Posted at 4:27 AM. There are no trackbacks or pingbacks.

Living in dreams. Head so far in the clouds I can no longer distinguish between what is possible and just absoludicrous (Mr. T word droppin’ FOO!). But that is how I prefer it. Why feel the need to settle and not follow what may be something that could be great and something you are really interested in? That said, I am constantly developing schemes in my head for projects, brands, stores, etc etc, which all falls in line with my eventual goal of creating something that makes me happy and allows me the time and pleasure of those around me.

That said, my next scheme may involve a storefront. What that exactly is…

I’m not telling!!! Can’t give away my secrets. BUT, one thing I have learned from living abroad is that a little extra something, whatever it may be, goes a long way. Here in Berlin I have a few shops I like to shop at for various things, and I make an effort to shop there since I enjoy the time and people running the shop. A small revelation I had about all these shops is, they all have coffee machines and serve drinks for any customer. Actually you can just hop in and usually a coffee is offered whether you are dropping money or not. Now, I am an exception to the rule, since coffee is a sure fire way to my heart, but this extra care and attention is something that is lacking in so many places. Customer service is in many ways really great here in Europe, where I usually end up chatting with whoever the clerk is for much longer than I anticipated. Japan is also like this, where they really cater to you as a customer on a personal level which is very friendly and comforting. I invest more trust into these people and also follow their advice a lot more (note to whoever is trying to sell me things). On an international level, loads of retail spaces seem to have it figured out; it all comes down to one thing (in my opinion), experience.

I am looking for an experience in my retail life. Someone to give me a suggestion, compliment (honestly) what works or doesn’t work, and in a setting that is as much a part of it as the customer service. The States has a number of shops in New York and Los Angeles which are following this latter part with amazing presentation, though usually, at least in personal experience, are lacking in the service. I really appreciate how the items and clothing are completely curated in these shops, but if I can’t get any help or questions answered, the amazing selection doesn’t really matter. So, basically a few rules for any shop. 01, design the store! Even simple racks in an all white space can be beautifully done. 02, be friendly with your customers. Form a bond. I go often to the shops here and just chat, and I am sure I know when things come in and have plenty of suggestions. The owner as a friend, and its always nice to have an owner as a friend, even though it doesn’t make the cost any easier. And 03, GIVE THEM COFFEE! I would love any shop that offered me a cup of coffee as I was browsing. Seriously.

SF take note. I am coming for you.

And my favorite shop here in Berlin.
Trueffelschwein
Lyon, one of the owners is incredibly nice, will offer a cup of coffee, lets you know what looks good on you. Compliments are compliments, even from a guy, and yes they always help.

Posted at 9:27 AM. There are no trackbacks or pingbacks.

Check.

Round.

Pidgeon.

Moving Brands.

Marque.

R2.

Do it for the Fame.

Posted at 6:25 AM. There are no trackbacks or pingbacks.

Simple lifestyles. Making the most of little to nothing seems to be one of the greatest characteristics found in any person. Being genuinely stoked on everything no matter what you got is the kind of zen nirvana that I would love to have.

It has been almost two years since I hopped on a skateboard. Ever since moving to the Bay Area I would have small periods of tons of skating then about three times as long without even hopping on a board. Last week I finally put together a new set up thanks to a deck from Dustin, and have been out almost every night this week, and I seemed to have forgot one thing. Skateboarding is amazingly fun.

It is such a simple task, with such a simple set up, and it is so incredibly fun. I have been grinning the whole time I am out. I will admit I am pretty bad now, just trying to get the balance and basics back, and maybe a flip trick or two in there, but whatever happens I am having a seriously fun time and I can’t believe it has been so long since I have gone skating. Such a simple lifestyle, and act that requires very little. There is something great in that, though it doesn’t need to be thought of as some miraculous revelation. It is just a damn good time.

And feebles are the most stylish trick. I am in love with those right now.

Posted at 10:11 AM. There are no trackbacks or pingbacks.

