At what point does choice cease to be compelling and become instead, a burden? Have we devalued real choice by making such a big deal out of small differences? Are we diluting brands with too many line extensions? These questions had me curious and interestingly enough while doing some research over the weekend, I found an excellent new video presentation on TED on this very subject. Definitely worth watching. It may give you a fresh perspective.

Party favors from the NAP Project Runway Condom Fashion Show

Did that title get your attention? This is not your average blog entry and this was not your average fashion show.

Just recently, I was involved in a Project Runway Condom Fashion Show Fundraiser for the Nebraska Aids Project along with another member of my design team, Carrie Ratcliff and fellow designer/friend Adrian Hardisty-Horsley. It was hands down THE most challenging design project we have ever been involved in. And we were so glad to be a part of it.

Step 1: Find a sponsor. We were lucky enough to be sponsored by the greatest tattoo parlor this side of the Missouri: Liquid Courage (who just happened to celebrate their 10 year anniversary).

Step 2: Find a model. Again, we were VERY lucky to be introduced to a professional model who was not only the most gorgeous model at the event, but was extremely patient and chill. She didn’t complain once about how hot our coat made out of condom wrappers was to wear.

The Team: Adrian, Carrie, Jill and Christina

Step 3: Design something out of condoms. We met once over coffee with inspirations and sketches and ended up collaborating to create our dream “raincoat.” Forget the fact it would be made out of condoms – it will be very well designed, and everyone will want to wear it. They will look past the fact that it is made out of condom wrappers and tape. (keep reading for more about the actual fabrication.)

Step 4: Engineering the design. We purchased every kind of glue and tape possible. We hunted down a dress form and was able to borrow one from our friends at the Creighton Fine Arts Department. Which, by the way, was an invaluable asset. I cannot imagine designing and completing a clothing design without a dress form. Especially when condom wrappers need some major work to get them to lay flat and appear seamless.

Christina, our model, demonstrating the working hood on the condom coat during the after party.

After working through the design sketches, which had to remain flexible since we had no idea how the condoms and wrappers would work as a physical material, we got together to test the functionality of the wrappers and the condoms themselves. How easy we could get them to stay together. The winning combination: staples and packing tape! Yes…you heard that right. It took a total of nearly 18 hours (and a bottle of wine) to complete the design and fit our model. The first time she put the coat on, we all got goosebumps. It looked like an actual wearable! Which was precisely our main goal. We didn’t want our outfit to look like a costume or the obvious: a bunch of condoms glued together.

Christina, our model, rocking the condom coat with grace and style during the after party.

The event was a great success and raised dollars and most of all awareness for the Nebraska Aids Project. It was such a success that NAP will most likely make this an annual fundraiser. Even though it was a major challenge (Literally, we all suffered staple wounds and mylar condom wrapper cuts – Band-Aid should have been our sponsor), took hours of our time and energy – we would still do it all over again. Because that’s what Creatives thrive on: BIG challenges for a great causes.

We can’t wait for 2011’s Condom Fashion Event and are ready to throw down!

The outdoor portion of the runway. The entire runway was over a block long and wove its way through the Magnolia Hotel.

Every now and then something catches my attention and makes me take a second look. The other day I was walking through Target and the packaging design for a product hit me between the eyes like a 2×4. My first thought was, “What the heck was that? I need some of those!”. Upon further investigation I realized that this sweet design of dark mystery wasn’t that of the latest caffeine infused gum or Gatorade sports powder. No, this was the packaging for Kotex feminine hygiene products. While I may not personally be in the market for Tampons or Pads, I was almost tempted to buy a box because they were just plain cool. Then I thought about how many hours of SportsCenter and Boxing I would need to watch in order to regain my guy points lost during the purchase and decided it wasn’t worth the hassle.

For those people who don’t believe in the power of design take note. If great package design can tempt a man to buy Tampons maybe us guys can effectively use design to get our women to buy that HDTV, Laptop or Cable sports package we have been wanting.

Saarinen lounging in his Womb Chair

Saarinen's Womb Chair

I just recently read an article in TIME magazine about the resurgence of recent interest in Saarinen.

Hockey rink at Yale, fondly called "the whale."

Currently, Yale is restoring quite a number of the buildings he designed for their campuses in the 1950’s: the hockey rink and residential complexes. A traveling show of Saarinen’s work has also been traveling around the country since 2006 and will end on January 31, 2011 at the Museum of the City in NYC. It is the first full career retrospective devoted entirely to his work. (I plan on making this show sometime in the fall, and if so, expect another geeked out blog about how awesome and future thinking this designer/architect/artist truly was. And how he has made such an impression on the world of design to this day.)

