Mac Funamizu and the future of Internet search?

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Can you imagine a window..? A window that you could carry with you in your pocket and could give you the power to search for anything and everything you see, when you see it?

Well so did Mac Funamizu Born and bred Tokyo Japan, in-house web/graphic and industrial designer.
“This is what I wish the internet search will be able to do with a mobile device in the NEAR future. Touch screen, built in camera, scanner, WiFi, google map (hopefully google earth), google search, image search… all in one device. Like this way, when you can see a building through it, it gives you the image search result right on the spot.”


“You can even see flowers that are not actually blooming.”

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Filed under: design, interview, review

The Greenhouse By Joost

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“Witness an Australian first in sustainable design and innovation, by visiting the Greenhouse by Joost, a temporary exhibition over the Spring and Summer period of 2008|09. It’s built entirely from recycled and recyclable materials.”

 

..Coffee in a jar?
No, not nescafe blend 43

Last weekend myself and good friend/fellow Architecture student sat down for a latte, straight from a recycled jar.

“If you think guerilla gastronomy is a load of old rubbish – then wait ’til you see what’s been dumped in Melbourne’s Federation Square.”

The Greenhouse by Joost Bakker “has taken up residence at Melbourne’s federation square, though perhaps “popped up” is more appropriate. Joost was “repulsed by the practices of a planet that keeps making stuff without any thought to the impact of creating more stuff.’

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Filed under: architecture, design, review

Interview With Kate Bezar Creator of Dumbo Feather, Pass it on.

Well loved Dumbo Feather Library

Following my short article of Dumbo Feather, Pass it on, that i’d found at the Design Market
Comes an excerpt from the interview with Kate Bezar via theDesignfiles.net

Well-loved Dumbo feather library

I get the feeling Kate Bezar is a bit of a dynamo.

It’s not just the incredible success she’s had with her stunning independent publication Dumbo feather in a fiercely competitive market….. (a magazine she started single-handedly five years ago and with no journalism experience, mind you). No, mainly, it’s the fact that just a few seconds of googling brings up so many varied accolades and creative collaborations that I begin to wonder if there might be 25 Kate Bezars.

But no, there’s only 1. And she’s here, here, here and even here.

And of course, she’s here! [thedesignfiles.net] Read on for an insight into the inspiring world of ‘editor, publisher & dreamer’, Kate Bezar. Thanks so much for your time Kate!”

Thedesignfiles: “Tell me a little about your background – what did you study and what path led you to what you’re doing now?”

“I’d almost bet I’m the first person with a Chemistry degree to grace your blog!

I think, like a lot of people, I never really knew what I wanted to be when I grew up. So, when I finished school, even though my best marks were in English and Painting, I thought the more sensible thing to do would be to study Commerce and Science. That lead me to a very sensible career as a management consultant working on projects for companies like banks and airlines, both of which I also used a lot; I flew ridiculous amounts and was paid ridiculously well. That was pretty seductive, but on some really fundamental level I knew it wasn’t what I was meant to be doing with my life, it wasn’t what I was passionate about.

I was volunteering at art galleries on weekends just to get my ‘fix’. Eventually I walked into a newsagent one night wanting to buy a mag but just couldn’t find what I wanted. I wanted to read about real people who’d found what they were passionate about in life and how they’d gone about pursuing it. When I walked out of that newsagent and I hadn’t found a mag but I had found what I was going to do. I was going to make a mag for people like me.”

 

See the rest of the interview here! at Lucy’s blog thedesignfiles.net

Filed under: architecture, art, design, interview

Yoann Henry Yvon – Industrial and Product Designer

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You know someone who subscribes to the belief that “design is a language and the designer the translator” is something special. Yoann Henry Yvon, a freelance product and interior designer based in Milan, possesses an earnest desire to “create iconic designs using pictures of symbols that[…]develop a special relationship between products and people”, bringing something new to design.