So, as a perfect follow up to the last post, I figured I would pretty much solidify my pansy status. I’m comfortable enough to say that a few years back now I got into the whole ‘caring what I wear’ thing and with the help of a friend started looking into certain designers and their collections. About three years later, I now refer to clothing as ‘pieces,’ am up on the latest collections on a number designers, and spend a bit more time than I would like in getting dressed. But, I am ok with all that. I think taking an interest in how you present yourself is a valuable task, and fashion as a whole is very interesting and fun scene. As a designer, I am not all that surprised that I care to ‘design’ my wardrobe.

With project I am starting, I have been researching pools and sites that focus on showcasing daily outfits. I realized that I usually think about what I am wearing but rarely use a mirror and ever see what I dress like from the ‘others’ view. I decided to shoot a M-F worth of outfits. The end was things I thought were ok, but boring. Not that that will change anytime soon, but at least I like the directions they are all going. Few things I noticed, some of my pants are too tight (over it), if you wear a tie, everyone thinks you are doing something important that day, and I need more variety.

Posted at 7:53 AM. There are no trackbacks or pingbacks.

This blog is also the spot I put the little side projects, which are many, that don’t quite own up to portfolio worthiness. Will try and put a few more like shirt designs and identities I have been doing for friends recently. One of the latest was the invite for Macaframa here in Berlin. Markus, a good friend and partial flat-mate, took it on to throw the whole thing as a promo for the ECMC which is taking place here in Berlin this summer. Lily and I worked on the flyer and ended with a nice joint collaboration which is definitely departed from the majority of flyers I have seen out there so far. Always nice to show a new take on something. All hand done with construction paper other than the type. Enjoy.

Posted at 7:42 AM. There are no trackbacks or pingbacks.

Evidently a few people actually read these posts. Kind of a shock and pleasant surprise at the same time. I should probably start writing things that actually contain some type of relevance to design or social culture instead of just incoherent ramblings. Of the few of you out there, I know one at least is my sister and probably a few other members of my family. When you up and move half way around the world from your blood ties, the internet quickly becomes the easiest way to check on what you are doing and allows them to keep you in check, even 5k miles away. I know my sister reads this a bit, since she shared with me an insight she had while going through all this. That insight was that I was a pansy.

And I thought about that for a bit, and came to my own conclusion. She is right, I guess I am a pansy, but I think I know why. I am loving life right now. Somewhere from escaping a bit of a self laid out trap of bitterness in SF to right now, I have stripped the negative side from most things and am just really happy with the way things are. Not much has really changed; sure, a huge move from San Francisco to Berlin, the gaining of some new friends, the loss of others, new work prospects, but the change hasn’t been so much those external factors, but the internal ones. Somewhere in the mix of all that, I found a bit of peace.

Trying to take a look around myself, I realize it is easy to see that I am being a bit of a pansy. I am in many ways just in love with life and the good things it can bring. Letting myself get caught in the good times, and small moments that are easy to glance over, and above all else, just be very appreciative of everything around me and all the opportunities that come up. I stared outside my window yesterday and caught to pigeons in the tree cleaning or kissing or whatever they do, but I immediately went to get a photo. Something of the romantic (yes, pansy too) side of me, but I thought it was nice, plus gave me a nice photo. I also love walking around Berlin right now. Just looking at the architecture, the sky, sidewalks, parks… and just being happy that I am here and experiencing it for a bit. I just came back from one of the best trips of my life in California. What was just a very small, and somewhat insignificant trip, was just a completely great experience from beginning to end. I have nothing negative to say about the whole thing, and can say that honestly. I am also fortunate enough to be with From Monument to Masses on their tour next month and am really excited, but almost even more excited at how excited I am. Glad to know I still feel emotion.

I have a lot from the past year to be grateful for, and that is what stems this love for life. I appreciate all the chances that have come my way in the past year, and don’t want to waste the time falling into drama or not enjoying them, or at least learn from the hard times, which then results in a positive. I will continue embracing it all and hopefully fulfill the role as a pansy.