What is very cool about Saarinen, is that he designed his chairs, buildings, and structures aesthetically for the future…so in a sense, he made his future is present. “The wow factor in his buildings was a matter of structure, not sparkle. Saarinen was enchanted by the drama of powerful forms.” (TIME, February 1, 2010 issue)

Where did this “drama” come from? Well, his mother was a sculptor and his father was a Finnish architect. In fact, Saarinen had studied sculpture before switching to architecture. So there you go. He had the sweet spot: intellect and taste/artistry combined.

TWA Terminal at JFK International Airport

From the curve of the Gateway Arch to the womb chair, to the wide wingspan of the expanding rooftop of the TWA terminal at JFK International, these are all evidence of his sculptural aesthetic. I have to compare the experience of walking through the tunnel at TWA to what I would imagine the birthing journey to be like moving through the fallopian tunnel…and if I am lucky, ending my journey in the Womb Chair!

Sometimes when interest or trends point to an artist from the past, people still consider their work “retro” or classic. Even though Eero Saarinen passed away in 1961, I could never really consider his work retro…but rather modern, relevant, and always pointing towards the future horizons. His designs are still opening doors in the creative mind as well as inspiring architecture and design of the days to come.

And secondly, if you are sitting at the computer feeling stumped, peel yourself away and open your eyes to a new

experience. Fresh air, a new place, walk – get out of the familiar. Can you imagine life like groundhog day?? Brilliant breakthroughs rarely come out of repetition…unless you are a robot.

Today, I thank the offsite photoshoot, the beautiful people and their wonderful stories, and the wisdom of the creative team for this surge of inspiration.

Wondering around

I stumbled on a great typo last night. “Staff in the lobby were wondering around…”

Wandering around is an aimless waste of time.

Wondering around, though, that sounds useful.

Wondering why this product is the way it is, wondering how you can make the lobby more welcoming, wondering if your best customers are happily sharing your ideas with others… So many things worth wondering about, so few people actually taking the time to do it.

Wondering around is the act of inquiring with generous spirit.

http://tiny.cc/dnNon

Milton Glaser accepting the award from President Obama.

I had the great fortune to meet Milton Glaser and have a 30 minute conversation with him at the AIGA National Conference in Vegas in the early 90’s (next to a roulette table) We talked about print making and and how much we loved the process; and how the multi-step process of printmaking helps us think through design execution in a more holistic manner. He was very down to earth, humble, engaging and his wisdom overwhelmed me. Some of the work that you might recognize: the iconic “I <heart> NY” – which, fascinatingly, was designed in the back of a cab after he’d already submitted his first logo to the New York State Commerce Department. He of all people is so deserving of this award.

Here is the article in full. enjoy! And do look up his work. It is pretty incredible.

“I wish my mother was alive to see this,” Milton Glaser told me about receiving the 2009 National Medal of Arts from President Barack Obama last Thursday (the first time for a graphic designer). He was one of twelve to receive the honor for their outstanding achievements and support of the arts. The medals were presented by the president and Mrs. Michele Obama in an East Room ceremony at the White House.

The National Medal of Arts is a White House initiative managed by the National Endowment for the Arts. Each year, the NEA organizes and oversees the National Medal of Arts nomination process and notifies the artists of their selection to receive a medal, the nation’s highest honor for artistic excellence.

“These individuals and organizations show us how many ways art works every day. They represent the breadth and depth of American architecture, design, film, music, performance, theatre, and visual art, ” said NEA Chairman Rocco Landesman. “This lifetime honor recognizes their exceptional contributions, and I join the President and the country in saluting them.”

See full event here on White House video. http://www.whitehouse.gov/photos-and-video/video/president-obama-presents-medals-arts-and-humanities

In addition to Glaser the recipients include Bob Dylan, Clint Eastwood, Maya Lin, Rita Moreno, Jessye Norman, Joseph P. Riley, Jr., Frank Stella, Michael Tilson Thomas, and John Williams. Sadly Dylan could not attend, thus making the inevitable photo op between the poster maker and the poster subject impossible.

http://www.printmag.com/Article/Glaser-Gets-Award-From-Obama

Bob Dylan art poster designed by Milton Glaser.

Plex, Muno, Toodee, Brobee and Foofa along with DJ Lance and his magic bookbox.

Jack Black rocking out with Muno.

