I've recently been inspired by book art after seeing "Maze of Books" in South Bank this summer. This was a part of the London 2012 Festival. This consisted of a maze of 250,000 books in a room. 

I've also been considering the importance of the book spine. The book's spine is normally the first element of the book that the book browser in a shop (or in a library) sees. Of course, people do "judge a book by its cover", and that makes the spine all the more important. According to Sinclair (2), the book spine is often neglected by designers.

What elements make up a book design? The designer has to consider text direction, font size, and colour.

Berry (1), a book designer, gives a few pointers on text direction for book spines. The most readable book spines would be thick enough to list the title and author on the spine without the user tilting their head. However, most books are not thick enough to allow this, so the words must be written down the size. According to Berrry (1), viewers in North America read the spine from top to bottom; in Europe, they read from bottom to top.

Berry also states arguments for the book title or the author to be in larger font with the rule: If the author is well-known, it is best to have the author's name in larger font (1).

Fixabook is a consultancy that looks at book designs and gives guidance based on the spines (amongst other book-cover-related elements) (2). 

Readability of the font and the correct use of typography is the best indicator about a book and also determines if the book will stand out on the shelf. I have included some examples of good book spine designs.

Coralie Bickford-Smith has had several awards for her book covers for Penguin Books. I have included a selection of her work below, but more of her work can be viewed on her website at:   http://www.cb-smith.com

Jessica Hische is another designer who has worked on Penguin books, and she uses bold typefaces.

More of her work can be found on her website at: http://jessicahische.is

An artist uses books and book spines to create artwork:

1) Berry, John. D. Putting some spine into design. http://www.creativepro.com/article/dot-font-putting-some-spine-in-design [July 26, 2001].

2) Sinclair, Mark. Look after your spines, book designers. http://creativereview.co.uk/cr-blog/2011/february/book-spine-design-fixabook

I've recently come across Jamie Shelman's shop (The Dancing Cat) on Etsy. Although many of her illustrations feature felines, some are of rabbits, squirrels, or inanimate objects (coffee/chairs/bicycles). I love these whimsical illustrations, which are often accompanied by witty text. "Fat Mess 2" and "Belly Smackin' Good" are two of my favourites, and they feature plump felines in funny poses. What I love about these illustrations is that they are whimsical, fluid, and they capture the essence of the cat; they are not too serious.

Jamie Shelman graduated from Rhode Island School of Design and studied in various places around the world. In describing her art, she states that she likes to laugh and "seeks to capture the essence of a moment...in its simplest form." (1) The illustrations are drawn with pen and paper so that the viewer can appreciate the simplicity and fluid lines.

The style of artwork also reminds me of Jen Ray's work; her shop Corduroy can be found here: http://www.etsy.com/people/corduroy

http://smallexpectations.blogspot.com/

http://www.etsy.com/shop/jamieshelman

1) Interview Series: Jamie Shelman. Ana Pina. http://www.blog.anapina.com/2011/07/interview-series-jamie-shelman-giveaway.html [13 July, 2011].

I discovered the snow at about 5:00 in the morning as I noticed the brightness coming from the hotel window. I was shocked, to say the least. The snow was still coming down thickly and would continue to for the rest of that morning. Needless to say, we did not expect to have snow on our holiday to southern/south-eastern Europe in May, so our clothes were not the warmest. Despite this, we soldiered on to make the most of it. Unfortunately, many of the places we wanted to visit were closed due to the snow, and the viewpoints around the city had restricted visibility due to the snow and mist. We hired a guide to take us around and give us a tour of the city.

Have you visited Sarajevo? What do you think of the city?

I've been using Pinterest for nearly a year now. Pinterest makes bookmarking inspiration easy. For those of you who do not know about this social media website, let me explain.

In short, Pinterest is a social media website that allows web users to 'pin' a web page featuring a recipe you'd like to try, a craft idea, a pretty dress or shoes that would complement your wardrobe, a hairstyle you like, or anything else that you find on any website while you browse the web. The 'pin' is stored as an image with a reference to that web page. These pins can be organised into various boards and revisited at a later time. Instead of a text-only bookmark description of the page, the items 'pinned' are stored with an image, and these are displayed in a grid layout on the page. That way, they can see all of their pins and remember that nice dress or the delicious-looking chocolate tart recipe that they wanted to try.

