April 2013
2 posts
4 tags
Dutch Designers With Long Names Visit NYC
You know when something is so easy for you to do, you never end up doing it? Such as exploring more of where you came from, or meeting up with someone who lives around the corner? Last week I finally got the chance to see Amsterdam based Rob van den Nieuwenhuizen (aka Drawswords) and Barbara Hennequin give a lecture at the Pratt Grad Studio.
Almanak
Drawswords
Barbara Hennequin
Amsterdam, The...
3 tags
Let me tell you a story about OFFSET 2013
Or rather, lucky attendees had a choice of forty-two of them this past weekend at the creative conference OFFSET in Dublin. A lot of conferences nowadays set out a theme or a topic to the event. At some stage (ba-dum-dum..pun) or another, we can all run out of things to say and talk about.
OFFSET – like Build (coincidentally also in Ireland) or Brooklyn Beta (coincidentally also beginning with B)...
March 2013
1 post
3 tags
What is the meaning of a Tumble?
Oh-ho-ho-ooooh. Everybody was kung-fu tweeting, those statuses were fast as lightning. In fact it was a little bit frightning. It was Social Media Week in New York a while back. This is where for one week you can tell exactly who to avoid in the city because they introduce themselves as “ninjas”, “gurus” or “disrupters”.
At Ogilvy, David Karp, founder and CEO...
January 2013
1 post
2 tags
Keeping It Off
Being a girl is hard. We think about how shit we look ALL THE TIME. Even when you’re feelin’ fly, getting ready and blasting Missy Elliot, one bad glance in the mirror can throw you off. Myself and my friend were recently discussing how much we hate ourselves. If you’re a guy, you may think I’m exaggerating here. If you’re a girl, well, you know what I mean.
How is...
December 2012
4 posts
2 tags
Literary & Heart-Shaped Shit-Shows
I’m not going to try and write a decent introduction of where I’m going with this post, but trust me, it goes somewhere. Hint: it’s about books.
Bluestockings
172 Allen Street
New York
When I was younger – probably before the Internet came to Cobh – I used to be obsessed with reading. I’d read fairly quickly, a book every day or two. I used to head into our library, who...
I have a habit of listening to songs repeatedly...
3 tags
SoHoHoHo
My plan was to write one post per place/event/activity I ended up doing in New York. One day after deciding that, I’m failing already. So, today I’m going to recap a mish-mash of what I got up to.
I like how in New York a Sunday can start off with no particular plan and naturally lead you to a nicely full day. I began by learning in Victoria’s Secret that I’ve been...
2 tags
Just A Small Town Girl
Introducing a new tag to the blog - New York. I’ve moved again. I swear, this time I’m going to let the dust settle. I might even hang picture frames. Get a magazine subscription. All that homely stuff.
After an incredibly memorable year in Amsterdam – where I made some of the best friends of my life (whom I’m persuading to move here too) – I’ve now become a New Yorker....
October 2012
2 posts
2 tags
Conor & David (& Sue)
Conor & David is a studio located in and full of Dublin charm, characterised by attention to detail, sharp wit and great taste… and wait until you hear about their work. Oh, you. The guys were very kind to offer a desk and were as generous as George Clooney with their Nespresso machine recently.
Conor & David
68 Dame Street
Dublin 2, Ireland
Let’s bask in the glow of the...
3 tags
Food, glorious design!
We care what it looks like - kerned! Underdone! Crude! Ahem, sorry for the Oliver Twist. Founded by Julian Roberts in 2001, Irving & Co. create absolute feasts for the eyes. Their design is so tasty I feel like licking the label and buying a jar of olives, and God do I hate olives.
Irving & Co
London, United Kingdom
What stood out for me about Irving & Co. was the personal approach...
September 2012
4 posts
1 tag
Brand New Conference
“Art is culture, and culture, well, it’s not really my friend. I think the problem with culture for me is that it provides rules and myths according to which we all repeat ourselves. If design is to be useful for business, to play a positive role in the economy, I feel it should cut all links with art.”
Miles Newlyn
Dang, that quote got me. Must admit I haven’t paid for...
2 tags
MailChimp: a [do what you] Love Story
Ah, MailChimp. I don’t know a designer who can think of them and not smile, unless they’re having like a really bad day, which is justifiable. Yes, ah MailChimp. I feel so lucky to have had the chance to spend a really great day in their office and my payback - besides giving them a monkey named Sue (true) - is to share their gospel.
Ah, MailChimp. I’m going to keep at that. I...
1 tag
Thinking With Your Head and Not With Your Eyes
Damn our process is twisted, or certainly altering. I had a process epiphany last October when I took part in the AIGA’s Command X. In the handful of hours we had each day to complete a project I sobbed for about 80% of that time, drank Diet Coke/Starbucks for 15% and did some work the last 5% (does that add up? Don’t judge me, I can’t count). Oh, but what I learned about that...
2 tags
Insert Reference Here
I’m sitting here wearing a Space invaders t-shirt, one of two I own, even though I’ve only played the game a hand full of times. Yesterday I compared someone using the tv remote to the apes at the beginning of 2001 a space odyssey, even though I’ve never seen it. I know that Ganondorf should never posses the full Triforce but I’ve never controlled Link. I live in a pop culture dominated world,...
August 2012
1 post
3 tags
Everybody's free to design nice posters. Or are...
What is design? People much smarter and more educated than I have difficulties with that question, therefore this current headache feels slightly justified. To ease the pain, how about learning of how the likes of Studio Dumbar deal with the word and see if we get a little enlightenment. (P.S. design for your eyes included.)
Studio Dumbar
Legendary design agency.
Rotterdam, the...
July 2012
5 posts
3 tags
The Use and Re-use of Successful Fundamentals in...
Something I found interesting after doing some digging was looking at the repeditive use of simple fundamentals in a storyline. All good children’s books work basic elements into the story. The most obvious of these being a beginning, a middle and an end to a tale.
Contributor Post
Author: Sara Sheridan
Part 2
Other less obvious elements would include Characterisation. The author may choose an...
2 tags
Love Guns (a misleading title bordering on...
Guys, I’ve seen it. It exists. And not with a massive computer system attached to the Large Hadron Collider. What all the hipsters and the scientists and your Granny have been talking about, the Higs. And it was right at the Apple Store here in Amsterdam.
Nessim Higson (YG5)
ADC Young Guns
Apple Store
Amsterdam
Of course I’m talking about Young Gun’s alum Nessim Higson, a...
3 tags
The Use and Re-use of Successful Fundamentals in...
I love to read. I’m always at it. Mostly I spend my time reading books. But when I’m short on those, I read the backs of cereal boxes in kitchens, shower gel labels and medications in bathrooms (yup, your bathroom too). T-shirts, Facebook status updates and let’s not forget other people’s shopping lists left behind in the trolley.
Contributor Post
Author: Sara Sheridan
Part 1
I read on a...
3 tags
insider: Wieden+Kennedy
Advertising agency Wieden Kennedy’s motto is, “the work comes first.” Which is obvious from their reputation and the industry accolades they receive each year. But, what has family got to do with it? Seemingly a whole lot.
Wieden+Kennedy
Herengracht 258-266
1016 BV Amsterdam
www.wkamst.com
Due to a typical Amsterdam day that started with a thunderstorm early morning and...
3 tags
insider: Interbrand
Interbrand is one of the world’s largest brand consultancies. And Patrick Stal, well he’s 31, half German/half Dutch, and their youngest managing director. If you have branding loyalty, you’d love to talk to Patrick. And you might learn something, such as no matter how good a donkey looks, it will never be fast.
Interbrand
Prof. W.H. Keesomlaan 4
1183 DJ Amstelveen
...
June 2012
3 posts
2 tags
The Tandem Bike of Product Design
Daily on my bike ride to work, I narrowly miss collisions with cars when I pass Scholten & Baijings. Large glass windows are decorated with hanging fluorescent gridded tea cloths. As a designer, fluorescents and grids are two subjects I find hard to ignore.
Scholten & Baijings
Westerdoksdijk 597
1013 BX Amsterdam
www.scholtenbaijings.com
Their two floor design studio oozes a sense...
2 tags
M83 when you're 5'3"
Attending a concert in the Netherlands is not your typical gig. One major factor being the average height of attendees gets close to 6’. But it’s OK, if you ask nicely they’ll let you up front.
Somebody needs to gets statistics going about how much work has been created by designers whilst listening to ‘Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming’. If you want to feel badass,...
4 tags
Consistently Current: TrouwAmsterdam
Wibautstraat 131
Amsterdam, Netherlands
trouwamsterdam.nl
Trouw is a daily newspaper in the Netherlands, founded in World War II by members of the Dutch Protestant resistance. The Nazis tried to prevent publication and imprisoned twenty of it’s couriers. Issuing an ultimatum to the editors of Trouw, the paper refused to give in and all of the captured couriers were executed.
...
