YouTube – Augmented Reality by Hitlab

YouTube – Augmented Reality by Hitlab.

Filed under: Uncategorized

Stefan Sagmeister: The power of time off

This was really interesting to watch; this practice is something I used to do to rejuvenate and glean ideas; it has amazed me that Stefan Sagmeister and many organisations carryout this practice. Since being accepted on my Uni course I had lost sight of this activity and finding this talk has reinforced the importance of giving yourself a break and allowing you to discover other avenues.

Filed under: Uncategorized

Ask PM Rudd to break his silence on climate finance | Oxfam Australia

Ask PM Rudd to break his silence on climate finance | Oxfam Australia.

Filed under: Audi - Sustain our Nation

UN Climate finance appeal

Ask Rudd to break his silence on climate finance (this is an Australian Oxfam link, but were all in this together).

The latest round of UN climate change negotiations have just started in Bangkok and the lack of action around climate financing to assist developing countries is proving a key hurdle in reaching an effective, just and binding global climate treaty being signed in December in Copenhagen.

Urge Prime Minister Kevin Rudd to do more.

Climate change is already here. Drought, flooding, storm damage, tidal surges and coastal erosion are damaging fisheries, crops and water supplies. Yet world leaders (including our Prime Minister) still made little progress on this issue at last week’s G20 meeting and UN Climate Summit.

Prime Minister Kevin Rudd could play an important role to help boost much needed trust and kick start these stalled negotiations. If he’s to do this however, he must make an announcement on climate finance well before the Copenhagen climate meeting in December.

With just 69 days to go, the clock is ticking…

Read the latest information from the UN negotiations.

Filed under: Audi - Sustain our Nation

An interesting thought whilst enjoying breakfast.

Reading the paper and enjoying a danish pastry or two I came across this article which got me wandering. I am not trying to make giant assumptions by the comment I was just curious.

I am currently undertaking my dissertation looking into whether the cognitive process associated with dyslexia have impact on art and design. During the research I have been concerned with the both the positive and negative implications of this. The following article made me wander if Annie has dyslexia (diagnosed or undiagnosed) and if her attitude and working practices were a consequence of her condition. I have started to discover that many creatives care more about achieving perfection and the desired result and the financial side is not irrelevant but defiantly secondary to the art.

Photographer Annie Leibovitz $24M debt deadline looms closer

World famous photographer Annie Leibovitz has US$24 million in debt to pay back.

Annie Leibovitz’s portraits of celebrities, which regularly grace the covers of magazines such as Vanity Fair and Vogue, have made her as famous as her subjects and earned her millions.

However, Leibovitz now risks losing the copyright to the images in her entire life’s work if she does not pay back a US$24 million (NZ$34.8 million) loan by Tuesday (local time).

Art Capital Group (ACG), a New York company that issues short-term loans against fine and decorative arts and real estate, sued Leibovitz in late July for breach of contract.

“We have clear contractual rights and will protect them in any scenario,” said ACG spokesman Montieth Illingworth on Friday. “Our preference is for this to be resolved.”

Some experts say filing for bankruptcy reorganization could be the best option for Leibovitz (59), who put up her three historic Greenwich Village townhouses, an upstate property and artwork as collateral.

Leibovitz bought two of the townhouses in 2002, embarking on extensive renovations to combine them into one property.

This sparked protests from historic preservationists and a US$15 million (NZ$21.7 million) lawsuit by a neighbour after a common wall between their buildings was damaged.

Leibovitz eventually settled by buying the neighbor’s property for $1.9 million.

Leibovitz’s images of musicians, presidents and Hollywood glitterati are considered cultural touchstones by many.

One of her earliest photos is of John Lennon curled up naked in a fetal position with Yoko Ono, taken just hours before he was assassinated in 1980.

To many, her decision to gamble the rights to her work seems inexplicable. “Jaw-dropping,” Arts Lawyer Peter Stern said.

Leibovitz’s editorial agent, Contact Press Images, has declined to comment on the case, saying it is a private matter.

Her spokesperson, Matthew Hiltzik, has accused ACG of harassment.

“There has been tension and dispute since the beginning … For now, her attention remains on her photography and on continuing to organize her finances,” Hiltzik said.

A reorganization filing would suspend all litigation against Leibovitz and place her finances under the protection of a federal judge, said bankruptcy lawyer Paul Silverman, who works with Stern.

Neither attorney is involved in the case.

Last year, Leibovitz put up her homes and the copyright to every picture she has ever taken, or will take, as collateral to secure the loan to pay off her mounting debt created from unpaid bills, mortgage payments and tax liens, ACG said.

While no one has suggested publicly how Leibovitz got into such desperate financial straits, the mortgage debt on all her properties – including the townhouses in Greenwich Village and a sprawling estate in Rhinebeck, New York – totaled about US$15 million.

