I am in love with this new Gatorade campaign. I don't care about the actual product, but I am amazed with the elegance with which it has been marketed. The idea of "evolution" that the Gatorade ads latch onto, changing your product and advertising to meet changing needs, is so obvious and simple and yet brilliant. An ad campaign that is forthright is refreshing in our day and age of spin, spin, spin (Remember the 'Truth' campaign against smoking? That got to me too.). It also helps that the ads are well shot and the jingle--"Evolve" sung by Blackstreet's Kermit Quinn and arranged by the award-winning producer David Banner--is incredibly fun, unique and catchy. I love it and cannot get it out of my head.
JUDY KAUFMANN
Just a quick post to share a new artist I discovered (thanks Greedy Girl!): Judy Kaufmann. She sells her illustrations for a very reasonable price at her Etsy site here. I am completely in love with her "twins" print (top) which is dedicated to her twin sister. I love, like most things I post here, how bright and colorful it is and how the tiny figures start to look like patterns. Officially wishlisted.
SAVINGS AND LOANS
Lately I have found myself falling in love with things that are FAR beyond my budget. Like the $19,500 diamond ring my friend convinced me to try on at Fred Leighton (a jewelry store so intimidatingly high-end I had previously never set foot in it). Sigh. So I thought I would start a new series on the blog called 'Savings and Loans'. Here I will share some of the expensive but exquisite things I find here and there, a.k.a. those that require "savings" and "loans".
My first edition is as follows:
FACETED COLOR: MATTHEW WILLIAMSON
Of course, right after I do my post on 'faceted color' I come across two pieces of clothing that perfectly fit into that concept. Oops! Well, I had to share them with you anyway because this skirt and dress designed by Matthew Williamson are too elegant, beautiful and, frankly, drool-worthy to pass up. Only one teeny tiny problem, however: the skirt retails for $390 and the dress for $897. Alas. Still, I would suggest you spend some time browsing his website (here) if you want some serious sartorial inspiration. You can find the skirt here and the dress here.
FACETED COLOR
I have always been inspired by the 'This and That' series Joy writes on her blog. In it she combines two products that have a visual connection--a pattern, palette, or texture--to say that "this" should go with "that". What's particularly wonderful is that the two products are often completely different: a dress and a pillow, a wallet and a chair, a bathing suit and a placemat.
So, think of this post--on faceted color--as an homage to that concept, except now it is "this" "that" and "the other". I came across each of these products within days of each other and was instantly in love. Hope you like them too!
top to bottom:
SUMMER STEALS AT 20x200
As usual, there are some really fabulous prints on offer at 20x200. Looking through their offerings, I was struck by how many works remind me of summer in all its glory: swimming with friends, afternoons at play, tasty treats, exploring, the world alive with color, picking flowers . . . the list goes on and on! Pick up one of these lovely prints and many more (for as little as $20!) at 20x200 here. You can also see my past picks from 20x200 here.
Top to bottom:
Thomas Prior, Jump
Paul Octavious (a personal favorite!), Kite Hill
Mike Sinclair, Las Vegas, Nevada, November 2000
Katie Baum, Frozen
Megan Whitmarsh, Trash Mountain
Emily Shur, Victoria's Peak, Hong Kong
Amy Park, Mercedes Planter
EQUAL SPORTS TIME: TENNIS
I know I have been raving about the World Cup and for all you tennis fans out there (or people who expect this to be a design blog! Just trying to mix it up a little!), I apologize for not admitting that I have also been following the games at Wimbledon very closely. Anyway, when I saw this video---featuring Andy Murray doing insane tricks with a tennis ball and racket---well, I saw my opportunity to give Wimbledon its fair shake. Check it out; you won't be disappointed!
FAVELA PAINTING: SANTA MARIA
I just stumbled across this amazing painting project spearheaded by artists Jeroen Koolhaas and Dre Urhahn. This dynamic duo has been working together since 2005, when they made a documentary film about the hip hop culture in Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo for MTV. They were "inspired by this visit, [and] they embarked on a journey to bring outrageous works of art to unexpected places, starting with painting enormous murals in the slums of Brazil together with the local youth."
Their most recent project brought them to the favela in Rio known as 'Santa Maria'. Koolhaas and Urhahn decided to repaint the entire neighborhood square with a "flexible concept of colorful rays". The whole project took about a month and was completed by local teenagers (who learned about painting techniques and received a stipend!). The final result covered 34 houses and, if you ask me, looked absolutely spectacular!
Read an interview with the artists here, learn more about the 'Favela Painting' projects here, and become a fan on Facebook here.
(Thanks to the Scoop for the heads up!)
FATHER'S DAY WRAP UP
A couple weeks ago I stumbled across an amazing project on Jordan Ferney's blog 'Oh Happy Day' (there are so many amazing projects on her blog, I highly suggest you check it out here): wrapping your father's day presents with a 'Hero' theme. Jordan designed an amazing array of stickers to match the various snacks and goodies she had bought for father's day and packed them all into a plain wooden box like a care package (see her post about it here).
