I love everything star wars

I think that's safe to say at this point. I'm also super excited for the star-wars-marathon-crazy-wino-fest I'm going to have with my dad next time I'm home.
But the point of all this is that I want this:

That is all. Happy last day of march!

Viva Calaca

Beautiful. Simply beautiful. Video done by Ritxi Ostáriz, song sung by Voltaire. Ostáriz website is currently down but here is another video done by him. And another (actually I think I like this one the best).

I love this style of animation. Everything is flat but put within a very detailed depth. It fits very well with the song (check out Voltaire's myspace site. I really dig his music. It's very much along the lines of Gogol Bordello and DeVotchKa but with a thicker American flavor). Overall he seems to just do very beautiful worked and I'm bummed his site is down. 

My personal hero: Kevin Richardson

oh man... this is amazing. I really had no idea hyenas could be friendly towards humans let alone side by side with lions. This guy is crazy. Although the lions and lionesses are HUGE, the hyena's have a greater jaw force. My dad had talked about this guy, who considers himself a general "animal whisperer" and...well i believe it. This guy is definitely living the good life. 







I'm actually watching animal planet right now (the logo still burns my eyeballs) and a feature on him is on. I really still can't believe someone has the ability to stand up to a male hyena that is whooping and not run for safety. This guy is really amazing. and has quite the amazing job.

Friday Movie Morning!

Can you talk forward? 

Haha this video is kind of cute. It's called George Lucas in Love. I'm sure most of you have seen this already but I just found it. Enjoy XD 

Little Red Riding Hood

Going through my daily blogs today, I found this video on Geekologie:




Love everything about this video! It's brilliantly simple while also jam packed with a lot of complex details. 

Also, check out Geekologie. Seriously, this blog is really great. Especially if you love Star Wars, dinosaurs, intense themed cakes, video games and random robot technology. I know I do. Half my day's entertainment comes from this blog. 

Great Park Signage!

It's very simple and to the point, as signage should be. Definitely a thumbs up. 

Where the Wild Things Are Trailer

In case you haven't seen it yet. 


I am SO excited. I don't even remember the last time I read this.
The screen play was co-written by David Eggers.
So I'm fully prepared for a beautiful and funny movie.
Come see it with me :)

Life is too expensive

well it's official. starting may 31, the subway fare will officially increase to 2.50 in ny. Commuter rail fares will increase the next day. This really sucks. Especially since I will be (hopefully) commuting from new jersey to new york next year, those extra 50 cents are going to add up and quick. It's already expensive getting around anywhere right now. And I can see the Chrysler building from the street. I don't want to imagine the expense from 70 miles away. With the recession in full swing and unemployment going up, it seems the price of the essentials are only going up. And the options on what to do seem to be growing thinner and thinner. 

If you want more details on this, other than my melancholy lamentation, check out the new york times article. 

movies new and old

I want to see this:



I want to own this:



They aired Helvetica at Pratt two years ago and it was a great night. The auditorium was packed and director Gary Hustwit was there. Afterwards, everyone left the auditorium buzzing about typography, design and Massimo's amazing eccentricity. Regardless, it's been about two years (at least I think) since I saw this movie and I have changed so much that it would be nice to watch this again....and be less oblivious.

Also, since this isn't Friday Movie Morning, here's some pretty pictures I got off of dropular.


I don't know how much of this is real or how much is photoshopped but I enjoy them. Whether it's because I like Dylan and Hendrix or regardless of them, enjoy.

don't let your website resize my browser window

yeahy! I'm glad I'm not the only one who curses under my breath when I go to a website and my browser explodes to full screen or some awkward smaller rectangle. Just don't do it. We are each capable of readjusting our own browsers. (I am aware that Sagmeister's site does this. But since he is a rock star and absolutely brilliant, he can do what the hell he wants and I will still visit his site.)

(click the picture to make it bigger, I realize some of it is a bit illegible at this size)

World Cup 2010 Poster

Guess I've got soccer on the brain. Here is the poster for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. It's beautiful and simple with a very true color palette . 

And also, that black squiggle coming from the lower left area...I'm going to say that isn't really there. Because it makes no sense! 

443 days until it begins!!! 

Brent Neustifter has quite the last name

I love illustration. Love love love it. Brent Neustifer's drawings are creepy and cute at the same time. I'm really glad I found these wonderfully weird creations. They feel very old school futuristic. Like the creatures from the world Blackwolf led in Wizards. ESPECIALLY the first two. Anyway, enjoy.