This includes the $1.2 million loan she took out on two of the townhouses, and another $2.2 million three years later, according to New York magazine.

In addition to her mortgages, court records show that she piled up years of federal, state and city liens and judgments from vendors for unpaid bills – all presumably now satisfied with the $24 million she borrowed.

Federal records show that Leibovitz owed a total of $2.1 million in unpaid taxes for tax years 2004, 2006 and 2007.

She also had New York state tax liens of $247,980 for six years, including $135,915 in 2007.

Leibovitz also owed New York City several thousand dollars.

Moreover, in 2008, a design firm that did work on one of her Greenwich Village properties claimed that Leibovitz owed it $51,000.

Leibovitz was also accused that year of refusing to pay $386,000 to a photo stylist during a 2007 shoot Leibovitz did for the Disney Company in 2007.

“Annie is working to resolve the situation so it would be inappropriate to comment,” Hiltzik said.

ACG, which consolidated all her loans in September 2008, charged in its lawsuit that Leibovitz breached the contract by refusing to allow real estate experts into her homes to appraise their value and by blocking ACG from selling her photographs.

ACG has estimated the value of the Leibovitz portfolio at $40 million while real estate brokers say her New York properties are worth about $40 million.

Leibovitz also owned an apartment in Paris, which she bought for her longtime companion, writer and feminist Susan Sontag.

Under the sales agreement with Leibovitz, Illingworth said, the company would get 10 per cent commission on the sale of Leibovitz’ real estate and 15 per cent on the sale of her portfolio.

Leibovitz would get the remainder after paying off the $24 million loan, interest and other fees, he said.

If she defaults, the company would get a net 12 per cent commission, after paying approximately 13 per cent for costs and fees.

Leibovitz’s Vanity Fair salary has been reported to be about $2 million, according to New York magazine.

She also has done work for Louis Vuitton and American Express and charges $100,000 for private portraits.

Filed under: Uncategorized

Professional Practice

I’m currently in New Zealand undertaking some professional practice in various creative industries, I have decided to keep this sector of my work and experiences off the Internet due to privacy issues and data protection of the designs and content of the conversations. This decision is not due to me being selfish in anyway but I have discovered that the people I have contacted are more than happy to allow me to visit their companies and share an invaluable insight into their sector but this information is not for the public domain and it is just easier to keep all information private to avoid any awkward situations or offend the people who have been extremely kind and accommodating in allowing me to be a part of their practice. I really appreciate the opportunity I have been given and I would be mortified if I accidentally revealed some of their working practices or designs/ideas that were not for public viewing.

Thank you for being understanding with this issue, I shall however share any other information, links, inspiration and which may come to light.

Filed under: Professional Practice

Processing and Data Visualizing

visualizinglastfm.de 

Interesting use of data visualization and processing from Adjei and Holland-Cunz a final year project at the University of Applied Sciences in Mainz, Germany.

 

Filed under: Uncategorized

Fantastic mapping from Schulze and Webb

 

Schulze and Webb 

As long as I’ve know Jack Schulze, he’s been working with maps. The first one I remember was a way of mapping Barbican, which is a three dimensional architectural maze of a housing and cultural development in central London, and notoriously difficult to find your way around. I’ll get him to dig out the results.

Late last year he started working with James King and Campbell Orme on an equivalent projection of Manhattan. We’ve had huge prints of the results in the studio these last few weeks, and it’s startling to look at: at the bottom of the map, buildings stand in three-dimensions. Then, looking into the distance, the city curls up and around into the sky, smoothly transforming into a more traditional map.

Here’s a detail of that happening:

You should see the entire thing. ANYWAY. What I mean to say is that, as his friend and business partner, I’m enormously proud to announce the following: First! Here & There — a horizonless projection in Manhattan is out in the world for people to see. Second! It is featured in Wired UK magazine, issue 2, which hits the shops today. Not only has it been given a massive gatefold (not kidding, you have to see it), but there’s a photo of Jack with his big blue eyes too. Awww. Third! Here & There is just too beautiful to keep to ourselves, and too high res to keep to the Web. So we’ve produced a limited run of art prints, and we’re selling them as from today.

Check out the Here & There project website to read more and get prints. 

Click on this link for the influences and more background information on this project and Schulze & Webb’s Blog. 

 

Filed under: Uncategorized

Tattoovertising

Ethics and Morals in Advertising?

I’m currently reading Good: An Introduction to Ethics in Graphic Design Lucienne Roberts when I decided to take a break and picked up Wired magazine and came across an article explaining various jargon words one of them was ‘Cranial Billboards’ they talked about the natural progression from skinvertising, tattoovertising and assvertising this got me intrigued so I did a little research and once I stopped laughing I was horrified at what lengths people would go to.

