Crab Creative Blog | The now, the then and the after

Sand Animals appear across London

2010-07-19T11:45:00.001+01:00

Zara you are marvellous. I adore your approach, creative, eco friendly and charming.

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Bruce by Tom Judd

2010-07-14T16:04:00.001+01:00

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Iron Man 2 3D Interfaces

2010-07-07T10:33:00.001+01:00

Really interesting to see how Prologue created the 3D environments for Iron Man 2. The most impressive part of the film in my eyes was the 3D Hud design. Creating something of this calibre takes a lot of time and dedication, initial concept ideas need to be tried and tested until you cant go any further. Let's hope these 3D environments can be taken out of the films and put into our everyday lives soon. It's going to happen, just a matter of time.

See and download the full gallery on posterous

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Iron Man 2 3D Interfaces

2010-07-07T10:03:00.001+01:00

<p>Prologue: Iron Man 2 Visual Walkthrough from Motionographer on Vimeo.</p>

See and download the full gallery on posterous

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Thank you Website Launch Pad - Loving your awards

2010-07-03T16:02:00.001+01:00

Our new pals at Website Launchpad have 3 rather nifty awards.
Top of the tree we have the pointy but ever so logical - Spock Award

Then we have a rather scary nod to Sci-Fi's hardest female lead its - The Ripley Award

and last but not least we have a very still but ever so powerful - The Gort Award

We have been lucky enough to win 1 Spock Award, 2 Ripley Awards and 3 Gort Awards

Posted via email from crab creative

Foursquare raises $20m as it approaches 2m users

2010-06-30T19:29:00.001+01:00

Foursquare, the location-based social networking platform, is fast approaching the two million-user mark, and has raised $20m in fresh funding as it bids to expand and develop new products.

Foursquare: approaching two million-user status

The disclosure came from the company’s co-founder and chief executive, Dennis Crowley, in a company blog.

The fresh round of funding comes partly from existing venture capital backers, Union Square Ventures and O’Reilly AlphaTech Ventures.

Thanks to http://www.brandrepublic.com

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Tilda Stir Fry Kung Fu Cook Up

2010-06-29T21:25:00.001+01:00

Working with The Tilda team we have developed a game to help build awareness of Tilda's new Basmati Rice Stir Fry.

Select your Stir Fry Master and explore the world of Kung Fu Stir Fry. The site changes through out the day to reflect the time.Tell us what you think.

See and download the full gallery on posterous

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.Net plug-ins Site of the Month

2010-06-29T16:44:00.001+01:00

We're very please to announce that Climb Mount Asgard has been selected for .Net's first 'plug-ins Site of the Month' award. Grab a copy if you're out and about.

Thanks to Paul Wyatt for selecting us

See and download the full gallery on posterous

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When did your journey begin

2010-06-29T13:32:00.001+01:00

Pretty much every machine since 1984.

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Lightning strikes three of the tallest buildings in Chicago at the same time!

2010-06-25T11:34:00.001+01:00

Lightning strikes three of the tallest buildings in Chicago at the same time! from Craig Shimala on Vimeo.

Thanks: Craig Shimala

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Watch and Chair Obsession Friday Part 3

2010-06-25T08:56:00.001+01:00

One of my favourite watches of all time. Designed by Max Bill, the watch is simple, elegant and a perfect example that good design is timeless.

A little about Max:
Max Bill, born 1908, was a Swiss architect and designer world famous for the the clarity of his designs and the precise proportions to which they are derived. A pupil to the Bauhaus architect director Walter Gropious and kindred spirit of Le Corbusie; Max Bill is regarded as a highly talented and creative designer.
One of Max Bill's most famous designs is the "Ulmer Hocker" which comprises of a stool that can also be used as a shelf element or a side table. This design is still in production worldwide more than 50 years later.

The balance between the numbers the length of the hands, the clean layout all combine to make this watch face one of the all time classics.
Moving from the wrist to the bottom our chair this week is the Bertoia Chair.

See and download the full gallery on posterous

Created by Harry Bertoia in 1950 as a result of an experiment that involved bending metal rods into practical art. It is available with a removable fully upholstered cover or with loose cushions and back pads available in a variety of fabrics, colour ways and fabric. Each piece carries the signature of Bertoia as a mark of authenticity.

Stunning, fun and practical.

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Ok Go - End Love

2010-06-22T15:03:00.001+01:00

New Ok Go video, End Love. Good Yar.

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James Powderly

2010-06-11T18:03:00.003+01:00

James Powderly aerospace engineer, working with NASA to put robotic space rovers on Mars also a graffiti artist. Watch this.

Posted via web from crab creative

Keepy-uppy

2010-06-11T18:03:00.001+01:00

Our very own Alex Harding (@alexharding23) doing keepy-ups in the Win Dough on Shoreditch High St.

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Typographic Macbook Stickers

2010-06-11T17:39:00.001+01:00

See and download the full gallery on posterous

London-based studio Hu2 Design collaborated with French Designer r.ferrer in order to create these original macbook reminders.

As well as protecting the shell from scratches, these typographic messages entice users only to charge their laptop when necessary, since an overcharged battery deteriorates faster than a properly used one, and also probably uses twice as much electricity.

Via DesignYouTrust

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Jump back in time with HTML5 http://www.flashlab.com/html5/

2010-06-11T14:01:00.001+01:00

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A Spotify Journey

2010-06-09T18:38:00.001+01:00

Today I thought I'd take a Spotify Journey.

