Type is one of the graphic elements that designers always get addicted to play with. It is commonly used on almost every item in our daily life. This project is not only a experimental and inspirational typefaces, it also show you the diversity and innovative approaches of contemporary typography.

Examples will show new directions and trend of nowadays typography.

The Challenge

Lettering is a key visual element of great design. The right type can transform any project from mundane to extraordinary, and how to choose and treat font and lettering is a common challenge among designers and artists from every discipline.

The greatest challenge is to break the traditional view, actively exploring new ways of thinking.

Research

Who I need to know:

Victor Vasarely : http://cargocollective.com/vasarely

http://www.vasarely.com

Bridget Riley: http://nadav.harel.org.il/Bridget_Riley

Kinetic Art: http://www.huntfor.com/arthistory/C20th/kineticart.htm

Stefan Sagmeister: http://www.sagmeister.com/index.html

The Skill:

Geometric Patterns in art

http://sites.google.com/site/geometricarts/

http://www.cleavebooks.co.uk/trol/trolna.pdf

The Idea:

• To create geometric patterns.
• Select different fonts with varied style.
• Combining geometric patterns and typography, create new visual effects.
• Final Product ( 4-5 A2 Size Prints)
• Design the packaging for final product.

This is a short film that was directed by the French animation collective H5, François Alaux, Hervé de Crécy + Ludovic Houplain. It was presented at the Cannes Film Festival 2009. It opened the 2010 Sundance Film Festival and won a 2010 academy award under the category of animated short.

In this film there are two pieces of licensed music, in the beginning and in the end. All the other music and sound design are original. The opening track (Dean Martin “Good Morning Life”) and closing track (The Ink Spots “I don’t want to send the world on fire”) songs are licensed pre-existing tracks. All original music and sound design is by, human (www.humanworldwide.com)

Musicvideo about the relation of light, music and architetcture.

Music by Saltillo
“The Opening” from the album Ganglion.
Go get it on itunes and amazon!

The clip is defined by 3 elements.

-One videofile, shot between 2 and 6 pm.
-The speed of playback of this file, which is synchronised manually to the music.
-About 50 different masks, wich define where the underlayed movie is going to appear on the screen. This makes it possible to have multiple light situations in the same moment.

So basicly, the sunlight caught from the building is the “natural” palette for the entire colors of the clip.

In design this means “draw what you know.” Start by putting down what you already know and already understand. Sometimes I panic when faced with something I do not know and cannot control. Forget about it. Begin at the beginning. Then work on each unknown, solving and removing them one at a time. It is the most important rule of design.

02. To make a your own future plan

In university, teachers just teach knowledge, but you will leave university and have to face society, so now I must be prepared and have a clear long-term goal.

03. Research is important

In each project, we need to take a long time to do research, not only skills training is also a good learning process, also determine your final completion of the project results.

04. Be able to handle irrelevant criticism

When in university, I learn a lot from getting criticized by my teachers and classmates. Obviously they have some design skills, sometimes more than myself. I should learn to deal with the criticism, should have the common sense to know that their criticism is useful.

05. The printer will stop working when you need it the most

Need to print my design to go hand in my works? Chances are that printer will chose that moment to die. Make sure I have some friends or working partners willing to help in these cases. This is a necessary contingency measures.

06. Learning design is an ongoing process

Getting diploma doesn’t mean that your design education is over, far from it.  As a designer should stay up-to-date with the latest trends, software updates and industry news, or I’ll quickly lose touch.

07. Should backup your data on a regular basis

Most people learn this the hard way, the day their computer crashes. Usually it happens at the worst time, before a deadline or something similar.

08. Share with others

The teacher Let us write a blog, I think this is a good medium to communicate with others, you can either express your own views, there can be more useful things to share, broaden your horizons.

09. Before the work , make an plan

When in university, the teacher sets the deadlines for you and tries to give you enough time. But when you get job after you finished your course in university, your boss or your client will not be like the design teacher, they will try to push you to be more productive and give you too little time to get work done. So now I start to develop my working plans for each project. In my own failures of view, should not the make the same deadline that teacher gave to you set for your own project plan, there will be unexpected things often interfere with your deadlines. Good design takes time, don’t set too tight deadlines.

10. Self-summary

Every time a project is completed, should meet and talk with the teacher alone. The teacher would ask me a question like, “You do your job satisfaction?”

I think this is a very good question. After each your project, I should ask myself whether the right of this work seems good, if not satisfied with it, should find out where there are shortcomings, the future as to avoid these mistakes happening again.

