Voga... Voss?

this new Voga Quattro wine bottle looks an awful lot like VOSS water.
But still elegant.

Bulldog Gin

Bulldog Gin - its got asian infusions like longnan ("dragon's eye"?) - but really i love this bottle - the rugged look, yet that subtle glass collar is great. And the url looks like bulldogging almost.

Adobe CS3 Photoshop FREE!!! click here.

Photoshop user! As you have most certainly heard already, Adobe has made Photoshop CS3 available to the public as a beta release.

The bags of Bierut

A handsome and classic new identity designed by Pentagram for iconic New York retailer Saks Fifth Avenue launches on January 2, 2007. Click the title, partner Michael Bierut describes the process behind the development of an identity with more variations than there are electrons in the known universe.

blog-atrophy

I've suffered from blogger atrophy lately. However I'm doing my best to get back. I'm getting way into package design work lately and it has been totally consuming. Look out for more package design blogging here.

Brand in mind

This is a trip. it's a piece about branding and creating ads "under the influence" of subliminal messages.

Invisible bling!

Just when you thought you had seen it all... well you won't be seeing this either. In the future, there will be a way to convert our cars into hovercrafts, just so we could sail along smoothly down the main drags of our respective cities. Short of that, we'll take some 100 percent transparent two-inch thick polycarbonate wheels for our rides, like the ones a few bloggers just spied at this year's SEMA show, going on this week in Las Vegas. These amazingly sexy D'Vinci Forgiato Radurra wheels cost a cool $2,000, which will buy you a single 20-, 22-, or 24- inch wheel. Four of these will make you the coolest kid in town, for sure.
Link above.

Onoffice Magazine

onoffice takes a brand new view on the world of workplace design. All things office come under the onoffice microscope, from cutting-edge interior projects through technology and products to real human issues. onoffice takes designers, architects, facilities managers, specifiers and end users on a journey through the cosmos of commercial space, delivering piercing insight, fearless criticism and the gamut of essential knowledge that makes perfect sense of the world of work.

Dutch Design Week

This year, Design Academy Eindhoven presents an exceptionally extensive exhibition by the name of Graduation Galleries 2006. No less than 140 graduated industrial designers will show their remarkable and innovative designs to the public for the first time.

Duck Sauce

I love what the Hip Hop headz are doing to fashion and music culture. Here is one of the next evolutions of the game. Check out DUCK SAUCE, the second label of New York-based street wear brand Garbege. The brand garnered quite many attention lately, including a spot on BET. Focused on head gear only, the products incorporated flavors of Asian art into a very Western accessory - baseball caps. Even the label’s logo mimic a giant supplier of Chinese food condiments in the New York area.

We caught a preview of the second series of goods, which will launch next season. It took on even more of an Asian theme. Featuring irradiance embroidery that looked similar to patterns found on Chinese porcelains or Indian silk saffron.

Adore seating

Multifunctional Sofa is getting a lot of gaining popularity as today lifestyle and limited space.
This is a multifuntional sofa too, but it is got something more special, All functions are ready to use.
As human's behavior and their activities with the sofa is became the concept of this design. From
the angle between sitting and lay back transformed shape of this sofa.

Bu-Cha

I just like it. More info at the link above.

Diamond chair

In the East, Most People give an important to the well being life and believe in the precious object which can bring prosperity
to their family. Therefore, this design was given an important to the furniture shape which power to the felling of wealthy and
preciousness. We seek for the design which can show its value by itself. To this point, We have an idea about making a chair in
gemstone or dimond shape which is in the vein of brings prosperity to their houses. Moreover, Thailand is well known as the
land of gemstone in South East Asia.

Blinging the heat.

This radiator is much like floor heating, but with the advantages of the large surface design of a radiator. The inside of the radiator is made with tubing you find in floor heating. Floor heating tubes have triple walls to prevent heat expansion. The outside is casted with glass fiber reenforced concrete. The unique baroque decoration of the radiator is applied to expand the surface. According to Joris' tests the radiator has better heat transmission capabilities than a normal steel radiator or floor heating.

Hype This!