It's a lot like a YouTube journey, where you watch a video, click on a link to a video it recommends for you, watch that video, click on the next video and so on until you've realised you've spent way too long on the 'Tube and wonder how the heck you got there.

I started with some Dave Matthews Band and selected one of the related artists, played one of their tracks, selected one of their related artists and so on. Pretty easy way of choosing if you can't think of what to play.

One problem, apparently the Kings of Leon are related to every other artist in the world, and a couple of times I almost backed my self into some sticky situations, Madonna, Lady Gaga, you know what I mean.

View my SpotifyJourney here

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'Show 2010' at the RCA

2010-06-04T15:30:00.001+01:00

I was at the Royal College of Art last night to see the latest batch of graduates work. The Show pulled together a mixture of Fine Art, Applied Art, Fashion, Design, Communications and Humanities, all of which were presented to the highest of standards.

One of the exhibitors that caught my eye especially with his exciting ceramic work was 'Matthew Raw.' The theme was 'displacement' and draws on first-hand stories of asylum seekers from Zimbabwe. There was a lot of depth that went into Matthew's research, he interviewed asylum seekers to explore what it is like to be forced to leave your country. He asked them the challenging questions of what possessions did you take, and what kind of welcome did you get at the end of the journey.

Already Matthew's work has been appreciated within the artistic community by names such as: 'Grayson Perry,' the Turner prize winning ceramic artist and 'Susie Orbach' the author of Fat is a Feminist Issue.' I'll keep an eye on this exciting young talent and can only wait in anticipation for his next piece.

Other special mentions go to 'James Winter's' for his maze-like wall sculptures and 'Christina Wrege's' for a bouncy ball video installation.

See and download the full gallery on posterous

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Knuckles | Bryan

2010-06-04T13:36:00.001+01:00

Music Video directed for the Parisian DJ/Producer Knuckles. Shot on the Paris Metropolitain with the Olympus i-SPEED 3 in association with International Theatre School Jacques Lecoq. Very Nice!

<p>KNUCKLES | BLAKE - WHAT I LIKE from Paul Bryan on <a href="http://vimeo.com">Vimeo</a>.</p>

More Pauls stuff here

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Knuckles | Bryan

2010-06-04T13:33:00.001+01:00

Music Video directed for the Parisian DJ/Producer Knuckles. Shot on the Paris Metropolitain with the Olympus i-SPEED 3 in association with International Theatre School Jacques Lecoq. Very Nice!

More Pauls stuff here

<p>KNUCKLES | BLAKE - WHAT I LIKE from Paul Bryan on Vimeo.</p>

Crab

1st Floor, Studio 15

176 Shoreditch High Street

London

E1 6AX

United Kingdom

T. +44(0)20 7749 0669

E. alec@crabcreative.com

W. www.crabcreative.com

crab creative | think deeper

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Watch and Chair Obsession Friday Part 2

2010-06-04T10:23:00.001+01:00

Following on from my first post. The watch brand we are focusing on is the 666 Barcelona Watch.From their 'Under Pressure' range.
The "Under Pressure" series is inspired be an antique pressure gauges. The UnderPressure wristwatchfeatures an over-sized single-hand analog seconds counter in the center and a digital time display at six o'clock.

The design is minimally substantial. It blends varieties of textures (either brushed colored metallic or deeply textured dials) with simplicity. It reminds me of the Max Bill faces of the 50's.

And this weeks Chair obsession is the Lounge Chair by Oscar Niemeyer
Designed in 1907 by Niemeyer a Brazilian architect and furniture designer.

Posted via email from crab creative

The Return of Monkey Island - Special Edition

2010-06-03T16:43:00.001+01:00

The good people at lucasarts are revamping another one of my all time favourite computer games, 'Monkey Island 2.' They are simply polishing the old rugged look and turning them into smooth rounded modern day graphics.

As a Follower of there facebook feed I get to see lots of great things that pop out of their design studio. Their storyboard artists are continually posting up character designs. Taking full advantage of social media (facebook) they get to hear loads of comments from users talking about their favourite childhood characters. The users tell them what they like and don't like, in a way they can't get the designs wrong, genuis!

See and download the full gallery on posterous

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Crab Creative featured in Computer Arts

2010-06-03T15:47:00.001+01:00

If your near a newsagents anytime this week, pop in and grab a copy of the July edition of Computer Arts. Crab are featured in the Brief Encounters section.

See and download the full gallery on posterous

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Oil Spill Firefox Plugin

2010-06-02T13:44:00.001+01:00

Creative agency Jess3 has developed a Firefox plugin that aims to black out all mentions of BP (British Petroleum) across the web. As one popular tweet reads, “Want BP to [blank] up your browser like they’ve [blank] up the Gulf? Install the Oil Spill Firefox plugin from @jess3.”

The Black Oil Firefox plugin replaces all mentions (case insensitive) of BP and accompanying terms like BP oil, BP gas, BP worldwide, and so on, with blacked out letters and dripping oil drops.

Images that contain meta data matching the terms are also blacked out.

You can see what the plugin looks like when doing a Google search for “BP”

Posted via email from crab creative

Grand Theft China Town Wars

2010-06-02T08:29:00.001+01:00

I'm not really too much of a gamer but I've loved Grand Theft Auto from the very release. From the 2D graphics of the first and second to the stunnig intricatacies of their most recent release, Grand Theft Auto IV, they've always been a favourite. That's why I had to download Chinatown Wars for the iPhone, and I've go to hand it to Rockstar Leeds, they haven't failed to impress.

