Blogged from Scratch

Stefan Sagmeister: Innovative Design Influence Icon

2008-12-14T14:56:00.000-08:00

There are many great designers in the world we live in today. My idea of a designer is someone who defies the way we think,drawing attention and creating visions to inspire the world. One great designer is Stefan Sagmeister.
Stefan Sagmesiter was born in 1962, Bregenz, Austria. He studied graphic design at the university of Applied Arts in Vienna. He later was awarded a scholarship to Pratt Institute in New York. He accepted the scholarship and moved to New York in 1987. In order to avoid being drafted into military service, he returned to austria in 1990 for community service. In 1991, he moved to Hong Kong to work the Leo Burnett's Hong Kong Design Group. In 1991, Sagmeister was offered a job position in Hong Kong to work the Leo Burnett's Hong Kong Design Group. He took the offer and moved to Hong Kong. In 1993, he returned to New York to work for a major design firm known as Tibor Kalman's M&Co. In 1993 Stefan started his own company known as Sagmeister Inc.
Sagmeister Inc. is a well known design company in the art world. Stefan has done major design projects with major companies like Rolling Stones Magazine and HBO. Sagmeister has worked on Alblum art and promotions for Mick Jagger, Lou Reed, Skeleton Key, and Talking Heads. For Lou Reed, Sagmeister designed a poster announcing the album Set the Twighlight. The poster depicts a profile black and white shot of Reed. Written all over his face in a gothic type font, are lyrics from various songs in the album. For Mick Jagger Sagmeister , he went to a British museum in London where he took many pictures of the Babylonian collection. From all the works of art, Sagmeister chose the Assyrian lion for the cover of the Rolling Stones album. The Assyrian lion turned out to be an excellent choice for the album cover as well as for touring use and merchandizing. For the Skeleton Key album entitled Fantastic Spikes through a Balloon he gathered many pictures that depicted a balloon. Images chosen were a blowfish, a sausage and a fart cushion. Sagmeister chose the sausage. After the image was chosen he decided to put holes literally through the album cover, symbolizing the album title. The design work for the band Talking Heads was also album work. The album entitled Once In a Lifetime was a box set, so there were a lot of pictures included. The box set folds out to one long picture by Russian painter Vladimir Dubussaraski. The pictures consist of babies, bears, lions, severed limbs, and the naked form.
In 1994 Stefan Sagmeister was nominated for a Grammy award for his album cover “Mountains of Madness”. In 1996 he began to construct finished posters for AIGA (the american institue of graphic arts) In 1999, Sagmeister overlooked his career and decided to close his studio for commercial work and concentrated on his personal visions/ ideas. in 2001 Sagmeister wrote and released the book ‘Made You Look”. This book is a very inventive book making a dsigner rethink their revision processes. In 2005, Sagmeister won another Grammy award. The award was given for his work as art director of the art design of Once in a Lifetime’ album.

Works Cited:

www.designboom.com/eng/interview/sagmeister.htm

www.sagmeister.com

designmuseum.org/design/stefan-sagmeister

Stealth bike

2008-12-08T15:59:00.000-08:00

A company called Cannondale released its concept Stealth bike. The bicycle design was inspired by Stealth fighter jets and Lamborghini's reinvention car. It's unique paint job coating and sleek design definitely makes it look stealthy. It is made of carbon fiber and aluminum, making the bike both light and durable.
Article Link

Gameboy Remix

2008-12-06T09:06:00.000-08:00

A Paris musician known as Bill Sidabitball has created a way to turn a gameboy into a musical instrument. He has established himself as an artist using this creative way to mix music. It is truly remarkable that possiblities are endless today. Check out the video below.
Article Link

Honda Hydrogen

2008-12-06T08:37:00.000-08:00

Honda has designed a hydrogen powered sports car that really catches ones eye. It looks like something out of a back to the future movie. It has a high-output fuel cell powertrain and a sleek, aerodynamic body that contributes to the vehicle's performance potential. It's design is most impressive and the idea that this is trully a green powered car, is revolutionary.
Article Link

