everything is design
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
iPhone Arch App
from archdaily today: A very good app if you are traveling around and want to discover new architecture around. And the best of all, is that you can download this app for free (it contain some ads, see screenshoots ). There are two different versions of the app depending which measure system do you use, with the distance in either kilometers (download with iTunes, free) or miles (download with iTunes, free).
Monday, June 29, 2009
And now a word from our sponsors...
F@!K COMMITTEES
(I believe in lunatics)
It’s about the struggle between individuals with jagged passion in their work and today’s faceless corporate committees, which claim to understand the needs of the mass audience, and are removing the idiosyncrasies, polishing the jags, creating a thought-free, passion-free, cultural mush that will not be hated nor loved by anyone. By now, virtually all media, architecture, product and graphic design have been freed from ideas, individual passion, and have been relegated to a role of corporate servitude, carrying out corporate strategies and increasing stock prices. Creative people are now working for the bottom line.
Magazine editors have lost their editorial independence, and work for committees of publishers (who work for committees of advertisers). TV scripts are vetted by producers, advertisers, lawyers, research specialists, layers and layers of paid executives who determine whether the scripts are dumb enough to amuse what they call the ‘lowest common denominator’. Film studios out films in front of focus groups to determine whether an ending will please target audiences. All cars look the same. Architectural decisions are made by accountants. Ads are stupid. Theater is dead.
Corporations have become the sole arbiters of cultural ideas and taste in America. Our culture is corporate culture.
Culture used to be the opposite of commerce, not a fast track to ‘content’- derived riches. Not so long ago captains of industry (no angels in the way they acquired wealth) thought that part of their responsibility was to use their millions to support culture. Carnegie built libraries, Rockefeller built art museums, Ford created his global foundation. What do we now get from our billionaires? Gates? Or Eisner? Or Redstone? Sales pitches. Junk mail. Meanwhile, creative people have their work reduced to ‘content’ or ‘intellectual property’. Magazines and films become ‘delivery systems’ for product messages.
But to be fair, the above is only 99 percent true.
I offer a modest solution: Find the cracks in the wall. There are a very few lunatic entrepreneurs who will understand that culture and design are not about fatter wallets, but about creating a future. They will understand that wealth is means, not an end. Under other circumstances they may have turned out to be like you, creative lunatics. Believe me, they’re there and when you find them, treat them well and use their money to change the world.
Tibor Kalman
New York
June 1998
Popular Mechanics : Awesome
The magazine about explaining complicated things always does it in a simple way. Beautiful technical infographics done brilliantly.
Nothing beats the original
Saw this today on spd.org, a website devoted to the first issue of much-loved and followed (and probably sooner rather than later, rare) print magazine issues. You can view the site and project here. I was and still am a huge magazine fan (of the print variety) and often found myself carefully preserving the launch or premiere issues like a kid would preserve a mint baseball card. A digital archive makes it much easier and takes up less space...
Never Say Never
Dwell announces a new partnership for their continued backing of the prefabrication movement. Fast Company picks up the story here.
Sunday, June 28, 2009
Saturday, June 27, 2009
Jeff Bezos of Amazon on the need to advertise...
"Advertising is the price you pay for having an unremarkable product or service," he said."
Friday, June 26, 2009
MJ Patent
from unbeige:
"According to the patent's abstract, the Jackson-devised system relies on "a hitch member movably projectable through a stage surface. The shoes have a specially designed heel slot which can be detachably engaged with the hitch member by simply sliding the shoe wearer's foot forward, thereby engaging with the hitch member." Jackson co-developed the technique as an improvement upon a previous method in which he and his dancers were rigged up with harnesses and cables. This worked fine for videos, notes the patent in the required "description of the prior art," but not in front of a live audience. The shoe-based system has the added advantage of "permitting an entertainer to freely move about a stage." And the fun doesn't stop there. Jackson's patent is referenced as an antecedent to another footwear innovation, patent 7,380,349. Granted last year, it's perfect when you Wanna Be Startin' Somethin' but are ill prepared. The patent covers flip-flops that have a bottle-opened in the footbed."
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Photo Competition
Photographer Chase Jarvis recently held a competition for his iPhone 3G and the results of the photo cattle-call are in. Check out this link.
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Type Stars
Hoefler & Frere-Jones has received the great honor of being selected as a finalist in this year's National Design Awards, and is especially honored to be the first typeface designers ever recognized by this prestigious award. An official White House project created to increase national awareness of the role of design, the National Design Awards are given annually by the Smithsonian’s Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum in recognition of excellence, innovation, and lasting achievement in design. A highlight of the award has traditionally been a reception for honorees at the White House, hosted by the first lady.
Personalized Packaging
I like the personalized chalk-driven concept of this branding... its true to the coffee cultureand different from the usual suspects...
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Monday, June 22, 2009
Shed Time
Need your own little design-cave but don't have the space inside your current abode? Check out Seattle-based Modern Shed and a variety of cool mini-studios perfect for unleashing your creativity. Cheapest option is around $7500for a 6x8 unit and goes up to $18,000+ for a 10 x 12 studio...
Huts
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22
Jun 2009
This villa is located in plot #92 of the ORDOS project.
Architects: Single Speed Design
Location: Ordos, Inner Mongolia, China
Principals in Charge: Jinhee Park AIA, John Hong AIA/LEED
LProject team: Brett Albert, Frederick Peter Ortner, Matt Allen, Caroline Lang, Clara Wong, Bao Wei
Structural Engineer: Paul Kassabian, SGH Inc.
Design year: 2008
Construction year: 2009-2010
Curator: Ai Weiwei, Beijing, China
Client: Jiang Yuan Water Engineering Ltd, Inner Mongolia, China
Constructed Area: 1,000 sqm aprox
22
Jun 2009
By Karen Cilento — Filed under: News , a c d f architecture, Dubai, Dubai International Financial Center
Canadian-based ACDF Architects have designed an International Financial Center for Dubai (DIFC). The DIFC draws inspiration from geographical and geological properties to create a structure that becomes a natural extension of the site. ACDF Architects work to link the architecture with the region to “give the impression that the building takes root from these natural components instead of simply being an imposing object on the DIFC properties.”
More about the project after the break. read more »
22
Jun 2009
Spaceport America, the first spaceport ever began construction last Friday in New Mexico. The spaceport, designed by Foster + Partners and URS Corporation will host commercial operations by private space travel companies, like Virgin Galactic.
The 110,000-plus square foot facility will use cost-effective, energy-efficient green building practices and will be built to be LEED-certified. From earth-tubes that will pre-condition the air to reduce HVAC costs by 50-70% to solar thermal panels on the roof for hot water to the embedded in-floor loop system, Spaceport America is both unique and iconic in terms of visual and environmental design.
Seen at Gizmodo. More images after the break. read more »
22
Jun 2009
Architects: TYIN Tegnestue
Location: Noh Bo, Tak, Thailand
Project team: Pasi Aalto, Andreas Grøntvedt Gjertsen, Yashar Hanstad, Magnus Henriksen, Line Ramstad, Erlend Bauck Sole
Client: Ole Jørgen Edna
Program: 6 sleeping units
Budget: 68.000 NOK (Approx. 10.000 USD)
Project year: November 2008 - February 2009
Photographs: Pasi Aalto