*notcot - 09.17.08 , 14:06 -

Toyota Calty Design: Sketch Demo

sketchdemo.jpgCurious how the magic happens? I have always been mesmerized watching master marker renderers and sketch artists at work… While visiting Toyota Calty Design Research, i had a chance to see Project Chief Designer, Ian Cartabiano, show us how it’s really done on a huge apple monitor and wacom tablet (he’s old school, and likes having the tablet while seeing the screen, versus those who love the Cintiqs).

So you can see one of my little home videos (one of these days with some combination of time, energy, extra pair of hands, etc i will make proper videos with real editing and maybe even music?) ~ giving you a quick skip through the presentation ~ from initial stages, to some highlights, to a flip back and forth between finished and initial sketches, and the crucial signature!

But honestly, if you want to learn how to sketch cars properly, you should probably go take Ian’s class at Art Center ~ after graduating Art Center, he got pulled right into Toyota and has been there for 11 years… while simultaneously teaching… keep an eye out for his latest exterior design, the 2009 Venza!

--> to more images

*notcot - , 09:47 -

Toyota’s Calty Design: Clay Modelling

toyotaclay.jpgYesterday Toyota (for the first time) opened up it’s Calty Design Research doors to a tiny group of journalists (Core77, KCRW/NPR, Architect Magazine, Dwell, Inhabitat, DesignMom, Zaproot, and i was honored to be included in the group)… and as we all know, security and secrecy in the car industry is nearly impenetrable, with design secrets that manage to be kept under wraps for years before the public even gets wind of the concepts, it was an honor (and SO much fun) to get an inside look at Toyota’s studios and their work flow… AND to be able to share it with you!

So first off, my favorite part ~ really it brought out the kindergartner in all of us, get handed a tool, and a HUGE (yes, life size car sized) piece of clay, and are told to go to it. And then sat down at a bench with mini’s to carve away at your own car? Ok so perhaps that only slightly over simplifying it, but i’m sure you can imagine the delight of poking at clay… while assisted by some of the most talented car designer and modelers… who with a quick flip of their wrist and a few slashes with a pairing knife, off fly a few pieces of clay and you’re staring at the dream sportscar you never knew you wanted. Then you see what my unplanned mohawked/finned masterpiece turns out like after more effort and less finesse. Let’s just say we fully understand and were quickly humbled by how skilled these modelers and designer are…

So take a look inside the Toyota Calty Design Research modeling space on the next page, and our experience hands on with the clay!

--> to more images

*Sub-Studio - 09.15.08 , 08:48 -

Target’s Bullseye Bodegas

target01.jpgNOTCOT Note: I’ve been so curious about the Target Bodega’s popping up in NYC, thankfully, Anna was able to stop by and take a few pics to share with us!

I stopped by Target’s Bullseye Bodega in Union Square this weekend - one of their four pop-up stores in Manhattan (open for only four days, today being the last). The store design plays on the classic New York bodega and is filled with exclusive Target home, fashion and beauty products from the likes of DwellStudio, Converse One Star, and Michael Graves to name a few. Besides products already in Target stores, the bodegas offered a preview sale of four new lines that aren’t yet in stores - Sigerson Morrison, Anya Hindmarch, John Derian, and Jonathan Saunders.

I preferred the design and concept behind the stores to the products themselves, and have a bunch of pictures on the next page showcasing the fun graphics and bodega-like installations in the stores.

--> to more images

*notcot - , 07:45 -

M+O Simple 3/3: Slow Tech

slowtech0.jpgMerci beaucoup, Veuve Clicquot ~ who loves design as much as we do, and brought me to Paris to cover Maison et Objet 2008! More design discoveries to come… and i am just freshly back in LA… already!

Here is part 3 of 3 of the Maison et Object SIMPLE micro-exhibitions. 1. Farmlife 2. Les Métropuritains 3. Slow Tech

“Slow tech > hall 3 Conception: François Bernard. Less speed for better living. François Bernard suggests taking a break in a dematerialized world. Soft, fluid technologies revisit naturalness and a simplified life philosophy. Style is also inspired by the industrial aesthetics of last century’s designer-engineers. Heavy, peaceful forms cultivate a solid, reassuring elegance. The house is taking on depth and weight, worlds away from the ready-to-discard.”

See the next page for a visual walk through of the exhibition!

--> to more images

*notcot - , 07:40 -

M+O Simple 2/3: Les Métropuritains

metrop.jpgMerci beaucoup, Veuve Clicquot ~ who loves design as much as we do, and brought me to Paris to cover Maison et Objet 2008! More design discoveries to come… and i am just freshly back in LA… already!

