Round Two

 

Round 2 with the Teamwork squirrels.  More action, tie-in to a cause, but the web address didn’t show up well on the leaf…maybe some photoshopping can revive it.  Also, the quality of this gif is quite low, but I think WordPress won’t allow flash files?   Well, I’m not sure, this is only the second time in my life I’ve ever even opened Flash (the first for the Round 1 of Teamwork) so maybe there’s a trick to getting it up here…or maybe my crazy russian edition of it is a little whack….

Anyway, despite the extreme amount of time this is taking, I’m enjoying it mucho tremendously…my squirrels just need some time to rest and get remolded, all this work is a little ruff on them.

When designers have too much fun…

So according to Ya Plakal, a Russian design/photo/humor/bad soft porn site (just a warning, it’d be a cool site if it weren’t for the latter), this is a prototype created by several designers for an expo in London.  The use?  According to the post, to increase the speed with which employees can move between offices and floors in a workplace.

Practical?  No.  Fun?  Yes!  I doubt it will ever be put into use (at least in lawsuit happy US), but when you combine play + creativity in the hands of designers, great ridiculous things can happen!  Maybe prototype #1 is a bit outlandish, but #99 could take us somewhere phenomenal…

Meneh Meneh

Mason said in class on Monday something along the lines that he gets to create ridiculous things for a living. Those words really stood out to me - I want to create the ridiculous when I grow up! Posters on addiction and dead babies with cockroaches are fine for a while, but that’s not the direction I want. At least I have one thing figured out!
Anyway, this clip is an ode to the fun and ridiculous. Enjoy!

Four letter Me

I took the Jung personality about 10 years ago, and my classification still hasn’t changed after a recent go at it again in Anne’s class.  For those that haven’t taken it, this isn’t a cheesy “what flavor of hummus are you” testto put on your MySpace page (I will admit, I do have the Are you more dog or cat? quiz on mine, and I am proudly 70% dog).  It can be alarmingly accurate, and the descriptions of the 16 types are extremely detailed.

So, if you can’t get a hold of Anne’s book to take the test yourself, give it a shot on-line and see what you get (as a plus, they do all the math for you).  I don’t know the best site, but I browsed a few, and here’s one of them.

Oh, and here’s to the INFPs of the world…

For INFPs, life is a journey to understand themselves and the world. Where some others may strive for achievements such as degrees and promotions, an INFP tends to consider these as important mainly for their value in making it easier to fulfill the INFP’s life goals.

INFPs value authenticity, acceptance, and the search for meaning in life in both the ordinary events of life and the grand scheme of the universe. One source of sustenance for INFPs are those small, genuine gestures from the heart, be they from loved ones or strangers.

INFPs have many interests and talents. They are generally good at perceiving possibilities for improving the world and understanding others. They are often clear at expressing ideas through language, writing, poetry, and other talents. When an INFP supports a particular project or goal, they can get an extraordinary amount of work done in a short time. On the other hand, INFPs tend to procrastinate and are dissatisfied by detailed work not related to one of their important values. This is one reason INFPs are happier when working at jobs which are related to their values.

It goes on and on…read here if you like.

My Friday Night

Clay-mation squirrels for Emotive Type

Primer Interview

So after the Octane fiasco today, I went to interview local designer Ivan Trujillo.  I’ve known Ivan for about a year and a half, as he often freelances with Kimberly-Clark.  Originally from Cali, Columbia, he has an interesting journey through several continents in his quest for the fine arts and design.  In addition, he has an amicable personality and enjoyable sense of humor.  In between work and a very busy social life, Ivanis currently getting his MFA in Graphic Design at SCAD Atlanta.  If you haven’t met him yet in the ATL night scene, keep an eye out for him in the design world…

Here are the questions asked, I’ll post the interview shortly.

*****
Can you share with us your educational background? It’s quite an adventure in itself, I’ve heard…

What led you to take an artistic path – to totally change what you wanted to study and jump across to another part of the world? Your first degree in Cali wasn’t exactly art oriented, correct? How did you get to an art school in London without swimming?

You have a background in many forms of art – why did you choose Design as your area of focus?

Does Columbia have its own design style, and has it influenced you in your work?

Share a little bit about the SCAD MFA program so we Portfolio Center students know what we’re not missing.

Who are your design heroes/favorites?

How to you grow coffee? And why don’t Columbians like it?

Do you think being Latin gives you a unique edge in the design business? Do you ever feel discriminated against (besides from your KC coworkers)? Are your clients mainly Latin, or a wide variety?

What is the best project you have every worked on? (and don’t say “Making it real to grow”)

What are the current hotspots for nightlife in the ATL?

Give me one sentence that describes you and your perspective on design.

Mixing the profitable way

 

Once again my car is in the shop, so I’m again listening to the radio in the pickup that I’m borrowing.  I heard 99x talking about NIN’s site, and that you could actually build your own remixes on it.  I thought it’d be a cheesy add drums here subtract voice here sort of deal, but after looking at NIN’s site, it looks like they actually have something very engaging for fans.  I listened to the remix one of the 99x DJs created, and it actually sounded decent enough to make me want to give it a shot (well, he did get a little wild with the cowbells and strings, but why not have a little fun with it).  According to the site, they will be having a place for people to upload the remixes and get fans further engaged.  I think it’s very cool that they set this up for their fans or just people interested in mixing (or have little experience but want to play).  I think it’s also a creative slant in the whole file sharing business…you are still encouraged to by the CD, but you can listen free and download the “layers” (not sure on the lingo for mixing) to a song free.  You can’t download the final, whole product free, but component pieces that enable play and interaction.  M&M let you create your own caricature of an M&M, Pepsi has its can challenge, but I haven’t known any mainstream (well, however you’d classify NIN, they’ve been around a while and are pretty well known) groups to approach sharing their music and engaging their fans this way.  And if this is not a new idea, well gosh darnit, I guess I’ve been living under a rock.

Ok, I found a hero!

Bjork!  Got any connections?  Totally changed my view of music and design over 10 years ago.

Got to see her live in Moscow, amazing.  Lots of fire.

The Ugly Truth on Heros

I don’t have any heroes, and I don’t have any questions.  There, I said it.  It’s hard to plan an interview when you don’t have any of the above.  Damn frustrating too.  I feel like it’s a reflection on my own character - you don’t have heroes?  Well, if you want to be anything, or want any success or want to be a good designer, you’d better get some. 

Well, how do you get heroes?  Look at webpages for stuff you like?  I guess I lump “heroes” and “liking” into two different categories.  Part of my job in Roswell is doing trend research, and I’ve spent the last 2 years searching through WGSN and other smaller sites for trend forcasting.  Did anyone from those hundreds of site strike me as a hero? No.  What the hell is wrong with me?  Should I be an accountant instead?

Heros have passed through my life, but as I think more about it, they are either dead or MIA!  And none of them are design related!

Heda Kovaly-after reading her amazing bio, I spent several months writing to journalists in the Czech Republic to find her.  Mission was accomplished, but as I said in class, it’s been a while since I heard anything and I fear for the worst.

Daniel-bek Dagaev - Chechen refugee I met while working at a refugee camp in northern Czech Republic.  Amazing man, but our correspondence also ended abruptly.

Marc Chagall - Yeah, the famous painter.  First guy that really changed my perspective on how to approach art.  Dead.

 Anna Akmahtova - Amazing poet.  Long dead.

 My father - floor cleaner at IBM - turned software developer (thank him for word wrap), software engineer for NASA’s shuttles, started own business.  Sorry, not among the living either.  

I’m also frustrated because I feel so isolated from all PC students outside my Winter 07 group.  I lived on campus during my undergrad, and I know there is a huge difference in the social scene between those that are around school and those that aren’t.  And I feel like the Co-Ho world has a huge advantage, and I’m on another planet.  Likewise, with my projects, work, car problems, family, and a home that is battling demolition from developers, I feel I have little time to socialize.  I feel I knew more students before I came to PC, just from reading their blogs!

Sorry for the shpiel, but it has been a very long day -  an all-nighter, my in-laws leaving, class from 1-11, car issues, and a bunch of emails detailing a very long day at work tomorrow.  Once the caffeine drains out of me, I’ll calm down and maybe sleep a little.

I appreciate the help I recieved in class with an interview person, any crack in a door is a great help!  I just wish I was a little bit more intune with the world of other designers and spent more time remembering names and being inspired.