New logo design for one classy improv comedy group. The identity brief stated that it needed to be “Sleek, modern, but not Web 2.0 … possibly inspired by Art Deco. Flexible, creative, giving the idea of a dome without being slavishly literal. Fits with the slogan, Colorful inside.”
Any & all critiques eagerly desired!
So, as usual, I’m about 4 years behind the stick here. I just got back from vacation with my family (best vacation ever), where we channel-surfed our way through the majority of Sofia Coppola’s 2006 film, Marie Antoinette. Opinions were mixed (I liked a lot about it, others didn’t), but I knew when I got home I’d need to check out the soundtrack.
It’s a winner. Coppola uses New Wave, post-punk, and electronic music to create an atmosphere that — in my opinion — does a much better job of capturing the subjective feel of the time than any assemblage of period songs could do. But then I like a little intentional anachronism. Forsooth. (Remember, this is coming from a guy who loves A Knight’s Tale.)
Anyway. Enough of my jabber. I pulled the soundtrack together on Grooveshark. Take a listen. If you don’t have the time for all of it, I’d recommend especially:
Hopefully you’ll enjoy it as much as I have.
Flight 7 is here. Well, I guess I know what I’m spending my allowance on this month.
That and a $20 set of Sony headphones. (Great sound & value, by the way.)
(By K. Beaton, via The Casual Optimist.)
Smashing Magazine has a LONG article in ranging interview format on the meaning of art, both in general and specifically as relates to the digital age.
I didn’t finish it, since I’m at the beach right now and the last thing I want to do is stare at a computer screen, but the half of it I did read was thought-provoking. Check it out!
The best movie I’ve seen in a long time. If you pulled away all the special effects, you could make the same movie on a college film project budget, and have it be just as incredible. That, in these heady days of 3D special-effectsaganzas, is some good news.
I’m not saying any more than that, except this: go see it.
Sometimes different cities throughout history have acted as acupuncture points for change and movements. Art movements in particular are place-based; there needs to be an aggregate of talent in the same place, collaborating and supporting each other. A handful of beat poets, a community of French impressionists, a clan of talented musicians…
These pockets and subcultures of artists have proved to be very important influences on our modern thoughts, worldviews and paradigms. It feels as though Washington DC is coming to that kind of moment in time; the conversations are pivotal, the polices and decisions made here have international impact. A lot of eyes are on this city right now… and there is a space and need for an increase of artists here, and I think many people feel it. Many people in DC have communicated to me their desire to have more artists and people of the creative class to be here. People ask me all the time, “How can we get more of you here?”
So what if we made this a reality? What if the District of Columbia intentionally created the conditions for an infiltration of artists to come here to work and create, even if it were for a short period of time? I’ve talked to many artists who said that right now, for the first time in their lives, they would consider moving to DC to do their work and contribute to its fabric… on one level, it’s all a matter of logistics and finding a uniquely affordable place to live. On another, its about our vision for what can become and our creativity in making it be.
I would LOVE to see the District and community manifest this opportunity to create a historical moment in time where it created a voice changed history and culture for the better… but a city can’t do that without a strong community of artists. Artists amplify who we are and where we are going. What better time to do that right now, than in Washington DC?
What would happen if 10,000 artists moved to Washington DC for a 6 month commitment? How would our world change?
— Christen Lien
(From a recent interview on ReadysetDC with Christen Lien)
I’ve added a Facebook “Like” button to this here blog. If you think something is cool, now you don’t have to go to all the laborious work of clicking “Comment,” coming up with a comment, and commenting. You can just “Like.”
Isn’t that much better? If yes, click below.
//EDIT: See? I knew it.
Some good writing here. (Really.)
Amazingly smart. To attract Molecular Biology students, Aarhus University created a brochure that could only be read through a microscope.
Their applications went up 67%.
