Design news | May 06
It's Spring! View reel goodies from Mainframe!
Brilliant, simply brilliant! See juxtapositions of so many different styles into a sleek fast paced short. Pile them high up: Illustration + 3D? Yes! Animation? Yes! Graphic design? Yes! Interactive? Yes!
The thumbling broken blocks sequence is awesome!
Feast yourself! From UK with luv.
Pixartisan online art gallery announces new artists exhibited!
Pan your way around this huge interface, move the projects and upon refresh see more. I won't say it is the most usable of sites, but the sheer scale of the architectural projects completed is worth it.
No words, no pitch, no nothing, except a contact info.
From neo-classicism to modern, TRIART 2000 does it very well.
From Russia with luv.
Breaking news!!!
Proposed rule changes would tangle the Web by Michael Socolow
“If the new telecom regulations pass without safeguarding net neutrality, the big telecom companies will be able to prioritize the Web for you. They will be free to decide which Web sites get to your computer faster and which ones may take longer - or may not even show up at all.
You should care because any corporate restriction on information gathering directly counters the original purpose of the World Wide Web.
By the time the telecoms start changing what you see on your screen, it will be too late to complain.”
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More articles on topic:
Network neutrality - why it matters, and how do we fix it?
Verizon: Net neutrality worries are 'cock and bull, Chicken Little'
Network Neutrality as Dr Seuss might have explained it
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via: Boing Boing
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Financial sector awakens to Net neutrality issues
Verizon warns financial sector on Net neutrality
via: ZDNet
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Net neutrality amendment killed in committee
via: IPAC (Information Policy Action Committee)
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ndlr: I'm shocked! If these new regulations come to pass the Internet which was meant to be decentralized, democratic and accessible will be taken over by greedy telcoms.
When will they ever learn??? Copycats not only are they a pain in the neck because they appropriate someone's else work (and a shame to the profession), but because, most of the time, they are really-really sloppy.
Amran from The Pixelage just reported that on this domain appears a web site for a company that is using in the logo imagemap, this code:
<a href="https://www.thepixelage.com/" title="Back to Home"><img src="logo1.gif" alt="Logo of thepixelage" name="sitelogo" class="dunfix" id="sitelogo" border="0" height="69" width="300"></a>
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Demonstrated, a blatant trace back to where the source is from!!!
Marvelous, simply marvelous! The new Orangesound website is a jewel. You've gotta see this interactive audiovisual media journey.
Interface is based on actual pictures of the studio environment with little movies embedded to you can see some of the services in action.
Shown in second thumbnail, Studio A.
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ndlr: Pictures taken and site design by Robert Ladkani
Enter thepixelage corporate website build with CSS. Nice grid, choice of punchy colored headers and graphics and lots of white space.
BTW they are looking for a web programmer. If interested, contact them.
From Singapore with luv.
Navigational cacophony for an event dedicated to everything technology based. Elektra7 is a digital art festival taking place in Montreal. Is it the best way to present an event? Not sure.
Gotta give credit to the actionscriptings and how the visual exploration feels. Perhaps intended to be representative of the eclectic topics as well as contributing artists?
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ndlr: There is still time to attend. In fact, Genevieve Gaukler one of our Powagirrrls and supra-talented illustrator, will be presenting on Friday night at 18:00
When learning a foreign language, improvement will be perceivable when our capacity to use the right emphasis will be comprehensive to natives.
Accent is the art direction portfolio of Miguel Vega, and rightly so, he uses just the right emphasis and balance in showing his skills and accomplishments.
From Buenos Aires with luv.
If the name is any indication, in c a k e w i t h g i a n t s you will find a well chosen bundlr of dreamy, sweet illustrations. Some are mixed media. Others are kidz ready. All are extremely well executed.
In addition, some interesting packaging designs and a mini installation are included. Amy Borrell, a design student to watch for.
Standbeeld specializes in 2D / 3D renderings mostly for product and POS (point of sale) projects. Nice vector illustration backgrounds and smart use of the magnifier fx to increase size of their portfolio pieces.
Business or values. Which one?
57% -> I choose my clients based on fit with my values.
18% -> I have compromised my values for a clent's business.
28% -> Business and personal values are two different spheres.