Here's a new secret obsession of mine easily surpassing my one day (4 hour) binge on youtube or my puzzled freakish stares at myspace. Hypediss gets right to the point and has the potential to become a valuable marketing and common man shopping tool. The site describes itself...
What is hypediss?
hypediss is the place where you can submit your favorite stories, hype or diss the stories to the top, and comment on anything you like. Since hypedisse's content is user-driven, it is up to YOU to contribute. It´s the place to love and hate, make friends or enemies.

modern man

BenQ-Siemens Black Box Concept Phone

Oops, this may be the best concept phone ever. I love this phone. This is the definition of elegance. The Dictionary says, el·e·gance (l-gns) n. Refinement, grace, and beauty in movement, appearance, or manners. Tasteful opulence in form, decoration, or presentation. Restraint and grace of style. Scientific exactness and precision.Gizmodo says "Unlike previously mentioned, BenQ is still making phones in Asia, just no longer in the German market. This is one of the concept phones being worked on—the Black Box. No keypads, no buttons, just a big ass touchscreen."

modern man

Best phone concept yet.

Nokia is taking our gadget-fondling addiction one step further with its concept Aeon phone. The cell phone ditches a traditional keypad for a touchscreen display you can caress with your delicate fingers. It's different than Nokia's previous keyless phone and seems like it'd make less of a bulk in your front pocket than Synaptics' Onyx phone we wrote about last week. The Aeon is still a concept phone, however, so Apple still has time to steal their thunder with an iPhone of their own

Thicke is the intellegent man's Timberlake

It is the long awaited and in my camp greatly debated release. But I'm glad it's here. R&B has taken a dive and looks like it's down for the count. Thicke comes along in the blue-eyed soul vain and brings the sweet, sultry, under appreciated heat. It's really good music, even if it often feels like a subcategory to "real" soul. This effort pushes just enough of the pop buttons to give it a wider appeal. Although a little less rocky turn funky than the previous releases Robin definitely put it down on this one. He has joined forces with Pharrell Williams of the Star Track Label to make it all smoothly happen. Thicke is found "mercin'" (see throwing down) with the likes of Lil Wayne and Mary J. Blige and standing his ground. Set your phasers to chill and enjoy this one.
modern man

Higher Breed

Guys love cars. I love cars that aren't here yet, does that make me a man in waiting. Thanks to the good guys over at Gizmodo I can always find the latest future tense auto-lust.
Our hybrid fetish lives on, especially for the Citroen C-Metisse Diesel Hybrid Sports Car that'll be rolled out at this year's International Motor Show in Paris. This four-door rocket is powered by a 205hp diesel V-6 engine and two electric motors, one on each rear wheel. That combo delivers pretty good numbers, too: 0-to-62 mph in 6.2 seconds at a top speed of 155mph, all the while sipping the fuel at just 42 miles per gallon.

While we probably won't be seeing a car like this on these shores or anywhere else anytime soon—yeah, it's a concept car—these design exercises will likely bear fruit somewhere, somehow. Plus, we're really digging those four gull-wing doors, inviting a quartet of lucky riders to jump in and hit the triple miles-per-hour digits. Someday. – Charlie White
Link
modern man

VW gets a second wind

Most early VW's were named after winds like the Golf and Sirrocco, and now they've brewed up a new powerful one.
Even in colour, with its Viper Green metallic paint, the Iroc harks back to the Scirocco, where this exact shade was available in the 1976 model range. The Iroc has distinctive dimensions, with a very long roof and steeply sloping rear, which not only gives it an aggressive and sporting appearance, it also liberates space in the back for two adults plus luggage.

The design of the Iroc is distinctive and eye-catching. It uses a Volkswagen 'face' which is not yet common to other vehicles in the range, though the honeycomb-shaped structure of the radiator grille is undoubtedly a link to the Golf GTI. Another notable feature is the lack of obvious A pillars, due to the wide windscreen which overlaps them at the front.

Inside, the Iroc has four seats, as well as a spacious boot of 300 litres, which can be increased if the rear seats are folded down. Despite this practicality, the Iroc has been clearly designed inside as a sports car, with features such as front bucket seats and integrated five-point seat belts with central buckle.

modern man

Cars Bazaar

If the editors of Wallpaper magazine were fueled by testosterone and traded thier Prada for Perelli it would be Intersection Magazine. This mag is simply sublime, it is what a car rag should be. The pages are loaded with bespoke autos and concept vehicles that go way beyond what's hot for next fall. That's whats up.
modern man

Calatrava/Atlanta, now three times real fast.