Realize this post was what I said I should not do at the top. Next time, but don’t hold me to it.

Posted at 5:37 PM. There are no trackbacks or pingbacks.

After spending some time on one of my favorite places on the internet, Secret Forts, I saw a post linking this article from the NY Times. This article covers the expansion of small boutique food providers throughout Brooklyn and how they are creating a niche for their business. Small ecological and cultural savvy businesses that are taking what they love to do and making it work for them. This is not a new phenomenon by any means, but I am still amazed at how this new generation is taking things into their own hands and defining the lifestyles they want to live.

Never before have I felt so optimistic about the creativity of a generation. So many outlets in all areas from food to fashion to fiction are showing a refreshing take that seems to threaten the mass consumption that plagues the world. Maybe this is in fact, nothing new, and every generation has had an echelon of individuals that pioneered into new territories, but this is something that is new to me in the abundance it is currently occurring.

Recently, I was ditching at least one bookmark a day that was not delivering anything that inspired me, which is the reason I check bookmarks. I was growing bored with what I was seeing, and that it was the same thing on the majority of blogs I check. From clothing sites to design portals, it is usual all the same content and nothing that makes me really get excited about life and its possibilities.

Then I came across a set of blogs and where I had just lost 6 bookmarks, I now gained 12 new ones. I found a new group of blogs that host a variety of content that all hit directly on the mark with what I am currently into, and furthermore, what I am not into but most obviously should be. These all range from short stories to some of the most amazing photographs by unknown individuals to small unknown labels that are creating almost exactly what I want my wardrobe to be. Blogs with some serious serious class. After a bit of browsing I found out that a number of these are run by authors of the aforementioned generation (proud to say my generation) and involved with the creation of key brands and stores.

They are pushing ideas and products that they enjoy, and are able to do so because of a market that understands and comes from the same methodologies. The beauty of it all, is that it seems they are doing it better than most of the mass producers that most of the world knows. An age of quality over quantity is blossoming and in that case the possibilities and potential are only limited to the number of people in the world.

This leaves me with an intense amount of hope and optimism. Almost blind faith that I can take a step in a direction and not be worried about failing. Any venture is tangible (almost) as long as done with a serious passion and care for the product. The aim is not to sell the most, but sell the best and have it be something you have never experienced before. I am proud that these are the times we are living.

Posted at 5:38 AM. There are no trackbacks or pingbacks.

My brain functions like a broken record, constantly skipping. From work to love, it is constantly on a nonstop repeat of obsession. My fate it seems is to constantly fall into a hole which I constantly dig for myself. What is that saying, once you find yourself in a hole, stop digging?

So it goes.

With work, I am easily stuck on subjects and themes that I can’t escape. I find myself influenced by some strain of thought which overrides my un-biased approach to a design solution. Every month of so, it shifts and I find myself doing something new. Refreshing in many ways for it keeps me exploring visual aesthetics, though also problematic in many ways and my ability to approach each design problem fresh and with open eyes. I remedy the situation through many revisions that obviously show that my current theme is not appropriate, or the occasional time away. Be it an hour walk around the neighborhood, or the week long hiatus to get past that pause.

The same goes with the heart. I find myself on a constant cycle of setting myself up for the impractical and improbable. Emotion takes over and the brain is helpless to fight back. Thoughts and hopes float through my mind and drive my days, all while the brain is slowly trying to get the upper hand and expose the absurdity of the emotions. And it is not necessarily the emotions that are absurd, but the extent they are taken. In many ways, the emotions are completely true. Recently I know they have been, though the extent in which I let them drive me is not true, and based off a severe lack of understanding of the situation at hand.

I let this happen to an extent since it is human. I enjoy it, though often it is a painful experience. I left myself get swept up in the whirlwind of emotion, ironic probably for most who think I am the most unemotional person in the world, but it keeps things moving and fantastical. I realize its all hopes and dreams, and they will most likely not ever come to fruition, but what is the point in not hoping? One day I think it will, and I have never felt more sure of that. For some reason, no matter what, things will work out. Life can be cruel, but it is also great.

