Archive for the ‘ Design ’ Category
On a recent venture down to The City Of Angels, I was asked to DJ a gig called the Pop Up Shop. The Pop Up Shop was a brilliant joint venture between ‘Team Iso’, ‘Rockit Scientists’, ‘Class Villians’, ‘Phreedom’, ‘Boomtho!’ and a whole host of other amazing brands to display their latest and greatest works at the Dream Factory. Not to be confused with the Fantasy Factory, the Dream Factory is a one of a kind art gallery on Main Street in downtown LA. I spun the all day event as all the brands and their representers were out in full effect.
Now, this is the part that will undoubtedly cause me to get a whole host of angry emails about how I cut people out, and forgot about this person and that person, but I don’t care. All the brands that were in the house worked their hardest to come through with the best product they had to offer. Every size of every color-way or every look and every style of every piece were award worthy, hands down. And that being said, I have to be honest, I was a bit busy doing my job to get the background on every single brand in the building (there were quite a few), but below are a few peeks at some of the material from ‘Rockit Scientists’, ‘Team Iso’, ‘Class Villains’, and ‘Boomtho!’. Check the method.
All in all the event was a blast, and I have to try and shoot out everyone who helped everything run as smoothly as it did, starting with my amazing assistant Ashley F., who not only held it down at the event, but also managed to take all the photos in this post. Shouts to Keoni, Brittany, Louis V, Lil Ryan, and the whole Team Iso crew. Nico Santana, Reg Slvstr, DT, and everyone else involved with the Rockit Scientists. All of NhT, and every other performer who hit the stage to perform during the evening. And shouts to all and everyone who came through to support their brands, and most of all, anyone who bought something at the gallery. (You helped us get paid… so THANK YOU). By the end of the night, everyone was like family (on my twitter, you can see us all grubbing at Roscoe’s Chicken & Waffels on Pico), and I thoroughly enjoyed myself. Hit me up in a comment if you want the details on the next one, or any of the brands pictured in this post.
The world’s first real smartwatch. Multi-tasking, easy to use and love: touch, drag, swipe or pinch. Get your intuitive interface in a complex world.
Slick, thin and ergonomic, “i’m Watch” is made to be part of you. And it’s always with you by all means: phone, web, music, radio, organizer, photo, video, and whatever App you may come up with. Born for multi-tasking exploit, “i’m Watch” is so fast and simple to use that everything else will be left behind, likely on your car backseat.
Celebrity and historical figures find a second life in these paper miniatures by ‘People Too’, the collaborative efforts of Russian designers Alexei Lyapunov and Lena Ehrlich. Using a range of knives, scissors, tweezers, and other tools on wire and a combination of construction and specialty papers, the team creates not only miniature furniture and figures but also entire sets for the pieces. Their ‘star’ series represents famous musicians, from Michael Jackson to Queen to Elton John. Check it out.
A Miami Beach condo developer plans to build a new skyscraper with a robotic parking deck built in. The Porsche Design Tower project will allow owners to ride their vehicles into a robotic elevator system that drops them and their vehicles at their doorstep. The $560 million tower will rise in Sunny Isles Beach as part of a collaboration between Porsche Design Group and a local developer, Gil Dezer. “After the resident pulls over and switches off the engine, a robotic arm that works much like an automatic plank will scoop up the car and put it into the elevator. Once at the desired floor, the same robotic arm will park the car, leaving the resident nearly in front of his front door.” The condo will have 132 units over 57 stories, with larger units sporting up to four parking spaces per unit.
The illy Art Collection was first started in 1992, stemming from the idea that art can enter the lives of people through a small object of daily use. After more than 70 series of collectors’ cups were decorated by major international artists and young talents, in 2006 the Collection was extended to coffee cans: exclusive limited-edition works of art released twice a year. The second decoration this year was created by Alioum Moussa. Moussa is an eclectic and multidisciplinary artist from Cameroon.