I modified this plan a little bit, wrapping my gifts and snacks in brown craft paper (bought in a big roll for roughly $6 at Staples) and tying them with blue and white baker's twine. I tried to use as little tape as possible in order to keep the packages looking clean and crisp. Having bought a couple unique gifts for my Dad--a book of crossword puzzles, a book on heirloom tomatoes, a cd, and a set of Trader Joe's super absorbent wipes--I designed a new set of stickers to match Jordan's original design. I was pretty happy with how everything turned out and my Dad seemed to like them too. He almost didn't want to unwrap the gifts!
See more pictures of my wrapping project here and download and print Jordan's original stickers here (for free!).
p.s. I almost forgot to write HAPPY FATHER'S DAY! I hope you all had a lovely weekend celebrating the dads in your life!
BROOKLYN BOWL
I apologize for the lack of posts over the past couple days! I have been a busy girl! I wanted to share with you, however, some photos from a concert I went to on Tuesday night at the Brooklyn Bowl.
I have written about my friends, the geniuses behind the rock string quintet Darlingside, before here. But on Tuesday night Darlingside teamed up with Caitlin Canty to put on absolutely fabulous show at their coolest venue yet: Brooklyn Bowl. In the last two weeks Brooklyn Bowl has hosted Snoop Dog, The Roots, and John Legend just to name a few. Needless to say Caitlin and the boys of Darlingside, by playing at such a big venue, are clearly on their way.
Even better? Both Caitlin and Darlingside have new albums out! Check out Caitlin's website to hear a sample here and Darlingside's website to take a listen here. You can also see the rest of my photos from the event here.
LIFE IN THE TOURIST LANE
As a fast-walking New Yorker, I love this new "mission" by Improv Everywhere. Awesome. Now if we could only get a 'dog peeing' section of the sidewalk I would be in heaven.
Check out more Improv Everywhere awesomeness here (and read my past write-ups here).
WORLD CUP WHIRLWIND
Is anyone else getting really really excited for the World Cup (even with the NBA finals still in full swing! Go Celtics!)? I watched nearly every game during the 2006 World Cup and was particularly happy to see Italy win having just returned from a six month study abroad there. I can not wait to watch the games this year and am keeping my fingers crossed for a strong performance by the US (and, for my Kiwi boyfriend's sake, from New Zealand too . . . even if they do have a near-impossible draw). To get you in the spirit, I thought I would share some of the best commercials promoting the games. Enjoy and go U-S-A!
SUPPLIES, STRIPES, AND EVERYTHING NICE
Recently Oh Joy! posted the hose above in her 'this & that' series. I was instantly and obsessively in love. Heading to the alice supply co. website, I was treated to even more bright, stripey tools and home goods. I am pretty sure this perfectly encapsulates my blog's mantra 'Why buy boring when you can buy beautiful?'
APPLE iPHONE 4
Is anyone else both giddy and disappointed by Apple announcement of the iPhone 4 yesterday? I am super excited about the new features--slim design, better antenna, front facing camera, flash, folders for applications, threads for email, etc.--but am a bit sad that they didn't announce a move to Verizon. Sigh. Perhaps I will have to break down and switch to the evil giant AT&T. Perhaps.
ANIMATED LECTURES
This is super cool: lectures that have made completely visual through hand-drawn animation. Enough said.
CHIQUITA BANANA: SI SI SI SI!
Have you noticed the stickers on the bananas in the past couple months? Now Chiquita seems to be transitioning to stickers with text on them again, but for much of the beginning of 2010 all the stickers had funny faces on them. Geeks, wrestlers, vamps, goofballs, girly girls . . . these silly faces made bunches of bananas look adorable and fun. See what great marketing can do? I think I have had more potassium in 2010 than in the last three years combined. And this campaign is certainly a step up from past ones (like this commercial, here). Learn more about past Chiquita sticker styles here and the new faces, in an interview with the designer Dj Neff, here.
IT DON'T MEAN A THING IF IT AIN'T GOT THAT SWING
Love this simple, sweet project by the street artist 'G' (see their Flickr stream here). We need to get some surprise swings on this side of the Atlantic!
G explains:
There's something simply charming and disarming about swings .... There's a feeling of instant affection for any individual who would stop everything and just take advantage of the moment, allowing herself to get swept away.
(Found via the public art professionals, wooster collective, here.)
BOON INC: OH BABY!
I am not in any rush to have kids, but I have to say that there are some adorable, well-designed products out there for one's little tots. I wish I had a baby shower to go to, so I could pick up some of this sweet stuff on offer at Boon Inc. Perhaps the snack ball (top) could work in an adult lunch bag? It's too cool to pass up.