So it goes.

Posted at 2:55 AM. There are no trackbacks or pingbacks.

I think it is fairly common to invest quite a bit into names. The single signifier for a ‘thing’ (now what is a ‘thing’? But I digress) that it will be known publicly for most of its existence. I usually fret over names quit a bit and have been through a number of different ones for my design entities; nihiloeste, supplemental, fairwhether, and I can say with ease that none of these I have ever felt were able to live up to the actual idea. Assuming there was an idea of course, but none have fit all the criteria I have felt were needed to name a studio and my intent with design.

I am now in the process of naming a cafe. Another daunting task where I endless write down words and associations to coffee, sleep, passion, love, friendship and anything else I can possibly think of when hearing the word coffee. After creating a long list of words, I try and find one that rings louder than the others. How does one sum up something transcendental, impossible to contain meaning, (a topic I have covered in the past with semiotics and blah blah blah) into one word? How does that word not change meaning, or is it the meaning that changes the word?

On one more note. I am drawn to the most un-pronounceable names. But frankly, my dear, I don’t give a damn.

I countlessly struggle to find meaning in the words that strike close to the mark of whatever emotion I am feeling. I don’t know what I am going to name this cafe. Something that means so much to me, but nothing to a person walking by? Something that makes no connections to what it is? I keep writing down words and letting my mind wander, and hopefully it wanders into something that is exactly what I am looking for, and hopefully the cafe can start to fulfill that meaning.

**Within two days of writing this, I stumbled across the name. Sitting down with my friend, talking about things and sort of talking about what to name our cafe, I said something as a joke, that was totally unrelated. From that we found our name, and a couple amazing coincidences that made it stick. The irony of naming.

Posted at 7:54 AM. There are no trackbacks or pingbacks.

As an addendum to the last post, I wanted to share my next goal. I have recently given The Selby a detailed look and found a number of beautiful homes from creatives around the world. I must admit such sites are a guilty pleasure for myself. I love to see the insides of creative offices and homes (often my favorite part of design books that showcase studios). On The Shelby I checked on the house of Nicolas Malleville and Francesca Bonato and wished for something like this in my future. Great locale, great culture and a beautiful home.

I have been dreaming for the last while of moving away from it all, and just living in a small villa with a garden to grow fresh vegetables and fruits, and live out a simple and peaceful life. Not needing much and not using much. Just living with a pure love and joy of living. A few posts back I wrote of the slowing of life upon moving to Berlin, and that those slow moments are all the more enjoyable. Focus on friends, and the enjoyment of things like coffee, without the rush of getting it to go (My new cafe will not have coffee to go!) . I still feel as if I could go slower and really only want a modest income on a nice flat in a beautiful area with a nice mountainous road to ride my bicycle. I think this could keep me content for the rest of my life. Not the same as being able to travel and experience the world, but pure, and for that reason it seems ideal.

So, I hope in 6 years (2015), I am in such a place and have all the happiness that goes with it. Until then it is just to keep trying to do the most good I can, and care for those around me. Hopefully there is some reward for it all.

Posted at 4:46 AM. There are no trackbacks or pingbacks.

The past six months and some change of my life has brought an immense adjustment to my life. I moved from the safe, comfortable, native land of California to the remote foreign cold of Germany. While at first it was bridled with hope of what lay in store, the hope soon had switched from optimism to survival and how I could manage the hurdles here in Berlin.

When I was still in school I set a mark, or goal, of being self-employed by the time I was 28. I had hoped that I would have my own studio and be somewhat successful, though that word is largely relative even to myself, the ever-strict author of said goal. One year ago, I had largely given up on achieving that goal. I was happy with everything I had accomplished and what I had done with my education and career, nothing to mention of anything other than professional endeavors, but I felt there was no chance I could reach the ’success’ or ability to open my own studio. And then I left San Francisco.

