Digital: Alt Summit 2012 Recap

Alright! Finally, an Alt Summit recap. Work’s been so maddeningly busy since returning to New York, it feels like eons since I was in Salt Lake City, immersed in blog talk, social media and inspiring chatter with so many new faces. I had such a blast, I nearly forgot I was sick as a dog.

Before jumping in, I’ll say this- while Pattern Pulp is a joy and certainly part of my weekly and usually daily routine, it’s not my full time job, it’s more of a supplement to my work in trend forecasting, art direction and design. While I usually can’t share a majority of my work (proprietary, etc…), I do feature what inspires me, what drives my decision making- what makes my heart skip a beat, in the dorkiest of ways.

That said, it was a pleasure getting to dive into Alt Summit and fully focus on a part of my life that can always use more attention. It was a guilt-free few days, spent with ladies I absolutely adore and it was very exciting to catch up with so many talented writers and designers that I’ve respected for so long.

Some highlights! Pattern Pulp was listed as one of Meg & Mimi’s up and coming blogs (very cool)- also a treat to see all of the other titles.

Got to meet Deborah Needleman, albeit briefly, catch up with Ben Silbermann and hear about the exciting evolution that’s happening at Pinterest, meet a few fellow pattern enthusiasts- Michelle Edgemont/Kimberly Hall/Kristin Appenbrink/Meg Lewis/Margot Harrington/Morgan Georgie, have countless (accidental) collaborative collisions and participate in Erin Loechner‘s very useful resource circle.

I’ll leave you with a few quotes from my favorite panels & keynotes- a small snapshot of why I thought they were great:

Turning Your Blog into a Business: “Consistency in the quality of your content is king – more important than the frequency of posting” – Chris Gardner of Curbly

Blogging to Book Deal (illustrated by Julia Rothman): “Review your competition when pitching a book idea- make lists of what they offer and see the reviewer comments- see if there’s a missed opportunity”- Grace Bonney of Design*Sponge

Growing your Audience: “Google trending topics are a good source to follow when keeping abreast of popular online conversations” – Kelly Beall of Design Crush

The Relationship between Traditional and New Media: “The event business is super in sync with the online world. Consider it a a revenue driver over traditional advertising.” Deborah Needleman

Pinterest Keynote by Ben Silbermann: “The Pirates of Silicon Vally inspired me to move to California. I wanted to be surrounded by people that inspired me.”

The Happiness Project Closing Words with Gretchen Rubin: “Happy people are more concerned with the world around them and they often leave a better impact on the world.”

And finally, I absolutely loved the Yumaki toothbrush in my welcome box. Definitely the give-away winner of the week. Here’s my attempt at styling it on my living room window sill. The red pops nicely alongside the green ey?

January 30, 2012 | By: Shayna Kulik

Creativity in Shanghai

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Here’s the next batch of photos from my Asia trip- a few favorites from Shanghai! After leaving my brother-in-law in Hong Kong, my husband and I met up with our friends Mari and Naveen, who were also traveling from New York.

As you’ll see, there was a stark range from high to low throughout the city, but overall Shanghai was expansive (think Chicago, Boston and New York in one) and overwhelming to traverse. The people were friendly, the news highly censored, clothing was hanging from every window and the LED screens were super-sized. Here’s a mix of food, fashion, art and random observations along the way.

Imagery by Myself & Mari

January 5, 2012 | By: Shayna Kulik

Patterns in Web Design

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Always a proponent of repetition, I thought I’d share two examples where patterns steal the show online. The above banners on The Sydney Morning Herald illustrate the power of color and graphic detailing when paired alongside text. Your eye is immediately drawn to the advertising, even before the duck.

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J.Crew illustrates a similar technique in their online holiday sale. When paired with text, large shapes with relevant or abstract meaning can be a wonderful compliment.

January 4, 2012 | By: Shayna Kulik

Trend: Confining Soft Geometrics

Anyone who knows me will attest to the fact that I’m very passionate about technology in the print, pattern and color departments. As much as I love documenting the internet’s future unfold from a visual point of view, I also love finding organic solutions to daily design dilemmas.

This leads me to today’s feature on soft geometrics. Rough-cut collages have been popping up all over ffffound and Pinterest filling mood boards and music posters for over a year now- it was but a matter of time before artists and designers started applying a commercial hand, reinterpreting their voice through this jagged aesthetic.

Cynthia Rowley’s current Fall collection reminds me of a God’s eye craft project, it also looks like a texturized version of my old portfolio site, Pixel Rumor. Ana Montiel‘s most recent collaboration with Nina Ricci reveals a stunning work in progress of diamond-cut shards, texturized into the shape of a heart. Proving the iPad can serve as a canvas, paintbrush and scissors, Nathalie Chikhi has created a series of digital designs. All beautiful, inspiring and infused with a feminine hand.

September 13, 2011 | By: Shayna Kulik

Digital: Textured & Translucent Spectrums

IBM’s smart commerce campaign‘s been making the rounds for a while now, in airports, newspapers and magazines round the world. The graphics are simple, colorful and geometric, revealing translucent overlapping shapes that are abstract and easily transferrable. Their latest banner designs utilize these elements beautifully, as exhibited in today’s NewYorker.com media buy. Here are a few screenshots of the beginning and end resolves.

Taking a page out of IBM’s style guide, Jet Blue has opted for a similar look and feel for their You Above All campaign. Influenced by bold translucent colors and circular shapes, it’s easy to follow the creative timeline and even make the assumption that this design style is here to stay, thanks to mobile app and splash page trends.

August 11, 2011 | By: Shayna Kulik

Artist Profile: Field Kallop

If you’re an artist familiar with textiles, you’re always experimenting. Field Kallop‘s experiments are carefully calculated and beautifully executed. With an art history and gallery curation background, she’s applying natural talent to academia at RISD’s MFA painting program, finding inspiration in anatomy, physics and astronomy.

When asked about her technique, Kallop explains her process, “I built a pendulum, suspended it from the ceiling of my studio, and began to make drawings with it. My goal was to examine, harness, and display the effects of gravity, an invisible yet ubiquitous force that has always interested me.”

In our opinion, many of the images are reminiscent of rudimentary computer screens, revealing captured data in the ether world of the internet. Be it futuristic, abstract, or fluid, these executions are stunning and we’re excited to see what the future holds for Kallop’s career.

August 1, 2011 | By: Shayna Kulik