Pop Cling reproduces art. All kinds of art. For the moment, that mostly means adhesive-backed art that you can peel off and stick to any smooth surface. Some people stick our prints on concrete floors, or on sliding glass doors leading to balconies, or right on the walls behind couches. You don’t need a frame, you just need a blank space. Voila, you have fresh pop art on your wall from new, favorite, and cutting edge artists.Seen above is Albany, California artist Attaboy's contribution. Detail after the jump.
Here is an interesting way to look at the underlying code structure of a website. German blogger Ahref has written an app that graphically charts the hierarchy of a website's HTML tags. Shown on his site are graphs of many well known websites such as Google, CNN, Apple, etc.... pretty cool.
The Smithsonian’s Cooper-Hewitt, National Design has announced the winners of the seventh annual National Design Awards. The finalists and winners will be honored at an event on October 18, 2006.
"Cooper-Hewitt is delighted to once again recognize, through the National Design Awards, some of the greatest contributions to the world of design made in recent years." Cooper-Hewitt director Paul Warwick Thompson said. "Each year, the Awards grow in scope, and this October we are introducing National Design Week, a new education initiative created to promote better understanding of the role that design plays in all aspects of our lives. During National Design Week, Cooper-Hewitt will host programs and panel discussions on design, and on our website, we will launch design education content for teachers nationwide."Awards are given in eleven categories:
IDEO is what the dot.com companies tried to be and failed. A place where imagination is rewarded, and failure is just part of the path to success. IDEO is fueled by team creativity, and they believe that your company should be too. That's why they have produced Method Cards, a set of 51 cards that are meant to get your team inspired and on the path to great design.
Redstr/Collective is the design initiative of Alex Valich and Christine Warren, partners in business and life, who's approach to design is eclectic, inspired and just plain fun. They describe themselves a DJs of design who sample, mix and spin to get the desired result. Their Web site design is indicative of the "tongue-in-cheekiness" of their products like beautifully decorated sickness bags, and shelves that are highlighter colour. How about hip-hop Christmas tree ornaments? 
Located in the South London suburb of Tulse Hill, Brixton, the school acts as a community hub both visually and physically. The original project brief called for a building of high quality to house a complex program of multiple educational needs.
The third London Design Festival is taking place all over London, September 15 – 30, 2005.
Due to the large number of inquiries regarding the "super fantastik" skateboard designs by Tony Larson from Agents of the Area, we decided to investigate a bit.The findings might shock you, so if you have a "mobilia eamesis heart condition", or any kind of bladder weakness when it comes to issues of design excellence, please, STOP READING NOW!
For the rest of us, we are sorry... The designs we featured are a couple of years old, and apparently they have already reached cult status. Your best bet would be to try Ebay or something similar, but good luck with that one.
HOWEVER, fear not, since Tony has provided us with a sneak peek at what promises to easily be as hot a collection of mid-century modernist design artifacts on decks as his first version. He tells us they are to be released sometime this fall. So, I dunno about the rest of you, but I am gettin' in line! And I might buy a couple of the Eames stickers that they feature on Crailtap, just to make the wait bearable.
Last, but not least: PEOPLE! "GIRL" Skateboards are not "skateboards for girls..." It's a cool and hip name of a brand, kinda like "Blind"(not exclusively for visually impaired children),"Bones" (no, not an indication of the materials used), "Birdhouse"(sounds oh so tame and civilized...but guess what)... And then there is "Uncle Touchy" and "Sick Stick." 'Nuff said.
Link: Agents of the Area
Link: Crailtap
Reference: Skate like a girl! (L+L)
Can we assume to all agree on the premise that skateboards are cool, and that the act of skateboarding is even cooler? And Eames furniture, veeery cool indeed, right? So, if everyone at any design school knows about these icons of coolness, then how come nobody has come up with combining the two until now?! Shame on all of you!We salute Tony Larson from Agents of the Area, who has managed to design some decks within his Girl Skateboards line that will thrash your hearts out. He even managed to throw on some Roadside Architecture, or Venturi's duck, if you may. Design geeks in the black and grey uniforms now can get a skateboard that does not clash!
