August 2013

ICL, On Beauty

Here's a great example of how a corporate brand can team up with talented creatives and everyone wins. Warsteiner, a German brewery, recently teamed up with 6 great artists to produce some very nice-looking bottles, and the artists congregated in Berlin to join forces on an art show and public mural too. I got to...

Uncategorized

How often are you on your phone? The average smartphone user spends an hour a day, with iPhone users spending a bit more and Android users spending a bit less. Now, consider the fact that this is just an average and we all know how misleading averages can be. I'm absolutely convinced that users, especially...

Uncategorized

A lot has changed since I last attended FYF Fest two years ago. Back then the Los Angeles music festival was already far removed from its DIY roots, taking on a family-friendly acronym and being transplanted from the clubs and alleys of Echo Park to a national park in Chinatown, but it has exploded into...

8 Questions

Today we have an interview with Bob Faust, the founder of Faust, a Chicago-based "cultural branding and communications studio." Their portfolio includes identity, print, and digital design for a wide range of clients spanning Denver Art Museum and Playboy. Bob is also an expert at working with artists, and helping them translate their ideas into...

Feed, On Beauty

Late last year, I posted an Alan Watts video about the importance of making money versus following your heart on this site. Similarly, this new video "What it is to See" has been doing the rounds on design blogs and the likes. Take some good audio from an Alan Watts lecture, throw in some very...

Humbled, On Beauty, Uncategorized

Hank bought a bus. As an architecture student at the University of Minnesota and preparing for his final thesis project, he impulsively purchased a $3,000 bus and converted it into one epic mobile home pictured below. Completely retrofitted and re-designed to accommodate up to six people, it includes tables, couches, beds, a sink, a skylight,...

Editorial, On Beauty

This weekend I took my family to catch the last weekend of Gary Baseman's exhibit at the Skirball Cultural Center. Because the Los Angeles-based artist's style appears so effortless and playful, he is subject to being dismissed as an illustrator, entertainer, and crowd pleaser. The massive success of the board game Cranium (which features his...

8 Questions

I first heard about the emerging field of Biomimicry a few years ago, and I’ve been fascinated ever since about how this research and design methodology drives technology and systems innovation, inspired by nature to solve complex human problems. For example, emulating dolphins’ unique frequency modulating acoustics for high performance underwater data transmission in...

Feed, Solutions

Hey, happy Friday! Here's an interesting video featuring productivity consultant, and creator of the Getting Things Done method of time-management, David Allen speaking about "appropriate engagement" and "productive engagement." The focus is on making the "psychic bandwidth" or mental space you need (not the time) to be creative. The message here is don't spend two...

Feed, Humbled

In 2008 I experienced my very first drive-in movie in good ol' San Luis Obispo on a road trip back home from Berkeley. I was obviously aware that they had existed (just like aliens do), but never got the chance to experience it so I was pretty amp'd up when I finally did. I can't...