Minibar for the Mind

Hotels can always be counted on for luxury body-loving amenities and mini bottles of fizz, but what about taking care of your mind? We love the new collaboration between Morgans Hotels and The School of Life: a ‘Minibar for the Mind’, including Conversation Starter cards, Collected Thoughts columns by the school’s expert faculty, Reading Prescriptions, and a Dreams & Fears Notebook, all for £35. You can pick one up from the vending machine at St. Martin's Lane.

Source: Urban Junkies

RPM's Creative Blog

This year, our Creative department launched 'Daily Creative', a blog that captures the innovative and inventive thinking of our studio. Every day, one of RPM's creatives uploads a project, image, drawing or animation that they have made or discovered, with the aim to share creative ideas among likeminded people. Check out the latest blog post by Sophie who suggests carrying around a typeface for a day and placing it in different environments to see which suits it best. Looks like the 'M' likes the armchair...

grain edit

Grainedit is one of my favorite blogs. It spans graphic design, typography, three-dimensional design and magazine spreads, highlighting the latest up-and-coming artistic talents. The blog is based in California and focuses on classic design work from the 1950s-1970s including interviews, articles, designers’ libraries as well as examples of rare design annuals, type specimens, ephemera, posters and vintage kids' books.

Bookshelf Porn

Want to see a cool, original website? BookshelfPorn is a photo blog, providing truly original content. As you can probably tell from the URL (or perhaps not), the site delves into some of the world's best bookshelves, including the timeworn, modern and truly absurd. Admittedly, I'm a true fan (as any other self-confessed English geek would be), but I'm pretty sure even book 'haters' will adore this site. Having browsed a few of the photos, some particular favorites stand out, including the meticulously colour-coordinated shelf (above) and an image of an aged bookstore in Santa Barbara (also above). Definitely worth a look.

False Rumours on Twitter

Here is an example of how false rumours can spread via social media, and quick. Lesson learned? Read others' tweets thoroughly and don't re-tweet until you're sure of what's being posted! A tweeter from ASOS once wrote, "Street style shooting in Oxford Circus for ASOS and Diet Coke. Let me know if you're around." Although to most this clearly referred to a photo shoot, some weren't quite so sharp, and panic spread. Soon, Tweetville was full of maddened tweeters, warning others about a shooting on Oxford Street. Even BBC News posted, "Is there a shooting at Oxford Circus right now, that's what I'm hearing?".

Oh dear, dear.

Brands Go Royal Wedding Mad!

While reading Marketing Magazine today, I saw that drinks manufacturer Halewood International is set to launch a limited edition Prince William champagne to celebrate his wedding to Kate Middleton. Good idea? Perhaps. But mostly it got me thinking about the extent to which brands are going to 'cash in' on this happy couple, and let's be honest, if the Olympics are anything to go by, the impact will be huge.

Stanley Gibbons, the stamp collecting and memorabilia group, said it expects to hugely benefit from sales of commemorative mugs, vases and stamps, and in fact the royal wedding is expected to hand UK businesses a £620M boost, according to retail research group Verdict.

So, besides the bubbly, I wonder what we'll see next? William and Kate cereal flakes? A royal wedding iPhone app? Faces of Kate and Will on Walkers Crisps packets? Kate Middleton herself appears to be turning into her own brand, whether she likes it or not, and courtiers plan to warn businesses, especially retailers, that using Miss Middleton's full name to promote clothing ranges could put them in violation of copyright laws.

Let's watch this space, but in the meantime, here's some brilliantly-crafted unofficial memorabilia produced by KK Outlet in East London.

Chris Climbs Kilimanjaro!

Our Accountant Chris Hughes decided to set himself a huge personal achievement by climbing Mount Kilimanjaro last week. The physically and mentally challenging climb that leads travellers up and along the Rongai Route took him a total of seven days, including one day's acclimatisation at 3700ft.

"My worst moment was just before Gilman's Point (5685m) when I thought I was going to have to come back down due to altitude sickness," he said. Luckily for Chris, he pulled through, and one of the best moments was two hours after, when he made the summit. "I made it to Uhuru Peak (5895m) just as the sun came up. The views were amazing".