IF THESE WALLS COULD TALK

July 9, 2015

thought you guys would like this series - called facades - from roland fischer. at first you might think these colorful patterns are from tiles or fabrics or sculptures. but actually these are walls of architectural structures from around the world.

and a great reminder to look for art in architecture!

these images also highlight some of the trends that are shaping architecture around the world. from fischer: “i noticed all these new buildings mushrooming everywhere, giving the impression that they could as well be from any other major town in the world... i thought that this was a new urban visual experience, a consequence naturally of the then still new process of globalization.”

looks like architectural abstractions are becoming a thing over here.

more here.

via swissmiss

AROUND THE WORLD WITH AN ALPHABET

April 29, 2015

introducing: rebecca mah. for her senior thesis in art school, rebecca designed the series below, titled culture caps. she created an alphabet of capital letters that pulls styles, patterns and shapes from different regions of the world. each of the letters feels so specific and special, but rebecca also managed to give the entire series a consistency that is really beautiful.

and then she created a book about it. and that's really when this whole thing goes to another level for me. the design and thoughtfulness and execution of the book is truly exceptional.

more here.

via designworklife

LIGHT IS TIME

December 31, 2014

this one kinda took my breath away. and felt very appropriate as we get ready for new years eve!

japanese watch brand citizen partnered with architecture firm dgt to transform their watch parts into a beautiful, gold-filled installation made up of over 80,000 watch parts.

the installation aims to capture the connection between light and time.

breathtaking, right?

maybe 2015 is the year to plan a trip to tokyo!

more here.

via huh magazine

LOST IN TRANSLATION

December 18, 2014

and not the scarlett johansson and bill murray kind.

as a native spanglish speaker the struggle to find the right translation, the right word, the right phrase, is REAL. how we communicate is such an integral part of who we are that lost in translation moments can carry a lot of weight in our lives. writer and illustrator ella frances sangers explores this in her book lost in translation: an illustrated compendium of untranslatable words from around the world. try and translate that mouthful!

i really loved and wanted to share these illustrations. and it's fun to think about the cultural context for some of the words she shares. definitely need to incorporate wabi-sabi into my vocabulary.

NORWAY'S PASSPORT TO PRETTY

December 16, 2014

norway's government recently decided their national passport needed a little bit of a refresh. they gave designers an opportunity to redesign the norwegian passport and design studio neue delivered. the design is modern, clean, functional and showcases the importance of nature as an "essential part of the norwegian identity and tradition."

it's a beauty.

very inspiring to see attention to design in unexpected places.

best part? if you put it under a UV light you see greens and purples, glowing like the famous northern lights.

more here.