SeeBe's design spot: November 2010

Fashion photographer - Paul Rockett

Binoculars ca. 1964

Maybe you've seen photo's of this Canadian photographer before ? His biggest impact have been on fashion and magazine photography.

Paul Rockett died Oct. 10th 2010 at his home in Vancouver. He was 90. His revolutionary pictures helped transform fashion and magazine photography in North America from a still, stagnant style to one that stepped off the page. The Toronto-born photographer shot more than 100 magazine covers during his career, working for many magazines and advertising agencies in Canada. The link is to a gallery of 15 photos.

Premier photographer gave Canada style

Soulfood

De-stress pizza buns!

Macy's Thanksgiving Parade - Kaikai & Kiki

This year the the international renowned Japanese artist Murakami was represented with his new creations in the 2010 Macy's Thanksgiving parade. From drawing board to 40 feet long, 3 stories tall helium filled characters. To read more about the background and transformation:

From Mickey to Murakami: Kaikai and Kiki to join Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade

Chocolate Mocha

A chocolate mocha that soothes you through even some holiday work:

INGREDIENTS - 4 SERVINGS:

Sugar 1/4 cup

Cocoa 1/4 cup

Boiling water 1 1/2 cup

Strong, newly brewed coffee (if you dare use espresso) 1 1/2 cup

Half-and-half 1 1/2 cup

...and don't forget, just a tiny pinch of SALT

Stir sugar and cocoa together. Add just a little of the boiling water and stir to a creamy texture. Add the rest of the water, the coffee and the half-and-half and heat it up to a boiling point. Stir well and add a pinch of salt, believe it or not will enhance the other flavors. If you feel like it, decorate with some chocolate on the top. Cheers !!

Fruit globe

The power of gelatin and creativity: A delicious dessert made of bananas, strawberries, black grapes, mango and litchis in a sweet white wine jelly.

Checklist for branding projects

A checkout list for anyone involved with branding projects. I like this article because it includes other important elements that not always get the same attention as logos and company/product names. The article highlights as an example how important the graphic plaid pattern for the Scotch tape brand have been for its branding purposes and not to forget the important impact colors have on any branding package. Read more:

"How to build your brand and avoid an identity crisis"

Amazing Art

The birth of Venus - Botticelli

An incredible opportunity to take a look at some old masterpieces; Leonardo, Botticelli, Caravaggio, Bronzino to mention some. There has recently been added a digital version of the Scrovegni Chapel in Padua Italy (1303 - 1305). The truly amazing part is your opportunity to study details of the artworks; all thanks to digital technology and Haltadefinizione. Enjoy!:

http://www.haltadefinizione.com

Filling the GAP

At first any logo may seem obvious and easy to make or change, but it can be a challenging and difficult task. The GAP story is a contribution to the topic.

Should a company change a successful logo to adapt to new times, trends and generations ? A successful logo survives the tides of change, and part of the secret to a (logo) survivor may be it stays around for such a long time that it becomes part of our collective memory. It becomes part of personal and social memories and when somebody suggest to change that, the uproar starts.

I like the “old” Gap and it is the logo I am familiar with. On a professional level I think the new logo suggestion move towards a design style associated with IT,/tech, science and pharmaceutical industries, which is far from the conception and market of a clothing store.

In a historical perspective, many logos have been created by a specific designer and/or been under strong influence of the design trends of the time, year or decade it was created - which is a contradiction if you believe in a universal logo formula that goes beyond trends.

To read more about the GAP logo check this article: "The GAP's Great Marketing Gaffe"

The value of a dollar

A photo project with a different perspective on the value of the dollar - and a totally different experience to look at too! - Give it a try:

"The value of a dollar project - Jonathan Blaustein"

Practice what you brand

An easy approachable article that explains why branding is not a costume party:

http://tinyurl.com/2c8tqox

Brilliant design

A microphotography of a real snowflake

For the science crazed check out more fantastic micro photos from life's beginning at:

http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2010/09/gallery-microphoto-embryos/

Is there something like masculine / feminine design ?

..or for that matter any need of categorizing design in those terms?

In a marketing perspective I believe it can be interesting with the consumer of a design product in mind. To the left you see a photo of the new “Mystic” bottle from Coca-Cola, created by the French designer Jerome Olivet. The designer expressed that the design reflects his lifelong appreciation for the soft drink. With some imagination the design gives associations to race car designs, liquefied computer game interfaces and futuristic space science. I guess I won’t be arrested saying that some of these keywords have more male than female fans.

As a contrast I found the new design for Evian, created by the Japanese designer Issey Miayke which has a more feminine and earthy approach to the design. In this context it is important to distinguish and understand that masculine / feminine design is not determined by the gender of the designer, either not meant as a conservative, racist or old fashion classification of male / female preferences. What I simply have in mind is that this should be one of many other considerations when creating designs for a gender dominated consumer group/segment.

I am sure you will agree that sometimes the different preferences are obvious. When I ask my husband , friends or others just to test the look of a design or art piece it appears clearly that sometimes the likes and dislikes are divided into male and female groups. If this is related to sociology or physics is difficult to say and most likely it's a good blend. But you will be stunned about what science can tell you and lately I've learned that there can be more to the difference in design preference than first thought: Did you know that there is physical factors that makes men and women perceive colors differently ?If so, this is of course something that has impact on how we perceive our surroundings, artwork and objects.

Luckily there's the bliss of moments knowing we appreciate the same, and I believe there is unisex "design codes" that breaks down the perception barriers between men and women. My husband likes Philip Starck, and with my one foot into the likings of minimalistic architectural design we agree that he has made some really great stuff. Just as my husband can enjoy some of the works of my favorite artist; Matisse or colorful furniture and textiles from IKEA (when I browse their catalog in the mood for remodeling). And let that be said: SeeBe enjoys a Coca-Cola and pure drinking water too, and will probably pick up both of them if the bottles reaches my local Publix!