The Panamerican School of Art and Design found a great way to challenge patterns. The concept is simple: create a grid or structured pattern, then give students/visitors/teachers an opportunity to actively engage in changing these patterns and create diverse, individual concepts:
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Where would we be without the Guitarifle, the MowerCycle or Wateringsneakers? We’d probably be right here, because Steven M. Johnson’s inventions are so ‘sneakily outrageous’ they are unlikely to see the marketplace anytime soon. Or in Johnsons own words: “I have decided an idea has no practical worth and would never be likely to be adopted seriously (like most of my ideas), but I like it anyway.” This does not make his book ‘What the world needs now‘ any less entertaining or inspiring even – reminding us how to think outside that ‘box’ again.

Paperbeatsinternet.com is an analog social networking for artists, developed by GrandCreative and Graham Roumieu for the New Directions in Ocutoral Design class at the Ontario College of Art and Design. The site is a digital home for entries that focus on exploring the use and relationship between hand-rendered type and images. The work is a dialogue between students and invited guests.

The canvas is often replaced by empty documents by the creatives in the 21st century. Where artists used to compose in paint modern Graphical artists of the CG Society tell their stories with meshes (digital 3D objects), textures and after effects. Read the rest of this article »

I love ‘pro-active’ design. It may not be possible yet, but ‘impossible’ concept art or design paints a picture of ‘cool’. It creates the ‘why’ for technology and puts design in the lead instead of lagging behind technology. Once we want it, technology and production usually follows soon enough. Creative Close-up gathered ‘15 Designs you Wish Were Real‘ – A selection of 15 creative designs by young aspiring industrial designers.

I found the following video that illustrates the relation between concepts and ideas perfectly. All songs within the clip riff of the same concept (chords), creating various successful ideas (songs).

These most inspirational 4 chords of the last 20′ish years captured in a 5 minute song by the band ‘Axis of Awesome‘. Or as they put it: “The song that proves that all you need to be a pop star is four simple chords.”. Read the rest of this article »