If you haven’t checked out TED, you should. TED is a small nonprofit devoted to Ideas Worth Spreading. Their concept revolves around bringing together people from three worlds: Technology, Entertainment, Design. There are two annual conferences — the TED Conference in Long Beach and Palm Springs each spring, and the TEDGlobal conference in Oxford UK each summer.
Back to the topic at hand. Why do I do what I do? Every day I get to think, “who is this for, what does it say, and how should this look”? As a designer, Bantjes brings up the the concern of not contributing. Typefaces, colour swatches, proofs, sketches and code. Does good design matter?
I am reminded, yes. As she puts it, it’s about reaching an audience and planting a seed of inspiration. Truly imaginative work is important to society, seeding the imagination of the populous. Who might see your work and turn it in to something else? Bantjes suggests that good design might inspire a doctor or a baby sitter, but it’s difficult to quantify, and our society tends to under value what it can’t measure. Society needs these seeds from all disciplines to keep all sectors growing and imagining.
We are confronted with design (good and bad) in the private and public realms every day. Have you ever been to an airport and can’t find your gate? Did you have one of those walls filled with magazine pages as a teenager or pick up a bottle of wine just for the label? Have you ever stood in front of a painting and felt something – anything?
Be open to new ideas, to receiving visual information and allow yourself to react. No, appearances aren’t everything. Closing yourself off to good design whether it be in your own room, a new restaurant or a magazine is doing yourself an injustice. How are you inspired and what feeds your new ideas?
This time of year you can’t spend enough time outside or near the water. Add fine dining, an elegant room floating on recycled plastic bottles and cuisine from C Restaurant and you have what I would call a summer trifecta of perfection.
My clients are usually surprised to find out you can purchase stock photography for under $20. One of the most difficult challenges can be finding imagery or video that both illustrates your business and appeals to your demographic. If you’re creative (c’mon even you can make your own invite or t-shirt design) stock sites are great for textured backgrounds and vector graphics. Here are a few of my faves:
iStockphoto: my most frequent haunt. This was one of the first stock sites I worked with, it’s affordable and easy to use. Sign up, buy stock, sell stock.
Dreamstime: lots of affordable images, I find the interface a little awkward.
Shutter Stock: “the largest subscription-based stock photo agency in the world”. Thousands of photographs, illustrations, and vectors added every day.
123 Royalty Free: credit packages or subscriptions, similar to iStock.
YouWorkForThem
YouWorkForThem: A collection of artists offer everything from stock images, fonts, videos and audio. Check out their blog for other design inspiration.
Today the sun is out and we’re going to *gasp* push past 20 degrees today. I’d like to be on the water on my way to a secluded destination. Have a peek at this 100′ yacht which had an interior overhaul by renowned architects Claesson Koivisto Rune from Stockholm as featured in the July/August edition of Azure magazine. Sleek, minimal and a little retro with walnut and white.
I’m an auntie (again) today! A lovely niece to add to my fine collection. Today’s count is 3 nephews, 4 nieces and another on the way.
I love these beautiful wooden rattles. Sustainable materials and non-toxic, they are a nice switch from the brightly coloured plastic toys in the mass-produced baby world.
spotted on www.supermarket.com: Timbur Rattle
Now there is a place for brightly coloured plastic – the BEACH! A toy that’s easy on the eyes, inspires creativity and you only have to be 3 to use them.
from www.foodandwine.com (L) / from www.trinaturk.com (R)
On the plane back from Alabama, I had a thorough look at Food & Wine’s June issue. I was so impressed that I promptly dropped off my subscription request at the Denver airport. Here’s a roundup of a few highlights:
I know it’s Food and WINE and there were some good recommendations in this issue. I didn’t have much luck finding them at the BC Liquor Store. Supposedly we should be on the lookout for 2009 South African Chenin Blancs or Sauvignon Blancs.
Microsoft Paint not quite cutting it? Dying to cut that old boyfriend out of a fabulous photo? Picnik allows you to edit photos online, in your browser. It’s the easiest way on the Web to fix underexposed photos, remove red-eye, or apply effects to your photos. Realize your inner designer fantasies by making a custom slide show or collage.
Fabric and vinyl art at HOME! Download inkbloom’s designs, recolour them or coordinate with your project, add text to personalize and print on your inkjet. Cotton fabrics and vinyl are also available from them online. I’m thinking product tags, business cards, personalized pillows…
from www.inkbloom.com: tilly inkblock, purse from tilly fabric, product tags, scrabble pillow
A new logo has been launched for Sarah at Boble Designs! Her jewelry designs are phenomenal, a little bit delicate, a little bit bold and just plain stunning. Every woman needs a piece from her collection of necklaces, bracelets and earrings. She has a classic style with a contemporary edge and uses both gold and silver, pearls and precious and semi-precious stones (in the most gorgeous palette by the way). Hold your breath for product shots and the release of her new website! In the meantime, contact Sarah at Boble Designs by phone: 250.881.3830. Commissions available.