 I even enjoy the marker texture. I know it wasn't on purpose and is usually frowned upon but, personally, I like it here. It doesn't feel accidental nor is it too distracting. It's strongest in the background color fill (I've colored an entire 8.5 X 11 sheet of paper using a prisma marker...props to anyone that can fill that up without leaving "marker texture") but I feel it fits. This last guy seems the most different from the rest but I really like him so I added him anyways. I mean... look at that pout!!!

Cat Hair Hand bags

Apparently this was aired on the Animal Planet some months ago. I don't know how I feel about this. A fashion designer, she is not, but I'm not totally adverse to the idea. Maybe it would be cool to have a cat hair sweater? Maybe I secretly want to start being a creepy cat lady already (by secretly I mean not at all).

Although....people have Alpaca farms and their fur (fur?) is used to make sweaters and whatnot. I think I may have finally found my excuse to have a heard of cats! If in ten years, you hear of cat hair sweaters coming into fashion...well you'll know who started it all. (Technically this lady but we can forget that). 

INTERNATIONAL NO SMILING DAY!!

When is it?! haha

Eurocup 2012, soccer and apologies. But not in that order.

So, even though it's spring break, life has been rather busy! Trying to catch up on work, be a good intern and get some face time with the parents (but not in that order). Sorry for the lack of updates. Until May 18, 2009 (AHHHHHHHHH!!!! graduation!!) the updates will probably get more sporadic and less frequent but I'll definitely try my best. 

So World Cup is next year and whatever BUT Euro Cup 2012 is going to be in Poland!!!!!!!!!and ukraine but POLAND!! Anybody that saw me on the day this was announced (a little over a year ago) definitely could tell I was bubbling over with excitement. It would be a dream come true to be there when this is happening (not even at the games, THAT'S wishing for too much haha, but definitely on the streets, watching the game from the pubs and feeling the shared excitement with everyone else.)

And I'm getting way off track. The point of this entry was just these three soccer posters. 

These two are rival posters about a match between Argentina and Brazil. The first one was made before the match by Argentina. I think it's wickedly funny and really clever (and would NEVER fly in America). 

This flyer was designed right after the match was over and Argentina lost 3-1. Ooh talk about burn! Not as good as the previous one but a great response nevertheless. 

This last one is very simple but very good. The swastika is probably one of the most recognizable symbols in the world and generally just stands for hate. Hate for someone that is not like you.  So again, simple poster, simple concept but powerful message. Especially with how much hate there can sometimes be surrounding soccer. 

We put anything on paper

Does anyone else find this incredibly depressing? I mean I know that the one thing we're not responsible for is killing off the dinosaurs but I definitely took this image as a social commentary on the human race. 

I'm probably looking way too deeply into it. But it just made me sad. And I have a blog so therefore I share. 

Design is honest.

Although... design is a vessel for advertising. Hmm... I guess it's the fact that design can just be beautiful while advertising is always just that...an advertisement for a product. What do you think?

I really enjoy this

Not the design so much but definitely the titles. Very clever. And cute. 

Quiddities. Teehee. You know...P. Diddy's various name changes sometimes can be quite comical...on purpose. On his Twitter, P. Diddy sometimes refers to himself (jokingly) as P. Twitty....and I kind of love that. 

and I might use it as inspiration. 

:)

maybe. Then again maybe not. For right now, I just like it. 

Oh yes, and I twitter. Or tweet? I have yet to utilize my twitter for more interesting means but check me out! 

I made this little guy

He's part of a poster (for autism if you can believe it) and I kind of love him. He's just super cute. and an elephant...maybe that's why I like him so much. 

I do feel like like my work has taken on a certain "flavor" in the past year. I hate saying "cute" but god damn... I've been finding myself doing a lot of cute stuff. And a lot of pattern. I don't know, maybe it's just a phase, maybe not only time will tell right? 

For now enjoy my elephant. Bc he's adorable. 

And if you can't tell he's an elephant....trust me he is. 

My Life

And I really hope it stays this way for a long long time. (and hopefully I'll be a designer and not just a program monkey :))

Albert Einstein on computers and people

Light up. Cigarette ads from yesteryear

Cigarettes are slowly becoming a taboo. Not everywhere but it's rare to see a character you like smoking a cigarette (can you name a habitual smoker currently on tv? The most recent to come to mind is Carrie) and they are now rarely depicted in movies or tv shows. I'm always a little surprised to find a cigarette ad in a magazine. Anti-cigarette ads, however, are a plenty. 

