The Test Tube is a simple little site with an odd musical background and profound message. Take a look. Enter what you would do with an extra minute and see what others had to say.
TweetOn December 13, 2011, In Great sites, By John Ellis
On September 30, 2011, In Great design, Great sites, By John Ellis
Made by Hand video.
This looks like a promising series of videos on craftsmanship. I wish these guys well. View episode 1 here.
Made by Hand was created out of the belief that the things we collect, consume, use, and share are part of who we are as individuals. For example, the food that we eat says something about each of us, as do the tools we use and the chairs we rest on. Objects that surround the space we dwell in tell stories, and not just about us. Where did they come from? Who made them? How were they made?
Each film aims to promote that which is made locally, sustainably, and with a love for craft. Based in Brooklyn, the project takes its influence from the handmade movement here and elsewhere. We hope you find the spirit of it inspiring. (from thisismadebyhand.com)
TweetOn September 12, 2011, In Copywriting tips, Great design, Great experiential marketing, By John Ellis
Looking for connections between a brand philosophy and a human desire in nothing new. BMW has been linking performance cars with art since the 1970s.
When a brand invests enough time to become a legitimate authority on anything, it can easily use that legitimacy to forge a tighter bond with customers.
This short video on the history on the project helps to put a little context around the automaker’s recent fundraising campaign.
BMW Art Car
BMW Art Car
How it works.
Each piece, regardless of its location, is available to be bid on and won from anywhere in Canada. The minimum bid for each piece is $250. Once the auction closes, the individual with the highest bid will be notified and then shipped the complete art piece, including the frame. All proceeds raised from the winning bids will be donated to Kids’ Horizons and all winning bidders will receive a tax receipt for their donation. The BMW Art Auction closes at 12:00 AM (midnight), October 1, 2011. If you have any questions, or require assistance placing your bid, please email BMW_art_auction@bmw.ca.
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Liquid font from Ruslan Khasanov.
Russian illustrator and designer Ruslan Khasanov has created a melting font that he is currently featuring on his behance portfolio site. The work is lovely and I’m not sure how long it will be on the site, so here are a few links that will help you get acquainted with the very talented dude.
Ruslan Khasanov home page.
Ruslan’s behance site. For now, this is the fastest way into the work.
TweetOn August 30, 2011, In Artists, Great design, By John Ellis
The awesome work of Nuala O'Donovan
Close up of Teasel.
Starfish by Nuala O'Donovan
Starfish by Nuala O'Donovan
Wait. More Starfish by Nuala O'Donovan.
I discovered Nuala’s work in Co.Design Daily, a blog from the folks at Fast Company. Co.Design is turning out to be a good source of inspiration. What I find fascinating about this work is the attention to detail and the ability to labour over one task for so long. She’s keeping these valuable traits alive.
Nuala’s Bio
Nuala O’Donovan was born in Cork City in Ireland. She spent a number of years living and working in the U.K., Australia and the U.S.A. before returning to Cork in 1997. She completed a BA(Hons) in Three-Dimensional Design at Middlesex University in the U.K. in 1994 and studied ceramics at the Crawford College of Art and Design graduating with an MA in 2008.
Since graduating Nuala O’Donovan has won a number of national awards and her work has been exhibited nationally and internationally. Her work has been purchased for private and public collections in Ireland, the U.K. and Europe. She currently lives and works in Cork City, Ireland.
Her Artist Statement
My work combines regular pattern with the characteristics of irregular patterns and forms from nature. Each element of the pattern is individually made, the form is constructed slowly over a period of weeks or months, and fired a number of times during the making process. The finished forms are a result of an intuitive response to the direction that the pattern takes as well as the irregularity in the handmade elements of the pattern.
I have used the characteristics of irregular/fractal patterns in nature as a system of constraints or guidelines when making decisions about the forms: The patterns are regularly irregular. The patterns and form are self-similar. The pattern records a response to random events during the making process. The result of using the characteristics of fractal geometry in making decisions regarding the form of the sculptural pieces, is that the form is resolved but retains a sense of potential change. The viewer engages with the piece by allowing their own visual experiences to influence their view of the outcome of the form and its future possibilities. I hope that this aspect of my work also evokes the transitory quality of living organisms, combining traces of history, the present and the future, in the patterns that make up their surfaces and forms.
