Quite Quite

Ahoy, friends.

Not only does my title rhyme, but it also pertains to something really neat. 

Plink -> https://www.abovegroundartsupplies.com/event/index.html

Yes. Now you, too, can have a biodegradable and re printable wallet.  Seriously though, if you ask me, this is a great invention. Not only is it environmentally friendly, but it has a really nice design and is quite useful.  I don’t actually know how much it carries mind you, but it should be good for a days worth of spending (provided you don’t spend like a rich person).

I might actually try this at some point and see how well it holds up to being sat on and such.  It is a pretty good idea and honestly, from a design standpoint, is quite impressive.

Foot!

Well, friends. I was forwarded this thingy. http://www.collegehumor.com/video/6422903/trippy-paint-spill-painting

  It’s cool in my opinion.  The person who sent it to me said that these “paintings” were silly. In many points of view, its very true.  Valuing a traditional sense of drawing and art, it looks like a clown threw up violently. 

  In other points of view, however, it could be considered art.  It’s very expressive and could convey a lot of emotion based on what colour pallets were used and what kind of shaped you could manipulate the point into forming.  They colours that they show are a visual rainbow, but imagine your favorite colours or a particular combination that works extremely well together.

  I’ll leave a decision up to you, friends. What do you think of these paint pouring? Is it merely random clown projectile, or an expressive work of art?

  Hello friends,

Recently I stumbled across this video on youtube. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Z2Z23SAFVA. its pretty hilariously amazing, if you ask me.

  But it did also get me thinking about graphic design and the method used in this video.  Such an interesting way of compiling type to get a message across. I’d love to be able to do something like that. I have a feeling that soon we’ll be learning about it.

  My real reason for making this post was to explain why I think this video is very well done.  First of all, the thought process behind it is pretty amusing.  Using a comment that someone posted on a game and adding voice and text to it.  I would expect that from something like a news article or a history channel reference etc, but never from a video game review. That, in itself, is enough to make the video pretty cool.

  Second of all, the type is very well compiled.  It is very legible in style, being simple and san-serif and it the way it was put together flows pretty well and is easy to connect.  It doesnt lead your eye astray, as it were, but rather it lead from one word into the other, making it fairly enjoyable to read (which is how it should be.) Also, it’s worth noting that instead of correcting any original spelling errors in the post, the author uses them to his advantage.

  And third, my favorite of the points is the music 3/4s of the way through and the general overall epic voice of epicness.  It creates a very intense feeling in all of the right places where you want to laugh.  The voice adds another dimension to the video and gives the feeling that a high, upstanding British man has been reviewing games. Not to mention that accents automatically make everything epic. ALWAYS.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3d-qENAaNbM <- point made.

Anyways, friends. That would be all for this week. Hope you enjoyed my videos and hopefully they inspired you like they did for me.

Until next time.

Well friends, it’s been quite some time but it looks like I’ll be blogging again. I’m back.

  And so, ever since being in this graphic design course, I’ve been wondering where I’m going to end up in the working world and several thoughts occur to me. Some of these thoughts involve stabbing my projects with a pointy object, maybe creatively create something new and amazing. One thing is sure, though..no matter what I end up doing in design, no matter where I am, I’ll always have some pretty unbearable clients. With that said, I’ll have good ones, too..very good ones, but with every good, there’s bad. This goes with just about any career, but you get the idea. 

  This whole rant has been fueled by this site that a designer friend shared with me tonight and I thought it was just amusing and accurate enough that I should share.

http://clientsfromhell.net/

  After a good chuckle at these entries, you might find yourself asking how to deal with such clients. Well friends, your guess is as good as mine, but I could have some advice for you; Fly with the green fairy and keep on being sunshiney bright.

  See you all next time, friends. Until then.

Buongiorno.

  It’s that time again, friend. Another blog post. I think today I will be continuing on with my rant about logos, specifically the Pepsi…stripy thing.

  It was all first started by Caleb Bradham in the 1890’s. Initially named as Brad’s drink the name was quickly changed to Pepsi-Cola, which is visible in the first 1898 logo. Finally in 1903, the name was trademarked and hasn’t been changed till date.

  In the early years, Brad made custom logos for the brand as it became more famous. In 1933, the company was bought by Loft, Inc. The company changed the bottle size from 6 to 12 oz. and came up with the ‘Refreshing and Healthful’ logo.

