i hate graphic design.

Erwan Frotin

2007-04-02T07:09:00.000-07:00

Erwan Frotin
Swiss photographer and sculptor of all things fantastic... of food, jewelry, watches, utensils, you name it, he will turn ordinary into extraordinary. See his pictures in Wallpaper, Vogue, Details, etc.

Project Gutenberg

2007-03-28T08:44:00.000-07:00

Project Gutenberg. A fantastic read! The first producer of free ebooks. Full online textbook site of classics such as Beowulf, Ulysses, and many many more. 20,000 books to be exact to read for free! You can read online or download to your desktop or to your Palm Pilot. Also choose from various cultures, Chinese to Portugese books. Amazing collection produced by thousands of volunteers!

Chris Benz

2007-02-27T06:24:00.000-08:00

Cute collection
24 yr. old designer, Chris Benz hails from Seattle, interned at Marc Jacobs for 2 yrs., Designer of Dresses and Special Occasions at J. Crew, now out with his own line.

Mitchell Rose & Body Vox

2007-01-24T21:11:00.000-08:00

Learn to Speak Body!
Some people really need this.

Get more case studies and superbly hilarious films at Mitchell Rose. Highly recommended!

The Moody Blues

2006-12-11T20:25:00.000-08:00

Please, please, please! Someone get this song out of my head!!! I stumbled across this song accidentally and it is seriously stuck in my head forever in my wildest dreams! The Moody Blues. "The Moody Blues were originally a British rhythm and blues-based band; they later became best known for psychedelic music and early progressive rock." Apparently they're still on tour today. Why oh why did you write such a catchy hypnotic tune! Sorry, I don't have a rip of this song... The video's cheesy and not really worth posting but I'll give it to you anyway...

Nobody Here

2006-12-11T20:02:00.000-08:00

Nobody Here is a kinda strange but neat way of "journaling" or I guess it's a type of random psychological short bloggings I guess you could say. Interesting and visual. Pick out a bug and start today.

Paris, Je t'aime

2006-12-06T20:12:00.000-08:00

Paris, I love you! Talk about collaboration effort. So many actors and actresses. So many directors. The list is massively mind boggling. So why haven't we seen any offical trailer/promotion of this film in the US? Oh, right, I guess it's a French film... hmmm. I wonder if this is good? Has anyone seen it? Interesting...

Behind the Scenes clip:

Tom Rubnitz?!

2006-12-04T21:01:00.000-08:00

Good God this is scary! What is this?! Pickle Surprise? Strawberry Short-Cut? Directed and produced by Tom Rubnitz in 1989 with surprise! early RuPaul.

Since the videos are no longer available to embed, here are the links:
Pickle Surprise!
Strawberry Shortcut

Sneezy Weezy Apology

2006-11-24T23:15:00.000-08:00

Please forgive me for my lack of postings. I never realized how much of a slacker I am and how much work a blog takes. I am a professional procrastinator of all things in life whether it be arriving to work on time or calling someone back. Everything takes so much time and effort. I'm just plain lazy. Sorry to the readers out there if any. So I promise that I will at least try harder the next months. I pretty much skipped out on Halloween and Thanksgiving so you guys at least deserve something interesting.

Since it's flu season, I give you:
CoughSafe
(is it for real? oh yes, my little friend.)

Slim Geek!

2006-10-12T19:30:00.000-07:00

Slim Geek! Fitness for the Computer User. Hahaha. Lol! This is too funny but in reality, it's ingenious. It's a 2 in 1 double whammy. It's like Shampoo + Conditioner. Get your daily exercise while doing your daily work. This would definitely help keep me awake during work hours since I doze off way too much. I would buy one fo' reals...

Polysics

2006-09-21T14:24:00.000-07:00

Those crazy Japanese just keep coming with more and more stuff to inspire my brains till they explode into a million tiny pieces. Rock with the Polysics, a Japanese superrock band. Dance off your pants. Kooky and zany, perfect for Mr. or Ms. Robot-o.

