NUDGE!!

Graphic Designer Essay: Stefan Sagmeister

Stefan Sagmeister was born in Bregenz, Austria in 1962. As an adolescent Stefan had a deep passion for music and was always fascinated by the artwork displayed on his record jackets. “I got interested in designing because album covers roused the interest in me to study design in the first place.” With this early exposure to the art of graphic design, Stefan knew by the young age of thirteen that he wanted to study and create a profession out of design. Stefan began his studies at the University of Applied Arts in Vienna, Austria but moved to New York in 1987 to study at the famous Pratt Institute. When reminiscing on his time in design school, Stefan remarks: “I probably would still be in art school if I could have found a way to make it happen.”

After completing his education, Sagmeister acquired a job working for Leo Burnett in Hong Kong at the age of 29. His time in Hong Kong was short lived, and in 1993 he returned to New York to work for the Hungarian graphic designer Tibor Kalman at the M&Co design firm. When the M&Co studio closed within the same year Stefan was hired, he took the advice given to him by Tibor. Tibor warned Stefan that if he got too comfortable making the big money within an agency. He would eventually become “the whore of the ad agencies” for the rest of his life. Knowing it was time to say goodbye to the design agencies, Sagmeister started his own design company, Sagmeister Inc., in 1994.

Working with clients The Rolling Stones, and Lou Reed promptly allowed Sagmeister to get the reputation he deserved as a designer. With his painstaking attention to every detail, Sagmeister was able to create works that has something new to offer at every viewing. This attention to detail allows him to create highly complex images that still translate to the viewer as clean and simplistic. His series of images for the Talking Heads “Once In a Lifetime” box set perfectly exemplify his process. The complexity of the images “brush stroke like” detailing and the great attention to color palette and sense of depth is masked by a light and pleasing lightheartedness. Yet the more you view the images, the more the lightheartedness seems to be subdued by the dark yet playful baby wolves. Which in turn, further involves the viewer and helps to create the unspoiled balance between “virtue and vice” within the set of images. Even though now at the age of 43 Sagmeister admits music is “now a diminishing part of my life,” he still finds great inspiration and joy in working with music related projects. Commenting: “The simple act of visualizing music, this never gets old.”

It doesn’t take long to notice that Stefan Sagmeister tends to thinks outside the box. Based in New York City, Sagmeister Inc. has continually produced eye catching yet timeless designs that have launched Sagmeister into the top tier of designers. Stefan does not see design as a mere medium to transfer information or ideas, but as an opportunity to touch someone’s life, or change ones perspective on a subject or idea. “Our goal for the future will be to touch somebody’s heart with design.” One prominent example of his approach being put into action is a typography wrapped casino in Linz, Austria. The front of the casino reads: “Money,” while the sides read: “does not make me happy.” Stefan is a firm believer in keeping diaries, and claims that it helps to spur “personal development.” Often using his diaries to create lists, or personal thoughts on life and its lessons, Stefan has encompassed many of these lessons or ideals in his recent works as a designer.

In 1999 Stefan closed his studio to commercial work so that he could focus on his own experimental projects. In this time Stefan created many works out of life lessons he had listed in his diaries. Such as: “Complaining is silly. Either act or forget.” and “Having guts always works out for me.” Stefan created these works using all methods of design, and many different mediums. From short films and photography, to industrial design and typography, Stefan created many inspired and personal works, which created high rates of demand by individuals and companies alike.

Taking time off is something that Sagmeister recommends for all graphic artists. Sagmeister himself takes a year long sabbatical about every seven years to help refresh himself as a designer. Currently on sabbatical in Bali, Indonesia Stefan is adamant on not taking work during his time off. Recently turning down an offer to design a poster for Barrack Obama’s presidential campaign, Stagmiester demonstrates how important dedicated time off is for him to be a successful and inspired designer. Sagmeister says that everything they designed in the seven years following his first sabbatical had originated within that first year he took off, helping to illustrate the power of taking a sabbatical.

Even with all of his success Sagmeister has not relied on this to further his career. Sagmeister is continually pushing his work and pushing the way he looks at design, allowing his work to remain novel and inspired. When asked about his fears or concerns for the future Sagmeister purely articulates: “I can't say that I am scared of anything regarding the future... not at all. I think that it's going to be fine. Humanity adapts to all kinds of situations, and right now I think is a good time to be alive.”

