When the news that a giant yellow rubber duck was floating around Hong Kong’s harbour two weeks ago, thousands of visitors flocked to see the new tourist attraction.  The huge inflatable, designed by Dutch artist Florentijn Hofman, has travelled the world since 2009 and was due to remain in Hong Kong harbour until the beginning of June.

That was until yesterday, when the duck was deflated for maintanence and had to be towed back for a body check. Unaware of the scheduled maintance, visitors of all ages who had hoped to catch a glimpse of the inflatable were left disappointed to see it looking like a floating fried egg.  It is currently unclear as to when the duck will be reinflated, so duck fever is on hold until its anticipated return to the harbour.

With its simple and nostalgic concept, the duck has become a symbol of joy in its short lifespain and Hofman’s hope of ‘connecting people with public art’ has been pulled off with overwhelming success.

Via Channel NewsAsia

The world of design is a constantly changing battlefield and with the introduction of new agencies, advertising campaigns and innovations, it is quite easy to forget the seemingly small developments that have essentially shaped the industry.

On Creative Bloq, 20 developments have been chosen as key moments in the modern graphic design world, dating back from the 1960’s (the introduction of D&AD) to the present decade (the release of the iPad).  Some may not seem as influential as other examples but they all have one thing in common: they all show that inspiration can come in a variety of many different ways.

As a photographer, the ability to visually capture a beautiful image is everything.  So, when one loses ones sight, it compromises the style and approach of taking a picture.  It is easy to assume that blindness affects photographers in a negative light, but in the instance of landscape photographer Gary Albertson, he found his images are actually much better than when he was perfectly sighted.

Diagnosed with a rare form of glaucoma, Albertson’s loss of sight has left him with limited peripheral vision.   However, he was able to get himself back behind the camera and started taking beautiful images using his other senses, especially hearing.

His story captured the attention of Pulitzer-Prize winning photojournalist Jay Mather, who has since accompanied Albertson on several expeditions, documenting his journey while picking up new photography skills.  Their collaborative works were exhibited in Oregon, inspiring visitors and amateur photographers to use more than their eyes in capturing their perfect picture.

The Pocketstock Academy has a special video with professional tips in shooting stunning landscapes - why not take a look and see what you can capture?

Via KGW.com

In this digital age, it is easy to forget about old photos that are tucked away in a box.  Not just the snaps you took in your younger years when photography was just another form of experimentation but also the ones that have been passed down through generations of family members, as memories of a simpler time.

But what if you could breathe a bit of fresh air into your old photos?  That's exactly what Oregon-based designer Cari Vander Yacht has done. Using a variety of classic retro-style images, she has brought a touch of modernicity to some old photos and transformed them into GIFs, with weird yet humourous results. The photos used in her series, named ‘TGIMGIF’ (Thank God It’s Monday’s Graphics Interchange Format), are around 50 years old. 

To see the full series, check out the reinvented images featured on Vander Yacht’s website.

Via Design Taxi

In cities across the world, the daily commute is part of life.  Whether it is on the bus, bike, train or the Tube, the journey to and from work can be pretty tedious.

However, Japanese designer Takemasa Ryo has put a different spin on the dull daily commute, recreating the journeys as retro-style illustrations.  A freelance illustrator since graduating in 2010, he has won various awards through his popular works and is also a member of Tokyo Illustrators Society.

Takemasa uses bright colours and simplistic design to depict the different characters in his portfolio, with trams, bikes and our beloved London Underground being reinvented in his illustrations.

You can check out his wonderfully bright portfolio and if you want to try taking some shots during your morning commute, why not visit our Academy for inspiration and tips?

Via The Creative Bloq

Chinese is one of the most widely-spoken languages in the world, and its influence has already spread to primary and secondary schools in the Western world as an alternative language alongside the usual French and Spanish.  Trying to make sense of Chinese characters can be an obstacle in progressing further into the language but now, an entrepreneur has developed a methodology designed to ‘penetrate the Great Wall of Chinese Language.’

Venture capitalist Shaolan Hseuh has created ‘Chineasy’, which works by illustrating several core characters and developing simple stories to help learners memorise them. 

“I want people to understand China, Chinese and Chinese culture without getting lost in translation,” Hseuh says of her objective.  Essentially, the concept adopts the idea of word-picture association with the brightly coloured graphics and inventive animation make the learning process easier and more enjoyable.

If you are studying Chinese or know someone who needs a bit of extra help, why not visit the website and see how it works.

Via Wired

The theft of a laptop is something we all wish to avoid and for a photographer or designer, the idea of being parted from your cherished work and tools is unbearable. However, this is what happened to Melanie Willhide, a photography teacher from California, whose computer and backup drive were unfortunately stolen. 

Even though the computer was eventually recovered by police, the images had been wiped by the thief but when she and her business partner Betsy ran the recovery software to save her images, she discovered that the corruption on the images had actually made them better.

Willhide managed to replicate the effect – which she refers to as ‘glitch art’ – using Photoshop and it has since inspired her to edit her existing and ‘corrupted’ images, as well as combine them with her own side project for an upcoming event.

The resulting images have formed a series entitled ‘To Adrian Rodriguez, With Love’ – an ode to the inadvertently inspirational computer thief.  What happened to Rodriguez is unknown, but Willhide was reportedly impressed with some of the work he left on her computer.

Via ­The Huffington Post

Not many people know this but KitKat is famous for its weird and wonderful flavours.  In Japan for example, the snack is available in 15 flavours, ranging from green tea to blueberry cheesecake, making it a very versatile chocolate bar.

One of the more popular flavours is white chocolate, which was recently available as a limited edition product in Australia.  To celebrate the end of the snack, KitKat hired illustrator Mike Wyatt with the following brief: ‘how to do you make something limited last forever?’ 

The brand had 'saved’ the last fifty bars of the white chocolate edition and by breaking down and melting the chocolate, Wyatt created exquisite illustrations by hand-painted unique artworks onto red canvas before scraping out the designs.

The results are quite stunning and can be seen on KitKat’s Facebook page.  This latest advertising campaign shows that even when something has come to an end, you can design something brilliant.

Via Huffington Post.

Here at Pocketstock HQ, animal photography never fails to bring a smile to our faces and with so many species to choose from, it feels like we're spoilt for choice.

But what if you could have two animals as one - would it be just as good?  

Well, Reddit user 'gyyp' has done just that with his series entitled 'Weird Animals'.  Using Photoshop, he has spliced different animals together to create various new species. The results are mixed, ranging from hilarious to the creepy.

You can check out gyyp's portfolio to see all his weird and wonderful creations.

Via Design Taxi

eBooks have gained steady popularity over recent years. Thanks to the introduction of mobile e-readers, hardcover books are no longer a common sight on the daily commute to work.  Aside from the weight, one inconvenience that book fans no longer have to deal with is the flimsy dust jacket.  It can serve as a bookmark or protect the book itself but most people think it is simply unnecessary.

However, the Australian branch of publishing company Random House have come up with a clever alternative use for the dust jackets on their books. In partnership with The Footpath Library, Random House and Australian ad agency BMF have created a book donation campaign called Mailbooks For Good, which aims to provide books to disadvantaged and homeless Australians.

How it works is that once readers have finished with their book, they simply remove the cover and fold it so that it becomes a pre-paid envelope, perfectly fitting around the book.  The book can then be sent to the charity (at no extra cost to the reader) in great condition.

The idea is not only smart and for a good cause, but it also promotes an eco concept by effectively recycling and reusing materials. If you feel inspired to capture eco concepts in your images, check our special Academy video with tips on what to shoot.

Via Creative Review