Design Briefing 194: Calamityware, packaging websites, and some moving icons...

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In at least one way, being a graphic designer is like being a musician. People have only to hear your music or see your design to know if they like it.

Rock on. Chuck

Feel the pulse of current photography and design

If you want to feel the pulse of current photography and design, touch an artery, in this case, the Saveur.com Best Food Blog Awards. And in particular, the Best Photography category.

The Saveur Best Food Blog Awards for 2014...

Here > http://www.saveur.com/content/best-food-blog-awards-2014-winners

Example 1: From HortusCuisine.com by Valentina Solfrini...

Here > http://hortuscuisine.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/ciambella-te.jpg

Example 2: From LocalMilkBlog.com by Beth Kirby...

Here > https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8606/15746424216_1ec7680be8_z.jpg

Example 3: From last year, V.K.Rees is a NYC-based photography studio...

Here > http://vkrees.is/

An idea for an unusual, memorable promotion

I recall a promotion piece, from years ago, designed by (then) advertising agency Siddall, Matus & Coughter. If I remember correctly, it was for a real estate developer promoting a large planned community. The piece consisted of a box (with a headline) that held a View-Master photo viewer and a slide reel.

When I stumbled on this slide reel producer, it got me wondering if that same idea might be just retro enough to make it a possibility for 2015 promotions. It's a little pricey, but it's also a pretty impressive, whimsical way of showing your product, service, or idea.

The supplier is Image3D...

Here > http://www.image3d.com/home

Another supplier...

Here > http://www.studio3d.com/pages/viewmaster.htm

There's also a service that will produce slide reels from your Instagram photographs..

Here > http://reelagram.com/

And interesting article on View-Master...

Here > http://lescopainsd-abord.over-blog.com/article-le-view-master-par-nath-didile-86278316.html

View-Master brand now belongs to Fisher-Price...

Here > http://www.fisher-price.com/en_US/brands/viewmaster/

The View-Master reel list...

Here > http://www.stereokotoucky.cz/reels/viewmaster_en.html

A big list of stereo viewers...

Here > http://www.viewmaster.co.uk/htm/quickref.asp

Meet Illustrator Don Moyer

Don Moyer grabbed my attention with his Calamityware plates and his current Kickstarter projects: BADbandanas. His Flickr profile, in part, tells us, "I'm a big fan of self-inflicted projects. I like to define some playground and then explore it."

That playfulness will be obvious in short order...

Example 1...

Here > https://www.flickr.com/photos/36106576@N05/11171006823/sizes/l

Example 2...

Here > https://www.flickr.com/photos/36106576@N05/sets/72157616559420614/

Example 3...

Here > https://www.flickr.com/photos/36106576@N05/3940947758/in/set-72157618530913683

Moyer's Flickr collection...

Here > https://www.flickr.com/photos/36106576@N05/sets/

Moyer's blog...

Here > http://moyersketchbook.blogspot.com/

The Calamityware website...

Here > http://calamityware.com/

New on Kickstarter: BADbandanas...

Here > https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/159974695/badbandanas100-cotton-and-100-bad?ref=nav_search

Moyer works for ThoughtForm, Inc...

Here > http://www.thoughtformdesign.com/site/Home/About/Work.html

How many times have you purchased a product because you loved the packaging?

When you have two equal products, packaging can have a dramatic influence. PackagingOfTheWorld.com is another great site for browsing ideas from around the world.

Example 1...

Here > http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-uS2w8VYg_7s/U79jKRrXVEI/AAAAAAABW9g/-ldKLk-uld4/s1600/Marque_Woolworths_Gold_1.jpg

Example 2...

Here > http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-4XZzODf3X-I/VIVgSNpwMaI/AAAAAAABzK4/1zq2IUF-zcc/s1600/Coldcans%2B(1).jpg

Example 3...

Here > http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-e34jrsbv9ek/UpRV5Ff5SII/AAAAAAABCX0/aO3vnkp5GCw/s640/beatbeer_1.jpg

Packaging of the World (POTW)...

Here > http://www.packagingoftheworld.com/

If you like POTW, chances are you'll also like TheDieline.com...

Here > http://www.thedieline.com/

and LovelyPackage.com...

Here > http://lovelypackage.com/

Beautiful images...

Here > http://www.mymodernmet.com/profiles/blogs/the-dark-hedges-in-ireland

Check out these unusual animated icons

Mobelux is a developer in Richmond, Virginia that specializes in mobile apps. Full disclosure, my son Rob Green designed them.

Icons 1...

Here > http://31.media.tumblr.com/67ead37c96d573ae5c4a07dabc8d51bc/tumblr_n5m9qlYH1O1tbly7wo1_500.gif

Icons 2...

Here > http://38.media.tumblr.com/4c191c1fb9b9b64ba02aa08f409e282d/tumblr_n5m9qlYH1O1tbly7wo2_500.gif

Icons 3...