Tarako! Tarako!

2006-09-12T19:39:00.000-07:00

I don't even know what to say about this except that it's supposedly a song about Japanese noodles or cod roe. It's highly intriguing and repititiously mind boggling. Cod roe anyone? No? Anyone else know what this is about? I guess it's a commercial???

Assembly Now

2006-09-06T14:21:00.000-07:00

Assembly Now is a 4-pc. band from London, Britain UK that I believe will become just as popular as the many wonderiffic acts that they have going on overseas like the Guillemots, Lily Allen, Field Music, and the many many more. Although they have only been playing together for maybe a year they are a surprisingly great listen. They will probably be compared to the Maccabees or the Arctic Monkeys since they are so young but I'm still rooting for them. Try them out, download their songs now! and also check out a great remix by Luke Smith/Clor.
ItsMagneticRemix.mp3

Yeah Yeah Yeahs

2006-08-27T20:54:00.000-07:00

Yeah Yeah Yeahs. So I've been listening to them at work lately, and I have to say I do like them. First album, didn't really pull much weight for me, too punk/harsh. When everyone was saying how good they were, I listened to one song but never really got to me. I dismissed them until I heard Maps. And so I decided, okay, I guess I only like Maps and their slower songs if they have any. However, during work this week, I somehow stumbled upon them again by way of the glorious iTunes store and started listening to their new album Show Your Bones, their new acoustic iTunes session recording, and some other songs off the 1st album. All have been out for a while now but I recommend getting your hands around some Yeah Yeah Yeahs. I prefer Show Your Bones & the iTunes acoustic album to their earlier noise jungle rock albums. I won't say their my all time favorite band but some songs are worth mentioning. Take a listen to Cheating Hearts, Dudley, or Phenomena. And now, I really really really x3 want to go see their show when they come into town, I just don't know how crazy their shows are, has anyone seen them live??? Karen O tis crazee. I like their album artwork. I'll link up some songs later.

The Science of Sleep

2006-08-21T14:45:00.000-07:00

The Science of Sleep Official release September 22, 2006.
Directed by the one and only Michel Gondry.
I can't wait to see this film! I've been looking forward to this film for a while! Looks and feels exactly like a Michel Gondry music video except expanded into film. Starring Gael Garcia Bernal and Charlotte Gainsbourg. "A playful romantic fantasy set inside the topsy-turvy brain of Stephane Miroux (Gael Garcia Bernal) an eccentric young man whose dreams constantly invade his waking life." I can't help but to think this film is a somewhat small autobiographical part of Michel Gondry. I have yet to see Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind... Bfff. I really need to catch up on my movies I know. Maybe Snakes on a Plane will do me good...nah...(pss...I'll catch it at the $1 theater!) Check out the cheesy offical poster (Am I the only one who thinks it's cheesy weesy?) Who designed this? The movie looks good but the poster's not making things better...

Panther!

2006-08-15T22:05:00.000-07:00

Speaking of music, been on an electronic/rock/hip hop mood lately. Check out Panther! Hailing from Portland, OR. Oh yeah... the home of hip hop. :P Jittery dance moves, heavy bass lines, falsetto voice, what more could you ask for? Anyway, he's on tour this September with Ratatat, another great electronic/rock duo from Brooklyn, NY. Check them out when they come to your town! Panther is a funny funny dancer... Sweet sweet moves...

Pandora Internet Radio

2006-08-15T20:05:00.000-07:00

This is great at work! While you are busy filing or doing useless paperwork at the office and on the job, listen to the Pandora Internet Radio, it will quickly ease or brighten your day and make it go that much faster than before! Just type in your favorite artists/bands and Pandora will additionally choose more artists that are similar and/or complement your artist. And guess what, it's F-R-E-E! Yessss! And while you're listening, rate the artist/band, thumbs up or thumbs down, to help them know what people like so they have more to give you!

Just Say No to Comic Sans.

