Christmas round-up – other festive bits and bobs

Manchester Money

Manchester City Council’s in-house design studio M-Four has designed a commemorative shilling to mark the 15th year of the Manchester Christmas Markets. One side of the coin features a windmill illustration, while the other side uses a typographic approach to tell a history of the markets around an image of the clock face of the Manchester Town Hall. The £2 minted coin can be used as currency at the market or saved as a souvenir.

Unwrap a designer

Consultancy The Allotment has launched its charity Unwrap a Designer Christmas competition, which gives the winning charity two days of free design thinking. You can enter as a charity, or nominate the one you feel deserves to win, and find out more here.

Santa Brand Refresh

Quietroom has created this hilarious brand guidelines book for Santa. Among the stipulations is that ‘Santa is: generous; Santa is not a mug’.

Christmas Gifs

These gifs really do keep on giving. Designer and illustrator Ryan Todd has drawn together another collection of brilliant and bonkers festive animated gifs, which you can have a peek at here. 

Louise Wilkinson’s Festive V&A illustration

Illustrator and textile designer Louise Wilkinson has created a cute Christmassy deer illustration suspended in the grand shop windows at the entrance to the V&A. The piece forms part of her solo exhibition, Beneath the Willow Tree, and coincides with the Masterpieces of Chinese Painting show at the V&A.

Pearlfisher’s seasonal gifs

Consultancy Pearlfisher has also looked to wee looping animations to celebrate Christmas, with its gif designs based on the looks of its own business cards.

You can view all the gifs on the Pearlfisher website here.

Sebastian Bergne’s Colour Nativity

Designer Sebastian Bergne was commissioned by The Chapel of St Peter and St Paul at the Old Royal Naval College (ORNC), Greenwich to create a large-scale, minimalist colour nativity. Each of the characters is represented by a simple wooden block, recognisable by its colour, proportion and place in the nativity scene’s composition

Volcanic Mince Pies

Posh London eaterie Nobu is celebrating Christmas with a peculiar take on the mince pie, designed by executive head pastry chef Regis Cursan. The little treats aim to resemble ‘volcanic rock with a ribbon of lava running through it’.  The shell uses bamboo ashes and black sesame paste, while the ‘core’ is formed from Hibiki whisky.

Beach London gifts

If you’re still stuck for gift ideas, gallery Beach London has some wonderful design-led pieces. Among our favourites are these lovely cocktail tea towels by Crispin Finn.

Old Spitalfields Market’s Digiwall

East London’s Old Spitalfields market has installed a ‘digiwall’ for Christmas, showing a range of digital illustrations by Ruth Joyce. Shoppers can pick an image they want, and have it printed on demand onto gifts such as t-shirts and bags.