Tattoo advertising has been around for quite some time. It sure catches attention and create marketing buzz but whether it works or not is another story. Some regard this act as ‘immoral’ and ‘betrayal of your own body’. But to the ‘walking billboards’, it sure makes them some money and err… it’s kind of cool?

They who sell their body parts to tattoo a brand, pocket in hundreds to thousands of dollars depending on the size of the advertisement and the part of their body which they have the tattoo on; making forehead the biggest asset a ‘walking billboard’ could have. Also mind that if you’re a ‘virgin’ to tattooing, you get more.

You’ll be surprise how many small and big companies out there are embracing this form of advertisement. Well, no denies that there are out there some brand fanatics who put the logo on without getting a single cent. Check it out.

Nintendo

 

C I Host – Rival, Globat.com runs the same body ads campaign, competing on the number of tattoos and popularity

Apple

Google

Ikea

Globat.com

GoldenPalace.com – This proud mama reported to pocket in $10K for this ads on her forehead

Window Vista

Zune – This is reported as his second tattoo. And he doesn’t stop there. He’s got a third one coming.

Filed under: Uncategorized

7 ways to be a Graphic Design student online

I found this on Noisy Decent Graphics, it’s an interesting read but I personally don’t agree with the post for several reasons. I will expand on my views at the end of the post, the source of the information is something that I am encouraged to look at and I do find some really fabulous hints and information on this blog but in this case I’m not sure I agree with Ben.

Speak to any graphic design tutor and there’s lots of talk about how students are blogging and flickring and twittering. One small problem. It’s not true.
Which is a shame for many reasons. Not least that your professional life is going to involve you having to understand all of this stuff. And the best way to understand something is to do it.
And as Sian (Graphic Design, University of Wales) put it the other day, “I think that it is important for graphic design students… to enter the world of blogging… It’s great to see what other students and other designers are looking at. It’s all part of the learning process.”
And not only that, it’s so easy. Easy, and most of this stuff lends itself to a graphic design course. Think of it as some cheap module scores. For example, imagine you’re writing an essay about the Rosetta stone (you’re all doing that right?). You’d probably start by Googling it. Every decent result you’ve found, add it to delicious. Even if you did nothing else on that essay you’ll very quickly have a small collection of useful stuff.
Imagine if you wrote a sentence about each of those results. Stuck that on a Tumblr blog. Before long, the essay has written itself. See what I mean? It’s a gift.
So to help a little bit, I thought I’d write a small guide to being a graphic design student online. It’s not definitive and it obviously focuses on services I’m familiar with. But hopefully it makes sense. So, in a very particular order.

1. Flickr

If you do nothing else, you must set up a Flickr account. There can be no excuse. If you were on my course, I’d fail you for not having a Flickr account.
Flickr is the most graphic designery of all the social networky stuff. (It’s a whole website of images for fucks sake!)
Put your photographs up there. All those photos of signs you take. All the blurry experiments with colour and light. Get them up there. When I has at college we used to have to keep a photo log book, where we’d have to jot down every exposure and setting for each picture we took. Digital cameras do this for you, it’s called exif data. So, upload your pictures to Flickr and there’s another job done.
Images are such a major part of a graphic design course and everyone now has the ability to take and make images quickly. (You’ve all got camera phones, I’ve seen them.)
But more than that. When you’re working on a project upload every stage to Flickr. Let others, from around the world, comment on your ideas. Build on them. When you have to hand in your workings, point the lecturers to Flickr.
Stick your best work up there, organise your work into sets and you can use it as an online portfolio when you go for a job. a million times better than a 10mb PDF.
And it’s free.
(There are other sites available. You could also use Deviant Art or Picasa.)

2. Blogging

To blog or not to blog? I can’t really answer that. You need to make that decision on your own. The one thing I can say, is that you need to give it a go.
If Flickr is about pictures, then blogging is about words. Graphic Design courses involve a lot of words too. You could stick your whole dissertation up there. A little bit at a time. You could just post random notes and thoughts. Quotes you find. You could document projects you’re working on, like Katie (Graphic Design, LCC) and Tom (Graphic Design, UWIC) do.
You could use it as a project diary. Once again, do a little, often and the project will finish itself.
Try to avoid Blogger. I use and recommend Typepad, but I understand that WordPress is easier to customise and has nicer templates.

3. Tumblr

Tumblr is like blogging but easier. If you’re not great with words, then Tumblr is for you. It’s a sort of micro blogging service and lends itself to lots, quickly. I don’t really like it, but it’s a great way to start blogging. And yes, it’s free.

