The Fall Of The Wall

Twenty years ago history happened, the Berlin Wall came down. The 28-mile-long Berlin Wall stood as a border between East and West Berlin from 1961 to 1989. Read more at this page that shows before and after the fall of the wall from the NY Times.

Classic Photos As Legos

Everyone loves Lego. So how would the world look as Legos? Take a classic photo, recreate it with Legos, then shoot it - this is the work of Mike Stimpson, Photographer of Plastic. View the creative work of Mike Stimpson at his website and at his Flickr page..

Still Life - Luis Meléndez at LACMA

Currently showing at LACMA (Los Angeles County Museum of Art) is a wonderful exhibit of works by Luis Meléndez. Meléndez has been called the greatest still life painter of 18th century Spain. His work has been eclipsed by the more famous Goya for centuries. Meléndez (1715-1780) captured near-photographic images of his still life subjects. Working to gain an appointment by the royal court he was rejected due to politics thus focused on still life instead of portraits. The exhibit is composed of more then 20 paintings that show details of life during this period. You can almost taste the fruit and smell the flowers in his painting. The details are that precise.

Luis Meléndez: Master of the Spanish Still Life is showing at LACMA until January 3, 2010.

The Writing Is On The Walls - IdeaPaint

Spread out and let your creative ideas flow with this innovative product, IdeaPaint. IdeaPaint is the only paint out there designed to allow you to paint a surface and turn it into a dry erase board. Once you see IdeaPaint in action your mind will go crazy with all that you can do by turning all most any surface into a dry erase board. Your dry erase board can take on any shape that your wall or surface covers. The paint was formulated to work with all dry erase markers and allow you to erase no matter how long it sits. From a cost stand point, IdeaPaint is cheaper then a standard dry erase board, so easy to install (you just pick up a paint brush and roller) thus no drilling required.

The packaging design was done by the design firm, Jones. I love the design and believe it helps to emphasize the product's ease of use and the modern thinking that IdeaPaint will spark.

To learn more about IdeaPaint and to get a gallon, go to their website at this link. I am inspired and can think of several uses. I hope to get my hand on some soon and try IdeaPaint out myself.

Change Your Clock, Change Your Batteries

Don't forget that when your change your clocks back this evening to also change the batteries in your smoke detectors. I have seen first hand how a working smoke detector saves lives. The $3 investment may save you and your family's life should a fire break out. Change It Up, Test It Out - Make sure your Smoke Detector Works.

Art & Copy Showing at AICA-OC

The film Art & Copy will be showing at the Art Institute of California - Orange County on Friday, November 6, 2009. This showing / event will be free and is sponsored by the AICA-OC student chapter of AIGA, AIGA-OC and the Art Institute. The evening starts off at 4:30 with the film showing at 5 pm. After the film, a round table discussion will take place with "mad men" ad creatives and a producer of the film. The evening should be a great event.

Seating is limited to 300, so reserve your tickets now. To reserve tickets (limit of two), please email full names, email address, number of tickets, and your job title / position to aiga-oc@live.com.

I look forward to seeing you on Friday for a great film and conversation.

Marketing Your Font - HypeForType

NEUFORMA FONT #HFT002 IDENT from HypeForType on Vimeo.

With all the new fonts coming to the market how do you break through and stand out? HypeForType has come up with a creative way to showcase new fonts through small videos like above. I think it is a creative way to show off your new font and put it in an environment that many fonts are going into, interactive. The video is short and upbeat and let you see possibilities of what you can create. To view more of HypeForType, additional font videos and their complete line go to this link or to see their blog this link.

Strange Tombstones

With Halloween only a few days away, take a look at these creative ways to mark your place on the earth. Who would have thought this much would go into tombstones. View more unique tombstones at this link to get you into the "scary" spirit.

Getting Creative- #7 Design for a Non Profit

Is your day job killing your creative insights, looking to give back a bit and design for the social good. You should look at doing design work for a non profit organization. There is bound to be an organization that you can relate to and feel strongly about. You can seek out a local non profit or utilize a site such as the Taproot Foundation that links creatives with non profit groups. You will find that non profits appreciate your creative skills, give a great deal of freedom and you will feel good about helping. Go seek out a non profit and let your creative energy flow.

Dog Gone Good Costumes

I don't own a dog but if you do, you need to check out these creative costumes for your pooch. It is amazing how crazy and creative this time of year can make us all. I am lovin' the iPhone dog. Click here to view 25 great costumes for dogs.

Getting Creative- #6 Take a Chance

Too many times as designers we resort to what we have always done because we found it works. Why not take a chance and look at the problem from a new angle or try a solution you have not pursued. Going out on a limb will take your designs to a new place and most likely to a new level. Go ahead, take a chance, you will be glad you did!

