Blanka

"Blanka is both an online gallery and permanent visual archive devoted to celebrating the very best in creative communication and print on an international stage."

I came across this website on a blog I frequent. It's a very large archive of vintage poster prints that are really fun to look at. Design from this era in time will always be an inspiration to me, despite my age.

Because of trees

So I've really been into the whole natural wood design in furniture and structures for as long as I can remember. In the homes below you can see that the open spaces and large windows allow for ample light to come in and reflect off the wood grain which gives off a natural feeling within the structure. You could only imagine how nice it smells walking into one of these homes. Shown below is Architect Arthur Erickson's brilliantly designed wooden homes located in the Pacific Northwest.

Workspace

A person's workspace is an important aspect when it comes to inspiration and getting that "not working" feel. It's something that you shouldn't dread going to. Here are some spaces I really enjoy each with different or maybe the same reason in terms of functionality and simplicity.

Ostel

The Ostel hotel in Berlin, Germany.



The Ostel proves that communism doesn't always have to be dreary and depressing, especially in the design.

"The 100 greatest movie posters"

Tccandler.com has posted a list of 100 of the most greatest movie posters. The posters were judged based on relevance to the movie and how effective the poster was. Check them out here.

My all time favorite...


And some other personal favorites from the list...




These are some movie poster designs that I believe work well and succeed in portraying the essence of the movie it promotes and does not reflect my taste in movies, though some of these are pretty good.

Part of the weekend never dies

RADIO SOULWAX' hotly anticipated film / documentary "Part of the Weekend Never Dies" had its premiere at the Ether Festival at the Royal Festival Hall in London on the 24th of last April. 150 shows. One camera. This DVD looks fun. Soulwax is amazing , if you haven't heard of SOULWAX, you should definitely check them out!
Radio Soulwax - Part of the Weekend never Dies - Are You Filming


Part of the Weekend Never Dies trailer

telefon 1985 *

copyright JohnAM 2008

CLASSY FAST FOOD

Arne Jacobsen fast food in London.


McDonalds.




I'm lovin it :)

Moving on

I'ts about damn time! I've anxiously waited for these papers for five months due to applying so early in the year. I was 99.8 percent positive I'd get in the ad school but I had my .2 percent of a doubt. I definitely have a busy summer ahead of me.

The early dreams

Once, a long time ago, in my late high school early college days, I was interested in becoming an architect. Not only interested, I had my mind set. I took the classes and looked at possible Universities that offered the degree. Years later I realized my niche' was in photography and design, in which soon I began to study and pursue. But that's not to say that I'm not an appreciator or lover of architecture. I enjoy and love everything in this form of art and design...with a little science thrown in. I would however, one day like to design my own place. That has always been one of my few dreams.

The place more than likely would look similar to this (below) but a little more discreet in terms of the design structure for privacy. I love the exposed wood grain of the sheet slats on the ceilings and the clean functional design. The lighting is very welcoming. The structure looks like it belongs there, embedded amongst the trees next to the lake.

"Eight 1-1/2" bolts support steel legs-strategically placed placed to preserve the old trees the reach into the earth that support a panelized roof and a suspended "belly" that floats within the coniferous canopy". -Zero Plus Architects



Building: Snee-oosh cabin
Architects: Zero Plus architects

The cool way to put pants and wayfarers on

Both ads were made for different clients (Pants: Levis, Sunglasses: Ray Ban). Same agency (CUTWATER, director: "Benzo" Theodore. Same idea. But seriously...what happened to the notion of a 'unique brand image'? Where is it? Don't get me wrong, these are very entertaining, especially the Ray Ban one which is hilarious! Does it sell? would you buy these products? I did, but not because of the these ads, it's because they're good, quality products...something the agency should have focused on. Oh well, as long as you're entertained, the clients are happy.

New Obama poster campaign design

I'm sure most of you have already seen the Obama poster that Shepard Fairey designed a few months ago that sold out with proceeds going towards the Obama presidential campaign. A few weeks ago I read up on some exciting news via the "blog world" that one of my favorite graphic designers Scott Hansen aka iso50 was asked by the Obama campaign to design the next campaign poster. I patiently yet, anxiously at the same time waited for weeks, checking his blog everyday. Finally it came out! There are a limited run of 5,000 copies that are available for purchase for $70. You can buy them here. Hansen gave some information on the design process stating that the size of the file for this poster was 2.77GB! and nearly 1000 layers, weighing in as the most complex poster he has designed. I'm sure my computer would have exploded. Though it may not look that complex, it surely is. You can view both of the Obama "Progress" posters below.

Design by Shepard Fairey



Designed by Scott Hansen

Scripts showcase design for Motherwell College.

Design by Greig Anderson. I love this guys work! Good choice of typeface and colors. I really like the dot toning of a majority of the pages. Much kudos to Grieg based out of Glasgow.

UNIQLOCK

From an Ad students perspective and I'm sure advertisers in the field, marketers, etc., this is a brilliant idea! It's called UNIQLOCK. Yes it's a screen saver, but save your yawning. Think "loungy" music and sound components by Fantastic Plastic Machine with clips of cute Japanese women doing the robot and other dance choreography. This is rather a brilliant idea in terms of Viral marketing, say, t-shirts, music or even product placement worn by the dancers or placed throughout the enviroment. Created by Tokyo's projector inc., this strategy has recently won a clio award. You can read the article here.


And in case you were wondering, yes, I do have it as a screen saver. Click on the word UNIQLOCK above to download it to your PC or Mac.

Introducing Microsoft "Surface"

Imagine a day when the everyday desk can serve as your very own multi-touch interface system. But not only serving as a desk, but maybe a kitchen table, breakfast nook or conference table. Bringing the digital world to our everyday lives. Imagine being able to place a soup can on this "Surface" table and being given the nutritional content or follow-up recipes. Imagine using your finger as a brush on Adobe applications such as Photoshop or illustrator. That'll be the day huh? Well apparently Microsoft has just introduced the "Surface"...well maybe not recently, but what the hell. Microsoft "surface" allows users to shift through digital content with the flick of the finger. You'll be able to place your cell phone, camera, and any other digital storage medium and transfer media onto the the table for viewing, editing, or sharing. At the retail price of $10,000, A few companies have been considered the early adopters of this system creating their own applications to suit their needs. While Microsoft is focusing on commercial applications, they are also working on reducing the costs introducing it to the main public in 3 to 5 years. You can read the article here on adweek.com

Reading about this system I came up with some ideas and applications of my own that may have already (or not) been thought of by Microsoft...

- On table multi-touch interface cell phone.
- Cable television
- Auto-CAD applications
- Adobe Software
- Holographic potential (think Star Wars)
- Virtual arm wrestling or boxing
- Movie editing
- Virtual cooking lessons
- Virtual massage practicing
- Finger mazes

These are just a few of my inane ideas.

TONIGHT

If you like to dance, check this synth-pop-disco duo out. They're called Tonight and they're from Michigan. Listen to "When galaxies form", "pop charts", or "without you"... Good stuff!

A little inspiration

So I came across this Latvian magazine Juana Gaita (The new course) and found the cover designs they produced over the past 50 years. I really enjoy these and you can too...right here