Similar to the same demographics as Etsy and Pinterest, this page lives up to the brand.

http://pinterest.com/realsimple/

STA Travel (Rating: 4/5)

This Pinterest page features many travel boards and travel products, but I don't see what the 'cupcakes' board has to do with travel.

http://pinterest.com/statravelus/

Susan Gunelius has also posted a few companies that seem to be using Pinterest really well. These include the beauty company Birchbox (http://pinterest.com/birchbox/), WholeFoods (http://pinterest.com/wholefoods/), Scholastic (http://pinterest.com/scholastic/), Better Homes and Gardens (http://pinterest.com/bhg/), and Michael's Stores (http://pinterest.com/michaelsstores/). Obviously, all of the above companies are more popular with women shoppers.

1) Jainchill, Johanna. Travel companies see potential in scrapbooking site Pinterest. http://www.travelweekly.com/Travel-News/Online-Travel/Travel-companies-see-potential-in-scrapbooking-site-Pinterest/ [10 April 2012].

2) Gunelius, Susan. 5 Brands Using Pinterest Brilliantly. http://sproutsocial.com/insights/2012/02/best-pinterest-brands/ [13 February 2012].

After the beautiful and warm weather of the previous day's exploration of Plitvice Lakes, we woke up to a plummet in temperature and pouring rain, mixed with flakes of snow. I was glad that we had explored the lakes the day before. The plan for the day was to journey from Plitvice Lakes (Croatia) to Sarajevo (Bosnia and Herzegovina) and to stop at a few Bosnian villages along the way. (This, of course, would be in the proper style of a road trip with the ability to stop off at places along the way that were not in the guide book. In fact, Bosnia does not seem to be explored much in any guide book that I could find.)

Bihać is the first majorly-populated town soon after passing the Croatian border into Bosina. The area is known for white water rafting, and the landscape around does look pretty with green hills. The area around the river contained some nice-looking shops and restaurants. Due to the rain, we did not fancy getting out of the car and getting wet to take a look around. I think that most people in Bosnia and Herzegovina were indoors keeping dry because the roads and town seemed quiet.

The first place we stopped at, after driving a little over an hour further, is a town called Jajce (a UNESCO heritage site). Apparently, the name of the town translates to the English word, "egg", due to the shape of the outcrop of the hill. The rain was still pouring down (it would remain so all day), but we managed to have a quick look around the quiet town. The town seemed to have many games/gambling areas, but there are historic places for visitors. A walled fortress is perched on the top of the hill, but due to the pouring rain, I could not convince the bloke to walk up it; (yes, I am mad and would have walked it in the rain). The town was quiet with many places shut, including shops and museums and catacombs, which I had wanted to visit. We were able to see the waterfall and read some of the tourist information signs (in English) around the town, and we saw a few buildings that had suffered damage in the war and were consequently abandoned. We also had a meal in the town at a pizzeria that was popular with the locals. The rain was disappointing as this looked like a nice town to explore.

The next town we stopped at on the road trip was Travnik. We stopped at the bottom of a hill where there was a brook and pedestrian area with covered restaurants and an outdoor seating area. However, the weather managed to keep people away, but I could see that this would be a normally busy outdoor area for locals and visitors. On a day like today, the rain kept everyone away. Despite the rain, we managed to walk through the old part of Travnik, up the hill, to visit the castle at the top and admire the views around us.

On the way from Jajce to Sarajevo, I noted several watermill restaurants dotted around some of the riverbanks. Had the weather been nicer, it would have been great to randomly stop at one of these. (Unfortunately, we did not even stop for photographs. The weather had literally dampened my spirits.) The riverbank restaurants contained wheels, which I assume are used to spitroast meat.

Along the way, I also discovered many little wooden buildings around the low river areas and small wooden buildings used for keeping bees. The landscape of this part contains many hills and small mountains, and it is very green. The villages are constructed of wooden houses, and some of these are brightly-coloured. Nearly all of the villages have at least one mosque, and some of them also have a church. The country is culturally diverse. I liked the blend of east-meets-west. Many of these mosques and churches look very attractive and complete the skyline for any Bosnian village or town.

From Travnik, we journeyed toward Sarajevo. Another area we drove past on the way to Sarajevo was the "Bosnian pyramids". I believe that these pyramids are man-made, and they have built them to try to draw in the tourists, so we did not stop to look at these. Despite not having a detailed map of Sarajevo, we managed to find the small hotel straight away. (I knew its approximate location.) Our hotel was central, and after a quick freshen up, we went to explore the city. 

After a quick exploration of Sarajevo, we had a quick bite to eat in the bakery near Coppersmith Street and had an early night and hoped for better weather the following day. Little did we know that we would be receiving a freak snowstorm in the middle of May in Sarajevo. 

