$100 mine lands on black 26

This clever advertising appears in one of italian airport. It is developed by AdmCom agency for Casino di Venezia. As you can see the luggage belt has been painted and looks like casino roulette wheel!

Agency: AdmCom, Italy
Creative Director: Maurizio Cinti
Art Director: Andrea Ligi, Sergio Lelli
Copyrighter: Rebecca Rossi, Silva Fedrigo

(Source: Digg.com)

Opgezwolle: Eigen Wereld

I love the animation and design of this video for one of my favorite hip hop groups, Opgezwolle. Note that I am not saying, my favorite DUTCH hip hop group. These guys' lyrics, beats, production values and well everything else are so tight and refreshing that it most definitely competes with any english or other language hip-hop record. However, I'm posting this because I was particularly impressed with the design and animation of the video for their song "Eigen Wereld"("My own world"). Design by Superelectric from The Netherlands.



Also check RUSTUG, another opgezwolle video by Superelectric:

Alfons ter Avest's permanent "lace" picnic table

On our trip to Holland we ran across this picnic table by Alfons ter Avest in Amsterdam neighborhood Prinsen Eiland. It was cut out of styrofoam boards, then cast in steel and painted white. It has a beautiful fragile impermanent and delicate quality to it, yet it is made of steel.

Jim Termeer: Car Booklight

From DesignBoom:
Jim Termeer's latest project is this booklight based on the light effect
created by car headlights.

Jim explains: 'have you seen the movies 'ronin', and 'ghost dog',
where the physical spaces in the movie are defined by the headlights
and taillights of cars in empty parking lots? if light can carry meaning,
is it in the 5000 headlights that pass by everyday driving home?

Jim will be participating at the upcoming designboom mart at the ICFF
new york, USA. you can see him at some our previous marts here.

Nesting by Tjep Design Studio

Tjep balances whimsical humor with genuine emotional connections quite brilliantly in this piece called "Tak" (Branch). It's a weird yet sweet idea to cuddle with your love in this giant nest isn't it?

Sensei Sagmeister keeps you on track.

"A designer who aims to make great work and make a lot of money, fails on both accounts".



"Having guts always works out for me". Hillman Curtis interview:

Stefan Sagmeister books.

Travels Through Paradise - Nirvana by model trains

Curator Cynthia Hathaway, former artistic director of the FunLab Master’s course at the Design Academy Eindhoven, is fascinated by miniature landscapes and their devotees. As a visitor you can take a trip in the train that visually leads you through the landscape.

55 Creative people from various disciplines participated and each developed 1 meter for of this huge model train track. The journey can be followed from the trains' perspective by way of a small camera that is mounted on the locomotive. The video feed is then projected on the wall next to the track.

Among the participants are: : Ted Noten, Albert Scholtheis, Claudy Jongstra, Hans Burtner, Liesbeth Fit, Bob de Mon, Bart Reuser, Melle Smets, Anna Maria Cornelia de Gersem, Gerrit van der Meij, Ed Annink, Eefje Halters, Nicolette Brunklaus en Daniel van der Veer.

Organised by guest-curator Cynthia Hathaway. Hathaway (Newmarket, Canada) works as designer, curator and educator. She previously was creative director of Masters course 'FunLab' in Eindoven and owner, Hathaway Designs.

Platform 21
Platform 21 is an international meeting place where professionals, amateurs, producers, critics and the public meet and inspire eachother.

Opening: zaterdag 21 april, 16.00 – 19.00 uur

Hours: Woensdag – zondag, 12.00 – 19.00 uur
Free.
Prinses Irenestraat 19, Amsterdam.

Clarence Morgan, Nancy Blum & Brian Dettmer at Romo Gallery

Romo gallery presents the works of Nancy Blum, Brian Dettmer and Clarence Morgan. This group show presents three unique investigations on the theme of duality. Morgan’s use of alternating organic shapes suggest an organized complexity and when combined with the chaotic repetitious sketching quality found in the background of his paintings we are presented with his duality: organization vs. chaos. In a more detailed and obsessive vain, Blum creates an environment where many dualities are repeated continuously across her paintings of intricately crafted patterns creating serene environments that make the viewer want to escape to her paradise. Her duality: natural vs. unnatural. Dettmer engages in this dialogue through his carefully constructed flower arrangements made from altered and transformed film from gangster movies. He presents his duality in and through is work: technology vs. tradition. Juxtaposing, duplicating, layering and repeating all find their way into the works of Morgan, Blum and Dettmer contributing to this advantageous presentation of dualities.

Blum has featured in solo exhibitions at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden’s Steinhardt Conservatory Gallery in New York, Kiang Gallery in Georgia, Pentimenti Gallery in Pennsylvania, Esther Claypool Gallery in Washington, Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art in Arizona and Circa Gallery in Minnesota. She earned her BA from the University of Michigan and an MFA from Cranbrook Academy of Art in Michigan. Blum currently lives and works in New York.