This new piece of art was inspired by his experience at Cittadellarte – Pistoletto Foundation in Biella. The second can of the illy Art Collection 2011 represents the contrast between Cameroon, the home of the artist, and Piedmont. The result is an energetic, lively décor, with warm colors typical of Africa blended with colder colors, representing the European continent.
The Audemars Piguet Royal Oak 40th Anniversary watch will be officially unveiled January 2012 at SIHH in Geneva. AP will be producing 40 of these special edition pieces featuring a platinum case and an extra-thin movement (the 3.05mm) that has been meticulously skeletonized. Like the 1972 model, the 40th anniversary model is presented in a 39mm case size, but the fully visible skeletonized Caliber 5122 stands in stark contrast to the clean, understated dial of the original.
As super hero movies continue to dominate the summer blockbuster season, the graphic designers behind their poster seem to have been running the same circles. The posters for Ironman 2 look quite similar to the Tron posters, which in turn, look strikingly like the classic Star Wars posters. Designer Marko Manev has taken his time to turn the tables on this trend. Take a look at his brilliant minimalistic super hero posters.
This is a coffee table containing the compacted remains of a Ferrari inside constructed by designer Charly Molinelli. He came up with the idea after a customer asked him to design something “a bit special” for their front room. He then sourced a wreck and built a wooden cabinet on wheels to present to his client – although the price of the swanky piece is unknown.
We don’t go to the movies to admire the theatre, but would it kill theatre owners to build even one with an edge? Time and time again, we are disappointed in the new, mega multiplexes that are boring beyond belief in their sameness and recycled ideas. So, we must admit that there is not much to celebrate but are seeing little glimmers of hope and ingenuity once in a while. One example is the AMC Pacific Place Cinema in Hong Kong refurbished by Hong Kong-based James Law. The entrance areas to the six auditoriums seating 600 in 1.2-meter wide leather seats plus the a VIP theatre for 39 offer some unusual eye candy, but I’d love to see more. Check the method.
Mansory has release the Cyrus package based on the Aston Martin DBS or the Aston Martin DB9. A coilover suspension provides the best road holding and emphasises the striking rims in XXL. The refinement is perfected by an exclusive interior programme. At the front axle, a newly designed front skirt with enlarged air inlets provides the optimal ventilation for the twelve-cylinder aggregate. The Mansory CYRUS Aston Martin DBS / DB9 front is visually enhanced with the newly designed carbon bonnet. The newly designed rear skirt with the integrated diffuser emphasises the superior look and provides space for four stainless steel end pipes of the sonorous sport exhaust system.
Wrath on all imitators… straight up. Behold a real Nooka wristwatch. Here we’ve got 100% real, accept no substitutes, brand name you can trust, love and devotion produced Nooka watch. It’s a “luxury” digital watch called “ZON.” It’s a world time watch with graph display and number display for time. People know Nooka; they know Nooka is made up of the kind of people that stand for quality. The real Nooka is about to release the ZON: 24 time zones, real metal mesh straps, and pixels that pass through the display like sands through the hourglass; (these are the minutes of our lives.) It has a Chronograph, alarm, 37.5 x 45 x 9.2 mm / 22mm wide band, water resistant to 5ATM, and a scrumtrilescent mirrored face.
Brazilian architect Fred Mafra, no novice to night club design, was given the unusual opportunity to redesign his earlier work, the night club Josefine/Roxy. Since 2007, the club has been a strong player in Savassi, the night life area of Belo Horizonte, the capital of and largest city in the state of Minas Gerais in southeastern Brazil. The 955m² space has two dance floors, three bars, plus four VIP areas that can be combined into one larger VIP space. In addition, it has two lounges and smoking areas with a retractable roof.
With his new design, Mafra went to town with the hexagon and triangle forms. By using them in the honeycombed ceilings and black-and-white floors, by including padded-vinyl seating and walls, and by lighting the space with creative LED, he’s created an angularly sinful madhouse effect that is destined to help guests forget the outside world. Roxy Club is open on Wednesdays and Fridays when the DJs play techno and e-music to a straight crowd. Josefine Club is open on Thursdays and Saturdays when the DJs play tribal and pop music to gay/hipster crowd.
