (if all goes to plan, that is) 500 mile row from the London Eye to the Eiffel Tower. We will be travelling on the Thames, to Ramsgate, out onto the channel and into the Seine. There are only a few days of the year that this row is possible due to tides and the amount of daylight available. We will however, be rowing through the night. The row consists of two teams of 12 people. We will be actively rowing in two/four hour stretches before we are relieved by the other 6 members of the crew to allow us to have some food and also get some sleep. It also allows time for all our bruises to fester as i’ve discovered on the training sessions. We have been training all over the country and it has not been an easy ride. I came home after the last training session in much need of a full body massage and - due to excess layers of clothing - a lot of sudocrem to soothe my backside. The training for this event has not been easy. I was the type of person who sat inside all day and watched television and didn’t really care too much for sports. I started rowing for the Hull University Boat Club in September and participation into the London To Paris event was confirmed in December. It has been a very challenging transition between the sprint training that i was doing at Hull and the open water gigg boats that we are using for this row. The team that will be in the support boats with us for the duration of the journey are also involved in a lot of channel events but they don’t tend to do as many London To Paris events due to the time and training that is required from each member. The crew are the same crew who support John Bishop in his charity row across the channel last year.

You may ask why the heck someone would put them through something like this. We’re doing it for charity. My crew is supporting the ‘Help For Heroes’ charity and the other team (the enemy) are raising money for the ‘Ickle Pickles’ charity which supports the development and care of premature babies. We have raised just shy of £50,000 so far and are hoping to double it by the time the row comes around. We are sponsored by a number of different companies but our main sponsor of the row is Majnoon Oil Fields.

If you wish to sponsor me in my epic journey to Paris please visit www.justgiving.com/simonheptonstallrealboatrace

Or for more information about the row itself visit - www.therealboatrace.com