Dettmer has featured in solo exhibitions at Art & Idea in New York and Mexico City, Aron Packer Gallery in Illinois and Harper College in Illinois. His work has been shown at Scope Miami and London, Bridge Art Fair in London and MACO in Mexico City. He earned his BA from Columbia College and currently lives and works in Atlanta.


Morgan has exhibited at Reeves Contemporary in New York, Sonnenschein Gallery in Illinois, Thomas Barry Fine Arts in Minnesota, Harwood Museum of Art in New Mexico, Kidder Smith Gallery in Massachusetts and Katherine E. Nash Gallery in Minnesota. He received his MFA in Painting from the University of Pennsylvania, School of Design and currently lives and works in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

London Underground Map on PBS Thirteen.

The much acclaimed and graphically revolutionary London Underground Map was the brainchild of London transport engineering draftsman, Henry Beck. This documentary takes a look behind the history and creation of this world-renowned transportation system. (Closed Captioning)


Additional airdates
2:30am Monday, April 23

WEAK - By Kelly Rakowski

"WEAK is a 1 page, letter sized, b+w photocopied zine made by KR in a studio overlooking the East River. Each time KR visits her studio she completes an issue. All of WEAK's collages are built from an old book of etchings found at a used book store entitled 'AMSTERDAM'. WEAK is inspired by KR's life and dreams."

"Low Life in the Golden Age" Golden Frame Poster

I thought This was a kind of interesting approach to backlit poster design. You see designers "color outside the lines" often on billboards, but I hadn't seen that kind of approach on a backlit poster box before. This is for the exhibition about farm life in The Netherlands, in paintings at the Rijks Museum in Amsterdam-Schiphol. Including Adriaen van Ostade, Jan Steen & Jan Pieter van Baurscheit

Hey, That's ME! > "National Design Association" T-Shirt

Rob Reed drew this "logo" originally for a Chopping Block press kit in 2001. Yes that is me in that silhouette. Now it is a T-Shirt available at the ChopShop.

KFC puts high pitched tone in ad for kids

I personally still have no inclination to head over to
KFC for some chicken, but the buzz about the commercial did get around to me. I could not hear the tone when the ad played on TV (though I will listen for it again) but in the YouTube version it is really easy to notice. As silly and gimmicky as this is, it does get people talking, who might otherwise not talk about KFC at all, ever. Like me. Well except for that time that hundreds of rats were running around in a KFC restaurant, here in NYC:

KleinReid's New StillLife Series

KleinReid is a ceramic design company based in Brooklyn, Ny. The partners James Klein David Reid have been deisgning contemporary vases lamps and other objects for about 14 years and have received wide critical acclaim and exposure. They recently launched their new Still Life series [pictured] which has been seen in Bergdorff-Goodman's famous Christmas window display and various exhibitions.

[From KleinReid.com:] "Regal and Serene. Procelain vases and sculptural objects mix new and old to create stunning tableaus. Our "with Flowers" vases intricately covered in porcelain blossoms. Each delicate flower is handmade and applied one at a time, creating a glorious bouquet."

JDK Featured in Fast Company Magazine

JDK is a very interesting firm to me, because they work on brands in every dimension; identity research, concept development, graphic design, product design etc. They are located off the beaten track up in Burlington, VT and are most well known for their X-Box and Burton branding. Another very interesting conceptual piece that is featured in the Fast Company Magazine article, is their Do-It-Yourself shoe, created for Patagonia.

Interactive Outdoor Advertising

From Businessweek Magazine:
"SWIRLING SNOWFLAKES
The advertising industry is dreaming up uses for motion capture that literally stop consumers in their tracks. Recently, with little fanfare, Target (TGT ), adidas Group, and Clorox (CLX ) began running interactive ads on subway station walls in New York. One Target ad, a 6-by-20-ft. projection, featured snowflakes gently fluttering from the sky. It seemed unremarkable until you approached the wall. If you swiped your hand in the air, the background scene transformed from a wooded winter scene into a city skyline. And by waving both hands you could send the snowflakes into a swirl.

Adidas chose a similar approach for its ad in the entrance of the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino in Las Vegas. The ad perked up when people walked by and responded with a shower of shoes. The more they gesticulated, the bigger the deluge became. "People don't ignore the ads—they want to play with them," says John Payne, president of Monster Media, which created the campaigns for adidas, Clorox, and Target. "It's like Willy Wonka."


Photo by Perez-Fox.
See more images on http://www.perezfox.com/2006/11/17/target-new-york/

American novelist Kurt Vonnegut, Jr., has died at age 84.

[From Voice of America:]

Kurt Vonnegut emerged as one of the most influential and provocative writers in the United States, during the 1960's. His writing was an ongoing protest against what he felt were the horrors of the 20th Century. He wrote of an unending sequence of disastrous wars, the destruction of the environment and the dehumanization of the individual, in a society dominated by science and technology.

Vonnegut's themes were by no means unique to contemporary literature. It was rather the way he expressed his protest that made his works so forceful and popular. Fantasy, science fiction, humor, a keen sense of the absurd, and despair were the ingredients of his satires. In his fantastic tales, he would show the frustrations of average people with their burdens and boredom.