In its first two seasons, the show featured a wide variety of guests, including Jack Black, Dennis Horkenbach, Leslie Hall, The Shins, Andy Samberg, Biz Markie, Shiny Toy Guns, Supernova, Mark Mothersbaugh, Tony Hawk, The Roots, and series co-creator Jacobs’ band, The Aquabats. In the second season bands like Of Montreal, Mates of State, MGMT, and The Ting Tings. If you grew up in the 80’s you would have no other choice but to be a huge fan of the graphics (simplistic neon colored 8-bit video game style) and the fact that the characters live in a boombox before DJ Lance frees them, adding life to the show.

Look for it on Nick Jr., or on this very special website. Crank up the volume with your kids (or solo) and be ready to break into the robot.

http://yogabbagabba.com/#

Colin Firth and Julianne Moore having a heart to heart.

It didn’t disappoint! Gorgeous camera angles, beautiful and honest set designs, and moments of white space. These quiet white space moments where the camera slowed down and the images became desaturated,  you had no other choice but be lost in your thoughts. Thoughts that meshed with the story line taking you to another time and place. Ford used color and saturation as a way of visualizing the emotions of the main character, played by Colin Firth. I was so absorbed by the acting and heavy sadness portrayed by Firth, that I was surprised that I didn’t notice the color shifts until a quarter of the way through the movie. In fact there are so many nuances and subtleties to this film that do not reveal themselves until thinking on it hours after the fact. This is probably one of the reasons why the majority of people I know have seen the movie more than once.

Julianne Moore in all her loveliness.

This is where I will end. I won’t share what the story is about, because I think it is better to see this movie not knowing much about it. Just knowing that A Single Man is a perfectly art directed, beautifully quiet, visually brilliant movie.

Trillium Absinthe is one of the first legally produced absinthes in the United States. Its from Integrity Spirits in Portland Oregon and the bottle was designed by ID Branding.

Package design may not have played a direct role in my purchase decision this time because I ordered Trillium online after a specific search. But, had I seen this package at retail, it would have caught my attention and pulled me in.

And with the ever increasing number of choices we have, that’s critically important.

Recently while shopping at Brix, a local spirits store with nearly 1000 wines, 800 international and domestic beers and a 100 single-malt Scotches (my personal favorite), it became clear just how important great design is when faced with a sea of possible options.  Especially for a consumer who may not have detailed or intimate product knowledge.

Inevitably I spent more time looking at and considering products when package design caught my attention.  And in the case of the beer my husband and I purchased, it was the packaging that clinched our choice, because we knew absolutely nothing about beer options from the Czech Republic and didn’t have the patience nor inclination to talk to the store’s beer expert.

What I didn’t see on the Trillium label until I looked closer was the alcohol content.  No wonder Van Gogh and Hemingway were so inspired and creative.

Poster image from the show.

Saturday, we visited the Durham Museum in Omaha Nebraska to see the American Letterpress-The Art of Hatch Show Print, which is in its final week.

The posters have a wonderfully organic nature to them since each one is hand pulled and therefore has variances within a series. They like to call them monoprints for that reason.

The earlier posters were simple but so impactful and memorable…the overlapping triplicate image of Johnny Cash is one of Hatch’s signature prints.

Layered effect created from multiple runs in the press.

I was most drawn to the newest posters in their entire series, where they took old pieces and parts of plates and wooden type, and repurposed them into new, multi-layered posters. They have thousands of wood and lead type in their archives and feel that “Preservation through Production” is what is going to keep the art of the letterpress alive and well.

Check OUT all the wood type! HEAVEN!!!

Even though the wood type was used many years ago, the way Hatch reuses them, and breaks them into many layer, colors and forms, feels very modern in its new translation.

Peeps…a cultural phenomena. It’s hard to believe they were introduced half a century ago. I totally remember looking forward to them every year in my Easter basket. The lovely sugar-coated gooey goodness. Even though you had to open the entire pack of 12 to get 1 out, and the others solidified in a matter of hours, we loved our Peeps. AND we loved messing with them. We nuked them in the microwave, we put them through torturous “science experiments,” and we glued them in ways that any avant garde artist would bite his hand in envy…

Just Born, maker of the chick- and bunny-shaped marshmallow Easter favorites, is officially opening the first store devoted to Peeps last month. The shop, located in a mall near Washington, D.C., sells over 800 Peeps products, including plush toys, china, and even a fancy hand-blown glass Peep.

First Peeps store in Oxon Hill, Maryland.

http://www.peepresearch.org

Minjae Lee is a young South Korean artist whose work expresses a semi-disturbing inner tension that is tough to ignore, even if you feel that you’d like to. Its powerful colors, halting imagery and clever juxtaposition of beauty, innocence and fragility with brash, loud and aggressive is what stopped me in my tracks. I can’t stop staring at each image, no matter how harsh they can be at times.