There were a number reasons to leave SF, but the over all feeling of isolation in such a city was the key driving force. When a space has so much memory it can be hard to get past those thoughts, keeping you planted in a routine. I love San Francisco, the only place in the US I would ever want to call home (and the place I say I am from whenever asked here. Sorry San Diego.) but had to break the peace and find something new.

I miss San Francisco, and especially those friends that remain behind, but I realize that moving away can be one of the best things for any person, and so it has for me. The act of moving half way around the world, discarding all my possessions save my clothes and bicycle, left me with a clean slate. I had no steady work, and less than 100euro for a month at a time, but I was happy. A happy I have not felt for a few years. I knew it wouldn’t be the quickest or easiest transition, but the joy of being here was apparent that I had done the right thing.

Almost 7 months from that move, things are finally coming together in a way I would have never imagined. I still wish to reconnect with those still in SF, NY, Tokyo, and other places in the world, but I very abruptly just realized that I am at my goal and have passed it. The mark that I thought was far out of my reach one year ago, I realize is here right now.

I guess this is my new years post. A bit late, and I know the site still says 2008 (working on a redesign with many new projects), but here none the less. Sometimes these revelations take awhile before the fog lifts. So here is to an amazing next year. One where the work will be plentiful and exciting, the coffee free and rich, and chance to reconnect common. My wish is to send people plane tickets to come visit, since money, like everything in life, is temporary and it is better to spend it on those you cherish than horde it away or spend it on yourself.

To my internationally displaced family, the best wishes for 2009.

Posted at 2:04 PM. There are no trackbacks or pingbacks.

Regret is a pointless emotion. It offers nothing but wasted thought and concern, yielding anything but understanding and comprehension. Regret is not analyzing and processing events, but accepting a mistake and holding it tight where you are unable to get a good look at what it is and why you are even holding it. Safe to say that no one is perfect: we all make mistakes, but dwelling on the mistakes and regretting the choices seems to inflict a lack of understanding and the incapability to move past and learn from those mistakes and choices. I myself am far from perfect and make bad choices on a daily basis. I am constantly reminiscing about all the errors I have committed in my life, and there are many, but I do not truly regret any of them. Call me naïve or false, but I would like to believe that from all the mistakes in my life, I have learned from them and hope to grow wiser in the end. I continuously re-evaluate and dwell on the choices I have done, and usually understand them better because of it. It offers closure, and usually a bit of sanity to the normally insane world of emotion. After everything I have been through and seen (and more importantly what I have yet to experience) I do not regret any of it, for I would not change anything. Life is far too beautiful, precious and short to be spent regretting. Think, process, learn and move on, and in the worst case hope that you will get a chance to repair the mistake you made. But do not spend the time basking in regret.

I said I have no regrets, and that is mostly true, but there is one that still haunts me. One choice I realized was a very poor one far too late to have an affect on the outcome. I don’t want to say I necessarily regret that, since hindsight is 20/20 and I had enough reason to go through with what I did at the time, but it is the only thing that still makes the heart cringe. I learned from it and hopefully that will never happen again, and I don’t think I will. Though I do look forward to a another chance, and hope that that person realizes that I am now a bit more wise to let such a valuable friend get away. Out of all the wrongs I have done, I apologize and owe you everything.

- Pelos

Posted at 2:56 AM. There are no trackbacks or pingbacks.

Soon.

Posted at 2:51 AM. There are no trackbacks or pingbacks.

Settling.

Constantly one foot out the door, I have lived the last few years with a flight mentality. Ready to ditch it all and move on if needed. In reality, this immediate departure would not happen, but the preparation always seemed like a good approach to life as a form of not being attached, and focusing on items or things that seemingly matter most.

Just leaving the states, I left almost everything I owned. I had one large duffel and a backpack of all my possessions with the inclusion of some design books that were shipped. I know that I could have cut that down to one bag with no real cost. I realized, and still believe, that it is all expendable. Material possessions are not what matter, but the quality of life, and that is as varied as the people on this planet. Personally, I know I could be happy with just the clothes on my back and a bicycle sleeping on the side of the road, or in a loft filled with modern furniture and the most contemporary technologies. The fact that either is acceptable in my head, does not represent hypocrisy, but an attempt to make myself as content as I can be with the current situation I am in.

