auspiciousmotion

I want to talk a couple of things I really like:

First, some simple graphic goodness. A Softer World is, I guess, a comic strip. It’s carefully crafted from photos nostalgically framed in black and captioned with a slightly distressed typewriter font. I can’t even begin to tell you what it’s really about, wondrous and ironic as it is. It’s kind of a narrative, which gets me going. I check here often to break up the monotony of my life.

Part of what makes it so neat is the brief space which it occupies, and the strong message it gets across through imagery and text.

Now for some digitally stuff. Looking at a demo of a huge multi-touch screen in Germany, I was reminded of something I found totally awesome when I was in in Art School, something the Professors raved about, the reactable. Basically it’s a multi-touch screen with objects that also govern the interaction, and get this, it’s for making music. So it’s still really incredible, two or three years after its big debut.

With that new Bond movie out, the Quantum of Solace, and its gorgeous depiction of massive multi-touch screens, I think these ideas will become more and more practical to develop for communications and advertising. To impress potential customers and onlookers, I can’t think of anything better.

Finally, I’d like to say I appreciate telephone poles and wiring delivering electricity and cable TV and stuff. I found this logo while looking through my old stuff. Remember, this is from March of 2006, when I was practically a tadpole in the world of design (how much can change in a couple of years, nu?), so don’t focus on this being a viable or scalable or practical logo, just an exercise:

This is what I had to say about it back then, "This [logo] just encapsulates what I think about the program: layers upon layers of communication interfaces. We often forget how much coding and hardware goes into even our most every day activities. I love the telephone pole for this reason."
Aw.

One of my projects at my new job (old place of work: ATLAS, new title: Assistant Director of Communications) is to come up with a Holiday Card for about 200-250 recipients, ranging from Board Members to TAM alums.

Initially, I was thinking winter imagery that had to be non-denominational. I was thinking, “The weather outside is frightful…” Lumps of snow decorating the ATLAS Building came to mind.

Then it hit me: snow globes are sweet!

This is what I came up with, after the requisite numerous iterations, and plenty of design help (and critique) from colleagues (and the client). Fun stuff:

[click for larger]

I love eating lemons and wish I had made this video. Enjoy its virtues, despite its non-jennifer authorship.

Enjoyable commercial about cuteness and destruction. Love that 3D animation style.