hold that thought

Yes we really are two years old already - how time flies when you are having fun! The last 12 months have seen Hold take on a myriad of new clients and complete some fantastic projects. As we stride into our third year we look forward to continuing our pursuit of design greatness for all our lovely clients.

Fresh in this week is the new artwork for Concrete Plastics forthcoming releases. First up is the latest release from Enabl.ed - The Perfect Provider remixes which in turn takes it's lead from the new Enabl.ed album, Beautiful Disaster, showing a broken butterfly wing gathering dust. In between these is the exm release - Memontum EP. Featuring a classic Swiss graphic approach with minimal design and a mono palette this sleeve perfectly demonstrates the dark electronica on the release. View them all here.

With a timely title we've just completed the new sleeve for electronic label Concrete Plastic.

Due for digital release in the new year, Dez Williams Spinechiller EP provides a deep winter techno fest, warm machine funk to blow those January blues away.

Well, after a year of refinement we are proud to finally put the Hold archive live. You can view the best of the rest of our work, ranging from the music industry through the charity sector to retail and beyond. We hope you enjoy.

I managed to drag myself away from my desk and up to the big smoke on Thursday to attend the private view of Natalie Abadzis and Jim Green's latest exhibition. Nat is an all round illustrator and for this show, titled Akemi's Place, has created exquisite watercolours in homage to traditional Japanese print techniques, stunning. Jim's work is a mixture of documentary and landscape, with an eye for the ironic, absurd and beautiful. Great work and all available to buy. The show is on at Nolias Gallery, 60 Great Suffolk Street, SE1 0BL until next week.

We've finished the new sleeve for Stuchka Vkarmanye - due for digital release on electronic label Concrete Plastic in the New Year.

Stuchka Vkarmanye is Eliad Wagner, Musician, composer and programmer. Born and raised in Israel his music is a modern take on traditional European electronic music, think Kraftwerk meets Plaid. Nice!

Hold were invited to submit an illustration for the pirate edition of Mexico's underground cultural magazine Eclectica. Featuring alongside fellow Brit designers Spin, this edition of the design led magazine is a voyage into the world of piracy.

As if getting up at 6.30 on a Saturday morning to travel to Dorking wasn't test enough then the ensuing trial gave me a certain taste of why mountain biking is so addictive. We kicked off on a mini downhill where I recklessly flew at the challenge. Tackling the gnarly root system was my main concern as I headed downhill at surprising speed. The clue to my impending crash was the compete loss of control at the first apex where I dramatically bounced into and off a large, unmoving, tree. To say I've never been so winded is a complete understatement and I in fact continued making noises, unknown to myself and mankind, for several minutes until my lungs re-inflated.

The rest of the morning was a lot more sedate and controlled with some good runs and no further damage to me or my borrowed bike (cheers Danny). Ploughing on to the end a final back braking endo, courtesy of a stealth tree trunk, wrapped up the mornings ride.
Will I go again? Of course. Should I wait for my two fractured ribs to heal first? Probably.