*notcot - , 22:02 -

Design Breakdown: XBOX 360

msgraph.jpgXBOX 360: The Design Breakdown… great article by Seattle Times, found on Joystiq. Here are a few quotes to get you going [but you need to read this one yourself…]

The executives talked about vehicles as a point of comparison. A Hummer had the same wild, architectural sense as the Xbox. On the mild, organic end was the Porsche 911, which had a well-evolved and distilled feel. That’s the look the group eventually settled on. Apple Computer’s iPod is mild, executives said. Mild will still look fresh five years from now. Wild and aggressive will seem dated.
When people there were asked what company might have made the console, they guessed Sony or Apple. That thrilled Microsoft executives.

Ok those were my favorite quotes. Now go read. Go.

*notcot - 05.16.05 , 21:00 -

Who will fall in love with…

pickteeth.jpg Who will fall in love with Shanghai beauties like this? Please refrain from picking your teeth in public. Hahahahaha. Ok, just go click for more and read the full post already, i know you’re dying to see the other two.

Found in Luerzer’s, this campaign was created by the Shanghai Agency Leo Burnett… it falls in the “Social and Environment” category of the advertising/poster bi-monthly. I can’t stop laughing. Brilliant.

Scary… the client is “Shanghai Adbay - Public Ettiquette”, with the ad copy/description as follows:

“Who will fall in love with such beauty of Shanghai?” Part of a civil educational campaign initiated by the Shanghai City Government, was to remind her citizens to carry themselves properly in public.

While i agree that public ettiquette is beneficial to society in a way… where are the male equivalents to these ads? What about the revolting men trying to win the women? Crafty readers ought to take a stab at it?

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*notcot - 05.13.05 , 01:51 -

Literary DJ’s NEEDED

penguin.pngGOOD entries needed. This is such a great idea for a contest… Literary audio clips offered for use to brilliant musician/samplers to mix, by the old school publishers Penguin. The clips range from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Dracula, the little kids boook Spot (the dog!), some James Bond novels, William Blake poems, Great Gatsby, Time Machine… and so much more.

There is so much potential in such a concept, now we just need to spread the word! To some brilliant intellectual musician types? [no offense to the few entries so far, but they aren’t as exciting as i had hoped… YET]

so how it works: make music. or just listen and rate them. By the end of July its all over. Penguin ReMIXed.

*notcot - 05.11.05 , 03:42 -

Katamari Hippo/Goat

hippo-goat.jpg

These are two other creations by Keita Takahashi. The hippo is a tissue box holder, which plays on the word hippo in Japanese, which if I understand correctly sounds like the word for a tissue box holder. The whimsy of the piece comes through clearly even just in the expression on the hippo itself (let alone the colossal size).

My favorite though is the goat planter. While initially it looks like what one might call a “rather normal looking goat shaped planter”, the humor arises once you water the plant. The excess water from the planter drains through the goats udder onto the floor.

Perhaps its my over-active imagination, but this idea of a whimsical artistic creation that achieves humor through interaction seems like a good way of describing his theme both in his physical art and his video game. Whatever the case, I can’t wait to see what he comes up with next.

Click on the image above to watch Keita Takahashi’s talk at GDC, where he discusses these art pieces and his path to creating Katamari Damacy (he mentions his art about 40 minutes in).

*notcot - 05.09.05 , 16:34 -

Magazine Age

calimag.pngThe war on filtration has begun. We’ve fought for freedom, property, access… there were newspapers, radio, tv, and now internet. There’s always the next big thing that puts fear in the established and creates opportunity for the next big thing. Well, it looks like the war on filtration of information in a time of a new problem of instant access to too great a wealth of information and misinformation is on.

Here is the newest campaign by the Magazine Publishers of America… on why the Age of the Magazine is coming.

Magazines Engage: In this age of interruption and advertising avoidance, consumers invite magazines into their lives.

That’s what they say anyhow, they also claim that mags provide accountability. Question everything… more imagery after.

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*notcot - 05.07.05 , 00:47 -

Plant-X-ray

16x20-Energy-Field--1997.jpgArt = Access… sometimes, but in this case definitely! It’s not easy to get access to x-ray machines to make fun art. I can only imagine how much fun i could have with one?

But here, found by La Petite Claudine, we have:

The work of photographer Judith K. McMillan takes the examination of plants to a new realm. Using an X-ray machine as her camera, McMillan photographs the internal structures of plants, revealing the beauty of natural forms invisible to the human eye. Judith McMillan’s images are ephemeral, eerie, and beautiful. The gladioli, poppies, water lilies, orchids, locust seeds and ferns that become the focus of her work take on a strangely translucent life, opening our minds to an alternate view of reality.

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*notcot - 05.04.05 , 19:48 -

TOHYTO

SP00.jpgTohyto is one of the many artists that produced limited edition work for Coachella. Among the many tents of music, merch, and food, was the “Coachella Boutique” featuring limited edition artist creations, mostly tee shirt art, but also featuring posters, scarves, a soccer jersey, and a vinyl bag. In addition to the limited edition pieces, their main logo/shirt designs for this year were clean and slightly retro (using a lot of cassette and record imagery, as well as a fun image with the polo players on horses swinging guitars).

