speaking of media control...

I've come across an artist by the name of Scott Blake, who creates art using barcodes--a funny coincidence that we've been talking about the media's control lately, and this guy turns an element of that into something strangely neat. You can create a barcode for yourself on his site, too (the one above is mine). But if you head over there, be sure to check out his art--my favourite is his hilariously ironic 10' x 10' Bar Code Jesus.

[image source: http://www.barcodeart.com/art/yourself/yourself_frames.html]

my analysis of Ben...

Visual: Ben generally looks very clean and healthy; lean (could be a sprinter), well-dressed

Tactile: Holds things carefully and usually with a sense of purpose. Usually careful not to disturb his immediate environment

Auditory: Ben's got a smooth alto, definitely not a smoker, and quite a range when it comes to humming and whistling in and out of class. He's full of other percussion-sounds, and generally gives off quite a strong auditory presence; trails of sounds that are almost always musical seem to follow him

Olfactory: While Ben's scent is certainly not unpleasant, he does not give off much discernible odor except for the occasional morning coffee on his breath

Gustatory: Data unavailable. If Ben were a type of food, he's be a whole wheat organic chicken and veggie wrap--contained, with a whole bunch of colourful and exciting ingredients just below the surface

Ben through different types of media:

Natural: Ben leaves a very strong impression through natural media. Quite impactful transmission through auditory modes, though slightly less effective through visual means--mainly facial expressions

Artifactual: Communicates well through visual artifactual media--Ben has many design forms and expressions by which he may communicate strongly and effectively

Mechanical: Ben also boasts strong mechanical communication--specifically in terms of musical/auditory mechanical means. Buy his album. His mechanical presence is not overly strong in other ways; for instance, he does not use social networking tools

10 things...

10 The strange/awful/wonderful people I meet when I bartend
9 The feeling I get when I make something amazing
8 Coffee
7 Reading a great book that makes me think or feel
6 The first part of spring when everything starts popping out of the ground and turning green
5 The hugs I get from people I actually care about--not those people who feel it's their duty to hug every single person they say hello to
4 Bach's cello concertos
3 Really long drives with really good music
2 Doing yoga until I feel like my face is going to melt right off
1 Lying in the field behind my house at 3am, completely exhausted after a really productive day, feeling like I'm melting into the ground

And my five favourite items...

5 The very first hat I knit
4 My copy of The Fountainhead
3 My glasses
2 My collection of Beatles cds
1 The star earring in my right ear

are you being brainwashed right now?

Are the media moguls controlling us?

Oh god yes. In the sense that they are the ones who control what we get to read about and watch on the news everyday, of course they control some aspect of us in choosing which tidbits of information we're allowed to gain access to, and how they'd like us to react to them. I'd like to say that this information manipulation only controls us to the extent that we allow it, but how can we avoid being controlled by it when we're only allowed to have knowledge of the tip of the iceberg? This forced submissiveness is already a huge step in the direction of the media's control.

Are they controlling our minds and souls?

Trickier. This question begs a multitude of other (somewhat depressing and existential) questions: do we have control over our own minds in the first place? Have we ever had control over them? Is the way we react to media based on opinions that have already been placed in our minds subconsciously by these media moguls?

I'd like to say that my reaction is based on a sense of indignation to the initial question, but could it not also be a defensive reaction to the knowledge that in some way, my mind has been controlled by these media moguls? Consider this: I'm currently typing away on my very old, very slow PC laptop, cursing the fact that I'm not sitting in front of my beloved Mac. Why is that? I'm not doing anything that requires the use of design software, I'm posting a blog. This crappy PC is as good as anything for that purpose. The moguls of Apple media have put this idea into my head that I'm slumming, in a way, by working away on a PC. I can't say that I feel that strongly about being away from my Mac, but that thought it still in my head. Which means, in some sense, that I have indeed been conditioned and controlled by these media moguls.

