Nicolas Evariste

On top of the world. Actually

The new Skydeck at the Sears Tower in Chicago. “The Edge” is a glass encased balcony attached to the 103rd floor of the building

Moonwalk Lego

Neil Duerden

Alberto Seveso

Black & White Type pt1

Black & White Type pt2

Black & White Type pt3

Thumping New York

Featured in 'The Ridiculant', Metro paper (1st Oct), we are urged to get reminiscent of the wonderful noise made by the school bike sheds with a lump of wood. Or, the tune of a stick dragged along metal railings - I remember that one. I guess we all thought this were passing childhood fads, but there is now a site dedicated to cataloguing all the things on the streets of New York that make a pleasing sound.

'The Thumping Guide to NYC' allows you to get involved, post your own vids and comments. I haven't given a taster here as I think the site is worth exploring, and I wouldn't want to put anyone off with a poor choice. Bollards, traffic cones, steel fences -strum, slap, crash, bang, wallop!...whatever you want. If anyone uploads, let me know here.

Creased creatures

Sipho Magona folded his first paper plane at just 5 years old, and fifteen years on he ran out of designs and so started to invent his own.

His intricate insects and ceased creatures will now feature in a British exhibition early next year -and they far from qualify in my opinion. Now, 29, this young artist turned his eye to nature and the environment, after winning dozens of design awards for installations and abstract light fittings. All of these can be seen on his personal website, which I have linked on his name at the beginning of this entry.

His incredible fish, insects, birds are so detailed that I'm not afraid to be honest, they literally trick my eye into believing they are real. We are all properly wondering about their worth; these creations pictured here sell for more than a massive £1,500! This is huge, perhaps excessive I think, but if it's any justification, each piece can take up to 20 hours to fold, and, more than 6 months to design.

If you fancy a go, the advice is to start with a single, square sheet of paper. Personally, this evidence of superior origami puts me completely off even having a go. Whatever I make now, I would be forever conscious how inferior it is. I never was good with folding, I don't think I'll start now -better to just sit back and admire on this one.

Teesside

I don't know much about Teesside University, but I do know that I enjoy these adverts that I caught sight of tonight. It's not just the 'cat is cute, I want to squeeze it' aspect, for me, it really fulfills it's aim. It's simple, it's effective, the concept and slogan are sharp and work. At a minimal 22secs, these adverts max out their message in terms of time constraint. The soundtrack is perfectly fitting. Well done, if I didn't love Leeds, I'd be looking you up Tees.

The above are amazing improvements compared to this:



Please take it away!

Sustainable design

'Sustainable design is not a passing fad. It is now integral to the future of the industry, particularly among the emerging talents as this year’s graduate shows will certainly reveal. It is the more established players, particularly in branding, that need to get up to speed.'

-statement from Lynda Relph-Knight (Sustainable Design Supplement)

I comment on this as it was the key focus of this weeks, 'Design for Life'. As the series title also suggests, sustainability is now a fundamental of design. Perhaps we all need to consider this more in every aspect of the design process. It should be at the forefront of our minds during decision making.

Photographer Gavin Evans has worked with charity Action Aid to promote the organisation’s Hunger Free campaign, which launches on World Food Day on 16 October.

PRO Design education change

I am currently sending off applications to teach next year, and so this came of massive interest to me, and should to us all in general really.

In a speech delivered at the Liberal Democrat Party conference fringe in Bournemouth yesterday, David Kester (Design council chief executive) called for design to be more closely linked within Stem (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) subjects. Earlier this year, Professor Sir Christopher Frayling, former rector of the Royal College of Art, called for design to be included as a Stem subject, saying:

‘The dots aren’t being joined up. Engineering and technology are rated, but design isn’t. The big issue now is making design a Stem subject.’

Kester called for a sustainability element to be embedded across education, and for the nature and value of creativity to become an integral part of all learning. He said, ‘Our educators have a responsibility to bring hard business and technological skills together with creative problem-solving capabilities.

I think it is evident that the importance and position of the subject is still being debated, and in our modern society where so many in creative design positions are very successful, I think it's almost unacceptable that this battle goes on. I am in complete agreement that design should be considered a stem subject. Design has clearly and consistently communicated it's benefit to professional industries. Not only this, but Design is a language, and one that must be nurtured and encouraged within young people. I believe passionately that the subject goes a long way to meeting intellectual, cultural, moral, spiritual and aesthetic needs. Even if the subject is not pursued, it still allows for a well balanced individual. Design is unique in that it sharpens perceptual skills, promotes independence and develops concepts and skills for practical use.

Killer of a good play

Students at Leeds Uni may have also found out during last week's Fresher's Fair, that if your under 26, your entitled to see 6 free theatre productions. So, I got in quick and took full advantage with 'Dial M For Murder'.

(Above) Aislin McGuckin as Margot Wenice

This is Frederick Knott's first, and arguably most successful play. His legendary movie directing skills inevitably haunt the production, but I believe it to be extremely well written, and the performance caught both its essence and energy. Lucy Bailey, who is said to be 'highly visual with her theatrical concept', was in charge of staging the show, and this was evident judging how tense and thrilled the entire audience appeared to be throughout. One thing both my friend and I noted was the subtext, how the characters appeared to be saying one thing, whilst meaning another -not only making for a great play, but also a solid challenge for the authors.

On at West Yorkshire Playhouse, Quarry Hill, Leeds until Oct 3rd.

7.45pm, call 0113 2137700

Do it. It's free.

8ight

Just one more I couldn't ignore. Cleverly designed with a typeface where every letter can be found to be a variation of the figure 8. So appealing.

Nice touch

Continuing along the logo theme, I present this.

A film reel turned to look like a scary ghost for a production house.

Designer: Josiah Jost

Another from Jost who is also the designer of ED Logo; 'Elettro Domestici' - 'Home Appliances'.

Here, the traditional logo designing concept through has been changed. The designer has used the negative space to demonstrate the letter “E” and “D” making the logo look like an electric plug. Seemingly obvious, but then again, he thought of it first.

Hidden in the Alps

Simply irresistible. However this isn't me just singing Toblerones tasting praises, it is about something which I have literally only just noticed. So I thought the logo was a depiction of the Swiss Alps, and I bet you did too.

Toblerone originated in Bern, Switzerland, a city I now know is rumoured to mean, 'City of bears'. Now look again, you will find a bear in the logo.

Respect the chair.

The Robin Day Chair.

Revolutionary furniture design, created in the pop culture of the swinging 60's.

-affordable

-practical

-versatile

A seating sensation.

20 million worldwide.

A testament to how good design can work on so many levels, and a perfect example of classic British furniture.

Just me?

I really can't understand why this is the case, and secondly why I feel the need to share it quite so badly. But this roadwork just down a side road in Headingly, Leeds, looks like nothing other than a giant biro pen rammed into the ground! I realise it's just the end of an exposed gas pipe, but I can't see it. Just shows how you can get a mental block on something so silly, kind of like a trick of the eye..maybe!? (I seem to be making a habit of creating these images-wild imagination)

Wondering if anyone else immediately sees anything like the same thing? I wanted to find apicture of the particular pen I mean, but it's proving hard to find. Think they are the WHSmith own make ones -this exact colour with that round yellow capped end, they try to imitate the bic. I used to use them in Secondary School, perhaps this is why I have such a strong association.