I found this intriguing set of printers’ ornaments on flickr  - link here >>.  Not a lot is known about the origin or meaning of them, as the blog entry where I found them on explains.

‘Printers’ ornaments are decorative motifs used to fill in page space, signify the end of a chapter or the end of a book and generally add an aesthetic quality to the printed page. They have been around since moveable type printing commenced in the 15th century. Other names associated with the practice — “printers’ ornaments” being something of a catchall title for a group of printed design elements — include typographic fleurons, dingbats, headpieces, tailpieces, scrolls, trophies, lunettes, calligraphic and heraldic devices, cupids and wreathes. More info here >>

Creative review’s thoughts

His new Paintings in his A Bigger Picture exhibition are so striking…they’re just as vibrant as the paintings he did in the 60s in California. What’s especially amazing is the amount of colour he’s managed to find in Yorkshire. I thought there was just grey. And some green. There’s a short interview with him about the work here >>

Don’t get me wrong, on occasions QR codes can be ingenious and handy. Like the example from Korea (Korea’s Tesco example), where Tesco have installed a “digital store” in the subway for the busy commuter to do their online shopping. But for me more often than not it would be easier to simply just google it or follow a link on a laptop.

Below is a snippet from an article that points out the poor and thoughtless use of these “trendy” little codes.

On the underground

Tesco Korea QR campaign was in the subway, but they are forward-thinking enough to have wi-fi down there.

This is not the case here in the UK, so this QR code on this British Library poster is a waste of time.

It may be that the same poster was produced for a campaign covering a variety of locations, not just on the Tube, but it does make brands look a bit stupid.

Where Phone’s cannot scan

This example (thanks to Webster Lewin) is too high up to reach without a crane.

Webster had to blow it up on his computer at home to scan it. Most people just wouldn’t bother.

On the side of buses

Inside a bus, when people have time to spare, is a good place to use QR codes. On the outside isn’t.

Unless the bus is stuck in traffic, waiting for ages at the stop, or broken down, firing up a code reader and scanning it isn’t going to be easy…

On the roof of a building

This is obviously intended for Google Earth (or passing balloonists perhaps) but it seems to be a lot of effort for the slight chance that someone will scan it.

According to brandchannel, the fees for this service start of $8,500. Perhaps I’m missing the point, but there must be more cost-effective ways to spend your marketing budget.

Read the full article here