Portable Stoop

This is not your average park bench. It's not even your average stoop, but that's because it's portable. Yes, a portable stoop. Josh Owen has created this light white stoop as a means of seating anywhere. But would you really want to bring that with you somewhere? It seems awfully large and annoying to travel with. Am I missing the point?



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Scarf With Pockets

Wintercheck Factory has come up with a great idea, for some people. This scarf with hidden pockets is a great idea, for people who don't carry a lot of stuff to begin with. I'm a girl who carries around a huge bag with at least 3 other bags inside of it! This thing is not capable of that capacity. Maybe just as a way to keep the most important things within reach, but certainly not as a replacement.



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Retro Headphones

I've posted before about headphones, and it's simply because I love headphones, but these ones really grab my attention (and make me want to buy them.) WeSC has designed these headphones to look retro, but still perform at the height of digital technology. They come in a great range of colors. These ones are definitely my favorite, though.



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Solar Parking

No, not parking on the Sun. Parking lots underneath giant solar panels, to keep your car cool, preventing it from baking under the sun all day long. I love this idea, because then I don't have to blast my A/C for a solid ten minutes when I get back into my car. I'd like Hofstra to think about this in the warmer months. I'm sure we could use the energy.



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Bicycle Transport

It may have been quite a long time since I've ridden a bicycle for more than 10 minutes, but if I were an avid biker, like my father (he's crazy,) I would more definitely need this in my life. The AeroTech Evolution bicycle case looks pretty complicated, but from the little I learned about bicycles growing up, it looks genius. Shame that it's over a thousand dollars, or I'd know what I'm getting my Dad for Christmas.



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Stone Bluetooth

Most of the time, bluetooth kind of freaks me out. I never really know whether someone is talking on their phone or to themselves, or even to me. But even I can get behind a good design. Designed by Johan Birge, the stone bluetooth headset is a smooth and simple design. I'm not sure how comfortable the design really is, or even if it would fit everyone. I personally have issues with most headsets, my ears being smaller than the average person. I may never actually find a use for a bluetooth headset, being that I'm not much of a phone person to begin with, but this one certainly might be in the running.




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Space saving?

This interesting post on core77.com is less about the product and more about the terms used to describe it. The design featured, a "space saving" new spice rack, which doesn't seem to save much space at all.
The author of the post questions the design, saying " Is it me, or does it take up just about the same amount of space as it would if it had a lower shelf, and the jars on the bottom were not inverted? What are you saving, half an inch?" I for one agree with him. All this seems like to me is a fancy magnetic spice rack, and I'm pretty sure that's all there really is to it.

Character Sketch - Margo Roth Spiegelman

Margo Roth Spiegelman is a strange girl. We see her through Q (Quentin) and we never really know what she's thinking or who she is until the end of out time with her. Q says that we all have our own versions of Margo but none of them are actually her. She is fun and mysterious, and confusing as hell. After throwing caution into the wind and letting Q into her crazy world for one night, she disappears and forces the reader to gather information about her from others, as she forces her friends to find her whereabouts. She leads her friends on a wild goose chase to find her, leaving behind clues and strange signs.

Word
Godspeed

Photograph Ideas
-Black wig
-Writing
-Reading poetry

Carla Gannis Guest Speaker

Carla Gannis was an excellent guest presenter. It was interesting to learn that although she was trained in more classical fields, she still makes a living creating more modern and technological art. She seemed to be very excited about all the work that she had done in the past and that she was doing currently, which just goes to show the dedication that it takes to make it in the business of design. Her manner of presentation was genuine in that she really believed in her work, and she was confident in the material that she presented to us. Her work itself was interesting and thoughtful, but fun and entertaining. The fact that she taught herself most of the tools she currently uses for her art and design is amazing and inspiring. I’m very glad that we had the experience of hearing her speak about her work.

Chanel Brochure

Dr. Sketchy's Anti-Art School

Molly Crabapple, an artist located in NYC, founded Dr. Sketchy's Anti-Art School in 2005 and it has grown to have meetings all over the world. It is a combination of life-drawing and cabaret shows, usually taking place every other Saturday. Ms. Crabapple's goal was to not just capture the image on the page, but to celebrate the model and have fun drawing them. The burlesque aspect of it adds an unexpected twist to the event, making it all the more amazing.

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Famous Self-Portraits

The NY Times had an article about a particular bartender, Burt Britton, who collected impromptu self portraits of famous people that he met over the years. He collected them into a book called “Self-Portrait: Book People Picture Themselves," which is out of print and extremely hard to find. It is very intriguing to see how these people look at themselves, compared to how we see them.

Automatic Pancakes?

Making pancakes isn't as easy as it looks. Well, now it is. The ChefStack is an interesting invention, and it's making me hungry for pancakes. An automated pancake machine? No need for fumbling and flipping and burning anything? That's my kind of breakfast. But with an interface that almost ANYONE can use, is it too easy? How lazy can we really be that we don't even want to cook for ourselves anymore?




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Chanel Brochure (Not final edit)

Comfortable Flight

An inventor named Emil Jacobs has designed a way to fix a problem that most of know and hate. Obviously not all of us have the money to fly first class. Honestly, it's the reason that coach exists. But why is it always so cramped? Jacobs saw all of the space that could have been used to create a more comfortable travel environment, and he did it. His Economy Flex seating is a way to take advantage of all the unused, or improperly used, space on airplanes.



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"Respect Cheap Furniture"

While most people think that the more expensive the better, Martí Guixé wants us to think a little differently. His solo show, Chairs&Fireworks is currently open at Helmrinderknecht, a German gallery. One particular piece, Respect Cheap Furniture, is simply a white plastic lawn chair, painted red, blue, and gold, along with the title as well.



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Portable Firepit

A fireplace is a desirable feature in any home. But it's not always an option, especially when you're living in an apartment. Finally, there's a solution. Fredrik Hyltén-Cavallius has designed a chimney-less firepit that is even portable. It doesn't burn wood, so there's no smoke, and therefore no need for a chimney.



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Polaroid Vase

Polaroids have long been among my favorite things in life. The loss of this film is pretty upsetting to me, which is why when I saw this Polaroid Vase on Core77, I loved it. Designed by Jung Hwa Jin, this vase hangs as opposed to standing, and in the little square frame, a small plant becomes the subject, as lit up by a tiny lamp inside. Honestly, I want one.

Class Notes 2

San Serif Typefaces

Futura
- Typeface of VW
- 1800s
- German

Gillsans
- 1930s
- Typeface of London Underground
- British

Optima
- Not assertive not passive
- pharmaceuticals/shampoo/soap

Serif Typefaces

Times New Roman
- Actually form Roman times

Century Schoolbook
- 19th - 20th century
- created for schoolbooks

Palatino
- Contemporary
- 20th century

Garamond
- 300-400 years old
- used in art/coffee table books

Rockwell
- Recent
- Heavy
- Packaces of technology products (mice, modems)

lines - letting (leading?)
letters - kerning

Class Notes 1

09/03/09

Images are 72dpi online.
We need 300dpi for print quality.

09/08/09

"God is in the details."
- Important to have good/big ideas.
- It comes down to the details in the end.
Miles van der Rohe - German architect
-- The Four Seasons (restaurant)

modernism - do the most with the least

Marshall Mcluhan - nothing goes away, it just changes into art.

ubiquitous - everywhere
arbitrary - not related to anything

09/10/09

factual - denotative text (sources)
subjective - connotative text (editorial, poetry)

Why do we want the things that we want? Advertising?

09/15/09

Emily's Presentation..

nothingsomething.com
linkedin.com

always make communication
talk to everyone
take advantage of every situation