  However, the major breakthrough in the Pepsi logo design came in 1940’s. Walter Mack, the CEO of Pepsi came up with the idea of a new bottle design, with a crown having the Pepsi logo. The ‘Pepsi Globe’ emerged when USA was in WWII, and to support the country’s war efforts, Pepsi had a blue, red and white logo.

  This logo became hugely popular, and went on to be the identifier for the company. As a result, in 1950 and 1962, this bottle cap with the swirling blue and red became prominent in the company logo. During the 1960’s when it became even more popular, the script was changed from the curly red, and the main attraction was on the bottle cap in the logo.

  We see the first appearance of the Pepsi Globe instead of the bottle cap in 1973. The typeface was made smaller so as to fit in the globe. The Pepsi Globe was “boxed in”, with a red bar coming in from the left and a light-blue bar coming in from the right.

  In 1991, the typeface was moved from inside the globe. The red bar was lengthened and the typeface came on the top of the globe. In 1998, the white background in the logo was replaced by the blue color, which also resulted in dropping the red horizontal band. The globe now had 3D graphic and larger than earlier versions. It might be that since, Pepsi and the globe touch each other for the first time in the logo, the name ‘the Pepsi Globe’ was given to the logo.

  After 1998, it seems that Pepsi had decided to give the globe more prominence than the script itself. So, the globe came on top of the script in 2003, and in their current logo they have done away with the script altogether.

  Now, all of that is all well and good, but what does the red, white a blue actually mean? I have no idea, sorry to lead you on like that. It could be as easy as representing the American patriotic colours..or not. Either way, it’s quite interesting to know how this iconic logo was created and how it was changed through the ages.

  I think that about wraps it up for this week. Short, sweet and to the fizzy, carbonated point. Hope you enjoyed it, friends. Until next time.

Ciao.

Buongiorno.

  Well friends, I think I’m going to continue on same track as last week, with the whole company logo history.  I had found out about Starbucks last week and found it to be pretty interesting, so I thought I would do another famous logo. Coca-Cola. Off we go!

  Coca-Cola is the world’s most popular soft drink. Sold in more than 200 countries, it is produced by The Coca-Cola Company and is often simply referred as Coke. Originally intended as a ‘patent medicine’ when it was invented in the late 19th century by pharmacist John S. Pemberton as a ‘coca wine’, Coca-Cola has dominated the worldwide soft drink market for decades now. The Coca-Cola logo, like the product itself, is rated among the most recognized logos and brands in the world.

  The first Coca-Cola logo was created by John Pemberton’s partner and bookkeeper, Frank Mason Robinson, in 1885. Thinking that the two Cs would look well in advertising, it was Robinson who came up with the name and chose the logo’s distinctive cursive script. The typeface used, known as Spencerian script, was developed in the mid 19th century and was the dominant form of formal handwriting in the United States during that period. The red and white colored scheme in the Coca-Cola logo was kept simple and distinctive to lure young minds. Even the Coca-Cola bottle symbolized the ‘youthful exuberance of America’. Since then, various designs of the Coca-Cola bottle had been released over the decades. But the ever popular version is the famous 1915’s curved-vessel bottle called the “contour bottle”, better known to many as the “hobble skirt” bottle. Though mistakenly designed as cacao pod, the bottle like Coca-Cola logo has been highly popular and is often regarded as the best design ever. The Coca-Cola logo was first advertised in the Atlanta Journal in 1915 and also appeared on the display of Pemberton’s pharmacy. A Coca-Cola dispenser with a Cola-Cola logo was later created by Raymond Loewy. The Coca-Cola logo got registered as a trademark in 1887 and has since then become the brand’s corporate identity.

  Well, there we have it. The history of the coca-cola logo. Short, straight and too the point, but sweet and very…very carbonated. I hope you enjoyed reading this entry, even if it was on the short side. Until next time, friends.

Ciao.

Buongiorno.

  Hello friends. No idea what the hell I’m going to write about this week. Maybe Artistic techniques? Founding of a logo? yeah.

Let’s go with that one. Starbucks it is, then. All of my info is collected off of the internetz, but I’ll talk about its making anyways.

  Supposedly, in 1971 Terry Heckler poured over old marine books until he came up with a logo based on an old sixteenth-century Norse woodcut: a two-tailed mermaid, or siren, encircled by the store’s original name, Starbucks Coffee, Tea, and Spice. That early siren, bare-breasted and Rubenesque, was supposed to be as seductive as coffee itself.  Supposedly.