My world as a designer, sometimes gets a little sterile…design on screen, structure within that design, selling, promotions, etc and when I see an illustrator with such an organic and fresh style, and one that evokes such emotions, it makes me wake up and take notice.

Another thing that is just as inspiring is that Minjae is only 19 years old! He is self-taught and uses traditional tools — such as markers, pens, crayons, acrylics — to create his illustrations.

Drama is the theme that seems to permeate all of his work. His unworldly females exude a dark, organic tension. Even the brightest colors do not elevate them out of their dark, dangerous and edgy world. It is so refreshing and inspiring to see something this different – no matter how dark the subject matter. LOVE his work!!

Via Contemporist

BC (before children) I carried on this tradition and made dozens of lacy pieces that I still pull out each year at the holidays.  I even attempted it a few times with my kids, but after a few incidents involving cut fingers, fights with scissors and too much blood, I put the tradition on hold.  Now that my kids are mostly past the battle to the death phase as siblings, I want to create additional pieces to add to the collection.

Last weekend I was feeling crafty and started to search out some pattern ideas and in my search came across some of the most beautiful paper art pieces I’ve seen in a long time when I stumbled across a piece in Fast Company about a new show at the Museum of Art and Design, titled “Slash: Paper Under the Knife”.  Some absolutely amazing work!  The kind of work that really intrigues and inspires me.

Like this beautiful work by Ferry Staverman, A Space Odesey:

And this one, Mia Pearlman’s Eddy:

Gorgeous stuff.  It’s amazing what artists can do with paper.  And now, I absolutely have to go see this show.

What started as a search for creative ideas for a craft project resulted in a planned trip.  Just goes to show, you just never know where a search may lead.   I like these kind of journeys.  A lot.

RUNWAY SHOW 09

I was wrapping up the typical experience of reading a fashion magazine. By the time I get to the back of the pub, I was covered in about 10 different perfume scents, and about ready to say DONE for the night, I turned a page that literally took my breath away. Yes it stopped me dead in my tracks and took my freakin breath away. Jonathan Saunders. This designer is AMAZINGLY talented. He has this uncanny way of creating pattern to make something new and different. Organic geometry is how I would describe it. Very much reminding me of the talent that has always come out of Belgium. The Belgian designers tend to be a bit more avant garde, thinking about shape, form and function. Sometimes the shapes are minimal but the patterns on the fabrics are exquisite and original, taking the entire design to another level.

THE OUTFIT IN VOGUE THAT TOOK MY BREATH AWAY.

Vogue had this to say: “I’M still waiting for something to wow me,” confided a Fashion Week friend earlier on Sunday. “I’ve seen a lot of good clothes, but nothing really special, you know?” We know. We know. But all that changed Sunday night at the Jonathan Saunders show, when the Scottish-born, New York-based designer sent out what is arguably the coolest collection of the week thus far.”

A designer who i didn’t know anything about previous to tonight, mixes such graphic patterns and colors together that the ensembles transform into sculptures, paintings, works of art. What’s crazy, is that he completed a line for Target. But i didn’t put two and two together because the Target line is so much simpler and doesn’t really utilize his gifts for patterns and color. They were hip and mod and simple, but nowhere near the complexity and newness of his higher end couture and ready-to-wear lines.

At NY Fashion Week:

“As the androidish models stomped by in sky-high, brightly colored platform pumps, their hair obscured by identical black head wraps, shoulders braced in graphic zigzag capelets, black leather shrugs or kaleidoscopic epaulets, one could easily envisage these strong, future-world creatures easily slaying all monsters, real or proverbial.”

“I was thinking about strength and strong women,” Saunders confirmed post-show. “I think that’s a really important thing to focus on right now. And that came out in the silhouettes and the shoulders and in the colors, as well. And then I was thinking of things that I love, because in these times you’ve got to focus on what you love, whether it’s color or print.”

RUNWAY SHOW 09

Jonathan Saunders’ Fall 09 silhouettes are very Star Trek meets Blade Runner (although the inspiration is birds), but the prints bring a softer touch to the squared off shoulders and severe lines. The prints look like they were created by martians. And the colors are BRILLIANT. The way he pairs tones and color together is like nothing I have ever seen.

This is a great place to end. and say a big thank you to Mr Saunders for taking clothes to a level of art – very much inspiring.

http://www.jonathan-saunders.com/

The judging was based on a point system and whoever had the most points, would walk away with a 1″ button maker (valued at over $300). The judges were brilliant minds and the line-up made it daunting at the same time extremely inspiring! (Stanley Hainsworth: Chairman and Chief Creative Officer of Tether , Stefan G. Bucher of 344 Design and lastly, Robynne Raye Co-founder and Principal of Modern Dog Design Co.) wow!!

