Mr. Toledano will see you now

Hope and fear is the external manifestation of the internal desires

and paranoia that are adrift in America

There is nothing more beautiful than absence

This website is the nicest one I have found in a while. It's so easy to navigate, the work is displayed professionally and there isn't a bundle of writing to confuse you.

It essentially advertises Mr. Toledano's work through a simple online portfolio. He has some stunning photos which are backed up by some in-depth topics. Some address very personal feelings and subjects and he shows a kind of understanding in his subject matter that is hard to achieve.

Through his photography he manages to capture what he intends to and each portfolio is titled with a fitting name. One that adds depth to the images within it and heightens their meaning.

View the Website

Chucky for Halloween

Diane Bondareff / Polaris

Fitting in with the time of year I noticed this photo.  Actors in Chucky outfits promoted the 20th Anniversary of the film Child's Play around New York.  They look really creepy to me and I thought this was a very real, in your face, campaign.  A fitting form of promotion for a horror film.  This promotion is alive and makes you feel insecure.  Well it would make me if I saw one of these little fella's in a dark alley.

Future Architecture in Paris

Article in the Independent

Jean Nouvel has won rights to create a new skyscraper in Paris's business district.  He plans to create the Signal Tower to enhance the state of the area as it is now.  The tower will be just under the height of the Eiffel Tower but will not be without its own charm.  The tower will have main sections which use large areas of glass and open spaces to promote a healthy work environment.  Well worth a look at if you are interested in the possibilities of future skyscrapers.

Grand Palace Thailand

For more photos

At the heart of Bangkok you can find the Grand Palace.  The buildings within the walls seem to be something straight out of a painting and seem dream-like.  The roofs, as seen above, have elongated points and are themselves sectioned like armour on the back of some war machine.  From afar they look spectacular but only when you get up close can you truly understand the skill and time taken to construct these symbols.  Each colour you see in this photo is not a solid piece, they are made from tiny tiles, a form of mosaic, and the inside mirrors the beauty of the outside.

Me at the Grand Palace

Roland Barthes

1915-1980

This guy was a French literary critic, literary and social theorist, philosopher and semiotician. I know what most of those are however the main thing that drew me to him was his view on creative writing. The piece of work that I am referring to is his the death of the author, which explores the idea that nothing in writing is original due to the fact that it is made up of unoriginal parts. This is a very interesting idea and can be related to graphic design. We tend to use the same media for a lot of our work but is this actually limiting the originality of the piece? Our concepts seems to be limited to the fact that they have to be presented in a certain way, one that is understandable by our target audience.

Then again if something is too original we may not understand it at all...so where do we draw the line?

Emperor's New Clothes

Hans Christian Andersen

Brief storyline:

A well known fairytale where an Emperor has requested a new set of clothes. The two who produce his new clothes make it from a magically invisible material that only one worthy of being Emperor can see. The Emperor pretends he can see it to not feel stupid and ends up parading through the streets with his head held high. A boy notices he is naked and points it out to the crowd...

This has similar themes to those that rise with Marcel DuChamp. The notion that if you believe something to be one way in your mind other people may not necessarily see it that way no matter how much you are persuaded it's the truth. Perspectives are always different and you need to take this into account when parading around your work...or simply parading around naked. Yet another fairytale with all the wisdom of the world condensed into a story understandable to any age.

Guiness Advert

Guiness have a simple yet perfect concept it seems. Always playing on the quality inside the pint and that it's worth waiting for. However I came across this advert which is so ridiculous and isn't what I'm used to seeing from these guys. The music created is just as splendid, love it! ...just watch:

Conceptual Thinking

The fountain

Marcel DuChamp is an artist I came across when studying what makes a piece of art just that...a piece of art. Perhaps his most famous piece, or most well-known to our generation, is The fountain. This is just a toilet put in a gallery to promote a concept and to the average person is rubbish. How can a toilet be a piece of art you say? When compared to the magnificant paintings of artists such as Picasso, Salvador Dali and Michael Angelo to name but a few. Well the meaning of the piece is apparent when you look deeper.

The fountain is one of a series called the readymades which challange the idea of what makes something a piece of art. Marcel DuChamp came to the conclusion, of sorts, that the difference between art and not art is simply the artists choice for it to be so. The fact that this toilet was in a gallery makes the public view it as a piece of art. It challanges us to view things differently and re-assess what we think to be original. Can we change what we already know to come up with something truly original?

Computers effecting how you think

Strolling through The Sunday Times I came across an article titled:

Keep clicking and you’ll be a snappy thinker
The net is making us good at quick decisions – but there is a cost
Write Helen Brooks and Brendan Montague

It's an article about how long term use of a computer can effect the way you think and interact with other people. There are positives and negatives as with all things. It states how those who naturally adapt successfully in the next generations may be the next evolution of our race and be more successful economically,(also mentioning Darwin's Theory of Evolution). Long term computer usage has proven to increase decision making time but limit other areas such as abstract thinking.

