I’ve been thinking a lot about QR codes recently, and how ugly they look. So, here’s a project which caught my eye over at Collate this week, from those clever chaps at The Chase. They’ve used QR codes to print Christmas wrapping paper, where each code contains a gift idea too. Blimey.

The sheets look pretty nice as posters too, right up my street.

I’ve been pursuing a little pet project do do with the oft-maligned QR code for a little while now which I hope to be able to reveal in the new year, so watch this space for more QR goodies…

Every year at around this time, design companies up and down the country start to panic. The reason is the annual Christmas card, which is high stakes if you make your living from design and print. There’s no going down to WHSmiths to pick up a box of assorted designs, no, if you are a designer, even Auntie Mabel is going to expect something you’ve kerned yourself.

Step forward Ben & James, they’ve gallantly put forward some designs for us all to use. Just download the PDFs, run them out in the office after hours and Bob’s your Uncle. (Save a stamp by sending Bob and Mabel a joint card.)

Of course most Creative Directors would probably get someone else to print it for them. (Guys, it’s Apple-P to print). In the interests of fairness, you can see the only Christmas card I’ve ever designed here…

Found over at Creative Review Feed

In order to spread the festive cheer, I thought I’d dig out this old Christmas card I designed in a previous life at Mystery. It’s still one of my favourites…

Happy Christmas everyone!

Frost Design has put together a little Christmas cheer on their website, a specially created page where visitors can make a festive image from typographic letters and symbols drawn from the Frost identity.

There are some lovely examples, have a look at other efforts and have a go yourself, as the page is sure to come down in the new year.

Not sure why I put the storm trooper in, not particularly Christmassy, but too good to leave out…

Here’s the Irn Bru Christmas advert, a Snowman pastiche and quite funny…

…personally I like the bit where he throws his nose away. (A carrot rather than an orange for contractual copyright reasons…)