PENTAGRAM

I've decided to start with Pentagram because they are one of the most succesful and influential design studios in the world today with offices based in 5 different countries. More importantly though, they started off as just 1 studio based in the United Kingdom. One of Pentagrams co-founders was none other than Alan Fletcher, who was, until his death in 2006, a designer held in high acclaim by many critics.



The above images are taken from Pentagram's website. There is a lot of good stuff that Pentagram have done, but to be honest nothing that has made me go "wow"... I dunno, it's pretty much the fact that they are typically "Graphic Design" that makes me think that whilst they are good, they aren't breaking any molds, and as a result I can't fall in love with them like I do some designers. I've had a look through a couple of Pentagram books as well, only briefly, but still can't see anything that really makes my eyes happy.

The books above may look a bit on the plain side, but I really like them. Designed for a stationary chain, they've used a brown card look for the covers which makes them look slightly retro and standard but in a good way, in fact they almost look like parcels wrapped in brown paper, giving them an inviting look. Also with them all being brown it gives them a uniform so that everything matches in the set.

The other image is an interactive model of Lower Manhattan that displays information about the city. I love the look of it, I'm not quite sure what the lines represent, but I could see something similar being used for Londons tube service, a 3D map showing where the tube goes could be quite interesting, tap in your destination and see where it will take you.

Links:
Official Website
Wikipedia Reference