As a graphic designer it makes you wonder whether you are being subject to a bigger change than the rest of the population. Let's face it we spend a hell of a lot of time on these computers, change is inevitable it seems, but will we be at the forefront of this change or are we on a different track completely? It just got me thinking that's all...

Read the story yourself here

Poster for EventBrand.net

Poster for EVENTBRAND -

the leader in event industry in Ukraine.

Dinal Kryvoruchko works in Moscow and his work is visually stunning. He has done work for EvantBrand (featured above) and a campaign to advertise MTV Russia Movie Awards 2008 depicting a creature with one eye and two pupils. As you look at his work the ideas are complex and impact is always there. He must spend a massive amount of time on each of these to keep this standard up. A good source of inspiration.

Check his work out here

Toyota, Lower Emissions

Bringing us closer to nature

This is a beautiful poster which represents Toyota's goal to lower fuel emissions and therefore being less harmful to nature. It is visually stunning however the concept is a little difficult to follow. It is in need of a short explanation to make it understandable, however, I do like the idea a lot and the thought of a tree being human bodies is very imaginative. Nice execution!

The Limerick Animal Welfare (L.A.W)

GHQ. 2002 Campaign

I thought this was a very clever campaign. The message is simple. It encourages the need for action by the receiver and the tone of voice depicts the suffering of animals. The concept is clear and it hits the audience where it should, their hearts.

Surfing

So I went surfing for the first time ever the other day to sunny Scarborough. It was great fun, as expected, and it opened my eyes to the water sports world. The rush from riding a wave, as stated by Ken Bradshaw, cannot be fully described, only surfers themselves know what the feeling is like.

From this I watched a documentary The Billabong Odyssey which features some of the worlds best surfers chasing the biggest swells in the world. The sheer scale of these waves is god-like compared to the tiny man surfing the front of it. It's mesmirizing to think that a wave so big is not only real in the world, but can be ridden on a surfboard. These guys, and girls, really are living life on the edge. Check out this video and tell me you're not in awe:

Mike Parsons rides the biggest wave of the day

right after having an extreme wipeout.

Concept Art Community

Gez Fry

This is another online community based on concept art.  It contains a wide variety of  ideas and imaginative insights.  The website itself is fitting and veers more towards the work of the artists rather than the artists themselves.  Advertising mainly their concepts and talents and allowing their personalities to shine though their work.

I like a lot of the illustration styles featured on this website.  Gezstar, who's work I have chosen above, stood out in particular.  The mixture of photography and illustration created a ghost-like atmosphere and delivers well on many levels.

Visit the website

Food for Giants

The creme de la creme egg

Food is the thing we all have in common. Giant food however is limited to a small community it seems, and no these aren't giants, these are ordinary people who like to pimp their snacks to the max.

Featured above is just one example of a growing list showing snacks that have been recreated to high detail, the only aspect that is different is that they are bigger...much bigger. There is definitely an emphasis on size, effort and style when it comes to creating your giant snack. This website gives you step by step guides to allow you to follow along if you feel it necessary. It is very easy to navigate but the layout is in need of a face lift to make it seem more applicable to the target market.

Could these larger scale pieces of food double as art? They are certainly entertaining to look at when compared to their smaller cousins. The amount of effort required on the creators part is also relatable to that of an artist. The imagination applied is in how you get the end result, the process, not in what form you want to achieve at the end...although there are some examples of this. Either way they are visually entertaining.

Here's the website if you're interested in creating huge snacks yourself:

http://www.pimpthatsnack.com/index.php

There is also a Skoda advert which uses a concept similar to the ideas on this website. It can be found on youtube and is definitely what I would class as a piece of art.

Trogdor!!

www.homestarrunner.com/trogdor.html

This website is very childish however it does have some good features. It is very easy to navigate, the use of graphics are cleverly applied and when you chose options in menus they are shown to you in an innovative way. Ignoring the poor content it is an ideal website for it's target market.

Rough Hands

Rough Hands - Alexisonfire

This song will obviously not be liked by everyone but for a moment just forget that you hate music like this and then look again.

Songs that capture moods and enhance them through a short experience, such as this, are works of great creativity in my opinion. It's really difficult to create good lyrics, create matching melodies and deliver them successfully. The fact that this song has found a concept and delivered it well makes it stand out in my opinion. I am obviously biased towards liking it as I like the band but this doesn't mean I'm wrong. If you read the lyrics (which you have to due to it being difficult to hear) you find that the mood of the song matches the ideas within it.

