storm from the east

Glow in the dark stickers by Gecko

I absolutely love these new glow in the dark wall stickers and decals designed by Leo Conrado.

They're the perfect thing to brighten your night and you can choose from ten designs available from Gecko.

Highlighting great design: Gijs Van Vaerenbergh

Young Belgian architects Pieterjan Gijs and Arnout Van Vaerenbergh attracted a great deal of attention last year for their amazing Reading Between the Lines church construction, but their other work is equally impressive and thought-provoking.

Arise, Sir Jonathan

Jonathan Ive, the man responsible for making Apple products look great since 1996, has been awarded a knighthood in the New Year Honours list.

Surya Restaurant, Amsterdam, by Dot Kite

Surya Restaurant, in the centre of Amsterdam, is the latest project by the Dot Kite team.

Featuring a modern interior with hints of India’s cultural past, Dot Kite developed the entire restaurant, branding applications and a complete online experience.

Find out more at: http://www.dotkite.eu/#/portfolio/tce/surya-restaurant/

Samurai, assassination, an iconic logo and the man behind Mitsubishi

When deciding to do a series on great minimalist logos from Japan - of which there are many - I couldn't leave out Yataro Iwasaki's iconic design for Mitsubishi which still looks good over 140 years after it was designed.

The thing is, there aren't many logo designers that have a samurai background, were great industrialists, were involved in political intrigue and were part of pivotal moments in their nation's history, so I thought I'd say a little bit more about the man behind Mitsubishi.

Born into a farming family in what is now Kochi prefecture (his grandfather sold the family's samurai status to pay off debts), Iwasaki moved to Edo - now Tokyo - when he was nineteen, determined to pursue an education. While there, he studied under the reformist Toyo Yoshida who influenced him with ideas about opening and developing what was at the time a closed nation.