Assignment # 3

2008-12-04T10:08:00.000-08:00

Card Layout
copy and paste it ten times
open a new file draw a rectangle with 8th tool any size then change the sized height= 2in width 3.5 inch
copy and paste apple c to page move it to the card
upper left resize it
san serif century schoolbook for tagline
ajdust font size: window> type character 8.85
street address font franklin gothica
name lastname
123 city island avenue
Bronx, New York, 10464

t. 646 372 2403 djscuba151@aol.com
f. 324-738-976 Myspace.com/incrediblecut
shift key down object>group (so you can move the logo and tagline at the same time)
space in between the letters curning
space between..... ledding

new document
draw guides view. show rulers 1/2 inch at top and bottom 3/4 from the left 3/4 from the right one in middle 3 1/2

Reinventing the Wheel

2008-12-02T19:21:00.000-08:00

Tire Comapny Michelin has released a prototype active wheel. When i say active wheel I mean that the wheels are powered rather than having an engine. It sets a new standard in performance, handeling, and braking. The best part of it is it doesn't need gasoline. It is powered by dual electric motors. This is a revolutionary breakthrough in which we could become independent from gasoline all together.
Article Link

Assignment # 3

2008-12-02T10:20:00.000-08:00

Notes Continued
Illustrator:
Select image of choice
select anchor tool
convert anchor tool

invert anchor point tool
use this tool to round the edges of image.

Nightclub Gone Green

2008-11-28T14:27:00.000-08:00

Recently a club called Greenhouse opened up. It is located in Soho New York. From the couches to the walls, everything is recycled and energy efficient. Greenhouse has a unique jungle look to it, as well as tasteful nuvo lounge areas. This is something i will definitely be checking out.
Article Link (more pictures can be seen here.)

Showerheads Go Green

2008-11-28T13:16:00.000-08:00

A company called Evolve Showerheads has designed an eco-friendly showerhead that saves those gallons of water we waste, waiting for the shower to warm up. The way the shower head works is it reduces the flow of water down to a trickle until the water warms up to a comfortable 95 degrees. Using an evolve showerhead can save a yearly average of 2,700 gallons of water, the fossil-fueled energy it takes to heat it, and up to $75 off your utility bill. Thats a pretty good money saver if you ask me, as well as water.
Article Link

The 8,954,000th Touch Screen Phone

2008-11-28T12:57:00.000-08:00

Recently, Blackberry released it's newest phone the blackberry Storm. Now I do amdit this phone is very nice looking. But, with 8 million of the same phones out, when will this new touch screen sensation end? The thing looks exactly like other phones made by LG, Verizon, Samsung, and Apple. The defining feature of Blackberry phones is the actual keypad, not a touch screen. It's design is said to be inconsistent and confusing, so why bother changing your product?
Article Link

2008-11-27T09:14:00.000-08:00

A company called Hara Chair recently designed the ultimate websurfing chair. It helps keep a good posture for all of you who sloutch after hours of surfing. The chair is also very comfortable. Attached at the side of the chair is a labtop stand and a seperate stand next to it for a mouse or your favorite beverage.

Customer Service?

2008-11-26T16:26:00.000-08:00

In a recent blog Seth Godin made a great point; "The only reason to answer the phone when a customer calls is to make the customer happy". I could not agree more. Today when you call a company for product support, it takes forever to talk to someone. You either have to press nine million buttons just to talk to somebody. In Seth's example he got a machine. So whats the point of calling if no one is going to solve your problem?
Article Link

Vinturi Wine Aerator

2008-11-26T16:07:00.000-08:00

The Venturi Wine Aerator is a cool gadget for the wine enthusiast. This neat device aerates your wine from the very first sip. It is said to mix the perfect amount of air with the wine, making it taste even better. This device makes the decanter a worthless too in that it takes no time at all to aerate the body of the wine.
Article Link