 

  In 1986, the logo reflected the emphasis on speed (most likely by the effects of caffeine). The Il Giornale name was inscribed in a green circle that surrounded a head of Mercury, the swift messenger god. ( Which many people would tell you, Coffee is a drink from the gods, so it all matches up anyways. too bad it changed again.)

  Shortly after in 1987, the two companies melded together (Il Giornarle and Starbucks) and so did the logos, to express the two companies and the two cultures, Terry Heckler came up with a design that merged the two logos. We kept the Starbucks siren with her starred crown, but made her more contemporary. We dropped the tradition-bound brown, and changed the logo’s color to Il Giornarle’s more affirming green.

  And finally in 1992,  Terry Heckler revised our logo yet again: She stayed mostly the same but lost her navel and turned a brighter shade of green. Kind of Evergreeny.

  As for my actual opinion of the logo itself, I’d say that it’s interesting to look at, but I can’t say that I can really affiliate the image with coffee. (especially knowing what the original meaning was. I don’t think coffee is lusty at all, to be honest.) Does it really do much for the actual business now? Not really. It IS, however, quite recognizable to people all over the world, which is most likely the reason why it remains unchanged.  Sort of relating to the Gap logo change recently where the old recognizable logo was changed and people freaked out majorly. If Starbucks changed it to something different now, I suspect something similar would happen.  Even though I don’t think it really helps or relates to the business very much (besides the recognizable image), it still strikes me as being a very unique and interesting image to look at.

  So there you have it.  An abridged history of the Starbucks logo and a few of my own opinions. I hope you enjoyed them. Until next week, my friends.

Ciao.

Buongiorno.

  Well, it’s time again for me to ramble about art and stuff. To be honest, I’m not in a very good mood at the moment, so I’ll probably keep it brief.  Today’s topic will be on stippling, also known as pointillism. 

  It was developed in 1886 by a prominent artist known as Georges Seurat, stemming from impressionism, the style of capturing relatively small, thin, yet visible brush strokes, open composition, emphasis on the accurate depiction of light in its changing qualities, often accentuating the effects of the passage of time, ordinary subject matter, the inclusion of movement as a crucial element of human perception and experience, and unusual visual angles.  The term Pointillism was first coined by art critics in the late 1880s to ridicule the works of these artists, but is currently used without its earlier mocking connotation.

  The technique of pointillism relies on the ability of the eye and mind of the viewer to mix the color spots into a more complete range of tones. It is related to Divisionism, a more technical variant of the method.  It is a technique with few serious practitioners today, and is notably seen in the works of Seurat, Signac and Cross, but you can also see this technique in Andy Warhol’s early works.

  The practice of Pointillism is in sharp contrast to the traditional methods of blending pigments on a palette. Pointillism is analogous to the four-color Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and Black (CYMK) printing process used by some color printers and large presses that place dots of Cyan (blue), Magenta (red), Yellow, and Key (black). Televisions and computer monitors use a similar technique to represent image colors using Red, Green, and Blue (RGB) colors.

  Though it wouldn’t seem like it, this method of painting has actually changed art as we know it, or at least portions of it.  Early on in this method’s life, it wasn’t accepted as fine art, but later it was recognized as the works of art that they were.  Like previously stated, the purpose was to capture emotion and fleeting and sudden glances at a particular scene.  It became popular by evoking emotion within the viewer.  Over all, this method of painting helped the world of art move away from only fine art and portraiture and branch off into more expressive works.

  There we have it, friends.  A short, but sweet lesson in pointillism (aka stippling).  As a last note, it would be worth it to say that the two ARE actually different.  The basic fundamental technique is exactly the same, but they just use different sets of colours.  Stippling uses subtractive primaries (cyan, magenta and yellow) while pointillism uses additive primaries (red, green and blue).

  Hope you enjoyed learning about the topic if you didn’t know much about it already. Until next time, friends.

Ciao.

Buongiorno.

  So, my friends, here we are again on my blog of blogness. If you’ve come back for this long, I’m very glad you find it quite so interesting. Though, I’m also sure that you’ll probably be relieved to hear that I’m almost done with Art Deco, having run out of topics.  Before that though, off we go.

  First and foremost, concerning Art Deco Men’s Fashion, is thinking dapper: Fred Astaire, Cary Grant, Gary Cooper and William Powell. Think classic stores like Cable Car Clothiers or Brooks Brothers. Fortunately, menswear hasn’t changed that much over the years.