Come to Papa, finally one of my favorite designers is breaking ground in the ATL. Santiago Calatrava has been rumored to have some form of his architecture in Atlanta for years. But now I have got to get down with the symphony just to experience it. The new Atlanta Symphony Center will provide the first dedicated concert hall and educational facility in the 60-year history of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, an ensemble that enjoys international prominence under Music Director Robert Spano and Principal Guest Conductor Donald Runnicles. The building, a key element in the evolving campus expansion of the Woodruff Arts Center, will create a vital civic and economic resource for Atlanta and an exciting, modern symbol of the State of Georgia. Now none of the guy I roll with dig the symphony, but I'm there.
modern man

I Phone, I Talk, I Chat...

Lately Apple has been all action and no talk. And normally that would be a good thing. With all the bangin' new products they are offering. But in this instance I want talk, all talk. Steve Jobs, where's my phone? I've done Nokia, Samsung and Treo to name a few, but none of them want to get down with my Mac. They just don't play well with Apple. And don't get me started about the interface whacknness. Maybe it's a guy thing, you know boys and their toys... But hey, I am not alone in this. Legions of "fan-boys" have resorted to all means of desperate measures, blogging - ad nuaseum, starting rumors and bold face lying about this non-existing product. The geekiest expression of all of this has to be the hours spent creating 3-d renderings and full blown almost broadcast quality commercials (see above, this one's flawless). What is Apple waiting for? Imagine as a guy women wanting you soooo bad that they lie to other women about you, they create powerpoint presentations about your unseen wonders and then they create full scale replicas of you to show off and adore the mere thought of you one day popping up. Wow, can I get an iPhone cologne? It seems to me Apple is busy "not just doing nothing" creating the best possible product. They don't always hit the mark, but they often hit the ball clear out of the park! I just want this one really bad. In the meantime I'll placate myself with building my to scale model of the iPhone complete with widgets and Apple application dock.
modern man

Are you that guy?

Now that I clearly see "40" land I've begun to wonder who am I? Am I that guy? To old for the club. I don't go clubbing any more, I've been bored with that scene since my late 20's. But can I go to the club and still fit? Or would I be that old guy in the club. How does this happen? When do you become that guy? I mean we have had great emissaries, the likes of Johnny Depp, Brad Pitt (minus Angelina) and a few others who have hit the 40 mark unscathed and doing some of their best work. I've heard rumors of 40 being the new twenty, but am I just keenly aware of this sort of talk. Granted I find my life better that ever. I have more money, more knowledge, more vacations, more respect, more meaningful work and more fun than any point in my life. But where is that slip? When does one find himself in the proverbial Gremlin car wearing tight ass trousers using dated slang. Maybe the lucid realization that there is such a place prevents an oblivious romp into the land of tight ass pants. Today’s culture is so guided and decided by design and visual presence. It’s tough for a guy to know who is to himself, let alone what the rest of the world sees him as. I’ve come to the conclusion that no matter what “Guy” you are be the f*ck out of that guy. Be the punk! Be the hood! Be the mullet! What I mean by this is if you are the fashion fan-boy, rock that sh*t homey. What I find is, it’s the character and that honesty that people truly dig. If you are the crouch crunch kinda guy, then do you, you have nothing, literally to hide.
modern man

