Unnatural Habitats

Rethinking the Modern Zoo. I like this idea a lot more understanding that it's only a temporary installation.

Should institutions dedicated to natural sciences depict a world untouched by civilization as a matter of history?

The Schönbrunn Zoo in Vienna has chosen the opposite approach: this spring its animals share their pens with an installation created by artists Christoph Steinbrener and Rainer Dempf that reflects the degradation of animal habitats.

Check out the slideshow over at SmartCompany.

That Deli type is awesome by the way!

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HMK

This Saturday!

The Redbone Guitar Boutique Summer Clinic Series continues! Check it out - it's fun and it's free!

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HMK

SHIFT Cottage: Superkül Inc.

Totally digging the SHIFT Cottage from Toronto architects Superkül Inc.

The site for this 2000-square-foot family cottage on an island in Georgian Bay was chosen for its topography and orientation. Nestled into the exposed, washed granite of the island and against a line of trees, the cottage is sheltered against the strong winds off of the water.

The graphic lines of the cottage are designed to further marry it to its site—highlighting through contrast the wind-sculpted trees and craggy rock of the Bay that make its landscape unique.

A glass link bridges between the cottage’s two volumes—one containing living spaces, the other sleeping and washing areas—and a wood deck terraces down to fold into the island on three sides.

Wicked nice. Check out more shots and info on this fabulous place: Shift Cottage.

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HMK

Thanks to Blue Ant Studio.

Wicked Cool Junk Art

Speaking of really wicked cool stuff made out of junk...

Here's how artist Paul Loughridge of Lock Washer Design introduced himself in an interview for Aether Emporium:

"My name is Paul Loughridge (pronounced Lock-ridge). I was "given" the name Lockwasher by a classmate in metal shop way back in high school. Since my name was so often mispronounced and lockwasher fit...Lockwasher Design seemed the appropriate name. I'm a designer, sculptor, assemblage artist, junk dude...crackpot.

I'm a product of the late '50's and "happy to be - #1. totally taken (married) , B. a father to an incredibly talented "tweener" daughter and third. really enjoy creating new stuff out of other/old stuff" I am and have been a graphic designer, ice cream scooper, trade show manager, 2nd place winner in the 8th grade softball toss, event coordinator, teribull speller, store merchandiser, dishwasher, auto parts driver, prep cook, landscape designer, mattress builder, donut shop helper, auto mechanic, country club snack bar nerd, bonsai fanatic, toy collector and frequent finder of found objects...not necessarily in that order."

Genius. Read the entire interview over at: Aether Emporium and checkout mucho mas images from the mind of Lockwasher.

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HMK

This One Time, At Brand Camp...

More geniusness from Tom Fishburne over at: Brand Camp.

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HMK

New Math

Genius.

More proof that after all is said and done there is always more said than done.

More New Math.

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HMK

Sound Ideas

Being the audio, radio, speaker freak that I am, you know that I'm totally digging the concept of this prototype speaker shelf.

In the words of the designer: Why the traditional speaker has to be put away in the corner of the room or hidden in the wall? Speaker could be displaied, and the aditional function could be imparted. The object becomes the item of furniture by a simple arrengement of dvd and books. Two suggestion of shape give the possibility to arrange the interior in the modern style and to achieve a good quality of home video amplification.

Could not agree more!

And here's one of my latest - the official HMK iPhone Conference Speaker Box:



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HMK

Thanks to DesignBoom

Bang!

More firecracker wrappers over here: Bang!
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HMK

First Images: Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter

That's right, old school - we're going back to the moon!

NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter sent its first images back to Earth after activating its cameras June 30, 2009.

The LRO has both a low-resolution wide-angle camera and a high-resolution camera. These shots were taken at the boundary between night and day, capturing shadows that exaggerate the terrain. Though the surface appears very rough, it is actually similar to the highland area where Apollo 16 landed and explored with a rover.

The LRO will get as close as 19 miles above the surface, but will spend most of its mission 31 miles up.

These pictures were taken to calibrate the cameras.

Read the rest and check out more images over at WIRED

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HMK

Images: NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center/Arizona State University

Texas Draws Opening Reception Tonight!

I never get tired and still totally dig the thrill of seeing finished projects in print for the first time - especially when it's for something that's puro San Antonio!

The Southwest School Of Art & Craft presents: Texas Draws, the inaugural exhibition of a new series instituted to highlight contemporary drawing in Texas.

It was a pleasure and a big gracias to Kathy Armstrong, Barbara Hill and all the awesome folks over at the Southwest School Of Art & Craft for including me in this project as the designer of the Texas Draws logo for the inaugural of this biennial exhibition.