My decision to research patterns and forms from nature stemmed from my interest in the narrative quality of irregularities in patterns. The history behind a scarred or broken surface is what fascinates me. The evidence of a response to random events visible in patterns in nature, is testament to the ability of living organisms to recover, to respond, and to continue growing and changing. It is the imperfections in the patterns caused by a unique experience that are evidence of the life force in living organisms.
TweetOn August 24, 2011, In Great design, By John Ellis
“Complex medical regimens can confuse patients and be a hindrance to proper treatment. But, Smart Design’s Eric Freitag writes, new technology promises to help both patients and health-care professionals stay on top of prescription medications.”
That’s the inspiration behind some great design thinking taking place under the leadership of Eric Freitag, the Director of Engineering and head of Smart Design’s Healthcare Initiative.
This story is very inspirational for anyone who wants to put his or her creativity to use for the power of good. You can read the whole thing here.
TweetOn August 16, 2011, In Artists, Great design, By John Ellis
Art on pencils by Ghostpatrol.
Ghostpatrol is the working name of a multi-talented, self-taught Australian artist. There’s a lot of great work on his site.
What I find most powerful about the pencil painting is how it invoked my memory of the way pencils smell. It took me back to grade school and the sharpener on the wall.
Right now I have two pencils and a sharpener in my courier bag along with a Moleskine and a Canson, 65 LB sketch pad.
It’s something to think about when we create customer experiences. How moving can we be? Do we invoke the senses?
Ghostpatrol’s bio
Born In Hobart, Australia
Works and lives in Melbourne Australia
A self taught artist, Ghostpatrol has moved from the field of stencil art to exhibit his drawing based creations worldwide. He currently resides in Melbourne at his ‘Mitten Fortress’ studio. His work ranges form fine ink drawing, street-art, commissioned murals and soft sculpture.
Ghostpatrol creates worlds. His ongoing exploration of hybrid animals and forests travels across mediums; from pasted posters to soft sculpture, watercolours and printmaking. His work often references childhood nostalgia and pop culture, with often quite sinister and playful undertones. From beginnings in stencil and street art, his current practice focuses on ambitious installation and painting projects.
TweetOn August 15, 2011, In Great design, Great experiential marketing, By John Ellis
When JohnnyWalker launched it’s new bottle shape for the Black Label brand back in 2010, the choice of a giant sphere might not have seemed appropriate for the iconic bottle with its square shape and rugged shoulders.
But the brand has always pushed limits and tried to be dramatic in all media.
This is a strategically and technically solid execution. I wish I had found it sooner. Kudos to JL Design.
TweetOn August 2, 2011, In Artists, By John Ellis
Olek is an established artist with a distinctive approach and a lot of friends willing to dress up in crochet.
What makes his work difficult to duplicate is the amount of effort it takes to produce these one-off displays and the very personal nature of his work.
This is something we can all strive for when we create identities for the brands we create.
If the idea, the site or the spot lacks anything that makes it unique, it’s probably just a me-too thought or a rip-off of something else.
Take a look at more of Olek’s work here.
TweetOn July 29, 2011, In Artists, Great design, By John Ellis
Karel Funk
Go to almost any review of Karel Funk’s work and it will sound the same. “Hyper this and hyper that.”
But this article in WMagazine does an excellent job of summing his approach. The detail on blue baseball cap is crazy great.
Anyone who has ever ridden the New York subway at rush hour knows the feeling of being pressed so close to your fellow commuters that you can see their every pore, shaving nick and flaking follicle. To artist Karel Funk, newly arrived in Manhattan from his native Winnipeg, Manitoba, in 2001, that proximity to strangers on a train proved overwhelming at first—then career changing. He’d been toying with suburban angst in his paintings but felt that route was already well traveled by others. In urban voyeurism, however, he knew he had found his ideal subject.
Read More http://www.wmagazine.com/artdesign/2010/03/karel_funk#ixzz1TKGvMp9J