Because our team wanted the button machine in a baaaaad bad bad way (Did I mention we wanted a button machine? In a bad way?), we uploaded as many designs as possible over a span of a few days. Even the writers were pitching in some awesome ideas! It was indeed a group effort. In total we entered upwards of 40 buttons and came oh so very close. It was a great time and challenge to think “Small”. What words or visuals have the most impact in such a small scale? So much of what we thought would work, did not seem to translate in such a tiny format. And lingo like “I Showered Today” or “I Like Toast” were memorable and received big recognition.

All in all, it was a completely fun opportunity where we were able to fuse our whacked senses of humor with our love for design. And thanks to the contest, we are now hooked on making buttons. (our order for a 1″ button machine is being placed as we speak…)

A new art program for the Department of Biochemistry, Salt Bridges http://saltbridges.bioch.ox.ac.uk/, has been an important driver of providing a creative environment. Artist Nicky Hirst led the project, creating a large-scale design for the front of the building featuring a series of inkblots. SO COOL!

Front of Oxfords' Bio-Chem building

The digital artist Tim Head created works that explore the similarities between biomolecular research and digital visual art. Fine art photographer Peter Fraser documented the construction period of the building, while Annie Cattrell was commissioned to create a large-scale sculptural work for the atrium. All of these artists were commissioned, and some even had residencies, by Oxford for the Biochemistry department.

Peter Frasers' work

The transparent glass exterior of the building makes the laboratories with researchers at work visible from the outside. Colored glass fins all around the building cast changing patterns of light while solar cells on the roof provide a significant part of the building’s electricity. Not to mention the flock of pink and orange seagulls that inhabit the buildings’ atrium. There are collaborative areas in the building where the exchange of ideas between scientists is promoted.

Annie Cattrell's pink and orange seagulls

What I love about this entire project is the fact that Oxford not only embraced but celebrated visually what the work of the Bio-Chem department. It not only raises the morale of those who work within the facility, it also gets the general public intrigued, excited and compelled to learn and know more. A “tribe” is created without much effort when you make things that impact and change the redundancy of the urban landscape. I love how Oxford is doing this in the architecture but also pulling in visual artists to create aspects of Bio-Chem all over campus. They obviously wanted others to understand their passion and what they do, else why would they have gone through so much effort to communicate this visually across many various platforms?

Here is a comment from a blog that I found that I had to share. The writer/bio chemist actually visited the site: “I’ve got to be honest and say that the organic chemistry building at Oxford was fantastic. Massive shared write-up areas meant that groups actually shared coffee and ideas far more often than in the other departments that I’ve worked in. There was also a policy of sharing lab-space with other groups – meaning that you often *saw* the chemistry happening, which is pretty useful.”

‘The aim was not just to re-accommodate existing activities in this new building,’ says Denis O’Driscoll, Department Administrator. ‘Instead it is designed for innovation – we wanted to reduce the doorstep to discovery. It’s an aspirational building that will enable better science.’

See how powerful design and art can be?! It ain’t always just a pretty picture hanging on a wall…it can help reinforce and support a brand, and create a new depth of brand communication.

The bad news (other than its’ sad makeover) is that sales did indeed fall after the new packaging was on the market. 20% within just over a month. What does this equate to in losses? Tens of millions of dollars! ouch. (Let us now bow our heads in remorse that Tropicana had to learn the hard way, that DESIGN DOES MATTER.

The good news is that Tropicana decided pretty quickly to scrap the new packaging designed by Peter Arnell, and go back to the older design that worked for the consumers. Again, Why even MESS with a great idea??? If anyone was asked who the brand was that had the orange with the straw on the carton, most would know immediately that you are talking about Tropicana. That brand awareness is something you do not mess with. If you update something, you enhance and build upon what has worked for you in the past. Not make an extreme departure from it…neutralize it…DE-Brand it so to speak….

http://adage.com/article?article_id=135735

“Zuny” – a simple, genial and creative design of leather-made home accessories, which is made out of the designers’ creativity and imagination. Zuny enriches the peoples’ life and provides a perfect gateway for releasing annoyances and pressures from work and frustration. This motivates Zuny to achieve its goal – “Make your life funny and easy“.   http://www.zuny.info/

There we have it. Just more proof that good design can make you happy and more optimistic. Which is something that all of us should carry with us each and every day.

“Robert Page has had the pleasure of working alongside Cleveland College of Art & Design’s prestigious Surface Design department, to create a promotional document which would enable the department to promote 36 students and two course, and create a ‘wow’ factor amongst its recipients.