Read the whole article on Voice of America.

1st Edible Billboard

From National Geographic's Website:

"London, England, April 3, 2007—Kim, Megan, Ellen, and Kitty cadge chocolate from the world's first edible billboard. Perhaps to the chagrin of London parents, U.K. candy retailer Thorntons invited visitors to the Covent Garden area to pick away at the advertisement in anticipation of Easter.

Britain boasts the world's third highest per capita consumption of chocolate, according to a 2006 report by U.K. trade group Food From Britain. According to the BBC, hungry passersby finished off the 860 pounds (390 kilograms) of candy in just three hours."

Chris Ware meets This American Life

One of my all-time favorite graphic designers/artists, Chris Ware created this animation for one of my all-time favorite radio shows This American Life. The new Showtime TV version.

[I stumbled upon this news at Motionographer.com]

Chris Ware books.

Londonsquared Films

Husband & Wife Filmmaking team Londonsquared produce an array of original content. Form documentary style shorts to stop motion animation, commericials and music videos. Their humor is infectuous and many of their animations put a big smile on your face. Check them out at Londonsquared.net

The Twisted Films of PES

Up first today are the Twisted Films of PES. .This is amazing stuff, especially if you understand the tediousness involved with tabletop animation. But even within that genre, this work stands out because of it's offbeat visual style and humor. I especially recommend "Game Over" The Diesel Commercial and "Roof Sex".

Michael Hearst [of One Ring Zero] - New CD: Songs for Ice Cream Trucks

From Michael Hearst's Press Release:
"SONGS FOR ICE CREAM TRUCKS"

A new album by Michael Hearst of One Ring Zero

Are you tired of hearing the same old two or three ice cream truck songs over and over? Michael Hearst certainly is. That's why he's created an entire album of NEW songs for ice cream trucks. Fun for the whole family!

I am very excited about this CD and am incredibly grateful to Arjen Noordeman of Elasticbrand,llc for designing the entire package (CD, postcard, sticker, and website).

In addition to the CD now being available for purchase, there will also be two release shows:

Songs For Ice Cream Trucks
unofficial release show
Saturday May 6th (7pm)
Barbés
376 9th St. (corner of 9th st and 6th ave in Park Slope)
Brooklyn, NY
$10 suggested donation
with an after party at Colson Patisserie (next door)

Songs For Ice Cream Trucks
OFFICIAL release show
Saturday May 26th (7:30pm)
Housing Works Book Cafe
128 Crosby Street (Soho)
New York, NY
$10 gets you in plus a free drink

CHARLEY HARPER: AN ILLUSTRATED LIFE

The amazing body of work of under-exposed illustrator Charlie Harper finally gets the careful attention that it deserves.

Graphic Design by Kelly Rakowski. (My fabulously talented former intern at MASS MoCA and now designer at Todd Oldham Studio,

Charlie Harper, An Illustrated Life is certainly worth a look.

From the AMMO Books site:
"AMMO Books proudly presents this beautiful large format title as the definitive monograph of artist Charlie Harper’s lyrical illustrations, spanning his six decade long career. Renowned New York based designer Todd Oldham rediscovered Charlie Harper’s work in 2001, and since then has collaborated closely with him, combing through his extensive archive to edit and design this stunning AMMO Books release.

Charley Harper is an American original. At 84, Charley continues to make art in his studio in his hometown of Cincinnati, Ohio. He is beloved for his delightful, graphic and often humorous illustrations of nature, animals, insects and people alike. Charley likes to say, that when he paints a bird, he doesn’t count all the feathers in the wings – he just counts the wings. Minimal realism, he calls it, and his unique and precise style continues to resonate and inspire his admirers.

Charlie Harper - An Illustrated Life, showcases his illustrations that appeared from 1950-1975 in the Ford Times magazines, as well as in books such as the beloved “The Giant Golden Book of Biology” in 1961, “Betty Crocker’s Dinner for Two” in 1961, and “ The Animal Kingdom” in 1968, among many others. His well loved book “Birds and Words”, first published in 1974, is considered a classic. Remarkably, however, Charley’s work has never before been published in one complete retrospective.

Bringing his legacy to a wider audience, AMMO Books offers Charlie Harper, An Illustrated Life a large format standard book, or as a luxurious limited edition.

Sol LeWitt, Master of Conceptualism, Dies at 78

[From The New York Times:]

Sol Lewitt, whose deceptively simple geometric sculptures and drawings and ecstatically colored and jazzy wall paintings established him as a lodestar of modern American art, died yesterday in New York. He was 78 and lived mostly in Chester, Conn.

Maria Magdalena Campos Pons - Exhibition Design and Branding

Elasticbrand, llc [My company] created the exhibition Design, branding and graphic design for the first retrospective exhibition by renowned cuban-american artist Maria Magdalena Campos-Pons. The exhibition was organized and developed by the Indianapolis Museum of Art and curated by Lisa Freiman. See a few images of the project here.

Buy the Maria Magdalena Campos-Pons exhibition catolog here.