Cool Hunting
| 07 August 2008view entries from: this week | this month | view previous day | view next day |
Classic Books Revisited: Sixties Design
by Doug Black
Originally published over two decades ago, Philippe Garner's "Sixties Design" remains the gold standard in encapsulating the visual aesthetic of those ten years. As comprehensive as a single volume can be, Garner looks at most every area of design, from corporate branding to household product design to concert posters.
A decade of conflicts, the '60s were the period where companies pared down their image with streamlined Helvetica logos (pictured below) while hand-drawn, acid-influenced graphics dominated the psychedelic scene with artists like Wes Wilson (above right). It was also the era of space exploration, which lead to iconic films (see: Kubrick's heavily stylized "2001: A Space Odyssey") as well as futuristic furniture, like the profusion of "globe chairs" (below).
Written in French, German and English, the actual editorial substance is light. But what it lacks in words it more than makes up for with stunning imagery. Simply flipping through the pages creates a barrage of stunning designs that still echoes in today's visual landscape.
A must-have in the collection of professional or novice designers of any stripe, "Sixties Design" was out of print in recent years. Taschen has the book and is now releasing a special 25th-anniversary edition. You can purchase it for $15 on their site or Amazon.
Tronic: Samsung Olympic Video
by Ami Kealoha
Set against a clean white backdrop, a running blue figure pumps its arms wildly. The athlete shatters into geometric pieces that morph into the figure of an equestrian, a dribbling basketball player, then a cellular phone, until finally settling into the Olympic rings. The spot is Samsung's Olympic promo video, interpreting man through the lens of machines and currently playing on the jumbotrons of Times Square. Rather than make the trek, you can also watch the short animation on Tronic's site and use a piece of paper lined up with the dividing line to achieve a stereoscopic effect.
The NYC-based Tronic Studio team of Jesse Seppi and Vivian Rosenthal created the short capturing the feverish agility of the Olympian. Self-described visual futurists, the duo studied various athletic movements in order to get the movements to look realistic. “Tronic's focus has been abstraction. One of the reasons we're interested in it is because we want to explore how far a form can be transformed and still be recognizable to the human eye,” Rosenthal says.
Samsung wanted a look that was bold and clean for the prominent LED billboard. “We came up with the concept and look of the slices because we felt like it was a way to both capture the feeling of the athletes but also the dynamism and visual boldness that we thought would play well in Times Square.”
Three Ethical Denim Brands
by Leonora Oppenheim
At the Margin London tradeshow earlier this week a boggling 90 labels were on show, 60 of which were brand new proving that in its sixth year Margin is still the place to go to find new talent in streetwear. Keeping our eye out for organic and fair trade labels in particular, we were pleased to find three new denim brands that we think will be making some noise on the fashion scene with their collections for Spring/Summer 09.
Trousers London appeared to be the most directional label with unusual tailoring not often seen in denim and beautiful detailing including zips, braiding and bespoke silk pocket linings. Using organic cotton from Turkey, the jeans are handmade in Italy. Their first collection for Fall/Winter 08 catered only to the boys, but this season girls will get some Trouser action too.
NU is a French label that made its London debut at Margin this week. A funky street brand with a touch of the eco-rebel about them, they have styles for men and women in varying weights of organic African denim. Their Fair Trade production unit is located in Tunisia, where they have a closed loop water system for washing and dyeing the denim. Designer Maxime Guillon says, "It is out of the question for us to use 800 liters of water in the production of one pair of jeans." Amen.
Chance is a Fair Trade denim label that has also launched in 2008. Emerging from the Blurclue Ltd stable, a textile representative to mills and garment manufacturers, Chance produces classic jeans and t-shirts using African Fair Trade cotton. Blurclue Ltd also works with Made in Africa, "a brand set up to support African trade, producing denim garments and cotton t-shirts from raw cotton to the finished article which are locally sourced and organic."
Addictive TV: Olympics 2008 Remix
by Ami Kealoha
by Kyle Small
Tired of all the Olympic controversy? Want to maybe see the games in a new, refreshing way? Well, this might be your chance. World famous London-based VJs Addictive TV are remixing the upcoming Olympic Games for live TV. For an Austrian television network, the duo will remix live feeds of the games with music, outside footage and special effects, among other creative elements.
In addition to their live broadcast, the pair released a short video called "Sportive" (pictured) which was commissioned by Adidas for their current "Sport in Art" exhibition. Sticking to their remix style, the video takes chopped up, pre-existing Adidas footage and mixes them together to create a matrix of images and sounds relating to Olympic-based sports. It's being displayed in Beijing during the Olympics before moving on to Hong Kong.
Get more details at Addictive TV's official site or at their MySpace.