I visited "Thames Festival" last year, and I had a great view of the night parade (opposite the OXO tower) and fireworks display from Waterloo Bridge. View my entry Enjoying London: Thames Festival 2011 to see my photographs of the night parade, fireworks, and other images during Thames Festival. For the 2012 events, which were held on the 8th and 9th of September, visit http://thamesfestival.org.

For last year's artwork, visit my blog entry: "Rivers of the World" Art at Thames Festival 2011. Last year, the artwork could be seen in various places along the Thames. This year, the artwork could be seen at St. Katherine's Docks. Reproductions could be seen at the OXO Tower, similar to last year. I was unable to see the "Rivers of the World" artwork this year. However, you can view the artwork on the official website for "Rivers of the World" at http://www.riversoftheworld.org. I have also included a few photographs of the artwork below, and I've obtained these from the riversoftheworld.org website.

1) UK: Burlington Danes Academy. The images depict the "Great Stink" in the mid 1800s.

2) UK: Chadwell Heath Academy. Students used river plantlife to depict the Thames.

3) Bangledesh: M C Academy. Students used comics to explain the story of building a dam.

4) UK: Jo Richardson Community School. Students were inspired by the printing industry, which used the water from the river, to create drawings of typewriters and words.

5) United Arab Emirates: Nad Al Hammar School. Students used bright colours, and these were used to assemble images of tropical birds and insects.

6) United Arab Emirates: Al Saeedeya School for Boys. This image depicts Dubai Creek and its importance to the city and trade.

1) Argentina: Colegio Arrayanes. Students used their handprints and images of architecture around the Thames to create this artwork.

2) Argentina: St. Anthony's College. Students were inspired by the river Thames culture.

3) UK: La Retraite RC School. Students represented bacteria by using different inks and watercolours.

4) UK: Globe Academy. The students used Argentina fonts and styling and represented horses, which are popular to the culture.

5) Argentina: Secundaria Basica no. 46. Students were inspired by the cycle of water from raindrops to the Thames, including plastic bottles.

6) Argentina: San Clemente de Tuyu School. Students created an image of the river Thames for the future, in case the river and environment were not protected.

1) UK: Haberdashers' Aske's Knights Academy. Used stencils to depict images of Korea.

2) Korea: Yunjung Middle School. Each student contributed a drawing on traditional paper.

3) Korea: Jungwon Girls' Middle School: Created waves to look like the river Thames after researching and finding colours that represent London.

Highlights:

4) Mexico: Francisco Javier Clavijero Secondary School (2008). This depicts the theme of a polluted river.

5) South Africa: The Children's Art Centre (2012). Represents the exchange between the UK and South Africa. 

6) Thailand: Satri Si Suriyothai School (2010). Depicts the Thai people relating aspects of their live to the rivers.

This weekend marks the end of the "Swans of Wells" exhibit, and all of the swans can be seen together (for an entry fee) in Bishop's Palace in Wells before being auctioned off. 

I've added some photograph's from today's exhibit in Bishop's Palace below. If you have seen the swans, add a comment and tell me what you have thought of them or tell me your favourite swan.

Although I used to always take a camera with me to capture photographs, I was unable to on this day. I also have not been to London in the evening since then to take photographs. However, I have located various photographs on the web. 

Besides the sea organ, Zadar has ancient ruins and a cathedral and old city gates. Much of the town contains newer architecture, and the city contains modern shops to visit. After this quick visit to Zadar, the drive north to Plitvice Lakes was continued. By the time we arrived, we had half the day to look around the lakes, though I'd suggest taking almost a full day and taking the time to enjoy it instead of being rushed around. 

Plitvice Lakes are a UNSECO world heritage site, and it is well-maintained with different trails that can be walked. We managed to walk a trail called "H" (which was suggested to walk between four and six hours) in almost four hours. The trail started at the top of the lakes, which included a short bus ride to the top, and we walked down. Nature was admired along the walk - chirping/buzzing frogs, beautiful flowers and plants, snakes, birds, beautiful waterfalls, insects, and fish.

I visited the lakes in early May, which is the spring-summer season. I believe that these lakes would also be beautiful in the winter and the autumn.

Plitvice Lakes is well-maintained with several wooden walkways over the wet and low areas. This also helped visitors keep to the pathways to avoid eroding away the other areas. Each lake has a wooden sign next to the walkway, and the sign lists the name of the lake and its depth and width. 