I was a little dubious when I saw the opening sequence, although the illustrations we're beautiful I was expecting something more. That being said, my doubt dissapeared as soon as the gameplay arrived. Rockstar have found an impressive middle ground between the birds eye view of the first couple of games and the 3D graphics we're accustomed to nowadays. I'm sure there are many different reasons for chosing to build the game with this view, the processing power of the iPhone/iPod Touch must have come into it, but I don't feel it's a compromise at all.

The controls feel very natural. The joystick on the left takes up very little room and the area in which you can move it only fades in when you are using it. The driving controls also work brilliantly, using some subtleties to save room, for instance you only have accelerate and brake buttons, but slide your thumb from the accelerate to brake button and it pulls the handbrake, this feels very natural. Another nice little touch is that vehicles will align to the road when roughly inline, which saves a lot of adjustments.

Rockstar also incorporate some attitional elements, increasing interactivity when using a touch screen. Occasionally a frame opens in the bottom corner instructing the user to complete a task before they can continue. In the opening scene, your car is driven off the peer into the sea, you have to tap the screen to smash the car's windscreen so that you can escape. If you break into a stationary car you have to use a screw driver, PDA or hot wire to start the engine. Nice little touches.

My one critism has to be the sound effects, with such brilliant graphics, fantastic interactions, a huge map (Liberty City) and beautiful illustrations the arcade like sounds are a real let down.

This is only an initial review, and It is one of the most expensive app's I've bought but so far it's the best £5.99 I've spent.

Click here for the iTunes link

See and download the full gallery on posterous

Posted via email from crab creative

Our iPad turned up yesterday. Cos promptly whisked it away to Newcastle, we're left with the box :(

2010-05-28T12:11:00.001+01:00

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Jessica Hische

2010-05-25T18:14:00.001+01:00

Two colour letterpress on 110lb Lettra Paper

More nice prints here.

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Food Surgery

2010-05-25T11:26:00.001+01:00

We love working with new businesses. Their enthusiasm, energy and passion is so infectious.
The latest project we had the privilege in being involved in is the Food Surgery.
Sarah approached Crab and asked us to develop a name for her company and branding.

We then built a simple but effective site. Home page screen grab below:

Typical content pages:

Take a closer look here www.foodsurgery.co.uk

Posted via email from crab creative

Ben Newman & The Nobrow Press

2010-05-24T09:21:00.001+01:00

New Prints from Ben Newman printed on the small press at Nobrow. Limited run of 25 on Rives paper, nice. See more at Nobrow Press. http://www.nobrow.net/

See and download the full gallery on posterous

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Crab at Glug

2010-05-21T09:49:00.001+01:00

We were at Cargo last night for Glug, can't wait for the next one! Burgers were brilliant ; )

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Kristian Hammerstad

2010-05-20T16:46:00.001+01:00

Illustrations by Kristian Hammerstad for The New Yorker and Macys

See and download the full gallery on posterous

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Kristian Hammerstad

2010-05-20T16:41:00.001+01:00

Illustrations by Kristian Hammerstad for The New Yorker and Macys

See and download the full gallery on posterous

Posted via email from crab creative

Flowr: Facebook for your Enterprise

2010-05-20T12:28:00.001+01:00

Flowr looks like a great collaboration tool for companies. Very much like Facebook, Flowr allows you to share thoughts, ask questions or update peers via your wall, you can also set up projects with the ability to share links and files as well as comment on the project wall. It's easy to see how this could be an incredibly useful tool, rather than banding around tonnes of emails with a massive trail, just logon and look through the specific project you're working on. I personally like the idea of keeping all of you project information in a single page, allowing anyone in the project the ability to look back though the history.

Features include: Custom flows allow the user to follow topics and tags in real-time, external social flows aggregate your companies social channels and An internal wiki and blog. No calendar though. It also has an iPhone app, which is always a plus when on the move.

It's not a new concept, but looks like a good half-way house between Basecamp and Yammer.

Check out The Flowr

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Mayors of Starbucks Now Get Discounts in the US with Foursquare

2010-05-19T01:33:00.001+01:00

Starbucks, a company that already rewards frequent customers with the Barista badge on social gaming app Foursquare — is officially turning on the rewards side of its experimental Foursquare loyalty program with the first-ever nationwide mayor special.

Starting today, mayors of individual Starbucks stores can unlock the Mayor Offer and enjoy a money-saving perk for their frequent store checkins.

The deal offers customers a $1 discount on a Frappucino. The special greets mayors with this message: “As mayor of this store, enjoy $1 off a NEW however-you-want-it Frappuccino blended beverage. Any size, any flavor. Offer valid until 6/28.”

Tristan Walker, who heads up business development at Foursquare, tells us that the Starbucks special is a one-time mayor deal that runs through June 28, but he’s optimistic that Starbucks will continue to experiment with mayor rewards on an ongoing basis. “Starbucks is particularly innovative as it relates loyalty and social media,” Walker noted, “so we continue to be super excited to explore this intersection with them.”

There are a number of reasons why the Starbucks nationwide mayor reward is significant. It’s a first for both Foursquare and the coffee retailer, and will likely bring mass attention to the marketing possibilities of the location-sharing trend.

It’s also an important development in light of pending Facebook location features, which we’ve yet to see in the wild. Starbucks — which is one of the most “Liked” brands on Facebook — is making a conscious choice to go with Foursquare, which should serve to legitimize Foursquare as the key player in the space for now.

