Color: Transitional Textures

It’s easy to forget what time of the year it is with temperatures in the high 50s and low 60s this Fall/Winter season. While the general public is reveling in America’s extended summer, retailers are glued to their weather widgets, hoping winter will make it’s debut, triggering shoppers to open their wallets again. Along with transitional skys, we’re noticing a shift to muted palettes as designers and stylists seek inspiration from the bare essentials. Both of these Theme Magazine layouts provide paralleling imagery, proving textures come in all shapes and sizes, be it a Prada-inspired hairdo or an ice-ridden tree.

November 27, 2009 | By: Shayna Kulik

Trend: Offtrack Stitching

Imagine a world without the delete button. As humans, we’re programmed to color within the lines and erase when necessary. Rarely are we applauded for revealing mistakes along the way. Today we’re showcasing two works that defy this train of thought and prove true beauty is a never ending stream of consciousness. In a recent collaboration with the home decor company, Maharam, Hella Jongerius of the Netherlands, has stitched this intricate and unpredictable pillow cover. Using a similar technique, Jessica Rankin, of Sydney, Australia incorporates obscured language into her creative studies. Be it pattern, dialect or unconventional theory, we’re excited to see future works from both Jongerius and Rankin, as their experimental formulas are a breath of fresh air when considering the pace of today’s production lines.

November 24, 2009 | By: Shayna Kulik

Color: Rustic Grids

If you’re living in America, Thanksgiving’s a pretty big deal. Everyone’s got a to-do list that’s got eating, traveling and a bit of cooking on it. These snapshots encompass all of the above, intersecting at color, layout and theory. This farmers market spread showcases autumn’s rustic spectrum and is sorted by food and color. Following a similar path, this Scion xB advertisement taps autumn’s palette revealing a basic grid for display. The tag line for this youth-oriented Toyota reads, Same Shape. Different Boxes, reminding us how we live our lives, sorting information as we go. Whether you’re a passenger or a driver this holiday season, you’ll undoubtedly find yourself scanning and sorting, be it food, family or football.

November 23, 2009 | By: Shayna Kulik

Quick Links: Weekly Notables

1. Amazing work by Katharina Trudzinksi, via For Me, For You.

2. Rebecca Ward’s tape installations are wonderful, via Oh joy!

3. Beauty in unexpected places: lowriders, via A Time to Get.

4. Awesome shadow puppet wallpaper by PaperBoy, via Design Milk.

5. Dishware by Museum of Robots, via My Adventure is Your Adventure.

6. Fabulous tape by Rob Ryan, via Inside Out.

7. They don’t make travel posters like they used to, via Grain Edit.

8. Interesting design project and idea: neighborhood currencies, via Kitsune Noir.

9. Great interview with Luke Ramsey, via Booooooom.

10. Gucci’s 2009 collection to benefit UNICEF is inspired by Michael Robert’s children’s Book, Snowman In Africa, via If it’s Hip it’s Here.

11. Brilliant diversity in the winners of Umbro’s design competition, via Umbro.

12. Mesmerized by Yuko Nishimura’s folded works, via All the Mountains.

By: Emily Gup

November 21, 2009 | By: Shayna Kulik

Trend: Masked Voyeurism

hidden-visibility

Masks have been around since the dawn of time. While their recent presence in pop culture once appeared to be nothing more than a passing phase, global conversations encompassing human behavior in the digital realm continue to keep this trend in the limelight. Living with hyperconnectivity, the average person can aim for fame and obscurity all from the comfort of their own home.

Privacy operates like a two-way mirror and these carefully constructed masks allow regular personalities to hide behind artful obscurity. Be it Peter Pilotto’s punk masterpiece for Dazed and Confused, this paper collection found on Cool Hunter, the bobble and animal heads from Theme Magazine, Mike Mill’s textile models, this old Hair’em or Scare’em book cover covering hair-centric conversations, Stella McCartney’s budget-minded retail windows or this devilish McQueen mask made from childrens toys, all of these examples allow the user to be seen behind a veil of mystery.

Hidden visibility poses the public vs. private dilemma and as digital voyeurism continues to grow, we anticipate more masks and more debate.

By: Kelsey-Lee LeGassick

November 19, 2009 | By: Shayna Kulik

Fashion: Luxurious Loot

luxury-loot3 copy

Everyone’s aware that the fashion industry’s taken a bit of a beating over the past year. As brands struggle to stay afloat, artists continue to incorporate economic themes into their design work. Beyond creating money inspired products, we’re beginning to see marketing dollars move in the same tactile direction. Both Bond St. no 9 and Vince are provocatively challenging street audiences to embrace this ominous topic by putting dollar signs and bank robbers in their windows. Taking a similarly playful approach, Alexandra Cassaniti has recently released this money bag into her product line-up, proclaiming, “it’s funny to carry a bag with a dollar sign down the street. People are always like, ‘did you rob a bank?’ or ‘do you have money in there?'”

November 18, 2009 | By: Shayna Kulik