Modern Man: Trade it for the World

As we near the five year anniversary of the 9/11 tragedy in the U.S. I’ve begun to rethink the events of that day. A good friend of mine was married atop one of those towers and I happened to be with that same guy on that day in 2001. We were in New York for a work project with Levi’s and were having a hectic but nice time. I have always loved the city and my travails through the dense urbane and manic lushness. This visit was different from the start. I had absolutely no desire to go to New York. And remember it’s pre-9/11, so the airport here in Atlanta, Georgia, though the worlds busiest was still relatively efficient and you certainly didn’t have to remove your shoes to get on the plane. The trip was absolutely free and the fellas I was rolling with did everything big, I mean top-shelf! The company I was working with was at the time one of the hottest urban agencies in the country. (In 2001 urban was still an advertising industry buzz word for African American) So that meant we literally got paid for doing cool shit, pushing hip and confounding the hell out of the suits in corporate America. I mean these dudes were getting loot for things like deep crate diving for the best old school hip-hop tracks for commercials, Writing the core brand language for Sprite and cluing the mega-companies in to what music was next to hit the streets. This trip to New York would be no different. We were in the flyest hotel on Forty Second Street (they actually have bronze Kaws statues that flank the lobby doors). We were putting together a concert featuring the Roots ® for Levi’s(TM) at the B.B. King© Blues Club. How cool was that... However, I loathed the thought of being there. Something was looming. Now I’m not claiming any psychic ability here, all I’m saying is I felt sick the entire trip. The morning of the show that just happened to be scheduled for September 11th 2001. I was sleeping off a night of nervous tension offset by a few drinks, gut busting laughter and the type of acid joke cracking only found in the “hood”. My hard shell sleep was cracked open by intent knuckles rapping on my door. I responded with a pissed off Fred Sanford type of grimy “WHAT!” It was Stan, “Hey man look out the window.” His urgency caused me to leap up, snatch the curtains back and get my retinas sun-blasted. I saw nothing but early morning Broadway. I was like, man what the...? Stanley shouted, “your on the wrong side of the building, run down to my room!” Once inside his room I saw it. My jaw loosened and lowered. My breathing stopped. Not certain what I was looking at I ask in disbelief, “what am I looking at... why is there a hole in that building?” They explained. We watched simultaneously through the window and on the television where it somehow seemed more real. I watched the second plane zero in on the tube and turned my head a slow 90 degrees and saw the explosion with my bare eyes... The rest lives in infamy and memory. It’s still strange to me that I was actually there. I’m reshaped but I know not yet the form.


Leslie Robertson was Chief Engineer, on the World Trade Center building and subsequently the one people tried to blame for it’s collapse. His design was brilliant and has been proven in no way liable. He is back at work.
modern man

I went wild

I Loved the the Outkast flick Idlewild. The story is well written, the cinematography was sublime and the texture of the film itself was mind-blowing! Director Bryan Barber got it all right. Big Boi and Dre, though not trained actor held up well. A movie well worth seeing that you won't forget anytime soon!

Ernest Cline: Dance, Monkeys, Dance

Life according to Ernest Cline. I'm a person who really believes most people think waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay to much of themselves. This video for me spoke volumes. I don't know anything about Ernest Cline, but I love the statement he's making here. So the next time some of you son of a guns get heady and start thinking this blog is about you, well just dance, monkey, dance.

Sway and Swagger

Swagger is quickly becoming one of those tragically overused verbs that I never thought would be applicable when discussing a female subject at length. No-chauvinist on me, but it has always come across as being reserved for slick-talking, crotch-grabbing fly guys who could pass gas and make that shit sound hot on record. However, as weary as I have become of the word which conveys the all important iller-than-thou demeanor, it's exactly what comes to mind when I heard Kelis' new album this past thursday night, and she does it better than ALL of the ladies, and 99.9% of the fellas in the game right now.

This is brilliant!

Stephon Marbury is launching a $14.99 sneaker. Seriously, folks, while Jordans may indeed be overpriced, the Marbury shoe carries a lower pricepoint than Shaq's (K-mart) shoe! These shoes would most definitely kill an industry that's already taken some serious body blows thanks to the explosion in popularity of flip-flops, aka a shoe with a less than $10 average pricepoint. (Not to mention that outside of Air Force One and Jordan, the baskteball footwear category specifically right now is bordering on stick-a-fork territory.)

http://www.starbury.com/

Bookstore babes

No longer just the world’s ‘workroom’, China is rapidly becoming an international hot spot with a growing middle class hungry for western luxuries and comforts. Beijing kids are the latest to be treated to some western style indulgence with Kids Republic, a children’s bookstore that transports it’s pint sized customers into a delightful fairytale world full of color and fantasy – complete with massive story telling screens and play areas. It’s haven for little imaginations in the heart of one of the biggest cities in the world.