4. Twitter

Twitter is like a micro version of micro blogging. A way to publish snippets of text that are no more than 144 characters long. So try that if you’re even less of a word person than the Tumblr people. Twitter is very hard to describe, probably the easiest way is to say it’s like the status updates on Facebook. It’s also a really simple way of outputting text and linking the physical and the digital. Take a look at the Tower Bridge twitter stream and the Albion Bakery Fresh Buns alert twitter stream. Seriously.

5. Facebook

You’re all on Facebook, right? Good. Let’s see how you could use that for college and not just just pictures of debauched nights.

Kate Andrews (Queen of Networking) sets up and joins lots of interesting groups of Facebook. For example the Kept group, the Design Observer group and the 2gether09 group. You can join them. You can interact with people. You can meet other students and designers. You can become part of a community.
This kind of stuff may seem frivolous but it will be invaluable when you’re looking for a job, or even just popping down to London for the D&AD student awards. And then you can upload all your pictures of that debauched night.

6. Delicious

I’ve already mentioned this above. Delicious is the ultimate Dissertation Building Tool. It’s like essay writing for procrastinators. The first thing I do if I’m asked my view on a particular theme, like say tangible digital is look at my relevant delicious tags and instantly I’ve got lots clever stuff to say and reference. Your dissertation will write itself. Or your money back.

7. RSS Reader

Blogs. You need to read them. Everyone has a blog now. Even Michael C Place has a blog. These day you can follow your design heroes almost daily. That’s a wonderful thing for those of us who had to make do with yearly Graphis updates when we were at college.
But following all these blogs is hard. The posts come think and fast. The bookmarks folder gets full up. That’s why you need an RSS Reader. All blogs have an RSS feed. An RSS Reader graps the feed and chucks your blogs into one reader, one website basically. 

RSS Readers are not scary. They are good. They are to be embraced. I use bloglines but you can use Google’s of NetNewsWire or one of the hundreds of others.
And so there you go. You have no excuse now.
Oh and let’s not forget Ffffound, inspiration on tap.

So where to start;

Flickr: I have no problems with Flickr I think it is a great way to promote yourself but I do feel that you have to bear in mind that potential employers will check this out (I would) and as such you have to decide very carefully about what is placed on your space, it is after all an extension of your on-line portfolio. I know this sounds like grass level common sense but you would be surprised, I’ve seen some amazing work posted on the site but when I’ve investigated further into the persons other work it has given me a slightly different insight.

Blogging: I have a blog so I suppose I have to be a little careful here (I have to have a blog for uni.). At first I really despised the idea of having to conduct this operation but I have found certain aspects really helpful and useful. I’ve had many conversations regarding conducting my PDP online in the form of a blog. The problem I’ve had with this method of reflection is I truly believe that when I design and the process of communicating visually has to be from the heart to connect with people. The difficulty I feel I encounter is critically reflecting on this process and being completely honest and not editing the thought process for publishing, which I feel defeats the whole purpose of the exercise. I want people to comment and be truthful about my designs but I want this to be the end design. I just feel that asking me to expose my thoughts and experiments leaves me venerable and uncomfortable and a true representation is not actually achieved. So I made a decision to conduct my blog more of a resource for collating various methods I utilize on a weekly basis, these include:

• Links to design blogs.
• RSS feeds from design sources I check on a regular basis.
• RSS feeds from design recruitment agencies to keep an eye on the opportunities available on a daily basis.
• Links to galleries and exhibitions, which I visit – keeping up to date to any exhibits that may interest me.
• Interesting articles I have seen.

So with this in mind I suppose this a little bit of a contradiction and I may sound like a hypocrite, but surely everything that is published is edited.

Tumblr & Twitter: Now this to me is slightly daft, keep a blog fine, but there is a small proportion of me that believes we should be living life and experiencing it, not updating micro blogs to let people know that were going to buy a pint of milk, watching tv…….. I’m sorry but to me, this is pointless.

Facebook/Myspace…Social Networking sites: I’ve always steered clear of these and people who know me know how I feel about them. The only possible advantage of these are to keep in touch with people who you don’t see very often, but as with Flickr I do feel that you have to bear in mind that potential employers will check this out and they do not want to see you and your mates night of ………… keep it monitored. They can also access your friends and check out your social network (privacy issues?) Do you want your employer and all your contacts to know every aspect of your life? I have nothing to hide but I’m not sure I want every aspect on the internet. Again monitor what’s being posted.

Delicious: Bookmarks fantastic, but again do I want to share these by publishing them on a blog.

RSS Readers & RSS Feeds: I have no problem at all with these they are extremely helpful and I think they are great I agree completely.

Ffffound is a fantastic source of information and inspiration I agree, but does anyone think that we are all in danger of getting a too reliant on checking design blogs daily and all looking at the same information, or am I just going off on a bizarre tangent and rant. Please reply to this post as for or against this debate could raise some interesting points, thank you.

Filed under: Current Reading Material & Interesting Articles I've Found