Dead Children Playing

I have stated before that I do purchase music simply for the artwork. This was very much the case when Radiohead exploded into the scene with 'OK Computer'. At the time, I really did not know who they were, but the artwork intrigued me enough for me to purchase the album. While it was definitely interesting to follow the sonic evolution of Thom Yorke and co, it was just as exciting to anticipate new imagery from Stanley Donwood, the artist behind all the albums. In fact, I would even go as far as saying that his art is synonymous with Radiohead, and with Thom Yorke himself. Every time I see something that remotely resembles Donwood's artwork, I think of Radiohead. This is brand imagery at its best.

Well, for those who cannot get enough of the packaging, or are eagerly awaiting the packaged version of In Rainbows, here is a book for you:


From LA Times, ""Dead Children Playing" [is] devoted to the visual side of the Radiohead juggernaut. Along with reproductions of works that have appeared with every Radiohead album since "The Bends" in 1995, "Dead Children Playing" includes examples of Donwood's other pieces and commentary by the two men, offering illumination into the jagged, icy landscapes they've crafted to accompany the band's atmospheric music."


For more information, and to see other images, go to slowlydownward.

Heart Breaking Ad

Here is an ad that totally broke my heart. The concept really drives right into your head and touches your nerve:


Created by The Alchemy Partnership in Singapore.

Re-performance

Glenn Gould is known for his revolutionary approach to playing Bach's music. Fortunately for us, he also left behind a vast collection of his recordings, which makes for a comprehensive resource into his insight and philosophy; unfortunately, he also hummed while he played, which frustrated sound engineers because his voice was, at times, highly audible. His habit of humming is by no means a hindrance to my aural enjoyment though. Quite the contrary in fact. I personally find it to be very charming. But for those who do not find so, the following should pique your interest:


From Deseret Morning News, "Technophiles will no doubt be intrigued (and purists appalled) by the Zenph "re-performance" of Glenn Gould's 1955 recording of Bach's Goldberg Variations, an interesting experiment in the world of technology and art. What is a "re-performance?" The Zenph software analyzes a piano performance, separates the musical attributes (pitch and duration of notes, velocity of key strikes, key releases, and so on), and then encodes those to be re-created and re-played on a high-resolution, computer-controlled piano. The result is a re-creation of the original performance on an actual piano — supposedly exactly as the original artist played it. Instead of re-mastering old recordings, they can simply re-perform and newly record "old performances" on state-of-the-art recording equipment."

"This CD is a musical litmus test that the creators of this technology gave themselves: creating Gould's 1955 performance of the Goldberg Variations, as the original recording was before the advent of stereo sound. It was recorded twice: once as a stereo surround version and once as the binaural stereo version, billed as the 'ultimate headphone experience'. The binaural version was recorded on two microphones inside ear-shaped apparatus (on a dummy head), placed approximately at the distance away from the piano that Glenn Gould's actual two ears would have been. So it's intended to re-create exactly the way it would have sounded to Gould himself as he was playing, and is intended to be heard through headphones."

The re-performance sounds almost exactly like the original one, sans extraenous noise. While I will opt for the original any time, the binaural quality could make for a really interesting experience. For more information, go to Zenph.

Virtual Water Project

Found this great poster about the Virtual Water Project today:

"Water is probably one of the most precious resources and vital for everyone’s everyday life. In spite of this obvious fact, people use large amounts of water: drinking, cooking and washing, but even more for producing things such as food, paper, cotton clothes, etc... One of the most important research papers in this field is Chapagain, A.K. and Hoekstra, A.Y. (2004), »Water footprints of nations«, Value of Water Research Report Series No. 16, UNESCO-IHE, Delft, the Netherlands. Designer Timm Kekeritz created a poster, visualizing parts of their research data, to make the issue of virtual water and the water footprint perceptible. The water footprint of a person, company or nation is defined as the total volume of freshwater that is used to produce the commodities, goods and services consumed by the person, company or nation. The idea of the water footprint is quite similar to the ecological footprint, but focussing on the use of water." (Virtual Water Project)

Olympic Mint

From Royal Canadian Mint:

CITIUS... ALTIUS... FORTIUS... (Faster... Higher... Stronger...)
These three words, comprising the motto of the Olympic movement, encourage the athlete in all of us to give our best during competition, and to view this effort as its own victory. The Olympic Games have a 3,000 year history of bringing people together to give their best in competition. The Winter Games are the cold-weather complement to the original Olympic Summer Games. Held every four years, the Olympic Winter Games feature winter sports, all of which are held on ice or snow. The only Olympic Winter Games held in Canada was in 1988, in the city of Calgary, Alberta. In 2010, Canada will proudly host the XXI Olympic Winter Games, this time in Vancouver, British Columbia."