Many of the lakes in Plitvice Lakes joined together over time as the upper-most lake waters swirled down the edge, eroding the rocks away and making the lake deeper and one end. Over time, this erodes the rock siding away, and eventually, two separate lakes become one with the upper-most lake joining the lower lake. Waterfalls between the lakes begin to form as this gradual process takes place. There are hundreds of small waterfalls and many larger ones in this beautiful natural park.

I liked these the cotton-like puffy white plants; I'm not sure what they are called. 

Once the upper lakes were visited on the trail, a boat (leaving every thirty minutes) ferries visitors from one side of a lake to another so visitors can view the lower lakes and see the larger waterfalls. Veliki Slap (the Great Waterfall) is the largest waterfall in Croatia, and it can be seen in this area of the Plitvice Lakes National Park. In addition to several waterfalls, the lower lakes also have a large cave and beautiful views from the trails as there are varying heights to this area.

The pathways up the hill contained amazing views of the lower lakes, and this part of the trail led back to the finishing point where we would be getting the bus back to the car parking.

After visiting the lakes, we drove back toward the bed and breakfast and had a meal at a small restaurant which operates as a ski lodge in the winter. The ski lifts could be seen out of the back of the restaurant. The pizza was delicious, and the restaurant was popular with locals. The buildings in this area of Croatia contrasted completely differently when compared with the stone buildings of the coast. The buildings in this area were wooden with pitched roofs. It is amazing how quickly the landscape changes within only a couple of hours driving.

I recommend visiting Plitvice Lakes National Park; it is one of the most beautiful places I have been to.

Over the past month, the whole of the UK, if not the world, seems to have Olympic fever. I was lucky enough to get access to the Olympic Park, which is restricted to event ticket holders only. The park is large in size with many different venues for the various sports, sponsor buildings, pop-up restaurants, souvenir and merchandising shops, and the largest McDonalds. (There's actually two McDonalds restaurants.) In addition to the various buildings, the area was landscaped with a multitude of British wildflowers to make it appear like a country meadow. Various works of art also appeared around the Olympic Art.

Orbit, a massive red roller-coaster-esque sculpture, sticks out of the ground next to the main stadium and nearly towers above it. Visitors can buy a pass to enter this sculpture and to climb it for views over Olympic Park.

RUN is a sculpture of the three letters, spelling "Run", designed by Monica Bonvicini.  The letters are made of glass and stainless steel and act as a mirror in daylight. In night, the letters light up with LED lights. The spacing of the letters changes depending on how close you are standing to the letters.

Steles (Waterworks) are large sculptures that also function as buoys, and these are located in the canals that surround the park area. They are brightly-coloured, and they remind me of giant crayons.

bit.fall is a work of art using water and light to spell out words as it drops from a bridge above. This artwork was created by Julius Popp. The words are chosen at random from live news feeds, and this artwork uses technology.

One of the sponsor's exhibits, Coca Cola, functioned as a large 'beat box'. The building resembled pieces of lit red and white shards placed together. Visitors could interact with the building by touching various panels inside it to play different notes. The notes were based on the official Coca Cola song by Mark Ronson and Katy B, and the song was created by recording various sports sounds and vocals. When touching a panel, visitors to the building could hear one of the sounds (sports, vocals, or a musical instrument) used in the song. The exhibit continued to the top of the building where visitors could get a photograph with the torch and inside the building where they received free bottles of the drink and watched performances by some of the young entertainers with dance/music/performance talents.

There are many more works of art to be found in the Olympic Park. In addition, the main arena lights up at night, rotating between several colours - green, blue, pink, orange, yellow. 

Were you lucky enough to visit the Olympic Park or see a game in the Olympics? Let me know what you thought of the Olympic Park. 

In time for the Olympics, various statues around London have acquired hats overnight. The hats celebrate British fashion, and the project was put together by the Mayor of London and Grazia. Designers include Philip Treacy and Stephen Jones. A map of the locations of the statues wearing hats can be downloaded on the Mayor of London website here: http://www.molpresents.com/hatwalk 

Also, images and a map can be found on the Grazia website here: http://www.graziadaily.co.uk/hatwalk

One of the statues to bear a hat is the famous statue of Lord Nelson on top of Nelson's Column in Trafalgar Square. Lord Nelson sports a very British hat and Olympic torch. Other statues wearing hats include Duke of Wellington and Angel of Peace (Wellington Arch), F.D. Roosevelt and Churchill (Bond Street), Henry Havelock, King George IV, and Charles James Napier (Trafalgar Square), and various others along Victoria Embankment and outside the Bank of England.

