Aug 29
Bum. Wool Hunter Earflap by Norse Projects.
Aug 29
Dominus Plus iPhone Clock
Posted in: Albert Salamon, dominus plusDominus Plus è una Sci-fi Clock per il vostro iPhone/iPad. Disegnata da Albert Salamon, si scarica dall’ App store.
Aug 29
Queste sono le Sperry Top-Sider Shipyard Longshoreman Chukka, modello appartenente alla linea heritage Cloud. Disponibili in tre varianti di colore sul loro store.
Aug 29
Museum of Arts and Design to Host ‘Fashion in Film’ Festival
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Stills from Qui Êtes-Vous, Polly Magoo? and The Eyes of Laura Mars, two of the films that will be screened during “Fashion in Film.” (Images courtesy Museum of Arts and Design)
On the glitter-encrusted platform heels of the Museum of Arts and Design‘s David Bowie retrospective comes Fashion in Film, a three-day celebration of fashion, design, and style on the silver screen. The New York institution has partnered with Vanity Fair and the Film Society of Lincoln Center on a long weekend (Setember 9-11) of screenings, panel discussions, and receptions that will keep the Fashion’s Night Out momentum going through next Sunday. The singular Simon Doonan has co-curated the screening program, which includes iconic favorites (William Klein‘s Qui Êtes-Vous, Polly Magoo?, Les Parapluies de Cherbourg) as well as new releases, including the world premiere of Jan Sharp‘s new Rick Owens [claps gleefully] documentary, Rick, Michele, and Scarlett, and a look inside the elite ateliers of Hermès. On Sunday afternoon, Doonan will chat with the likes of designers Jeffrey Costello and Robert Tagliapietra, Matt “Valentino: The Last Emperor” Tyrnauer, and the Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology’s Valerie Steele about how film inspires fashion. Tickets for the chic film series are going fast. Purchase yours here.
New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.
Aug 29
Research: Learning Extreme Empathy by Paul Backett
Posted in: Uncategorized
This is the second post in a 6-part series from Ziba’s Industrial Design Director, Paul Backett, on rethinking design education. Read the Introduction to the series, Teach Less, Integrate More here.
Great designers are great empathizers. It’s what separates a design that has soul from one that’s simply well-realized. In my experience as a design director and as a teacher, it’s become painfully clear that the ability to connect with users is something design students must learn, as crucially as they need sketching and CAD.
Unfortunately, the most common student design project has students designing with themselves as the target user. Research becomes a box to be ticked, and certainly never integrated into the design process. The real world, though, is full of unfamiliar design targets, and schools have a responsibility to teach the difficult skill of taking on their perspectives. What students need to learn is not just empathy, but extreme empathy—the flexibility to inhabit the mind of someone dramatically unlike themselves.
In student projects as well as professional practice, we observe several users fitting a target profile, then build a character that summarizes and exaggerates their functional and emotional needs. But students too often make the more comfortable choice by picking a friend as their target. That’s not good enough. Because this is someone they’re already familiar with, they’re blinded to the details. More important, it lets them off the hook of doing real research. A real strategic target is like a character in a movie: aspirational to others and inspirational to the designer.
It also bypasses another needed skill: learning to love someone unfamiliar. I recently put my students at the University of Oregon through a character-building exercise. During the first critique, one group summed up their presentation by describing their character Michael as ‘a bit of a douche.’ While he may have had qualities they didn’t appreciate, they were going to be spending the next 12 weeks with this guy, so I let them know they’d better find something they liked!
Aug 29
D-Desk
Posted in: Uncategorized
D-DeskCast Aluminum feet and Solid wood center piece.Cast feet possible in different colorsCenter piece possible in different woods and painted MDF+/-..
Aug 29
Questions to ask of your things when uncluttering
Posted in: UncategorizedThe earthquake and hurricane this past week on the east coast have left me glad I made August’s resolution to update my “In case of …” file. Mother Nature sure knows how to drive home a point in a really big way.
In addition to creating the file, I’ve also started to take a new approach to how I see the items in my home. Not only is the stuff we own there to serve my family’s needs and bring us joy, but it is also stuff that someone else might have to deal with in case of an accident. Obviously, I hope no one else ever has to deal with our things, but it’s important to consider that it is a possibility.
Now, as part of the questioning process I consider when uncluttering items in my home and office, I’ve added another question to the list:
- Do I have something else like this that fulfills the same purpose?
- If this is a duplicate item, which of these items is in the best condition, of the best quality, and will last me the longest?
- Is this item in disrepair and need to be replaced or fixed?
- Does this item make my life easier/save me time/save me money/fulfill an essential need?
- Why does this object live in our house and is this the best place for this object?
- Do I need to do more research to know if this is the best object to fulfill its essential need?
- If this is a perishable item, has its expiration date passed?
- Will this item be easy for someone else to deal with in case I am not capable of doing so?
- Does this item help me to develop the remarkable life that I want to live?
Like this site? Buy Erin Rooney Doland’s Unclutter Your Life in One Week from Amazon.com today.
Aug 29
The first retrospective book on the 20th century’s film title master
Saul Bass, best known for transforming the way movies begin, was in fact a designer of incredible versatility. As design historian Pat Kirkham shows in his forthcoming book on Bass (co-authored with Bass’ daughter Jennifer), the legendary “visual communicator” also applied his graphic wizardry to album and book covers, typefaces, packaging, retail displays, a hi-fi system, toys and a postage stamp. He also illustrated a children’s book, collaborated with architects, directed films and developed identities for companies including Quaker, United Airlines, Dixie, AT&T, Kleenex, the Girl Scouts and more.
For much of his prolific career Bass worked side by side with his wife Elaine. Together, they came up with beautifully simplified concepts—many that still serve as benchmarks for intelligent design—and led the duo to work with and be revered by masters in their fields like Martin Scorsese, Milton Glaser, Massimo Vignelli, Otto Preminger and Alfred Hitchcock.
Defining himself simply as “a creative person in the deepest sense of the word,” Bass allowed his imagination to guide the way, toying with metaphors and abstract symbols until he reached a point where it would make sense to his audience, yet purposely leaving out one element for the viewer to fill in. “The ambiguous is intrinsically more interesting, more challenging, more involving, more mysterious and more potent,” he explains. “It forces reexamination, adds tension, gives it life.”
Perhaps Bass’ most significant contribution was his ability to make Modern Art relatable to everyone. While his style experimented with abstraction and other contemporary tropes, his artistic interpretations were still easily digestible, having emotional impact no matter the project or medium.
Despite being one of the most sought-after designers of the 20th century, he never denied how terrifying a blank page can be. His tenacity, trying idea after idea even when they weren’t working, was a significant part of his process. “A modest amount of imagination with a great ability to persevere can produce an important work,” Bass proposed. The approach also speaks to the advantages of working on a range of projects. “By simultaneously working on a variety of problems, I find that one creative problem helps me solve another.”
With more than 1,400 illustrations—including many never-seen-before storyboards—”Saul Bass: A Life in Film & Design” is an incredible look at the inner workings of his genius. The monograph will be available beginning October 2011 from publisher Laurence King, where you can sign up to be notified of its availability. You can also pre-order it from Amazon.
Aug 29
Trippin’ furniture
Posted in: Uncategorized
Common everyday object such as a chair or a table could overcome its common function if it’s generated by a play. Due to a twist in its vertical axis,..
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