2006-08-14T20:29:00.000-07:00

Fonts in general are complex and confusing at times especially trying to figure out which font has the feeling of what you're trying to achieve. Trying to pick two fonts that complement and work well together is an even more baffling task to figure out since there are 10 gazillion out there for you to pick. However, that being said, there is one font in which one should probably never use, Comic Sans. The Peanuts looking font has little structure, is completely rounded, the font basically looks like someone went into Illlustrator and used a paintbrush tool and wrote out the whole alphabet. It's a silly, naive font that just makes fun of everything you're trying to say. There is a whole website out there dedicated to banning the use of Comic Sans, they will find you and kill you with Exacto blades in the middle of the night while you are putting comic sans into your graphic design project. They even have a petition. But on the other spectrum, there is also a Comic Sans Appreciation Society. So take your pick. Ban Comic Sans or appreciate it. And the war on Comic Sans wages forward...
Ban Comic Sans

Eagle and Talon

2006-08-11T11:19:00.000-07:00

Listen to this band! They need support! and also a bass player! If I knew how to play the bass, I'd be on it right away. Maybe if I took lessons and had the magical fingers of a bass player, I would be able to join them.. sigh. only in my dreams. But not Debbie Gibson's. Anyway, this is a slowly but surely rising "indie" band based in California consisting of 2 girls, one on drums and backup vocals, the other on guitar and main vocals. Oh, and did I mention a Casio machine is also thrown in there for good measure? Yessss. A bit raw, crunchy, DIY sounding, laid over smooth vocals with odd ups and downs. Reminds me of Smoosh but not as smooth and maybe a bit of Sonic Youthfulness? Who's Eagle and who's Talon and how did they get their names? Beats me, but they're music is pretty awesome. Awesome is an overly used word, maybe rad would be much better. No doy. Go listen to Eagle and Talon! Now! and buy their music on iTunes!

Eagle and Talon

Bradley Baumkirchner

2006-08-10T21:06:00.000-07:00

I'll admit, I watch the so called "reality" TV shows. I can't help it! I think I just like the drama and the idea of putting different people from different perspectives together on a show and make it a competition against each other. My favorite reality TV show of all time is The Amazing Race. However, I've found another guilty pleasure. Project Runway. I found this show through a friend and got to watch the first 3 episodes of Project Runway Season 3 on YouTube. I love YouTube. However, the folks at NBC found them and removed all of the episodes! Urgh! NBC you suck! So I'm in withdrawal not being able to watch the show since I don't have Bravo. Grrr... So instead, I get all my information from none other than...surprise! a Project Runway blog. That being said, my favorite designer on this show just got kicked off! Boo! Mr. Bradley Baumkirchner. He's a terrific, quirky, offbeat designer whom I loved on the show. Inventive but detailed. His first outfit gave me hints of a Yohji Yamamoto influence but not as serious. He will be missed. A funny, funny guy, "I'm a squid, with no ocean!" If you're fans of him like I am, check him out:
Website: Mountains, Rivers, & Peacocks
Myspace: Bradley Baumkirchner
Project Runway Blog: Project Runway

We Are The Web!

2006-08-09T17:30:00.000-07:00

Help keep the internet free!!! Awesome video.
http://www.wearetheweb.org/

Ok Go on Treadmills

2006-08-03T19:26:00.000-07:00

Best video of the moment:
Ok Go's "Here It Goes Again"
If you haven't seen these guys live, I definitely recommend it. They will dance your pants off with amazing choreographed prowness of leaping tigers and lions. I'm not sure if Damian Kulash's sister Trish choreographed this one though. Treadmills are kinda scary, I want to run on them with my hands in the air. It looks like fun.

Help!

2006-07-30T19:04:00.000-07:00

Part of the reason why I started this blog was to learn more about creating websites through html and just the basics of how a simple page works. So keeping this in mind, this page will be a random list of postings with time to time design changes. Just experimenting. I know. I am really late in the world of creating websites. Maybe that's why I don't have a myspace page. I hate myspace. That being said, I am having trouble deleting the box border around the title! This is supposed to be really simple! Yet I'm having trouble finding it. talk about computer illiteracy... you must think I'm an idiot.

