2am is a socially acceptable time to admit secret crushes, right? Well i’ve had a long time intellectual and visual crush on SEED. Broke my heart when the gorgeous print mag ceased to be. And the tagline on their Seed Media Group page title “Science is culture.” i adore. Impeccable design. Brilliant insights. What more could you want? Apparently business cards designed by Sagmeister Inc.. How did i never notice these? When they did the branding ~ the logo is apparently reflective on the letterhead… to “reflect the room, etc.” And the business cards… “version of the portrait of the bearer” ~ aren’t they amazing? I can’t believe i only just discovered them tonight! See more images of the logo, the philosophy behind the designs, and the business cards close up on the next page.

p.s. can you imagine Invader adapting these into tile portraits and taking them to the streets?

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SO, when reading Today Tomorrow ~ i was fascinated by Golan Levin and Kyle McDonald’s flowers unwarped images… Golan Levin says “Abusing my open-source BloggieUnwarper panoramic-imaging software with some flower photographs from Flickr, we produced the “flower panoramas” below. This is what you would see if you were doing panoramic imaging from inside a flower…” Well i couldn’t help myself, and as soon as i saw this, i lit up upon realizing all of those Chandelier Mandalas i’ve been photographing all over the world… needed to be seen from within! So on the next page you can see “what you would see if you were doing panoramic imaging from INSIDE CHANDELIERS!” ~ and candles, and the amazing Hope light, and even the ceiling of the galleria, and more! It’s quite a trip… be warned, there are a LOT of images on the next page… i’m having way too much fun with this!

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We’re down to Spain vs Netherlands already in the World Cup finals! And before it’s all over ~ you have to check out Nike’s installation in the atrium of the Carlton Centre in Johannesburg. Meet Ball Man! A giant 21 meter high footballer made from 5,500 suspended skills balls and weighing more than 4.5 tons. Developed using a 3-D image of an athlete and then aligning each of the balls individually, which are strung together by over 10 kilometers of wire from the ceiling. Additionally, it incorporates some of Nike’s latest products (National Team Kits and Nike Elite Series). While we’ve been seeing a trend in individually suspended weights, etc. to create incredible 3d sculptures that become far more than a sum of their parts from afar… this installation certainly takes the scale to a whole new level!

Nike definitely gets bonus points for thinking beyond the installation ~ each of the 5,500 balls will be given to local community programs after the tournament! Such a nice gesture, i wonder if they recipients will be able to tell which one of Ball Man’s balls they receive? Pics and video on the next page!

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This week NOTCOT.org has been filled with color and fun. This week’s roundup captures a range of aesthetics, from bright and playful to dark and macabre. Click the individual images to find out more about each post.

You know i love a good unexpected brand/artist collaboration ~ well this Electrolux + Tobias Allanson piece is awesome! When artist Tobias Allanson was commissioned to illustrate Electrolux Ergorapido’s performance in real-life situations, he decided to create a kinetic sculpture using a real Electrolux Ergorapido. His sculpture showcases Ergorapido’s effective dust pick-up, maneuverability, LED headlights and 2-in-1 function in four situations in the home environment. The sculpture was also filmed! Check out the video on the next page… as well as lots of pics, and the making of vid!

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A roundup of another great week at NOTCOT.org with everything from iPhone plungers to Star Wars Pancake molds. What’s not to love? Click the images to find out more about each post.

Yes, i’m cleaning up a bit ~ my house, my closets, my computers… and a few posts i’ve been dying to post that fell through the cracks as i went a little travel crazed the last few months! This exhibition still blows my mind looking back on the pictures i just found!

A tribute to an unfamiliar side of Achille Castiglioni. “Effetto Castiglioni”, an exhibition at the e De Padova showroom for Milan Design Week, presented for the first time the models of exhibit designs and architectural projects by this great master. Twenty-three models stored until today at the Studio Museo Achille Castiglioni of the Triennale Design Museum leave their cardboard boxes to narrate the expertise of Castiglioni, in a path that extends from the 1950s to 2000. Projects documented precisely at the crucial moment of the creative idea: the model. They are unbelievably detailed and playfully creative for their time (actually, even for NOW!) ~ you have to see the one made of cheese, the one that feels like a kaleidoscope, and more… see the pics on the next page!

