The 200 best design moments ever, part 2

76 THE 2012 OLYMPICS LOGO FURORE

If nothing else, the Wolff Olins logo for the 2012 London Olympics draws huge attention to the games a full five years before they are due to start, with tabloid newspapers campaigning to have it changed. At Adobe Live in London in 2007, Neville Brody points out that it resembles Bart Simpson receiving fellatio from Lisa (thankfully Matt Groening is not going to sue). However some say it’s before its time and, indeed, a lot of fresh new work has since emerged using bright colours and chunky forms.

77 RESEARCH STUDIOS AND THE BBC

Neville Brody and his team at Research Studios help the BBC bring a consistent look and feel to its huge websites at www.bbc.co.uk and www.bbc.com between 2010- 2011. The Global Visual Language project looks at page layouts and story structuring, typography, photos, graphic icons and colourways. It’s a massive challenge, considering the scale of the site and its content.

78 THINGS I HAVE LEARNED IN MY LIFE SO FAR

Stefan Sagmeister has always brought his personality to bear in his work. Maxims generated by Sagmeister’s own experiences are at the heart of his 2009 book, which is printed in 15 sections. It comes in a box with shapes die-cut out of an image of his face, so that it always looks different, depending on which book section is on top when stored.

79 NON-FORMAT AND VAROOM

2006-2009: The Association of Illustrators see Varoom, its members’ magazine, boom in popularity. Each issue becomes a collector’s item thanks to the design work of Non-Format, which collaborates with the AOI on its production. Kjell Ekhorn and Jon Forss choose striking, conceptual imagery and massively chunky type, making the magazine a designer’s dream.

80 ILLUSTRATION? IT’S CHILD’S PLAY

When Computer Arts Specials invites The Designers Republic to create a front cover for its 2002 issue on illustration, the Sheffield studio decides to poke some fun at all the artists who had become over-reliant on the Live Trace tool. tDR makes a dot-to-dot drawing outlining a picture of a baby. And it’s right: flat vector silhouettes were ubiquitous even then.

81 D&AD’S NEW BLOOD EXHIBITION

To complement its work in design education, Design and Art Direction (D&AD) launches its annual New Blood awards in 1999. At a giant exhibition, the best graduates from around the globe come to share their work in graphic design, digital media, advertising, illustration and more. Frequently it leads to jobs. The identity is created by David Gamble, designer of the first Guinness website in 1994, and co-founder of Saint@RKCR.

82 COMPUTER ARTS CELEBRATES 100 ISSUES

After nine years on the newsstand celebrating new digital techniques and creative styles, and having been localised in several languages for overseas markets, we celebrate our 100th issue in September 2004 with an edgy, abstract chiaroscuro front cover illustration by Kalle Everland.

83 LIFT-OFF FOR NEASDEN CONTROL CENTRE

A new current rises in 1999 carrying imagery away from clinical vectors towards a grungier, eclectic and low-brow look. Some of the first to scuff that shoe are Stephen Smith and Marcus Diamond of Neasden Control Centre, with work for The Big Issue and MTV.

84 FROM COMICS TO GRAPHIC DESIGN

With a background in publishing his own small-press comics projects, Rian Hughes discovers the Mac and is soon designing type – including Judgement for 2000AD. In 1996 he wins a BDA Gold Award for his work with MTV and today runs the Device foundry.

85 GOLD LETTERING, GINGER MONKEY

Some of the most sumptuous illuminated lettering and patterned border work you’ll ever see are created by Bristol-based designer Tom Lane – aka Ginger Monkey – for Heston Blumenthal’s cookery tome Heston’s Fantastical Feasts in 2010.

86 FLASH IN THE BILLABONG

Since founding Juxt Interactive in 1998, Todd Purgason has worked tirelessly to make his company the go-to shop for digital design. One of its outstanding achievements is the Billabong website in 2001, pushing Flash 5 and Generator to their limits.