Notes/Assignment #3

2008-11-25T10:07:00.000-08:00

difference between a logo like apple and then two dots on a board: participation: grabs your eyes and you want to understand it
understand the patterns of the way problems are solved in the adult world
plan view-
Illustrator used for vector graphics
raster graphics- grid
file place- picture u saved, appears on the board
hold shift key grab and edge and resize it to fit evenly on art board
pen tool
fill set it to none
filter stylize round corners (friendly shape)

Radiators Remixed

2008-11-20T10:44:00.000-08:00

When it comes to UK manufacturer Aestus, the possibilities for radiator design are endless. They have created many new artsy designs available for the contemporary enthusiast. Looking at these beautifully unique designs makes me want to have these in my home.
Article Link
Aestus

Leanin' Lights

2008-11-20T10:19:00.000-08:00

Ukrainian designer Igor... has created a unique lamp called the Anemona Lamp, that can be leaned in all different ways. It is able to change it's resting position due to its shape. Heavy glass balls sit within the bottom of the lamp. This acts as a counter weight. The design is most interesting. it looks like a frozen rain drop or a dinosaur tooth. No word has been said whether or not this product has been put into production.
Article Link

Bamboo, Who Knew?

2008-11-18T16:15:00.000-08:00

A new company called Bamboo Sk8, released skateboards that are made of bamboo. It is the first skateboard made of bamboo. If you think about it, this is an innovative design in that bamboo is very strong. Traditional skate boards are made of maple. Bamboo is much stronger than maple, making this skateboard more durable. The skateboard does not have an elaborate design, it's simple and elegant.
Article Link
Bamboo Sk8

Eating Bordom Away

2008-11-18T15:41:00.000-08:00

In one of Seth's recent blogs, he brings up the point of eating even though you are not hungry. He claims that marketers taught consumers to eat more than needed, to "amplify our wants". His point is that we don't need anything, we just want everything. I thought this was a very good point. We want to fulfill that so called missing part of us that yearns for something more. Companies persuade the consumer into believing that life without their product would be dull. Our needs are confused with wants which ultimately turn into "needs", an obsession for having the item.
Article Link

Assignment #3

2008-11-18T10:16:00.000-08:00

photoshop makes- pixelated, raster based- create the file larger it looks pixelated

Illustrator Files -vector based do not become degraded
what would make vector based unsharp/ sharp? the printer
resolution of 99 percent of a computer screen? 72 dots per inch -dpi
cannot resolve 100 pixels below
-used for making brand marks
-difference between logo( image, symbol) logo type(has characters letters in it)
-taglines- three words
research taglines- fortune 500 companies
actions, things themes
find simple images that relate to these themes
a vision heard
hear within vision
Vision Remixed.

Recycling Power

2008-11-18T08:28:00.000-08:00

Recently ReGen Power systems developed an engine that converts heat and steam energy into electricity. These engines are to be used in Now one may ask why is this important? Well, think of using this engine on a smaller scale. There is an abundant waste of heat from many electronic products for example , an oven. A lot of electricity is used to heat that oven; a lot of it is wasted. Now relate that issue to those faced by industrial processes. Huge amounts of heat and steam energy are wasted. We all know the crazed cost of electricity today. It would be a good idea for companies to invest in a product like this, saving energy, money, and the environment. ReGen is a new company and they are still working on their designs. ReGen has a 10 kilowatt prototype engine and a larger 500 kilowatt engine to come. The 10 kilowatt prototype will be used to test out the product. Cost of product installation: $1000- 2000.
Article Link
ReGen

Bully Gone Digital

2008-11-05T09:30:00.000-08:00

In the world we live in today, everything has gone digital. Everyone has either a cell phone or a computer. With the rapid growth in technology, a new type of bullying comes with it :"electronic agression". Bullies now use text messages and IMs to threaten others, causing alot of emotional stress to the victim. Although these victims are not usually bothered in person, "cyberbullies" torment children online. The child is more likely to recieve a detetention or be suspended. I just found this to be rediculous as to how we abuse technology today.
Article Link

