NME have published an interesting list of 100 great songs of the 80s.
Check it out here, click here

You may not agree with the list, you may be too young to know any of the songs! But in my opinion, there are some good tunes and bad hair here!

A cool little game for the Typography geeks out there at click here

See if you can get your kerning correct, is the art of typography being overlooked by the young designers out there?

Give it a go it’s good fun, I shall keep my score to myself for the time being.

March 23rd saw FC Cuckoo Design take to the field in the MPA Football 5-a-side tournament in Manchester. The tournament was hotly contested by the regions agencies and saw Phil Rainey come out of football retirement to one again grace the hallowed turf of Ancoats! Our team below shows back row; Phil ‘Blood, sweat and tears’ Rainey, Andy ‘The Wall’ Sully, Michael ‘Messi’ Clarke and front row; Jon ‘Iron Man’ Morris, Alex ‘Donny’ Darko, Simon ‘What no stick?’ Glenday.

Cuckoo stormed the group stages undefeated playing both holders BJL and Refinery twice. A 1-0 victory and 1-1 draw against BJL was followed by convincing wins of 1-0 and 2-0 versus Refinery.

Unfortunately Cuckoo peaked too soon it seems and despite being 2-0 up and cruising in the Quarter Final v One Manchester they let the lead slip in the last minute and had to face the lottery that is a penalty shoot out. One Manchester missed their first but Jon Morris was unlucky to his strike hit the bar. Phil then had to score to keep us in the competition and calmly slotted his home. Sudden death saw no slip ups from either side until Phil saw his powerful effort remarkably saved by the One Manchester keeper… okay it was a poor strike really.

All in all it was great tournament and apart from the penalties we didn’t lose any of our 5 matches in normal time. Well you have to take the positives!

Cuckoo expands its flock once again with a new member joining the Studio team.

Jonathan joins Cuckoo as a Web Developer, and brings with him an interesting pool of skills, ranging from Web development to iPhone repairs and even Ten-pin bowling!!

Here is what Jonathan had to say:
“Hi all,
I’ve only been at Cuckoo for a few days and I already feel right at home.  Everyone’s really nice here, and always seems to be offering you something fattening to eat, be it biscuits, sweets or chocolates!  Salford too is an interesting place.  I’ve experienced sun blistering temperatures and snow in my first week here!  A quick exploration has already lead me to find my two favourite gourmet restaurants (McDonalds & KFC) within 5 minute walk of the office! What more could you ask for? Definitely one of the best places to work.

PS: Looking forward to sharing some chocolate Easter eggs and a few beers this week!”

Hello, we are Corina and Lauren – Cuckoo’s new Account Executives.

Travelling a combined 445 miles to join the Cuckoo team (Corina from Scotland and Lauren from N.I) – it’s safe to say we won’t be making the commute every day!

We landed in sun-soaked Manchester just at the weekend and have barely had time to empty our cases.

Already we are at the latter end of a one-week induction programme preparing us to get our sticky mitts on some client jobs tomorrow.

Cuckoo’s team have done an amazing job at making us feel welcome and we are looking forward to some sociable drinks with them next week!

We will update you again after our first week, in the meantime however, if you see two blondes looking lost and confused around Manchester – come and say hello!

P.S If anyone wants to donate any teatime recipes to stop us from dying of scurvy and/or diabetes, feel free.

Last Wednesday saw the second Design Symposium take place in Manchester and our city’s elegant Town Hall was chosen as this year venue. Speakers on the day ranged from typographers, publishers and educators, to name but a few, and the topic of discussion was ‘the economy of design’.

Whether the topic was actually touched on a great deal is debatable in itself, but my personal highlights have to include the ‘mad as a box of frogs’ Morag Myerscough. Every project she seemed to work on was attacked with such enthusiasm and colour and vibrancy and life! I’d highly recommend visiting her website and getting inspired.

Another highlight has to be Vera-Maria Glahn from London agency Field. Her fantastically mesmerising animations and interactive visuals were truly unique and jaw-dropping. I’d urge you to go onto their website and watch them all., over and over! The Deutsche Bank installation in Hong Kong being my personal favourite.

Sophie Williamson has written up a more extensive review of the day here.

Things have certainly moved on from the first short produced by Pixar ‘Luxo Jr’ in 1986

Take a look at this amazing CGI short Ruin by Wes Ball

Click here
watch?v=doteMqP6eSc

We’re currently asking the bosses if there’s any chance we can factor This “giant Cuckoo nest” into the swanky new Studio plans. The perfect place for creating new ideas, (or just having a quick nap.)

Announcements, comments, and quips don’t always come easily, (unless you’re a super cool Cuckoo) but this petite guidebook makes social media a cinch by providing a collection of convenient updates! Bound in a hard cover with gold-colored lettering across its crimson face, this book contains a series of carefully composed tweets and other updates, complete with humor and hashtags. Five sections follow the introduction, showcasing short messages for describing your daily life, activities in your office, and sharing among your circle of friends.

Treat yourself for $8.99 and watch your followers rocket. I’m sure.

I had the pleasure of working alongside Jim Williams during my first job in Graphic Design. Jim was a very precise typographer and designer so it comes as no surprise that he’s published a book on the subject.

I’m looking forward to getting my hands on a copy (just to seek out Bureau Grotesque if anything!). The preview spreads on Creative Review brought back memories of seeing Jim painstakingly crafting his work on layout paper, before he’d even think of plugging in a computer. His is a fine art indeed, and one that’s gradually being swallowed up with all the ubiquitous computer generated settings and access to thousands of badly cut fonts.

What will always remain though is the tried and tested rules we all still need to apply for good typographic communications in our work. Hopefully this is as good a start as anyone needs to master the art.

http://creativereview.co.uk/cr-blog/2012/february/type-matters