I'm inspired

[First things first, click the pic to see it bigger] Kehinde Wiley is an LA native, that holds a SF Art Institute BFA and Yale MFA - and Gen Art Pulse just did quite the e-newsletter on him (which by the way, is one of the only newsletters these days i actually look forward to!). He’s found a niche in bringing the back the glory days of paintings where you imortalize men and women in larger than life gold framed paintings… they were big in the days of kings, and even just a few generations back (there are even quite a few of these at the family house in asia of my grand/great-grand parents)… you know the type - you’ve seen them in any art history and history class. Wiley has put a spin on them and brought this grandeur back to the modern day, imortalizing important Black figures in our lives today in a similar style - but with that modern flair that jumps out so nicely at you. He’s was even comissioned to do the portraits of all the VH1 Hip Hop Honor Honorees in 2005. Its really beautiful breathtaking work - and the idea is pretty sweet. Pity that his work doesn’t cover other people as well! But maybe it will be a start to help inspire others to take on the old school portrait styles and reinvent them for today.

Messy organizer

This is the new “organizer” (perhaps its more a mess-pile-maker?) called Harry, designed by Reinhard Schmoelzer for Mocha It comes in two sizes, and an array of colors, and is basically your catchall in the form of a mess of maleable wires ready to do your bidding. So bend away - have a cluster everywhere, put many together and have a wall to suspend all your crap… or toothbrushes… or tech… or jewelry… so versatile! Fun idea.

Tees me

Who needs screenprinting? Not the folks at the San Francisco based label, Lemon Twist. They have these hand-(spray) painted tshirts that are sort of 80s, sort of DIY, and cooler than those airbrush tshirts from the 80s & 90s.

Temporary Target

When Target decides to step it up a notch or ten, it is apparently no joke. With their new Go International collections, every month there is a new famous designer collection at ridiculously low prices ~ and their third collection is by Parisian Paul+Joe’s Sophie Albou, available only from Aug1-31st. While only partial collections are available at your standard Target stores, the FULL collection is available in at the Target Pop Up Boutique on the corner of Melrose Place and La Cienega.

Aluminium minimalism

Ohh this is a great chair.

Made of aluminum with a powder coating, stackable and available in 186 colors, mat or glossy.

Designer: Alexandre Berthiaume

Seating pretty

Yes, it's a chair. Kind of hard to absorb at first, but then you get used to it. I think it's beautiful, and most likely worth every penny (if you've got that many pennies to spare).

"an interesting and original piece that is signed by the designer, veryround is a masterpiece in technological construction. it is made of a single .08" thick steel sheet frame which is cut by a three-dimensional laser, colored white and varnished for outdoor use."

Try Dry

Seattle-based DRY Soda offers four flavors of "culinary" soda that were created to be paired with food—a strategy similar to that of Modern Spirits Vodka.
One of the first things you notice about DRY sodas is the aroma of the four flavors, which is pleasant and not overwhelming. The sodas are caffeine free, very lightly sweetened with cane sugar, flavored with natural fruit and herb extracts and weigh in at a guilt free 50-70 calories. The packaging and bottles are also nicely designed

Gnotorious B.I.G.

This one’s hot off the press! Remember that hot mashup The Grey Album by DJ Dangermouse which featured Jay-Z vocals over Beatles tunes? In an ironic twist, the DJ duo who goes by the name Sound Advice, have chopped and screwed Gnarls Barkley tracks together with the lyrics of the Notorious B.I.G. The result is a mashup album called The Gnotorious Gnarls Biggie. The tracks have been removed several times from MySpace, but can now be listened to at Gnotorious.com. There’s no telling how long this site will be up, as I’m sure the record labels are having a fit over this one. Listen now while you still can.
www.Gnotorious.com

The Bipedestrian

The folks at Xylon Bikes are going old skool with this range of wooden frames for your two wheeler. The designs are made of wood and beautifully finished to add a retro feel to the frame work. The four designs, Cell, Oll, Klassic and Singera differ from one another so that you could purchase all four and flash a new design each day. If you happen to be a bike fashion connoisseur, just add wooden clogs and your Heidi on a bike!