Been an avid admirer of his work for a few years now, The works of Japanese artist Takashi Murakami have inspired both admiration and confusion. Inspired primarily by anime, Japanese animation, and manga, Japanese comics, Murakami’s paintings and sculptures feature bright, candy-colored images of cartoon-like characters, with large eyes and exaggerated body parts. His works are often decorated with smiling flowers, round, blinking eyes, and colorful mushrooms. Murakami’s creations defy traditional classifications, breaking down numerous barriers. He blurs the line between so-called high art (the kinds of works normally seen in museums and galleries) and “low” art, like that seen in cartoons or advertisements. He also contradicts the traditional idea of an artist toiling away in a studio to painstakingly create one-of-a-kind works. Check it out.
One look at this mysterious whip and your lead foot just starts twitching. The Firebreather is a 2011 Camaro re-tooled & restyled by American muscle car custom house, Classic Design Concepts. Originally the ‘breather was made for the forthcoming movie, Jinn. Now, CDC is making 50 of these supercharged, 600 horsepower monsters available to the public. Good luck getting on that list.
Check out the Hexanest. It’s not a bird’s nest. It’s a nest for hexes. And when I say hexes I mean lights. The entire concept was produced with the thought to remind the user of home, where the heart is, where one can truly relax. Like a home whose components are all plug-and-play, the frame acts as the gopher holes, and the hexagon-shaped lights like the gophers. But hanging from the ceiling. And each hole makes the bulb burn brighter. Slap those hexagons right in the hexagons and each of the holes makes a different result. And as you can see, they’re all good. Find a fabulous larger room in your house or office or amazing building from when you serve fabulous foods, and get hexy.
Does it make sense to hold a graffiti awards show? Some say no way, the whole idea of vandalism is to do your thing and never get caught. The rest say sure, why not? Have some fun, eat some snacks. (Who doesn’t love snacks?) But some took this premise very seriously, and came up with the Artaq Awarads. There are the Artaq Awards in both Paris and Berlin. This event is known as the first EVER international Urban Arts competition. In it, artists from the most representative sects join together to showcase the evolution of all of their styles. The contest consists of six awards: Awards by category – Graffiti – Painting – Collage – Sculpture – Digital Art – Photography. In Situ Performances. The award winners will have their work shown in several galleries in Europe (this is what you’ll see below, here,) and the Artaq Bookzine will present their work and will be distributed at each of the trendy exhibition venues.
Jean Paul Gaultier has collaborated with Champagne brand Piper-Heidsieck on two new bottles – Black Cancan Millésime 2000 and the Piper-Heidsieck French Cancan. The Cabaret-inspired French Cancan bottle is dressed in black latex, fishnets and ruby masquerade mask at the neck. The Black Cancan Millésime 2000′s adornments include a Swarovski Crystallized stocking, a studded collar of diamond-cut crystals, and a JPG seal. Nestled alongside it in the sleek crimson and midnight-colored case are two other Gaultier creations — gothic Schott Zwiesel flutes with gold harness rings. Only 60 bottles of Black Cancan Millésime 2000 exist, and one bottle “offered in a sensual case” will run you $630.
The Stairscraper is a superposition of individual singular garden houses with the same characteristic of the horizontal sprawl but liberating the land and concentrating the uses and the energy. It’s a complex 360 degree structure that incorporates all kind of common facilities and public spaces at different levels maintaining the intimacy of the individual space with the same quality. Designed by Alessandra Faticanti Roberto Ferlito and Partners.
Hugh and the Bunnies. Sometimes you just have to love everyone you can.
Love is something that most people search for, some can do without, and others don’t even try to find. After a very lengthy conversation with my sister about a few things in my personal life, I got to thinking about love in my life, and how my idea of this may be a bit different from others. Luckily for me, I found a visual representation of different types of love that steps outside the typical mold of pink hearts and flowers. Sardinian-born designer Barbara Pala’s “Me + You” series looks at iconic loves from the entertainment world with a fashionable eye. Some cards step outside the normal boundaries of monogamy, begging the question: what is love REALLY?