Here is part 2 of 3 of the Maison et Object SIMPLE micro-exhibitions. 1. Farmlife 2. Les Métropuritains 3. Slow Tech

“Les Métropuritains > hall 2 Conception: NellyRodi style agency. Get in line for eco-survival. The NellyRodi style agency reveals the Metropuritans’ new acts of resistance. Camouflaged in an apparently elegant starkness, these ecological urbanites proclaim a desire for asceticism and an almost military rigor. These militants of a healthy life ecology are activating utopias of survival and a frugality tinged with sensuality. A radically simple manifesto.”

See the images to walk you through the exhibition on the next page!

--> to more images

*notcot - , 07:30 -

M+O Simple 1/3: Farmlife

farmlife.jpgMerci beaucoup, Veuve Clicquot ~ who loves design as much as we do, and brought me to Paris to cover Maison et Objet 2008! More design discoveries to come… and i am just freshly back in LA… already!

Here is part 1 of 3 of the Maison et Object SIMPLE micro-exhibitions. 1. Farmlife 2. Les Métropuritains 3. Slow Tech

“Farmlife > hall 1 Conception: Elizabeth Leriche. Back to solid ground. Elizabeth Leriche is preparing the soil for a new agri-culture. The simple pleasures of rural life are reviving a belief in local produce and setting down roots. In a period of galloping urbanization, a rustic style is becoming deeply rooted. People are discovering the animal and organic beauty of the agricultural world. Objects with roots cultivate the appealing authenticity of raw materials and craftsmanship.”

See the images to walk you through the exhibition on the next page!

--> to more images

*notcot - , 07:16 -

Maison+Object Simple

SIMPLE.jpgMerci beaucoup, Veuve Clicquot ~ who loves design as much as we do, and brought me to Paris to cover Maison et Objet 2008! More design discoveries to come… and i am just freshly back in LA… already!

Ok one post series i’ve been needing to catch up on, but somehow hadn’t had time to get through cleaning up the many pictures… Maison et Objet: Simple! Incredible micro-exhibition spread between three even tinier exhibition spaces which were placed at the front of 3 of the 6 massive Maison et Object halls in Paris. Really the concept is fabulous because there is absolutely no way to cover every single booth of every single hall in such a monstrous convention center and stay sane ~ what they did were pick three curator/designers, each given a theme (overall theme SIMPLE, micro themes: Farmlife, Les Métropuritains, Slow Tech) ~ and give them a space to design around the theme and showcase the best products from the show with in them. The results were three engaging and unique browsing experiences that you really have to see the images to get a feel for. in the next three posts i’ll give you a look at each of them!

Descriptions of them from the Maison site on the next page! And you can view the pictures here: 1. Farmlife 2. Les Métropuritains 3. Slow Tech

--> to more images

*notcot - 09.05.08 , 03:54 -

Stained Glass Product Placement

medveuve.jpgOn fascinating lore (surrounded by rumors and speculation) ~ in Notre Dame de Reims (where nearly all the kings of france have been crowned) in the stained glass windows of the south transcript… there are yellow labeled champagne bottles which we heard from someone who heard from someone that Veuve Clicquot played such a large role in the history of the region over the centuries that you even see it in the stained glass. Speculate as to whether its complete fabrication, conspiracies of the past, the first product placement, etc as you wish… i’m just showing you what we found in those windows, so you can join in on the fun too. See larger images of these wine making panels on the next page!

By the way, standing in such a large cathedral, late for the bus, trying to play the equivalent of ‘where’s waldo’ on a huge wall of stained glass is harder than expected…

--> to more images

*notcot - 09.01.08 , 11:07 -

Written On The City

writtenonthecity.jpgWritten On The City has been collecting up imagery from around the world of textual street art ~ and the book is now here! This project is the brainchild of Axel Albin and Josh Kamler of Language In Common. Trying a new form of book review ~ scanned in a bunch of random pieces of pages i liked to give you a feel for things on the next page!

Also ~ the letter, business cards, stickers, etc were so fun, i scanned those for you to check out too! And the next time you see some great texty street art, snap a pic and send it over to Written On The City!

--> to more images

*Sub-Studio - 08.28.08 , 08:29 -

33 RPM Design

0828abero1.jpgNOTCOT Note: Here’s another fun discovery from Anna of Sub-Studio! Have you noticed she’s become one of our new heavy contributors to NOTCOT.org?

I first met Andrio Abero back in 2001 at a party in San Francisco where we bonded over a mutual love of music and design. Andy went on to become one of the foremost graphic designers in the Pacific Northwest, particularly known for his show posters. His work is smart and graphic, and I love the way he plays with texture and typography in his illustrations. Since founding 33 RPM in 2000, Andy has produced a huge body of work (I had a hard time choosing my favorites for this post), including the Bumbershoot 2006 campaign, and a bunch of magazine illustrations for New Scientist, Business Week, and The New Republic to name a few.

