Tuesday, December 4, 2012

Ewan Robertson (Offshore) 1985 - 2012

A great friend, a talented designer and an innovative musician, Ewan Robertson was inspirational. He will be sadly missed by all who were fortunate enough to meet him. This mix is dedicated to the music and in memory of my talented and inspiring friend. It was recorded live from Turkish Delight on the 12th December 2012 as part of the Oslo Club Cast. 

Tuesday, November 27, 2012

DESIGN: POW WOW LOGO DESIGN


"Pow Wow Labs is a knowledge-mixer atelier that triggers innovation and leadership mindsets inside companies through bespoke workshops and inspiring keynotes." My logo design for the 'Pow Wow Labs' hints at the fun and interactive methodologies used by Delia and Alexandra (Pow Wow founders), as well as the scientific lab aspects of learning. View the Pow Wow Labs website for more details and information on booking.
'POW WOW LABS' logo design by Alexander Horne, 2012

Thursday, October 25, 2012

OFFSHORE ‘Summer Hits’ video


Ahead of the worldwide release of Fine Grains Volume 1 on the 1st November, XLR8R posted an exclusive download and video for Offshore‘s ‘Summer Hits’ track. The video, by Norwegian visual artist Halvor Bodin, can be viewed (and track downloaded) if you click through to the post here. ‘Summer Hits’ is a powerful builder of a track, instrumental hip hop with emotional content. The video compliments the minimalism of the track with an orchestrated trail of bright neon snake-like shapes, moving in time to the insightful percussion from the tune. Stream the comp. teaser below.
Offshore 'Summer Hits' video by Halvor Bodin, Fine Grains Records 2012

Monday, September 10, 2012

EXHIBITION: Google Web Lab


Google Web Lab consists of five Chrome Experiment installations that bring the internet to life and aim to inspire online and offline visitors about the possibilities of the web.  The installations (Universal Orchestra, Teleporter, Sketchbots, Data Tracer, Lab Tag Explorer) are part of a year-long public exhibition at the London Science Museum and can be interacted with by anyone, anywhere. Worldwide visitors both on and offline are able to make music with people across the world; launch information into cyberspace and see where images come from on the web live; watch their portrait being processed, translated, and then drawn in sand by a robot; and travel instantly to far away places all over the world. Google Web Lab was designed by MAP, the new studio of designers BarberOsgerby, alongside their Sister company Universal Design Studio.

Thursday, August 30, 2012

THINK magazine: issue 15 'Modernism'

Issue 15 of Think magazine followed the theme of 'Modernism'. For my contribution as design editor I looked at examples of 'Lasting Design' from the design thinker John Thackara and Giraffe Innovation. The latter, a leading Eco-design consultancy based in the UK, claim that through a simple re-evaluation of the production process companies could benefit the natural environment and save millions of pounds. Read the article.
Images from 'City Eco Lab' in St.Etienne. An example of lasting design from John Thackara.

Monday, August 13, 2012

DESIGN: MUSIC EXPORT NORWAY


Music Export Norway (M.E.N.) are actively involved in the promotion and support of Norwegian music outside of Norway, and in particular in the UK and Germany where they now have two respective bases. Having been the recipient of support for an event involving a showcase of Norwegian skweee label Dødpop in Aberdeen, Scotland (their debut show in the UK), I can vouch for the legitimacy and good will of those behind this initiative. M.E.N recently asked me to design a simple black & white invitation using only typography. The final design uses BreuerText (medium, medium italic & bold) and GothamBold (regular) fonts.

Friday, July 27, 2012

THINK magazine: issue 14 'G is for Global'

The latest issue of sustainable design magazine THINK is now online. This issue looks at globalisation and the effect on innovative projects it can potentially have. My contribution for the theme looks at how independent and local projects can make a difference on a global scale. Examples used include Dezeen's 'Designed in Hackney' series of events and happenings, and the Atalanta based designer Megan Huntz collaborations with local photographers, musicians, artists and fellow designers. Read the full article on the THINK magazine website here
Images: Megan Huntz collection by Jamie Hopper, 2012 and 'TIde' light and 'LP list printer' Designed in Hackney projects.

Friday, July 6, 2012

Central Station: Fine Grains Records


Glasgow based creative social network 'This Is Central Station' kindly asked me to divulge some words about my new music and design initiative, Fine Grains. A brief re-cap on DO IT! collective and look to the immediate future and long term goals of Fine Grains are covered in the piece. You can have an overview of the Fine Grains project from the website here. To read the 'This Is Central Station' article click here.
Images: Fine Grains inverted logo, printed stickers and Inko playing live at Fine Grains Records web launch at Turkish Delight, Oslo 2012

Thursday, May 31, 2012

WLDWLVS T-Shirt Launch

Aberdeen website/zine/culture hub WLDWLVS appear to be moving from strength to strength. Not content with providing one of the most snappy, inspiring and internationally relevant portals for modern culture from the North East of Scotland, they recently decided to increase their enterprise into garments - high quality tees using designs from local talent to be more precise. The T-shirts are limited produced and needless to say have been selling fast. To ensure you get ahold of one before it is too late, jump over to the Wild Wolves Big Cartel shop.
T-shirts (1) Craig Barrowman design, (2)WLDWLVS original, (3) Mike Chang design, all from 2012