On the consumer side of things, getting a $1 off a Frappuccino is a pretty nice discount, considering customers routinely pay $4 or more for their favorite blended beverage. Of course, with the mayorship rewards, we expect competition to heat up on Foursquare more so than ever before. As such, it will be crucial for Foursquare to ensure that their new anti-cheater measures work as designed.

Via Mashable

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Mayors of Starbucks Now Get Discounts in the US with Foursquare

2010-05-19T00:57:00.001+01:00

Starting today, mayors of individual Starbucks stores can unlock the Mayor Offer and enjoy a money-saving perk for their frequent store checkins.

Via Mashable

Posted via email from crab creative

Mayors of Starbucks Now Get Discounts in the US with Foursquare

2010-05-19T00:31:00.001+01:00

Starting today, mayors of individual Starbucks stores can unlock the Mayor Offer and enjoy a money-saving perk for their frequent store checkins.

Via Mashable

Posted via email from crab creative

Andre Michelle's Sound Playground

2010-05-18T10:06:00.001+01:00

The best things are always super simple. Andre Michelle has some really elegant work, letting you dictate the beat of the music using a graphical interface. I love that these are all fairly basic, he give us a glimpse of his playground where he continues to experiment with code.

Special mention goes to ToneMatrix

Posted via email from crab creative

Bendito Machine

2010-05-10T19:49:00.001+01:00

If you have a spare few minutes take a look at these amazing animations. There's something

Monty Python about it. Enjoy!

Posted via email from crab creative

RateMyOlives.com

2010-04-22T23:42:00.004+01:00

A little side project Al, Will and myself are currently playing with. Olives are a bit of a passion for us, so we thought we'd create a site.

Journey to the Podium

2010-04-22T23:19:00.004+01:00

Marc Burden’s practice is primarily concerned with investigating the fleeting moments when our outward façade is dropped and we are briefly vulnerable to the gaze of the world.

Sport is one of the arenas in life when this outward mask is most in evidence, a shield of impregnability and focus to those around, his pieces attempt to pierce this in the moments of the athletes sacrifice and physical exhaustion.

Intervals 3 and 9 High Definition Video – duration 1 min 10 seconds

Intervals employs super slow motion video to consider not only the fleeting moment of the photograph but intrinsically to investigate the point of the athlete’s physical limit, the point in which the body cannot go on, the point from which the body recovers and becomes stronger.

What the project was about:

Essex County Council commissioned eight artists to ‘Adopt an Athlete’ and create an artwork that marks their Journey to the Podium or at least to the 2012 Games.

Video edited by Alex Harding

Supported by Crab Creative

Discovery Channel, Berghaus and Crab

2010-04-15T20:11:00.001+01:00

Our Berghaus viral continues to impress. The game and microsite has been showcased on Planet You - The Discovery Channel.
Take a closer look here if you scroll to 1:37 you can see the viral in all it's glory.

Climb the Asgard - Berghaus & Crab climb to new heights

2010-04-05T12:26:00.001+01:00

The Asgard Project is a ground breaking film which follows top climber Leo Houlding's ambitious expedition to make the first free ascent of Mt Asgard's daunting north face - regarded as one of the most difficult big walls in the world.

Working with leading film maker Alastair Lee the DVD of this unrelenting epic is available to order your here now.

For most of the year the fjords on Baffin Island are filled with frozen sea ice, but for a short period in the summer the ice melts and with 24 hours of daylight the area becomes a climbers paradise with mile high granite walls and amazing scenery.

Berghaus Athlete Leo Holding and his team supported by Berghaus wanted to engage a wider audience and bring this amazing feat of skill, endurance and film making to all.

Crab Creative with help from the team at Berghaus developed an in depth online game allowing users to catch snap shots of training, the equipment used and a game which expressed some of the dangers faced by the climbers.

To play the game click here

Screen Shot of initial Game Screen

User are invited to log in to their facebook account

The gamer can select either to dive into the Asgard climb or learn a few tricks and tips in the training area

Training video clip plays and the user can hear the climbers explain the training and what they are expecting on Mount Asgard.

Training mode starts

Intro film to the Asgard game

Game screen, adjust your skill set, view the clothing and gear that helped make the ascent possible.

Screen shot of the gear section in this example the user is viewing the Rucsac details. Each item also has an accompanying film clip.

Game play

Click here to have a go

My Winnipeg - Out of the freezer a little blast from the past

2010-02-27T22:28:00.001Z

Crab was asked to build a site for Guy Maddin's amazing docu-fantasia My Winnipeg

Angel or Devil Take 2

2010-02-23T19:14:00.001Z

A quick change of pixels and a little light dusting and our little award winning Cream Viral dons a chocolaty coat and transforms into the Alpro Desert Viral with added Facebook.

Click here to have a go.

A blast from the past - Swan Web

2010-02-10T02:08:00.001Z

Several versions of IE and Netscape ago.
Before the great Google in the sky we built our first monthly soap opera for Swan. Take a peek at what the web was like in the good old days.

Alpro + Crab + Facebook

2010-02-07T12:27:00.001Z

What do you get if you cross Alpro soya with the Crab nerdlings with a liberal sprinkling of Facebook?

A pretty cool Mashup.

Alpro is currently running a road show. At which visitors can have their piccys taken and uploaded to the Alpro soya Facebook Album page. Using a unique code the user can then retrieve their pic and play.

They also are entered into a competition.

Screen grab of the Alpro Facebook page.
Only 8 weeks old and going strong.