Convenience Comes at a Price

Betacup from the betacup on Vimeo.

Every year North America consumes 58 billion paper coffee cups, most of which are recyclable. Although convenient these 58 billion cups require 20 million trees and 12 billion gallons of water just to be produced. Tony Daniels and the product development firm Mutopo have founded the "Betacup" challenge. Designed to help solve the issue of inconvenient and bulky travel mugs, "Betacup" is asking the public to help them create the design solution to the paper cup wastage that plagues the U.S. The video above gives some compelling facts on how wasteful we are as a nation and explains the issue on a more in depth scale. Check it out and think of what you can do to help.

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Internet Killed the Retail Stars

"Ghosts of Shopping Past," a gallery by the Chicago-based photographer Brian Ulrich shows the demise of the "brick and mortar" era. This powerful gallery shows the haunting remains of what used to be busy retail stores, now left to decay through the ages. The photographs hold an almost human existence, making you feel pity on the neglected structures. The gallery is also extremely relevant to how society is rapidly changing, and how the retail market is evolving into a web based market. Personally this gallery showing hits home. I cant stand the fact that we are becoming a nation that is constantly sheltering itself from social setting. We can shop for food, clothes, electronics, furniture, and everything else online. Cell phones and headphones have disconnected us from our surroundings and life experiences. All of these "advancements" are negatively impacting our future and current generations, and will have nothing but dire consequences in the future. These poetic, hallow, and haunting photos create beautiful reminders of the direction our nation is going, and of the past we are leaving behind.

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Oakley Helps to Protect and Serve

Little is known about Oakley's "Industrial Grade" division and line of products. Serving the health, safety, and defense industires with products that can protect the user and take some abuse, Oakley is entering a niche market that allows for large innovation and large products. Some of their product line includes eyeware that protects from extreme impact and laser light, fire-resistant gloves for race car drivers, combat footwear, and ballistic goggles. I found this article within weeks of meeting up with my cousin Dante, a cop from CT. He showed me a heavy duty Oakley bag he had purchased online from their "Industrial Grade" store. he also told me that they make you enter badge numbers and other key information verifying that you are truly in the service industries. Only selling these heavy duty products to certified professionals within these certain fields allows Oakley to maintain credibility within the market. This line of products by Oakley was a smart move into a highly profitable market and should yield great results for the company.

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Hot Garbage

Making the RD Legs chair from Cohda Design on Vimeo.

Cohda's "RD Legs Chair" is made by continuously wrapping a strand of molten plastic waste around a form. After the plastic cools and hardens they remove the form and are left with a chair that appears to made out of woven plastic. A seemingly easily process that creates a great outcome. The chair reminds me of a scribble that I would draw in preschool, and has an awesome translucent yet sturdy feel to it. Check out the video to see the process in action.

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Table Top Toast Printers

"Print Your Toast" by Othmar Muhlebach walked away withe second prize at the Berner Design Awards. This take off of the desktop printer requires toast instead of paper. SImply stack your bread into the feed tray and walk away. While you are busy brewing coffee, the toast printer will toast each slice and drop it into the plate below. Easily the coolest and most amusing toaster to ever be made.

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Mile High Luxury

Do you find it hard to enjoy flying? With the cramped seating, lackluster food choices, and grumpy flight attendants its hard to not feel like your over paying for your flight. Well Emirate airlines suer-deluxe A380 airplane might offer the commodities you have been searching for. Built in seat massagers, personal flat-screen televisions, large bathrooms with showers, a bar/lounge area with couches, gourmet meals, and seats that fold out into beds are just a few of the endless features that you could be enjoying on your next flight. When flying on this hovering palace its doubtful that you will ever want your time in the sky to end.

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Smart Storage

Did you know that data centers such as Google use around 1% of the world's energy?! That alone is all you need to know that cloud computing requires massive data centers, and massive amounts of electricity. As the demand for more power and energy continues to grow fast, Helsinki, Finland has the solution to the growing problem. Next month the city will be launching its new massive data center buried in the WWII bomb shelter located underneath nothing other then the Uspenski Cathedral. This historical tourist attraction will be the new location for the future of data storage in more ways then one. Not only will it just supply the energy and storage needed, but the new data center will transition the large amounts of heat produced by the running center to Heisinki residences, which will reduce the heating bill and electricity costs by about $561,000 per year.

CORE77 LINK

NEW YORK TIMES LINK

Consumer Art

This video of Tokujin Yoshioka's latest video installation is a stunning example of the subtle power it can have. Created for Maison Hermes in Tokyo, The video work contains Japanese actresses(digital screen) blowing actual physical scarves within the store front windows. The careful balance between b&w and color creates a visually striking image and the subtle movement within the installation grabs the passerby's attention without forcing itself upon the viewer in an unattractive way. A carefully executed and beautiful installation sure to inspire and show that art doesn't always need to shock its viewers.

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DIY USB

This convenient DIY project by instructables.com allows you to transform the average wall plug into a USB charging station. If you have $10.00 and 30 min you can make this extremely useful docking station in six easy steps. A cool way to take a step into the future and prepare your home for more usb based chargers to come.

CORE77.COM LINK

FULL INSTRUCTIONS

Project Three: Image ideas

Design Virus by Pieke Bergmans

Creating some of the most visually stimulating lighting exhibits i have ever seen, Pieke Bergmans gives the visual presence of light a tangible feel. Made of hand blown bulbs containing LEDs these lamps seem to give way to the pressures of gravity and simply melt their way to the floor in an almost depressed or hopeless manner. The lighting pieces have a great presence and seem to come alive in a sad existence, seeming to be gripping on to their very lives. A unique and inspiring addition to the ongoing Design Virus series by the Pieke Bergmans studio.

ORIGINAL LINK

Project Three: list of aspirations

Project Three: Design a brand mark in illustrator

List of aspirations:

- Work for a creative and inspiring design firm

- Travel to new and exciting places (esp. Tokyo and Paris)

- Start my own design firm that inspires others to create

- Study possibilities in Industry Design

- Be considered an artist, not just a designer

- Be content with what I have, and not have to worry about money

- Be recognized in the design world, whether through a magazine or an award

- Never grow up, think young

- Create and design the house of my dreams

- Work with or for Stefan Sagmeister

- Open my own snowboard company

- Design snowboard graphics for a well established snowboarding company

- Work for The Brown Buffalo in Burlington, VT

The "Rhymedreglage" project

This stop-motion animation created by the Swedish artist Tomas Redigh took him over 1,500 hours to complete. The perplexity used in creating this Lego piece video is mind blowing as well are the carefully thought out camera angles and lighting. Visually entrancing, this video leaves you in disbelief as to the thought that someone could make this with the simple use of God knowns how many Lego's.

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The "Why Didn't I Think Of That" Moment

When I saw Design student Erin Fong's take on the camera I couldn't help but hit myself for not at least criticizing its typically accepted design. After studying the way professionals and amateurs held their cameras in the field, Fong created this more ergonomic design that allows you to hold the camera with either your left, right, or even both hands. Making the camera more comfortable no matter if your primarily left or right handed, and opening the door for others to revise the handling of current cameras, Fong has definitely succeeded in getting peoples attention, as well as my envy.

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Settling In

Designer Shimada has reinvented the house plant. Made from sand and biomass, this pot raises a sapling that once reaches a certain size can be transported and buried outside, while still inside pot. the pot will then begin to biodegrade, allowing the plant to acclimate slowly to its new outdoor setting. A simple yet refreshing idea from the Shimada that illustrates the growth of the plant and can be used as a metaphor to relate to how children grow up to leave the home and find new environments.

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What do Nomads Know About Comfort?!

The Dubai based design studio, "Traffic," have created a new collection of sofas inspired by nomadic Bedouin furniture. The pieces are made up of stacked "mattress like" layers made of different materials, and consisting of differing designs and thicknesses. The sofas are held together by cords that go through the layers and hold it together in the desired configuration. The simplicity of the pieces, as well as the highly unique and customizable features, make it an interesting and playful design with a rich history. The different colors, fabrics, and designs are a reflection of the random availability to nomadic cultures throughout the Middle East, and gives the collection a more inspired feel. The "Bidoun" collection is the first collection by the Traffic studio and is planned to go into limited production within the near future.

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f5x5x5

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This visually enchanting installation, created by a group of Designers based in Brussels, France, represents information through the use of space. In software development, groups of code are connected together and manipulated to represent different information and or codes. This piece is meant to physically represent this relationship and can be physically manipulated to change the information being represented. Even with a very complicated and in-depth meaning behind the installation, this piece can simply be appreciated by its visual presence. Making it a piece that can appeal to the masses. Its dark/somber church like surroundings help to enrich its presence and give it a european feel that instantly reminds me of the light show that i experienced at the Phoenix (French based band) concert in Central Park earlier this year.

You-tube video of Phoenix concert

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Time Fades

The "Ink Calendar" by Oscar Diaz is one of the most unique and inspiring pieces of design I have seen this year. Made of embossed paper, this calendar soaks up the ink out of the jar and slowly spreads throughout the cut-out numbers as the days pass. Each jar is labeled with a month, and each color relates to our perceptions of the weather during each month. The calendar allows the viewer to become more aware and contemplative on the idea of "time passing by" instead of simply seeing the date as a deadline or a unit of measurement. The bold colors against a white wall create a very visually appealing design, and the idea of the art continually transforming itself is a great way to stress how time and change go hand in hand. So hurry up and try and get your hands on this unique piece before your time has passed.

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Donald Judd Designs

The Sebastian + Barquet gallery will be offering an exhibit of Donald Judd's furniture designs in New York City, starting November 12. Alongside the furniture they will also present early drawings and examples of his past works, and works in progress. Judd, an industrial designer, who's work brings forth simple beauty and a strong presence seems to always find the right balance of visual appeal and understated practicality. The color stained chairs above our a great example of his eye catching work. If you like minimalism make it a point to make your way into the city and experience how Judd creates his art from its beginning to its poetic finish.

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Fujitsu Covers All Bases

The new F-04B by Fujitsu is like no cell phone you've seen before. The phone splits into two pieces allowing you to slide out a full keypad and type away. The detachable screen communicates with the keyboard through bluetooth, and if you happen to misplace one half of your phone, you can locate it by pressing a button on either piece which then enables the other half to beep and vibrate. Just when you think they covered all the bases, we find out that it also contains a pico projector. making it possible to watch a favorite flick on a much larger viewing surface. I've looked at the F-04b over and over trying to find some flaw in its overall design, but I'm having a tough time not falling in love with this phone. The detachable keyboard reminds me of the new and innovative virtual keyboard (http://www.virtual-laser-keyboard.com/) which might be a better option for those in love with their blackberries. Although the phone is slightly on the bulky side, its a cool new take on the tired design of the cell phone, and a cool new product from Fujitsu.

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The Wall of Sound

At almost six feet tall this speaker claims to be the most powerful speaker available for ... the iPod? Yes, this handmade monster was specifically designed for Apples iPod, and promises loud high quality sound that you would never expect from the small iPod. The first batch sold out, yet for only $4,500 you can pre-order the second generation speaker and bring this ironic twist on the speaker into your own home. With such a fun and outrageous way to listen to your digital tracks, this speaker definitely out does your ear-buds.

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Modern Traditions

The "Stoop Bench" designed by Josh Owen is a portable stoop that encourages people to gather and socialize. An architectural staple for over a thousand years, Josh rethinks the function of the stoop to create almost a park bench thats more natural and "home-like." Josh plans to distribute them throughout the city of Philadelphia to create social "perches" for people to meet. I think this is one of the smartest yet simplest ideas to come through design in a long time.

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Swamp Thing's Dining Room Set

Designer Hongtao Zhou found this chair laying broken in a Wisconsin dumpster amongst printed holiday ads. After concluding that even chairs should get into the holiday spirit, he decided to fix the chair and dress it up for Halloween. Zhou used saw dust and small pieces of wood to give the chair its "Swamp Thing" like appearance, and plans on giving it a fresh look for the Christmas season. Although an outright ridiculous idea, the chair is very visually stimulating, and Zhou is successful in creating a spooky and curious mood around it. It also helps to show the design process at work, and how Zhou was able to connect two unrelated topics (chairs and holidays) to create an interesting design piece. Happy Halloween!

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Photoshop Notes / Project #2

-crop photos to 8 by 8 / 300dpi

-save as PSD file, chagne to EPS later on when ready to print

- image => adjust => color balance
red <-> cyan (turquoise)
green <-> magenta
blue <-> yellow

-adjust curve after unlocking image, allowing me to darken or lighten the image. Also allows me to darken or lighten just highlights or just shadows.

-dodge blocks light/ less exposure
-burn opens to more light/ more exposure (darker image)

-sponge tool changes amount of saturation or de- saturation

- highlights ->needs to have some detail (not whited out areas)
mid tones -> should have a good variety of tones/ shades
shadows -> no black out, must have some detail just like highlights

Barnes & Noble's Nook

Barnes & Noble's "Nook e-reader" is set to release in late November at the cost of $259. This device, designed to compete with amazon's "Kindle," this e-book reader shares many similar traits. Yet, the Nook has to great differences that will either contribute to its fall or success. The Nook contains a "LendMe" function where you can wirelessly lend one of your titles to a friend for up to 14 days. Also, Barnes & Noble Wifi allows you to read/browse any book while in a B&N store. Although thought to be counter intuitive for gaining profit, it is a great feature to help strain the necessity of a physical store, and helps create more want for the Nook over the Kindle. Wether these new features will allow B&N to rise above Amazon is still unknown, but it does offer great promise for gaining a hold in the e-reader market.

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Yossarian-Character Sketch

The protagonist of "Catch-22", John Yossarian, turns out to be far from a typical character within the novel. Although considered to be insane by the men in his squadron, Yossarian's goal to avoid and escape war, makes him the most rational of the bunch. Through faking illnesses to escape the possibility of flying missions and eventually "walking away" from the war, Yossarian is able to escape the catch-22 that he confronts throughout the novel. That is, that life is not worth living without the concern for the well-being of others (those you care for), but this concern for others endangers ones own well-being. He constantly struggles with trying to avoid dangers, and trying to help others, by confronting those dangers, causing him to even consider himself insane. This struggle in logic thinking causes the other men who are truly the insane ones because of their illogical acceptance of war, to consider Yossarian a crazed man, and mark him an outsider. Although Yossarian's distinct personality in the novel cause us to expect something exceptional out of him, he turns out to almost become an anti-hero. By avoiding dangerous missions, and finding any excuse to escape war, he shows his "human" qualities, and denounces the notion of a "brave soldier." This helps us to see the truth in war, and havoc it has on the human mind and spirit. Yossarian sees his fear as healthy, and in a world where life is so casually lost and riddled with catch-22's that prevent any escape back into the sensical world, it is possible to redefine the term "hero" as simply; self-preservation. Although quirky, loud, and contemplative, Yossarian is far from the maniac the author, Joseph Heller, masks him to be. Making the reader look through the facade and eventually question the warped sense pride and bravery seen in war and the soldiers who fight it.

Coil Lamp

This unique concept made into a reality, is a lamp made simply from a coiled extension cord. Using a plexi-form to help give it the lamp shape and a 100 foot extension cord, this "Coil Lamp" is a simple and fun DIY project. Just snap the cord into the grooved slots on the form until you create your one of a kind lighting piece. Definitely a great design by chicago based designer, Craighton Berman.

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Dyson

Dyson has at last released its, before now, secret technology that is intended to shock and amaze. the new technology is a fan that has no blades. Coming in 10" and 12" diameters the blade-less fan stars at a pricy $229. But how does it work? Air is drawn through the base of the machine and forced into the loop, the air hugs the circular ramp and is spun out into an air stream. While exiting the hollow loop the air stream pulls air from behind it, and from the sides. Amplifying it 15 times. This fan creates a constant flow of cool air, and can be easily adjusted by use of a dimmer switch. This blade-less fan is a great way to obtain constant cool air, that is safer and easier to clean.

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Rich Clayton - Graphic Design

Above are a few examples from Rich Claytons profile on www.Coroflot.com

The carefully placed shapes, and rich but simple use of color, really allow these images to grab your attention. Which is definitely a necessary aspect of graphic design.


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Leave It To the Dogs

LSD (Libor Sostak Design) revealed these unique speakers at the "Prague Design Days," at the Classic7 building in the Holesovice area. These speakers provide a unique way of listening to your music collection; as if a canine is barking your music at you. My only concern with these "mutant creature" like speakers, is their sound quality. Yet, with concerns to the aesthetic design alone, I think they create great visual appeal and hold the potential to be mans best friend.

LINK TO ORIGINAL ARTICLE

Breaking the Baroque

Designer Hopfgartner is to exhibit this updated version of the violin in the Tokyo Design Week later this month. This modern styled, and semi acoustic version of the violin abandons the baroque stlying of the classic violin, which has remained unchanged for over 500 years. Although an interesting idea, Hopfgartner fails to recognize that the overall shape and materials used in the construction of the acoustic violin, is exactly what gives it its recognizable and enchanting sound. I myself played the violin for over 6 years, and find it very hard to except that some believe they can change the shape of the violin without changing its sound. As well, many electric violins who do not require certain materials and shapes for their tones, come in a great variety of shapes and colors(pic#1, pic#2). Personally i see this design as a poorly researched and thought out design, which discredits the beauty and history of such a magnificent instrument.

LINK TO ORIGINAL ARTICLE

Brochure Back and Cover

Hangin' It Up

Alex Witco shows us that it doesn't take much to create a beautiful and practical piece of design. His "Hangeliers" are chandeliers made essentially out of trash. Using basically only either wooden and plastic hangers and zip ties, Alex creates these unique pieces. This article reminded me of another site where everything from c.d.'s to shopping carts are used to make unique furniture pieces (LINK).

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BumpTop's Interactive Interface

An amazing piece of software were a touchscreen allows you to do anything imaginable with your computer. This is not a conceptual idea, but actually downloadable for Windows based computers only. This technology, once thought to be the way of the future, is now a present reality and only the tip of the iceberg for interactive interfaces. Watch the video and be amazed by its countless features and abilities.

LINK TO ORIGINAL ARTICLE

Rock Hard

Just when you though marble was the standard "must have" countertop in todays kitchens, Costentino's "Prexury Collection" breaks the mold with their unique countertops, making them the stylish way of the future, as far as bathroom and kitchen decor. Made from rare minerals, semi-precious stones, and petrified woods, these counter tops are an extremely unique product that will surely surprise and awe any guests that enter your home. Due to the fact that small pieces are fused together to make a large slab through a quite extensive process, it is fair to assumer that they arent for those on a tight budget. yet, if your looking to splurge on a beautiful one of a kind counter top, be sure to consider Cosentino's new "Prexury Collection."

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Digital Design

London Design Week 2009: Digital Design London from Core77 on Vimeo.

This video shows a quick selection of some amazing installations that could be found at the Tent London Show during their week long Design Festival. Truly an exciting event to be able to attend, with some of the exhibits being interactive, its impossible to not enjoy these mind blowing pieces.

LINK: LONDON DESIGN WEEK VIDEO/ARTICLE

3D Polaroid

LINK TO SITE

This hanging vase designed by

Jung Hwa Jin is a great way to

bring photography to life.

The suspended flower pot

makes your plants the focus

of there own polaroid and is

a cool accent to your home or

apartment. It even has a small

lamp, allowing you to shed light

on your plant of choice, and

better present your unique

decor piece.

Airplane Layout Designs

http://www.core77.com/blog/object_culture/emil_jacobs_innovative_airplane_interior_layouts_part_2_14792.asp

Here is a portion of Emil Jacob's interior airplane designs for a 747 aircraft. the Staggered and overlapping designs allows for a maximum utilization of space which creates better leg room and Emil even incorporates within the design a bed for each passenger. This realistic and innovative design would be a welcomed change to the cramped cabins in todays airplanes.

All Aboard

We are on these things probably more then we sleep, yet we still have to use phones made of almost 100% plastic as well as other visually displeasing materials. Yet we pay a small fortune every-time we get a new one. Simon Enever's newest phone concept is what we have all been waiting for. Nautically inspired, this phone is made from bamboo, black acrylic, and stainless steel. Finally a phone that is worth its weight!

http://www.core77.com/blog/object_culture/simon_enevers_innovations_14758.asp