Category Archives: Stuff We Like

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Iguazu Neon System

Iguazu Neon Cool Lamp DesignNeon Hanging Lamp Cool Design IguazuThe other night I walked into my friends’ new apartment and hanging over the dining room table was this very unique and striking lamp which I had never seen before. I have to say that these product photos don’t really do it justice. Granted, it may not be for everyone, and it’s a little bright to look at straight on, but there’s something very simple and yet almost sculptural about it. The Iguazu Neon System is designed by the Iris Design Studio. The lamp incorporates an energy-saving fluorescent circline bulb which, being cold neon light, makes it easy to touch and reposition as necessary.

Available here.

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Architypeture: Part II

Typography in Architecture Lowther Children's CentreTypography in Architecture Multiple ExamplesClick to enlarge
Row by row; left to right: Lowther Children’s Centre, London, Patel Taylor Architects. 7 World Trade Center, NYC, Michael Gericke, Pentagram. The Marion Cultural Centre by ARM + Phillips/Pilkington. Artwork for the Indianapolis Airport, Indiana, Joe C. Nicholson. Fairmont Pacific Rim Hotel, Vancouver, Canada, Liam Gillick; words say “Lying on top of a building, the clouds looked no nearer than when I was lying in the street.” British Library main gates, Cambridge, UK, Cardozo Kindersley Workshop. Grey Group, NYC, Paula Scher, Pentagram. Lincoln Center steps, “Welcome” in multiple languages, Diller Scofidio + Renfro. U.S.-Canada border crossing station at Massena, NY, Michael Bierut, Pentagram (has since been taken down.)

Typography in Architecture Pentagram Design

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Row by row; left to right: New York Times Building Signage, NYC, Michael Bierut, Pentagram. Symphony Space, NYC, Paula Scher, Pentagram. 770 Broadway awning, Paula Scher, Pentagram. Harley Davidson Museum, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Michael Bierut, Pentagram. Bloomberg Building, NYC, Paula Scher, Pentagram. Container Mall (proposed design) NYC, LOT-EK. APAP Open School, Korea, LOT-EK. Bohen Foundation, NYC, LOT-EK. Lignan Studio renovation, LOT-EK. PS1 Museum of Art, Queens, NY (not sure of designer.) Museum Tower, Dallas, Texas, Scott Johnson, Johnson Fain Architects, photo from williamedia’s photostream. Wales Millenium Centre, Cardiff, South Wales, Jonathan Adams, Capita Architecture, photo from iwouldstay’s photostream.

As promised, here is a second roundup of architecture and typography merged into one (see Part I). Pentagram has a large representation here, as does Lot-ek, possibly because many of their projects are in NYC and I am personally familiar with them, but it’s more likely because their websites happen to be chock-full of these beautiful projects. Lot-ek’s use of type and color on their projects feel a little like Freitag bags on steroids. I love it.

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Architypeture: Part I

Architecture Typography Lentos Art MuseumClick images to enlarge
Left to right, row by row: Lentos Art Museum, Linz, Austria, Weber & Hofer Architects. Caltrans District 7 Headquarters, LA and Cooper Union, NYC, both Thom Mayne, Morphosis, typography on Cooper Union was done in collaboration with Abbott Miller, Pentagram. Parsons The New School for Design, NYC, Lyn Rice Architects; exterior awning photo: Michael Moran. Interior auditorium acoustic graphic photo: Noah Sheldon.

Architecture Typography Ali Tayar Thom Mayne Why Not Associates Chermayeff & Geismar

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Left to right, row by row: PopBurger, NYC, Ali Tayar, Parallel Design. The Alembic door, Oliver DiCicco. 9 West 57th St. sculpture, Chermayeff & Geismar. UCSF, University of California, San Francisco. Minneart Building, Utrecht University, The Netherlands, Neutelings Riedijk Architects. University of Toronto, Graduate Student Housing, Thom Mayne, Morphosis. Hackney Empire theater extension, London, Tim Ronalds Architects. Blackpool Climbing Tower, Blackpool, England, Why Not Associates with Gordon Young. Tam O’ Shanter Pub Steps in Ayr, Verse from Burns’ Whisky, Why Not Associates with Gordon Young. G Hotel, Ireland, Philip Treacy Architects. Koninklijke Bibliotheek (Library in The Hague, Netherlands), designed by Wim Quist (?).

Nothing really comes up when you google “architypeture” other than the recently scooped up domain name, but I’ve decided to use it here as the fusion of architecture and typography, especially when successfully and beautifully rendered. I don’t think there is a designated term for this, but there should be. Architypeture is possibly one of my favorite things, and I don’t do favorites lightly. This is Part 1 of two posts (the second will follow shortly) showing examples of typography wonderfully incorporated into architecture; in some cases on the exteriors of the buildings and in other cases, the interiors. All names and credits that I was able to find (mostly of the projects and architects, a few of the photographers) have been listed with their corresponding links. If someone knows any credits that have been omitted, please feel free to let me know in the comments.

(See Part II here)

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MoMA Design Studio

MoMA Design Studio Typography Super GraphicsMoMA Design Studio Typography GraphicsMoMA Design TypographyLiving in NYC and loving art and design makes the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) a natural frequent destination for us. I have always appreciated the graphics in the museum but noticed in the past few years that they have become more prominent with a boldness and emphasis on typography that is hard to ignore in a good way. I have to admit to having been lured into the occasional exhibit based on the beautiful supergraphic on the wall outside, much in the way that I would pick up a book based on its beautiful cover.

The team behind the graphics is the MoMA Design Studio with Julia Hoffmann (who previously worked at Pentagram with Paula Scher) as the creative director, and whose work I’ve admired for years. Her presence along with the rest of the designers is definitely felt, from the museum’s walls to its printed materials. You should check out the studio’s site to see more of their fabulous work.

via swissmiss

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Hans Kotter

Hans Kotter Light Sculptures The TunnelHans Kotter Light Sculptures LEDs Cool installationsClick to enlarge

Yes, it’s true. I’m consistently drawn to art that uses colored light, light bulbs, or LEDs. I’ve liked it for as long as I can remember. When I was younger the big attraction was neon, and I dreamed of having a neon sign on the wall of my room. Later, the discovery of Dan Flavin’s colored fluorescent bulb sculptures was very exciting and in the last ten years or so I’ve become a big fan of James Turrell’s work. So it’s not all that surprising that I should post about other artists working in the same medium as I come upon their work. And, just like paint, these artists all create quite different effects and artworks.

Hans Kotter, a German artist, falls in this group of light sculpture artists. Really nice work. It appears from his site that he will be exhibiting work next week at Design Miami Basel and he was recently a part of the Kinetica Art Fair in London where he exhibited his Tunnel View piece (top photo).

You can see more of Hans Kotter’s work here and here.

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Folder Chair

Folder Chair Vladimir ParipovicThe Folder Chair, designed by the Serbian architect Vladimir Paripovic, is made of thin steel panels and beech wood for the seat. It has a side pocket that can hold books or magazines, or anything else you’d like to put in there, and is perfect for small spaces due to its compact size. It’s actually more of a stool than a chair. Great way to brighten up a room!

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Rainbow City and High Line Too (Two)

Rainbow City Friends With You High Line NYCFriends With You Rainbow City High Line AOLClick to enlarge

The pop-up plaza, deemed The Lot, at 30th Street and 10th Avenue is just as promised. Rainbow City, the interactive balloon installation by Friends With You is cute, fun, kid-friendly and adult-silly. It feels a little like being on a real-life Candy Land game board with a hipster twist. The food section (The Lot On Tap) with its tables nicely angled to be parallel with the High Line above it, and stylish hanging lights, food trucks, large bar and container ticket booth, is all very appealing and I can imagine will be hugely popular in the evenings and weekends.

For me, the true star, once again, is the High Line. It’s hard to believe that they could top the original section, but in some ways I think they might have. Much more seating is available and incorporated very creatively and elegantly. There’s a coziness due to the proximity to the adjacent buildings (which might get a little claustrophobic on a crowded weekend) and there are many romantic little branches, or cul-de-sacs, throughout which work very nicely. Oh, and a lawn! A decent size lawn for NYC standards.

Definitely worth a visit, or three, this summer. Rainbow City is up through July 5, 2011, and Colicchio & Sons’ The Lot On Tap will continue through the summer. Open Sundays through Wednesdays from 11am to 10pm, and till 11pm Thursdays through Saturdays.

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Juan Astasio: 100 Smiles Project

100 Smiles Project Graphic Design Student Yale100 Smiles Project Yale Graphic Design Michael Bierut ClassI saw the charming, funny, and smart Juan Astasio (who just finished his MFA in Graphic Design at Yale) speak last night at the AIGA Fresh Blood event. Many of Astasio’s projects combine a playful wit with an interesting interactive aspect. The photos above are from his 100 Days project (I believe this is a Michael Bierut assignment) called 100 Smiles. Juan made a smile a day from found objects, every day for 100 days and photographed each one. They have all been placed on a website and scroll to the song Always Look on the Bright Side of Life by Eric Idle.

The rest of his site is worth checking out as well. Some of my favorites include: Issues, a personal project showing our insensitivity towards powerfully disturbing images; One Minute of Silence Project where you can write epitaphs for things you’ve lost; and Weather Escapes.

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Rolling Bridge: Heatherwick Studio

Heatherwick architects Rolling Bridge London Paddington BridgeHeatherwick Rolling Bridge Architecture Paddington BridgeHeatherwick Studio is probably best known, recently that is, for their spectacular Shanghai Expo UK Pavilion which, quite deservedly, received a lot of attention. We are also familiar with their impressive staircase at the Longchamps store in Soho, NY but, all their projects are worth checking out. The Rolling Bridge at the Paddington Basin in London is no exception.

Completed in 2004, Heatherwick’s challenge was to design a pedestrian bridge to span an inlet providing an access route for pedestrians while at the same time lifting to allow access for the boats in the inlet.

From the Heatherwick website:
The aim was to make the movement the extraordinary aspect of the bridge. A common approach to designing opening bridges is to have a single rigid element that fractures and lifts out of the way. Rolling Bridge opens by slowly and smoothly curling until it transforms from a conventional, straight bridge, into a circular sculpture which sits on the bank of the canal.
The structure opens using a series of hydraulic rams integrated into the balustrade. As it curls, each of its eight segments simultaneously lifts, causing it to roll until the two ends touch and form a circle. The bridge can be stopped at any point along its journey.

You can watch a video of the bridge in action here. To see it open live, you need to be there any Friday at midday.

via our buddy Nils!

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Marimekko & Converse: Fall 2011

Marimekko and Converse Sneakers Fall 2011 PatternsMarimekko_Converse Collaboration Fall 2011NOW we’re talking! Can’t tell you how disillusioned we were with the last round of the Converse/Marimekko collaboration. Such a great idea, but such a disappointing selection of patterns. This time around, with the announcement of their Fall 2011 line, (in our humble opinion) they really got it right.

The collection will be available in stores and online at Converse on June 23rd.

via notcouture via Nylon

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Arthur Collani Chair

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I’m not sure how I ended up finding this Collani Chair from the 1950s, but I really love it. Apparently these were a do-it-yourself design by Arthur Collani published in the January 1952 edition of Home Craftsman magazine. It’s definitely not sleek, but it’s got so much character and, having grown up with different three-legged chairs, I have an appreciation for them.

Available at MondoCane.

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Rainbow City at the High Line

U P D A T E : See our post-visit post here for the latest on Rainbow City.

This looks like fun! Em just read about this upcoming event on the Friends With You  site (you may be familiar with their collaborations with KidRobot, among other things.) In celebration of the opening of the second section of the High Line, FriendsWithYou (sponsored by AOL) will be showcasing their forty piece installation Rainbow City.

FriendsWithYou presents a vibrant collection of mutable, air-filled sculptures. Inaugurating in the art district of Chelsea during the month of June, this will be FWY’s first large-scale installation in New York City. This happy city is made up of intensely colored balloon pieces, encouraging visitors to be active and explore the giant 16,000 square foot playground. Built for adults and children alike, the installation allows for interaction with each art object, making the experience unforgettable.

According to the article in the New York Times, the installation is part of a “pop-up plaza” at 30th Street and Tenth Avenue. There will be a 350-seat bar run by Colicchio & Sons, as well as a variety of fashionable food trucks offering a range of edibles from lobster rolls to ice cream.

The installation and festivities open on Wednesday, June 8th, 2011 and run through July 5th. Worth checking out for sure.

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SOFTlab

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In my next life, I want to work at SOFTlab. These guys look like they have a great time doing everything they do. And what they do is everything. For them “a good idea does not discriminate between any medium or any type of project, it just works for everything.” That includes design of furniture, a website, a brand, a video, a gallery installation, a store display, and pretty much anything else that can be designed. Their approach is to make design customizable; it should allow for change, or growth, and be adaptable.

Just visiting their site is an immensely entertaining experience beginning with the computer animated video on their home page. Unknowingly, I was already familiar with (and a fan of) some of their work such as the colorful taped projection mapping of the New Museum as part of Festival of Ideas for the New City.

Above are just four of SOFTlab’s projects.
From top to bottom: CHROMAtex.me, a site specific installation for the bridgegallery, LES, New York. Photos: Alan Tansey
(n)arcissus, a site specific installation for NODE10 at the Frankfurter Kunsteverein in Frankfurt, Germany. Photos: Marius Watz.
POLYP.lux, a hanging installation for School Nite, part of the Festival of Ideas for the New City, NYC. Photos: Alan Tansey
CHROMAesthesiae, an installation for Devotion Gallery in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Photos: Alan Tansey

There are plenty more interesting projects on their website.

via fourthfifthdesign

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TOMA

The Montreal company TOMA “takes hold of daily living with a dash of humor and a hint of cunning” in their approach to designing their household objects, as well as adhering to a green philosophy. I find their InsideOut series especially appealing. Shown above, clockwise from top left corner:

Concrete Bootwear tiles, footwear mats made of concrete and fiberglass.
Cork Trivets, also available in wood.
Earrings, laser cut from black acrylic, also available in red or transparent colors.
Accessory hangers, for keeping belts, scarves, and umbrellas in the same place.

See the rest of TOMA’s products here.

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Leo Villareal

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After seeing some of Leo Villareal’s work online, I went over to the Gering & Lopez gallery the other day to see his current show called Volume. The solo exhibit is mainly comprised of the pieces in the top two images: Cylinder and Cube. Cylinder takes up a whole room and is quite impressive, measuring 12ft tall and 9ft in diameter. Made up of white LEDs and mirror finished stainless steel, it’s like your own, personal (I was the only one in the gallery at the time) fireworks show contained within a cylinder. I realized later that he was also the man behind the sparkler-like windows at BAM two or three years ago that were very intriguing at the time.

As much as I liked the few works in the gallery, I would love to see one of his larger shows such as the one at the San Jose Museum of Art which, (based on the photos), looks like it included beautiful colored light panels that are the sort of pieces I imagine Rothko would have created had he had LEDs to play with. Really lovely work and probably even more so in person with the changes in lighting and movement; the complete experience.

Another big project (possibly one of his largest) is Multiverse (bottom left image) at the National Gallery of Art, in Washington DC, through the Concourse walkway. You can see a video here.

All photos are from Gering & López’s site, as well as Leo Villareal’s and Conner Contemporary Art.

The exhibit Volume is up at Gering & Lopez through June 25, 2011.