To commemorate this great event, RCM will be launching a series of coins.

From CNW, "The Royal Canadian Mint (RCM) officially released the fifth of 17 circulation coins to celebrate the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. The sport of alpine skiing is depicted on the 25-cent coin. "Alpine skiing is yet another sport the Mint is proudly celebrating as part of its extensive Olympic coin program," said Ian E. Bennett, President and CEO of the Royal Canadian Mint. "As we look ahead to the next two years, the Mint will continue to offer Canadians from coast to coast the unique opportunity to collect a piece of the Games." "Alpine Canada Alpin is honoured that our great sport is being showcased to all Canadians though the issuing of an Olympic coin," said Mr. Ken Read, Chief Executive Officer of Alpine Canada Alpin. "Alpine ski racing has a long tradition of excellence in this country and our athletes are committed to being the very best in the world as we head towards the 2010 Winter Games.""


"Designed by Canadian artist Glenn Green of Vancouver, BC, the alpine
skiing circulation coin features an alpine skier in the centre, a stylized
maple leaf and the words 'Vancouver 2010'. The obverse features the portrait
of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, rendered by Susanna Blunt."

"Alpine skiing has been contested at every Winter Olympics since the 1936
Winter Games in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany. The Olympic alpine
competition consists of ten events, one each for men and women in the
following disciplines: super combined, downhill, giant slalom, slalom and
super-G. Canadians have won 10 medals in alpine skiing at the Olympic Games,
including four gold medals. The first Canadian to win Olympic alpine gold was
Anne Heggtveit in the slalom event at the 1960 Olympics in Squaw Valley."

Glassybabies

Of my hypochondriacal tendencies, cancer tops the list. I have spent quite a few sleepless nights during spikes imagining the pain and suffering that accompanies the disease. The misery and agony is indescribable. And while I am glad that cancer is a heavily covered topic (hence, the public is better equipped with necessary knowledge for early detection), I strongly believe that it has also contributed to my fear of it. Perhaps it is this, along with my fervent prayers that my family and I will never be cursed with this disease, that I find this following artist very courageous and inspiring:

From SFGate, "During a seven-year battle with lung cancer, Lee Rhodes realized how much people with cancer needed support. When it was all over, she turned to glassmaking and eventually created the Glassybaby, which she now produces for charity. '[My then-husband] would bring adorable cups home, and we would light candles in them. We gave them as baby presents. That's how we started to call them glassybaby,' [Lee said]. But, at 32, after their third child was born, Rhodes was stricken with cancer. She suffered three bouts of the disease. Later, in 2000, her marriage ended and she rekindled her interest in glassblowing. With her damaged lungs, she couldn't blow glass anymore, but she wanted to start a business to help the kind of women who had sat with her in waiting rooms or in recovery at the hospital. She decided to have the Glassybabies produced in larger quantities so she could sell them at parties and then donate the proceeds to support cancer research and groups that help patients."


From Seattle PI, "She's hoping to break $1 million in sales this year, which is above her conservative estimates but not unthinkable. And for members of the glassybaby clubs, there are seasonal or monthly deliveries of bouquets of glassybaby colors. And though the 2,000-degree molten glass must be handled by five glass blowers to make each hand-finished glassybaby, Rhodes said the soul of the glassybaby is 'simple, simple'."

Type Design

Here is a great short on type design:

Business Card Concept

Here is a wonderful concept to accurately summarise a profession on a business card:


Created by DDB Singapore. Illustrated by Kuanth.