The process involved a number of complex sourcing and research methods which led to a unique and tactile product to distribute to selected key industry figures at at the high profile Indigo event in Paris.”

The final result consisted of 420 different designs on the outer folders, due to an inclusive process where all 36 students actively took part to form a large production line creating the final folders, recycling and using the existing studios screens that had been created throughout the courses final year.

I love how they used existing screens and variations on the patterns to create truly original work for all 36 portfolios. YUMMY!

http://lovelypackage.com/cleveland-college-of-art-design/

Here is what happened when they took the dispenser onto the Caltrain ride back to San Francisco.

http://designthinking.ideo.com/?p=175#content

There’s confusion, trepidation, and a general feeling of being overwhelmed.  Add to that the pressure to get more bang for your marketing buck in today’s economic climate and the anxiety increases.

More and more companies need or want to expand their visibility online.   To be found where people look.  That often means tapping the potential of social media, but they don’t know how to enter the conversation or are paralyzed because of a stumble.  We’ve heard tales of being banned from Digg, kicked off Facebook, deleted from Wikipedia, stumped by Twitter, slammed by bloggers or caught off guard by employee comments in cyberspace.  We hear the the same question over and over, “What do I do?” And the dozens of books, hundreds of articles and thousands of web pages dedicated to the subject only seem to make it feel more overwhelming.

So we’ve developed this series of seminars, starting with social media marketing, to go beyond theory and platitudes to practical applications to answer your questions and give you tips you can put to work immediately.  We also have sessions scheduled that will focus on increasing your visibility on search engines and on smart marketing tips to turn data into intelligence and insights. You’ll take away not only a better understanding, but also a little peace of mind  and some tools to get you started.

Why the Sausage Factory name?  Because it fits (and it sounded better than Bozell Seminars).  People once referred to marketing like a recipe for soup — a little of this, a little of that, add a little seasoning, simmer it for a while and you’ve got a meal.  Now it’s not nearly so neat or orderly and time to simmer…fat chance.  It’s all about now.  And piecemeal doesn’t cut it anymore.  It has to all be ground together to create something cohesive and tightly integrated.  It really is like making sausage. It’s messy.  But at the end of the day, it’s much tastier and more popular at parties because it’s centered on the consumer.  Could the name Sausage Factory raise a few eyebrows?  You bet.  But that itself is part of what the marketing game is about today.  To have a voice, a point of view, something that might be worth talking about.  Check it out:  www.sausagefactoryseminars.com or on Twitter at www.twitter.com/SausageFactory.

Almost exactly a year ago, when riots broke out in France’s troubled suburban housing projects, news reports broadcast countless photos of hooded youths setting fire to cars. JR thought about those images, the stereotypes they reinforced and how he could use photography to bring a different message.

“After the riots, Parisians viewed suburban kids as extraterrestrials,” JR said in an interview in his Paris studio. “On television, you always saw them wearing masks. People said, ‘Those kids are all the same. Everybody who comes from those areas took part in the riots.’ Everybody was afraid of them, and so I decided to take pictures of them looking like monsters or extraterrestrials.”

The 25-year-old photographer, who has a large following at home and abroad, is also part graffiti artist and performance artist. Usually, he has to hide from police as he plasters his work illegally on buildings at night, which is why he keeps his identity anonymous. His work is amazing, not only for the scale of the imagery but also for the context of their environments. Part installation, part photography and part graffiti of spirit.

I recently read about him in the March issue of Marie Claire magazine. His recent posting of photos in Africa, Asian and South Africa celebrate the strength and courage of women who live in places where they are often targets in wartime – and discriminated against in times of peace. As an example, he worked with local residents to post photos of women’s eyes across favela Morro da Providencia in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil  in honor of International Women’s Day, March 8th. See below images.

In addition are some more Women are Heroes images but located across the ocean in Brussels. Check out the entire show across the world online at: http://www.28millimetres.com/women/

In closing: “The photos have a lot of messages,” JR said. “But the main one is: ‘Look at me, I exist, I’m larger than life.”

Indeed.

Thank you JR for your visual brilliance.

Especially when the packaging is this cool.

Loud & Lola Packaging

http://www.loudandlola.com/

Not only is the cocktail pre-mixed (which is a big plus in this busy world we live in), the look of the packaging is super sweet, which means I will do the designer nerd thing and have it displayed on my shelf or use it as a candle holder for the art studio after it is emptied. What a refreshing take on alcohol packaging. It reminds me more of something West Elm would design if they ever moved away from designing furniture. These boutique/high end alcohol companies are becoming more and more popular and are effecting the big name companies to step it up with regards to their own package design. It is a proven fact that consumers are drawn to the more visually pleasing items, especially if they are not initially familiar with them.

Wildbunch drink packaging

The boutique juice industry is also crammed with players – now you can add a new one to the list. Wild Bunch and Company http://www.wildbunchjuice.com/home.html produces a delicious range of healthy juices including vegetable juices which are packed with energy boosting vitamins. But the best thing about this Singapore based company is the packaging. Smooth and ergonomic, the bottles are like little design pieces decorating your refrigerator.

Lastly, we must finally start seriously caring about the environmental impact of unnecessary and eco-unfriendly packaging. Designers, manufacturers, retailers and consumers are the ones that can influence what happens in the packaging world. Packaging manufacturers will follow and start making whatever the market wants to buy. Ideally, of course, manufacturers of packaging should also invest more in developing eco-friendly options. The below bottles are made in the UK using 100% post consumer recycled plastics (such as old soft drink bottles).

Old Tropicana Packaging - AWESOME

Instead of the cool twist on a classic packaging with the image of red striped straw in the orange, the brand had done a major belly flop by “genericizing” it’s brand into something that you would see on the Kmart shelves circa 1990.  I liked the old packaging. It worked. (I mean, who wouldn’t want the freshest tasting oj – and the fact that the brand portrayed it as tasting as fresh as if you stuck a straw in an orange…YES!) And if you are going to refresh the brand, I can understand that…but why move so far away from the things that worked on the old packaging and brand?

What on earth were they thinking? Number one, it is one of the more pricey brands of OJ on the shelf and the older “look” really held its own in that price point. This revision to the brand makes it look like it should be in the “dollar aisle” along with the 99 cent no name boxes of cereal and ‘faux’ hamburger helper. oh…and def check out the “mini orange” screw top. Nice place to spend the money guys…no one will notice something like that especially when the rest of the packaging really falls this short. It would be different if they decided to charge 89 cents per container, but the fact is, they are still charging a premium for a brand that now looks generic.

New Tropicana Packaging - REALLY????

What is going on with Pepsi products these days and their really odd choices in re-branding??

I am so disgruntled and confused.

http://www.underconsideration.com/brandnew/archives/pepsi_takes_the_tropic_out_of.php

I picked up a British Vogue last week in the hopes gaining any creative inspiration for some retail campaigns. There was a layout that absolutely blew my mind. “Spellbound: Dream of a bewitching Christmas filled with jewels fit for a fairy tale, sparkling under a diamond moon.” Never before had I seen anything quite like this as far as art direction, innovation, lighting, materials used, etc…this article was the main reason why I bought the mag.

What made it so amazing was the work of artist Su Blackwell, whose 2D and 3D paper “book” sculptures create a surreal and magical backdrop for the winter jewelry spreads.

Here are some more examples of her work.

After looking her up online, I was able to find a commercial for a vineyard that used her talents integrated with stop motion animation. Apparently this was a different bird for her entirely since she is more used to 2D and the video involved her pushing herself into the 3D world. She is amazing!

http://www.sublackwell.co.uk/films.php?id=3#3

Target was one of the first major companies to bring affordable well designed pieces to the masses. I would like to believe that IKEA started that path but Target was smart enough to see where America was lacking and craving without even knowing it. I just found out that H&M released a new home collection in Berlin, Germany. H&M is most known for bringing affordable runway looks to the masses and has stores located all over the world and in major US cities.

The new home collection is based around four sub collections- design, nature, classic and youth- the entire collection will launch online in February 2009 and will be available for sale in Scandinavia, the Netherlands, Germany and Austria. No word yet on if and when the collection will be available to the US, but I would bet it would happen in the next couple of years. It is apparent that people desire surroundings that are infused with good design aesthetics. Here are some pictures of some of their new products and patterns and stay tuned!

I will be the first to admit it. When it comes to standing up for our concepts, or proving the reasons behind why we created something a certain way, I will totally throw myself on the chopping block for design. If we don’t stand up for it, who will?! And can you imagine a world without any thought put into the way things are designed? From directional street signs, to buildings, to the cars we drive, and the books we read…It can make us designers feel like we take life way to seriously. And for good reason!

But here we go – here is finally a book about design that infuses humor into the fold! I have read what feels like a trunkload of design books and few of them really compel me to read past the first few chapters. THIS however, is a different story!

http://www.youworkforthem.com/product.php?sku=P0607

Chasing the Perfect is a personal reflection on Modernism’s influence on the teaching of design and its practice. Writer/designer Natalia Ilyin delivers it up in such a honest and wry way that speaks directly from designer to designer. I cannot help but feel her angst: “this silent pressure that a language of design based in perfectionism had brought to bear on how I developed as a person.” She knows what touches and frustrates our hearts and our minds.

But ‘funny read’ put aside, this book is a solid critique of Modernist principles and their influence on Western culture. Even if you are not a design hound like me, you will totally enjoy this book and the way Ilyin documents her life and her views of the world molded by the ever evolving principles of design.

Plus, with a sweetly designed ‘Dada-esque’ book cover, this could take a proud position on your living room coffee table. Viva Design!

It reminded me of a website that I visited a few years ago that is since going strong. The Stray Cart Shopping Project. http://www.strayshoppingcart.com/shopping_cart/1_introduction.htm

Julian Montague is an artist based out of Buffalo, NY and designed this system of classification that allows stray shopping cards to be identified based on the situations where they are found.

There are True Strays: ones that left a parking lot and gone into the world; and False Strays: ones that have stayed close to their source. He has identified nine sub-categories of false strays and 21 sub-categories of true strays, all of which are documented with photo examples. Montague feels that this kind of classification system serves as a kind of vector for looking at the social makeup of a place. (Vandalism is also a good indicator.)

Shopping cart found near graffiti.

“Over the last several decades, the stray shopping cart has quietly become an integral part of the urban and suburban landscapes of the industrialized world. To the average person, the stray shopping cart is most often thought of as a signifier of urban blight or as an indicator of a consumer society gone too far. Unfortunately, the acceptance of these oversimplified designations has discouraged any serious examination of the stray shopping cart phenomenon.”

It is a well designed website that definitely has Montague’s aesthetic, and it is a truly interesting and refreshingly NEW and different way to look at our urban landscape and class system. I would visit this site for the photography alone.

Rusted shopping cards smashed into the sides of buildings (damaged at source carts), a wheel poking up out of a hill of snow, etc…the images tell a thousand stories.

You might ask at this moment, what does this have to do with design? Where am i going with this?

Well, after daydreaming about Omaha’s first high speed rail system, I found myself moving overseas in thought – to a place called the Eastern Docklands. http://www.easterndocklands.com/

A place in Amsterdam that used to be an old grungy wasteland of deserted shipyards. Something where architects saw a diamond in the rough, and got together with large groups of architects, designers and artists to create a neighborhoods of row houses along the canals (old docks) that allowed, as one of its many perks, its inhabitants to KAYAK to their jobs across the bay in the downtown area.

Docklands Rowhouses

Now THAT sounds like my kind of commute! In the warmer months at least. We had a chance to see this neighborhood when visiting Amsterdam a couple of years back, and I fell in love with the design of the housing – very funky, modern, green (eco), eclectic and ALL very different from each other in style.

The architects commissioned artists to design all of the bridges arching over the canals – some were crazy sculptures let alone functioning paths across water; and some were so insane in the steepness or angles, that there is no way this would ever pass codes in America…which of course, made it even cooler.

(below i am trying to make my way up a super steep bridge and wondering why on earth I stopped using the stair climber at the gym…)

This was a place that I fell for in a quick second…the amazing design, the sculptures that were functioning bridges, the fact that you can have a commute in a kayak, and the eco materials that many of these places used.

It is truly a designer’s dream to live in such a community and I can only hope that we bring an ounce of their ideas to the design of any future eco developments. Heck, I still dream about it.

Until we meet again Docklands, or until Bozell opens an office in Amsterdam, I will be daydreaming of commutes where all i hear are sea gulls above my head, and the sound of splashing water.

• GOLD: Krista’s Creations website – http://www.letter-photo.com/
• BRONZE: Creighton University Fine Arts Faculty – A Portfolio of Creative Works
• BRONZE: Bozell New Employee Handbook
• BRONZE: Bozell Holiday Office Charms campaign

http://nebraska.aiga.org/

This year the color trends seem to follow the economic extremes – extreme and filled with opposites:

“For instance, ecological concerns mean fabrics are being made with less dye, giving them an almost vintage look. So vintage colors look very right. On the other hand, exuberant economies in countries like China and India draw us to ethnic brights – sunny yellows, true turquoises, warm oranges. Both look very cutting edge.”

There are also collisions between technology and what is natural. I think it is very interesting how the Beijing Olympics can have an effect on the color of a living room sectional in Dallas, Texas. YeeHaw.

Check out this website for more interesting information on color trends…i love it! and am very anxious and READY to put away the baby blue and chocolate brown combo. Ack. It’s soooo yesterday… 

http://www.colormarketing.org/Media.aspx?id=1032&

Cheers for now,

Jill