Creative round-up February 2023
February may be a short month but there has been no shortage of exciting design and branding news. Here are some happenings from the last few weeks that have caught the eyes of the Ingenious team…
Jony Ive designs new Red Nose for Comic Relief
Apple’s former chief design officer, Jony Ive and his creative team at LoveFrom have designed a new Red Nose for Comic Relief. Made entirely from plant-based materials, this constitutes its ‘most dramatic makeover since its debut in 1988’. Fitting a variety of nose shapes, it arrives as a small flat crescent shape that folds out into a honeycomb paper sphere. As with so many design challenges, the new ‘and seemingly simple Red Nose has been a fabulously complex little object to design and make…’ says Ive.
Make sure you get yours in time for Red Nose Day on Friday 17 March – each one bought will help people through the toughest of times.
Official Coronation emblem
A beautiful coronation emblem for King Charles III has also been designed by Jony Ive and his team. A depiction of St Edward’s Crown, with which Charles will be crowned, is informed by the King’s love of the natural world and includes flora representing each UK nation – a rose for England, thistle for Scotland, daffodil for Wales and shamrock for Northern Ireland. The primary colour palette uses the red white and blue of the union flag, with secondary versions including pairings of pink and red, light and dark blue and black and grey.
The emblem will appear throughout May’s celebrations on everything from events, posters and bunting to retail environments and merchandise. According to Ive, the design was “inspired by King Charles’ love of the planet, nature and his deep concern for the natural world”.
Save sex!
London-based agency, Uncommon Creative Studio, have co-created SEX BRAND, a new sexual awareness brand to encourage people to have more sex! According to Uncommon, humanity is having sex less than once a week on average for the first time in history, due to exposure to porn, social media, dating apps and the busyness of modern life. Appropriately launched on Valentine’s Day, SEX BRAND wants to reverse this worrying trend with sustainable condoms made from regenerative rubber. With its unmissable name in large bold capitals, striking colour branding in orange and black to underline the state of emergency, bold messaging and provocative slogans, it is certainly eye-catching!
Condoms are available from the SEX BRAND website and for every million sold, the company will donate a million more to Uganda where there is a significant shortage of sexual wellness products.
Eurovision 2023 visual identity
Ukraine won Eurovision last year but due to the ongoing war, this year’s competition will be hosted by the UK in Liverpool. Unveiled by the BBC at the end of last month, the branding has been created by global brand and design agency Superunion and Ukrainian creative studio, Starlight Creative, with the theme ‘United by Music’.
The sentiment of solidarity between the two countries is captured in the branding. Using the colours of each country’s flag as a basis, the visual identity features overlapping navy, blue and red hearts on a striking yellow background. The Penny Lane typeface references The Beatles as well as Liverpool’s cast-iron street signs. According to Superunion’s creative directors, their design was ‘inspired by research showing that when experiencing live music together, human hearts synchonise to beat in unison…’ and the resulting brand demonstrates the power of music to bring people together.
Spanish boutique’s 3-D printed interior
We love the shop interior created by Spanish design studio, Nagami, almost entirely 3D-printed from recycled plastic for sustainable clothing brand, Ecoalf in Madrid. The walls, shelves and tables in the store consist of undulating, translucent surfaces that resemble melting and cracking glaciers. All are made from 3.3 tonnes of repurposed plastic waste sourced mainly from hospitals. The effect is visually stunning with the aim of uniting design and technology to raise awareness about the climate crisis. It is among the world’s first fully 3D-printed interiors using recycled plastic and all components can be disassembled and reused or recycled for future projects. According to Nagami co-founder, Manuel Jiménez García, they see ‘3D printing as one of the most sustainable forms of production’ as it doesn’t create any fumes and the plastic itself is almost infinitely recyclable.
Donatello at the V&A
The first major UK exhibition to explore the work of Renaissance sculptor, Donatello, has opened at London’s Victoria & Albert Museum to great reviews: ‘Pure magic from marble’ The Times; ‘Everywhere you look, Donatello breaks the rules at this showcase of some of his most sublime sculptures’ The Guardian; ‘A chance to revel in the work of arguably the greatest sculptor of his era’ Evening Standard; ‘This first-rate show is a reminder that Donatello was a sculptor so brilliant he could paint in marble’ The Telegraph.
Donatello: Sculpting the Renaissance is at the V&A until 11 June 2023.