The Guggenheim Turns 50

This week marked 50 years for the Guggenheim Museum in New York City. First opened on October 21, 1959, the famous building was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright and modeled after ancient ziggurats of Mesopotamia. The Guggenheim is a wonderful museum to explore and a must do when in NYC. Their collection is great and the exhibits that they show are always timely. The design of the Guggenheim is truly unique and a masterful statement to the skills and vision of Frank Lloyd Wright. Slate Magazine has set up a nice slide show of early images and a more detailed history of this most famous of museums and building as it turn 50 at this link.

ArtWalk Fall 2009 Los Angeles - Mike Tracy

This coming Saturday and Sunday, October 24 and 25, is the Fall Artwalk in Los Angeles at the Brewery. Dallas Raines over at ABC7 says it will be a TAD COOLER with a temp. of 83 and sunny for Artwalk. You should plan your visit. While you are visiting the artists, one you will not want to miss is Mike Tracy. Mike will be showing at his studio - 642 Moulton #W16 all weekend from 11am to 6pm. I have found Mike's work to be original, engaging, exquisite and very alluring over the many years we have known each other. Mike paints with true passion and each of his expressive works are full of impressions that show his true nature as an artist. To view more of Mike's work check out his website and blog. For directions to Artwalk go to this link for the Brewery.

Life In An Office

Want a laugh? Love to sing along to music? Then enjoy this funny video of a day in the office. The power of a MAC laptop, iMovie, creatives and some good nature - isn't technology grand!

(via SwissMiss)

Milton Glaser - Drawing

MILTON GLASER DRAWS & LECTURES from C. Coy on Vimeo.

One of my favorite designers has always been Milton Glaser. I have pleasured in learning and meeting this ultimate designer, teacher and gentleman. Enjoy this video of Milton Glaser drawing and as always, teaching us along the way.

Getting Creative- #5 Emphasis

Remember the design principle of emphasis in your designs. Use emphasis to highlight areas of interest. Guide the eye through out your design with various focal points, color, size and hierarchy. Emphasis can be achieved by your color choices - working with darks then using a lighter color to emphasize an image or text. Don't be afraid to exaggerate to emphasis what is important in the design or image. Analyze your designs and make sure you are emphasizing the most important items.

We Love Typography

I have post prior about We Love Typography but sometimes a good thing is worth mentioning again. Several months ago a vision was formed to start a website dedicated to visual images of typography and all the good stuff related to type. Out of this vision We Love Typography was born. The brain child of John Boardley, who was already hosting the popular and wonderful I Love Typography site, with the technical assistance of Kari Pätilä the site was started. We Love Typography has surpassed 500 pages today of visuals to inspire, that over 6,000 images. Each image can be viewed on the site or a link is provided to take you to the image source with opens up many other doors of inspiration. I have been a contributor to We Love Typography and have loved helping to support the vision and more important, loved the images that others have found to inspire and delight. Make sure you bookmark We Love Typography as a must go to spot for ideas, inspiration and pleasure.

Getting Creative- #4 Travel

Travel is one of the best ways to get your creative going. Travel exposes us to new ideas, new cultures, new foods and most important, new ways of looking at things. Distance travel is great (I can not wait to get back to Europe) but if time and money is an issue, go local. I am sure you will find many locations to explore right in your backyard or within a days drive. Too many times we fail to look and travel to locations that are not far away. Get out and see the world. Great designers are great observers.

I.M. Pei Honored

I. M. Pei, the Chinese-born American architect has been named the recipient of the Royal Gold Medal for Architecture. Given in recognition of his lifetime's work, the Royal Gold Medal is approved personally by Her Majesty the Queen of England. I.M. Pei is best known for his designs of the Louvre, the East extension of The National Gallery in Washington D.C. and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Pei is a passionate and spirited architecture still working at the age of 93. I would highly recommend a wonderful video of Pei called First Person Singular to learn more about one of our greatest architects. To read more of this wonderful award, see the article found over at Dexigner.com.

Eliana Burki - Playing a Funky Alpenhorn

Take a Alpenhorn and a pretty Swiss girl add in some Jazz, Rock and Funk and you get sweet music. When we think of the Alpenhorn, a curved wooden horn, sometimes as long as 20 feet, used by herders in the Alps to call cows to pasture, we usually think of those Ricola commercials. Not this time, Eliana Burki who at a early age started playing music some how transitioned to the Alpenhorn and has not looked back. I became aware of Eliana through Twitter. Her first album was released (you can hear clips at her website) and now she is in LA working on her second. The music is unique, passionate and full of life. To learn more about Eliana Burki, check out her website with music, pictures and tour information. And Eliana, if you need a graphic designer for your next album, let me know, I will swing over to your recording session in Hollywood. Good luck with the second album and look for more from this unique band in future.