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via: Icograda
Well it seems that Elvis is capturing the imagination of an all new generation and belting its way to center stage again via the net. Well he did receive 150 platinum and gold albums! Even though not my kind of music, he made it big! Perhaps the underlying inference is “we want to be King too and attain success”.
And then, why not?
Creative Infusion apart from using an Elvis persona (among others) do pretty good new media work. Watch the demo in the left side content frame. This is what caught my attention.
From Australia with luv.
Elo, welcome to Handwash! Isn't that cute or what?
There is much passion and luv for the illustration trade here. You are greeted by this cute little fellow, then by boombox fellow and then you can meet all the other lively characters (some animated) and sprinkled with light humor.
Luv the simplicity of his lines that carries the load of intent.
BTW I've heard he's looking for an agent. Can help?
MUG is a 3D interactive webdesign studio from POLAND. Put in a bit of patience for download it is worthy. Extra efforts were deployed to create this hyper realistic interior space interface and play on word branding concept.
What I like is the consistency, like filling up the 'U' and the coffee mug. But once you get inside the studio space. WOW! Now we're talking great rendering and panning around the space. Watch the 'loading' appear on a book you choose on the table. That is perfect attention to detail.
Hats off!
Sometimes you hapchance on a waiting to be discovered pearl! cheekyDsn is one.
My first recommendation: view his flash intro! Fast, blinding fast! At long last, something really original. Sometimes I feel like I'm lost in the desert in search of a fresh oasis...
I admire anyone who actually spends the time to take a concept further; pushing away and exploring the limits. From onstart, we know when an idea is a good one, but good is not enough. Want and won't settle for less than excellent.
In the end, that's how we cross the line between ordinary and extraordinary.
Great photography portfolios recently submitted or updated:
/ Reimers + Hollar take (mostly product) pictures! Brilliantly!
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/ Jamey Stillings is a photographer extraordinaire! Must see!
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/ Emiliano Granado adds dimensional emotions to his photography
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/ Hugh Peachey punching it best with editorial photography
If you're still interested in 45 degrees angle designs (well I am) here is a neato example: AlfaFusion.
What you find? Well not only do they master the technicalities but have gone on to experiment the possibilities and keep the site usable. That was a surprise; I luv to be surprised. You will be too, because they haven't sacrificed function over form.
Especially if you claim working the field of new media, it's reassuring.
The first Montreal PN video is released (en français but images tells the story). Produced by Choc'O agency.
Here is the picture galleries from all participating cities.
“If you want to be the best, you have to live breathe this industry!”
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via: Steven Carlisle
New label on the block: Angry Retail? Well it seems that this Dublin based graphic design agency and fashion label is casting bone and bunny heads pullovers, forest print inhabited by non-menacing animals into their collection, as well as a don't take us too seriously attitude.
Check the Look section for a slice of their goofeing around.
Reisenthel show their true colors and let's you pick your favorites! Handy home and office products relaunches its website. Impeccable production intended towards giving an enjoyable experience.
Simple, basic and just enough vavoom!
As for their for simply clever goal? Done!
Recognize that car? How about the one built circa 1960? Check the historia section of Volvo Design to see the evolution.
Keyboard arrows navigation required.
Quick loading and landing sorta speaking. Check this website: Flight with XRS Nowe Media Team!
Tight concept all over! Excellent use of flash and transitions although using the 'panning' system is not something new, they give it an ultra simple approach that works. Navigation options always available around the content frame!
Click on background to zoom out! Brilliant!
From Poland with Luv!
Piera Luisolo paints with quintessentially subdued colors, firm brush strokes, her canvas are glimpse of life sprinkled with a metaphorically approach to what is the grand tradition of the great naturalists.
Be it fauna, flora or people, the richness of details makes the subject glow.
Calidad, calidad y calidad! So fresh looking, you wanna bite it! To the point micro site for Summac Foods located in Madrid, Espana.
Unprecedented rendition of Elvis! He sure looks a bit weird, no? Wait till you see what other wild and fuzzy creatures-characters Alexander Blue has got in store for you.
If you're into designer toys, Flying Cat is one of the locations to find a wide variety.
Shown: Rock Boy by Elphonso Lam
Last night I attended Portfolio Night in Montreal, as a 'press member'. I was eager and curious to see the process up close and personal. Especially, how would these grand barons of advertising agencies going to dispense the gold of their experience to courageous aspirantes.