--> to more images

*notcot - 08.27.08 , 12:59 -

Change The Thought Posters

posters1.jpg Change The Thought posters ~ aren’t they beautiful? Beautifully inspiring? I couldn’t decide which ones of these 4 to show as the main image, so decided to post them all - close ups on the next page… although as i stare at these more and more, i think i’m most smitten by the “Sunshine” and the “One day we’ll show them why the world made us.”!

--> to more images

*notcot - 08.26.08 , 21:39 -

Inside Rocket World + T.A.D. Gear

rocketworld1.jpg[Above is my latest new toy - a mis-colored helmeted Astro-Krieg Rhino and my random capsule machine egg/rabbit at the fireplace in Park Chow] Next time you’re in the SF area, you MUST stop by T.A.D. Gear at 660 22nd Street in SF - what they don’t show you in their pics of the store is the Rocket World section, which is like the holy grail of Rocket World I.W.G toys and prints, and not only do they do all online fulfillment for both brands in this space but also have their design studio upstairs! So on the next page, i have a peek at the store, the gallery space, and the design studios… if you thought Shepard Fairey’s studios were cool, you’ll drool at how inspiring this space is!

So before the onslaught of images to walk you through our experience at the incredible converted warehouse space, here are a few quick points to note.

1) For anyone that like the great outdoors (or is a special op, or just likes being well shielded from the extremities), but has a NOTCOT type of aesthetic (love matte black? lack of logos? incredible attention to every detail?) - you have to check out T.A.D. Gear’s jackets, pants, and backpacks before you reach for the next Patagonia catalog. Dan just ran off with his to Burning Man, so i’ll try to get you some detail pics later.

2) If you don’t need the hardcore gear, they have an amazingly well curated selection of quality outdoor accessories that had me giddy to shop even though i didn’t really need more mini flashlights, otter boxes, knives, dental floss, and more…

3) Sure stores like A16 are all rugged and designy in their own right, but T.A.D. Gear feels museum-esque as you browse through the space - which leads to

4) Rocket World I.W.G creatures have their own dedicated section, and while at first it may sound odd to have some of the coolest vinyl toys showcased and designed by the same crew that makes some of the most impressive tactical gear i’ve seen… if you go, it will all make sense. Especially once you find out that Patrick Ma (aka “Otter X”) has a background ranging from the army to a masters in art, a love of the animal kingdom to a calling towards fashion design… is it any wonder that all of his passions have perfectly fused into an incredibly well kept secret lair of custom designed tactical gear as well as some of the cutest most detailed badass animal toys out there?

Ok, sorry i’m rambling, but as you can tell, i was totally giddy there - blown away by the products and toys initially, and from a business/inspirational perspective, hearing Patrick’s background and philosophies on business and how he’s managed to keep focus on doing what he loves (as many varying things as that may be) for over 10 years now, without giving in to the many temptations to sell out along the way and still be extremely successful - especially when you’re pursuing new and uncharted concepts/ideas!

Go see the pics on the next page!

--> to more images

*notcot - 08.25.08 , 10:35 -

Denim Insulation at the CA Academy of Sciences

denim.jpgAnother Outside Lands’ Eco-lands discovery ~ that beyond the living roof, solar panels, and more sustanable architecture going into the new California Academy of Sciences building reopening in Sept in Golden Gate Park ~ they are using recycled DENIM insulation! So if you’re not sure what to do with all those old jeans, apparently this is a great way to make better use of them!

See more images on the next page ~ read more about the California Academy of Sciences building here ~ and check out the PENGUIN CAMs!

--> to more images

*notcot - 08.18.08 , 17:28 -

Unmentionable Monsters - Shinebox

unmentionables.jpg Preprinted mini color booklets of 20 cards by Shinebox ~ filled with monsters saying all the grumbly things you wish you could, or know you shouldnt… Unmentionables! Spotted over at Swiss Miss, these little guys are quite adorably grumpy, and i couldn’t decide my favorite, so see them all on the next page!

--> to more images

*notcot - 08.16.08 , 01:35 -

SETCAST by voonwong&bensonsaw

setcast0.jpgSETCAST is a new gorgeous bone china collection from London architects, voonwong&bensonsaw. “The SETCAST collection is the result of a close collaboration between voonwong&bensonsaw and one of China’s most distinguished manufacturers of bone china, Asianera, based in Tangshan, the porcelain capital of northern China. Together, the companies have developed a collection that makes the best use of bone china’s excellent light-reflective properties and also moves away from traditional decorative tableware to focus on striking new typologies that make a bold statement.”

My favorite part of the collection is definitely these Molecule Dishes ~ in Large ($90), Medium ($75), and Small ($65) available at Merchant4~ they are extremely affordable, and the simple clean packaging would make them great gifts for almost any occasion! See more images of the full collection as well as a peek at the factory (which is going GREEN in 2009!) on the next page…

--> to more images

Copyright NOTCOT INC 2005-2019 - Privacy Policy - Work In Progress! Please be nice!
Advertisement