Invisible Creatures

There are very few areas in design that are not influenced by mass commercial appeal and retail potential. Music CD packaging is one such example. It is catered towards subgroups, such as fans. More often than not, fans value the packaging just as much as they do the music. They expect that the artwork to round out and complete the artistic intentions of the musician. Therefore, designers and artists are given more room to explore and design for the sake of art. In fact, I have purchased music (without knowing who the artist is) simply for the packaging. Many times. If I saw this on a shelf, I would certainly buy it. And no, I do not know who they are:


Artwork created by Invisible Creature.

Camouflage Clothing

Attire, at its most basic, has a function - to shield the more intimate parts of our body; it can, however, also be functional - to wick moisture off when we sweat, to protect our skin from the harsh elements, or to help us navigate more efficiently or hide more discreetly (to escape detection) in different kinds of environments. With the advent of the computer, we even have wearable computing to integrate technology into every last possible aspect of our lives. Perhaps one day we will really be able to simple blast off into the sky simply with our shoes to avoid potential harm, a la cartoons, but for now, we simply have to rely on more lo-tech methods:


From New York Times, "Aya Tsukioka [an experimental fashion designer] demonstrated new clothing designs that she hopes will ease Japan’s growing fears of crime. [She] lifted a flap on her skirt to reveal a large sheet of cloth printed in bright red with a soft drink logo partly visible. By holding the sheet open and stepping to the side of the road, she showed how a woman walking alone could elude pursuers — by disguising herself as a vending machine. The wearer hides behind the sheet, printed with an actual-size photo of a vending machine. [Her] clothing is still in development, but she already has several versions, including one that unfolds from a kimono and a deluxe model with four sides for more complete camouflaging."

She also has other ideas that help you escape harm:


"For children, she has a backpack that transforms into a Japanese-style fire hydrant, hiding the child. The 'manhole bag' [is] a purse that can hide valuables by unfolding to look like a sewer cover. Lay it on the street with your wallet inside, and unwitting thieves are supposed to walk right by."

Paper Usage Awareness Ad

Are you aware how much paper you throw out in a day? I would imagine most of us use the bulk of it to wipe our hands before exiting the washroom and to clean up any kitchen spills. All this paper will probably not be recycled, so it is a great strain on the environment. Well, here is an ad to raise awareness, created by Saatchi & Saatchi:


"To make people realize that saving the planet starts with them saving paper, we took a standard paper dispenser and made a simple modification with green foil and the silhouette of South America. This allowed us to prove that the survival of the forest is directly connected to what people consume."

Olympic Bridge

Vancouver will be hosting the 2010 Winter Olympics. To accommodate the 17 days of Olympics events and 10 days of paralympics events, there is a stretch of land spanning from Richmond - one of Greater Vancouver's numerous municipalities - to downtown Vancouver, to be made into games venues. A lot of money has been poured into these facilities, but I have always wondered whether that money spent is justified. Only time will tell if these venues will continue serving us Vancouverites on a regular basis well after the games has ended. Meanwhile, London is facing the same issues. One of the venues is to contain two footbridges in the centre of the Olympic Park. The winning design, by Heneghan Peng Architects, for this was recently revealed:


From a London2012 media release, "The design competition, launched in May, was for multidisciplined teams to design the footbridge located on the central pedestrian concourse in the Olympic Park. The footbridge spans 26m over the River Lea at a focal point between the Olympic Stadium, Aquatics Centre and Basketball Arena. The planning and design of the bridge will integrate both Games and legacy use. During the Games the bridge will have a total width of 55 metres to accommodate increased spectator numbers. After the Games temporary sections of bridge will be removed leaving two narrower bridges that span either side of Carpenters Lock, a unique 1930’s historic structure on the River Lea Waterway."


Heneghan Peng’s concept designs were praised by the design jury for making the bridge a spectacle in Games mode by using the landscape for colour and activity followed by the transformation of the structure in legacy to leave two footbridges linked by a central blade-like walkway offering views over the river and Carpenters Lock. "The winning team impressed the design jury with their understanding of the need to plan Games and legacy together. Their designs will help us lock-in legacy now by designing a bridge that meets Games-time needs but which also leaves behind a striking structure in the heart of the Olympic Park for future generations to enjoy," said ODA Director of Infrastructure and Utilities Simon Wright.