Ripe Fruit Sticker

2006-07-28T22:34:00.000-07:00

Dude! REally??!!! What the crap! Why, oh why, did I not invent this? REally! I could have been a billionaire princess living in a gianormous castle in Wales by now! Why!!!!! It's moments like these where I feel like a complete failure! A sticker! A stupid little measly sticker that can tell the difference between ripe or unripe! Gah! Too bad it's already patent pended! Grrrrr!!!!! Meh.

Link

Chuck Close

2006-07-23T20:12:00.000-07:00

Urg. In a few more hours, it will be Monday. I'll be back at work, doing the same thing every single day of my freaking life. Weekends pass by way too quick. Well, I have nothing much to say today, I think I will turn this into a link blog about anything and everything that I find interesting. Probably won't be of any interest to anyone else. Oh well. I probably have 0 readers. Ha. And I'm right again.

If anyone reading this blog happens to find out that the Chuck Close exhibition is in your town, I highly recommend going to see this exhibition. His work is amazing, you get to see his painstaking, super long process of printmaking, from etching to lithography. I was thoroughly amazed at his process and how much planning he has to go through to get a print. Every second counts, down to the nanosecond, if that exists. He plans it all out with massive time charts and blueprints of the prints themselves, with huge, monstrous copper plates that are etched. They say it takes him sometimes about 2 years just to make a master. Take your time going through the exhibition, it's very interesting. I enjoyed the fingerprint portraits and also the torn paper portraits the most although those were probably the easier ones for him to compose. Really really magnificent show. I have great admiration for his enduring process and technique as an artist. A+
Chuck Close: Process & Collaberation
Interview with Chuck Close, May 14, 1987

detail of Georgia (torn paper technique)

Franny (thumbprint technique)

School is not cool.

2006-07-22T12:50:00.000-07:00

Hmmmm... Sorry if these postings are a little too sarcastic at times. I'm a "Debbie Downer" for now and you'll just have to deal with it cause this is my blog. haha. Anyway, more rants! Yay! My rant for today is about school! School is not cool! It seems like anyone these days can do graphic design. Just go to a technical training school for a couple of weeks and "waa laa" you're an instant graphic designer! yay. So basically I wasted 4 1/2 years of my life in college to get a job doing something that anyone can do as long as you have money to get some training in some programs. what joy. really. And I'm not even doing any design at all, I'm doing instruction manuals, I have no training in this at all. wow. this is a-m-a-z-i-n-g kids! So remember, the next time you're reading instruction manuals, you might just find a subliminal message IHATEGRAPHICDESIGN that I wrote and some badly worded instructions that make no sense whatsoever.

Subliminal message t-shirt time.
"I'm awesome!"

Tough cookie.

2006-07-19T18:03:00.000-07:00

I love cookies. Don't get me wrong but cookies are all based on the same basic formula. Sugar. Flour. Butter. etc. This is your basic cookie. Production design is just like that cookie. Production design really is not design at all. Basically it's a factory line. You have a template, and you just follow that template...for the rest of your "designerly life" that you had no idea that existed. and you know the chocolate chips and the many flavorings? Those count as the many stickers, callouts, starbursts, you know what I mean. I know you've been there. You're boss wants 15 million callouts, starbursts, banners because, "Why is there so much white space?" "We need to fill it in as much as possible." "I'm not paying for empty space!" And now, you can't even see your product after you're done. Yessss... It's a cookie cutout world and you're just another cookie...with a "Now 500x more nuts!" banner across you.

More or less...I think so.

2006-07-17T18:18:00.000-07:00

Hello. I have a neurotic love/hate relationship with graphic design. Most days are more hate than love to tell you the truth. I'm burnt out with this profession and yet I just graduated not too long ago... Did I pick the wrong profession? I am still contemplating this...