Rough Hands, taking the term literally, could be considered a symbol of a person becoming old or a hint that a person has been through a lot of hardship. The way simple things are interpreted and expanded upon to explain strong concepts in music is one that is similar in visual media. The link is very close and when the application is acheived successfully it tends to make the work stand out.

Other songs within their repitour have similar standards of creativity and depict images through crazy lyrics like:

The sky's a brick wall. The ground's a juggernaut. Each day they get a bit closer. Between them, i am caught.

This is taken from the song This could be Anywhere, which creates a dark image of a city and its inhabitants, a gem of a song in my opinion. The creative approach to these visions is very inspiring and the way they paint such a good image in your mind is perfect. If you can handle the screaming and darker side of their music then there is a lot of inspiration to be absorbed in how they translate their ideas across.

Tim Burton

Mars Attacks! (1996)

Known for directing such treats as The Nightmare Before Christmas, Batman Returns, Edward Scissorhands and Mars Attacks! Tim Burton has become a well-known director, as far as the film industry is concerned, and personally his films rarely fail to impress.

A lot of his films tend to take on a Gothic style for the most part. The sets' which he produces are a slice of imagination pie that people can get lost in for a delicious moment... Aside from this the casting is also a vital part of his success. Batman Returns is a prime example. The characters are really brought to life in this film, albeit a bit unrealistic but that's what we want in his films, a bit of fairytale, they show you a new side to an actor that you had previously not considered. Danny DeVito as the Penguin and Michelle Pfeiffer as Cat Woman bring the characters to life and really explore their personalities. I don't know if this is a result of Tim Burton's vision and grooming or a projection of the actors' abilities but it becomes a regular phenomenon within his movies making them ever more pleasing to watch.

Tim Burton has a talent to completely open the viewers mind to his vision through the lens. Every aspect of the design, from visuals to soundtrack, casting to set, seems to be focused on presenting his idea in the clearest way possible. His ability to translate his vision from imagination into these well-rounded movies is a talent that one can only be jealous of.

I recommend getting lost in one of his worlds for a few hours...

Rodolphe Simeon

2 Feet in Heaven

Rodolphe Simeon has conjured up some moving photographs on his website which make up some inspirational portfolios. The photo featured above is one that particularly caught my eye. It not only shows the figure above the bottom edge of the photo, (that we usually assume to be the ground), suggesting they are floating and therefore nearer to heaven, but it also hints that the person has recently passed away. This covers the caption in two perspectives using a simple composition. Very cleverly applied, effective and clear to the observer.

Also present on the website are portraits which pose the characters to be almost fairytale like, especially apparent in the M-People and some of the Women portfolios, which have an underlying darker attitude when compared to the more subtle The Street portfolio. This reminds me of Tim Burton who has a similar style.

It impresses me how so many emotions can be created through the face of a person. Some of these photos only use a minimal amount of "special effects" in order to generate a personality from the subject material. The possibilities available from something so common to us all is really quite amazing. I personally think it's a wonder how we never get bored of looking at faces and their ever changing configurations. If you can do so much with just a face then the scope for creativity for an artist is huge.

Website is below:

http://www.m-peoplephotography.com/index.html

Old people raving in slow motion!

When you take things out of their normal environment they become funny, with a bit of help from music, costumes, slow motion and "caption-ous maxim-ous", that is...

Hell is for heroes album art

http://www.hellisforheroes.net/index.php

I came across this album and really got drawn to the technique used for illustration. The photo is taken from the view everyone is used to, whilst sitting in a car, however the windows have been used to depict images and light is blocked where the paint is used. The way the light penetrates through areas of the paint and illuminates the inside of the car creates beautiful siluettes on the fabric. In this isolated atmosphere, the car, it transforms the space into something new. The viewer can be "inside" the work of art and be surrounded by it. The flowers on the dash board also reflect colour onto the windows which makes the paint glow and the illustrations themselves are effective. It's the whole idea of transforming something ordinary into something new, a piece of art. I love the end result but wouldn't like to have it there permanently if it was my car...

Optical Illusion

When you stare at this it makes you kind of hallucinate. It's quite simple but it made me think whether other similar things can be used to suprise people or maybe used as a new form of advertising. A hidden message within an advert (sort of a magic eye) would shock the person who saw it, then probably generate interest and the idea would spread.



Link below if video doesn't work.
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=vzSRVgF501M

"I gotta have more cowbell!"

Things like this are amazing.  I watched the movie The Frighteners which stars Michael J. Fox and has this whole song on the credits.  The comedy in this clip is so simple and stupid.  When the actors don't take themselves seriously and are obviously doing this as much to make themselves laugh as anyone else it brings a new level to the delivery.  Will Ferrel is a genius.

The creation of this tacky studio and cramped set help the comedy to flow.  Putting so many key items into a small space, such as the door, cowbell, tight shirts, actors, musicians, all help to promote this ridiculous image.  The rawness and lack of professionalism help to give this clip a certain quality.  It's like a breath of fresh air when compared to the perfectly finished ads we strive for today.