Intro page to the Alpro soya album.

Select your event of enter your code

You can even import images from your Facbook albums.

Another great Google Mash Up from the Team

2010-01-17T01:26:00.001Z

Wax lyrical about your fave spot. Tells us about your fave view, amazing coffee shop or simply the best place to chill.

Use our Secret Spots tool and let the world know why your spot rules!

A green and pleasent land

2010-01-08T13:21:00.001Z

Amazing shot of a snow bound UK from the BBC

A big thank you

2010-01-07T11:59:00.001Z

Thanks to Design Licks for voting our Alpro soya Cream Viral as their site of the day. Take a look here

The viral also got in the top 5 on Design Charts.

Thanks again to everyone that voted for us.

Alpro Angel or Devil!

2009-12-11T17:42:00.001Z

Check out some of our recently completed work. Take the creamy quiz challenge and see whether you're an Alpro Angel or Devil. www.alproangelordevil.co.uk

Halloween Face Paint Practice

2009-10-30T17:30:00.001Z

Needing to brush up on our face painting skills we decided to get some practice in before Halloween. Not a bad effort eh?

McQueen Website

2009-10-30T17:15:00.001Z

I'm posting this some time after completing the work, but hey, it's tough to blog when you're so busy.

The guys over at McQueen in Soho approched us needing an update of their website. After we received their artwork, we got straight to work on building the site. Not long after we went live. Check it out www.mcqueenlondon.com

Crab harnesses the power of Twitter for Nature Valley Competition..

2009-10-30T17:04:00.004Z

Crab have started a competition campaign for Nature Valley using the power of Twitter. Check out the page at http://nature-valley.net/twittercomps/. All you have to do to enter is tweet:

"I want to win a powerkite from @NatureValleyUK - http://bit.ly/nvcomps - retweet this message to enter”

It's that easy!

National Debt - The Truth

2009-10-08T22:44:00.001+01:00

Very interesting article click here to read

Johann Hari: Britain's not bust. So don't use it as an excuse to impose cuts

Alpro Fridge has been updated!

2009-10-05T10:37:00.001+01:00

Got some spare time? Why not take a five minute coffee break and have a play around with the updated Alpro Fridge.

Decorate your own fridge with fridge magnets, recipes, notes and now doodles!

Just go to www.AlproFridge.co.uk
... and click here to become of a fan of Alpro Fridge on Facebook

Week of Soya

2009-09-21T13:26:00.001+01:00

Some of our recently completed work. Week of soya is currently taking place. Enjoy the site!

http://www.naturalsoya.co.uk/

The Hierarchy of Digital Distractions

2009-09-09T17:59:00.001+01:00

Brilliant (and accurate) visualisation of digital distractions, thanks to Information is Beautiful

Harris Grant Website Goes Live!

2009-08-21T18:00:00.001+01:00

We've been working with Harris Grant for the last 12 months or so. Along with the re-brand we designed and built their new website, which has just gone live. Check it out here

Hire a Spa and pretend to be Heff for the day!

2009-08-13T12:53:00.001+01:00

We have just finished building a small site for a great little outfit called Spa 2 Hire.
Bring the magic of LA to London's suburbs
and be Heff for the day www.spa2hire.co.uk

Shirt Your Way

2009-07-17T16:08:00.001+01:00

Site seems a little slow, but the concept is great. Have a play ShirtMyWay

I guess this balances the equation

2009-06-04T19:38:00.001+01:00

The italians have some amazing brands from bikes through to furniture. The country has history, culture and some of the most amazing structures the world has ever seen. With so much going for it Karma decided on balancing the equation....

Oh dear....

2009-06-04T19:22:00.001+01:00

Why oh why do we put up with them?

How has this not already been done

2009-05-28T16:41:00.001+01:00

Some fantastic wetsuits from by ditto, I'm just so suprised nobody's thought of doing it before. Check out their site here

Studiometrico - Bastard Store Milan

2009-05-28T16:36:00.000+01:00

One of the latest project firmed by the italian design studio “studiometrico” which converted an old cinema in Milan, into the new Bastard flagship store. The spectacular and hazardous ultimate milan recreative device including an administrative offices and a suspended bowl.

Via Fabrik

The Bloody Apprentice

2009-05-27T14:47:00.000+01:00

Cassetteboy vs The Apprentice, what a cracking video. Cassetteboy is brilliant, if you haven't heard any of his other mashups, he's well worth a Google.

The Bloody Apprentice from cassetteboy on Vimeo.

I love this

2009-05-18T08:29:00.003+01:00

Not sure where I found it. Not sure who did it. Do let me know so I can link to your work.

Rubbish, Rubbish, Rubbish, There is nothing on hun...

2009-05-16T16:56:00.001+01:00

Around 9pm most evenings I sit down to catch up with Amanda (my wife, partner and friend) we discuss the days events, our sons day and our extended families comings and goings while I site with the remote control and flick.

The conversation slows and then dies.

Without warning or any control I start to speak in a uninterested and mono-toned voice. Arm outstretched and the word rubbish, rubbish, rubbish robotically falling out of my mouth.

Finally I wake from my hypnotic trance and turn to Amanda and speak the words I have come to dread.

"Hun there is nothing on"

100's of channels, hard drives full of movies and yet we can not decide what to watch.

A few years ago I came across TED. I think Tom a pal from work introduced me to the wonders of this site.

Why this wonderful, fun, and entertaining content is not broadcast on mainstream TV channels....Arggggh while tat like Big Brother et al fills our screens...arggghh. Well enough of a rant seriously check this out! Do it! You will be amazed!

