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07/17/2008

Is Your Photo Museum-Worthy?

streetphotography.jpg
image credit regelzam0ra (Flickr)

Searching for "street photography" in flickr groups returns 6,497 groups. It appears people around the world are drawn to capturing the urban lifestyle.

In a similar fashion, Blurb, an online book publisher, recently hosted a photography book contest. Anyone can use Blurb's site to put together books using their own photos. Sure, anyone can take photos. But has the advancement -- and nearly norm -- of digital photography allowed anyone to become a photographer? Maybe it's that the medium simply allows for us to share our captured moments more easily. And what defines a true photographer anyway? It's all in the eye of the beholder.

Sarah Jo Sautter

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06/26/2008

Simple But Beautiful

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Sometimes you find absolute beauty in the simple and ordinary. If Rey Fenwick had told me he was going to do a series of paintings of friendship bracelets, I would have questioned the use of his time. What impressed me most about these was the flawless execution and consideration that was put into their creation. They are simple, but the attention to detail is what makes them addictive. The choice of color, positioning and execution make me want to buy them all. I think we can learn a lot from this approach. Whilst technology can be a great inspiration for experiences and campaigns, I think we get so wrapped up in it, that we forget about our craft as designers. The push to launch and to be first doesn't always allow us to do this, but I think it is going to be a differentiator going forward now that everyone "gets digital".

See more of Rey's paintings at
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rayfenwick/sets/72157604576020105/

Conor Brady

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06/19/2008

Art of the Title Sequence

napoleon.jpg This site is a compendium of fantastic opening and closing sequences to movies and tv shows.  I just stumbled on it, but I'm glad I did.  An astounding source of inspiration for motion graphics.

http://www.artofthetitle.com/

Slick.

Phil Garwood

06/16/2008

Clorox Graffiti "Green Wash"

Clorox has taken an innovative experiential approach to promoting Green Works, a new line on plant-based household cleaning products. They hired Reverse Graffiti Artist Paul Curtis (aka Moose) to "paint' the inside of the Broadway Tunnel, which runs through Russian Hill into San Francisco's North Beach neighborhood. 

By removing the soot and grime from public spaces to create the outlines of nature, Moose makes a poignant statement about pollution in urban spaces and our reversal of the natural world. 

The video is a tiny bit heavy-handed in the product placement, but it still seems like a major departure for Clorox, which is not featured in connection with the project at all. 

It must have been a tough internal battle about whether or not to put the Clorox logo on the packaging (it's there in small format).  Because while Clorox=clean, bleach does not connote environmentally friendly (Burt's Bees, for example, doesn't carry the Clorox name).  Maybe the Clorox brand is there to counter the common skepticism that a green product "actually cleans".  Thanks to Laughing Squid.

Misha Cornes

06/11/2008

Digital Wheel Art

dwa_usertest.jpg We know that technology can help market products/services and make our lives easier. But, one of the most important, and often overlooked, aspects of our business is how technology is being used to help people--to bring meaning and delight into the lives of folks who might not otherwise have an opportunity. I couldn't help but smile when I read about Andrew, a paraplegic young boy, who creates digital paintings with a Wii-enabled wheelchair. The short film below captures his process as he learns how to maneuver his chair to create images on a screen and becomes a true artist filled with the joy of personal expression.
 
http://blog.ted.com/2008/06/wii_remote_whee.php
 
Now, that's an exceptional experience--in the best sense.
 
Amanda Van Nuys

05/27/2008

The World's Largest Drawing

gpspicture.jpg Here is an interesting project created by artist Erik Nordenankar that utilizes GPS technology and the company DHL to great the world's largest self portrait.

http://biggestdrawingintheworld.com/drawing.aspx

Mike Glowacki

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Across the Flickr Universe

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Tag Galaxy is an incredibly addictive Flickr Visualization tool that allows you to explore related tags as if they are planets in a solar system. You can rotate the orbit, and then select new planets to explore. As you find a particular combination that interests you, you can zoom into the world and see pictures within the set in greater detail. While not highly efficient, it certainly is engaging.

It seems like there is no limit to the imagination when it comes to Flickr Visualizaiton tools. So what are some of your favorites?

Marta Strickland

Architecture as Advertising at the Contemporary Jewish Museum

cjmaudiotour.jpg Wandering around the Yerba Buena Gardens in San Francisco this weekend, I happened upon an very unusual building tucked away along an alley.  Under construction was a three-story high metal cube balanced on one of its corner. As I came closer, I saw the sign above, dialed the number, and listened to a whole host of experts discussing the timeline for the project, its architecture, and the history of the project site.

As I soon discovered, this is the home of The Contemporary Jewish Museum, which will be opening on June 8.  Architect Daniel Libeskind, who will eventually be redesigning the World Trade Center site in Lower Manhattan, has fused a 19th-century power station with a arrestingly modern design- a high-gloss purplish-gray box that screams "important public monument".

A simple idea, elegantly executed (including an option to leave a comment by voicemail, which I did), that shows you don't always need huge budgets or sophisticated tracking to create a successful integrated marketing campaign.

Misha Cornes

05/16/2008

Muto

muto.png The musky scent of truly determined and inspired work just radiates from this one. Sit back and enjoy.

http://www.blublu.org/sito/video/muto.htm

Nick Sternberg

05/ 1/2008

Emotional Conflict

allineed.jpgThis is one of the most inspiring videos I've seen in some time. It's Radiohead's latest video release. It takes on the issue of human trafficking.

An aside: How many ways can Thom Yorke debunk the music model in one year?

First the pay-as-you-go release.

Then the remix-it-your-way release.

Now the cause-marketing release.

Anyway, I love this video because I felt two emotions simultaneously. Innocence and exploitation. Warmth and emptiness. Virtue and guilt.

Emotional conflict is a timeless way to get people to connect to your idea, your campaign, your cause. This is incredibly fresh.

Bryan Fuhr