87 COMPUTER ARTS LIVE

Some of the best creatives in the industry join us in London and Manchester for our first live event in 1999, including Brendan Dawes, Double Negative, Studio Lidell and Rushes. Future years see us host Designers Republic, Stylorouge and The Mill.

88 DGV RELEASES LOS LOGOS

Die Gestalten Verlag initially starts as a design house in 1990 but finds a rich vein in book publishing years later, releasing an array of innovative, comprehensive design titles. In 2002, Los Logos begins a series of indispensable logo-porn titles edited by Robert Klanten.

89 REMEMBER DIRECTOR?

2000: Video, animation, text, imagery, interactivity – Macromedia Director 8 does it all and is even touted as an online design tool back when hardly anyone had broadband. Version 11.5, now owned by Adobe, is still available for the diehards, though not marketed.

90 ISTOCK STACKS ’EM HIGH

Love them or loath them, online stock libraries have been a game changer in publishing. iStockphoto starts selling contributors’ work in 2000 in return for micropayments each time an item is purchased.

91 BURGERMAN X PUMA X SIZE?

Doodling attractively can take you to the top, as world-renowned illustrator Jon Burgerman proves in 2007. His artwork looks bespoke even when it’s mass produced, and shoes like those created with Puma and Size? also have the added appeal of being limited edition.

92 MOROSS DESIGNS FOR SAMSUNG

With the London Olympics coming up, one of the main sponsors Samsung asks the hugely popular young designer Kate Moross to come up with a logo they can use for the games. The company wants something bright, colourful, inclusive and, of course, on-brand. She obliges in late 2011.

93 THE FABRIC IDENTITY

London nightspot Fabric turns to Intro for its visual identity in 2000. Deconstructing the motif seen in a houndstooth woven pattern, the agency comes up with a logo that has stood the test of time, outlasting most of the bands whose music was played on the club’s opening night.

94 HILLMAN CURTIS INC REDESIGNS YAHOO!

The new media designer Hillman Curtis comes to prominence as a Flash creative and a best-selling author with Flash Web Design. He gives Yahoo! a massive make-over between 2004 and 2006, and also becomes a film-maker and commercial director both on and offline.

95 MUSIC AND THE BRITS

Where do you start when asked to rebrand the Brits? Manchester-based Studio Music begins with the award itself, coming up with a classically sculpted trophy in 2010 to riff on in the identity design itself, and asks various designers to customise it for some innovative promo concepts too.

96 COMPUTER ARTS SPECIALS

Before CA Collection and CA projects, we publish Computer Arts specials in 2004, which contains in-depth tutorials and creative projects. For issue 41, Derek Lea flexes his considerable Photoshop talents to merge the human face into an architectural design.

97 COMIC SANS PRO

Although it’s released on 1 April, 2011, Comic Sans Pro is no joke. Monotype releases an updated version of the typeface originally designed by Vincent Connare for Microsoft. For the reboot, Terrance Weinzierl rises to the challenge. Bam.

98 VALLÉE AND THE NEW YORK TIMES

The New York Times is one of the world’s most famous papers, and in 2008 Montreal-based creative Julien Vallée turns to that very medium to create his stunning video idents for the publication. Cut-out letters and coloured strips peel up and down in this impressive piece of motion branding.

99 EDDIE OPARA JOINS PENTAGRAM

Having founded his own studio, Map, in 2005, the talented British designer Eddie Opara is hired in October 2010 by New York’s Pentagram offices. His sharp skills in environmental graphics and ability to visualise digital data give a whole new dimension to the leading design consultancy.

100 THE PIXIES REVISITED

British design legend Vaughan Oliver – known for his work with British record label 4aD – returns to working with the Pixies as though it is his spiritual home in 2009. He oversees the design of The Pixies: Minotaur Limited Edition, a visual and tactile experience for fans of the band.

Part 1: 1-50 | Part 2: 51-100 | Part 3: 101-150 | Part 4: 151-200