Pentawards 2009 - Best In Packaging

The 2009 Pentawards have been announced for the best in package design. The range of package designs that have been selected is broad and the work is excellent. Be sure to look at the full line of winners at the Pentawards website for inspiration.

Sagmeister on Taking Time Off

Enjoy this video from the last TED conference of Stefan Sagmeister talking about taking extended time off to recharge and develop new ideas. It is something I wish we could all work into our schedules.

2012 London Olympic Stamps

Chicago did not get the Olympic games but London did in 2012. The Royal Mail is releasing this first set of stamps to commemorate the event. Additional sets are due out in the two years to come.

The first set of stamps include an illustration of canoe slalom by John Royle and Paralympic archery illustrated by George Hardie. There is a track athletics collage by Nathalie Guinamard and a diver by Julian Opie. Boccia is illustrated by David Doyle while the judo image was drawn by Paul Slater and the Paralympic dressage by Andrew Davidson. A shuttlecock by David Holmes was used as the image for badminton, while weightlifting was designed by Guy Billout and basketball by Huntley Muir.

To view more of the 2012 Olympics go to these sites set by the 2012 Olympics and the Guardian News in England.

The logo for the 2012 Olympics still has not grown on me though.

Two Year of Blogging

Today marks 2 years for the aNEW designs blog with post number 390. It has been a pleasure to host for these past 2 years. It all started with a desire to spread the passion about design and I hope we have been successful. We will continue to bring you new ways to think about design and items of interest from the world of the web in the years to come. Thank you for following along and here's looking forward to the terrible twos in our blogs growth.

Getting Creative- #3 History Time

Dust off that Graphic Design History book for some great inspiration or pick up a new history book for additional ideas the next time you are at the bookstore. Knowing the history of art and design is a great place to help get those creative ideas flowing. Read back over about major periods and designers and be inspired by the works of the past. Design is a reflection of the times but the times are a reflection of our history.

The Impossible Project - Bringing Back Polaroid

Polaroid got out of the instant film business in 2008 with Polaroid lovers snatching up the remaining film from the market quickly. Now a new business venture is underway, The Impossible Project, to bring instant film back. The Impossible Project is reworking instant film for production from an old Polaroid factory in the Netherlands. The name, The Impossible Project, came about due to the goal of getting the film redesigned with modern chemical means and completing the redesign to start selling in one year. The goal of January 2010 was set and progress seems to be heading towards a "new" instant film to the market at this time. So hang in there all you instant film lovers, a "new Polaroid" instant film is coming. To see and read more about the Impossible Project, go to this link.

Newfangled Nickelodeon

The Nickelodeon network has changed up it's logo for the first time in 30 years. The distinctive "splat" that most of us grew up with has gone all modern on us. Read about the process and the decisions to change over at Brand New in an article by Armin Vit.

Getting Creative- #2 Giving It Time

Often times we are extremely rushed in our design projects, the client wanted it yesterday right? As designers we have all learned to deal with deadlines but we should try to work in some additional time for the design process. It will help your designs to be at the high standard you desire. So how can we do this? The most important is to start on each project right away. Don't wait until everything else is caught up, you will behind before you start. Starting does not necessarily mean we have to drop everything, start your research while you are living your life, shopping, eating out, start thinking about the project on your drive home. You can never start to early and simple steps can give you that extra time to process. You need to jot down your ideas early to give them time to process. Good design is a process and takes time, so give it some.

Box Bottle Bag! A New Book

Box Bottle Bag is a new book coming in March from Andrew Gibbs, the founder of the TheDieLine.com. The books is a collection of the best from the blog. It will be in hardcover with a matte varnish and a diecut cover. Andrew was one of my "star" package design students in the class I teach at the Art Institute of California - Orange County. Andrew started TheDieLine.com several years ago, I still remember how excited he was to get it going, and it has become the leading go to site for package design. Congratulations to Andrew on his forthcoming book and all the great work his blog has been presenting. To pre-order a copy go to this link at amazon.

Getting Creative- #1 Observation

Observation-

Being inspired by visiting art museums is always helpful in our creative process. Good, you got to the museum, now observe. Do not just take a quick look at the work, get in there, and look at it. Get up so close you make the guards nervous. Study the work and bring the ideas back into your own work.

This is the start a series on tips and ideas to get and keep creative as a designer. If you have any tips you would like to past along, please email me and I will be happy to post them.