What happens when a Victorinox Original arrives at your front door?

It's arrived.  Got my new watch :) I'm gonna be NATO navy!  I decided to go green besides I really do think the khaki green exudes the most personality.  I got second opinions, a lot of my friends feel I should have gotten the beige or grey because they are more 'ladylike'.  I'd love to be a lady, but... despite what logic tells you, the heart has an uncanny way to defy it ;)

So anyway, back to the little black box.  I took some photos to introduce you to the new Victorinox Originals.  I like the idea that, while it exudes masculinity, there are a lot of tiny details that are purposefully designed to give a sense of quiet elegance.  For example, the unmistakable cross-shield badge engraved on the dial and the metal piece on the strap.  I'll be on time from now on :)

It goes with most of my outfits.  Well, um.  Almost ;)

Video: Let's 'pop up' the energy!

What we're lacking: Craft.

Video: Simple DIY techniques for post-it stop motion.

And to think they're only students but created such an awesome video. Here's sharing the techniques in post-in stop motion. Learning for everyone.

The most visually compelling message ever - Matched.

When I saw this photo, I was speechless. Like seriously dumbfounded. Because of the infinite layers of messages piled upon one simple visual that could have happened anywhere, anytime yet it's eternally locked in one moment that could have destroyed its power, half a second too early or half a second too late. It need no words. None at all.

We're safe here...

Via bitte ein kuss.

Design: Latest 'Content-Aware Fill' preview by Adobe Photoshop - it's like... magic.

I remember reading about a revolutionary algorithm that can make something out of nothing. Traditional MRI scan is not efficient in some cases, and sometimes produces a lo-res and grainy photo that drastically drops data accuracy. But according to Wired, we now have a clearer visual sense of what's on paper and what else's to come...

"By using mathematical concept called 'sparsity', the compressed-sensing algorithm can take a fuzzy, lo-res file and transform it into an image that is sharp and crisp" - Wired, 18.03

How it works is that the algorithm will modify the picture in stages by laying coloured shapes over the randomly selected image. It intelligently detects the adjacent pixels in the same area and fill in the same colour and does this over and over again with smaller and smaller shapes to finally achieve a crisp clear image that is near-perfect.

I can't help but wonder if there is a similar magic working here, as shown in this video of Adobe Photoshop's Content-Aware Fill tool. You select the area which you want to clean, and it detects the possibility of adjacent hues in ultra small fine tiny little wee bits and fill in what it 'thinks' could be logical. Five seconds of dragging your mouse around, one click, and viola. New picture. Like magic ;)


Anyone know if the same technology is employed here?

Design: Special edition White Moleskine.

I'm so loving this. Special edition Moleskine in virgin white for yoox.

It's really... the first time...

New eco Coke design.

I need time to digest this refreshing look of Coke’s new eco design, brainchild of designer Andrew Kim. But I totally admire the thinking and inspiration behind the new design. Hmm, I wonder if the volume will be the same? Are they making us consume more? Cause, it definitely doesn’t look like they want us to consume any less. Is the price going to be the same? I feel this whole thing about reducing the footprint by increasing number of bottles shipped per container seems a little… bogus. Sorry, I’m always wary about big organizations that want to grow even bigger. Increasing shipping volume per container meaning increasing sales off the shelves. And sometimes they masquerade behind a great world-saving slogan. Hmm.

Design: Lumitectura - Music X Architecture X Light.

One of the most compelling visual scene I've seen, mashing elements of illumination, music and architecture.

Watch the video, and read the production explanation after that.

The clip is defined by 3 elements.
-One videofile, shot between 2 and 6 pm.
-The speed of playback of this file, which is synchronised manually to the music.
-About 50 different masks, wich define where the underlayed movie is going to appear on the screen. This makes it possible to have multiple light situations in the same moment.So basicly, the sunlight caught from the building is the "natural" palette for the entire colors of the clip.

Original post here.

Art and Design: Deconstruction of great art.

10 Perceptual Principles of Great Art

PEAK SHIFT: We find deliberate distortions of a stimulus even more exciting than the stimulus itself—which is why cartoon caricatures grab our attention.

GROUPING: It feels nice when the distinct parts of a picture can be grouped into a pattern or form. The brain likes to find the signal amid the noise.

BALANCE: Successful art makes use of its entire representational space, and spreads its information across the entire canvas.

CONTRAST: Because of how the visual cortex works, it's particularly pleasing for the brain to gaze at images rich in contrast, like thick black outlines or sharp angles—or, as in the geometric art of Mondrian, both at once.

ISOLATION: Sometimes less is more. By reducing reality to its most essential features—think a Matisse that's all bright color and sharp silhouettes—artists amplify the sensory signals we normally have to search for.

PERCEPTUAL PROBLEM SOLVING: Just as we love solving crossword puzzles, we love to "solve" abstract paintings such as cubist still lifes or Cézanne landscapes.

SYMMETRY: Symmetrical things, from human faces to Roman arches, are more attractive than asymmetrical ones.

REPETITION, RHYTHM, ORDERLINESS: Beauty is inseparable from the appearance of order. Consider the garden paintings of Monet. Pictures filled with patterns, be it subtle color repetitions or formal rhythms, appear more elegant and composed.

GENERIC PERSPECTIVE: We prefer things that can be observed from multiple viewpoints, such as still lifes and pastoral landscapes, to the fragmentary perspective of a single person. They contain more information, making it easier for the brain to deduce what's going on.

METAPHOR: Metaphor encourages us to see the world in a new way: Two unrelated objects are directly compared, giving birth to a new idea. Picasso did this all the time—he portrayed the bombing of Guernica, for example, with the imagery of a bull, a horse, and a lightbulb

I think this is applicable to how we craft ads too, no? We should pay more attention to details...

Original post here.

Beautifully imperfect.

Photo by Jan Chipchase.

Book covers that we love.

Cover as media. Visual usually tells the story upfront (as with most advertising) but this time, it's reversed. Instead it wraps up the story nicely when you close the book, take a look at the glass and go 'ahh...'. What a neat closure! If you haven't read the book, you'd think 'innocence', 'purity', 'huh?', 'cow', 'goat', 'what the...', 'scratch head', etc. But if you've paid attention to the content. One word. Drugs. Why? Go read it.

Anyway, I think there are a lot of great designs that are extremely inspirational which we tend to overlook every day. One of which are book covers. Especially when vintage is making a comeback, I think we can find some pretty neat solutions and inspirations in these visual communications too.

Also read more about Penguin's famous illustrations.

Jan Chipchase in Lift Asia 08 part II.

Something else he said.

It's easier to design for single use. Designing for shared use is always harder because it's more complex and there are more variables.

To what extent is this true when designing automobiles? Is there a husband's car and a wife's car? Of course there is but what distinctively separates the two other than usage? Is it the final call of decision made by the husband or the wife? What about the father and son? What about two sisters? Is this what Toyota mean by universal design? But didn't we learn that in order to serve happiness to people, we've got to put them into meaningful clusters to unearth their diverse needs? Remember, it's no more about the sweet spot, it's the sweet spots. So if that's the case, then how do we design a shared space that still maintains the personalization depending on who's using it, when? More space for mom's groceries? Same space for dad's golf clubs? How about a personalized temperature and music controller that remembers the driver? If I'm not mistaken, that is a technology of BMW (who else?). What else?