Food & Design | My dear Urbanite, we give you fresh sprouts from your own Microgarden

So you live in an apartment? No balcony to speak of. Definitely no garden or a yard. No worries. INFARM, a multidisciplinary firm and a research lab from Germany, has partnered with Tomorrow Machine, a Swedish design group, to provide an answer made of recyclable polypropylene sheet folded like an origami into a “greenhouse” inside of which sprouts can germinate and grow on a bed of seaweed-based gel, and appear in just 3 days. They have been crowd-funding for a while and now you can get the kit delivered to your door (look, read and select your perk here). Then, “peppery rucola, crunchy mustard and spicy radish” are not far off for your nibbling pleasure. Images from INFARM.

Design | This is the World of M. Šašek

Not exactly his world, because I am not attempting to surpass the biographies of M. Šašek that have been written already, but this is my token of appreciation shored up as a “Hey, remember seeing these? Lookie here.” This will give you an idea of how long it takes for me clean up bits that I have ferreted away: well-into-the-spring cleaning surfaced a 2014-calendar of M. Šašek’s “This is San Francisco”. And I just had to share. And no, that is not my worst calendar hoarding offence. That is a 2004-calendar of Gaudí’s Casa Batlló purchased in 2003 at Casa Batlló, so I suppose Gaudí will surface as a subject of a blog on another occasion. Aren’t you glad I got that out of the way? M. Šašek. “M. Sasek was born in Prague in 1916 and died in Switzerzerland in 1980. He worked as a painter and illustrator for most of his life.” – This is M. Sasek His illustrations check off what is vital for good design: evocative, simple, attractive, effective in communicating and stirring interest. Your tot will thank you for it, little do they know – yet. After seeing, what to my surprise is a plethora of prints covering more than requisite Paris, London, Rome, and New York you will typically see in stores, do not be surprised if your tot will want to travel and see it all themselves. As a matter of fact, you might be inspired to make a travel dream come true. And for that M. Šašek deserves to be featured.

At Home | Space edited as a Transformer or a Swiss Army Knife or … too edited?

Chez Gary Chang, Hong Kong	Life Edited was a-blog-to-a-blog stumble that happened very early some morning. Its premise is application of “smart design technology to create compelling fulfilling lives that allow you to live within your means both financially and environmentally … live large in small spaces.” The site’s founder, Graham Hill, is one of those people that can afford the minimalist über-ness; he wrote about his minimalisms for the New York Times (Living With Less. A Lot Less. Published March 9, 2013), and then was promptly called out on what was seen as smugness only one who has the means to afford the minimalist trappings can afford. Katy Waldman summarized the whole trajectory in her piece for Slate (Is Minimalism Really Sustainable? Published March 27, 2013) and included a thought provoking quote from a Tumblr post by Charlie Lloyd who wrote “Poor people don’t have clutter because they’re too dumb to see the virtue of living simply; they have it to reduce risk.” Yes, minimalism can be as an aesthetic another socioeconomic divide. Katy also points out that Graham’s “manifesto” was preceded by writings of another minimalism aficionado, Maxwell Gillingham-Ryan, the founder of Apartment Therapy, who described his lifestyle also in the New Your Times back in 2006 – but Maxwell has since learned the virtue of moderation. Read and make your own opinion. However, one cannot deny the ingenuity of those who design for tiny spaces.  Take the Hong Kong apartment of architect Gary Chang (344 square feet / 32 square meters) that transforms into 24 configurations and in which each detail has been researched and considered and inspires. Life Edited gives this apartment’s backstory that is worthwhile considering vis-à-vis any perceived minimalist smugness: Gary has lived in the apartment since he was 14, and at the time shared the space with his three sisters, two parents and a boarder. Next is the bachelor pad in Barcelona that belonged (?) to photographer Christian Shallert (258 square feet / 23 square meters) – size that was tested by cohabitation, and failed.
Chez Christian Shallerts, Barcelona
King's Cube Then comes the third downsize option – “King’s Cube” (16 square feet / 1.5 square meters). A very real option in land strapped Hong Kong, and supremely presented by MFA student Joe Yiu – tongue in cheek.  How much domicile space do you really require? How much do you need inside of your domicile? Why do you or would you go either way?

