Design Blogs

I am not a big follower of blogs so before this there were not any particular design blogs that I followed on a regular basis. So I did some research and was able to discover some very fun and interesting blogs on design. The are full of products that I would immediately purchase if I were do win the lottery. The furniture and knick-knacks they write about are very creative. the ideas are simple but the resulting product is either wild, fun, practical or innovative. After finding these blogs I am probably going to visit them again and put some of the objects they write about on my wish list.

I found the following blogs and recent entries very interesting:

• Shelterrific http://www.shelterrific.com/ I'd be very frightened if I used a bathroom with the shower curtain and the shadowy figure. But the idea is very creative.
• Hatch http://blog.designpublic.com/ I loved the Inspiration Monday entries, they gave me a lot of ideas and the pictures are so vibrant and colorful.
• Freshome http://freshome.com/ The article discussing the floating house in Seattle was so cool. I'd love to see this in person. That or live in my very own floating house.

How Kids Create

I've always been fascinated by how young children do artwork. Its something I can't fathom. To adults quite often it may seem like a mess of just about anything they can get their hands on. To the little artist, they but a lot of hard work into making their creation. My younger cousins always create some amazing piece of artwork for me when I visit them. I have numerous finger paintings and drawings of their "people" at home. It's so hard to figure out what is going on in their heads as they are developing their design process. I've learned to love it though. I proudly display their artwork throughout my house, some of it is even framed and "refrigerator worthy". Their work is always so happy and fun, it really can brighten anybody's day? But really what goes on when they are making it? Here's a fun example of a special door hanger designed especially for me:

What went on in her design process? Why did she decide to create it this way?

Graffiti Tunnel

Sydney and the surrounding suburbs are filled with public art. It's something that I really learned to appreciate while visiting. One thing though that I found very interesting was that the city did not seem to be as graffiti-ridden as many cities here in the U.S. are. I think that this is partially because people who make graffiti art are given places to do their work. While there, I discovered the Graffiti Tunnel at the University of Sydney campus. It was fascinating. It was full of color and the artists that made their work there were very creative. It was away to keep graffiti of the street while still showing appreciating for the art for that is graffiti. Below are some pictures that I took of the graffiti tunnel:

Pixar Typography

I think many Pixar films use creative typography in their advertisements and movie posters. They often incorporate a part of the film, besides just the main characters into them. For example, in Monsters Inc., they use the company's logo for the title in the posters. Another Pixar film that does this is Finding Nemo, with the aquatic like curve at the bottom of the title and the fish acting as the center of the "O". The typography that Pixar uses for its titles is both memorable and creative.

sources:

Finding Nemo Poster: http://www.dan-dare.org/freefun/Images/CartoonsMoviesTV/FindingNemoPoster.jpg

Monsters Inc Poster: http://www.luciddreamexplorers.com/images/monsters_inc.jpg

Reflection on Bruce Mau

I found Bruce Mau's Incomplete Manifesto very interesting. All of the points, while different, are connected with one other. Essentially what I think is being presented to reader, is that we should all be open to growth in life. We shouldn't be afraid of new things in life, and although these new things may not turn out the way we want, they too, will help us grow.

Some points that really inspired me:

• Allow events to change you: We have to think outside the box sometimes, and be open to new things. If we open our eyes then we may see something, we never have before, which in turn, can help us creatively.
• Slow down: Look around and don't rush through life. If we rush to get through life we may miss something very special. While it may be simple, it may be inspiring and we don't want to miss it.
• Collaborate: I am a huge proponent of working with others. When we do so we are introduced to new ideas. Also we can get an honest opinion of what others may think of our ideas, and if it works or not.