Though born in 1983 in Nice, France, Yvon lived in Spain for twelve years. There  he studied at the University of Economy in Valencia before graduating with honors in interior design from the Istituto Europeo di Design in Italy in 2008. Now, instead of study, his days are filled by working on freelance projects and constant communication with a few different designers . A typical day includes scouring the net for new and exciting design blogs to keep himself up to date which what’s going on in the design world, administrative work, sketching and creating 3D models aiming to “make a rendering as realistic as possible”.

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Filed under: design, interview

MUJI Awards 03

I first came across MUJI via Jase Cooper’s blog so decided to do a bit of research and see what all of the fuss is about.

What Is MUJI?
Founded in 1980 MUJI is a Japanese company,  which sells a wide variety of home wares and consumer goods.

But under the surface..
“MUJI’s is known for conservation of natural resources, low prices, simplicity, anonymity and an orientation toward nature. We embrace all of these attributes without placing disproportionate emphasis on any of them”

MUJI’s ideology on products and their production..

“MUJI strives to base its design on the nature of the material making up a product..We simplify our process to elimiate waste entirely, but we carefully select and incorporate quality materials and processing technologies. Put simply, we create quality at low cost for smart purchases.”

Now famous for it’s deep underlying philosophy on living and consuming, MUJI has made it’s way from Japan to all over Asia, UK, Europe and North America.
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Filed under: design, review

Matt Huynh – Illustrator and visual aritst

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I’m very happy to finally present to you some Aussie talent, we’ve gone far too long without a little creative input from home.

“Huynh’s experimental graphic novels span a diverse variety of genres from surrealist fantasy to polemical essays, dramas and autobiography. His inky, energetic brushwork has appeared on everything from magazines and prints to clothing, accessories, health resources, tattoos, film, performance projections, vinyl toys and dolls. When he’s not at the drawing table, he can be found conducting instructional workshops, public presentations, exhibitions and live art demonstrations as a member of Popperbox artists’ collective.”
(via Matt Huynh Bio) 

Midnight Morning is a limited and handcrafted publication combining the distinct work of Haline Ly, Matt Huynh and Will Loeng in a new and never-before-seen illustration series celebrating shared experiences of love and devastation.

Matt Huynh is a self taught Sydney based comic creator and illustrator; already an old hand at all in the field of visual arts, from editorial work to advertising, visualising to toys, tattoos, to publishing and graphic novels. You name it, Matt’s done it. Huynh’s work is imaginative and emotive but clearly expressed through his fine detail and a clever use of colour, dull or vibrant where appropriate

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Filed under: art, design, interview

Abhijeet Kumar – Industrial Designer

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The 'Welcome Chair'

An “industrial designer by profession” Abhijeet Kumar, based in Ahmedabad, says he was initially inspired by his family: “It was quite natural since my uncle was an artist and I saw him draw all the time”. However, it wasn’t until he discovered the work of industrial designer Raymond Leowy that he decided to make his creative passion into a career.


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Filed under: design, interview

Concrete Tube Pendant Light by Wever & Ducré

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Belgian architectural lighting manufacturer Wever & Ducré have a new pendant light.

From Wever & Ducré:

The Concrete Tube by Belgian designer Wall-y catches the eye immediately with its concrete look. It fits in perfectly with our quest for new materials and our love and respect for concrete. It should be said: this material is very hard to make, yet the result is magnificent. This hanging lamp gets its teeth into the room, as it were, and scores high on ‘cuddliness’. The Concrete Tube is ideal for minimalist homes, loft-style apartments, restaurants and offices.

Visit the website of Wever & Ducré – here.
via contemporist

I’m a bit of a concrete fanatic – and absolutely swooned when I saw this!
I love the industrial feel – and the fact that it isn’t a perfect finish on the cylinder just adds to its rough aesthetics – A lovely feature to any brutalist home or office :)

Filed under: architecture, design