Interesting Couple | Hello weekend! Rick Owens & Michele Lamy by Sofia Tchkonia

Random | If you think it’s that simple

SOURCE: DESIGNBOLTS.COM

Design | Minimalist Polish Posters from Homework

Homework is a Warsaw based design “atelier”.

SOURCE: HOMEWORK

VIA MARK KAUFMAN

AT ILLUSTRATION AGE

Top: Death in Venice & Butch Cassidy and Sundance Kid

Middle: French Cinema in Polish Posters & Italian Cinema in Polish Posters

Bottom: Last Tango in Paris & Bonnie and Clyde

Interesting Couple | Catherine Martin & Baz Luhrmann

“ “You can’t divide them, CM and Baz. They blur—he helps her; she helps him,” says fellow Aussie Nicole Kidman, star of two Luhrmann epics, Moulin Rouge! and Australia. As far as Martin and Luhrmann are concerned, however, the line of demarcation is clear: The director, 50, is the visionary, the big dreamer, the story driver. Martin, 48, is the pragmatist, the one charged with bringing his schemes, no matter how wacky, to life. Over the course of a career, you come up with many ways to describe such an arrangement: “Baz is the author, the one who generates the kernel of the idea, and I’m an applied artist,” is one way Martin puts it. Or, “He’s driving the motorbike, and I’m in the sidecar.”  For his part, Luhrmann says CM—the nickname he gave her over two decades ago, now her standard appellation—is “my council on everything, my number-one debater, and my first-ever audience.” She’s also the person with the no-nonsense gumption to make it all happen. “She’s a general in the field,” he says, marveling. “I’ve seen her with some of the burliest building guys telling her, ‘Well, love, we’ll never be able to put a house in the jungle like that,’ and next thing you know there’s helicopters and moving trucks.”  ” SOURCE: ELLE "BAZ LUHRMANN’S LEADING LADY" MAY 3, 2013

Design | How corporate logos evolve

SOURCE: COOLINFOGRAPHICS

Design | Dream transported in a pod

Alberto Frias had a vision – a Transport Perceptual Pod. Cocooned in this shiny spacious egg, floating on cloudy cushions sailing on the water bed waves, one can enjoy comfortable temperature, controlled by a iThingy app, while luxuriating in the soft light glow of chosen color. Vibrate!

At Home | TV-land apartment floor plans

TV shows are not only about the story arcs – the drama, the comedy, the tragedy, the hyper-life – but also inspiration and voyeurism – as in ‘how the others can live’. Spanish artist Iñaki Aliste Lizarralde has put together a gallery of floor plans from some of those TV shows and a movie too boot. Find yours here.

Design | Fashionably Jordi Labanda

He has profitable clientele. The fashion, lifestyle, design and interior publishers collaborate with him. Jordi Labanda has a unique style that can be owned by simply buying some stationary emblazoned with those girly silhouettes. Born in Mercedes, Uruguay, he has lived in Barcelona, Spain since he was a baby – although New York City, United States is where he is now. His renderings of the posh, the stylish and the hip wink and are on point.

Jordi Labanda at Illustration Division

Coded Candy | Serif vs. Sans

Coded Candy | Get 75 free fonts!

Fonts are style. They communicate a feeling, not just words alone.

Creative Bloq gives you access to 75 of the best.

Come and get it here!