End Poverty Stamp

I am lucky - I never grew up on the other side of the poverty line. Therefore, I simply cannot imagine what both parent and child have to give up just to survive in this money-centric society. Yet, poverty runs rampant in almost every country. To commemorate the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty, which falls on October 17th, the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs collaborated with the Department of Public Information and the United Nations Postal Administration to hold International Children's Art Competition for the purpose of a stamp with the theme "we can end poverty".

Asking a child, especially if the child does not yet understand the meaning of poverty, to address this issue is no small feat. So, I am utterly amazed at the level of comprehension of the world's affairs many of these children have. Here they offer their honest opinions:

"... [t]he majority of children tell us that the richer countries and individuals should help those in need. They depict solidarity, cooperation and fairness as key values indispensable for ending poverty. Many children point to the existence of inequality and divisions in the world and suggest greater sharing and unity. Many give emphasis to the importance of love and compassion. Numerous entries depict the significance of education for poverty eradication. Children from developing countries often show the importance of small-scale farming for self-sufficiency. Many children think that employment, urbanization and the promotion of technology can help end poverty. A number of children, in particular children from countries in conflict, stress that the world needs peace and security to end poverty." (from UN)

It is heart-breaking... especially that last finding. Anyway, here are the winning entries, which I think will look beautiful on a stamp, and hopefully raise awareness of this issue:

Mowing the Lawn

Here is an amazingly simple and effective idea for Norton, via newcreatives:

Taxi Iconography

Few objects have made use of the colour yellow more prominently than the standard taxi. It is bright and immediately recognisable:


So, in a sense, I have no idea why New York taxis needed to be rebranded:


Anyway, I gave it some thought after reading the following article from New York Times:

“Part of the thrust of Taxi 07 was to bring the taxi’s image into the 21st century, to appropriately celebrate its centennial and give a nod to the past while giving it a consistent, modern appearance,” said Allan Fromberg, a spokesman for the Taxi and Limousine Commission. The first logo, [designed] by Smart Design was simply the capital letters NYC (not a different font from 'AXI' as seen in this picture - explanation to follow), followed by slightly higher capital letters spelling TAXI. The words were set in a custom typeface based loosely on the computer-generated block letters once found on driver’s licenses. Smart Design moved the fare information panel from the front door to the rear door, where passengers were more likely to see it, and added a pictogram showing a person hailing a cab. It moved the medallion number to the rear of the cab, also to improve its visibility and added a streaming trail of rectangles to recall the historical Checker. (all from the the article)

However, it was felt that the logo, being all type, was not flashy enough. The designers then simplified the logo to the single medallion currently seen, without the rest of the text. Coincidentally, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority intended to use the T designation for the future Second Avenue subway, so the rest of the text was added back in. Then, NYC & Company, the city’s official marketing and tourism organization, unveiled its own NYC logo, designed by Wolff Olins. To maintain consistency, the text 'NYC' was written with this font.

I personally find the logo quite hideous. It is a classic example of 'too many cooks spoil the brew'. It looks rather amateurish and haphazard. Apparently I am not the only one who thinks so:

Micahel Bierut says that “I have to admit, the form is more of a problem for me. I am a little confused by the overall aesthetic of the new graphic, which seems to be intentionally crude and lumpy, more Checker than Crown Vic, I guess. There is also a blunted trailing off of the other checker pattern which seems particularly halfhearted to me. And that attempt to combine the NYC logo which is being used elsewhere with T in a circle (why?) and that (again) bluntly rounded off and oddly-spaced A-X-I just seems a little ham handed. Maybe it looked good on paper, but I don’t find it convincing on the side of a cab."

Google Redesign

Here is a bit of humour: What if Google had to redesign their website for Google to index? The answer here.

Leopard Release

Cat coming! Leopard will be out on the 26th.

You can preorder here.

Tricky Ad Subject

Years ago, during a family dinner gathering, my (side-splittingly hilarious) cousin proclaimed that, with the real estate market booming and land prices escalating at the alarming rate that it was at the time, she would not be able to afford being buried soon. So, instead of investing in a house like everyone else was, she would put all her money into buying a small plot of land for when she passes on. The comment was completely out of the blue and, considering she was (and is still) healthy as a horse, we all could not help but laugh. The cackles were genuine too. It did not occur to me at the time, but that was indeed a very rare occasion where the idea of preparing for death did not bring about nervousness. However, people do (generally) abhor the inevitable fact, postponing it till when they feel the heat of the the Grim Reaper's scythe. How then do those who make a living out of those who are dying or are dead advertise their business?

