A couple of years ago I wrote about a poster compendium of historical camera models, designed by Pop Chart Lab, that I was pining after. Recently I stumbled across an article on Design Milk chronicling the epic talents of the design duo behind Pop Chart Lab—Patrick Mulligan and Ben Gibson—and I immediately went back to check out the latest goodies they have in their shop. I immediately fell into a pit of infographic inspiration and, commensurately, now have a lot more Pop Chart items on my to do list. Below are a couple of my favorites.
Which one would you pick? There are so many more to choose from over at their shop here.
Daniel Cerejo is an Instragram master. His unique experiments with architecture, shadows and an impressive toy collection make his Instagram photos a true joy to discover day in and day out.
So in the past, I have honored the Oscars by doing a round up my favorite red carpet looks (2009, 2012, for example). But this year—and don't kill me for this—I just wasn't blown away by many looks. Yes, of course, everyone looked very beautiful but none of the dresses really wowed me.
You know what did impress me? Neil Patrick Harris. I thought, like Ellen last year, he managed to hit just the right note between impish, friendly, and just downright adorable. I thought his opening number was clever and fun, not the least because it was written by one of my fellow Williams College alums! Hosting the Oscars is a thankless job, and I thought NPH pulled it off!
(Also, on a random note, who knew Lady Gaga could sing like that?! Even so, Julie Andrews is still the best (just hearing her say 'Lady Gaga' made me smile) and her award presentation was so spot on classy.)
Did anyone else notice a concerted effort to add a creative eye to the visuals of the award show this year? Many pre-recorded cutaways (the tribute portion, the reading of non-acting-related nominations) involved quite beautiful visualizations. A lot focused on watercolor layerings of portraits and drawings, but my hands down favorites were the screens dedicated to Production Design.* The table top view, styled with emblematic props from the films, was evocative and arresting all at the same time. Plus it reminded me of Todd McLellan's gorgeous work, which is always a good thing, don't you think? Kudos, Oscars Art Directors!
*Note that I had to photograph my television to get these images, so forgive me for a bit of parallax and pixelation.
Oh my goodness, guys! I just found out some pretty fabulous news: Mattel is reissuing the 1980s/1990s cult classic of my youth—the Viewmaster—later this year. You may remember that I had a bunch of these at my wedding with photos of my hubby and me over the years and they were a huge hit with our guests.
Well now, instead of the traditional cardboard wheel with slide imagery, the new Viewmaster will use discs that pair with an app to provide a 3D immersive experience that you can explore, much like a virtual reality simulator. Cool, right? I love that they have thought through the historical use of the Viewmaster—an armchair travel device much like the original stereoscope—and updated it for the 21st century. I know this is supposed to be a "learning tool" for kids, but dang it, I can't wait to get my hands on one for myself this fall.
On Saturday, after a long week at this conference, I came home to a delightful surprise! My dear hubby had filled our entire bedroom with balloons (my favorite)! Needless to say we spent the whole weekend batting them around the house. Turns out balloons get everywhere . . . .
. . . in the living room . . .
. . . in the bureau . . .
. . . in the bathroom . . . (ha!)
. . . in the kitchen . . .
. . . even in the closets!I hope you had a wonderful weekend full of love (and silliness).
I have always lovedEllsworth Kelly's work (see here!) but what if his work actually became a truly immersive experience? It turns out that Kelly recently gave the Blanton Museum of Art, in Austin, Texas, the plans for a chapel he designed in 1968. Although the chapel was commissioned by a private collector, the building was never built and the Blanton is now in talks to (hopefully!) conceive the structure itself, a la the Rothko Chapel in Houston. Like his work, the 2,175 foot stone space would be all about abstraction, color and light with geometric stained glass windows in three different chancels. Don't the mock ups above look glorious?Learn more about the project here.
Talk about dedication! Designer Teresa Lim decided some time ago that she found taking snapshots too fleeting and superficial a way to experience the places she traveled to. Instead she began embroidering her favorite settings in situ on her travels. Lim says that by taking the time to make a small sewn piece in each place she goes she becomes endowed with an intimate knowledge of that place, and walks away with more than a facile photographic souvenir.I love the idea behind Lim's project, called Sew Wanderlust, so much! But am certain I wouldn't have the patience to do this any my own trips. Too many things to do, too many sweets to eat! Still, we can all enjoy the fruits of her labor, right?See more of Lim's embroidered travel works here. (Thanks to my dear friend Susie for the tip; originally posted on Bored Panda)
This is just my kind of project: part art-focused, part literature-focused, all obsessive. Since 2013, artist Corrie Baldauf has meticulously chronicled all 2,900 references to color in David Foster Wallace's magnum opus Infinite Jest, all while tracking her progress on Twitter. Marking each chromatic notation with a correspondingly colored flag, the result is a beautiful fringe along the book's edge that opens to groupings of geometric shapes on the inner page spreads. I love the visualization of Baldauf's close reading through bright stripes of color and started to get curious about the rest of Baldauf's work . . .
. . . needless to say, the rest of her oeuvre is equally brilliant (pun intended)! Utilizing bold contrasting color as a medium all its own, Baldauf's work plays with a bevy of materials, processes and experiences. Plus, there is some sweet hand-lettered pieces thrown in for good measure.
I highly recommend you check out Baldauf's website here.
