Philip Kennedy

Stories by Philip Kennedy

Philip Kennedy is a twenty-something designer and writer from Ireland. He enjoys living in new cities, watching old episodes of Seinfeld and working on fun projects with exciting people. His favorite film will always be Back to the Future.

Fantastic Illustrated Posters by Sergio Membrillas

Sergio Membrillas - illustrated poster 3

Sergio Membrillas - illustrated poster 1

I love the work of Spanish illustrator Sergio Membrillas. Living and working in Valencia, Sergio has a strong and unique style. His colors hum brilliantly on the page, creating a soft and warm palette that contrasts perfectly with the strong and sharp lines that make up his images.

I discovered Sergio’s work after he contributed pictures to Beck’s illustrated song book Song Reader. Checking out his site you can see that he’s worked with a great variety of national and international clients including Die Zeit magazine, Human Empire and Random House.

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Philip Kennedy

April 30, 2013 - See more posts by Philip

‘Jörgits & the End of Winter’ – An Interactive Kids Novel by Tank & Bear

Jorgits title

Over the last few nights I’ve been stealing my girlfriend’s iPad and reading Jörgits & the End of Winter. It’s an illustrated and animated novel for children written by Anders Sandell and created by Tank and Bear. I had never read an interactive novel before and the adventure of the Jörgits was a wonderful introduction to the format.

Beautifully illustrated and designed by Anders, the book is filled with fantastic illustrations and the story is rich in interactive elements, allowing you to learn more about the characters, the environments and the story. You can get a good introduction to the book by checking out the video above.

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Philip Kennedy

April 26, 2013 - See more posts by Philip

Surreal Beauty in Carsten Güth’s ‘Private Bunker Series’

Carsten Guth's 'Private Bunker Series'

I recently came across these surreal photographs by the German designer Carsten Güth and was totally captivated by them. Entitled Private Bunker Series, the collection of photographs show a variety of residential houses shut-off from the outside world; their windows and doors nowhere to be seen.

There’s a surrealism and a beauty to these images. In many ways they feel claustrophobic – even horrific – but there’s also an elegance to be found in their minimalist forms and their obscure abstractions.

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Philip Kennedy

April 24, 2013 - See more posts by Philip

‘Design with Heart’ – An Introduction to Designer Sebastian Bergne

‘Design with Heart’ is the title of this short film about the work of industrial designer Sebastian Bergne. Bergne lives and works in London where he’s been creating a number of products, lighting and furniture for over 20 years. Perhaps best known for creating objects for the preparation and consumption of food and drink, Bergne has collaborated on projects with the likes of Muji, Swarovski, Tefal and Vitra.

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Philip Kennedy

April 23, 2013 - See more posts by Philip

Finland – Land of the Midnight Sun

Finland - Land of the Midnight Sun 1

These days everyone seems to be talking about how much brighter it is in the evenings and discussing “that extra stretch in the day”. I know you might be thinking that I must keep rather dull company, but it’s not that – discussing the hours of darkness in Northern Europe is a prerequisite for living here.

After surviving another grey and dull winter, the reemerging sun plays a significant role in the lives and lifestyles of the people who live here. This is perhaps nowhere more apparent than in Finland. Here the Finns survive with no sunlight in the winter, and in the summer nature replies with 24 hours of sun. In the northernmost parts of Finnish Lapland, the sun stays above the horizon for over 70 consecutive days.

In the video above, the Official Finnish Travel Site, Visit Finland, have captured some of the magic of this time of year in a beautiful video that celebrates the midnight sun. Go check it out and make sure to check out the music of Husky Rescue too which is featured in the video. Enjoy!

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Philip Kennedy

April 22, 2013 - See more posts by Philip