The awesome cover illustration, Trace, is by Lubbock, Texas artist Alice Leora Briggs.

Opening Reception for Texas Draws 1 is Thursday, July 2, 2009 form 5:30-7:30.

More info: www.swschool.org

Hope to see you there, have a great July 4th!

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HMK

Pixies Doolittle Anniversary Tour!

On a just-announced European tour, the reunited Pixies will blast through the entire Doolittle album and related B-sides.

Doolittle, released back in 1989 when I was at the Massachusetts College of Art, is a rocking blend of stop-start punk and pop that leaps from surreal burners like “Debaser” and “Tame” to biblical thrashers like “Dead” and “Gouge Away” without giving away anything in majesty. Easily the band’s most accessible album, it will form the centerpiece of the upcoming shows.

Dig: Pixies Tour Dates.

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HMK

Happy 80th Milton Glaser!

It's great to still have some icons alive and kicking! Happy birthday to Milton Glaser, one of my personal design heros, he turnes 80 years old today! Rock On Mr. Glaser!

Really looking forward to checking out the new documentary: "MILTON GLASER: TO INFORM AND DELIGHT", Directed by Wendy Keys.

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HMK

ModKnobs

ModKnobs is a brand new little company producing some really hip and modern door knobs.

As the story goes, Mary & Jeff, founders of ModKnobs, were remodeling their home and were having a really hard time finding cool, affordable doorknobs.

So, Jeff decided to design his own door knobs—with sleek lines, earth-friendly materials and superior lock sets, using, that's right, blue hockey pucks!

Everyone that came over to their house absolutely loved them, so they decided to start making them for other people, too. Like you.

My only gripe is the the 150US price tag. Ouch. I love the fact that they started out looking for an affordable solution, found one and have done a great job turning the concept into a nice little business with a simple, elegant and informative site - nice job, but as far as making them an affordable alternative for the masses, if that in fact is their intent, I think they sort of missed the mark.

Overall, ModKnobs, is a very cool and smart idea. But considering the state of the planet, and most people's budgets right now - let's just file this under: Design Out of Reach...



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HMK


Gracias to Design Milk.

Worst Rebranding Ever!

I didn't think it was possible to make anything worse than a Pizza Hut pizza, boy was I wrong!

Man, this is so incredibly lame I don't even know where to start - the first thing that came to my mind was:

Your logo in 30 minutes or it's free!

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HMK

Thanks to idsgn.com.

This Saturday! Meet Rusty Anderson, Paul MacCartney's Guitar Player!

Above: Brian Ray, super wicked nice guy, guitarist and bass player for Sir Paul MacCartney at the Redbone Cavern Club last Saturday for the Summer Clinic Series on June 13th sharing stories, guitar techniques and some truly great words of wisdom for anyone aspiring to be the best they can be and the all important aspect of always saying "Yes" to everything until you're too busy and have to say no.

Sounds like a recipe for success to me! And did I mention his first solo album, Electro Magneto, containing the infectiously bitchin' "Vinyl", seriously kicks ass? Well my friends, it does!

More on Brian here: www.brianray.com

And on a totally cool note, I had the great pleasure of joining Brian for dinner thanks to Richard Turner and all the awesome folks over at Redbone Guitar Boutique. I even got to bring along one of my old high school buds Robert Rael - it was an very cool day! Thanks again Richard for including me and letting me be part of Team Redbone!

And I'm not just saying all this because Redbone Guitar Boutique is one of my clients - they are truly real deal people and I'm a very lucky dude to have them as both friends and truly one of my most favorite clients ever!

So what are you waiting for - whether you're a rock freak or a guitar nut, either way you're sure to really dig the vibe of the store, the folks that run it, the catering, beer and wine is a nice touch, and if you're lucky enough, you might be the dude that leaves with a brand spanking new Gibson Custom Shop Les Paul Junior, signed by both Brian & Rusty!

The odds of winning are crazy and a deal in and of itself regardless of the clinic!

Seating is limited for this Saturday's Clinic featuring Rusty Anderson, Sir Paul's other Wingman, so do yourself a favor and secure your VIP space right now over at Redbone Guitar Boutique or call 210.822.4111!

See you there!

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HMK

Custom Type Showcase

Nice. Letter Cult is featuring some of the best and brightest, so far anyway, hand tooled type of 2009.

Wojtex Polak

Geonetix

Sarah King

Nate Williams

BU Design

And yes, you are encouraged to submit your own examples!