Forest and Jenny, Some love goes the distance
Hans and Leah's love is classic.
Kanye West loves himself.
Kurt and Courtney know love can kill.
John And Yoko, the definition of a love song.
Bert and Earnie. It can't be gay if its on childrens television.
The devil may well wear Prada, but at a biennial exhibition of sacred art in Italy, a statue of the Virgin Mary is donning Louis Vuitton. The veil traditionally covering the Virgin’s head bears the French luxury brand’s trademark “LV” logo in golden letters. Francesco De Molfetta, 31, said he created the work to “denounce a society based on the cult of appearance through the use of a brand that represents the search for ephemeral happiness. This new way of interpreting sacred art is along the lines of the famous work presented (in 1999 in Venice by Maurizio) Cattelan that showed a wax icon depicting Pope John Paul II being crushed by a meteor,” the curator of the biennial Giuseppe Bacci told Il Centro. “It is a way to hit the visitors’ unconscious,” he added. The biennial is held at Isola del Gran Sasso in the central region of Abruzzo. Milan native De Molfetta’s works have been on show in Tokyo, at the T20 contemporary art gallery of Murcia Spain and at the museum of Besancon in France.
I have this keen sense of attaching places with certain smells, especially when I’m on vacations. For example, whenever I wear this Armani perfume of mine, it triggers of memories of my trip to Japan, because I used that fragrance on my trip. Likewise, many people associate different images and sounds with their travels. SEED is like a total recall agent that captures the essence of your travels (sights, sounds AND smells) so that you can share them with loved ones. And when you’re back in your own surrounding, re-live your favorite vacation, using this wonderful device. It’s a wonderful example of how technology can bring back those fond memories.
Basically the unit has three purposes: sharing, remembering & guide.
Sharing.
As a sharing device, you can instantly share your entire environment with family and friends using Sync Experience Service. The balloon-shaped device hovers in the air, capturing an aerial view of the place.
Remembering
The device features a Total Recall Service that amazingly captures the sights, sounds, smells and almost encompasses the mood of the place it records.
Guide
SEED is a complete tourist guide and can give you a personal tour of your destination. It includes navigation capabilities that help you get around the city as well.
All in all, A very ambitious project but for travel buffs like me, it’s something we can do with.
Click the pic to play the game.
For those of you who don’t know what kerning is, Ashley F. and Reggie Sylvester HATE you. (Just kidding). For those of you who don’t know what kerning is, it’s the, the term kerning refers to adjusting the space between two letters. If letters in a typeface are spaced too uniformly, they make a pattern that doesn’t look uniform enough. Gaps occur, for example, around letters whose forms angle outward or frame an open space (W, Y, V, T, L). But learning kerning is something thats crucial for every graphic designer. Above is a little game that help you get your kerning act together. Even if you’ve never been a graphic design major, check it out, and see how good you are at it. Your mission is simple: achieve pleasant and readable text by distributing the space between letters. Your solution will be compared to a typographer’s solution, and you will be given a score depending on how close you nailed it. Good luck.
‘Detach’ is a portable hard disk with three USB Sticks integrated into it. Each stick has its own unique appearance and memory capacity. The idea is to use it as one single memory drive or as individual modules, giving you the ultimate portable HD. In other words, simple living for a complex worker.
Ask yourself, “what’s the next step in television innovation?” The answer might just be transparency – an invisible flatscreen that blends into the home environment when not in use, much like the Loewe Invisio. This magnificent TV is not a big black blot in standby mode, like how all television sets are. It’s a clear, frameless glass surface that keeps the room in its “visually unaltered” state.
Michael explains,
“As the first of its kind, the Loewe Invisio introduces technical innovation, combining conventional LCD and the latest TOLED display technology. This allows to create non-transparent / solid moving pictures with rich color reproduction and full contrast range from solid black to pristine white.”
Just what my spot needs. Loewe Invisio is a 2011 iF Concept Design shortlisted design. Winners for the competition will be announced soon.