Facts unchecked

2009-05-16T16:29:00.001+01:00

I adore this site. factunchecked

Well ok not the site as much as the idea. It is so easy to publish a thought, fact or idea online. Then to engage in that fact or idea only to find out that the publisher did nothing to confirm the fact or research the idea.

The transient nature of blogs, sites etc makes it very easy to publish anything, say anything, offend and even disgust a user. Before anyone re-acts to this post No, nope, no way, not a chance would I agree with censorship.

I believe the individual user of the channel be it a blog or a radio station etc can decide for themselves and censor the media by changing and or switching off the feed.

Perhaps this is a lesson in questioning the norm and poking at the embers of lowest common denominators.

Lets all start asking why, how and when and perhaps the side effect will be a movement away from the mass and an embracement of the unique, the special and the undiscovered

Where the wild things are

2009-05-16T15:58:00.001+01:00

All my dreams and wishes have come true. I can not wait...

Sexy lugs, beautiful bikes and amazing materials

2009-05-16T15:38:00.001+01:00

Stunning lug work.

Prior to Trek buying the company from Gary Klein. Gary's bikes used aerospace grade aluminum which were aged hardened. Each bike came with a lifetime guarantee. These bikes were pieces of art. Industrial strength engineering matched with an elegance that only a sculptor could produce and a master craftsman envisage. Space age meets hippy paint work and Craftsmanship.

Spotify working on mobile app and more

2009-05-16T15:30:00.001+01:00

Online music service Spotify is hoping to launch a mobile version and expand to the US by the end of the year.

The streaming service, which lets fans listen to more than three million tracks legally and for free, has gained more than a million users in the UK.

Speaking about the plan to go mobile, Spotify founder Daniel Ek said: "We want to be everywhere. We won't only do one device."

But fans would have to pay to put Spotify in their pockets, he revealed.

Speaking at The Great Escape music conference in Brighton, Mr Ek said the mobile offering would only be available to subscribers.

"Portability is an important aspect, [as is] interoperability with other devices," he said.

"That's definitely something we think is a premium product that people are willing to pay for - being able to bring the music with you or being able to have it working on your stereo."

The company is working on an iPhone application, but also wants to make the service available on other handsets, he said.

"I definitely hope that it will be before the end of this year that we'll do something which allows people to bring the music with them."

The company is also expected to announce a deal with fellow streaming site Last.fm to provide song recommendations, making it easier for fans to find acts they like. If you haven't checked out last.fm you really should. It's fantastic for recommending music you might like, gigs you should go to and much more. Us guys here at crab have been huge fans of both Spotify and last.fm since their launch and thoroughly recomment you take a look at them.

Thanks to the BBC for the above arrival, to read on some more please follow this link

Let there be light

2009-05-16T15:11:00.001+01:00

Amazing, stunning, cool. Check this site out for more mad hacks and mods. HacknMod

Rado r5.5

2009-05-16T14:48:00.001+01:00

Stunning new Rado watch. The surface of the watch is ceramic and incredibly hard to scratch. Form and Function

Music or is it?

2009-05-15T15:20:00.001+01:00

Men in space

2009-05-15T14:57:00.001+01:00

Amazing images of space walks.

Images curtsey of Wired

Multitasking reality or myth

2009-05-15T09:40:00.001+01:00

In any given day a Web / Designer has to:

1. Manage their time
2. Digest a huge amount of information
3. Learn new skills and apply them
4. Deal with complex issues
5. Be creative
6. Be judged

This all happens daily both internally and externally. Designers have become adapt in making a lot of things happen at the same time or have they?

Take a look at Ward Sutton

What the hell are we doing to the Earth

2009-05-15T09:08:00.001+01:00

I was on my way in this morning happily zipping past the traffic when a passenger in a car opened her window and proceeded to empty what was left of her breakfast meal from MacDonalds onto the street.

I followed the car till it stopped at a traffic light and tapped on the now closed window and expressed in polite tones why I found her behavior disgusting.

The scary part of this was she had not been aware of her actions she seemed to have been on auto pilot.

People WHAT THE HELL ARE WE DOING TO THE EARTH........

Thank you to Deputy Dog for the pics.

People lets start sorting this out

Dani Andrada Training

2009-05-14T21:19:00.001+01:00

This guy rocks...

How to measure time

2009-05-14T21:11:00.001+01:00

cesium
chemical elementalso spelled caesium (Cs)

chemical element of Group 1 (also called Group Ia) of the periodic table, the alkali metal group, and the first element to be discovered spectroscopically (1860), by German scientists Robert Bunsen and Gustav Kirchhoff, who named it for the unique blue lines of its spectrum (Latin caesius, “sky-blue”).

Atomic cesium is employed in the world’s time standard, the cesium clock. The microwave spectral line emitted by the isotope cesium-133 has a frequency of 9,192,631,770 hertz (cycles per second). This provides the fundamental unit of time. Cesium clocks are so stable and accurate that they are reliable to 1 second in 1.4 million years. Primary standard cesium clocks, such as NIST-F1 in Boulder, Colo., are about as large as a railroad flatcar. Commercial secondary standards are suitcase-sized.

Currently there are 5 Atomic clocks around the world. 2 in Japan, 1 in the US, 1 in the UK and 1 in Germany.

Perhaps the following clocks are not as accurate but somehow they exude more charm, interest and fun.

