Another up and coming new British designer spotted by Justine!

The beautiful work of graphic designer Dave Raxworthy caught my eye at part 2 of New Designers. Raxworthy has done some stunning work while at Nottingham Trent University including the promotional materials for their degree show and a great branding, identity and packaging piece called “The Hub”.

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On reasons print needs to live on ~ some books are worth owning, and i could flip through the gorgeous new Yuki 7 book by Kevin Dart and Elizabeth Ito for ages. I’ve been following them and falling in love with them one after the other for some time now… from the posters we gave away to their first book ~ and i’m even wearing one of their shirts as i head out for a hike now! So yes, i’m a fan… but then again, who wouldn’t want to live in the magical world of Yuki 7 and her Gadget Girls? It’s that perfect mix of retro-tastic illustration that brings you back to happier place full of mystery and espionage… gorgeous locales, and crazy new technology mixed in… not to mention fabulous outfits?

In her latest adventure and short film ~ Yuki 7: Looks That Kill, she and the gadget girls will take you on quite a ride ~ and the film is beautiful! I can’t wait till they take it further than a short film and go for a full length feature ~ she’s like the ultimate animated Bond Girl ~ only she’s Bond and i guess she has her Yuki-7 Boys… So take a sneak peek in to the new book on the next page… and if you’re in LA, check out the launch party July 16th at Q Pop.

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Another british discovery from Justine! One of the pieces which caught my eye at New Designers Part 1 was the work of surface textile designer Francesca Baxter-Hunter. These beautifully detailed wooden panels show delicate, undulating relief that highlights the natural grain of the wood. Baxter-Hunter’s work is inspired by the ocean, using a variety of techniques to echo the coastal landscape which is shaped by the forces of wind and sea. Baxter-Hunter uses a variety of erosive techniques with wood and glass paneling, including dip dyeing, sandblasting, layering and painting in order to create these beautiful pieces. See more of these stunning pieces and close ups on the next page!

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This week’s roundup from NOTCOT.org features embroidered toast, bite-sized mixed media, human hair necklaces and more! To find out more about each post, click on its individual image.

Another discovery from Justine from Show RCA 2011 is Repository of the Eternal Now by Robert Ware.

Robert Ware’s piece explores techniques where information is translated from digital to physical. The first experiment is constructed from the recycled parts out of old inkjet printers connected up to an arduino board, which creates beautiful drawings from data (far more beautiful than printed spreadsheets!). He has also used RepRap, an open source 3D printer and hardware constructed from components available in any DIY store, Rob has 3D printed St Paul’s cathedral. But the project is about much more. See some of the many aspects of the project and more info on the next page!

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Oh, the art of highlighting! I love this ad campaign ‘Everybody reads the same story differently’ by Y&R Bogotá, Colombia. When i ran across it at Ads of the World tonight, it just made me smile, and then want to take a highlighter to everything. Too cute to see the various perspectives they play with on who highlights what… see them all up close on the next page: The Little Prince, Don Quixote, and Moby Dick!

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Ever have one of those moments, where you’re dealing with something ~ and you see an image ~ and it perfectly encapsulates all you are feeling? A few weeks ago this was it. Terribly Happy show at Copro Nason. Now available as a print, i couldn’t resist having it on my office wall to remind me of the moments that came and went… There’s something so cathartic about that moment of just needing to let out a scream ~ even amidst those beautiful butterflies that still beautifully flutter about without even noticing, isn’t there? Take a peek at the print details of the “25” x 19” giclee on archival rag paper, hand painted enhanced by artist - signed and numbered edition of 35” ~ this is #20, and you can see the paint dots on the shirt enhanced as well as a butterfly abdomen in a glowing turquoise on her arm… love this one!

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Another find from Justine! - More fun from the architecture department at Show RCA 2011! My favorite, most unexpected piece was this gorgeous chair! The chair is a sample of one of the types of products that could be made in the Hackney Factory, beautifully capturing the process of recycling and reuse, i.e. junk being transformed into bespoke products through craft and digital processes. Love it! So pretty… also you have to take a peek at Hackney Factory project, which consists of a close loop of recycling micro-factories and market forum, essentially creating a micro-community model based on urban mining. Stunning stuff ~ check it all out on the next page!

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We’ve had a beautiful week at NOTCOT.org. This week’s roundup features a dress that makes cocktails, Parisian picnics, shot up Porsches and much more. To find out more about each post, click on its individual image.

More discoveries from Justine! This is a beautiful piece by jewellery designer, Yenz Lin, spotted at the 2011 degree shows at Central Saint Martins College. The Crown-Bird is a headpiece made from SLS in Nylon Powder… and while from most angles it’s not easy to tell what it is exactly… at the perfect angle adorable shadows of birds are created. As the title hints ~ it’s all about your perception! See the full series on the next page!

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Through some random and spontaneous series of events, i have currently found myself hiding out in Minneapolis for the EyeO Festival - “eyeo brings together the most creative coders, designers and artists working today, and shaping tomorrow - expect an amazing three days of talks, labs, demos & events fueled by the people and tools that are transforming digital culture. converge to inspire.” Inspiring, right? Well even just as surprising and mesmerizing is the beautiful SPACE they are holding it in ~ the Univ of Minnesota’s McNamara Alumni Center… architecturally fascinating, as much as i try to focus and pay attention, can’t help but stare up every which way… the materials, facets, colors… anyhow, take a peek into the space on the next page as i try to pay better attention in this awesome “Session: Design I/O - Playful Spaces and Generative Design” talk by Emily Gobeille and Theo Watson. More to come…

UPDATE: the badges, maps, posters are by Erik Brandt aka Typografika!

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Justine went to check out the incredible RCA 2011 Graduate show! Here’s a peek at what she found…

This is the Banking on Morals series by Sarah Wai. The models contemplate a new type of bank that is based on religious values and architecture, with the architecture taking on a hybrid role between sanctuary and bank. Take a peek at some of the details and models on the next page…

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Justine went to check out the incredible RCA 2011 Graduate show! Here’s a peek at what she found…

One highlight for me was the work of Jack Smith! My favorite of his pieces was the Birdbox, a flat packable birdhouse composed of two flat plywood pieces that assembles easily to form a cozy birdhouse. So beautiful in its simplicity, you simply must check out its pieces and how it comes together! See it all on the next page!

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Beautiful roundup of design inspiration from NOTCOT.org. To find out more about each post, click on its own image.

This post is part of a NOTCOT series on inspiring, independent design thinking, brought to you by Saab. At Saab, we believe in independent thinking. It’s in everything we do. Learn more here.

Doesn’t that picture just scream: HAPPY? I bet you’re smiling right now. (If not, what’s wrong with you?) As you may have noticed, we’ve got a soft spot for swings. So imagine our delight at discovering the crazy swing installations from Jeff Waldman and the Awesome Foundation’s LA chapter. For Waldman swings are a way of “finding pure joy were from our childhood” and he picked some pretty incredible locations for his swings. Waldman’s been tracking the awesome swingification across the globe in his facebook gallery. And for a peek into some of our favorites ~ as well as videos ~ take a peek on the next page!

p.s. Can’t wait to get back to LA to go hunt a few of his down, add more of our skateboard swings around, and swing to our heart’s delight!

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