Link: Agents of the Area
Some more Skate Art: Skate or Die!
Apparently I'm not alone in the notion of seeing a museum banner hanging from a streetpole and thinking how great that would look hanging in my living room. BetterWall took that idea and turned it into a business. On their website, you can purchase banners advertising an Ansel Adams gallery at the Art Institute of Chicago or Warhol's exhibition at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. But these aren't just reproductions of those banners, they are the real deal.
" All of BetterWall’s beautiful banners are the real McCoy! They have been displayed on streetlamp posts and museum facades in cities across the country. Made of vinyl or heavy-weight canvas, the banners are well-equipped to withstand outdoor display. All banners are in excellent condition with no rips, tears, fading or large blemishes. Minor surface blemishes or other slight signs of wear do not detract from the beauty of the images and add to the banners’ value and authentic charm. Some banners have wind-slits, small half-moon shaped cuts that allow the banners to withstand high wind without ripping."To date, BetterWall has helped their museum partners keep 10 tons of vinyl out of landfills. Also, by purchasing a banner from BetterWall, you are also supporting the arts, as a percentage of proceeds is returned to the museum featured on the banner. Great idea, guys!
We really like the clean graphic quality and compostion of these lino prints by London-based printmaker and illustrator Paul Catherall. His designs are inspired by classic 20th century poster desgin, Soviet propaganda art and artists such as William Nicholson.
His subjects include many modern and historic architectural constructs from London and New York, capturing momumental impressions of everyday urban experience.
The lino cuts are printed on 100% cotton acid free paper with the finest quality oil based inks. Limited edition prints are available for purchase through Paul's website.
Link: Paul Catherall
Via: I Like
Morag Macpherson is the designer behind UK based Global Guru. A graphic artist, she has turned her talents to textile design for the interior and fashion marketplace. She's got some terrific patterns which in a way, remind us of the wallpaper patterns from Flavor Paper and Timorous Beasties. Great stuff, Morag!
global guru designs and manufactures a diverse variety of contemporary collections in many different colourways and repeat sections. These surface patterns can be translated into a variety of interior accessories and fashion pieces.
Link: Global Guru
An unlikely pairing creates some very nice results in Rugged Art's collection of hand knotted carpets designed by young graphic artists such as Romon Kimin Yang and José Parla. Not to mention the fact that the prices (while not cheap) seem to us to be very reasonable for this kind quality.
Founded by London based antique textile specialist Nat Turner, and collaborating with some of World's most exciting graphic artists, RuggedArt has launched a groundbreaking new collection of hand knotted rugs, available in limited editions of ten.Instead of Ephemeral art on a wall, or hollow conceptual statement, RuggedArt rugs are a painting for your floor, a strikingly beautiful piece of furniture.
Link: Rugged Art
This is the nicest web photo log we've seen since Franzen and Karpova's Japan Sections.
A beautiful collection of images in a well designed immersive web environment.... it reminds me of a class at SCI-Arc, Seeing LA (which no longer seems to be part of the curriculum). Actually, Piperboy reminds me of the damned over achievers in my class who always went above and beyond not only capturing some of the nicest images, but blew everyone else away with their presentations... the ones from who the rest of us would steal inspiration.
I always enjoy seeing another designer's perspective and understanding of physical environments. Thanks for sharing, Piperboy.
Link: Piperboy's travel scrapbook
Via: Coudal
Recently while browsing the web for new prints, I came across the gallery of Abba Richman. I was drawn to many of Abba's prints, primarly because of his composition and how he captures the bold colors of many objects that we see, and perhaps ignore, everyday. His "Alphabet Series" (featured at right) is a wonderful photo essay using common everyday items to recreate the alphabet.