3.16 Billion Cycles

Thermal Clock

Cinematic Timepiece

Counting to a Billion

Surf Photography: Stuart Gibson

2009-05-13T23:34:00.001+01:00

Born and raised in tassie, Stuart Gibson's been shooting surf photography professionally for the past 4 years and has a very impressive portfolio, definitely someone to keep an eye on…

Check out more of his stunning work and a quick interview here

http://www.stugibson.net/

{Via Stuart Gibson » Australian Edge}

Audi D7 Concept

2009-05-13T13:01:00.001+01:00

Check out the new Audi D7 concept car... Hubba Hubba.

More pics here

[Via Fubiiz]

Muji CD Player

2009-05-11T22:39:00.001+01:00

Muji CD Player.
I know it's old and been aaround since time began. But I love it.

Old Masters, new tricks

2009-05-11T12:35:00.001+01:00

Hockney is using the iPhone to create mini art.

Come on Nokia et al, put your thinking caps on and try to develop something that has the appeal, flexibility, charm and robustness of the iPhone.

In the Crab studio we come across a new and inventive way of using the iPhone on a daily basis. From musical instruments to decesion making apps.

I use it to keep track of the websites we look after, to communicate via text, email, voice and VIOP, to entertain myself and my 3 year old.

This is truly the tri-corder of our times. I am looking forward to the release of the latest OS.

Twitterific, is fantastic

2009-05-11T10:58:00.001+01:00

All of my mates are fed up with me banging on about Twitterific for the iPhone, but I don't care.

It used to have a fixed spot on my iPhone Springboard, it had a great look and was wonderfully easy... too easy. Once I got into Twitter a little more I needed an app to handle a few more of my Twitter needs. Tweetie fore filled these needs - but cost me - and Twitterific got bunked off. Now Twitterific is back! It's still got it's sexy black look but now has a host of new features. My two favourites being the Tweet sound it makes when it updates, and the conversation thread feature.

Check it out, you won't be disappointed.

The Apple iBox Gaming Console

2009-05-11T10:30:00.001+01:00

Apple finally gets into the gaming market. I told you Will....

Nerds are the new rockstars!

2009-05-11T10:21:00.001+01:00

Joshua Davis (above) is a New York based artist, designer, and technologist producing both public and private work for companies, collectors, and institutions.

Check out his fantastic ongoing collection on work

graffoto: photorealistic graffiti to make you drool

2009-05-11T10:19:00.001+01:00

a huge amount of people don't realise just how artistically and technically incredible graffiti can be these days, and a depressingly large section of society still believe this kind of street art consists purely of text and tags, crudely sprayed onto public toilet walls. after seeing a piece by belin here in manchester, i've spent the past year or so pretty much addicted to the subject of photorealistic graffiti (aka graffoto), whether it be on walls, floors or canvas, and thought i'd point you in the direction of some incredible artists and collectives. the fact that these people are able to produce designs of this quality using a spraycan absolutely astounds me and i have a huge amount of respect for all those who manage it.

where possible i've included links to the artist's website/myspace/flickr page but in some cases i'm still unaware of them. if you happen to know any that i've missed, let me know and i'll add them. also, if i haven't included a 'photo source' link it means the picture is from the artist's site.

Check out the pics here

[Via Deputy Dog]

BBC reveals stunning sample footage shot with TyphoonHD4 camera

2009-05-11T10:17:00.001+01:00

The BBC has already proven itself to be quite the source for some impressive HD images, but the network's Natural History Unit looks to have really outdone themselves for their forthcoming South Pacific documentary, which makes use of a modified, $100,000 TyphoonHD4 camera. Of course, those exact modifications appear to be a closely-kept secret, but it has apparently been outfitted with a special underwater housing designed by German high-speed camera expert Rudi Diesel, and the camera itself is able to shoot in high definition at 20 times the speed of a normal HD camera, which results in some pretty amazing super slow motion footage. You can get a taste of that after the break but, trust us, you'll want to head up the read link below to really get a sense of what this thing is capable of.

[Via Engadget]

Martin Jetpack flies again

2009-05-11T10:12:00.001+01:00

You know, for a device as potentially bad ass as the Martin Jetpack is -- the company boasts a maximum range of 31.5 miles at 63 mph, and the ability to hover at 8,000 feet above ground effect -- the video we've seen thus far has been pretty lackluster. Of course, you can't actually get your hands on one anyways (check back in January 2010), but that isn't stopping the company from accepting your $10,000 deposit for the opportunity to get in on the ground floor. Despite all that, we couldn't help but feel all a-flutter when we watched the newest clip and realized that someday soon our dreams of super heroism might be fulfilled -- and with a rocket strapped to our back, no less. Check it out for yourself after the break.

Check out the vid here

[Via Engadget!]

Mozilla Prism

2009-05-11T10:02:00.001+01:00

Turn any web page into an app. Instead of running all your web apps in the browser, Prism lets you run them in their own window just like normal applications. A single faulty app or web page can no longer take down everything you are working on. In the future, we will be releasing web app bundles from the Prism developer community that let you customize your application to use many of the operating system features common to a desktop application.

Plugin for Firefox and Mac OSX

Check it out here

Gruber Assist electric bike

2009-05-11T09:55:00.001+01:00

Electric bikes are so much fun, but they can look a little clunky. This is the most discreet electric bike configuration we've seen yet, because hey, it's almost invisible. It's so stealthy, an unscrupulous cyclist could almost slip one of these into a racing bike, unnoticed. Almost.

