Groovy Graffiti

Delight your imaginative self with visions of Bansky, a Bristol artist who indulges in clever (my favorite word) artwork. Detailed stencils silhouette characters fit right with their settings, and yet, they stand out for their originality.

I love the casually-dressed woman sitting on the couch in her elaborate living room, and a large wall-papered elephant stares at her, while she sits reading, oblivious to the giant's prying eyes.

That said, each image is better than the next... so many wonderful depictions of society!

Bubble-Wrapped Olympics

Will spectators at the China Olympics swimming events be able to keep their eyes on the sport? Just over a month ago, China unveiled its new "bubble-wrap" swimming arena, capable of seating 17,000 spectators. The honeycomb-like ceiling of the arena will be lit up at night with LED lights, illuminating the structure, inside and out. Concerned about bird droppings? well according to the chief architect (in this Reuters article), birds won't sit on transparent surfaces, and whatever else should fall on the exterior will be cleaned by rain water. As for the interior, they plan on cleaning it by hand, twice a year. That's a whole lot of housework, if you ask me.

Is Vice Nice Now?

Imagine my surprise, when I tripped over an article about Vice Magazine... advertising for BMW... ! I guess the street kids have grown up and discovered that money can, in fact buy nice things. What a change from the Vice I knew--the one that told the next gen where to go and what to do with themselves.

A few years ago, I worked at a web design shop in Montreal, Normal (later re-named Normal Solutions). We prided ourselves on being "cutting edge", ahead of our time, and indeed, we were. We were designing 3-D models for virtual shops before others were, and coming up with cool and new designs. I was, at the time, new on the scene, and so I took a back seat to the more senior designer... until, one day, I got my big break: I was allowed to re-design the web site for Vice Magazine (they already had a web site, but it was mostly images, and not very user-friendly). How cool was that? To be a part of the hip and trendy mag with a smug, socially defiant culture! I was very excited at the prospect.

The magazine staff were located in the same open-concept building as we were, and so I got used to regular visits at my work station, asking me if I'd mind being photographed for the "don'ts" section, and taking pictures of various items located on my desk. My personal office supplies were well documented in the pages of Vice, that year.

More Than Just a T-Shirt Design

One Top has held its annual t-shirt design contest (sorry, entries were due in December '07), and have revealed its winners. As of yesterday, the funky t-shirt designs are on display in Montreal, as part of The Montreal Fashion Week.

The contest was open to all, and received both English and French language designs... Thought-provoking, often politically motivated ideas evoke both intrigue and that "oh, how clever" feeling. Check out the gallery of designs here.

Tequila!

Who would create a big hoax and then flaunt it, in the face of adversity? Well, this Madison Avenue design shop, for one. Tequila, also located in 35 countries, boasts a glossy, A-list client roster with such big names as Adidas, Canon, Nissan, and Visa, among others.

Their latest campaign for Sony PlayStation, draws users into their interactive advertising "game" by making reference to the devastating 2004 tsunami that took place in SouthEast Asia, killing more than 225,000 people and destroying the lives of many of those left behind. My initial reaction was to balk at such a tactic. Is this the only way in which to grab peoples' attention, in a world that seeks to trump each adrenaline rush with the next, in order to grab the market's attention, if only for a fleeting moment? Perhaps it is. Or perhaps they've gone over the acceptable edge of shock value? You be the judge.

I have to compliment them on their web site's great interface design... I love the way they've made it so you zoom in and out of outter space/their offices. That is very fun.

Spiro-Blob Graphic

If you're bored or stoned, and looking to occupy a few minutes of your time, take a look at this spiro-blob graphic tool. It's totally useless, and sits on a dangerously 90s-style, teal-and-black wallpapered web page, but you can make swirls and linear blobs, to your heart's content. There's something relaxing about making mindless web art... perhaps it might inspire something greater? Check out my own endeavour, close up. Whoa.

My Favorite Design Magazine

My favorite design magazine, hands down, is a slick, glossy-paged, paper one... For a couple of years now, I've subscribed to Communication Arts. They entertain me with their fresh ideas (or rather, the fresh ideas of contributors). My precious mag is delivered but only once every two weeks... perfect for me, as I have trouble focussing on the more than one task at a time in my otherwise busy life. Heaven forbid that I should have to eat up more incoming content than I'm able to digest! I love the faint smell of the ink on the pages, when I first open the package (yes, it arrives packaged, like a gift), and relish the time I spend with it on my couch.

Fodder for later.

Marketing Campaign: More Garbage, Delivered Straight to Your Front Door!

The other day, I arrived home to discover that a package had been left at my door. More accurately, it was a plastic bag hanging off my front door knob. Upon closer inspection, I discovered that it wasn't really a package in the true sense of the meaning (something you look forward to unwrapping, perhaps a pleasant surprise from someone who is thinking about you). No, this was marketing collateral.

It caught my attention, alright... when I opened up the plastic bag, I saw a large plastic Yoplait Yoptimal yogurt tub inside. Odd, I thought, because it felt so lightweight. I opened up the tub, and sure enough, inside the otherwise empty plastic tub, was a glossy paper pamphlet.

