Another Aus-map to add to this blog's growing collection of graphically re-used and reinterpreted maps of Australia. Good to see Tasmania put to good use too.
A dedicated gallery of the images listed here soon to appear on 1+1=3... stay tuned.
The image at left created by Martin Sharp and spied in last weekend's Fairfax 'Good Weekend'.
I've always been intrigued by how the physical shape of the Australian continent is creatively and graphically repurposed. Whether it's cartoonists using the map of Australia as a head of the 'typical Aussie battler/everyman' (but what of Tasmania?) or used to symbolise Australian wine (an Aus-map shaped drop splatter or an Australia-shaped vine leaf), or even an Australia-shaped rock (the outback), the shape of our island home has an indelible graphic presence in our culture. I know other cultures do this a bit too, but we seem to do it quite alot (and I get a real kick out of it).
Sometimes these repurposed shapes, via a clever use of visual language, succinctly and memorably communicate a concept better than words ever would – at a glance too (see the examples at left).
Aah... the skill of a good communication designer. Read on to see the beginnings of a gallery of gleeful, visual language-based Aus-map bastardisations.
Continue reading "Our Island Home: Grown, Barbecued, Spilt, Rocked & Eaten" »
Back in 1968 Japanese communication designer extraordinaire Tadanori Yokoo completed a brochure design for the Mazda 110S, also known as the Cosmo. Here's the incredible brochure designed in the inimitable style of this master of design (please fasten your seat belts). Via Dark Roasted Blend.
More Yokoo. Even more Yokoo. Here's Victor Margolin on Yokoo.
Some Yokoo animations from the 1960s in the continuation of this post.
The Danville Warriors' third album 'To Be Onto Something' is a return to their post-electronica neo-ambient blues of their well-received first album 'Blueneck'.
Actually, the above group does not exist (must admit I'd love to hear their music). The album cover generated via the Flickr CD cover meme (quite a bit of fun). Nice photo Dear Harry.
Via Creative Review.
Below is an excerpt from George Monbiot's Heat: How to Stop the Planet from Burning. A most interesting and well-researched series of ideas (as indeed the entire book is). If you found Tim Flannery's We Are the Weather Makers especially interesting, Monbiot's book will definitely be worth hunting down. Heat focuses more on the European (especially the UK-based) scenario and where Flannery writes in a rather avuncular, dinner conversation-like tone, Monbiot tackles the world of climate change head-on, with an ardent intensity.
Here he discusses the 'end of traditional shopping' and the 'end of packaging': in short, buy online/via TV/from a catalogue and have it delivered. Forget the over-aircon-ed, energy inefficient supermarket where you have to drive yourself... Read Monbiot in the continuation.
Great name, great vehicle graphics, or is that vehicle lawn? More photos in the continuation.
Jonathan Harris unveils another in a long line of data visualisations with Universe (which was unveiled at the recent TED conference). "Universe was inspired by questions like: if we could draw new constellations in our night sky today, what would those be? What are our great stories? What are our great journeys? Who are our heroes and heroines? Who are our Gods and Goddesses? What is our modern mythology? Universe tries to answer these questions through analysis of global media coverage, as construed by Daylife".
In the celestial interface of Universe, each of the myriad of stars form constellations and each of these constellations relates to a real-life counterpart sourced from online media coverage. The (very) open-ended nature of the interface is terrific – just jump in, hunt for a topic of interest and explore the many connections and linkages that emerge – and the aesthetics of Universe are really something too. Harris has devised a typeface where the letterforms are created by a constellation of stars that glimmer against the night sky. Navigating through the interface as it expands, contracts, changes colour (and twinkles) and forms new celestial connections is pleasantly rewarding. It's really 'nice' to use: immersive, engaging and fun.
Clever – as usual, Mr Harris – and bonus points for the animated constellation typeface.
Other works by Jonathan Harris I've blogged are here.
And I should mention the site wouldn't work for me on an Intel Mac. Older Macs – no problem.
Oz magazine bounded out of Sydney in the early sixties, turned up in London, helped define the counter-cultural 'underground press' movement, became the subject of two infamous obscenity trials (one being one of the longest in British legal history) and generally created a furore wherever it went. Oz was edited by Richard Neville, artist Martin Sharp and Richard Walsh (with others later) and featured contributions from Germaine Greer, Philipe Mora, Michael Leunig and Robert Hughes. Oz is now (becoming) available online. And what a visual treat and mind-boggling time capsule it is.
Graphically, Oz truly packed a KO-punch. Clicking through the Oz site reveals a plethora of wild ideas, some wild design and artwork and an outrageous mix of mind-altering commentary and image-making. The 'Oz-zies' exuberantly thumbed their noses at convention and the established norms of the day and all of their work was channelled to the public via some striking, iconoclastic publication design.
Oz, back then, was a wild, wild ride. (But wait, there's more).
Continue reading "Turn On, Tune In, Drop Dead: Oz Magazine" »
I've been using DropSend for the past 18 months or so. It's a terrific way of sending large files to clients, colleagues and others. I've also been using Stuffit for years (and years). It's an excellent file compression/decompression application. I've also recently come across BoxCloud – a file-sharing application which I'm yet to use, but sounds good. And there's Todos, a new app that displays all your applications via one keyboard command. Quite clever. I was about to send/upload a file and (apart from Stuffit) I couldn't remember which application was which.
Enough of the open boxes already!
Then I went to the Apple site...
Runner-up in the '1+1=3 T-shirt of the Year' award goes to the Jerkass Clothing Company for their witty and topical Stop Wars t-shirt range. Modelled upon (and cleverly parodying) a certain movie franchise made popular by a Mr George Lucas of California, this t-shirt forces viewers to do a double-take. (As all good t-shirt graphics should).
Is the t-shirt addressing current wars and conflicts in the Middle East, Africa and elsewhere around the globe? Or does it relate to the fictional intergalactic war devised by Mr Lucas between the Empire and the Republic that features in his movie franchise?
PS. The winner of the '1+1=3 T-shirt of the Year'.
PPS. If you move your cursor quickly around the interface to Mr Lucas's web site, the effect is eerily akin to watching one of his films.
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