  I must say, we’ll start with the hat and work our way down. A hat is a must, men did not appear in public without them. Try a dashing straw Panama hat or the dapper boater. In the East, men’s straw hats were worn only between Memorial Day and Labor Day, but since California was considered a resort destination, they are appropriate during the summer-like weather in September (and every other time of the year).  The fedora is a classic and correct in straw or light colored wool. Please avoid the gambler and cowboy hat, unless you are, in fact, a riverboat gambler or cowboy. For the more casual gentleman or “sport” - the golf cap.

  Next are the glasses. Round frames (horn rims or metal) were worn by men and women with no style difference between the sexes. While round was the most common shape by far; ovals, and octagons were popular. Rimless glasses did exist but their fragility makes them rare. Older gentlemen might wear a pince-nez (pronounced pons-nay) that stay on by pinching the nose removing the need for arms. That was easy.

  For a shirt, try a long-sleeved cotton dress shirt in white, stripes, or light colors. (There was no such thing as a short sleeved dress shirt at that time.  Into the 20s,  men were still wearing detachable collars and cuffs. The detachable collar and cuff were developed to help shirts last a bit longer. Collars and cuffs wear faster and get dirty easier than the body of the shirt and washing was often expensive, so detachable items were created and sold separately.

  Hope you can tie a tie.  A traditional tie was definitely the “it” during those days, preferably a little on the wide side and worn short with the tip ending just above the belt. A bow tie was even more fashionable. Tie pins were also very popular in the 20s (I guess they didn’t know how to tie a tie any better than we do).

  It is important to state that a gentleman never appeared in public without some kind of silk around his neck, so just about every man had a large selection to choose from.

Next are jackets, vest and suits. The 20s saw some radical changes to men’s clothes. Many of the styles are still relevant today. This also means that they had a wide variety from which to choose. (as stated in the link)

  The cut of men’s suits and jackets varied throughout from the 20s and 30s. The Sacque suits is traditional and what the average man wore. The saque is has a unstructured fit, but nothing too flamboyant - think classic Brooks Brothers.

  The Oxford suit has a trim jacket with a nipped in waist and very full pants. The “Oxford bag” become popular in 1925 when Oxford University banned the wearing of knickers and plus fours in the classroom. The students loved their sporty knickers so they had extra wide legged pants made that could be worn over them.

  One word where pants are concerned- full. Pants were cut fuller than they are today. This creates a softer drape and an elegant line. The 20s and 30s usually mean pleated pants and the option of cuffs.  Chinos, simple slacks, seersucker, small checks or plaids, in lighter colors and fabrics were the norm in those days. Pants in the 20s are worn at the waist, not the hip, and in the 30s they ride a bit above the waist.

  Socks are also a big part of what completed the Art Deco look. They would have been very thin dress socks that match the pants or thicker with cables or patterns.

And last but not least, the shoes.  Ditch the athletic shoes (for obvious reasons). The most common shoes for this fashion were bucks, saddle shoes, oxfords, or loafers. Two-tone combinations were definitely in. Men wore brown shoes for day only; two-toned shoes would mostly appear in summer.  In the early 20s some men were still wearing spats (which is definitely my favorite aspect of the footwear and I am still wearing them today).

  So, friends, there you have it.  Men’s fashion from the 1920’s and 30’s.  Far more simple than the ladies attire, so it would seem.  I hope you have enjoyed by ramblings about the Art Deco period (God knows they lasted long enough).  It would appear that I have exhausted my Art Deco sources and most of the main subjects I have already covered.  So good news! I get to ramble about other things now! YAAAAAAY!

Until next time, friends.

Ciao

Buongiorno.

  Hello once again, my friends. You have arrived just in time to take part in this amazing episode of Quite Quite, where our hero (none other than myself) saves the world from a massive <insert danger here> with his vast knowledge of Art Deco. This week….FASHION (for women)!

 ”The Flapper”

  The woman’s liberation movement was making significant progress in the early 20th Century. The 1920s and 1930s saw many countries grant women the right to vote - including the USA, England, South Africa, Italy, Spain, Brazil, The Philippines, amongst many others. During WWI, women across the globe went to work for the first time to fill the employment void created when men went off to war. Many continued to work after the war and began to demand equal pay for equal work.