She is the curator of the lint museum which titles as a museum of little things. From odd, weird to lovely, dreamy, it's a quick stop into the mind of a bubbly overflowing artist.
Self described has having “functioned much like a swiss army knife; with little tricks to help everyone”. The site features her work as a collage illustrator.
Magenta, flash and bigga flower power? PURÉ does it and even eye drops portfolio projects. I like the logo too. Nice.
Don't miss POL OXIGEN Frankfurt Light + Building fair coverage.
An indication to the power of presentation is demonstrated by the trend to collate a studio past work into a short animated film. What best way is there to quick view a portfolio?
Editing disparate elements into a seamless flow of images constitutes quite a challenge and requires everyone involved switching to creative warp speed. But oh what fun it is!
An intrinsic quality of a reel should be the right balance between technological skills and creating a storyboard. Too much transition fx may hide (or dress up) ordinary work. Aim towards giving a glimpse into your studio design capabilities and voilà!
Getting reel with Studio Dialog!
Well the OrdinaryKids built a web site for their super amazing creative director, Scott Barry. Hop to the Birdstand to see what they're talking about.
Wonderful, varied and spectacular creativity!
FIDIUS – fighting for fair design competitions
Designers of all disciplines increasingly encounter situations where copyright users exploit their creative achievements as a source of ideas to unfavourable conditions.
“Good design must not become a discount item.”
Always something to learn. Started wearing jeans as my official uniform around 14 and never stopped since. So comfy. Just read that it's better to turn them inside out and stretch legs and waist and leave to dry... not tumble dry! Ah! I did not know that!
Originating from Sweden, a very simple and easy to navigate website for Denimbirds. Luv the nice mix media animated transitions.
12 Months. 12 Artists. One unique calendar representing the contemporary global design scene. Brought to you by Lounge72.
Just launched! Pixartisan includes invited artists displayed in the Limited Editions gallery as well as a Public gallery, where you are invited to participate! From painters to photographers and writers to illustrators.
Once in a while a great project launches and what you're about to discover, is one of the them.
Definitely a space to watch!
Updated already!
20 Rules Of Smart And Successful Web-development by Vitaly Friedman
1. Respect your visitors
2. Bad advertisement is evil
3. Inform and teach your visitors
4. Develop your own style. Develop your own ideas.
5. Respect the standards. Think about people.
Prototype of a redesign for the Westfalia! Now you've gotta see this! Incredible amenities in such a limited space.
Amazing!
Marcelo Baldin Petriaggi aka Combustion Industries is a true multi-taskers who excels as a sound designer. He did work for installations, videos and web sites. His urban chill soundtracks are glittering jewels.
He dabs into graphic, web design, illustration and animation. Pay attention in particular to the tracks he made for animation projects. Although, I feel circumspect in using such a word but I will: great, does best define his work. What talent!
Shown one of his fav desktop. From Sao Paulo with luv.
Prickie the new button badges hub is waiting for you. Join Simon Oxley and Swissmiss amongst others.
Red Bull MET: Looking for a Great Job? Well you've never seen a job posting designed quite like this one. Check it out.
Today is May 1st Reboot international relaunch of web sites by authors and creatives working within the field of Web Design.
Vote for your favorite from May 1st to May 8!
What happens when a hair product company hooks to the artistic community for content in order to relaunch a product line via their website?
Have a look at Studio Line send your style and see for yourself.
That being said, take no credit away from the agency who designed the website, which is actually pretty cool.
Great roster of people assembled in four categories: movie, photo, music and painter. My fav, definitely is the 'painter' section.
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ndlr: I've got mix feelings about this kind of project. Many companies nowadays, seem to be crossing the line between advertising their products solely, to dip into the 'creative' 'artistic' culture community to get a steady supply of zing, bling and buz that perhaps... they lack.
Or worst, are unwilling to pay for.
Warhol Time Capsule 21 reveals bits & pieces of the artist life.
“...now I put everything into equal sized brown cardboard boxes with a colored label on the side for the corresponding month and year. I hate memories full of melancholy, and deep sinside I hope all those boxes will get lost, so I won't have to look through them ever again... On the other side, I would really like to keep these things, so that they can find a new use one day.”
— Andy Warhol, 1975
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Beginning in the 1970s, Andy Warhol collected and stored the remains of his most unusual life in 612 brown cardboard boxes, the so-called Time Capsules. To date, only 100 of these boxes have been opened and examined.