Artists featured were Saiman Chow, Upso, Tohyto, Quique Rangel, Chase, Gama-Go, Jon Santos, Tara McPherson, Edoardo Chavarin & Luis Diaz. If people are interested in seeing some of the designs i can scan in the mini catalog. Additionally Super Lucky Cat created a few vintage/de-re-constructed tees from ‘99 Coachella shirts.

The image shown is a variation of the Tohyto shirt i bought (which had the crazy guitar guy in color on a dark grey American Apparel shirt.

*notcot - 04.22.05 , 02:04 -

Adobe Flash

Lil Gamers.pngI couldn’t have said it better myself As the graphics empire grows… i await what this really means for us little graphics minions… i mean designers. Ah, the love/hate relationship between flash and i.

*notcot - 04.21.05 , 18:19 -

Trailer? Milano?

milano.jpgThis really looks like the Galleria in Milano. Why didn’t they do this when i was there?!?! I can only find this tiny picture, but it’s pretty sweet. From O magazine, deciembre? Have you heard of it?

Also check out O1, that’s how i found this site, the Pablo Castillo crazy robot/creatures… pretty intense. O

*notcot - 04.20.05 , 21:47 -

Paris 1910

pont_st_peres.jpgAs ShadeElaine said “it’s one of those things you wouldn’t believe if you didn’t see it”. It’s art. Not new. Not fake. Just amazing. You will never hear me complain about this insane socal rain in the same way again.

Here is Le Pont des Saints-Peres, during the Paris flood of 1910. The others you need to see, let yourself escape into, imagine what it must have been like to be there. Beautiful breathtaking surreal photography. For more.

*notcot - 04.18.05 , 16:54 -

Boxing… On Good Design

Black Walnut Boxes In Boxes.jpgQuestion to you… what constitutes good design? People always say “you can’t design in a box”, implying that without inspiration and viewing the real world, and keeping up to date with what is “out there” you can not imagine and create the work dreams are made of. I suppose this is great for all the people who can take someone’s idea and do it better. Or the person who manages to take the good parts of everyone elses ideas and put them together. But that doesn’t really account for the crazy so off the wall, no one in their right mind said it would work, until it just did (and they scramble on the bandwagon eating their words as fast as possible). I guess you can just call them outliers… random mutations in the ideas and trends the rest fell into?

And good design… well just IS. It’s not completely relative to the world around it constantly is it? Within reason? And if that is so, and it is all so subjective… how does one manage to charge “reasonably” for such a service. Or was it Art when it was free of opinions? and just was… design has to fit into the context of the things around it?

I forget. Enlighten me. I found a design rut in my head…

*notcot - 04.13.05 , 18:17 -

Poke the Poker

busshp.jpgFeeling a little dark today. But intruigued by this idea of a needle which pokes back in a bad way to anyone trying to rape you. Well it says “protection against rape”. {disclaimer: i know everyone under the sun has posted on this, i first read it on popgadget then blo.gs} But i want to discuss it.

Is it really protection? For it to work, someones penis, finger, etc is obviously already reaching inside you. Aren’t you already being violated? So yes i get that it prevents it from going all the way, makes the situation less “fun” and “enjoyable” for the other party… perhaps gives you that moment to catch them off guard and provide a swift kick to the groin or something, but be careful, since at this point you too may get pricked by that needle.

So anyhow, i like the visual, i like that it starts conversations, but it disturbs me the point the situation has to reach for it to become useful… so lets design something a bit more proactive than that. =P and hope no one ever has to use it. (awesome diagram post jump) FemDefence

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*notcot - 04.11.05 , 01:31 -

Little India

brahma.jpgIt’s not easy getting to know all your ancient Indian gods and godesses these days, but with Sanjay Patel’s illustrations it certainly makes it fun. I found this CalArts trained Pixar animator at the Alternative Press Expo in SF this weekend, just as he was getting his booth together, and his colorful posters and cute its a small world/herculean happy characters drew me in. GheeHappy.com

*notcot - 04.08.05 , 01:11 -

Lisa Alisa

LA1_101.jpgAlthough unsure on my thoughts of the japanese pop fetishy pre-pubescent naked asian girls with flowing black hair large eyes and strange sea creatures or cartoon characters mixed with big guns, happy suicides, blood-fests influencing art recently (read: post-superflat vector-like j-pop art). There is still something kind of fun to these. Wandered Lisa Alisa’s gallery… and through her drawings and pop sections… i know its too easy to simply look at the thumbnails, but take the time and look at the little links.

[p.s. i think i have a thing for tentacles lately. and more imagery post jump]

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*notcot - , 00:06 -

Dream of Stars

findyourroots1.gifToday art is my drug of choice. Surreal enough to get lost in, open enough to let your imagination run wild a little, not too far beyond your reach to encourage the creator/artist within. The work of Emily St.Clair is also fulfilling all my little obsessions of the moment, incorporating the amazing flowing/curling organic nature of hair, nature itself, Art Nouveau, and 60’s and 70’s patterns. Besides she’s an artist/designer who’s currently working as a baker at a vege cafe in Colombus, Ohio. (even if that is due to the economy, i still think sometimes the best inspiration comes from the strangest places). dreamofstars - more images of her work i like after…

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