2008-11-04T16:08:00.000-08:00

Recently, H20 Audio has released the fourth generation waterproof headphones, called "Surge". I thought this was a great idea. No longer do swimmers have to work out in silence. I feel that in creating this product, many can become more focused on their swimming form and get into a zone, so to speak.
Article Link
H20 Audio

Changing Logos; What else is new!?

2008-10-28T08:07:00.000-07:00

Companies are at it again, testing out new logos as in some attempt to increase revenue. I agree with Seth Godin in that companies should be spending money on meaningful products that makes the consumer happy. Today everything is " What could we do to sell more prodcuct?' and not "hey let's make a quality product". Show the consumer that your company cares and make an effort to help society.
Best Buy Logo
Pepsi Logo
Article Link: http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2008/10/your-brand-is-n.html

Guest Speaker: Nusrat Durrani

2008-10-21T07:59:00.000-07:00

Last Thursday, I had the privilege to meet Senior Vice President of MTV World, Nusrat Durrani. What does Nusrat exactly do? Well he and the board members of MTV World find ways to connect people to music. Their mission is to relate life to music while interweaving culture. Nusrat was always a music fan. Growing up in India he listened to a lot of music. What inspired him to do something with his passion for music, was the 1993 MTV video "Let's Dance" by David Bowie. After seeing that video Nusrat knew exactly what he wanted to do. He called MTV from India and they sent him information about the company. He came to study in America and was hired by MTV. In his presentation he showed us clips from MTV'S never seen before show, Iggy. This show is for the open minded audiophile who likes to listen to every type of music from all over. Iggy is a show that connects cultures through music. What i enjoyed about the show is the intelligent content ( besides some of the profanity used). Unlike any other MTV show, Iggy is a program that just screams diversity. it I found Nusrat's story very inspiring. The way he presented himself was very natural and made me feel comfortable. I felt as if we were hanging out. Towards the end of his presentation he said "Finding your passion is an art". I could not agree more with Nusrat. Overall I thought his presentation was awesome.

Agree or Disagree?

2008-10-14T08:06:00.000-07:00

Seth Godin brought up a very good point about blogs and the web. Everyone is their own person and we are all entitled to our opinions. The web/blogs give you the opportunity to let your voice be heard and your thoughts be known. Relating to Seth's point in his blog, someone will always have something to say in which others disagree with. For example, in Clive Davis' blog(http://lefsetz.com/wordpress/index.php/archives/2008/10/10/jesus-was-a-democrat/), he claims that Jesus was a democrat. Some may agree and some may disagree, and there lies the beauty of this wonderful place, the World Wide Web.

Article Link: http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2008/10/rock-stars.html

Is Advertising Everything?

2008-10-01T15:04:00.000-07:00

Advertising can only get a company so far. Advertising will not gain the company respect; it merely just catches one's attention to consider the product. Some companies spend billions of dollars on advertising and focus mainly on that. Meanwhile the company itself is run very poorly as a whole, and this is where they suffer. For example, Microsoft vs. Apple. Can you recall your experience with a Microsoft representative and say they were anywhere near the way an Apple representative stands behind their company?

Article Link:http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2008/09/what-advertisin.html

Pay More Money, Get More Respect

2008-10-01T14:54:00.000-07:00

When reading Seth Godin's blog, he talks about paying extra to get what you really want; and what we really want is respect. Respect is said to be the ultimate currency. He applies this to the consumer world. He feels that if he pays more or for the most expensive product the people of that business will be nicer to him, they will pay him back with respect.