But it wasn't always like this. There was a time when cigarettes were accepted not only with open arms but with a bit of ridiculousness as well. Check out the video below to not only see doctors promote cigarettes but also THE FLINTSTONES. 

I've been a smoker for several years (and have been trying to kick the habit for several years as well) but that...that was a little much for me. But I guess back then it wasn't such a big deal. 

However, as strange and alien as it seems now, there is a certain beauty to the old ads. Before the antismoking movement really took off by way of the Truth Campaign and other similar organizations, Joe Camel and the Marlboro man were a part of day to day life. Don't get me wrong, I am totally happy that there is a war on cigarettes and do (often) curse myself for starting (I'd like to say when I was young and dumb but I'm still quite young....and still quite good at making dumb decisions) but I wouldn't mind going to an exhibit filled with the best ads from this category. This is a multibillion dollar business that is now the villain if the general marlet. I happen to find that very interesting. 

The Alphonse Mucha Job cigarette posters are beautiful. Smoker or not, these are just very appealing and seem more like a fine art painting than an advertisement. And also appear on many college student (at least at my school) walls, whether they smoke or not. 










I added this one even though it isn't a cigarette advertisement. It's a sweater advertisement. A MANLY sweater. A MANLY man who boats and smokes. I guess more along the lines of exploring the culture of the cigarette back then as opposed to now.


This one is a little unsettling...mostly because only children are suppose to believe in Santa...and he's hawking cigarettes..


Yeahy Mr. President!

Ok ok, lets end this on a good note. As a cultural phenomenon, cigarettes have taken on very different roles in our society. Cigarettes in themselves are also very interesting as they are a product linked with death and disease yet completely legal (I spoke with my dad about this earlier today (which sparked this entry) and he said something very interesting. He said that if cigarettes were invented right now, there is no way they would ever be allowed anywhere near the market because the idea would be just too absurd. I have to say I agree with him, Especially since chewing tobacco and cigarettes became popular before they were tied to health hazards and then once the hazards came out, they were too engrained in culture to erase? I guess the government learned it's lesson when it came time to decide what to do about LSD) and still carry a certain connotation with them. For some people a very negative one. For some people a very comforting one.

So time for that positive I promised! This is an anti smoking ad poster from a campaign in Poland:

Rough translation (but with the meaning intact) is basically, "Smoking is for assholes." (When something is "do dupy" it means it's crappy so a literal translation is "smoking is crappy"...I like my take on it better. Especially since "dupa" means ass). 

Hybrid Design Poster

I love this poster...so much. Seriously love love love it. That is all I wanted to share. 

I want to kearn U and I

I love design nerd posters. They're like inside jokes that are very funny and sometimes very important to only a small group of people. I don't know..maybe I'm just lame but I think I am not alone. So here are a few nerdy posters. About design. And such like things that may not be completely about design. (I am very tired so I hope that I'm not only enjoying these things because of lack of sleep but because they are actually funny...)

I remember there being a website that had a whole bunch of these. Basically, the white part is the typeface, the red part is what it says about you/how it feels/what might happen if you use it. Who ever did this did a great job because most of them were pretty funny and pretty true.

Perfect thing to wear on a day you feel like getting shot. 

Ok..this one made me teehee. It's just very ridiculous and I like it. 

Ok, these are obviously starting to be a lot less designy and a lot more teehee-able. But I do like this one. Most because every time I do get the rainbow circle of doom, I think the exact same thing. Nothing too angry and nothing too intelligent just "This sucks" and "stop spinning already" and sometimes " I hate you". 

This last one I just like and happened to find in while I was writing this entry so I decided to share. Plus they made Poland legible so all is good in my book :). 

I've admired this girl since our very first survey

Funny, I was looking around the internet and found another set of illustration pieces I really loved. Looking through them, I thought "these remind me a lot of this girls pieces that I see and love at survey every semester." Then I looked at the profile info and realize it was indeed the same girl I was thinking of. Even on the internet, the world can be a small place :)

I don't personally know Chelsea Greene Lewyta but her work is absolutely beautiful and it caught my eye our very first survey at Pratt. And continues to do so every survey. Her touch is beyond beautiful and haunting. There just aren't enough good things to say about her except that I am a huge fan. 

I like this one a lot because it reminds me of this book I had in poland as a little kid. The story was always too complicated for me to read but the pictures were mind blowing and gave absolutely no indication as to what the plot could possibly be about. 

Her ability to go from the sublime to the incredibly disturbing is seamless and flawless. I just love her stuff and am happy I fell upon a website of it. Please check the rest of her work out! It's really beautiful.