Persuade, change, influence: theme of the Psyop anthem! You've gotta see this short animation.
All aboard! A couple of places left!
Browsercam is a remote access service to test layouts across all browsers and OS. JF uses it all the time!
Here's your chance to be part of an annual group license (real cheap) and never have to guess how it looks again.
Two spots offered! First come, first served.
What if you came to the office and someone asked you to slow design. Would you get it??? Be able to do it? By that, I don't mean getting this pie in the sky wished for leisurely pace to come up with the next big idea since sliced bread!
Nope! What I mean, well what he means, is slowly implementing changes within a long standing project. It's called incremental changes. All right, we may not be that familiar with the name, but we do know the game:
Slowly reducing the size of a bag of spaghetti from 500g to 450g is one. Paying 5 cents more for milk today than yesterday is another. All part of the vastly available examples out there.
“OK, ok, ok, got it!”
What if, so slow design in fact, it could take 45 years to include a table of content...
Eeeeya sounds (and is probably worst) then having to meet that new deadline today and deliver it, yesterday!
In Praise of Slow Design is an incursive article on what Michael Bierut has been partly sinking his mind into for the past couple of months.
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via: Jeffrey Veen
Green is the new black!
So, when I heard about Al Gore's new film - I knew that attempting to shake the sleeping political pills away, was NOT, as you will read, a new found fad for him.
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Full article includes more references.
Is there a bright side for us designers? Yes!
Laps Are the New Desks by Glenn Derene
“But the third and probably most important reason laptops have been selling so well is the remarkable spread of wireless technology. Airports, hotels, coffee shops, college campuses, convention centers and almost anywhere business takes place or people simply have to stop and think, Wi-Fi is there.”
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via: Wired
Talking about laptops, check these FOOF covers! Aren't they cute or what?
Them5 have made got stunning animations available! Brought to you by some of the top creative minds out there. Comes with video shortstory and the making of which you want to indulge in.
You won't be able to avoid jaw-dropping.
Admirable skills, imagination and tantamount efforts.
Don't miss the Rex and Tennant McKay!
Typotect is a portal “where squares go for dimension” and fonts, design related news. Luv the pixel design and mini icons.
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ndlr: More related resources in the Designer toolbox.
300 pages + 80 designers + 1 country
From Portugal to everywhere
“Yesterday, there was no such thing as Portuguese design — and there still isn’t. What we did think, though, was that this project, as well as others that appeared in the meantime, are bound to contribute to the construction of such an identity.”
To launch in Lisbon, April 27-29
Comments on or comments off??? That is the question!
All over the blogosphere there is a new thread right out of a Pandora box. Spam bots have been steadily invading the comments section of numerous blogs, generating a new slice of work, if not irritation, to those who already take precious time to write, to weed the nasties out!
What a waste! I can't understand why anyone would lend their talent to create nuisance and disruption. It's simply beyond me.
But that's not all! What about those who can't but constantly veer off topic? Completely oblivious are they, to original thread?
Not forgetting those whiny commentators who make it a point to always be completely out of line, disrespectful and negative.
Why they don't get their own freakin whiny blog and leave others in peace, also mesmerises me.
Communication is all we've got! Keri Smith who runs the lovely Wish Jar Journal tells about her present dilemna.
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ndlr: A couple of months ago we ran a small focus group and ask participants what they thought would best improve Netdiver. A lot mentioned having a blog - ie - or more community oriented sections.
Agree or disagree? Voice your opinion and/or suggestions. Please do.
CRASH is an Academy Award film that address the tangled web of human emotions, desires and decisions. It pits a splendid cast against prejudice, class and ultimately, the frailty of lives unveiled. It is harsh and brash and moving.
You know, one of those films that leaves you thinking... deep.
On the website you are asked to pick words which will render alternate visuals. Intriguing and catchy.
If you have design skillz and you think you can hang with the best, the good folks at Preloaded are hiring. They've won a lot of awards so you'd better have a tight resume.
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via: Moluv
Great illustration, photography and design portfolios recently launched or updated:
/ Tom Feller crazy naughty extraordinary portraits
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bePOS|+|VE design becomes / Tnop
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/ Healthy Boy a beautiful short film
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/ Jason Limon quirky sweet and sour little characters
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/ Paul Weeks shoots people in urbanite contexts
