New Inspiration

Since school is done for the summer I have found myself with some extra time. I don't really do well with free time. I either get very bored and just watch TV or I ... no, that is about it. I have decided that as a creative I should spend my free time trying to get inspired and honing my skills. To this end I decided to practice some photo editing. I had taken some pictures with my old Olympus OM1 at my friend Nathan Carroll's CD release party at the end or March and they have been the perfect muse for me. I was so inspired firstly by the analog wonder of taking film pictures for the first time in a year, and secondly by the subject matter. There is nothing more inspiring than an old friend achieving his dreams. Here is the product of this new inspiration.

Homework

I feel that I must apologize (especially to Kyle and Carole) for my lack of blogging consistency. It has been a long time since my last blog and not because I haven't had inspiring things to write about but because I haven't taken the time or in some cases had the time to take.

Jill (my girlfriend) has suggested that I post some of my homework here. I have rejected this idea until now, thinking that my homework was nothing that people wanted to see. She has convinced me otherwise and therefore you are now looking at a piece that I produced for my typography course.

The assignment was to create a 10.5" x 10.5" poster for a fictional lecture series put on by the college. We could choose our own designer and then design a poster using the information that was given to us regarding time, place, etc. There are actually two posters in this assignment. One is type dominant (the one pictured) and one is image dominant.

We were required to compose the posters on a grid to keep the information organized and easy to digest. Seeing as this is a type class, we were also encouraged to explore the different typefaces within a single type family, and experiment with using hierarchy to arrange information in the most efficient way, considering that this is one poster on a bulletin board competing for your 10-15 sec. of attention.

I hope you all like this poster and I will be awaiting your critiques. I am interested to see what non designer have to say because I hear the jaded rantings of designers all day long (they can be quite mean). So please comment.

I promise I will not wait so long to post again. I have new homework coming out all the time.

Chad

The Artichoke Lamp

This lamp was designed by Poul Henningson in 1958. I have fallen madly in love with it for two reasons.

The first is its simple beauty. The way that the light is directed by the copper (or in this case glass) creating shadows within the lamp accentuating the depth and sculptural form. The copper model uses this effect to create a warm glow that is very comforting.

The second reason is that it was created in 1958 yet stands up today as benchmark of Scandinavian Modernism. Even after 50 years it is relevant. I hope that can be said of my designs 50 years from now.

Rest assured that if you are a guest in my home ten years from now you will see this lamp hanging over my dining table.

Coincidentally the next post will be about the dining table.

For more information on the Artichoke Lamp see Louis Pulson.

The Best Things In Life Aren't Things


I recieved your message

For that I can thank Jack, who, left to his own devices in any park, field, or forest, gravitates toward the perimeter. (Jack is not an eccentric friend, no, but rather an eager beagle.) There we were one summer evening, me dutifully trailing behind him along the western, least-inhabited edge of an east end Toronto park. And there it was, your message, stenciled on a retaining wall beside the GO Train tracks.

Halfway though reading it, I had the sharp realization that it was different - bulkier - than what I had first precieved it to be. I read on. The finish - that tart "aren't things" in place of the expected hippie-dippy "are free" - gave me a pleasant jolt. Then made me laugh. Earlier in the day, I had been ranting and raving about the annoying regularity of mortgage payment, which now struck me as absurdly melodarmatic.

Over the next few weeks, I meant to tell Barry and Anne - and one or two others close to me - about my discovery. Yet every time I had the chance I resisted the urge. Why? Well, partly because of the whole "You had to be there" thing. But mostly because i wanted to keep your message - essentially hidden in plain sight, seemingly directed at me - to myself. It's true. I was reluctant to relinquish the secret.

Since then Jack and I have been back to the park many times. I always check to see if your message remains intact. It makes me feel, somehow, safe.

There are a few things I'd like to ask you. Did you think of it yourself? Was it a one-shot deal, or are there other locations? Do you do your work by night? And, finally, does that improperly formed apostrophe (I call that a symbol for foot) rile you as much as it riles me? Of course, I don't expect answers.

I recieved your message. Now I've passed it on.

Michael


I found this wonderful editorial in the March/April 2006 issue of AZURE magazine. There are a few different things, welling in my mind that could be great talking points about this page. First is the recent trend of thought provoking graffiti, obviously created by educated designers looking for an edgy outlet for their deepest thoughts. The second is the simple beauty of the photograph. The autum colors and bare trees behind the broken wall and cold chainlink. The setting emphasises the point being made by the stenciled message. Third is the idea of writting an open letter to a graffiti artist who quite understandably wishes to remain annonymous. I really like the last line saying "I recieved your message. Now I've passed it on."

So now you see the kinds of things that I will be posting on this blog. I hope you visit often and welcome your comments on the design pieces found here or on my commentary on them.

Chad

PS Pass it on...

My First Blog

This site has been established to post my designs and examples of my favorite designs form other designers. I hope you like it