Here > http://33.media.tumblr.com/1ab74a062fc4d04cc28a7f3f76322c92/tumblr_n5m9qlYH1O1tbly7wo3_500.gif

Within the context of the website...

Here > http://mobelux.com/howwework/

I've got two sons who are talented designers-Jeff is a giant in the field...

Here > http://www.hirejeffgreen.com/images/portfolio/port-poster04.jpg

Mind-boggling Photoshopped fashion surrealism

Natalie Dybisz (aka Miss Aniela) shoots fashion images and uses them to build dream-like, surreal scenes with Photoshop.

Example 1...

Here > http://a3.format-assets.com/image/private/s--E0aDpDGZ--/c_limit,g_center,h_1200,w_65535/a_auto,fl_keep_iptc.progressive,q_95/102223-5895263-AWAY_WITH_THE_CANARIES2-lowres.jpg

Example 2...

Here > http://a3.format-assets.com/image/private/s---XOy6b6n--/c_limit,g_center,h_1200,w_65535/a_auto,fl_keep_iptc.progressive,q_95/102223-5895257-TRUSSED_TROPHIES-lowres.jpg

Example 3...

Here > http://a2.format-assets.com/image/private/s--hsxEoBvk--/c_limit,g_center,h_65535,w_1600/a_auto,fl_keep_iptc.progressive,q_95/102223-5895264-TOUCAN-lowres.jpg

The Surreal Fashion Collection...

Here > http://www.surrealfashion.co.uk/gallery#18

A video of the production...

Here > https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h-bY-IBP_fo#t=38

More about the idea and the process...

Here > http://www.surrealfashion.co.uk/series-info

An article from My Modern Met...

Here > http://www.mymodernmet.com/profiles/blogs/miss-aniela-surreal-fashion-photography

If you use InDesign (or QuarkXPress), you might find this useful

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For Adobe InDesign

Here > http://www.ideabook.com/the_indesign_ideabook_59.html

For QuarkXPress

Here > http://www.ideabook.com/quarkxpress_templates.html

In the name of documentation, something extraordinary happened

Between (roughly) 1935-1946 photographers such as Dorothea Lange, Walker Evans, and Arthur Rothstein crisscrossed the United States for the United States Farm Security Administration and Office of War Information (FSA-OWI) to document the results of government programs.

What resulted is "The File," an amazing collection of 170,000 storied images that are nothing short of a national treasure.

Photogrammar is a web-based platform that organizes that collection by places on a map.

Photogrammar...

Here > http://photogrammar.yale.edu/map/

A brief profile of Arthur Rothstein...

Here > http://www.pbs.org/kenburns/dustbowl/bios/arthur-rothstein/

Walker Evans in his own words...

Here > http://www.getty.edu/art/gettyguide/videoDetails?segid=2019

A 1961 interview with Dorothea Lange discussing her work as a photographer (minute 17:30)...

Here > https://archive.org/details/cabeuroh_000012

A few examples: "Snowy night" by Marion Post Wolcott. Click on the "Call Number" to access high resolution images from the United States Library of Congress...

Here > http://photogrammar.yale.edu/records/index.php?record=fsa2000033762/PP

I find this image particularly peaceful. Titled: Washstand in the dog run and kitchen of Floyd Burroughs' cabin. Hale County, Alabama by Walker Evans...

Here > http://cdn.loc.gov/service/pnp/ppmsc/00200/00242v.jpg

Another heartwarming image: A corner of the (T.P.) Schrock kitchen in their new home. Washington, Yakima Valley by Dorothea Lange...

Here > http://cdn.loc.gov/service/pnp/fsa/8b34000/8b34200/8b34279v.jpg

You'll find other examples of the work of these and many other photographers on Shorpy.

By Dorothea Lange...

Here > http://www.shorpy.com/dorothea-lange-photographs

By Walker Evans...

Here > http://www.shorpy.com/walker-evans-photographs

By Arthur Rothstein...

Here > http://www.shorpy.com/image/tid/129

The entire Photographer archive on Shorpy...

Here > http://www.shorpy.com/photographer-biographies

In case you're interested, here's an interesting look at one of Dorothea Lange's masterpiece, "Migrant Mother"...

Here > http://www.jamesaltucher.com/2011/11/13-unusual-facts-about-the-saddest-photo-in-the-great-depression/

Recognize the woman sitting inside the tent? She is the subject of Lange's masterpiece, "Migrant Mother." Here's that photograph......

Here > http://www.shorpy.com/files/images/03054u.jpg

Migrant Mother by Dorothea Lange...

Here > http://www.shorpy.com/files/images/8b29516u.jpg

About this newsletter

I try to remain as objective as possible about the information I share here. Unless I tell you otherwise, I receive no compensation from the organizations and people mentioned except for occasional product samples. I am an affiliate of Lynda.com and MyFonts.com -- that means, if you purchase something from them, I get a small commission. Comments? Suggestions? Write me at [email protected] -- Chuck Green