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RPA: Rubin Postaer and Associates ~ ad agencies always seem to have so much FUN with their office spaces! Remember the Sainty + David Whittle at rp& (of RPA) post? With the amazing art adorning their walls? Well, here’s a peek at the rest of the RPA offices! My favorite part is definitely the adorable original Honda Civic ~ their first account back in ‘79! What’s especially fun, is to see so many props from their various adverts in real life! From the SoyJoy tree, to “I Pinch” Crab, and more honda campaigns i’m sure you’ll remember when seeing the pics! Also fun, they are full of passion and creativity ~ and character! My favorite tradition they shared ~ on “birthdays” (anniversaries of being at RPA!) everyone signs pieces of paper with drawn candles ~ you can see a picture of one showing Gerry Rubin’s in his office… awesome to see how many candles there are! Also worth a read ~ love this article in Smart Business from 2007 about Gerry Rubin’s philosophies on the importance of nurturing your corporate culture! Anyhow, take a little walk through some of the highlights of the world of RPA in Santa Monica, CA (including their Club RPA bar…) on the next page!

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There’s plenty to ooh and aah over in this week’s NOTCOT.org roundup. From making of world cup balls to homemade cookie stamps, what’s not to love? Click the individual images for more about each post.

Money as art ~ or faux money as art, rather. Spanish illustrator Xavi Garcia created his stunning ‘Handmade’ banknote illustration as a reaction to soulless digital design. “This note pretends to remind the viewer the amount of work, hours, patience and love that artisans put into the handicrafts they produce and stress how valuable they are, replacing currency for the amount of time spent working on it (3 months were given for this project). Entirely drawn by hand, using different printing techniques, it features security measures common in banknotes such as watermarks, tactile elements, see-through images and invisible UV ink.” On the front it says “Tempus Neminem Manet” meaning “Time waits for no one” and on the back it reads “Tempus Fugit” meaning “Time Flees.” As you stare at his work, it makes you wonder about the world it may have come from… and i love the concept of time as currency. After all ~ Time is Money, right? How nice would it be to be paid with one of these 3 month notes? How would you spend it? See the details up close on the next page…

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What a gorgeous week of post’s we’ve had at NOTCOT.org. This week has a little bit of everything from flaming ipads to electric wellies. Click on the individual images to find out more about each post.

Stopped by the opening of Laguna Art Museum’s Art Shack ~ a large group show of artists creating literally “art shacks” for people to explore! Absolute favorite of course was Shag’s (originally made in 2009, but it looks like some newer art pieces displayed) ~ an adorably cool scaled down mid century modern home complete with those kid sized versions of design classics (panton chairs, eames chairs, etc!) ~ that you can actually wander in and out of! And feel very Alice in wonderland in it! It would basically be the coolest backyard “playhouse” ever if we were kids… take a peek at more pics on the next page!

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Unbelievably awesome. When my favorite crayon carver, Diem Chau, emailed me with pics last night of the latest project with W+K for Nike… for World Cup… the press kit for Write the Future campaign…. i was instantly amazed and jealous of all the lucky folks that got one. Such a beautiful piece of art. Incredibly packaged. Awesome idea. All the soccer stars are personified in crayon carvings! Huge thanks and congrats to Diem and W+K on an awesome project (and for providing the pics!) and see close ups on the next page…

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This week’s NOTCOT.org roundup is full of stunning installations alongside a great mix of architecture, gadgets and furnishings. Click on the images to find our more about each item.

Here’s a new Dear NOTCOT from Justine who popped by the Central St. Martin’s Pop Up Shop in London for us! Some fun finds, especially the lamp that goes skeletal when turned on! See all her pics on the next page!

On my way home on Friday, I dropped by Central St. Martin’s Pop Up Shop on Clerkenwell Road. It was buzzing with tutors DJing, students mingling and beers flowing. Lots of great pieces to snap up before Monday! The week-long pop up shop under the name ‘2060’ runs for one week (ending June 7th) and showcases work from second year graphic design students from the Saint Martins College of Art’s BA Graphic Design course. The shop is the final stage of a 6 week project, which looks at manufacturing as an integral part to the design process. Take a peek at a few quick snaps at some of the items that caught my eye on the next page!

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