In the last 100 years, human civilizations have significantly altered virtually all of Earth’s environments. While technological development and resource extraction have dramatically improved standards of living for many, destruction of natural ecosystems and environmental contamination have bred innumerable interrelated problems. If current rates of environmental degradation, resource consumption, and population growth continue, the well-being of future generations will be increasingly compromised.

With an environmental situation of such magnitude, there is a incredible burden, not only in terms of financial costs, human lives, and quality of life, but also with respect to the sustainability of Earth’s resources and of human societies. Perhaps more challenging is the growing awareness that our environmental predicament is rooted in human cultural patterns, such as our alienation from nature, reliance on technological solutions, emphasis on short-term gain, and proliferation of exploitative economic systems.

Evolutionary change is essential. Patterns of development, waste management, and resource use contribute to both local and global environmental problems, and can be influenced by personal action as well as through collaboration of individuals from different disciplines. By proactively shaping human environments and consciousness, we can further promote environmental sensitivity in attitude and behavior.

In this context, I think design is pivotal. Not only does it often draw upon natural resources for materials and energy, but the finished result, be it a brochure, product, building, or system, can directly affect levels of consumption, waste and contamination. While destructive impact must be minimized, it is also essential that design’s constructive potential be fully exploited. Designers play a central role in molding human culture, shaping information, entertainment, tools, and physical environments. Harnessing and appropriately directing this potential is fundamental to ensuring a sustainable future.

Here I found some interesting Sustainable design projects, in fact, the starting point of each designer are closely related with our lives.

Wishbone Bike

Wishbone Bike from Skip Hop ~ with thoughtful, beautiful design for such playful, fun kids products, Skip Hop has yet to disappoint! Their latest addition is gaining distribution rights to New Zealand designed: Wishbone Bike, a 3 in 1 starter bike that grows with kids… from the stable lightweight tricycle, to pedal-less running bike, to normal bike for kids up to 5! It is also environmentally sustainable design and a Juvenile Products Manufacturers Association 2008 Innovation Award Winner.

Grassy Phone

In today’s rapid consumerist society, consumption comes into question. How durable do we want our devices to be when they become near obsolete in 5 years? The source materials that make up their build often take hundreds of years to break down. An alternative ideology are disposable products made from natural sources. The Natural Year Phone is made of hay, sans screen and soft keys. The hard components get recycled while the hay is um. . . well I wouldn’t smoke it.

Designer: Je-Hyun Kim

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Useful advice depends on the designer

10 Commandments of Design, conceived by German industrial designer Dieter Rams, sum this up well enough that we could just about put “sustainable” in the middle and call it good.

Designers and fans of where stuff comes from, take heed:

1. Good design is innovative
2. Good design makes a product useful
3. Good design is aesthetic
4. Good design helps a product to be understood
5. Good design is unobtrusive

6. Good design is honest
7. Good design is durable
8. Good design is consistent to the last detail
9. Good design is concerned with the environment
10. Good design is a s little design as possible

One of the craziest music video/experiments we’ve ever seen has got to be Chris Cairns’ Neurosonics Audiomedical Labs Inc, featuring the Scratch Perverts. Cairns has just upped the bar, and not by a little, putting together an insane Live performance featuring holographic drumkit (Will Clark) and turntables (JFB). Like the original video, there’s not much more to say other than watch and be amazed.

You see it everywhere and much of it seems to try and be subtle. Everything a child picks up these days has some type of advertising on it. Cartoons are no longer fun and silly; they are long commercials for certain toys or television programs. One of the biggest advertisers to children today is Hannah Montana. Everyone wants to wear her clothes, have her book bags and do whatever they can to be like her.

One of the most important questions we have to ask ourselves is what this is doing to our children. Back in the 60s and 70s advertising was more subtle. When you asked a children growing up in that environment what they wanted to be when they grew up, you probably would find lots of teachers, presidents or doctors.

Today when you ask kids that same question you probably will get a variation of making money. The kids today have turned into a group of materialistic non-thinkers and many think this has to do with the advertising that goes directly to them.

Advertising has damaged children to a large extent. When you go to any toy department you can see how. The kids are literally begging parents for the newest and brightest advertising specialty. Whether it’s the newest Wii gadget or the new Xbox, children are clamoring to be first in line. Many feel that if they do not have these things, they will not be liked by their peers.

One current television commercial shows a young boy advertising Dish Network. He’s about 12 and all of his friends come over to watch their special shows with him because they either don’t have cable or their cable isn’t working. He tapes everyone’s show and feels superior and self satisfied because he can help his friends.

Hannah Montana Merchandise

Is Advertising Aimed At Children Ethical?You see it everywhere and much of it seems to try and be subtle. Everything a child picks up these days has some type of advertising on it. Cartoons are no longer fun and silly; they are long commercials for certain toys or television programs. One of the biggest advertisers to children today is Hannah Montana. Everyone wants to wear her clothes, have her book bags and do whatever they can to be like her.

One of the most important questions we have to ask ourselves is what this is doing to our children. Back in the 60s and 70s advertising was more subtle. When you asked a children growing up in that environment what they wanted to be when they grew up, you probably would find lots of teachers, presidents or doctors.

Today when you ask kids that same question you probably will get a variation of making money. The kids today have turned into a group of materialistic non-thinkers and many think this has to do with the advertising that goes directly to them.

Advertising has damaged children to a large extent. When you go to any toy department you can see how. The kids are literally begging parents for the newest and brightest advertising specialty. Whether it’s the newest Wii gadget or the new Xbox, children are clamoring to be first in line. Many feel that if they do not have these things, they will not be liked by their peers.

One current television commercial shows a young boy advertising Dish Network. He’s about 12 and all of his friends come over to watch their special shows with him because they either don’t have cable or their cable isn’t working. He tapes everyone’s show and feels superior and self satisfied because he can help his friends.

Hannah Montana Merchandise.

The Psychology Of Advertising To Children

Not only are children being bombarded by this advertising but the advertisers have help. Now leading psychologists are actually working alongside advertisers to tell them how to market to children aged 3 to12 and why these children do what they do. This has become such a problem that some psychologists are up in arms about it, and have taken the issue to the American Psychological Association (APA) to try and get some standards put on this situation.

The APA has created a task force to look into this issue because so much is being said about it. The task force will be examining the effects of advertising on children and the role of psychologists in the process. Some psychologists protest this action because they do not see it as doing anything wrong. They feel that by helping advertisers they are helping children become better consumers.

A Road Safety Advert Aimed At Children

Think UK – Road Safety Ad

Salt&Pepper CellSalt and pepper shakers shaped like D-Cell batteries. A vertical transparent strip along the side indicate the amount of spices left in the shakers. Created by Antrepo Design Industry.

Germanium Body Soap

A truly interesting/bizarre example of packaging from Japan.

Evian® 2005

Evian mineral water in an expressive limited edition package.

This immediately caught my eye at the grocery last night.  The mountain-shaped glass bottle looks like it should contain a fragrance or at least some strange new liqueur.  But no, it’s just our old friend Evian dressed up in a new way.  The limited edition bottle is called the “Origine” and is meant to conjure up the icy mountains where Evian is sourced.  The bottle is rather heavy and I can’t imagine buying these for regular use but they certainly attract attention.

Cider

Cider drink – can design by Swedish designer Amore

“After launch, Cider immediately took second and forth place on the Swedish cider sales list, and has been top five ever since. Amore has won numerous awards for the design of Cider. With zero other marketing efforts, Cider has sales and distribution in Norway, Italy and Germany.”

360 Paper Bottle

The world’s first recyclable paper bottle – both versatile and eco-friendly designed by Brand Image. The 360 paper water bottle from Brand Image is an attempt to address 60 million plastic bottles thrown away daily in the United States (of which 86% become garbage). The paper vessel is made from 100% renewable food-safe resources, fully recyclable and versatile in a number of potential liquid categories.

Many people associate environmentalism with gloom-and-doom predictions about the planet. While climate change is a serious issue, many artists, architects and other designers are also working on smaller scale green projects that both effect the environment and cause change by sparking discussion and reflection. While the actual direct impact of any given artwork or design may be small the cumulative result of their efforts is palpable and grows bigger with each creative and sustainable design or art project.

01. MOLO Design:  http://www.molodesign.com/

Molo Designs’s Paper Softseating is made of kraft paper – a stiff, robust unbleached paper that is 100% recyclable and is constructed of 50% recycled fiber.  Each piece of furniture has magnetic ends so similar pieces can be strung together into larger geometric shapes.

Very, very cool looking.  Longterm use is said to give the furniture a lovely patina.  But !! No smoking please.

02. Tim Noble and Sue Webster

Tim Noble and Sue Webster are an incredible artistic duo based in England who have worked on a variety of related projects experimenting with trash and projected shadows. From looking at the rubbish they collect from the streets of London it is virtually impossible to determine a rhyme or reason to the apparent mess. However, once a projector is set up at just the right angle the art pops to life and animated shades are created with crisp and clear outlines delineating the controlled forms hidden with chaos.