Check out the vid here

Thanks to Dvice for this

Life before D&AD

2009-05-11T09:52:00.001+01:00

Blog post from Mike Dempsey's blog

'Back in 1963 seventeen graphic designers got together to produce a book. In the introduction it sets out three main points: ‘To demonstrate the effective use of graphic design in commercial and social contexts: to encourage the wider employment of the graphic designers’ particular skills and aptitudes: and to define, if only by implication, attitudes and approaches to graphic design current in England at this time.’ Clearly pithy copywriting was low on the agenda at that point. But the work featured from these young, thrusting twenty and thirty somethings was pretty revolutionary when most graphic designers were still know as, ‘commercial artists’. The book was designed by Derek Birdsall and could only stretch to two colours. But for all that we can see the geneses of British graphics on the pages of this slim volume. All the key names are there: Denis Bailey, Derek Birdsall, George Daulby, George Mayhew, Peter Wildbur, Ian Bradbery, David Collins, Bob Gill, Alan Fletcher, Colin Forbes, Sidney King, Roy Kinneir, Margaret Calvert, Romek Marber, Barry Trengrove and Tom Wolsey. The industry was far smaller and more intimate then. Now we're bursting at the seams. Here are a series of spreads from the book...'

Long-Exposure Shot of a Roomba's Path Shows Beautifully Organized Chaos

2009-05-11T09:49:00.001+01:00

Ever wonder what the path of a Roomba looks like as it cleans your house? It's an amazing combination of randomness and precision, as shown by this long-exposure shot.

The shot was taken by shutting off all the lights in the room for 30 minutes and taking a long exposure of the path the Roomba took while cleaning up. It's beautiful and surprising. I always assumed it worked with using some sort of grid, but that clearly isn't the case at all. [via Gizmodo]

Selgas Cano Architecture Office

2009-05-08T10:41:00.001+01:00

Who wouldn't want to work in a studio like this!

More Pics & Info HERE

Summer Coke Cans

2009-05-08T10:37:00.001+01:00

Coca-Cola has introduced 5 limited edition can designs for summer.

Click here for detailed pics & info
Via TrendLand

Crab's on Twitter

2009-05-06T22:11:00.004+01:00

For a while now, us Crab folk have been advicing towards Twitter, following friends and feeds as well as Tweeting our personal lives... but now the Crab Blog has a Twitter feed.

Follow all of the updates you see here, plus many more on our Twitter feed, just click on this link
or follow @CrabCreative

For information on how to setup a Twitter account click here, and if you're struggling or don't know who to follow, send us a comment and we'll try to help.

Tweet Tweet.

Image Blog Tuesday!!!

2009-05-05T09:53:00.001+01:00

SEO & Keyword Research

2009-04-29T18:12:00.002+01:00

The first step for search engine optimization is the identification of keywords that pay. It is absolutely necessary to research and find the right keywords and keywords phrases that will attract clients via search engines.

Proposition development

Many companies decide to publish a web site at some point and have it wok as an online brochure. This type of web site does not do a lot more than an actual brochure does for the offline promotion campaign of the company.

The problem with these web sites are that they do not have much to offer since their limited functionality and scope allows to them to work only as an online catalogue. One other problem is that they do not bring a lot of traffic since they are not designed nor in user cantered neither in search engine friendly way.

Companies that own this kind of web sites often decide that their web site needs to act more as promotional tool and since everybody talks of SEO and how effective it can be, they decide they should have a SEO campaign as well to improve sales.

At this point SEO can be still an effective tool, however these practices should be avoided because demand too much time and effort to bring effective results. The best way to succeed in search engine optimization is to build it into your business development strategy from the very outset.

Intro to Distributed Computing

2009-04-29T17:51:00.004+01:00

Distributed computing means breaking down an application into individual computing agents that can be distributed on a network of computers, yet still work together to do cooperative tasks. The motivations for distributing an application this way are many. Here are a few of the more common ones:

Solving larger problems without resorting to larger computers.
Large data sets are typically difficult to relocate, or easier to control and administer located where they are, so users have to rely on remote data servers to provide needed information.
Redundant processing agents on multiple networked computers can be used by systems that need fault tolerance. If a machine or agent process goes down, the job can still carry on.

Defining Distributed Applications

A distributed application is built upon several layers.
At the lowest level, a network connects a group of host computers together so that they can talk to each other.

At the application level, a distributed application can be broken down into the following parts:

Processes:

A typical computer operating system on a computer host can run several processes at once.
A process is created by describing a sequence of steps in a programming language,compiling the program into an executable form

While it's running, a process has access to the resources of the computer through the operating system.
A process can be completely devoted to a particular application, or several applications can use a single process to perform task

Threads:

Every process has at least one thread of control.
Some operating systems support the creation of multiple threads of control within a single process.
Each thread in a process can run independently from the other threads, although there is usually some synchronization between them.
At some point, input from the input stream may require feedback from the user.

Objects:

Programs written in object−oriented languages are made up of cooperating objects.
A process can be made up of one or more objects,
and these objects can be accessed by one or more threads within the process.

Agent:

Are higher−level system components, defined around a particular function, or utility, or role in the overall system.
Can be distributed across multiple processes, and can be made up of multiple objects and threads in these processes.
Are more intelligent and independent.
Can have goals that he is supposed to achieve
And monitor their progress towards them.

Thanks to Dirty Mouse

2009-04-22T17:35:00.001+01:00

Thanks to the guys at Dirty Mouse for blogging the Alpro Fridge Viral, Keep up the good work.