Sunday, May 20, 2012

FRAME Magazine: Issue 86

I have two articles published in Frame magazine for the May/June issue, which is out now. Inne Design's sprightly interior for Inch Hairstudio, located in the stylish (and pricey) Majorstuen district of Oslo, and Helen & Hard' impressive Vennesla library, north of the seaside municipality of Kristiansand. Some excellent articles and awe inspiring imagery as per usual  from the 'Mook' style publication, you can pick up a copy online from Frame here or from most decent newsagents.
FRAME magazine front cover, May/June 2012, Issue 86

Friday, April 27, 2012

AZURE magazine: issue 216

I was recently invited by Canadian design and architecture magazine Azure to write an article on the topic of creating quiet zones in open-concept work spaces, and specifically the use of this concept in Eriksen Skajaa Arkitekter's NetLife Research offices in Oslo, Norway. Marooned within Oslo' s incongruous downtown area, the Netlife Research office is concealed from the public. The unsightliness of the surrounding architecture was not an issue for the interior though, low ceilings (just 2.2 m in some places) and a deep floor plate made any natural light from outside a rare commodity. To read the full article, pick up the June issue of Azure online here or from all good newsagents referenced here.
Photograph of NetLife Research office by Ivan Brodey

Wednesday, April 4, 2012

DESIGN: OSLO AIRPORT PRESENTATION

A project pitch presented in a magazine format completed while working with Expology. The project goal was to improve the service design of Oslo Gardemoen airport. Despite being one of the top airports in Europe for efficiency, the airport has one of the lowest ratings for quality of service - unsurprising to those who have experienced Norwegian service. The presentation is a mix of infographics created from sketches and photos from the concept process, administrative data and a presentation of the proposed project teams' skills and experience. The fonts used are Trump Gothic East (Bold) for titles and headlines, Futura (Medium) for body text.
Expology 'OSL Tjenestedesign' project pitch presentation 2012

Friday, March 30, 2012

ART: THIS IS NOW

Very much looking forward to the ‘THIS IS NOW’ exhibition at ™51 next month. A collection of some my all time favourite illustrators and designers brought together by Oslo based Oh Yeah Studio. I will be bringing an eclectic crate of records old and new to play out on the opening night so came say hei and check out the art if in the area.
Poster design for 'THIS IS NOW' exhibition by Oh Yeah Studio, 2012

Sunday, March 25, 2012

DESIGN: Mr. Wolf Magazine

Mr. Wolf Magazine is a new magazine concept from Swedish based Australian writer/editor Laura Philips. Earlier this year I was asked by Laura to design some proposals for potentially the first printed edition of the magazine. The magazine is an Independent Quarterly profiling the leading personalities in contemporary Swedish Culture (from musicians, artists, bicycle makers, denim producers and jewellery designers). The final cover design was to include an illustrated portrait of the fictional Mr.Wolf and the magazine title. You can keep up to date with the magazine from their website link here.
Cover designs for Mr.Wolf magazine by Alexander Horne, 2012

Tuesday, February 28, 2012

THINK magazine: issue 13 'Resort'

Towards the tip of the Lofoten islands in North West Norway, on one of the country’s eighteen National Tourist Routes, stands a sculptural steel structure formed thoughtfully by the Oslo based architects Manthey Kula. “The surrounding mountains are quite overwhelming so we wanted to create a space to take a rest from the views” state the architects of the Akkarvik Roadside Restroom. The weather literally overwhelmed the..... Read my full article on Think magazine here
Photograph of Akkarvik Roadside Restroom in Norway by Paul Warchol

Friday, February 3, 2012

Sarah May

January is grim in the cold and dark Nordic realms so it comes as a relief as much as inspiration when you come across work such as Sarah May's ad campaign for independent clothes giant American Apparel. A selection of garments and products from the latest AA range are meticulously organised by May to display their colourful and attractive aesthetics in a way that lures you into the image wanting to see more. The overall campaign brings a look which is equally seriously formed Italian futurism as it is sweet shop hypnotism from a Willy Wonka spectacle.   
Images from the early 2012 American Apparel ad campaign by Sarah May

Sunday, January 29, 2012

Tsugi Podcast 221: Uraki Riddim

A new Uraki Riddim mix for French magazine Tsugu is now online. The mix is the first in a series representing the sounds of the Nordic electronic music scene and coinciding with the Scandinavian equivalent of SXSW, By:Larm, where he will be playing as part of The Drop showcase. Tracks from Russian beatmakers OL, Pixelord and 813 to Tuff Wax kids Yoin, Bones and Money are all up in there so get on it and enjoy listening.

Thursday, January 19, 2012

THINK magazine: issue 12 'Innovation'

Set up by Spaniard Luis Aguirre, AQSO delivers 'contemporary architecture, urban planning and cultural research' from offices in Madrid and Beijing. By melding together their ideas and knowledge from East and West and in the process of completing civic, cultural, interior and residential projects in both sides of the world they have accumulated numerous awards and accolades – Europan 9 and the self-sufficient IaaC being the stand outs.  In 2012, AQSO will aim to showcase these assets on another prestigious global..Read the full article on Think magazine here
Image from Wavescape Pavillion by AQSO Arquitectos, 2011