  This new sense of freedom and liberation created a radical shift in the lives of women everywhere. Attitudes were changing and the progressive, modern women of the 1920s started rebelling against tradition. They no longer wanted to be associated with the prudish, Victorian values and did everything possible to radically distance themselves from the traditional, feminine image. It was during this period of change and rebellion that the first Art Deco fashion icon, The Flapper. (http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_8uCeLmSOjzE/S8SnNS7d8VI/AAAAAAAAAFs/vYP1—dA-jA/s1600/a_flapper.jpg)

  Women started wearing their hair and skirts short, got their drivers licenses (so that they no longer had to rely on a man to take them shopping or visit their friends), started smoking, drinking, and kissing in public, wore heavy makeup and danced the Charleston at the hottest jazz clubs of the day.

  Some characteristics of this style included:

• Masculine forms - “bustless, hipless, boyish shapes”
• Streamlined
• Short hemlines (mid calf to just an inch or two above the knee)
• Tubular silhouette
• The Cloche (domed or bell-shaped) hat
• The classic, beaded, fringed ‘Charleston’ dress
• Geometric, angular shapes and designs
• Rolled down stockings

“The Silver Screen Goddess”

 The growth of industry during World War 2 led to a boom in the economy and it was in this time of abundance that Art Deco Style emerged on the scene. As the economy flourished, so did the luxury goods market.

 In poor economic times, people make do with basic necessities, and in prosperous times, the pendulum shifts back to non-essential spending.

 During the days of Deco, it was back to the non-essentials. Expensive jewelry, exotic vacations, glamorous mansions and flashy cars were gobbled up at warp speed. Another interesting lifestyle change occurred - people began attending the cinema again!

 This in turn led to the classic, all-time favourite past-time of the masses - obsessing over movie stars and their wardrobes. The glitzy, glamorous fashions of celebrities like Jean Harlow and Greta Garbo gave rise to our next Art Deco fashion icon….The Silver Screen Goddess.(http://www.movieactors.com/photos-stars/jean-harlow-publicenemy-103.jpg)

  As money was no object for the rich and famous, the styles spotted on the red carpet oozed luxury and glamour. Starlets in minks and elegant floor-length silk gowns slipped out of white limousines, setting the fashion trends of the 1920s and 1930s high-society.

Characteristics of this style included:

• Long, floor-sweeping hemlines
• The ‘mermaid’ silhouette - tight bodice, cinched waist, flared out hem
• Beads and ‘fish scale’ sequins
• Luxurious fabrics - silk, satin, taffeta, chiffon
• Fur coats
• Fur trimmed gowns
• Gold lamme
• Geometric, angular designs

“The Sporty Girl”

  Thanks to the booming economy, society felt financially stable and secure and began to take an interest in exotic travel. Moreover, women turned away from the traditional roles imposed on them, and took up non-traditional roles - like that of the tennis player or skiier.

  The massive interest in leisure activities like travel and sport required a whole new wardrobe(of course!), and this brings us to the third and final Art Deco fashion ‘It’ girl - The Sporty Girl. (http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_1o7uO6IrOaM/S0jFaQSckqI/AAAAAAAABss/O6cFEsdi-J4/s400/ski-3-1920.jpg)

  Women began to take part in a variety of leisure activities in the 1920s and 1930s. Sports - a traditionally male-dominated arena - began to draw in women participants. Popular sports of the day were tennis, skiing, bicycling, sailing, golfing and swimming.

  These activities were often performed in private clubs and required an appropriate civilian outfit. This leisure outfit still required the same criteria as more formal outfits - style and elegance - but it was supposed to be comfortable and flowy, not constricting. The increased interest in leisurely travel also called for appropriately chic but comfortable travel clothes.

 Clothing had to be both functional and beautiful (the classic mantra of Art Deco fashion). Coco Chanel reigned in this class of fashion. Her designs were simple, streamlined, comfortable and elegant. Women of the day all coveted this easy, effortless look and ‘sportswear’ as it came to be known, was all the rage during the Art Deco era.

And finally, the characteristics of this style were:

• Lightweight fabrics - jersey, cotton
• Weightier fabrics - wool, tweed
• Simple, streamlined silhouettes
• Dropped waists
• Pleated skirts
• Wide legged trousers
• Monochromatic colour schemes
• Masculine, angular jackets


• The ‘Safari’ jacket
• Wide-brimmed sun hats
• The Classic Chanel LBD - ‘The Ford’ model

  And that would have it for the woman’s clothing styles in the 1920’s.  Interesting, no?  If we’re lucky, maybe I can save the world again from that evil <insert danger here> again next week if I can dig up enough information about fashion for men in the same time period.  Until then, my friends.

Ciao.