Originals Design Process

Hi Everyone,

In the midst of some new artwork going up in the office (I did insist on a dog poster and some Justice League of America) it has been a busy old time.

We are currently working on some new concepts and as ever, creative meetings are an excellent opportunity to debate. We do not believe in violence and if tensions rise too much then action is taken.

Figure 1: Dispute settling, Gladiators style

The design process in Originals HQ is a pretty enjoyable experience. We clear some wall and table space, get some food in and start working through what worked previously, lessons learned and successes. We then get together a trend and mood area to determine the direction which we want to take. This may involve tearing out articles from magazines, pinning up sketches/doodles that have accumulated on our desks and stills from recent fashion shows and music events. Any textures, colour samples or items we just bloody well like, will also be added into the mix.

At this point there will be very few (if any) limitations placed on the concept design. The team then starts to put concepts together. With music on in the background and healthy snacks we will create a range of concepts. The saturation point comes when we look at the work and originality is no longer seen.

The most important step occurs next when we stick the ideas up take a step back. There will be all manner of designs on the wall. They will range from serious tat to potentially great.

Figure 2: The dog glasses concept was vetoed.

These ideas will get chance to ‘breath’ and we will not make any decisions until we have had time to assess over the following days. The questionable concepts may be tweaked and become contenders and strong concepts may be problematic from a manufacturing process perspective and will lose Brownie points.

Figure 3: Brownie points are key to progressing a concept.

We will then have a powow and finalise which designs we will be developed as technical drawings. The decision may be based on materials, production processes, lead times, potential job profitability and belief in the design.

Figure 4: Final design selection process.

Depending on the intended user there may be some tweaking and engineering required to ensure that the designs are not only comfortable but fit accordingly!

The next bit tends to be the tricky bit… production!!

Insert your own dramatic cliff-hanger music and I will be back tomorrow to finish the tale!

O

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A-level Thanks From Jason Donovan

Hi Everyone,

Firstly congratulations to those celebrating successful A-level and AS-level results. Even if you didn’t get what you want there are lots of other avenues available, so no need to panic!

Whether it’s clearing, re-sitting, gap years, University preparation, switching to an apprenticeship or looking forward to the second year of A-levels enjoy the rest of Summer (responsibly, of course). I won’t regale/bore you with the Original Teams tales from results day, it’s just enough to say relief was the overriding emotion.

In light of the celebratory occasion I saw this advert and felt it may be appropriate. I can’t think of a better gift to someone then a tailored ‘Thank You’ from Jason Donovan.

Have fun tonight!!!

O

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Riot Review

Hi Everyone,

I hope everyone is safe and sound after the recent craziness. Fingers crossed that looting, rioting and general ridiculousness has now stopped.

I think the media has pretty much covered all angles including but not limited to, shock, terror, hope and retribution.

The political posturing is now in full flow with key figures putting in face time on the streets, blaming each other, trying to sound united but not too united as then it lessens all the sniping and childish bickering that usually takes place. E-petitions are slightly flawed at this point as it is a knee-jerk reaction as opposed to a considered opinion.

For us at Originals HQ we were gutted to see so many of the things we are involved in being attacked and I don’t just mean the opticians, music stores and clothes shops that were trashed but also the scapegoating of certain demographics. The reasons for the trouble are a little bit beyond our analysis at Originals HQ but as the first wave of convictions are processed we see that it’s not quite as simple as the media points out. A teacher, the daughter of a millionaire, a chef and a postman have all been arrested which paints a slightly different picture to the one painted at certain points during the media coverage. The media is always quick to gain ‘expert’ opinion (for example Paul Gambaccini was wheeled out to discuss the death of Amy Winehouse. Whaaaat!) but until the facts are known then it is wrong to make sweeping statements about demographics.

It is impressive to see the willingness for communities and others to gather and support each other whether through the Riot Cleanup website or donations of money, clothing and other items to local centres.

Let’s hope that all remains calm and amongst all the drama here are some lighter notes

Poor journalism:

Umbrella fail:

Boris getting heckled:

And genuine hostility between two rivals on Newsnight:

I don’t think we will be tackling the economic crisis so hopefully things will be a bit lighter next week.