The thought of delving into the full extent of the media's grasp on me (or anyone, for that matter)
is just a little too much. You win, John.

shoestring modern...

Brad Green, my surrogate uncle, has got to be one of the coolest guys I know--into modern art, Ayn Rand, Miles Davis--and a brilliant architect. The above image is a shot of his cottage on Sunny Lake, appropriately named The Roc, as it's built on a cliff. Not only is it extremely interesting and absolutely gorgeous in its De Stijl-inspired way, its form somehow emulates its surroundings perfectly. Yes, it's colourful and geometric, but it still manages to feel like it's meant to be a part of that cliff, that it's the only thing that could have possibly been built there.

This theme, that architecture and external design should be created to compliment and flow with surrounding elements, has clearly played a huge part in the creation of The Roc, and it's been the central theme of one of my favourite designers, the prolific Frank Lloyd Wright. Wright was a major figure in the movement of organic architecture, this idea that the design should be completely harmonious with its natural surroundings. Perhaps the most well-known example of this is Fallingwater, a residence Wright designed for a family in Pennsylvania.

Its stone balconies echo the stone outcroppings of the waterfall and its surrounding area, and the building's placement creates a sense of some kind of dialog with the waterfall and the steepness of the land.

Theorist David Pearson created a set of rules for designing to organic architecture, and I think they're certainly relevant to everything we're doing as graphic designers, organic or not.

"Let the design
-be inspired by nature and be sustainable, healthy, conserving, and diverse.
-unfold, like an organism, from the seed within.
-exist in the "continuous present" and "begin again and again".
-follow the flows and be flexible and adaptable.
-satisfy social, physical, and spiritual needs.
-"grow out of the site" and be unique.
-celebrate the spirit of youth, play and surprise.
-express the rhythm of music and the power of dance."

Essentially, every element should relate to the others, reflecting the relationships present in nature. Sound familiar?

[image source: http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=3675&id=1048985333#pid=3675
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_Lloyd_Wright]

on cutlery...

When I was just a little girl, I asked my mother why we had forks and knives when mostly we just used the side of our fork to cut soft things...I mean, why get a knife dirty if you're eating something like meatloaf? And so I thought I came up with a great invention when I thought up the combined fork-knife (I called it a fife). Logistics ruined the whole thing for me, though, when I realized that people would probably cut the sides of their mouth open due to the Fife's sharp cutting edges. I scrapped the idea.

Fastforward to now: I've stumbled upon a website on Australian nostalgia, and the Fife has already been invented! It goes by the name Splayd, and was invented by William McArthur in the forties. In the sixties, the general public caught on to their innovative and oh-so-convenient design, and over five million sold worldwide. Which begs the question--what happened to them? I'd like my own Splayd collection! Maybe people got tired of having all that extra cutlery--forks, knives, tablespoons, teaspoons, and Splayds...I mean, I guess you don't really need a Splayd when you've got your fork and your knife, and the fork/knife combo is imperative for things like steak. Still, an interesting piece of very neat design.

[image source: http://www.legendfeelco.com.au/whatever.htm]

pirates and beer...

I'm sure you're all aware of Molson Ex's redesign since I've been bringing it up at every possible opportunity, but I figured I'd post a before/after sort of thing since it seems nobody's actually seen it. Above is the redesign, and below is the old logo.


I love the redesign. The red's richer, the sail looks less like an armadillo, and the type and white tattoo-y stuff around the sail is just so hip. Strangely enough, the redesign actually seems cleaner than the old version, even with the starburst, banners, and swashes. Maybe nasty Ex will actually draw in a younger, cooler market! Their site's been revamped, too--unfortunately, it seems they've only got the Quebec version up, and it's all in French.

What do you think? (I'd still never touch the stuff, but I'm not in their target market)

[image source: before: http://www.timinganddelivery.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/10/me.gif
after: http://www.molsonexport.com/index.aspx]