"There is nothing to be invented in our visual world, it's all there. I shy away from photographing glorious sunsets, flowers, animals and beautiful things (or people). I find myself again and again looking at ordinary everyday objects, at garbage, old things, discarded junk, stuff lying around and at the man in the street; looking at things really close up and trying to find beauty in their colour and form. Sometimes I find that beauty, more often I don't. Now and then I am satisfied with what I have photographed, occasionally very satisfied and sometimes... well, I just start again and continue looking."Link: Abba Richman
This ten day festival taking place between September 20 and 30 in London, England, features all manner of design from graphics to products, photography to fashion, architecture to interiors and everything in between. The festival spans the city with exhibits, lectures, screenings, parties and seminars. Events are individually priced.
Link: London Design Festival 2004
Via: Dezain
Interested in Panelite but not sure how to apply it? Looking for slightly different yet creative ways to use it? ID Magazine invited three designers to get creative with Panelite and the resulting concepts are "sweet".
"Bright, bubbly, and inclined to glow, Panelite panels make cheerful company. But this material is no floozy. Constructed of a honeycomb core of polymer, fiberglass, or aluminum sandwiched between fiberglass facings, it's strong and consistently rigid for its weight. A 4-by-8-foot panel, 3/4-inches thick, is 32 pounds, a feather compared to acrylic (144 pounds), or plate glass (316 pounds) in the same dimensions. What's more, the gumdrop colors and honeycomb cells produce vivid visual effects when light passes through the material.Image: Leni Schwendinger Light ProjectsWhat might other adventurous types do with Panelite? We asked the lighting designer Leni Schwendinger, industrial designer Gadi Amit of Newdealdesign, and graphic designer Mirko Ilic each to propose an application. They and their colleagues worked like drones to produce the concepts presented here."
"Bruce Mau Designs collaborates with some of the world's leading architects, artists, writers, curators, academics, entrepreneurs, businesses and institutions." Just a couple of his well known designs are the font commissioned for the Walt Disney Conert Hall in Los Angeles (yes, a Frank Gehry connection) and the design for Rem Koolhaus's book S, M, L, XL. How about a little Bruce Mau on your couch? He has created several panel fabric patterns for Maharam.
MegaNano by Bruce Mau challenges the predictably static appearance of panel fabric in the corporate office environment with the introduction of two series of patterns, each centered on a singular theme presented in macro (Mega), micro (Nano) and mixed (MegaNano) scales. Constructed with 100% post-industrial recycled polyester, MegaNano Structure, Mega Structure and Nano Structure depict an elemental organic grid, while MegaNano Point, Mega Point, Nano Point and the over-scale Giga Point are based on perforated punch cards that recall the origins of our computerized society.Maharam also produces textile patterns by such designers as Charles and Ray Eames, Hella Jongerius, George Nelson and Verner Panton just to name a few.
Link: Maharam
Designer: Bruce Mau Design, Inc.
Reasonably priced "digital thermal prints" that are sure to add a touch of color to any interior."A 'modern digital canvas' is the stylish and affordable art solution for any interior. Our cool modern images are thermally printed and arrive ready to hang. Sized 3-6 feet high and priced $150 - $395. Complete your space with an innovative, M-DC."
Link: md-canvas.com
A photographic documentation of the travels in Japan of two scholarship winners; Roche Scholarship winner Colin Franzen and SOM Traveling Fellowship recipient Zane Karpova. Four "sections" cut across the island were chosen as paths of travel and documentation. The images are keyed to these lines of investigation revealing a wonderful array of landscape, architecture, culture and space.
Link: Franzen and Karpova Japan Sections
Via: A Daily Dose of Architecture
Over at Designboom, we stumbled across this fantastic poster. It has been in production for quite some time, but we still think it's pretty cool. It features everything from early Egyptian and Chinese folding stools, to contemporary chairs by James Irvine, and just about everything in between. 196 chairs in total.
The illustrated folding chairs history poster is printed on white coated cartoon 210 gr.
dimensions:
70 x 100 cm.
27 3/4 x 39 1/2
Link: DesignBoom
Link: Easy Chairs
Link: Transformer Chairs
Link: Folding Chairs
Link: Chaise-Lounge