As Sarah says, “Love what you wear, wear what you love”.
Ready for summer whenever you are, Mother Nature. I’ve been eyeing up this lounger and these floating torches, both available at Gabriel Ross in Victoria. Working on the pool deck part.
Method home care and personal care products are certainly nothing new, but I continually find myself staring at the Method section up at Shoppers Drug Mart. It’s no secret that they are leading in design and witty copy. I tend to be more of a vinegar-and-elbow-grease-girl but have purchased a few of their products, from hand soap to toilet bowl cleaner.
I haven’t been able to justify the cost of the new laundry detergent – until now! Go online to print your $2 off coupon. No zip code? – c’mon use 90210. I always go for a detergent that looks “green” but it can be frustrating navigating the cryptic labels. Good news! Method has been pronounced green as green can be in a review by Inhabitat – Design Will Save the World.
“….what is good taste and is it a quality worth noting in a person?… Taste is different than trend. Trend is current and fun. But taste shows you know what things mean, where they come from, why they exist, and what they represent. Very few young people have great taste – it takes too much wisdom. I once heard that wisdom doesn’t come with age, it comes with experience”.
- Cobi Ladner (previous editor of H&H magazine in a tribute to Nancy Jane Hastings, freelance contributor), 2002
I’m planning to take my rental walls from off-white to white this weekend. It was more difficult that I thought to find a white that wasn’t pink, blue or yellow. I think the fear with white paint is that it will create a cold, sterile effect which is why the dingy yellow-ish white usually prevails. White reflects colours from the contents of the room, and plays with light, creating a variety of coloured shadows as the natural light changes. By and large, of the real white-whites I’ve seen a lot of “cloud white”, “simply white” and “decorators white”, all from Benjamin Moore.
The winner so far is “simply white”, although I’m tempted by the name “cotton balls”. There is a phrase from a children’s book (which one?) that appeals to me for a room’s mood, “quieter than a cotton ball”. Full report to follow.
I would imagine that the vast majority of designers out there listen to music while they’re pumping out brilliant ideas. Music helps me settle in, keeps me focused and can jazz me up or calm me down, depending on the project. White Stripes vs. Morcheeba.
It’s known that music can heighten your senses. This is a reminder to turn up the volume. Your life deserves a soundtrack.
When I’m not tuned into XM Radio I like to hit up Jango or Last.fm, both free internet radio stations, or Musicovery, interactive webRadio with a cool interface. What’s keeping you on task and inspired?
I always have my eye out for a good sketch. Even better when Welsh ceramic designer Lowri Davies successfully marries hand drawn elements and elegant china. More tea sets, vessels and vases on her website.
Admiring Vincent Villarin’s Spring 2010 collection, White Elegance. The muted colours are like a West Coast spring day. What makes these designs even better is that they were inspired by Bisazza, the art of glass mosaic, and the roman baths. I’ve always wanted to get my hands on a tile mosaic project, especially after visiting Shangri La.
“Win a coveted Big Fat Hen baby blanket with a coordinating Koo & Poppet bunny. Think nursery, think style, think cozy little baby.” Click here to enter.
This 900sqft 1930’s house was deemed a teardown, but the new owners decided to work with what they had instead of starting over. Inspired by the possibilities.
I was very excited to wake up to a message from Gloria at Hommu in Barcelona. The feedback from this post about their wall decals was overwhelmingly positive. Thanks for your news Gloria!
Hi, everybody!
First of all, thank you very much for your interest in Hommu.
We are very happy to know about people so far from Europe!
Unfortunately, we are not physically at Canadian stores yet. But you can buy our products online with total security!
Due to an increasing demand on our products from people living in america, we decided to negociate better conditions with UPS.
As a result, from now on, delivery to any american country has decreased considerably, which means that if you live in any of those countries, you can still buy Hommu online at www.hommu.com, but spending less money!
We suggest you that also could share costs with a friend who could be interested in a Hommu vinyl too… Is an idea!
However, we will work hard for being at Canadian stores in the future!
“Bcc:” is an extension of Beth Campbell Creative, a Victoria, BC based design studio. Updated often, Bcc: was established to catalog and share beauty and great design in the form of everyday objects, beautiful places and culinary adventures.
To learn more about Beth Campbell Creative and check out the portfolio, visit the main website at http://www.bethcampbellcreative.com [...]more →