 

More Cowbell - Click here for the most popular videos

Tree art

These show how the material used in a piece of art can change it's impact.  If this structure was made from something non-living it wouldn't be as impressive.  The fact that this tree has taken years to grow to this shape, or to be moulded to this shape, gives the piece more credibility and with this, I think, comes a greater respect for the piece itself.

The link between nature and art is a formula that proves to work well.  It seems that if you take nature out of its' original context then it becomes art.  Nature should be irregular and random or at least behave in a certain way.  Once we start moulding it to something different it can be considered art.  Is this true with all things?  If we set things to one purpose and display them in a unique way does this become art...?

Amazing Illusions

This photography, courtisy of
http://amazingillusions.blogspot.com/2007/07/funny-family-illusions.html, uses optical illusion to create these quirky pieces. They look like family portraits in a way due to the composition and the casual clothing used. I admire artists who think of new ways to show something you are exposed to everyday. It's not the first photograph to display this technique but the use of perspective and blank landscape help to emphasise the difference in size.

Natural Born Killers

Directed by Oliver Stone, based on the screenplay from Quentin Tarantino. This film is visually pleasing on so many levels. At points you are bombarded with blood thirsty images which seems all too familiar when associated with Quentin Tarantino however throughout the film there are elements which are truly inventive from a visual perspective.

Subtiteled words are projected onto the bodies of Mickey Knox and Mallery, played by Woody Harrelson and Juliette Lewis respectively, which interested me as it was a technique I haven't seen before. Short old film clips are also played in the background of certain scenes. I don't know if this was intended to be a projection of the serial killers mental state or just done for visual effect, either way, it worked to the films advantage I feel. The distraction makes you concentrate more on what's going on in the actual scene. The set is used to the fullest ability. If you get bored of the film you can just look at the pretty scenes and camera angles/lenses used. I doubt you will though with this film.

Throughout the film it uses commercial style footage to explain how Mickey and Mallery got to the mental state they are in. It coats the evil of their past and present in a sort of cheesy comedic romance and displays this visually through various techniques. Examples through media and sit-com style footage are used to great effect.

Aside from all the visual goodies in this film it is well worth the watch. One of those films that makes you think and keeps you entertained throughout with characters that grip you. See it if you haven't done already.

Photo of the day

Ok so there's not actually a photo a day but this blog contains a collection of photos and graphic designs which are very funny and inventive. The captions created by the blogger help to make them funny as well. Worth a gander for a few minutes if you want to be inspired.

http://photo-of-the-day1.blogspot.com/

Erawan Museum - Bangkok

Of all the museums I have visited this was definitely the weirdest in terms of architecture. It is in a small park but the most striking feature is the three-headed elephant in the middle which can be seen for miles around in the flat streets of Bangkok. Not only is this giant statue amazing to look at it has an eyrie presence when you're driving past. The proportions are perfect and it wouldn't have been a shock if it moved.

Amazing! But wait there's more. You can actually walk into the elephant! There's a small window in the side to allow you to look out. There are 3 main levels to it representing different periods and themes within religion. The base, hall (just under where the elephant stands) and then the elephant itself. The inside is beautiful, a true masterpiece, for example the middle room comprises of two main stair cases which are serpents intertwined. They are themselves surrounded by four pillars which represent the various religions. Each pillar is comprised of pictures depicting the religion and its themes.

The other rooms are as enchanting as the first and the skill in which they have been constructed are truly inspiring. The amount of detail and thought that has gone into it is amazing, definitely worth a look.

It is privately owned and I am yet to find out the Architect. I'll get back to you on who it was.

Chris Boyd

An artist whose work I stumbled across accidentally. The use of animation style is unique. The feeling of each sound seems to be expressed through visual means which attracted my interest.



He has also produced a cryptic video, supposedly with a message, but I haven't figured it out. It sparked my interest in a band named the music's new album as it is closely linked. The video was released before the album and I thought this was a clever media tool in order to market it. Whether this was the intention or not I don't know. I expect it worked positively as it seemed to keep their fan community interested and is continuing to do so.

It can be found easily on youtube if you want to try and figure it out. (search Solving Sarg Tmt)

Laurent Briet

Laurent Briet directs videos for a range of genres in music. One that stands out to me is the song What Sarah Said by a group called Death Cab for Cutie. The way in which the visuals emphasise feelings in the viewer compliments the song. Generating an emotional reaction to a video is something I find Laurent Briet accomplishes easily. The videos are ingenious and techniques used are cleverly applied.

Fashionably Uninvited by Mellowdrone was another example that impressed me. A completely different mood and style which shows the directors flexibility.

See blog: http://www.laurentbriet.com/