Gathering Inspiration

Where do you find your inspiration?

Here at O Street we like to tackle it with a bit of fresh air. For years, we’ve been keeping our eyes open for visual oddities out-and-about, then sharing them in an aptly named collection: Ospiration. It comes in many forms: the typography on a takeaway menu, a brick wall covered in peeling posters and graffiti, book covers, foreign registration plates, scattered light on a city skyline. Even some quote-unquote old junk found in the attic can be creative fuel (see: Label O’ Love).

Some of our favourite pieces of Ospiration take the shape of aged shop signs, with their effortlessly timeless typographic flair, weathered paint and battered colours that have faded over time. We’re surrounded by a rich history of design, with creative beauty wherever you go.

If you’re ever feeling uninspired, taking your eyes for a walk can do wonders. To get you started, take a look at a few of our top bits of Ospiration collected over the years:

The Computer Made Me Do It

At O Street play and experimentation are a key part of our creative process (read about our Last.fm slip-mat or our Roadliners project) As designers we’re instinctively taught to control outcomes. For me, experimentation is about breaking some of those...

Love is all O-round.

This month we had two very good reasons to clear the decks and order too much pizza. Neil O’s retirement and David’s 50th lap around the sun. Two milestones. Both worth marking properly. The date landed just after Valentine’s Day,...

Change Starts Small

Beth and the very lovely folk at INTL invited me to sit on a panel last night. The topic: “What the F**K is going on in the Scottish Design Industry?” A bit of a foreboding question, eh? And one which...

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