O

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Vintage at Southbank Review and New Superman

Hi Everyone,

The slightly cooler (and wetter) weather has cleared my head so it’s time to write a blog.

The Originals Team celebrated the wedding of one of its members at the weekend and it was a successful day. It’s always good to catch up with people and it was especially nice to see We Love Vintage make an appearance after dashing over from the Goodwood at Southbank Centre. Good effort!! Unfortunately the reports I’ve heard from the Festival are not great, this seems based on the ticket prices and the organisation of the areas within the Royal Festival Hall. The free areas and stalls seem to have gone down well and were busy for most of the day which shows that Vintage is still thriving. Perhaps attempting to create a Festival atmosphere within a large hall needs a re-think.

I started by writing about Spiderman and the ridiculous amount of coverage associated with the fact he is ‘bi-racial’, in this case his parents are black and Hispanic. I think I need to say congratulations to the marketing and press departments, but I’m not sure where the news is. Instead there is a new Superman image, how exciting!!

It is pretty standard, as a geek, to review the costume. It’s not easy to see all parts but I’ve had a bash, see the Christopher Reeve, Brandon Routh and Henry Cavill versions below.

I think that there are aspects in both the old costumes referenced in the new one.

Cape Attachment – It appears the cape attaches in a similar way to that of the Reeve costume. Although, the attachment on Cavill’s costume more closely resembles Thor’s costume from earlier in the summer. Either way I think it looks better to than Rouths’

Cape Colour and Length – Although Cavill is half crouching it does look as long, if not longer than the Routh version. A long cape always seems a bit impractical but we’ll have to wait to see the full length. The colour of the cape and the suit itself follows the trend of recent comic book movies by removing the “cartoony” vibrant colours. I don’t mind the “edgier” darker colours but I’m sure the diehard fans will be less than impressed.

The ‘S’ Shield – Consists of a raised emblem like Rouths version but thankfully has been increased in size to match that of the Reeves version.

Belt – Although it’s difficult to see, I am taking a punt on the belt being similar to Rouths. I just hope they don’t try and over egg the belt as there’s no real need.

I like the first look, although I think I’m just excited for more live action Superman! There is still time for the suit to be changed depending on feedback and we still need to see a classic Superman pose. Until then, I shall remain cautiously optimistic!

O

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Vintage at Southbank Centre

Hi Everyone,

Been a hectic week with a wedding in the office (not literally, it’s on Saturday) and the blogs have fallen slightly by the wayside, apologies.

It’s a pretty big weekend for fashion with Vintage at Southbank Centre taking place. With food, drink, music and fashion from the 1920’s all the way through the 1980’s there should be a little something for everyone. Last year the festival was held at Goodwood and it was an amazing success and initial reports suggest that the Wayne Hemmingway fronted event is on course for another great year.

If the idea of catching Adam Ant and Sandie Shaw isn’t enough for you then we recommend you go check out We Love Vintage in Marquee 28.

Here’s a sneak peek at what’s on offer!

Have a great weekend and I’ll be back on Monday after some wedding frivolities.

O

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Mercury Prize Nominees: My Musings

Hi Everyone,

I’ve had a listen to all the entries for the Barclaycard Mecury Prize. As I was listening I realised I was listening for two things, what I like and who do I think will win. Regular readers will now that I enjoy a bit of Adele but I think the commercial success of the album may be held her against her. I think the same can be said of Tinie Tempah, great album but I just don’t get the feeling that the judges will go for it.

On a personal level some of the albums are a bit maudlin I understand that a lot of people like to show emotion through lyrics and the music but it is exhausting listening to sometimes. It meant that Katy B and Tinie Tempah stand out due to the up-tempo nature of the music. The level of production is also notable with Elbow’s orchestral and choral arrangements adding to Guy Garvey’s haunting voice and beautiful lyrics. However, Seldom Seen Kid won in 2008 so I can’t see them winning.

The counterpoint to the mainstream albums is Gwilym Simcock and Ghostpoet, both offering something different from each other and the other nominees. Personally I struggled with Ghostpoet but I don’t think it’s really the type of music that you listen to in the middle of the day. I find myself having to listen really hard to marry the lyrics to the music and in the end I was exhausted as opposed to enjoying the music. Gwilym Simcock hits a soft spot for me because I love a bit of piano action but it may be a little too leftfield for the judges.