One thought immediately crossed my mind: what a waste of plastic. Some cities don't even recycle these kinds of plastics. What about people who don't recycle at all? Their plastic bins will likely end up in some landfill for the next hundred years. What about all the other plastic tubs in my neighbourhood? and the tubs in the neighbouring neighbourhoods? ... and beyond? I felt cheated, and worse, I felt like they'd duped me, somehow, into thinking this was going to be something good, but in fact, it was just more stuff to throw away.

It made me mad that a big company could be so irresponsible, in the name of trying to capture consumers' attention (and hence, their money) in this ever-changing world of competing markets. A regular yogurt eater, I do not want to buy this brand, because of their lack of foresight.

According to OttawaKiosk.com, the Ottawa-Gatineau population reached a staggering 1,150,000 in 2005. It's probably more now. Assuming that the campaign was city-wide, and each household received the same package that I did, that's a lot of new garbage that will have to be disposed of... without ever serving any purpose beyond feeding maws the giant yogurt company. Large, successful companies have responsibilities to their communities, and should be strategizing on how to help communities, not hinder them. Shame on Yoplait.

Mass Photography for Mass Consumption

By all accounts, Chris Jordan, is quite taken with the mass consumption of North American society. This Seattle photographer has created a mind-boggling photo essay or "collage" of sorts, using products that we all know and use (and throw away, when done).

Look once and you'll see the big picture. Look again. Closer... Closer, still. You will be suprised by what you see: Jordan's wry visual commentary on society.

Illustration Paradise

Visit Illustration, and you will have arrived at "Illustration Mecca". These guys are packed full of great artists for cartoons, editorial, 3D, and so on... you name it. A cool place to scope out what other digital artists are up to. Creativity abounds, here!

All That Snow: Design Your Own Wall

If you run out of place to put all the snow you've been shoveling lately, why not stack it upwards? This winter has been especially snowy in the east (where I live), and many of us just don't know what to do with the next snowfall... but apparently this Ottawa resident (a carpenter) figured it out: build a "fence"! Read the chilling details here.

Green Frog Gone Black

I feel sorry for this little guy. I mean, he was going about his business, catching flies, sunbathing, going for swims, etc, when an oil pipeline blew, and the next thing you know, he's covered in thick, black, sticky oil. What are his chances of survival now? Will be able to move quickly, in order to hunt his food (and not starve to death)? Or will the oil infiltrate his skin, and kill him first?

Poor thing. Here's the link.

Smart Kitties

Some graphic design is very basic, some is more sophisticated. Sometimes it works, and sometimes it does not. You have to know your audience for the message to be effective. Here is one instance, when the message is perhaps less effective. Or maybe these kits are just too smart.

Color Your World (Cool Tool)

For those who need a little extra inspiration to start your creative day, check out this Daily Color Scheme beta. If every programmer who ever designed a web site took a look at this first, then perhaps the world wide web might be a prettier place.

Bookmark the schemes, download them (in multiple formats, including Illustrator, Photoshop, cascading style sheets, and HTML files), or simply copy the RGB/HSB/hex values, saving hours of precious gaming time. Available, are schemes such as "Propaganda USSR", "Grunge School", "Facing Automation", "Cable Services", and oh so many more!

Strange Naming Conventions

My dog's name is Pixel. Okay, some may say that's just a techno-cute name for a loving pet. Yes it is, but the name has become a term of endearment to my ears. He's there whenever I want genuine, uncomplicated affection. I love my dog, and so therefore, I now love his name.

The other day, I was out walking dearest Pixel, when it occured to me that some of the place names around here lack that neighbourhoody feeling. There we were, walking along the old road in the Central Experimental Farm. Now, who thought of that name? It's not everyday that there's a working farm, smack in the middle of a city. Couldn't they have given it a name that has a bit more charm, nostalgia, or even slight feeling to it? How about "Kenilworth Farm"? Too waspy? How about naming it after a famous musician such as Oscar Peterson ("the Peterson Farm")? I know that people in Montreal are clamouring to name something after the late musician, so why not this large expanse of beautiful land?

I mused this as I made my way back home, to the Civic Hospital Area (another politically correct, lackluster name), and wished that it too, could be named something like Ruskin (after art and social critic, John Ruskin), or Hamilton, or Parkdale... or any more engaging name. Maybe some Ottawan official will read this and perhaps give it some consideration, the next time they are involved in naming some important piece of our heritage.

Magnetic Liquid Design

Run a search for "Magnetic Liquid" on YouTube, and you'll find you'll come up with all sorts of freaky student projects. Filmed and posted for posterity--some include music scores-- you can watch as the laws of nature take over with this weird liquid that appears to have a life of its own, when taunted by magnets and prying eyes. Most of these clips are somewhat lengthly, but here's a quick show of how it works, if you don't want to sit through the longer, more artistic versions of these experiments, such as this one.

Out of Words?

Well, I've run into a busy time in my life as a graphic designer: the month of March. You see, it's year-end for my biggest client, the federal government. They want to use up their budgets now, so they are accorded again next year. A dream come true, in many ways, except that I don't have time for much else, at the moment... So, I'm afraid the schedule of my posts may be spotty for the next month or so.

All the more fitting for this particular piece I found: John Stossel's commentary on how 20/20 has not done a single piece on graphic design in the 27 years of its existance. As such, I thought this clip deserved air time.