Assignement 3 Part 2 Vol. 2

Designer Apps - The changing face of the mobile phone
November 2, 2009

With the announcement of the technology that was going to revolutionise the mobile phone, media player and PDA , Apple changed the way we use these technologies by launching their most anticipated product to date. The iphone, according to Apple has simply ‘redefined what a mobile phone can do’.

As of March this year, 30 million iphones had been sold proving that Apple are certainly the leaders in mobile technology. The hype surrounding the initial launch focussed on just how entertaining and convenient this technology was going to be.



In order to watch Pirates of the Caribbean and order calamari, the iphone employs an application system to enhance how users interact with the phone. Not only have iphones become the most popular mobile technology, Apple has also figured out an ingenious way to keep the customer paying. If you don’t actually own an iphone, an application or ‘App’ can be quite the foreign concept. Are they games, are they programs or are they media files, it doesn’t really matter because as of April 2009, 1 billion applications had been downloaded from the official Apple ‘app store’ and that number will only continue to rise. From games such as Crash Bandicoot to Texas Holdem and cooking aids such as Fromage a pocket guide to over 380 types of cheese, the app caters to every interest group imaginable.

The Mac book is a staple for most designers for it’s advanced operating system and the iphone has become a smaller more portable extension of it and with this of course comes the design focused app. Amongst them are; Airdesign Chair that calculates the size and square footage of any room and iBlueSky a brainstorming platform to help organise ideas into an emailable PDF document. No designer however will dispute the importance of the PANTONE colour library, which is now conveniently available as an application. Despite the disclaimer stating ‘colours displayed here may not match PANTONE identified standards’, the application is a very useful tool. Pallets can be created and shared and colours can be extracted from a photo and matched to the closest PANTONE colour.



Whilst the PANTONE application is a useful resource, there are certain apps that are just for fun.Type Drawing is an application that lets you draw with letters to create typographic art works. By selecting a font size, type and opacity, the user can build a picture from a simple concept.



Though most applications are really just a chance to waste time, there are some valuable guides to help navigate around they city you live in or travel to. Dexigner is a website and now application that connects a user to the latest design news, exhibitions, conferences and competitions. One of the more impressive aspects of the app is Near Me an extension of the online version Around Me, which calculates the users location and provides a complete list and distances to design related events or centres near by.



Apple are renowned for usability and this convenience is now portable and small enough to fit in your pocket. With the help of such an array of unique applications, users are encouraged to be more productive, stay entertained and turn their phone into whatever they want it to be.

Assignement 3 Part 2 Vol. 1

Greece is for lovers of witty and innovative product design.
November 1st, 2009



Gathering inspiration from your surroundings seems to be a common starting point for most creatives. Gathering inspiration from surroundings, cultural stereo types and adding a slightly ironic sense of humour can begin to explain the unique designs emanating from the Athens based studio Greece is for lovers.

The trio of Vasso Damkou, Thanos Karampatsos and Christina Kotsilelou make up the uber cool product design company that is part of the evolving face of the new Athenian creative culture. Their unique designs and indeed their name is a reference to the kitsch and cliché Greece the world has long remembered. From curtains that map out traditional Tsamiko dancing, to the brilliant ‘Tougher then Leather’ skateboard commissioned for 7ply Project Exhibition the company has gone from strength to strength and are the poster children for the citys’ new image.

'Tougher than Leather' - G.I.F.L

Since the 2004 Olympic games, Athens has experienced a cultural boom that is placing the city in contest with its European neighbours. Not only has the New Acropolis Museum provided a symbol for the country’s cultural renaissance, smaller more niche studios and artists have begun to present themselves on the world design stage. Amongst them are; Poor Designers a collective of young graphic designers working out of Athens, Kostas Voyatzis, founder of the design website yatzer.com and of course Greece is for Lovers. Their studio is located just outside the Plaka district which is known as the place where old Athens, new Athens, tourism and culture clash. This particular combination is at the basis of most of their works. Taking elements from Greece’s classical aesthetic, mixing it with the country’s casual culture and adding their own unique brand of humour, Greece is for Lovers have contributed to the vibrancy that seems to be fueling the city.

The name Greece is for Lovers is a play on the slogan ‘Greece is for Greeks’ which, along with the rise of populist leader Andreas Papandreou marked the unofficial beginning to reclaiming the Elgin Marbles an issue that has plagued the cultural identity of Greece for the past few decades. According to Vasso Damkou ‘Greeks don’t like to work; we prefer to chat up tourists in the afternoons, indulge in huge meals afterwards and smash plates.’1

Whilst some may still have this perception of Greece, Damkou, Karampatsos and Kotsilelou have combined the stereotype, added a 'tongue in cheek' comic aesthetic and injected into their products. Mugs with ‘Athens Sucks’ displayed as a parody of the infamous ‘I heart NY’ logo and a set of plates title ‘Greece Vs China’ that look like they have been smashed and reset are proof that despite constant reminders of the glory days of classical Greece or the lazy sun loving image perceived by the rest of the world, Athens has a new love of innovative and witty creative talent.

