Every now and then the FT Weekend gets their fashion, print and pattern spread really right. The most recent collaboration with artist, photographer and stylist, Damian Foxe is a mind blowing example. Equal parts commercial and artistic, Foxe works with several traditional wallpaper houses to create life-sized paper dolls.
Wallpaper houses included in this spread include: Timorous Beasties, Sanderson, Lewis and Wood and Designers Guild.
Over the past few weeks we’ve been noticing a new trend in the the retail sector. Everyone from Custo Barcelona, Anthropologie and Isabel Marant has been experimenting with string. From florescent sharp edges to crafty corks and quirky block heads, each display reveals a precise and economical take on the brand. Using linear paths to lead the eye, these installations remind us of a recent feature in Theme Magazine. The artist uses electrical tape to construct optical vanishing points, a throw back to the basics and a reminder of what we all learned in art class.
Yesterday was my first day “off” in a while and I spent it wandering round town. On my pursuit to make it to Columbus Circle, and subsequently, Central Park, I walked by the Museum of Arts & Design. Though I’ve heard of BMW’s ongoing collaboration with artists to outfit their vehicles, this was the first time I saw the real time results.
In partnership with Esther Mahlangu, of South Africa, this BMW 525i was commissioned in 1991. Mahlangu is best known as a Ndebele painter and bead artist, and for this particular project, she translated a design that’s most often seen on Ndebele architecture onto the car. A brilliant and beautiful canvas, fit for any endurance race or exhibition.
These days, social strategy should be part of every one’s growth plan. From crowd-sourced content to rewarding five minutes of fame, every brand is hoping to engage using digital technology, beyond the sweeps of yesteryear.
Here are a few snapshots of Forever 21‘s Time Square store. The video loop on their LED screens is playful, engaging and larger than life. Models “walk” up to the screen, summon the crowd then take a Polaroid shot of the street, capturing everyone who’s a fan. Remarkably, hundreds of people are willing to wait through the five minute loop to see themselves on the big screen, over and over again.
Just across the street, the monolithic LED screen that belongs to American Eagle takes a similar approach, merging their customers, twitter and a branded photo booth. Developed by the brains at RGA, customers can have their picture taken with a short caption and it will scroll down the outside of the building. Not only do the photos make their debut in Times Square, they’re also easy to share using a computer or mobile device.
Keeping with the theme of models trapped inside their own advertisements, Lara Stone‘s most recent billboard for Calvin Klein located at Lafayette and Houston is as engaging as it gets for still imagery. Similar to Forever 21’s loop, her proportions are skewed, slightly edgy and entirely engaging.
Today’s post is New York centric, typographic and choc full of texture. After coming down from the high that’s been New York Fashion week, I’m here to share a snapshot from Milk Studios‘ kick off event. I had the good fortune of tagging along with Stephen Budd, a friend who was over from London. In between hearing The National and looking for a lost jacket in coat check, one of my favorite moments of the night was laying eyes on the typographic decor.
Bringing type to life with knitting needles rather than life-sized decals, Donna Wilson, of the UK was commissioned to interpret the New York Times infamous logo this past October. The patterns are mismatched, colorful and perfectly combined. Keeping things fresh, monochromatic and theme-based, Jessica Hische, of Daily Drop Cap reminds us on a near-daily basis how to infuse life into text, an inspirational read for anyone looking to up their typographic ante.
A few years ago, while sitting in a creative meeting at Renegade, a digital marketing agency here in New York, a design colleague gave a presentation on Sao Paulo’s no advertising policy, blowing all of our minds. We all thought, “how could that be? No ads, not anywhere?! Amazing.”
Fast forward, as this idea recently seeded a digital collaboration between great minds here in NY. Morgan Spurlock, of Super Size Me, The Barbarian Group and the creative team at Aviary made it their mission to create a website with the intent purpose of removing all visual advertising from Times Square, entitled No Ad NY.
While the advertising is arguably the kitsch appeal of this commercial hub, the idea is fun and inviting- so much so, that I took a few of my own patterns and tossed them into the spread. Have a look, play around, and make some of your own designs- the final results will look like life-sized presents.