Article Link: http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2008/09/how-much-extra.html

Big Shot Companies and their Meaningless logos

2008-09-18T08:12:00.000-07:00

We see this many times; the meaningless design logos of big shot companies. The problem with these meaningless logos is that it brings no attraction to the company. What aspect about this logo makes a consumer go with this company than the other? More importantly, what makes this company different from the other? So basically the next company with the meaningless logo just falls in line with the rest. Now don't get me wrong logos are not what makes a company, but it is supposed to be a symbol of all they believe in and it's an essential marketing technique.
Companies of the Logos( in the picture):
1. Bell, 1969
2. AT&T, 1984
3. United Airlines, 1973
4. Avery International, 1990
5. Continental Airlines, 1968
6. United Way, 1972

Article Link:http://sethgodin.typepad.com/

Innovation to Blame For Dow Jones Plummit?

2008-09-16T08:54:00.000-07:00

In a recent post by Bruce Nussbaum, he proclaims that innovation is the one to blame for the recent over 500 point drop in the Dow Jones. Apparantly hundreds of products that solved complex mathematical models for finances were sold without being tested first. By means of creating a innovative way to improve the economy, there lied a flaw in the innovation. This flaw in innovation could be a major reason of the steep point drop in the stock market.

Article Link: http://www.businessweek.com/innovate/nussbaumondesign/

Internet Lists, an Obsession

2008-09-15T16:15:00.000-07:00

Everyone loves lists. It's a genius way to present information in an organized and appealing fashion. Lists on the internet range from the popular top 10's to movie listings. A popular type of list is a music playlist. You can find these on your favorite radio station website or other music websites. Furthermore you can create your own playlists with media applications (itunes etc.)The list on the net has endless possibilities. There's even lists of lists!
Here are some examples
Top 10 Ways to Save Money on Food
Top 10 Ultimate Rivalries
Twenty Fantastically Named People
List Universe
Phobia List

article link: http://sethgodin.typepad.com/

Classnotes

2008-09-11T10:05:00.000-07:00

The Grid - organizing tool

Sketch Site Map

cross hair
view high guides
style shade 10 %
items step and repeat
click and drag

Hands Free Underwater Camera

2008-09-11T08:14:00.000-07:00

Imagine swimming, whether you are at the beach, your friends pool, or on a tropical island. There's always that one instance when you wish you had a camera to capture a moment but couldn't. Recently, Hammacher Schlemmer released the world's first digital camera swim mask. This great device give you the freedom to take those awesome/goofball underwater shots you always wanted to. As a scuba diver I find this device to be quite handy. Lugging a camera around underwater can be quite annoying; dropping it, trying to swim, making sure the lens cover is off which i tend to forget to do etc. The camera is 5 mega pixels and can also record video! It requires AAA bateries and includes a 15 megabyte memory stick (which you can upgrade for more space), and software for both pc and mac. Normally decent underwater digital cameras cost a couple of hundred bucks. The digital camera swim mask costs a jaw dropping $99. High quality and affordable the underwater camera enthusiast's dream. It is a revolutionary invention which allows one to savor those precious underwater memories.
Video:
Article Link:http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/11/technology/personaltech/11mask.html?ref=personaltech

Class Notes

2008-09-09T10:08:00.000-07:00

First draft of Brochure is due thursday

Blog Presentations:
innovation:
1. the use of imagination in engagement : imaginative approach
2. pragmatic application
Data Mining- looking for unexpected trends and truths in large amounts of data.
Typography
Times New Roman- two thousand years old, made with a chisel
used in newspapers because they are small letters.
most fonts come in light medium and bold.
Gill Sans- used in London subway
Have to use Sans Serif type font for Brochure.
pref sans seriff- cover title and subtitle
Futura- 19th century used by Volkswagen
Serif Fonts text
Century schoolbook- easy to read

eps is the best file format for color printer
Quark Notes:
file new project> 8.5 by 11> hold mouse down keep dragging to 5 1/2