ACLC was faced with the exact same dilemma for Mount Pleasant Cemetary's advertising:


I think they were really smart about it. The overall tone is neither too serious nor too casual. That said, I still shudder to think of death. No, thank you. I believe I, and my parents for that matter, have a long long way ahead still. I need to wipe the sweat off my forehead now...

Technological Direction

Technology will always change our lifestyles - visionaries will come up with ideas that aim to enhance aspects of our lives, engineers will come up with bones and muscles that make up the offering, and designers will come up with the skin and flesh to ease the adoption. Do you wonder how technological advancement will impact us in aprroximately two decades time? Here are the key energing trends from Gartner Symposium/ITExpo Worldwide that will affect our lives one way or another:

The Real World Web:
The general idea of the real world Web is context–telling users what they need to know immediately. This Web would be proactive and be able to manage identity and avatars and use tags so machines can gather information. The foundation for this vision is wireless technology, sensors, location and semantic technologies. Timeline: 2015 to 2020.

Virtual worlds and social software:
[Jackie Fenn - an analyst at Gartner] acknowledged that these emerging technologies were no big leap. The key is finding what’s enduring in social networking and virtual worlds. “Virtual worlds will slide down the trough of disillusionment pretty soon,” says Fenn. “Virtual worlds need to get easier and they will go through peaks and troughs a few more times. As for enduring features, a visible presence, open communications and personalization will make these technologies keepers. So when will these technologies evolve? Social software: 2 to 5 years from now. Virtual worlds: 5 to 10 years from now.

User interface advancements:
“A lot of user interface stuff is in the labs, but hasn’t gotten out. There is a fundamental shift toward touch,” says Fenn. These interface changes include gesture and touch technologies, which will be used to access information in 2010. From there, new display types will offer 3D, be flexible and project over large areas in about 2015. In 2020 the focus will shift from interfaces on a device to interaction with the environment.

Personal manufacturing and fabbing:
Fenn says that 3D printers will be coming to a Kinko’s near you in the not too distant future. Today, these printers are used for industrial prototyping, product designs and architectural models. But there is a growing hobbyist movement. In a few years, you’ll see home-based printing of replacement parts. Your kids will print out models of their avatars. These printers, which come from companies like Z Corporation, are in the $20,000 price range–the price range where laser printers got their start. Timeline: 5 to 10 years.

Mobile robots:
Robots will be increasingly used for lifting and rescue operations, healthcare and human companions. They will also be used for telepresence devices for dangerous jobs. Timeline: More than 10 years from now.

Human augmentation:
Technology will be used to restore normal performance and will advance performance in the future. These techniques will come via implants, brain interfaces, genetic selection and nerve to prosthesis applications. Humans will achieve infrared vision, sense transference and memory extensions. Think bionic woman. Timeline: More than 10 years.

Collective intelligence:
Companies will use community knowledge and excel at it. Think crowdsourcing, open source, prediction markets and user ratings as building business models. By 2015, the top 100 companies will have saved at least $10 million due to collective intelligence.

Extreme meritocracy:
Performance metrics on any person will be readily available. These metrics will be based on peer reviews and feedback and be publicly available for most professions. The top 5 percent of workers will be more productive and paid accordingly. The downside: Fake reputations and attacks. On the bright side, this development wouldn’t become the norm until about 2017.

All text copied verbatim from ZDnet.

Space Money

Admittedly this idea is a bit premature considering our current technological advancement, but I am nevertheless intrigued by the vision of our future, where extraterrestrial business transactions are commonplace and earthly banks list the QUID as yet another currency available for conversion.


The Quasi Universal Intergalactic Denomination, or QUID, is the new currency of inter-planetary travelers. It was designed for the foreign exchange company Travelex by scientists from Britain's National Space Centre and the University of Leicester. The QUID has been designed to withstand the stresses of space travel and the extreme environment found in orbit around the Earth. It has also been created so that it can be purchased on earth in any one of the 176 currencies used around the globe.

