And Now for Something Completely Different…
The British television show Monty Python’s Flying Circus was well known during the 1970s as a program filled with irreverence, humor and dry wit.

The series lives on today in various iterations of DVD compilations, public broadcasting shows and various Internet sites.

The catchphrase “…and now for something completely different” was used to introduce sketches and comedy routines on the show.

In this article we’ll borrow from the phrase and depart a little from what we normally offer and display “something completely different…” for our readers.

We’ll show some interesting examples of design to help get your creative juices going. Some ideas are whimsical, while others are exercises in how to rethink certain design concepts.

Regardless of the methodology, these designs from around the world offer a peek at what can be done when thinking outside the box.

To fully appreciate these screenshots, click on each image to see it in full-sized mode or click on the blue text to go to the website link.

Website Design: Get London Reading
How would you design a website to encourage people to read?

London’s campaign to help its citizens to increase their reading habits takes on a literal sense for design–an open magazine page.
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The idea is effective and quite entertaining as users click on the different “magazine” articles. In this case, taking the subject matter literally is a good idea.
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Package Design: Wine in a Pop Top Can

If you were asked to think up a new way to package wine, what would you do?

Jens Andersson and Jonas Forsman of Ramos Creations decided that the standard wine bottle was too cliche. So why not wine in a can?
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This familiar yet unexpected adaptation of the common liquid refreshment can garnered the 2006 Swedish Packaging Award for its unique design and environmentally sound packaging. Sometimes old ideas become new if used in a different venue.
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Book Cover Design: Cheers! A History of Beer in Canada

When graphic designer David Gee was asked to think up a book cover design for this project he incorporated two things that would make his idea stand out.

First he showed an image of the well recognized icon of a Canadian Mountie. Next he applied a little motion blur to the image.

The overall idea is humorous when you consider the title is about beer in Canada. A little humor can not only give a design project a laugh,  but can make an otherwise boring idea into one that is entertaining.
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Next Time…
We’ll glean some more inspirational ideas that go outside of conventional thinking when it comes to design. Stay tuned!