6/12 Michael Johnson, The Pepper Tree, and Eye Magazine

Michael Johnson of JohnsonBanks spoke to us first about transforming aging brands. They redid the BFI (British Film Institute) logo into a lensflare that was flexible and could be used at different angles, definitely something to think about when creating any logo. They also helped Save the Children with a new identity and had kids create typefaces and color in the logo to give it an authentic look. Who better to ask then the kids themselves? I really liked their Royal Mail stamps that were fruits and veggies with stickers to put faces on them, the ones that got sent back to them were pretty funny. They also had a project called "send a letter", which were postcards in the shape of a letter of the alphabet. Michael Johnson was kind enough to play the guitar for us, which was very enjoyable. He said that he had to pick either music or design.

The Pepper Tree lunch was the best meal I've had yet, by far (finally full for once). We had chicken satay and wontons, chicken pad thai, and white chocolate ice cream.... mmmm.

When we got settled in at Eye Magazine the fire alarm went off in the whole office building, so we evacuated and started our talk in a nearby park. John Walters was interested in hearing what we had to say, more than him talking to us. He was curious about what we thought the realm of design was moving towards and also if magazines still fit into peoples lives. With everything and everyone on the web all the time, do people still invest in magazines and take the time to read them. I personally enjoy buying a nice magazine and being able to add it to the collection and use it as reference. I also cant ever be bothered to read anything on the screen, if it is of length I have to print it out to be able to hold it and read it. There definitely is something nice about the experience of holding a magazine and reading it opposed to staring at a computer screen. I think Jillian also brought up a good point that it depends on where the content of the magazine is moving, if things are movining towards web it most likely best suited on the web and if something is print it is best displayed in print.