An Exterior to Die For (External Design)

The above picture is taken by yours truly. It's of the entrance to the Renaissance Room at the Liberty Grand Entertainment Complex at Exhibition Place. I thought this is a great example of external design. The mimic of the sky on the glass is just to die for. The carved arch with the draped statues gives off a very Renaissance-ish feel that goes along with the interior of the ballroom (which features columns, marbled floors, French doors, and draped windows).

Double 'Oh' Wow

Whoever said you can't judge a book by its cover?

Fourteen iconic covers were recently commissioned by Michael Gillette to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Ian Fleming's birth.

Labeled as the "2008 CENTENARY EDITION" all fourteen hardbacks feature painted illustrations of women, rich, vibrant, retro colours and big type. The compositions with their set type and drawn image have that 60's inspired look.

After examining each cover I've come to the conclusion that the designs are conceptually fun yet at the same time serious. They draw you in and there is no reason why they should look like they are not worth owning.

Hopefully the books will make it here. I'd love to buy (all fourteen) just for their beautiful art. The new Bond hardbacks will be published by Penguin Books in the United Kingdom on May 29th. Click for more information.

Me and the Media

So over the week, I was to keep track of how much time I spent on certain activities. Here are my results:

Reading
Books - 3 hrs
Magazines - 0
Newspaper - 2 hrs

Music
Radio - 0 hrs
iTunes - 10.5 hrs
iPod Touch - 2.5 hrs

Electronic
TV - 10 hrs
Movies - 1.5 hrs
DVD - 30 mins

Web
Checking E-mail - 2 hrs (# of e-mails sent: 2)
Facebook - 7 hrs
Surfing the Web - 5 hrs
Video games - 0

Mobile
Talking - 2 hrs
Texting - 10 mins (# of texts sent: 2)

Beautiful Design Pt.1

They say two minds are better than one.

How about two screens?

Dual Screens did for Nintendo what Mac did for Apple.
Revolutionalize.

Nintendo has been in the handheld gaming market forever-dominating it with its Game Boy line. So when Sony decided to take the plunge and introduce its pocket size PS2-Sony Playstation Portable Nintendo wasn't going to just sit and watch.

Enter Nintendo DS. Created as a direct response to the PSP the Nintendo DS was more than what people bargained for.

*Dual Screens (twice the action, twice the colours, twice the fun)
*Touch Screen Technology (control action, access menus using finger or supplied stylus)
*Backward Compatibility (opens up library to Gameboy Advance Games)
*Microphone (interaction with friends or favourite game)
*Wireless Communication (play with friends on a network)

Though many people were skeptical including yours truly today I can honestly say that the Nintendo DS is an example of a beautiful design. I've played with Sony's Playstation Portable and its just not the same. Yes, yes I know they are different but I'm taking in terms of environment/atmosphere. The PSP wears Sony around its collar-so it has to look good. But, the DS is different. Nintendo's thinking has revolutionalized and redefined handheld gaming. Game design is no longer just about pretty high-definition graphics. Today game design is about creating an experience and thats just what the DS does.

IDUNO

This week I came across different situations were I was asked different questions that I really didn't have the answers to-like the difference between a raven and an eagle and my job title in 5 years. It was all unexpected. I hadn't the clue. I paused. Thought of something quick to say and then said out loud, "I don't know." My heart skipped. There was silence. I was scared.

While watching an info design related video this week I learned that sometimes its better to ask than answer and not know than know. If we were perfect we wouldn't be where we are today. Think about it. Its true. If I excelled at design I wouldn't be in design school.

Who would have thought saying three words: 'I,' 'don't,' 'know' would be okay after all.