Design | Hindu Deities of Sanjay Patel

the new incredibles by Shannon Sexton for Yoga Journal (March 2012) Pixar animator Sanjay Patel celebrates Hinduism’s superheroes through on-of-a-kind, Disneyesque illustrations. The 37-year-old artist’s new release, The Big Poster Book of Hindu Deities, features 12 posters you can use to decorate your home or yoga studio. Patel, whose work has appeared in Toy Story 3, The Incredibles, The Simpsons, and even a Björk music video, says he hopes his pop culture take on his Indian heritage will serve as a “21st-century bridge” for people who are seeking “a doorway into traditional South Asian art and traditional tellings of these really meaningful, spiritual stories.” Each poster includes a mini-story and his work-in-progress “dorky doodles.” Q Yoga Journal Can you tell us about your background? A Sanjay Patel My parents are Indian, but I grew up watching TV and reading comic books in LA, so I’m also very American. Q YJ What inspired you to re-imagine Hindu deities? A Patel When I finally stumbled onto South Asian art about 10 years ago, I realized there was so much room for modern interpretation. Maybe it’s my training at Pixar and in animation: how do I make this stuff graphic, cute, relatable, arresting? How do I make an image that’s appropriate for

my wall, that I’d be proud to wear on my T-shirt? How do I educate people about how cool this culture is? My mission is to celebrate South Asian art and mythology in a fun way while also honoring the teachings and the stories. Q YJ How did you get into yoga? A Patel When I was trying to finish my graphic novel for Chronicle Books, Ramayana: Divine Loophole, I took a year off from Pixar and got divorced. All of a sudden, I couldn’t draw a thing. My therapist recommended yoga, and it really helped me cope with being alone and not being able to finish my book. It made me feel whole in soul. Q YJ What’s next on the horizon? A Patel The Ramayana was optioned by Dream Works, and they’re working on an animated Bollywood version. They got A.R. Rahman and the songwriter for Wicked to create the music, and the writers are from Bend It Like Beckham. I’m tinkering with ideas from the South Asian universe for a short film. And I’m almost finished with my first children’s book for Chronicle Books. It’s about Ganesha and how he breaks his tusk by eating a jumbo jawbreaker laddu [Indian sweet] to write [the Hindu epic called] the Mahabharata. Q YJ How would you describe your art? A Patel I’m just the candy-coated cherry flavoring on the medicine. But if that’s what it takes to make you learn about the story of Ganesha or the journey of Rama the, man, I will do it!

Design | Mad about Mads Berg’s retro

Mads Berg is a Danish illustrator. The lucky lad is based in Copenhagen – one of my favorite cities to hang out and feel out hygge – where he mixes just the right proportion of vintage poster with a modern twist. Sounds like a cocktail, right? A good cocktail keeps it streamlined and simple, but never fails to amaze, so it is a fair comparison.

Coded Candy | Chrome, Siri and bud.ge little big details

Chrome for iOS - Tab counter turns into a smiley face after 99

Siri - Confirms what “tomorrow” means, when it is mentioned close to midnight

bud.ge - The settings screen for to-do reminders is designed like a letter

Design | World’s thinnest house by architect Jakub Szczesny of firm Centrala

The story behind, and within, the world’s thinnest house @ YAHOO!

Design | Still fascinated by “Save[ing] Food from the Refrigerator”

In Design | Recycle, Save and Style I mentioned a Korean artist who designed shelves that save food from the refrigerator. In this video Jihyun Ryou talks about the concepts behind her nifty shelves. 

Still liking it. A lot.

Design | Good Fucking Design Advice

Good Fucking Design Advice is an outgrowth of a graduate school side project. It is a child of designers and educators Brian Buirge and Jason Bacher that inspires the process of designing, or really mentally kicks your butt to DO design. To seal the deal, you can take a pledge and have it stare in your face. Or for further motivation, you can have desktop wallpaper that beams at you each time you stare at an empty screen. Now get cracking!

Coded Candy | NASA’s Scientific Visualization Studio does it like Van Gogh

The ocean currents have an untapped beauty. Untapped till now. 

Those clever folks at NASA got their art on and assembled from a huge amount of satellite and computational data the “Perpetual Ocean”. Check out the goodies below and here.