Professor George Fraser from the University of Leicester commented: “None of the existing payment systems we use on earth – like cash, credit or debit cards – could be used in space for a variety of different reasons. Anything with sharp edges, like coins, would be a risk to astronauts while the chips and magnetic strips used in our cards on Earth would be damaged beyond repair by cosmic radiation. What’s more, because of the distances involved, it is more than 230,000 miles from the Earth to the moon, chip and pin technology is also out of the question.”

Professor Fraser continued: “We have had to completely rethink the design of the currency from the materials used to the payment mechanisms and aesthetics. The currency cannot contain any chemicals that might contaminate the astronauts’ life support systems and must be able to survive the extreme environment of space. We also had in mind that the currency should be meaningful for any intelligent life we might encounter in other planetary systems.” (All from Travelex)

The QUID is made from a space-qualified polymer – PTFE (polytetrafluoroethylene). This material is widely used by space agencies because of its durability and versatility. Earthlings know it better as "teflon", and are well-aware of its resistance to high temperatures and corrosive materials... The rounded edges of the QUID make it safer, and also encompass the eight planets orbiting a sun which are part of the design. Each of the orbiting planets contain a serial number; taken together, these numbers will give each QUID disc a unique code to prevent counterfeiting. (From SPACE) Different colours and sizes are used to denote different values. They are valued from one to ten and by looking at today’s rates one QUID would cost you £6.25, 12.5 dollars or 8.68 Euros.

Travelex comment: “It’s only a matter of time before people will be walking up to our shops and asking for QUIDs for their two weeks in a space hotel. There will be a real need for this currency to be introduced to meet the needs of those intergalactic tourists. Wherever we go on holiday – whether its Spain or Saturn we’ll always want to take some cash. Apart from anything else, if you’d just had a fortnight in space you’d definitely want to buy a souvenir to bring back.” (From Travelex)

Who knows - maybe QUID will climb up the Foreign Exchange Market and become one of the most traded currencies in the future, though I do imagine ISO will have to come up with a three-letter code for it.

I-35W Bridge Design

The replacement bridge for the original one that collapsed has been revealed:

This new I-35W concrete bridge will span 1,216-foot, to be completed by Christmas Eve 2008, and will last well into the next century, with its built-in sensors for monitoring structural integrity and multiple backup systems. The designer, Linda Figg of Figg Engineering Group, came up with a design with clean, simple lines and a minimalist look. It also will be built to accommodate a light rail transit line in the future and a possible suspension bridge underneath for pedestrian traffic. The plan also calls for parks with observation decks below the bridge. (Associated Press) Figg said she drew on both the historic Stone Arch Bridge and the futuristic Guthrie Theater for inspiration, with 'water', arches' and 'reflections' being the themes. (Architectural Record) "It is a sculptural bridge where the form and the function work with proportion and elegance to create a model for other bridges in America," Figg said.


"A functional sculptural bridge reflecting a series of modern arch forms softly set in the contect of the site to maximise openness, light and green space while focusing on the river. Rover space sweeps 504' in a parabolic curve of graceful proportions. The pier shape of [this concept] creates a reflection of curved forms with continuous movement in to the bridge superstructure. Strength and elegance combine for a 70' tall pier." (Twin Cities)

The original bridge collapsed, claiming 13 lives with it and hurting many others. But it was obviously to be rebuilt. While I can appreciate the form and function of this structure, I cannot help but wonder - how does someone who has been greatly affected by the catastrophe (either lost a loved one or was hurt by it) react to this? How does one cross the bridge - certainly a major artery connecting asphalt limbs - without being prompted of the horror? Can (shiny and new) design heal?

Leslie Williamson

I have not been able to post for the past few weeks due to a combination of various factors. My posts will probably remain spraodic at best until November or so. That said, I just simply had to pay a tribute to this amazing photographer, introduced to me by a good friend:


These images of the Gropius house are taken by Leslie Williamson. Her intention was to photograph artifacts and living spaces of architects to uncover their 'essence', because it can be much more revealing of his/her ideology and way of life.


There is a great attention to detail and, I have to add, these images really do expose a side of the architect that is definitely lost in his other (mainly) education-related buildings. The images also manage to capture a sense of serenity and quiet beauty. Wonderful!

Glenn Gould

25 years ago, on this day, we lost a brilliant pianist and philosopher, who revolutionaised the way we listened to and perceived Bach's art. His name is Glenn Gould: