Exploring the passions of ART & DESIGN created by me as as well as other inspiring 2 and 3 dimensional artists. Passions of American music from the 1920’s to the 1970’s focusing on blues, rhythm and blues, jazz, rockabilly, rock and roll, folk, etc.
Like the movie itself, the graphics are not meant to be exact reproductions. They are representational, designed to conjure up a feeling. It is a feeling the we can relate to today. We relate to it in the same way people felt when they originally experienced the story. The movie and everything about it is redesigned and refreshed. This gives it an up to date feeling that we can be part of. Perhaps it is also so that we can dream of having a life like that ourselves.
To a greater or lesser extent, the couples who chose to use these great Gatsby wedding invitations aspire to that lifestyle as well. One would want only to be a fly on the wall to see how much more than the Gatsby style invitation they realized in their nuptial celebrations.
Enjoy more reading material about ART | FOOD | HEALING at right on Alison*s Art Online Magazines, a feature of Alison*s Blog and published by RebelMouse and paper.li.
One wants to shout, ‘No, that’s just the story. He’s not really supposed to die’. But the untimely passing of HBO’s ‘iconic New Jersey mobster’ played by James Gandolfini is like a bad dream within a bad dream. One thinks it is over and that it did not happen only to awaken to realize that it did. A combination of grief, shock, frustration, sadness, loss and even nausea regarding the incredulity of the coincidence take over. One wonders, in this case, had life imitated art too much? Is that even possible? Did the Tony Soprano character take over James Gandolfini’s life to the extent that the fate of one became the demise of the other? That is a very unsettling concept.
One commentor, @Jigsjigz wrote on YouTube,”Well hes just passed away so hes dead in the story too.”
But James Gandolfini’s persona as well as his diverse body of work survive his nemesis, Tony Soprano. Here are some examples of the man and the actor in other roles he played. They show his range beyond the ‘conflicted yet iconic New Jersey mobster’ and ‘the shlubby but imposing work stiff’ (both descriptions from Variety).
A man with a huge heart who has been described in his industry as a ‘unique embodiment of creativity, humanity and humility’ has left us. May this post and Alison*s Art Online Magazine from RebelMouse, at right, be a small tribute to a very big man.
This is clearly illustrated by THE AD WORLD’S BEST IDEAS: 12 CAMPAIGNS THAT WILL WIN AT CANNES by Teressa Iezzi. Some of the entries shown do just what is described above. They clearly make a case for great ads are art and include the role that technology has come to play in the creative process.
This year, the use of technology at the International Festival of Creativity (aka the International Festival of Advertising, aka the Cannes Lions), has risen to such heights that a new category has been named for them. The festival kicks off on Sunday, June 16th.
Quoted from, ‘THE AD WORLD’S BEST IDEAS: 12 CAMPAIGNS THAT WILL WIN AT CANNES’, “While Cannes has certainly honored ‘apps, tools, and programmes’ before (several years ago, the festival launched the ‘Titanium Lion’, designed to recognize the new forms of work that refused to be bound by traditional ad categories), the new ‘Innovation Lion’ seems to be designed to give more recognition to the ideas that aren’t communications and to the tech platforms that underlie the communications initiatives that Cannes has traditionally cited.”
One community service project video, Metro Trains’s, ‘Dumb Ways To Die’ gained such popularity that other creatives crafted take-offs and spoofs of it. The original and its progeny are shown below.
IBM captured a million views in just one day for a demonstration of the future of atomic memory. Here’s how they achieved that and why it matters.
SOLVING HUGE PROBLEMS, ONE ATOM AT A TIME: THE PURPOSE AND POWER OF IBM’S “WORLD’S SMALLEST MOVIE”
BY: JOHN KENNEDY, IBM, AND STEVE SIMPSON, OGILVY & MATHER.
A Boy And His Atom: The World’s Smallest Movie
‘The Bridge of Life’ by Samsung Life Insurance
This project turns potential tragedy into a joyful work of art.
‘Coca-Cola Small World Machines – Bringing India & Pakistan Together’
Who would have thought that Coca-Cola could be used for political unity?
The best was saved until last. The Oreo, 100 year birthday video, ‘Oreo Daily Twist’. We all know what happened to that one when the lights went out on last year’s Super Bowl.
Are you all choked up yet? See what I mean about ‘Great Ads Are Art’? Which ever ads win at Cannes, there is no doubt that they will all be works of art.
Who will be first architect, engineer, or builder to accomplish this feat of 21st century structural technology? That is the question at hand.
Nature has always defined its structures through a system of weaving and construction that man has wondered at. The closest anyone came until now was the geodesic dome. But even it used straight lines with angles. It is not organic either, the way nature is. Building 3D, or using the latest 3D printing technology, will allow man to come as close to building like nature in history.
Building 3D or 3D printing, as it is more commonly known, has resulted in the miracle of creating human organs. 3D printing has also allowed for traditional artforms to metamorphosize. Besides that, everyday objects, like shoes can be created with 3D printing. As amazing as all of this sounds, and it is, it is still the beginning. The question for this post remains,’who will be the first to build a 3D printed building’?
Unknowingly, a $5 garage sale chair was used casually, left in the garage gathering dust and almost given away to Goodwill. Fortunately, the owners of this priceless designer chair discovered what they had. But it took the purchasers over a year to discover the priceless treasure they had bought for $5. They discovered it by accident. They turned the chair over. There was a metal plate with the names of both the manufacturer and the designers.
It turned out to be a Herman Miller original production Charles and Ray Eames design prototype from 1946 as the metal plate indicates. It was made by the Herman Miller Company in Zeeland, Western Michigan over 60 years ago.
These furnishings are also well documented in publications like Design in America, The Cranbrook Vision: 1925 -1950. The book accompanied the exhibit that traveled from Detroit, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and then to several stops in Europe.
Quotes from Inhabitat.com and photos from TEN Arquitectos.
This Inhabitat article by Molly Cotter describes it best, “Environmentally conscious luxury condos are popping up all over Manhattan lately, and Mercedes House is no exception. This incredible 1.3 million square foot compound features just about everything, including over 800 residential units, dozens of commercial and storage spaces, horse stables for the NYPD, and of course, a state-of-the-art Mercedes-Benz dealership. With a sparkling LED-lit lobby by Leeser Architects and so many rooftop gardens even Central Park would be envious, the Mercedes House is a green oasis on Manhattan’s riverside edge.”
Another article by Molly Cotter of Inhabitat goes on to describe the lobby by Leeser Architects.
NYC’s Mercedes House, located on the West Side of NYC, stands as proud and grand as any other luxury condo that money can buy. That is, money to design it, money to build it and money to own (a piece of) it.
He also spoke about the creative inspiration architecture has been in his life. Most of his favorite architects have died. They included Mies Van Der Rohe and Pierre Koenig. But he did get to meet one of his favorites before he died. That was Phillip Johnson. J had designed the Audi TT. Mr. Johnson had an Audi TT. Johnson wanted to meet J.
So J went to Mies Van Der Rohe’s Seagram Building where Johnson had his office. Mays not only got to meet Johnson but also got to be in one of the most famous office buildings in the world.
Ford Motor Company creativity has quite a legacy in J Mays. He designed for Audi. He became Chief Creative Director at Ford. His love of architecture led to a meeting with a great architect in a world famous building. These are all superlatives in the design field.
Bocock took the names of characters and alliances from ‘Star Wars’. He picked famous product visual icons and matched them. He made some very clever matches. The results are lots of fun. With a lot of imagination and a good dose of wit, illustrator, Barn Bocock came up with, the ‘Star Wars’ brands.
JCPenney insists it is a snowman. They have already been having financial difficulties. This tea kettle controversy may be bringing them lots of attention. But it is probably not the kind they want or need. If they had only come out with a kitchen accessories line like Target did. It was designed by world famous architect, Michael Graves. He also designed another line of household accessories for Target.
But in March of 2012, Target announced that their thirteen year partnership with the Michael Graves Design Group was coming to an end.
Guess who their new partnership is with? It is JCPenney (see video below). So why is all the buzz about a controversial tea kettle rather than this potential publicity gem? Perhaps, it is because more people know who Hitler was than who Michael Graves is.
Here’s an insightful article from BusinessWeek.com. It describes Michael Graves decision to leave Target and to join JCPenny. It also mentions his relationship with Ron Johnson, JCPenney CEO.
Typefaces, or font names have all kinds of origins. Some have been named after people, places, times, events and things. Typography 101 can only touch on this topic that is hundreds of years old. Here is a link to Typography 101. It provides some history to the mystery of typography.
Before the computer, before typesetting and before typewriters, type was made by hand. Even the type used for typewriters was initially created by hand. Here is a terrific post, with animated video, that gives some good insights into the history of type.