'Greece Vs Chine' - G.I.F.L
'Opa Curtains' - G.I.F.L

Kindle Vs Spying on the person sitting next to you

photo credit: XML Aficionado

I have an anecdote to share which nicely describes the effects i think the Kindle will have on the public sphere. It is bad enough that everyone in transit either on foot, bikes, trains etc are talking on their phone or listening to their ipod. Reading granted is a similar solitary and unsociable activity but the cover of a book suggests something about the reader/stranger sitting next to you.

This particular anecdote is not my own but my sisters however i'm sure we all have a similar story. She was sitting on an otherwise boring/frustrating/excruciatingly full train in peak hour getting exceedingly impatient until she saw something amazing. Crammed in one of those little single seats near the door was a very large man who could have easily been a basketballer in his spare time, dressed in a business suit, surrounded by people looking at their blackberries, reading a book. What book you ask warrents a blog post? New Moon, the second installment of the Twilight series. If it were a Kindle, this man could have kept this indulgence a secret and my sister would never have survived the train trip. But luckly the Kindle has only just been announced for purchase in Australia. The convenience of this technology is indesputible especially for students who have to battle daily with a million and one text books and for Nick Cave fans whose title The Death of Bunny Monroe comes as an enhanced electronic version complete with original compositions.

However the activity of reading, and the secret pleasure everyone gets from spying on a fellow comuters readings habits will sadly be lost. It is up to the Kindla or Apple to come up with the digital equivilent of a book jacket so we can still spy or pry and have the convinience in one little package!

Impromptu Arts Festival Review

Valhalla by Callum Morton, Palazzo Zenobio Venice 2007


After spending a good part of lesson time during Thursday nights Art Curatorship class writing a press release for Callum Mortons Valhalla, I literally could not wait to see it. The work was re commissioned as part of the Melbourne International Arts Festival and it sits outside the Arts Centre until October 24th.

The very next day in between the end of work and a friends engagement party, dressed in my ‘oh my god all my friends are getting married” finest. I went to the spot where this installation/remodel sits.

Valhalla was one of the works that represented Australia at the Venice Biennale in 2007. Callum Morton has created a personal work that reinterprets the home he grew up in that was designed by his architect father in the 70s.

Rebuilt by Morton at three-quarter scale, the house manifests as a smoking ruin: stripped out, torched and shot through with holes. It appears to rise up from the dead, a haunting from the artist’s past, certainly, but also as an un-monument to modern order and a symbol of contemporary instability. – MIAF Press Release

I had seen a number of images and read a number of articles about the structure both at the time of the biennale 2 years ago and recently in the pre buzz to the arts festival and I thought I knew what to expect. Valhalla sat in a clearing in Palazzo Zenobio in Venice. The scene complimented the post apocalyptic ambiance of the piece so well that it received extensive critical acclaim not to mention significant envy towards anyone who was lucky enough to actually see it. Now it resides in the space between the NGV and the Art Centre, caged by the Spire and the traffic of St Kilda Road. The structure also is not as big as the original work in Venice and while it’s impressive and evocative, it looks like a blow up castle from a children’s birthday party at the Adams Family home. Approaching the structure and as I inspected the surface it looked as if it was made from stirofoam. It's not as large as I had expected (the original work is roughly double the size) and it reminded me of those terrible haunted houses they had at the Melbourne show. As I turned to leave I heard one passer by exclaim “what the hell is that” to which their friend replied “dunno”, and they both kept walking.

It is hard to figure out why this work was recommissioned for the festival and why it was that the organisers chose this particular spot but the entire experience made me feel a little disappointed. Whilst recreation is effective in some respects, I would have preferred to remain envious of the audience members in Venice who were able to view the work as it was originally intended. If you don’t get the chance to see it during this years festival, I’m sure the ‘One time only Farewell Tour’ is already scheduled for 2012.


Valhalla by Callum Morton Art Centre forecourt, Melbourne 2009

Assignment 3 written for The International Design Magazine

Can design thinking change the world? *Living Climate Change from IDEO

In 2006 Al Gore was successful in making the public aware of their contribution to the issue of climate change in his film An Inconvenient Truth. On numerous occasions and in numerous ways this threatening issue has been addressed with a number of initiatives seeking to manage the problem. As a global community we have been told to change our habits, clean up our lives and adapt to a more eco friendly life style. Big businesses have adapted the way they promote their services and all over the world people are equipping their homes with the latest in carbon neutral technology. But does any of this really make a difference? What exactly does our carbon footprint mean in the grand scheme of things and should we be looking at a different approach rather then merely adapting?