Class Notes

2008-09-04T10:18:00.000-07:00

Class Notes:
-Have photos scanned. ( 7-9 photos)
-text should be edited in final condition
-write a title/ subhead (one to three words) for the brochure cover
-include an image of architect
Sharing Blogs
- we discussed the idea of hypocrisy in the consumer world.
- the shift in women's place in society.
-nanoart: picture size measured by microns( a millionth) nano(billionth) - this reminded me of an artist I read about who drew detailed pictures on individual grains of rice.
PSD DPI- Dots Per Inch
"Pladin"- scanner glass surface
morei effect- wavy floaty appearance when printing an already printed picture.
"God is in the details"
Scanner Notes: scan picture into photoshop make box around picture so you're make sure the resolution is set at 300, which it usually is by default.
Click image, rotate canvas, use arrow tool hold mouse click on image, rotate canvas, arbitrary croppingtool make certain that the width and the height are symmetric to get rid of morei lines: filter blur, blur
save it: file save as

Aldo Rossi: Visionary Architect

2008-09-04T08:50:00.000-07:00

On May 3rd 1931 in Milan Italy, a man by the name of Aldo Rossi was born. Aldo Rossi grew up to become a great architect. He is well known for his creative mind and his extraordinary vision. He is internationally respected as both a theorist and architect. Rossi earned his degree at Polytechnic University in Milan in 1959. In 1961 he became editor of Italian magazine “Casabella-Continuita” and held that position until 1964. In 1965 Rossi was an assistant to architect Ludovico Quaroni. He also became a professor in the School of Architecture in Milan in 1965 and the University in Venice in 1975. In 1966 Rossi published his first book called The Architecture of the City. In this book he criticized formal architecture applied to cities. Rossi believed that one must consider the culture and history of a city in order to understand it correctly. He also belived that monuments give the city it’s structural form.

Rossi’s greatest works have been said to be throughout the eighties. Three great works constructed during this time were the Carlo Felice Theater, the Centro Torri Shopping Center, and the Hotel Il Pilazzo. The Carlo Felice Theater in Genoa, Italy was constructed in 1983. It is a reconstructed theater that was originally built in 1828. Rossi restored several parts of the original structure to incorporate them into the new structure. In this piece one can see how Rossi interweaves old and modern design. The inside of the theater is as breathtaking as the outside. The side balconies are beautifully finished, held by spectacular granite walls. The main foyer in the theater is another grand feature. A Lantern hangs from the ceiling. The Centro Torri Shopping Center in Parma, Italy, was constructed in 1985. It is one of the largest shopping centers in northern Italy. When looking at this structure one would never look at it as if it were an ordinary shopping center. This design is most unique. On the roof there stand six rectangular shaped towers with a triangular glass skylight located in the center. Each tower is made of brick with marble tiles surrounding the upper portion of them, reading “Centro Torri”. The Hotel Il Palazzo in Fukuoka, Japan, was constructed in 1987. The Hotel Il Palazzo stands seven stories tall and rests on a stone base with steps leading up to the entrance. The face of the building is windowless. Rows of travertine columns are built within the face all the way to the top and sit on aged copper beams. It is truly a breathtaking sight.

In 1990 Rossi was awarded the Pritzker Prize. It is an award that is very prestigious and honorable in the architect world. He was given this award in recognition of his unique style to capture the history of a city in a single piece while incorporating his revolutionary design. In 1997 Aldo Rossi died in a fatal car accident. A theorist, an artist, an architect, Aldo Rossi is a visionary. His bold passion for architecture reflects in every single structure he has created. The Carlo Felice Theater, the Centro Torri Shopping Center, and the Hotel Il Pilazzo are prime examples of how Rossi was able to give structures a modern age design without taking away the integrity from the traditional elegance. He has designed many masterpieces and his works stand majestically all over the world.

A qoute to begin with

2008-09-03T16:49:00.000-07:00

Whatever you can do or dream you can be, begin it; boldness has genius, power, and magic in it". -Goethe