Lessons in Technology from Estonia

Sometimes our posts are a little monkey-see-monkey-do, but that’s the nature of a visual site: to provide bright, compelling content that’s thoughtful and relevant throughout the market. Today I’d like to return to my researcher roots and share a few thoughts on an article that I was particularly moved by.

This past weekend, Thomas Friedman wrote a piece for the New York Times entitled, New Rules, describing how schools in Estonia are adding coding to the elementary curriculum in the hopes of solving hiring problems for the future.

Having just returned from Tallinn (Estonia) I witnessed the technology boom first hand. It almost felt like San Francisco- save for the fact that I was on Russian/Scandinavian territory. Skype was developed there and many of the conversations at the cafes and restaurants I visited were tech related. Unsurprisingly Tallinn’s Foursquare tips were also abundant.

There’s free wifi on every other street (Paris could take a hint) and Facebook, Google, PriceWaterHouseCoopers and many other American businesses have engineering offices based in Estonia- it’s one of the coding and development capitals of Europe. So that brings me back to patterns. And the future. And the idea of staying relevant in today’s fast-changing world.

Friedman puts it best quoting futurist Alvin Toffler, “lliteracy will not be defined by those who cannot read and write, but by those who cannot learn and relearn. Any form of standing still is deadly.”

Here are a few photos from my time in Tallinn. I thought it would be nice to share a taste of the creative culture. So what are your thoughts on the matter? Do you ever think about the evolution of your industry, where it’s going and how you’re going to stay relevant?

September 11, 2012 | By: Shayna Kulik

Texturizing Moving Media

Moving into the realm of video game design, IBM’s recent banner ads promoting Pure Systems playfully animates their famous campaign graphics. Though the reel plays a bit too quickly to capture progressive screen shots, you get the idea. In our opinion, this teaser illustrates a meeting of the minds and tools needed in a toolkit. Do you get it?

September 7, 2012 | By: Shayna Kulik

Making Music with Sam and the Womp

Who remembers this post from April? The one about color, backdrops and photo trends? Today we’re translating those palettes to music and media with the London ska/dance trio, Sam and the Womp with their latest video, Bom Bom.

The beat’s surprisingly catchy, isn’t it? I recently heard the tune off my husband’s laptop and fell for the video’s playfulness. It’s clear creativity works best on a budget, what do you think- are you a fan?

August 8, 2012 | By: Shayna Kulik

Mixing Watercolors & Photo Styling

Watercolor-photo collages have been a mainstay for a while now. From soft lyrical lines to crisp geometrics, adult and youth brands have continued to incorporate the direction in both digital and tangible goods.

Case in point, Mimi & Maximus. Always producing great clothing, it’s no surprise their summer catalog is playful and visually engaging. The branding is compiled of triangles and photography- almost reminiscent of my wedding art from last spring!

Meshing monochromes, folded imagery, depth and soft materials, The Link Collective, a Japanese-based Etsy shop is selling beautiful scarves with similar energy. Which leads me to ask- are you still a fan of the style? Are you ready for what’s next?

August 6, 2012 | By: Shayna Kulik

Is Instagram the New Fashion Advisor?

I’ve had my eye on Black Milk since since crossing paths with their skeleton bathing suit. Though I didn’t buy it -medium’s been out of stock since day one – I keep noticing their line in my Instagram feed.

A majority of the imagery seems to be from LA & Williamsburg hipsters as well as inked influencers. The dollar leggings at the top brought me back to their site (I’m a fan). After giving the collection another perusal, I noticed something interesting.

Aside from the underground, in-your-face themes and general punk design ethos, there’s a button to the right of each style that offers styling advice.

When you click it, a collective aggregated feed appears, compliments of the brand’s many fans. Reminiscent of Fashism‘s self styling sight, Black Milk and their design team have figured out a way to reassure potential consumers while creating comradery among their customers.

Brilliant, if you ask me- a simple idea with great execution. This is a nice example of ecom marketing that feels organic and in line with the ethos of the brand.

From the top: Dollar Leggings | Cathedral Leggings | Galaxy Leggings | Mucha Black Leggings | Jelly Fish Leggings

July 23, 2012 | By: Shayna Kulik

Repetition Elsewhere: Patterns of Science

Every time I start a new project I’m introduced to a cast of creative characters- all of whom I google (who doesn’t?!). This week a new project’s been added to the mix and with it comes some fun new faces and sites to explore. Don’t Not Look belongs to Ian Hall. Interestingly, I’m not certain if it’s the Ian Hall I’m working with or perhaps his doppelgänger, nonetheless, the photography, collage and art on the site is stunning, as is the accompanying blog.

The latest feature on Patterns of Science is derived from a program created by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization shortly after WWII. The goal was to promote cultural compassion and awareness in the hopes of thwarting further war and xenophobia.

This program encourages people to see the world as a joint community with common values. Using vintage catalog imagery, each fashion sprad presents a mashup of cultures through pattern.

While a clothing pattern is designed to make the wearer look and feel different, when it is expanded over a model’s exposed skin it instead represents the biological and emotional framework that we all share.

June 27, 2012 | By: Shayna Kulik