The hats were placed on the statues until around the end of August; the hats seemed to be removed on September 1.

London has spent a small fortune on its painted pavements, bunting, flags, and other Olympics decorations. Each area seems to have some sort of decorations to celebrate the 2012 Olympics, but the more touristy areas contain many more decorations. By now, I think that most people have gotten used to the logo and the font. (I'm not a fan of either, but I've come to accept it.)

I have taken a few photographs of the decorations put up around the city. This follows up from my July post before the games, London Gets Ready for the Olympics.

Many cultural displays (art and art installations) have been placed across London and its monuments this summer in order to celebrate the Olympics. There's been a lot to see in the city this year, and I've been documenting various bits and pieces in this blog over the past couple of months. This entry describes some of the work that I have seen (or have heard about) in London this summer.

As visitors walk across Millennium Bridge, they can hear music and narration (poetry) related to the Thames and its importance in London's history and to London today. "Tales of the Bridge" is composed by Martyn Ware and David Bickerstaff. While walking from St. Paul's Cathedral, it is not immediately obvious about the sound until you are closer to the middle of the bridge. Speakers are in the middle of the bridge and the South Bank area, and the poetry and sounds can be heard in these areas and while walking down the bridge.

The Philharmonic Orchestra is recorded with various songs about each of the planets. The experience is highly interactive, and users can participate in place of the conductor or one of the instruments. Users can read sheet music or see narration from what the players are thinking. They can see the whole piece combined using video in the surrounding walls so that they feel as though they are a part of the experience. It is easy to lose an hour or two listening and watching this. 

Designed by Westminster University, this work of art showcases London's famous skyline and architecture in seat form. Throughout the day, the work of art also functions as seating until it is placed back in a locked case once again to look like the London skyline. Passers-by can view it in this form in the locked case, which becomes momentarily illuminated. (More photographs and information is available at: http://socalondon.com/_/London_Dresser.html)

Visitors can create music by creating patterns (rotating coloured balls) using this large interactive board outside of King's Cross Station; the rotated balls produce a sound or a tune. This installation was designed by Central St. Martin's College. A write-up of the experience and some of the visitors is included here: http://londoneer.org/2012/08/playing-the-kingls-cross-song-board.html

This tree-like steel-framed canopy fits in with the environment of the square, creating shadow and light through the detailed structure. Bartlett School of Architecture designed this art installation, and more about it can be read on their website here: http://www.bartlett.ucl.ac.uk/architecture/partnerships/installations-for-london-2012/algaezebo

This colourful seating gives visitors to the South Bank a place to sit and relax during the Olympic Games.

I've blogged about the enormous shot put in a previous post. Included in this same theme (Gifts from the Olympic Gods), visitors to London can also track down giant javelin or bow and arrow sculptures. Read my original blog entry and see a photograph of one of the shot puts here.

The architecture of the area is summed up into a carousel. I visited the one in Borough Market, but the interactivity eluded me. Apparently, there's a crank to turn the carousel, and it uses light to reflect to imagery in the surrounding area. When I visited it, it was too bright to see the full effect, and the Carousel was hidden in an area where many others walked past without noting its significance. More information about these installations can be read here: http://www.lfa2012.org/places/buildings/streetscape-carousel-profile-43999 

This art installation is all about London's fascination with the weather. This art installation features parasol-shaped objects and the previous day's weather. The parasols dotted around the square provide visitors some space (or protection from the rain). 

This highly interactive art installation allows visitors to rearrange the pieces on the bright pink 'bloom', and the art responds to its surroundings based on the visitor's input. Visitors have a change to create and recreate works of art and allow the art to adapt. This is an extremely social art piece. Bartlett School of Architecture designed this art installation, and more about it can be read on their website here: http://www.bartlett.ucl.ac.uk/architecture/partnerships/installations-for-london-2012/bloom

This artwork is designed to resemble metal tree-like or sign structures, and the artwork tells tales about the past events, secrets, and stories. Bartlett School of Architecture designed this art installation, and more about it can be read on their website here: http://www.bartlett.ucl.ac.uk/architecture/partnerships/installations-for-london-2012/treelogy

This highly interactive art installation is a cross being a tea-making device, a computer, and a pin ball machine. Visitors have to get the sequence correct in order to  receive a cup of tea made correctly. The work, similar to the "Weather" installation, focuses on Britain's fascination with tea.

This art installation features cloud-like canopy. It was designed by 'Drifting City' in Athens and in Los Angeles and has been removed after the Olympic Games to visit other cities.