Archive for June, 2008
Adidas: Sign for your Club
Wednesday, June 25th, 2008
I don't usually go for the big-brand all-flash pretty sites of the world, but this new one by Adidas is pretty amazing (although maybe I'm just swayed by the subject matter). You customize a shirt and then "autograph" it in flash, signing allegiance to your club. They'll even send you a cell phone wallpaper of your favorite player holding your shirt.
http://www.adidas.com/campaigns/signforyourclub/content/chelseafc/sfyc/
Tags: chelsea, flash, soccer
Posted in Design, Sports | 2 Comments »
Dave Franzese
Tuesday, June 24th, 2008
Dave Franzese is a designer/illustrator living in (you guessed it) Brooklyn NY. I saw this image while catching up on Kitsune Noir and knew I had to email him -- you may or may not remember but I made a food-type illustration a little while ago and the similarities, in general and even some specific examples (the use of steam, the burritos/cheese sticks, chicken legs), are remarkable. Obviously I didn't think I invented this, but it was weird to see another designer with almost the same idea/execution, completely independent of each other. Memory refresh:
I really like a lot of the execution in Dave's (that orange!) but I also think mine stands up ok. Dave responded to my email right away and this to say on the history of food type:
Food type has been around since the dawn of food. Stussy has a shirt out now that uses this same idea. As long as people are eating and communicating, there will be fans of food type.
Well put. Check out more of Dave's work at daveisdrawing.com
Tags: dave franzese, food, illustration, typography
Posted in Design | No Comments »
Strange Victory, Strange Defeat
Friday, June 20th, 2008
Sorry for the lack of activity here recently. Fun stuff happened on the internet this week; if you haven't downloaded Firefox 3 yet, you really should. Also the Silver Jews stopped by Juan's Basement on Pitchfork.tv to play a set and to talk about the new album Lookout Mountain, Lookout Sea. The actual Pitchfork review was a little harsh but mostly accurate I think, the production on this album sounds tinny and off. Live they seem to be as ramshackle as ever, the video above is a live version of my favorite song off the new album.
Tags: live, pitchfork, silver jews
Posted in Music | No Comments »
Expantse Mix Tape Series #1
Wednesday, June 11th, 2008
The one thing I missed when I traded up on my 94 Ford Aerostar was the cassette player. For years it was the only one I had, and now I'm left with a box of lonely mix tapes that never get played. Lately there's been a revival thanks to a lot of good digital mix tapes on sites like Kitsune Noir, City Center, and the Deerhunter blog. I made this one using Logic Express, a nice little multi-track program for Mac that I've been using to record original stuff ever since my Tascam was jacked.
The mix is ten mostly pretty new songs, although it ends on a couple early-mid 90s college radio gems that I couldn't resist. The order of bands is:
The Subjects / Atlas Sound / City Center / Animal Collective / the Dodos / the Free Design / Wolf Parade / Lil Wayne / Stereolab / Belle & Sebastian
Lil Wayne is in there because I've had a long-standing argument with a co-worker that Weezy is terrible, but then he made me a copy of Carter III and now I'm not so sure. It's like the guy is walking a tight rope with every verse, he comes so close to tragedy every time but always stays on.
Download: Expantse Mix Series #1 (38:07)
Tags: ford aerostar, lil wayne, mixtape
Posted in mixtape | No Comments »
Interview: Adam Goodnight
Tuesday, June 10th, 2008
Adam Goodnight is a co-worker with an active imagination. He draws and writes at length about fantasy worlds. We conducted this interview over AIM at work today.
Logan: Thanks for being my first interview. You "paint" fantasy landscapes on a computer. Tell us a bit about your process, including software, tools, etc...
Adam Goodnight: Well I usually begin with a concept, like any other artist, however I will most often draw out the initial idea on paper. The concept can be first represented as either a map of the place or the actual landscapes composition. I have also been known to simply draw out seperate elements at first and try to fit them in one place that they all seem to relate to. A lot of my work is actually used to represent concepts that are still growing, I rarely abandon a good concept even if the first image looks horrible.
Software is usually Adobe Photoshop, however when I was younger I would try to use 3D programs...I soon found them restrictive, especially with the limited technology (I) had back in the 90s.
L: When you talk about this stuff in person you often refer to them as concepts, and most of the images on your site are accompanied by sometimes lengthy backstory information. Is this a vital part of the process with you, or do you come up with most of it after you've drawn it?
A: (It) goes both ways.
L: You're working on a novel. How is that tied in with the paintings?
A: The novel actually spawned from a very simple drawing of a clocktower that I was inspired to draw by a movie known as Urusei Yatsura: Beautiful Dreamer. A Japanese animation that has absolutely no realtion to the book in any way beyond the promt to draw the tower. The tower concept grew from a floating clocktower in the middle of space to a dream world and then it grew into a representation for the Roman god Kronos who I misinterpreted to be the God Saturn. After this the tower then became a living creature and then an essence existed that was in direct relation with the tower. The tower and its essence honestly came from a reflection of my deepest thoughts that actually would scare the shit out of me. Also the turmoil I have always felt with the notion of death and loneliness. So yes, in this case the entire novel came from a drawing of a clocktower back in 8th grade.
L: Sounds fun. I'm sure readers are interested in when the novel will be out, any guesses?
A: My goal is to have the rough copy done by next christmas. It is difficult to say. As I grow the story grows, also some of the concepts I wish to express take time to research. The actual release will be determined by when and where I can get an editor or aid, I have the concepts however I have no formal writing experience and that is an issue.
I truely believe that the biggest obstacle to any artist is their ego, and this may be a perfect example of how one may think the concept is fantastic and at least worthy of expressing, however in actuality it is not.
You can see more of Adam's work at www.chaoti.com
edit: His nav is weird. The illustration gallery (best part) is here.
I created a twitter account to keep track of all the outlandish things he says. Check it out.
Tags: goodnight, Interview, wtf
Posted in Art, Interview | No Comments »
UEFA Euro logos
Wednesday, June 4th, 2008
Travis alerted me to these great logos used for many years by UEFA, the Union of European Football Associations, for their "Euro" football/soccer competitions (think World Cup but just for Europe, played in the off-years). I tried and tried but could not find any info on who designed them. Whoever it was did a great job, these were used for years with just slight changes (the flag represented whichever country was the host) every year. Some may question the legibility, but I had no trouble identifying it. Sometimes recognition is more important than preserving the sanctity of each letter.
A few years ago this logo was thrown out and currently a brand new logo is unveiled for every competition. This summer, Austria and Switzerland are co-hosting the games. Their logo is below.
This is a great example of what's wrong with logo design today and how far it's fallen, corresponding (I think) with the rise of computers and design software. Every surface is shiny, the type is uninspired, and that drop shadow -- it looks like someone's copy of Photoshop just threw up over the whole thing. The idea of using the Alps is fine, but the execution is weak. Why would an outline of mountains be beveled?
If you have any info on whoever designed the older logo, drop me a line.
Tags: Design, logo, soccer
Posted in Design | 3 Comments »