I really don’t want to do Metronomy a disservice but I can’t help but hear Mystery Jets when I listen to them, this sullied my enjoyment a wee bit. I would be very surprised if they win.

Everything Everything have produced a good, fun album which I don’t think will win but it’s well worth a listen.

I think my favourite track that I listened too was by Anna Calvi and it’s called Desire. The other tracks were strong too so I think she is in with a good shout.

The collaboration between King Creosote and Jon Hopkins is interesting as I didn’t dislike it I just couldn’t see when I would ever listen to it. The fact there were only seven tracks on the album did make me feel a bit for the artists who had the more traditional number. I think that this has an outside chance purely on the basis I don’t think it has a chance.

James Blake and PJ Harvey are the final contenders. PJ Harvey has won once and been runner up a few times too, so there is no doubt that she writes some quality music. I think that as well written and beautiful the music is I can’t see it winning and I’m afraid it’s not for me. James Blake has had a good year performing at Glastonbury (Jimmy enjoyed it) and releasing his first studio album. Limit to Your Love is standout and his voice betrays his 21years. I can see this winning but again it is not an album that you want to stick on if you want to get your housework done or power through a load of work in the office.

So, where does that leave us… I think the winner will be Anna Calvi!!

I shall leave you with a video that we will be attempting to replicate at an upcoming Original team members wedding!

Have a good weekend!

O

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Sci-fi Styling

Hi Everyone,

I’m currently working my way through the Mercury Prize nominations so I can’t give a fair comment on this point but I should have finished by tomorrow so I shall offer my musings then.

For today I wanted to show a little bit of my geek prowess. Triggered by the coverage of the end of the 30-year shuttle program, I started thinking about space, science-fiction and its impact upon the present-day products, fashion etc. Now I don’t want to dwell on the technicalities, I’m pretty sure that research and development done by NASA has filtered onto the high street. I want to look how science fiction e.g. 70’s TV shows/films have resulted in style and product development that is now in use.

Let’s kick things off with some Star Wars disco music and then read on.

I want to start with a couple of obvious examples the PADD that was used in Star Trek: The Next Generation (and subsequent series) has obviously inspired the ipad and consequently the Kindle.

Below is a screen cap from Star Trek: Voyager with some of the crew using a tricorder. In effect, a tricorder is mainly used to increase the pace of an episode. So when a team lands on a planet they scan all types of stuff and all of a sudden the crew know the exact location of the bad guys and can find a solution (all within the 44min runtime of the show). My point is the tricorder scans objects you know nothing about and presents you with information. This is now possible through Google goggles and the use of QR codes.

Not all advancements are cool. Below you have Lieutenant Uhura looking amazing while she interprets communications from, well whoever she wants (hopefully not phone hacking). Not all users can look this good though as hands free communication device is now used mainly by idiots who walk around thinking that they are riding the crest of the technological wave.

Fashion has also been influenced by sci-fi with varying degrees of success. Firstly let’s have a fail. Fern Britton doing a Princess Leia, granted she could have attempted the ‘Return of the Jedi’ bikini which would have been a shambles but the dress was not a great idea.

Secondly we look at an amazing film, Fifth Element. Not exactly quotable (Leeloo Dallas, multi-pass) but the Jean Paul Gaultier costume design is iconic. Mila Jovovic looks incredible too. Rihanna (or her stylist) obviously appreciated the style and adopted it for the 2009 American Music Awards. Excellent work all round.

We would be in error not to mention Lady Gaga, the easiest parallel to draw is Locutus of Borg (Star Trek: Nest Generation) and her outfit from the Alejandro video.

It just goes to show that fashion really does take inspiration from all places as with all things in life there will be some successes and fails but I'm just glad that geekdom is a source at all!

If the trend continues I’d like to see where we are in 20years time perhaps we’ll be adopting trends and styles that shows are championing now. If so, I would like a giant boxing robot from Real Steel.

I’m going to sign off with a cute piece of artwork of R2-D2 doing a Banksy.

Back Soon

O

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