Popshot is a bi-annual small art publication “intent on hoodwinking poetry back from the clammy hands of tweed jackets and school anthologies”. Popshot looks to celebrate the poetry of today and tomorrow with the whimsical arms of illustration wrapped tightly round it. Started on a shoestring budget from the kitchen of an Oxford flat, with unknown contributors, no adverts or sponsors and within only four issues Popshot became the first UK poetry magazine ever to gain worldwide distribution. “We are of the thought that the future of poetry is even more exciting than the past.”

Pantone have released their colour of the year for 2011: Honeysuckle “a dynamic reddish pink.” The colour described by Pantone, is ‘Courageous, Confident & Vital. A brave new colour, for a brave new world. Let the bold spirit of Honeysuckle infuse you, lift you and carry you through the year. It’s a colour for every day – with nothing “everyday” about it.’ This leads to the question of how colours affect purchases? An infographic designed by online analytics firm KISSmetrics details the impact colour has on purchasing decisions. KISSmetrics found that each 93% of all consumers place visual appearance and colour above other factors, and that 85% of them place colour as the “primary reason” for why they buy a particular product. Buyers are also swayed by individual colours. Where red could mean “energy” and “creates urgency”, purple is used to “soothe and calm”, the infographic states. And for brands looking to home in on the impulse shoppers, KISSmetrics said red, orange, black and blue are the colours that appeal to that demographic. http://www.stumbleupon.com/su/1llGpU/designtaxi.com/news/33607/Infographic-How-do-Colors-Affect-Purchases//r:t  

San Francisco graphic designer Michael Tompert and photographer Paul Fairchild are trying to make people think about their relationship with these universally beloved gadgets. Having spent the last several months purchasing the newest in Apple consumer technology and then creatively destroying the pricey toys, the results, which they photographed, went on display at a gallery exhibition. ‘it’s not about destroying old products. it’s about our relationship with the new.’