Back in March 2007, soon after starting Designverb, I was selected as 1 in 100 artist worldwide to create a design for the Converse JoinRed initiative to bring AIDS awareness and to raise money for the cause. Above is the one of the final designs I submitted which was stitched by hand and went through quite a design process even though I later submitted a re-worked design because of trademarks issues in my first design. Though I am not a shoe designer, I approached this project as any of my other projects diving into research, discovery, meaning, definition, creation, and refinement.
If your interested, read after the jump to see the design process, thinking, and some other design concepts I thought up but did not continue with in this short 2 week project.
“These images are from a set of 1,075 photographs — shot over five days last year for the book and exhibition, ‘‘Contraband’’ — of items detained or seized from passengers or express mail entering the United States from abroad at the New York airport. The miscellany of prohibited objects — from the everyday to the illegal to the just plain odd — attests to a growing worldwide traffic in counterfeit goods and natural exotica and offers a snapshot of the United States as seen through its illicit material needs and desires. ”
What a great installation in Tokyo! Wish I were there to experience it…as if I were inside a big snow globe!
“‘sensing nature‘, an exhibition which rethinks the japanese perception of nature, has just opened at the mori art museum, tokyo with interpretations of the subject made by takashi kuribayashi, taro shinoda and tokujin yoshioka. the three japanese artists / designers give abstract or symbolic expression to immaterial or amorphous concepts as well as natural phenomenon such as snow, water, wind, light, stars, mountains, waterfalls and forests. their ideas of nature suggest that it is not something that is to be contrasted with the human world, but that it is something that incorporates all life-forms, including human beings. the exhibition consists of newly commissioned works by each of the three artists, each attempting to stimulate our sense of nature through large-scale installations.
I’ve seen my share in infographics and just stumbled upon some awesome work by Chad Hagen. His posters take infographics back to their pure elements of print and a flare of dimensionality without any need for gradients or eccentrics extras. The aged paper definitely helps a bit to give it a rustic throw back vibe. I’m actually not sure what info I’m getting from these posters but these would make great wall pieces!
Melbourne based graphic artist Benjamin Hammond offers some fun, original, fast 1 minute portraits on his new website OneMinutePortraits ! Yup, 1 quick minute! You submit a picture, he post a picture of what he did in 1 minute, and you decided if you want to buy it for $20 which includes shipping!
I have to admit that sometimes the quick drawings have more personality and jazz than the longer ones… It’s somewhat like an elevator pitch.. where you just get to the point and do the obvious., or the twitter of portrait making…your self-portrait in less than 60 seconds!
This does take me back to the RISD days a bit when one of the lasses was to draw 200 self-portraits in a few days… what a rush!
I love it when nature inspires objects such as this mezmerizingly beautiful glass vase by French/Japanese design pair A + A Cooren. (lots of other great project on there site as well) The static glimpse of a tornado coupling a fragile flower stem draws a contrast between destruction and life. Too bad there are only 21 made which means the price is not made for all. Anyhow, if I could get my hands on this… please let me know! =)
David Byrne (RISD drop out alumn) talks about how architecture helped music evolve. I relate this a lot to how your deskspace both digital and physical affect your creative work.
Following an old but still fun trend in pixelating products in our world is turning digital icons into products. This is probably one of my favorites but I really can’t wait until our entire physical world is represented by 2d objects… graphics and products at their best… at least visually.
(pics mirrored after jump)
“In this poignant, funny follow-up to his fabled 2006 talk, Sir Ken Robinson makes the case for a radical shift from standardized schools to personalized learning — creating conditions where kids’ natural talents can flourish.”
I’ve been incredibly busy helping organize the TEDxCambridge event occurring May 16th at the MIT Stata Center. The theme “How do you eat” is based off of this year TED prize winner Jamie Oliver in regards to Food and education. If you are in Boston May 16th, apply to get an invite and let me know. We can only invite 300 attendees and registration will close soon. You can learn more on tedxcambridge.com
Also, if you are in a position to sponsor any food, funding, or gifts for the event, please contact me asap. (now! =) ).
We will have 2 break sessions followed by an evening event in eating, drinking, and idea sharing!
Lots of awesome speakers in the line up!
- Wylie Dufresne: WD 50
- Chandler Burr: Times Scent critic
- Dan Ariely: Behavioral Economist
- Richard Chisolm: Filmmaker
- John Gertsen: Mixologist
- many more!