Mucho Mas: Letter Cult

Happy Monday!

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HMK

Thanks to the smart folks over at Under Consideration.

Wireless Radio!

Look Mom, No Cord!

Wow, the folks at Sony just might be on to something big!

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HMK

Thanks to retro freak Jimm Dunn over at RetroSnark.

Springfield and Beyond!

Genius.

Forget Knight Rider and Hal, thanks to the smart folks at TomTom getting from point A to B just got a lot more fun with the addition of Homer Simpson as your onboard guide!

And priced at only $12.95, you even save yourself some Doh!

Check out the audio samples: TomTom

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HMK

DraWords!

If you're like me and you're a fan of Gary Larson or the New Yorker Caption Contest you'll really dig Craig Frazier’s ongoing, online DraWords project.

Here's the drill - Craig Frazier, a graphic designer whose work has appeared in Time and the Wall Street Journal posts one cartoon a week. Visitors, that means you, have until 5 p.m. Friday to submit your ideas for the caption. The winners are credited immediately online, and in a year or so, when Frazier has enough material for a book, you just might see yourself in print!


Frazier’s drawings are usually simple, trippy and kinda sorta weird, in a good way and are always screaming for an interesting, equally kinda sorta weird, sardonic caption.

I love the fun process. After you sign in and submit your caption you get a weekly email with the best of the submissions that didn't make the cut along with a link to the winner. (These are fun in the same way that the auditions on the first couple of episodes of American Idol are.)

Well, after a few months of submitting my own captions I'm happy to announce that this morning I got the email of last weeks runner ups and was totally stoked to see that I made the book.

Thanks Craig, best of luck with the book!

Here's my submission:

So what are you waiting for? Check out the rest and submit your own - it's fun!

DraWords!

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HMK

It's A Gas!

Graphic and publication designer Dick Sheaff is sharing his amazing collection of ephemera along with some keen insight and history to help put things in context.




All of the above images are examples of the Gaslight Style:

"One pronounced aspect of Victorian design was a great interest in creating the illusion of depth, particularly so with lithographers. Type, vignettes, products and design elements are made to seem multi-layered through the use of shadows, superimposition, dimensional banners and ribbons, turned-up faux page corners and choice of colors.

Some have labeled this the Gaslight Style approach to design, for example Maurice Rickards: "Said to have derived from the play of lamps on three-dimensional street lettering, i.e. storefront signage, etc. The style appears to have originated in Germany, spreading, through the influence of German printing skills, throughout the world."

Chief features of the style are heavily three-dimensional lettering with a vigorous rendering of tonal gradation and shadow effects. A characteristic treatment involved the use of a vignetted 'cloud-work' background against which lettering appeared in lighter tone, with heavy shadowing to hold outlines where these overlapped on to plain paper. A wealth of heavy scroll- and strap-work, also rendered in three dimensions, filled in the interstices of the design.

The style, for which at the time no specific name emerged, is thought to have been inspired by the chiaroscuro effects of gas lighting, and has subsequently received the designation Gaslight Style."

And while you're there, don't miss Mr. Sheaff's little side collection of People Holding Fish!

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HMK

Big Gracias to Eric Baker over at Design Observer.

Bad Food, Bad Dog.

Bad Food, Bad Dog. Bad Ass!

Wicked funny stuff for Nutri Balance from agency Prolam Y&R Santiago, Chile.

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HMK

Thanks Freddie!

Shutter Island

Just what we all need - more great stuff from boomerang comeback kid Jackie Earle Haley! This time Jackie is an inmate/patient, George Noyce, at Boston's Shutter Island Ashecliffe Hospital circa 1954... More here: IMDB

And I'm totally digging the fact that Shutter Island opens on my birthday, October 2nd!

Go Jackie!

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HMK

Blue Lounge Studio Desk

Man, I really dig this sweet little desk designed especially for laptop users.

The Blue Lounge Studio Desk is a clutter free working environment that keeps you connected to all your peripherals.

All peripherals and excess cables are hidden just under the sliding desktop surface. The storage compartment is conveniently accessed from above. An elongated slot across the width of the desktop allows the necessary peripheral & power cables to enter/exit at any point, thereby keeping the desktop clear of clutter.

A bit price at 599US, but sweet non the less.

Blue Lounge

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HMK

Winged Creatures

Winged Creatures opens on Australian screens July 9th, 2009.

Go Jackie Earle Haley!

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HMK

Hmmm. Beer...

More Beer!

Happy Birthday Susan and Tish!

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HMK