Illustration 'Del Rose' (2013)

Del Rose (2013)

An illustration I drew over the weekend, part of my 'just create' challenge. Scanning it in slightly changed how it originally looks, does any illustrator know best way to scan?

Stop Resisting & Starting Creating - Just Do!

Sometimes stepping out of ones comfort zone to achieve a certain dream, goal or even a simple idea can be extremely daunting to the point where you put it off and then eventually never act on it. In a nutshell this image/quote summarizes the tension I was experiencing for a duration of time at university up until actually not too long ago. A few months back I was watching an encouraging TED Talk given by young fashion designer, Mary Katrantzou. In her talk she narrated her creative journey and how she achieved success as a designer. She described what I and many other designers, artists, and creatives had also & often still do experience. Her creative journey spoke of overcoming self doubt, fear of failure and the challenge of moving an idea on from a thought into action. In my case, I had quite a few ideas and goals for creative projects, but for a number of reasons I found myself either holding back or not acting on them. This was mainly due to a knock back in creative confidence, along with doubt and worries of making mistakes. I realised, all this was doing was prohibiting creative growth, and needed a reminder that a huge aspect of being a designer is not being afraid to fail (Edwin Land ref) or get your hands messy. Being experimental and making mistakes is all part of the creative process and sometimes great work and outcomes are achieved from it. Over thinking and over analyzing an idea or goal can become a hindrance and work against any productivity. There are times when you just need to 'do'. Try things out, experiment, get creating and push your creativity!

Be encouraged :)...

+ Hello and welcome to any new readers, don't forget to say hi :) Also keep up to date and follow Design Fruit with Bloglovin!

+ In April I decided to change the name of the blog from 'Shazberri' to 'Design Fruit'. I felt it was necessary for a name change due to the direction I hope to continue taking the blog in. The concept behind the new name is that this space displays the hard work of the design & creative industry which is consequently 'fruit'. Also throwing in that I just love fruit in all its, somewhat natural forms; fresh juice and smoothies, anyone?! 

+ For the past couple of weeks I have been playing around with the look and feel of the blog, creating a simple yet bold visual style. I added more navigational options and have been tidying up some areas. It's not quite all there yet, so I'm still fiddling around with and tweaking things until I get tired! I hope you find this revamp easier on the eyes and to navigate around.

+ I am brainstorming and working on a number of themed post series which will be added to the 'features' sidebar navigation, so keep a look out. The newest one is the weekly Sketchbook Series.

That's all folks!

Sketchbook Series {One}

This new feature is an idea I have had for a while now, but had yet to put into motion; so here it is!
As much as I love staring in awe of a final and complete version of a product, design or art piece, sometimes it's far more interesting to see the thought process behind the completed work, and gain a little insight into its journey through documentation. I won't necessarily post finals, every fortnight on Thursdays I will post an abstract page from one of my sketchbooks. Expect to see doodles, design, the process, rough work, experimental pieces, and the like.

The Great Gatsby Branding

The Art Deco look and feel certainly shines through everything Gatsby, from the set design, costumes to the soundtrack and promotional visuals. Created by Like Minded Studio & Bazmark Team, the geometric formations, retro typography and overall brand work is simple yet wonderfully bold and done. This is what they had to say:

"Like Minded Studio was honored to collaborate with Baz Luhrman, Catherine Martin & Bazmark team 

on the branding of  "The Great Gatsby". Our aim was to realise Baz's vision and develop a bespoke Deco

styled logo reflective of the roaring 20s and Fitzgerald's masterpiece. We also created a display typeface 

to acompany the main branding. The letterforms were customised and refinined to reflect the design of the main logo. This included developing a system to combine solid and pinstriped characters in sequence when typing out words. Inspiration for the typeface was from the deco alphabet designs of K.H. Schaefer. The final titles and logo were further rendered in 3D by Deva Studios to create the signature Gatsby style.The process and final branding is showcased below."

Looking forward to this film hitting the cinemas next week; who will be watching?

See more:
Gatsby Branding

Saul Bass

As the internet (google doodle) celebrates the birthday of filmmaker Saul Bass; let's remember his work and visual style. Bass was known for his iconic film title sequences - below is a sequence he did for one of my favourite classic films, 'It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World'.


'Design is thinking made visual.' - Saul Bass

Mary Katrantzou S/S 2011

Outtakes from Mary Katrantzou's S/S 2011 collection. I only recently came across Katrantzou and have to say she has quickly become one of my favourite, current fashion designers. Her signature is her prints; infusing Surrealism and Trompe l'oeil with striking digital graphic work. Sculpting the female body, this collection was inspired by the interior design sets of Guy Bourdin and Helmut Newton; a nod to her architectural background. The choice of whimsical colours, strong pastels set against soft backgrounds add to its beauty.

Nick Frank

Minimalist photographs by German art director, Nick Frank; colourful building.