- Re Due
So it’s about that time to rework my portfolio site. I’ve got new work to put up, and I’ve been told “it’s simple, but it’s bad simple”. Not to mention that somehow I think it looks dated. I’m not sure why. Maybe just because I finished it right out of school and so to me it feels old.
I hate designing things for myself. I’ll never be satisfied. I can’t make up my mind about what I want. Although this has been a trend in my entire life recently.
I’ve been looking at a lot of other portfolio’s recently. I know what I hate. I don’t like side scrolling, zooming navigation, automatic scrolling, lightboxes, and too many links to click on.
I had come to a conclusion about what to do this last weekend. That is until I read two articles written by the same guy:
My Last Portfolio Sucked, Yours Might Too
Portfolios that Accomplish Goals
So now I’ve got some new ideas. But they are better. And hopefully I will stop changing my mind long enough to actual accomplish the launch of a redesign.
- Honestly?
There is a contest to redesign the Oregon flag. I generally feel like this is a bad idea. I would encourage all designers to submit something, but they’ve already come up with 10 finalists. I’m not so happy with any of them. Although I suppose one or two may work if they are finessed. But to me, a flag has a lot to represent, and these suggestions only represent one or two at a time.
What physical things do I think of when I think of Oregon? Pioneers, Trees, Forests, Plains, Logging, Mountains (and not just Mt. Hood), The Columbia River Gorge, Waterfalls, Salmon, the Ocean, Rain. And qualities? Environmental awareness, acceptance, community, social freedom, etc. Maybe this seems like a lot for one flag. But maybe it’s also in the execution and explanation of the flag. Maybe if you decide to put a covered wagon on it you should say that it represents the end of the Oregon trail AND Oregon’s pioneer spirit in terms of the environment and other things. Maybe the color blue doesn’t just represent the ocean. Perhaps it represents the rain, and the waterfalls and the rivers. Am I asking for too much?
Here is the old flag, which I think really does need a refresher. It has two sides, which is pretty obnoxious.
And here a few of the finalists:
Go here for more.
- Why you gotta change a good thing??
I’ve been meaning to post about this since my last hair cut. My favorite hair brand has changed some of their packaging. I was previously under the impression that all of Bumble and Bumble’s packaging was done in-house. However, I have recently discovered through Lovely Package(fantastic site by the way) that the fabulous Curl Conscious creme packaging was done by Tank. Well at least until recently. Here is the very lovely old packaging:
And here is the redesign:
The only thing about the new packaging that makes sense to me is that it definitely lends itself to a curly image. I suppose that the old packaging does not do this at all. But it was edgy, and had phrases like “kinky” and “babe” on it, which made me feel a little more bad-ass as I combed it through my hair with my fingers. I’ve had the new bottle gracing my bathroom shelf for a while now, and I’m still annoyed by it. I want my old curl conscious back. At least the product itself is as fantastic as ever.
- Portland Under Ice and Snow
It sure beats the rain.
- Give Water
I ran across some interesting stuff while stalking PSU’s design program. One of the classes is working with charity: water to build a well for a school in Africa. Every time I come across something to do with water, I am reminded of my own Senior Thesis. However, my own project was based upon Arizona. My focus was on the waste of water and how much the state can not afford to do so with it’s future in mind.
Of course, I was drawn to this topic originally from knowing that 1 in 6 people on this planet don’t have access to clean drinking water. It is a very localized problem. It is hard for us to give clean water to people on the other side of the world. Because I wanted my audience in Phoenix to relate to the issue, I brought it to them and focused on the local problem that Arizona has with its own draining water supply.
But! There is an entire design class at PSU working on a project about water supply. Very Cool. If you are in the giving mood, go here to be a part of the well.
- My Drive Thru
Interesting music video featuring N.E.R.D, Santogold and Casablancas.
- Paper Works
I pretty much love paper. So I was pretty excited when I ran across Peter Callesen’s paper works. I love the way he describes them:“My paper works have been based around an exploration of the relationship between two and three dimensionality. I find this materialization of a flat piece of paper into a 3D form almost a magic process - or maybe one could call it obvious magic, because the process is obvious and the figures still stick to their origin, without the possibility of escaping. In that sense there is also an aspect of something tragic in most of the cuts. Some of the small paper cuts relate to a universe of fairy tales and romanticism, as for instance Impenetrable Castle inspired by Hans Christian Andersen’s fairy tale The Steadfast Tin Soldier, in which a tin soldier falls in love with a paper ballerina, living in a paper castle. Other paper cuts are small dramas in which small figures are lost within and threatened by the huge powerful nature. Others again are turning the inside out, or letting the front and the back of the paper meet - dealing with impossibility, illusions, and reflections.
I find the A4 sheet of paper interesting to work with, because it is probably the most common and consumed media and format for carrying information today, and in that sense it is something very loaded. This means that we rarely notice the actual materiality of the A4 paper. By removing all the information and starting from scratch using the blank white 80gsm A4 paper as a base for my creations, I feel that I have found a material which we all are able to relate to, and at the same time is non-loaded and neutral and therefore easier to fill with different meanings. The thin white paper also gives the paper sculptures a fragility which underlines the tragic and romantic theme of the works.”
- Andrea Galvani
Andrea Galvani’s photographs are brilliant.
- Looking for Lamp
A little stop-motion something from the 12rs for wordstock 2008.
wordstock 08 - looking for lamp from WK12 on Vimeo.I also dig the print:
- Torben Giehler
I really love Torben Giehler’s work. Some of it is very abstract and some of it is more representative of mountainous landscapes. The color combinations of each piece are fantastic.
