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Ben

London

I am Group Design Director at the Co-operative Group. I am also Governor of University of the Arts London, an advisor to the London Design Festival and an angel investor in Bowndling and Cavendish Keble. I founded and recently sold Newspaper Club. I have won numerous awards including the Design Museum's Design of the Year and a D&AD Black Pencil.

Interests: design

Recent Activity

Hi Phil.

Commented Jan 7, 2020 on Taps: a reminder at Noisy Decent Graphics

Taps: a reminder

Must do a post about the decline of everything via the design of taps this year. Seeing as I'm the only person that reads this, this is a reminder for me. Hello me. Continue reading

Posted Jan 5, 2020 at Noisy Decent Graphics

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There should be more statues to good sportsmanship

"Landy is remembered for his performance in the one mile final at the 1956 Australian National Championships prior to the Melbourne Olympic Games. In the race, Landy stopped and doubled back to check on fellow runner Ron Clarke after another... Continue reading

Posted Jan 2, 2020 at Noisy Decent Graphics

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BERG and RIG doorbells. Taken at the BRIG January 2010. That was a good decade. Here's to the 20s. Have a good one everyone. Special shout out to the RSS crew. Continue reading

Posted Jan 1, 2020 at Noisy Decent Graphics

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Rembrandt's Light lit by Peter Suschitzky

The Dulwich Picture Gallery have an exhibition of Rembrandt that focuses on how he illustrated light. It's good you should go. Russell, not you. The most interesting thing about the exhibition is that it's specifically lit by Peter Suschitzky who's... Continue reading

Posted Dec 29, 2019 at Noisy Decent Graphics

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Basquiat and Keith Haring exhibition at the National Gallery of Victoria

Really enjoyed this. On until April. Go if you happen to be in Melbourne, Australia. Continue reading

Posted Dec 11, 2019 at Noisy Decent Graphics

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KAWS exhibition at the National Gallery of Victoria

Really enjoyed this. On until April. Go if you happen to be in Melbourne, Australia. Continue reading

Posted Dec 10, 2019 at Noisy Decent Graphics

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Back this beautiful book

Beautiful and important book by my friend and incredible designer Richard. He says, "Not since the early twentieth century and the post war building programmes of WWI & II have we needed such a wholesale reappraisal of all the systems... Continue reading

Posted Nov 11, 2019 at Noisy Decent Graphics

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That's pretty cool. And thanks for the comment.

Commented Nov 4, 2019 on More Light, More Power at Noisy Decent Graphics

One Sketch A Day

Just over a year and 177 sketches so more like One Sketch Every Other Day but still this has been the most fun I've had in ages. I have a few simple rules; Sketching for relaxation. I'm always amazed how... Continue reading

Posted Nov 1, 2019 at Noisy Decent Graphics

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More Light, More Power

Our office building in Old Street has this shield outside. It's even better inside. The words say 'More Light, More Power' which is a good phrase for many things. I'd always assumed it was a strapline for an old power... Continue reading

Posted Oct 13, 2019 at Noisy Decent Graphics

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It's rare we do a typography post these days

But here we are. I saw this at the Wellcome Collection and thought it was nice. Clear and simple with a little added depth when you look closer. No clever ideas getting in the way. I have no idea who... Continue reading

Posted Sep 16, 2019 at Noisy Decent Graphics

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Unpackaged 10 years on

10 years ago as-near-as-is-good-enough-for-blogging I visited the Unpackaged store in Islington. I wrote a glowing review. I was very taken with the concept and the store. It looked like this. More pictures here on Flickr which everyone used then because... Continue reading

Posted Sep 15, 2019 at Noisy Decent Graphics

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Continue reading

Posted Sep 14, 2019 at Noisy Decent Graphics

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I stayed in a hotel the other day and it had a music theme. Every floor had these big pictures of dead singers. Hotels often have pictures of dead people. I wonder if it's to help you sleep. Anyway. Continue reading

Posted Sep 13, 2019 at Noisy Decent Graphics

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Celebrating 26 years of my shirt

I wrote about this shirt in 2007. I'm writing about it again. Yes blogging is so bad I am now writing the same blog post about the same thing just twelve years later. Think of this as the reboot. Same... Continue reading

Posted Sep 12, 2019 at Noisy Decent Graphics

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Here's the latest on the water fountains

First the designers, now it looks like Account Management have got involved. Continue reading

Posted Sep 12, 2019 at Noisy Decent Graphics

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Undoubtably a good idea

These water fountains have caused a stir on the design forums. They've been called "hideous" and "naff". I'm not a fan of them visually, but I think "naff" is an extremely patronising way to critique public design. But anyway, there's... Continue reading

Posted Aug 25, 2019 at Noisy Decent Graphics

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Cindy Sherman at the National Portrait Gallery

I love Cindy Sherman. Actually I don't. I don't like the photos that much. They're good, but I don't find them amazing. I absolutely love the fact that all her pictures are self-portraits. 40 years of that, that's brilliant. What... Continue reading

Posted Aug 20, 2019 at Noisy Decent Graphics

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Cutting Edge: Modernist British Printmaking at Dulwich Picture Gallery

Very good. I enjoyed it way more than I expected. You should go. Dulwich Picture Gallery continues to have surprisingly good, though small, exhibitions. Russell, worth a look if you happen to be in Dulwich. I'm sure Modernist is the... Continue reading

Posted Aug 18, 2019 at Noisy Decent Graphics

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Evening.

Commented Aug 15, 2019 on Week 834 at rodcorp

They've repainted the bollards

This is what they looked like in 2014. And this is what they look like now, freshly painted in 2019. Splendid. I've written about this before in 2016, 2015 and 2014. Fascinating stuff. Continue reading

Posted Aug 13, 2019 at Noisy Decent Graphics

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More Amazon painting

Having some fun with this project. Still not as good as Alan. @eyesonamazon over on Insta. Continue reading

Posted Aug 1, 2019 at Noisy Decent Graphics

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No Borders. No Carbon.

James has a point in this tweet the other day. NASA image AS08-14-2383, taken from lunar orbit by astronaut William Anders on December 24, 1968, during the Apollo 8 mission. Image commonly known as Earthrise. Continue reading

Posted Jul 7, 2019 at Noisy Decent Graphics

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Eyes On Amazon: one last thing before the recycling bin

The other day I was looking at the recycling pile and I wondered what Alan Fletcher would have done with all that cardboard. Remember that he made these incredible animals out of rubbish he found with his grandson Tobia. Mike... Continue reading

Posted Jun 19, 2019 at Noisy Decent Graphics

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