It seems whilst we are striving to make our lives ‘greener’ we have stopped the dialogue and lost sight of what the issues really are. The world is booming with countless innovations in technology and ideas and it was a matter of time before someone decided to take a different approach to tackling this growing problem. We live in a design conscious society, which is evident in the abundance of recognised branding. From Fashion to Transport and simply eating lunch livable design exists everywhere. We previously discussed the changing face of New York City thanks to the design conscious administration and now it seems this idea is expanding to help change the way we discuss the worlds altering condition.

Tim Brown, CEO of design firm IDEO is attempting to change the world through design. Many have tried, some have been successful, some have failed mostly the ideas have not reached far enough. ‘Design Thinking’ is Brown’s attempt to pioneer a mission that fuses design, business and social consciousness to create a researched and understood set of ideas. Brown understands how creative thinking works and is intent on encouraging a dialogue using a platform that everyone is familiar with, the Internet. IDEO recently launched a site called Living Climate Change. This site is will be an open forum that encourages users to share their ideas on this global problem. Living Climate Change is available to everyone and encourages discussion and experimentation that may change the global perception of this issue. Simply put livingclimatechange.com is attempting to expand the conversation.


Both through this forum and in his book ‘Change by Design’, Brown insists the site “invites you to imagine what life will be like in 20 or 30 years, as we move along a path toward reduced carbon emissions. Will the targets be reached? Which behaviours will need to change? Which will we choose to preserve?” By redesigning a conversation that has been attempted numerous times Brown is injecting much needed innovation into the issue and encouraging the global community to explore design thinking and maybe change our future.



Your home as art: looking at the style aesthetics through online DIY design.


*photo credit to Todd Selby, theselby.com

We all know how important it is to have a haven. The place you go after a long day, long flight or long lunch and can just sit and relax, expelling the world and switching off. Environment plays a big part in who someone is and the way they create which is why it is so fascinating to be able to take a look into someone’s living space. The popularity of style blogs proves how interesting what someone wears is and now it seems their design ideas are just as intriguing. The growing popularity of websites such as The Selby and Apartment Therapy prove just how interesting your living room can be.

What these sites have in common apart from a home design focus is the emphasis they place on personality. Whilst they provide insights into where the reader can purchase the latest Ralph Lauren paint, they also look at how much of themselves people put into their living spaces. Just as Jackson Pollock literally included a footprint in his canvases, these living environments hold as much of the owners identify as the work they create.

Reminiscent of style makers such as Jak and Jil and Purple Journal, The Selby takes a look at ‘interesting people and their creative spaces’. From fashion designers to magazine editors, chefs and models, Todd Selby has taken a unique approach to capturing the identity of his subjects. The focus of his striking photography is not only on the person but on what he or she chooses to surround themselves with. From posters on the wall, the colour of curtains, animals in the background and Paris themed ashtrays, the website delivers unique and personal interior design. According to the founder Todd Selby, the website was started in order to learn more about the person from their possessions and to explore the way personal space reflects personality. By turning apartments into the set of a photo shoot and with the growing popularity of the website, Selby has turned the home into art. The subtle hints and design tips embedded in each photograph has turned The Selby into the DIY interior design bible. The diversity of the spaces shown encourages design ideas that could help any reader turn an uncomfortably small kitchen into a functional cooking space. As important as putting the right clothes on ones back this site proves that clever design transforms any living environment.

Taking a slightly more overt approach to constructive design tips, Apartment Therapy is said to be ‘saving the world one room at a time’ by providing a forum to explore ideas and create a more beautiful, organised and healthy home. With posts that celebrate clean lines of Scandinavian design and 100 different ways to use fairy lights, Apartment Therapy encourages innovative options for creating the perfect home. The website also profiles the most unique and accessible resource tools such as Lonny Mag. This title is revolutionising the humble magazine, recently relaunching itself as an online publication complete with turning pages and working links. Their mission is simple ‘to reopen the doors of design by embracing an online platform and providing inspiration and access to products and resources to readers.’

Whilst this is the motto for Lonny Mag, it can extend to include The Selby, Apartment Therapy and online forums like them that seek to celebrate creativity that transforms our homes into livable design.

Written for I.D. - The International Design Magazine

Relationships

In honour of our class group activity this week that challenged us to act out misunderstandings between online communities and the publishers that host them, I was reminded of a very funny little video I received in my inbox the other day. I work with designers so this is slightly design-centric but nevertheless a great portrait of how relationships could be changed if only we were clear and direct with our intentions. Plus Robots are cool!




*Thanks to mentaldesigner for posting thing on youtube