Archive for October, 2009

Oct
7

Words About Words

A few weeks ago, I was seeing some chatter concerning a certain Absolut Vodka spot and its similarity to Stefan Sagmeister’s type experiments. There were definitely some loaded words thrown around, like “copy” and “rip-off” and such.

Now, creativity and credit are no small things to me, but I think this may be a case of people wanting to be outraged about something – not unlike the people complaining about the use of the music in such an awfully commercial way. Perhaps it is a case of “pure art” vs. commercialism – perhaps some object to Sagmeister’s “pure” concept being the inspiration for an ad peddling vodka – but in general I find this to be a waste of time, discussions of art vs. commercialism, “selling out,” etc.

We all find inspiration in great work, and Sagmeister’s original type experiments were great. Something I’ve seen before – and have certainly been guilty of myself – is trying to emulate your inspiration but falling short. This isn’t that, though. They took the same idea – making a statement – literally – through creating type from surroundings. However, where Sagmeister executed his vision with still photography, the Absolut spot is video throughout, which gives it a distinctly different feel. I also think the shots of artists crafting the words are particularly powerful. Overall, I feel like the Absolut spot has a bit more ‘polish.’

I mean no disrespect to Stefan Sagmeister – in fact, I think his work is amazing. By way of illustration, it’s like the difference between the initial groundbreaking work of developers on multitouch display tables and the later, more polished versions, like the Microsoft Surface. I don’t believe that the creators of the Absolut spot were stealing from Sagmeister. It is merely my opinion, but I feel that by executing well and bringing new touches to the table, they have seen further by standing on the shoulders of a giant.

Posted in Inspiration, Soapbox | 1 Comment »

Oct
4

Exodus Stories

Back in school, my friend Mike shared a DVD with me that he’d borrowed from somebody – Battlestar Galactica. I watched the miniseries that began the show, but never got further – at least, not until New Year’s Eve of this past year. This lead to Chantelle and I devouring the series over the course of nine months.

If you’ve never seen it, you totally should check it out – all the seasons are now out on DVD.

If you love science fiction, it is science fiction in top form. If you’re turned off by science fiction… you should give it a shot anyway, because it’s really good science fiction, so it’s about more than space ships and robots.

The story starts with profound human tragedy – the destruction of the vast majority of humanity – and follows the remnants of the human race as they try to evade their attackers and find a new home. It’s a story about people finding a way to go on when they’ve lost everything.

So why should you check it out? The writing and acting is awesome – the whole ensemble cast is amazing. It’s intense, and sometimes incredibly challenging. Not only are there space battles and insurrections, there are also meditations on faith, political order, occupation and terrorism, forgiveness, and ultimately the nature of humanity.

I don’t want to say too much else for fear of straying into spoiler territory. However, when one series can attract loyal followers from many ages and backgrounds, spawn discussion at the United Nations, win prestigious awards, and be recommended to the host of a radio program on religion and ethics by a Muslim scholar – it might just be worth checking out. I recommend that you do.

(Bonus: The Night Battlestar Galactica Took Over The U.N. – more detailed article, but caution – spoilers!)

Posted in Television | No Comments »

Oct
3

People More Talented Than Me


Avengers by JPRart

Now, when I was little, I used to draw all the time. I mean, I know lots of kids are constantly drawing, but I kept at it a while. The drives to swim meets were interminably long to a child of 2nd or 3rd grade, so I would spend long portions of the rides drawing. I don’t know if I would go so far as to say I was good – I mean, I was a little kid, so short of being an illustrative prodigy, I’m not sure what passes for good, but I thoroughly enjoyed it.

At some point, though, I just stopped drawing. Not really sure why, but I did. I took an art class in junior high, but I’m certainly not proud of any of the drawings I did in that class – I did a very nice pen & ink, and a passable scratchboard piece, but not so much with the drawing.

So I didn’t give much thought to drawing until I became interested in RIT, and I needed to submit a portfolio that would include 5 drawings. This was pretty terrifying for someone who hadn’t drawn much in recent years, and I think even then I was a bit naive about the level of competition I would have from people who could actually, you know – draw.

I got in to RIT, obviously – the admissions department recommended that I consider the IT program rather than design, but I knew where I wanted to be. Drawing class was an eye-opening experience, however – my first few critiques were painfully bad, and I had to labor long and hard over drawing projects that others would breeze through, getting better results in a fraction of the time. Just when I was starting to get the hang of something, it would seem, we’d be on to something different that would leave me scrambling.

And now, it’s a point of some embarrassment that I never really draw. I’m sure that with practice, I could be okay, but I just don’t. Being in a creative industry, I feel like I should doodle in my notebook at work, but I’ve never really gotten the hang of doodling – I just can’t think of anything to doodle. Which isn’t the point, I know, but that’s how I seem to work.

This brings me to what I actually meant to post about – people who are way more talented than I am.


Shootout Showdown by kheelan

A while back, my friend Jon shared a link to Abduzeedo, an art & design roundup blog. It’s always interesting, though I don’t always agree about how great some of the things he posts are. I’ve found that a lot of the stuff he posts are coming from deviantART.


The Trench by michaelkutsche

Back in the day, back before I went to RIT, or got a full-time job, some friends talked me into joining deviantART. I wound up posting mostly photos – I don’t know that I ever was really considering photography as a career path, but I suppose I fancied myself an amatuer photographer. (Looking back on it, even after a few years of design experience, I take fairly average photos.)

Once I got to RIT though, I stopped spending time on dA. It’s pretty common, I think, to hate on dA, so I won’t do that here.


Pirate Redo by bongoshock

When it comes down to it, there are some insanely talented people on deviantART. And by just visiting Abduzeedo, you just get exposed to people who are awesome.


The City by kerembeyit

Is a lot of it sort of nerdy? A lot of fantasy and scifi illustrations? Yes. But I’m okay with that, being a bit of a nerd myself.


The Kid’s Last Heist by imaginism

So, after all that jabbering, I just hope you enjoy some of the stuff I’ve posted up here, and maybe check out Abduzeedo if you want. Or not. Do what you want.


Into The Unknown by kerembeyit

Posted in Inspiration, Life | 1 Comment »

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