I just added him as a flickr friend. He’s so web 2.0!
I would also like an Obama 08 t-shirt at some point, because I think his campaign logo (you know, the O with the swoop?) is some of the sexiest logo design I have ever seen. I like this version, in particular (but for the record, I also like this one, which has nothing to do with politics, it’s just super cute).
Gah. I wish I was American so I could vote in their exciting, history making election instead of our boring, boring, boring and depressing one.
Stephen and Stephane’s respective charisma combined couldn’t match the charisma found in Obama’s left pinkie.
Well, it’s the first long hot weekend of a long hot summer, so we are going to take advantage of it.
Our weekend is going to be positively packed with farmers markets, and golfing, and shopping, and eating, and probably a little bit of gardening (although, other than a little watering, things are looking pretty self-sustaining at the moment).
To celebrate, you should watch this clip of a pretty good old movie (with a script by Billy Wilder, and opening credits by Saul Bass - how can you go wrong?) about the beginning of another long hot summer in the city (just ignore the slightly racially offensive bit in the middle - kinda hard to find an old movie that doesn’t have a couple moments like those, unfortunately).
And then Marilyn Monroe shows up. You should really hunt this down and watch the rest of it though. It’s one of those classics that’s a classic for a reason.
I think he was with the rest of his band too, but I don’t recognize them because I don’t see their faces plastered all over the checkout aisle when getting groceries.
I did not break out my camera phone, because I am a nice Canadian girl and we don’t do things like that.
In other news that I actually care about: that charity I might be building a website for might want me to do a whole full blown branding as well! I can not tell you how exciting that is to a fledgling designer. Can not even express it. Can’t. I’m getting started RIGHT NOW.
I’ve finally finished with the one project I’ve been steadily working on the past few months (a wedding invitation for friends - much more complicated and time intensive than you’d think - certainly than I thought) and I may have another project in the works (building a website for a local charity).
But I also finally have a workable idea for a project for ME to work on. I think I’m gonna keep that one under wraps for a while. But I will say that I’ve realised that I need to work on something I can split into very small little managable chunks (that will eventually build into somthing large and impressive). So it’s not gonna be some huge graphic novel, I’ll tell you that much.
I haven’t slept in days.
So now that my classes are almost (so close) over, right now I’m looking up my professor’s websites.
(The internet is a wonderful thing.)
Check out some of my Design Process prof’s stuff here. As someone who grew up visiting a ridiculously quaint and pretty much iconic little 100 year old log cabin cluttered with mid-century-design cast-offs, ancient (museum-quality) comestibles, lost cross-country-skis and rock collections - I gotta say I really love the idea of riffing on cabin culture as an aspect of Canadian identity. So I think this is a great idea for a collaborative/concept design show.
And my very own, Prof. Erdmann’s designs are pretty much the best ones.
And his head-shot makes him look ridiculously adorable (which I don’t remember from his class).
Now I understand why he gave me such good marks. I think we have a very similar approach to designing things. He’s all about repurposing and whimsy, and being self referential, while at the same time juxtaposing contrasts. Mee Too (for example: I just did a project in my Graffiti class, where I stuck Marie Antoinette on a skateboard - figuratively and literally. It was a skateboard design, so I put her on a board, and gave her a little I *heart* sk8rs* t-shirt and pink converses, and drew her in the style of Mary Blair).
Sometimes, Liam works with my Graffiti prof’s design studio, and doesn’t even realise it, which is weird. They both do treatments for the same production company. What’s also weird is how corporate a lot of their design work is - nice clean graphic work for big companies - but he’s teaching me Graffiti. Although, I think he keeps trying to push old school methods (like not using a computer for anything and actually breaking out a pen and paper) on us ’cause in the real world he’s forced to go digital so often. Vector work is technically convenient and is pretty hot right now, but it lacks soul - and again this is where he and I get along very well.
I’ve spent the last 2 months thinking of nothing but how I can get myself out of Art School, but occasionally I am reminded of it’s advantages… Even if it is that I have more in common with my Professors than my fellow students…
Back when I actually had the time to be bored this summer, I went on a hunt for new blogs to read.
I love my new finds so much, I sharing them, because they are becoming a major source of inspiration for me (when I can find the time to actually be on my computer doing something other than schoolwork).
These blogs are pure escapism. I could never hope to live the halcyon life these girls manage to create around them. I am astounded by the depth of thought that goes into the aesthetic beauty of every little domestic moment captured in images. These blogs have become my muses, inspiring me to create art from the life I live, by seeing EVERYTHING I create (from the way I make a bed - or don’t - to how I make dinner) as creative in nature.
little birds
Domestic bliss in Portland (my dream town) in saturated colours, glimpses of nature and carefully chosen vintage prints.
a bird in the hand
The literal sister site to little birds (no really, it’s her sister). Just as much about vintage finds, but more about pastel colours and collaged art pieces, and life in San Francisco (a very nice city indeed).
oh joy
How this blogger finds all these beautiful things everyday, I’ll never know. But there’s a wealth of links here to all things design and feminine (especially cute jewellery, fashion, home decor, stationary, party planning and weddings). And it’s all sooooo delightfully girly.
everybody likes sandwiches
I love cooking, and I love food, but I’ve had a hard time finding a food blog that actually offers me something new, and captures my attention.
This one does.
The food is simple, but beautifully captured, and imaginative - and the blog is well written to boot. It’s like an elegant cookbook in blog form! I especially like the focus on fresh in season ingrediants, and things that are relatively healthy.
In a bout of “out with the old” I re-jiggered my inspiration/cork board. It was getting a bit cluttered and dusty.
The phrase “inspiration board” sounds so silly, but in reality it does indeed function as such. When I get bored of typing and clicking away, I look up and get rather mezmorized by pretty colours, and happy memories, and eventually inspired.
If you know, or have met me, you may indeed find little bit’s and peices of things you yourself have contributed to me have found their way up there.
I took this picture at the cottage last weekend. I think it’s time to clean out the medicine cabinet. Or donate it to a museum - check out that retro packaging!
In order to keep myself busy, I offered to help out the Brock Press by whipping up a little newspaper-design style-guide. So today I sat down to work on it. At which point I realised it’s a beast of a thing. There is a lot to keep in mind when laying out the various elements of a newspaper. Not only is it a complex and precise art, but each part has a specific name to it, a technical name that the average person would not know or understand. Do you know the difference between a deck, a flag and a masthead? I certainly don’t know why everything newspaper related is nautical themed. When I disagreed with my editors, was that mutiny? If so I should have walked the plank long ago. Hmmm. Seems all this design rules and nonsense is driving me a little loopy. Alas, I must soldier on. Why do I volunteer for these things anyways?
