Hasta La Ideas

MDF tiles and blue carpet are some of the simple materials that architecture studio Dvekati has used to furnish this office in Moscow, which takes cues from the pared-back aesthetic of Soviet modernism.

Occupied by a PR agency called Rupor, the office measures just 45 square metres and is set inside a constructivist-style house that was built in 1927.

Working with a tight two-month timescale, local architecture studio Dvekati was asked by Rupor to create enough space for six to eight employees and a meeting area within the office’s rectangular plan.

The studio divided the compact, open-plan space into three functional areas – a workspace, a conference zone, and a kitchen – by inserting a podium and a waist-high partition wall.

When it came to choosing fixtures and furnishings, the studio was particularly inspired by the modernist office interiors of 1960s Soviet research institutes, which placed emphasis on functionality and clarity of lines.

“By the 1960s, Soviet architecture and interiors got rid of unnecessary decoration and turned to the principles of modernism,” the studio told Dezeen.

“[In Russia] we had our own mid-century modern, along with the worldwide flow of this style. It was manifested in thousands of research institutes, the main place of work for many Soviet people, scientists and engineers.”

The raised podium and its built-in bench are therefore lined with carpet, while the partition wall and rectangular planter are finished with MDF panels that imitate tiles.

Rectangular steel frames top the partitions to form a visual barrier between the two spaces without blocking out light.

The wall that runs behind the podium is partially clad in textured, oatmeal-coloured panels, with the remaining portion is painted a rich shade of brown, a colour palette the studio thinks is typical of Soviet modernism.

A 1970s Latvian lamp comprised of orange and white rings has been suspended from the ceiling. It complements a set of yellow Panton chairs from Vitra that were originally designed in 1960.

Other furniture pieces include an IKEA table, a vintage floor lamp found in Estonia and an L-shaped white desk. Potted plants have additionally been used to dress the space to absorb noise and clean the air.

A gypsum-plasterboard ceiling was also removed to reveal concrete panelling underneath, creating an additional 20 centimetres of height.

The concrete floor was then restored and bamboo blinds have been hung in front of the windows to block glare from the sun.

A bold focal point of the office is its all-red kitchen with matching red cabinetry. There is also an artwork made from carpet that’s been mounted on the wall.

The carpet’s outline depicts a character called Cheburashka from a 1966 story by Soviet writer Eduard Uspensky.

“Cheburashka is a fictional creature from a Soviet fairy tale familiar to every Russian person,” explained Dvekati. “It never existed, but unfortunately, many species of animals like Cheburashka remain; only in our imagination and in pictures.”

Last year saw Russian practice Alexander Volkov Architects complete another office in Moscow. The workspace is arranged around a handful of tall, brass storage units and a rotunda-like structure that doubles-up as a meeting room.

The post Dvekati references 1960s Russia for interior of Moscow office appeared first on Dezeen.

Tallulah Fontaine works as an illustrator and has an array of big, shiny clients including The New York Times, New Yorker, Pitchfork, Teen Vogue, Vice and more, but it’s a career path she fell into rather than sought out. Originally from Alberta, USA she moved to Montreal, Canada after high school. “For a few years I was pretty aimless while I worked in a bunch of coffee shops and restaurants,” she explains. “I always really enjoyed drawing and I made zines and collages on my off hours.” 

Fontaine’s friends noticed her talent and began commissioning her to design tattoos and illustrate band posters so much that she decided to share her work online. It was only when she started to work for a brand called Stay Home Club, which sells T-shirts, accessories and stationery and is run by Olivia Mew that Fontaine started to gain real industry experience.

“I didn’t really know what an illustrator was until I started working for one,” she says. “Olivia taught me how to use a tablet and would put me up for jobs. Eventually I grew a bit of an online following and built up a portfolio that I would email to any art directors I could get hold of.” After a few years, Fontaine’s persistence paid off as she’d built a solid enough client list to take the leap into freelance illustration full time.

These days the illustrator splits her time between Montreal and Los Angeles, and her aesthetic is often inspired by the colours she sees in LA. “I have a hard time describing my own work, but someone described my illustrations as cast in warm watercolours and soft pencils, which seems to fit,” says Fontaine.

A mix of smooth shapes and cool tones, there’s a charming quality about her work, which always lands on the right side of sweet. For her editorial commissions, Fontaine illustrates a huge variety of subjects and topics including cowboys, grief, spirituality and orcas. “I really enjoy getting the chance to explore different subjects that I wouldn’t necessarily illustrate in my personal work,” she says.

Away from editorial work, Fontaine enjoys going back to comics whenever she has the chance. “It’s really meditative and helps me slow down, and also process some of what I am feeling since most of my stories are really personal,” she explains. “It’s been a while since I finished one, but I hope to have a few new comics out in the spring and summer.”

Fontaine’s creative process typically starts out as a series of rough sketches to help with composition before she cracks on with a final sketch. “I’ll paint everything by hand with watercolour or gouache, which I then scan into Photoshop,” explains the illustrator. “Then I’ll colour everything digitally and overlap hand-drawn linework and any final touches.” 

The illustrator finds briefs helpful when she doesn’t know the client that well, but loves being “able to run with my own ideas” and this flexibility is just one of the joys of being freelance. Of course getting this balance takes time and patience. “I think freelancing in general can be really challenging no matter what field you are in,” says Fontaine. “Managing my time, prioritising my own work and budgeting for the ebbs and flows of when jobs come in are my main challenges. There’s definitely a learning curve when working for yourself.”

Despite these challenges, being your own boss has given the illustrator a sense of how much her time is worth. “It’s been really important for me to learn how to advocate for myself and my time,” Fontaine says. “When I started out, I did a lot of illustration for free or for too little because I had a hard time seeing my value. I think it’s really important not to undervalue your skills and the time you put into the work.” 

With a strong sense of who she is as a creative now, Fontaine’s advice to any fellow illustrators is to make connections wherever you can. “So much of what I learned was from the people who I reached out to, and were kind enough to share their knowledge with me,” she says. “I’m always afraid of bothering people, but I think it’s important to build a community among other artists.”

tallulahfontaine.com

The post Tallulah Fontaine’s charming editorial illustrations appeared first on Creative Review.

Over the last couple of years, we’ve seen ASMR (also known as Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response) move from a niche fad into the mainstream, with everyone from McDonald’s to Lynx jumping on the brain-tingling bandwagon.

It doesn’t look set to go anywhere anytime soon either; in a recent piece for CR about what’s next for the sensory trend, design curator Anne-Laure Pingreoun wrote: “In our visually-saturated and texture-starved world, potent ways of triggering our other senses have more impact than ever. So far, ad agencies and marketers have only scratched the surface of ASMR’s potential but in the hands of artists, designers and makers we’re set to see its true and lasting impact unfold.”

Part of New York-based IMGN Media, So Satisfying has made a name for itself curating and creating content that sates our appetite for sensory stimulation. Vault49 was brought in to reimagine the brand’s look and feel to coincide with the launch of its new multi-platform video channel.

“The brief for So Satisfying was a unique challenge – how can we capture the feeling of ASMR content in a logo alone,” says Vault49 partner and creative director, Leigh Chandler.

The agency took inspiration from the sensorial effects of So Satisfying’s content itself, creating a series of animated statements that aim to playfully capture the ASMR experience.

In an animated version of the logo, which will be used across its social channels, the brand name is expanded to read as ‘Sooooooo Satisfying’, while in printed communications and interior spaces paper engineering and architecture are used to stretch out the ‘o’ in different ways.

The agency’s in-house CGI artists and animators have also created a series of bespoke ASMR videos to work alongside the new identity.

Vault49.com

The post So Satisfying’s new look taps into our ASMR obsession appeared first on Creative Review.

Irem Turkkan est un jeune photographe basé à Istanbul. Elle a étudié le design de communication visuelle à l’Université Kadir Has et a obtenu son Master en photographie à l’Université de Westminster. Sa pratique se concentre principalement sur la nature et le paysage, impliquant souvent la présence de créatures vivantes.

Avec cette série de photos, elle capture un interlude dans le temps, la poésie d’un moment suspendu. Une série appelée simplement «interlude», aux tons vintage et à la composition délicate.

Almost 285 million people in the world are visually impaired, with 39 million suffering from blindness, and another 246 million having low vision. In an attempt to cater to the needs of the visually impaired, designer Merve Nur Sökmen designed a Logitech-inspired Braille calculator. The concept calculator was designed while paying the utmost attention to the functional requirements of the visually impaired.

The calculator consists of two sections. The left side represents the Braille numbers and all the activity is displayed on it. The right side consists of groups of buttons. Each group of button features a unique surface finishing, so they’re easily distinguishable and identifiable by the users. The number buttons possess a concave surface, with a hard and rough finishing. The functions buttons, on the other hand, feature a convex surface, with a soft and smooth finishing. The main equation button is larger compared to the other buttons. Combined with its skin-like texture with a soft finishing, it is easy to locate. One side of the calculator has been equipped with speakers, allowing for an audio narration of all the activities and the entire operation. Amped with Bluetooth connectivity, one can easily sync the calculator with other wireless devices of their choice. An auxiliary port allows headphone connection as well.

While designing the Braille calculator, Merve ensured that it should be as ergonomic and user-friendly as possible for the visually impaired, but she also took its aesthetics into consideration. Its sleek tabular form, smart buttons, and a neutral color scheme make it a modern calculator that would look good on any desk…and one that might just catch the attention of Logitech!

Designer: Merve Nur Sökmen

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