Last week saw a pivotal part of the Toppers Print and Design Ltd rebrand. Our old store sign was replaced by a newly branded and illuminated facia. If you need a new sign, window graphics or any other form of branded materials then please get in touch.

Old store sign:

New store sign visuals:

New store sign:

Toppers Print and Design Ltd offered all UK based facebook users the chance to win a brand new 7th generation I-pod Nano. All facebook users had to do was like our facebook page in order to enter the prize draw. Once we hit 500 likers we then selected a winner at random.

Toppers print and design ltd would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who was involved with the campaign.

Please see the video below which reveals the winner:

There has been much controversy with the release of the new branding for the soon to be released Windows 8.
So what were Microsoft’s intensions behind the new logo identity?

Here’s the journey explained by Microsoft themselves:

Windows 1.0
Few remember the original Windows logo, yet we found it both refreshing and inspiring in relation to the work we have been doing on the Metro style design visuals. Using simple lines and clear straight forward concept, this logo reminded us of what a great and evocative name we have with “windows”.

Windows 3.1
For many of us this was the image in our mind when we think of past Windows logos. The now classic window shape and the introduction of the four colors were hallmarks of the Windows brand for many years to come. The introduction of the “waving effect” gives the logo a sense of motion. This logo would be the basis of the Windows versions throughout the 1990s.

Windows XP
The next major incarnation of the logo came with the release of Windows XP. What has come to be known as the “Windows flag” is a cleaner more sophisticated mark than its predecessors. The version that populated the lower left hand corner of Windows PCs next to the word “Start” also gained a sense of materiality (plastic?) and a 3D effect from the rich gradients and shadows.

Windows Vista
The Windows Vista release marked the beginning of the AERO design aesthetic in Windows with a key component of the interface being the “AERO glass” effect. Replacing the green Start button was the round glass-like button with a now flattened version of the “flag” from Windows XP. Internally, this icon became known as the “pearl”. You can see the intricate lighting effects of the faux glass. In many ways signaling just how powerful of a rendering engine the PC had become. This version of the logo was largely unchanged for Windows 7.

Windows 8
With Windows 8, we approached the logo redesign with a few key goals on mind.
1. We wanted the new logo to be both modern and classic by echoing the International Typographic Style (or Swiss design) that has been a great influence on our Metro style design philosophy. Using bold flat colors and clean lines and shapes, the new logo has the characteristics of way-finding design systems seen in airports and subways.

2. It was important that the new logo carries our Metro principle of being “Authentically Digital”. By that, we mean it does not try to emulate faux-industrial design characteristics such as materiality (glass, wood, plastic, etc.). It has motion – aligning with the fast and fluid style you’ll find throughout Windows 8.

3. Our final goal was for the new logo to be humble, yet confident. Welcoming you in with a slight tilt in perspective and when you change your color, the logo changes to reflect you. It is a “Personal” Computer after all.

Source: http://windowsteamblog.com

This short film discusses the importance of being able to easily find and understand signage in a busy environment. The design of our signs is becoming ever more important, especially with advertising gradually taking home to every nook and cranny in densely populated environments such as airports and trains stations.

Whilst surfing the net earlier today I came across this fantastic website. Design Seeds is a fantastic resource that has a brilliant array of different colour swatches. Unlike many sites that are already out there, the colours have been carefully picked from vibrant photographs of different colour genres such as ‘Autumn’, ‘Nature’ or ‘Vintage’ to name but a few. I can certainly see this as a tool for future colour picking and to help decide what colour variants work together.

Here are some swatch samples:

Japanese artist Riusuke Fukahori has created an incredible collection of designs that have been created using manual techniques similar to that found in the modern and very automated 3D printing technology. Fukahori has designed these life like creations by carefully and precisely painting layers and layers of resin to form these outstandingly realistic goldfish.

Who ever knew that stickers could be so much fun!

This December, in a surprisingly simple yet ridiculously amazing installation for the Queensland Gallery of Modern Art, artist Yayoi Kusama constructed a large domestic environment, painting every wall, chair, table, piano, and household decoration a brilliant white, effectively serving as a giant white canvas. Over the course of two weeks, the museum’s smallest visitors were given thousands upon thousands of colored dot stickers and were invited to collaborate in the transformation of the space, turning the house into a vibrantly mottled explosion of color. How great is this!

Source = Colossal Art and Design

If you require some custom made stickers then please contact Toppers Print and Design based in Stevenage, Hertfordshire UK on 01438 746 767 or sales@toppersprint.co.uk

The Youtube brand is growing bigger and bigger with each passing day. In-fact the prevailing video service plays a major role in the lives of the vast majority of media lovers.

Today Youtube have unleashed a fascinating video with some incredible analogies to help their users to comprehend how much the service is growing.

This is well worth a watch: