Inspire Me

No designer is autonomous, or is an island, or devoid of outside influences. So welcome to an image heavy post. I love to scour the internet soak up images let them inspire me directly or let the unconscious do its job.

ok these images are not mines, I took these from Garance Dore, Fashion Gone Rogue, Style, Sara Blake (not completely not sure about the last one...)

thought for the era

So, the more I learn about industrial design, and the more that I am incorporated to this bizarre world, you come to this conclusion. Reality, it doesn't really exist, (how very Matrix right?) What I actually mean is. Our environments have been designed and constructed by someone else. The laptop I use to type this on; the chairs I sit on; the doors that I open, the TTC system. None of it was created by me, but I can change all that, as a designer. I could design chairs, laptops, doors, a new TTC system (well the last one might be a bit out of my league). This is very empowering. Life does not have to be this way. I keep on picturing the Gwen Stefani HP commercial, where she walks around and little drawings float out of her, this is me with less fancy graphic design. But it's a very hopeful concept. To be a designer means to be idealistic, and critical, and realize everything has potential. Potential to be altered to be made better, to be reinvented, to be invented. There are no limits to design, it can be anything, and it can be done by YOU! Is anyone else excited? 

Marc Jacobs is so YUMMY :D

 Fashematics is a witty site, that pokes fun at fashion using pop culture and everyday references to reframe how we see the runway. And Marc Jacobs never looked sooo good. I know he's gay and taken, but still good eye candy. 

TED worthy

I love TED, and I'm not cheating on my boyfriend when I say that. TED is amazing, if you don't know TED be prepared to be amazed. What is amazing about TED is that it encompasses all topics and different aspects of our lives. It can inspire, it can teach, it can broaden our horizons, TED can push us to want to learn more. So what is this TED if you don't know of it (not him) is a conference that brings the creme de la creme of industries to talk and broadcasts them on the web. But we're not talking about the brilliant we are talking the people who are inspiring and are changing the world with the work that they do, the things they study and pursue. They all have dreams, and dream of changing the world with what they are good at. When the world is down on you and you need a little insight or perspective it's a good place to see the bigger picture. The possibilities for cross fertilization of ideas are amazing. What is a bit sad, the architecture talks lack and they make me fall asleep, come on you archies you can do a better job of representing us.

That being said I present 2 designers I have found on TED. Thomas Thwaites, and Matthieu Lehanneur

Thomas Thwaites: His talk was about his experience trying to make a toaster from scratch. Not just scratch scratch, but directly from the earth. He had to travel around the world gathering resources, and research into the real old school techniques. It really shows how separate we are from our elements, and how much of the world is involved in making something simple like a toaster. It was an interesting perspective.

He has other interesting insights into the world. This one was cute, especially for those in a long distance relationship. It's a bracelet that you can wear, when you miss the person, you can squeeze it and it will send a signal to them squeezing their wrist, and they can squeeze back. Skype and Google Chats, MSN Facebook they bring those who are far close, but this brings back the physical intimate connection the internet doesn't really give.

Matthew Lehanneur: Another industrial designer who is making big waves in the world. He is something I definitely aspire to. His more notable project is Andrea, a little breathing plant purifier, beautiful in its simplicity, and elegant in its execution.

One of his other projects I enjoy, are these architectural moldings. I like how it takes something that was very decorative and gives it another function of being a bookshelf and what not. Granted moldings were originally created to hide the ugly detail of walls to ceilings, so you kind of lose the original focus :p but they're still nice.

business cards

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I know this post might seem a little anticlimatic to you. but I'm extremely excited for this one. I've been collecting business cards for a while now. It's a good way to remember people, or their work, events like trade shows, stores, fairs, galleries, you'll find them, and each are unique to each other. The more creative the field the more unique the card. I've hired chris wiggs to design me a business card for Design-uD but that will be something for the future. Enjoy there will be more to come. :)

      

Brand Me

The ideas are: Authenticity, Branding, Image, Lifestyle.

I was shown iron man cufflinks, and told to keep an open mind, and when you constantly try to be fashionable it was hard. The idea is what the iron man cufflinks represent. Iron man is supposed to stand for Strength/masculine/american ideals. A man who wears these cufflinks is supposedly embodying these ideals. To me this is a bit of a weak connection or example to use. Honestly who takes a man with iron man cufflinks seriously? It's like saying Barrack Obama should put on the Captain America costume to be more powerful politician. It's a bit of a joke.

Instead Che Guevara might be a better example.

Che Guevara t-shirts have become classics on the street. His face has been embraced by pop culture. and become a huge icon and mass produced in the capitalist world. But that being said technically these are all non che-guevarian ideals (quite opposite actually) He was a major figure in the Cuban Revolution. A revolution that was anti-capitalist, anti-american (over simplification i know) This t-shirt is a bit ironic don't you think?
But look at the picture from a different angle. These people who buy these t-shirts, wear the communist hats, they themselves do stand for those very same principles. Well maybe not fully the same, but they are anti-norm, anti three-piece business suit, anti "the man"

This links into the idea of authenticity, Garance Dore goes on to write about how she was tempted to buy a cheaper, and non authentic version of haute-couture life style, how she has done it in the past, and regretted it. Because she felt self aware guilt and was compromising her ideals. Ultimately what we choose to buy is an extension of what we stand for-- our ideals. Because we just can not possibly buy EVERYTHING, therefore our purchases are subconscious representations of conscious ideals/ Or we consciously choose based on subconscious ideals.
http://www.geeky-gadgets.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/iron-man-comic-book-cufflinks_1.jpg

http://blog.jempp.com.au/uploaded_images/Che-Guevara-symbol-t-shirt-729476.jpg

Death to Desk Crit

So everyone makes new years resolutions, Sea of Shoes has decided to spread the love to all her shoes. My resolutions include the typical, eating healthier, designing better, and to definitely blog more. The timeline side bar of posts has become physical guilty evidence of the lack of posting. I envy Style Bubble in her multitiude of topics, photos, posts, adventures, the goal is to envy less. I'm putting Desk Crit to rest for a promise of commitment and dedication.DUD Design Until Death. It's my edge on design and how I see it. Welcome to the new blog. So in light of this new promise today I look at silhouettes. As lame as it is to be inspired by school we had to come up with "organic" silhouettes. Fashion will forever inspire me. When an image captivates do you wonder why? The dynamic shapes of their body, the relation of positive and negative spaces.