I am now in a place where seemingly so many opportunities are unfolding before me I am having to learn to shun this flight mechanism. I would love to pack up and just ride my bike. Taking on a truly nomadic lifestyle that in many ways would be more fruitful than pursuing a successful career in design. The reverse is that I love the profession of design and am in the process of achieving so many things that were a pipe dream in the US. I am having to battle the realization that life is very good where I am at, and that while riding all day every day is not an impossibility, I need to see the things through that are happening for me right now.

I think it is time to settle for a bit, and see what happens. Bring that foot back inside the door for a bit, and focus on what is in my own home, rather than constantly looking out the window to what else is out there. Nothing is permanent and the flight option is always there. I am still open to whatever comes my way, but need to bring the current quality of life to the highest possibility. Too many things are going good, and it is a chance to let them happen for once.

Posted at 8:36 AM. There are no trackbacks or pingbacks.

Live alone. Die alone. Live and die for something greater. I have for a long time believed that everyone is innately alone. You live your life and only your life. The act of being exists only within you. This to many can be something that seems hindering, or depressing, and though it may be in some ways, I find this thought extremely liberating. This basically states that I am in control of myself and all the chances to be happy and/or sad exist with me, not those around me.

I have always been able to flip a switch and shift my mood from sad to happy. Usually it just takes a little bit of reasoning in my head, and I am able to overcome it all. Not really as easy as it sounds right there, but the basic gist. I realize that whatever reason I have for not being happy is either meaningless and/or not helping me in my day to day, so are able to deal with it, or cut it off. Logical ( I think at least) reasoning at its most harsh. I have cut off countless people from my life, because when trying to step back and look at the relationship I realize it was totally fucked.

I know who matters to me, and which relationships I cherish. Those people are always in my thoughts and I am so appreciative of their friendships/relationships. The others are usually a combination of similar interests, and/or just taxing emotions. Basically driven by gut emotions and as John Cusack said best in ‘High Fidelity’ “One thing I have realized is that my guts have shit for brains.” Emotion is a complete disaster and I realize, though healthy to have, they often are the opposite of what you need.

Most people think I am a callous asshole, and most people are probably right. Somehow emotional detachment comes easy, but with how the world is today, I don’t find that too surprising. Regardless of what other people think, I know where I am and what I am doing, and try to be as true to myself and those that truly care for me as I can. This post is about the friends worth fighting for. The ones that make me a better person for knowing them. You do not go unnoticed.

Posted at 4:00 AM. There are no trackbacks or pingbacks.

My heart is here.

Posted at 3:55 AM. There are no trackbacks or pingbacks.

Click Refresh.

Where do I go from here? I have no anchor. No means of surviving. No means of committing. No particular care for staying here. I am my home, and that can travel as far as I can physically take it.

The question, as to which path is more ‘right,’ is what matters most to me. What do I value more than anything? And that I can not completely answer. I know what matters most is that I am happy, and that is not specific to any one location. I realize that for the most part, until recently, I have been in a very good head space. Unfortunately that is somewhat shattered at the moment, but will eventually come together once again. But it is only the present that exists, and that requires the attention.

How does one choose the right path? Where does one seek refuge? From my understanding that refuge is an internal location. Inside of you, rather than some place in the world, and I believe that to be true. Learning to understand one self can make the rest of the world a simple reflection of whatever is inside. The benefit of this is that locale doesn’t matter. Running doesn’t matter, though it can help. It is not necessarily wrong to run from conflict, since that act itself is impossible. You can never escape, but at least encounter new things in the flee. All things are held in the most fragile of balances. All is illusion, therefore all is inconsequential.

Berlin has been good to me, and I don’t feel I have created what I want here. I just hope for calm waters sometime soon, and the ability to have my own refuge. I need to keep doing what I need and and I am currently able to do that. Though I think I need a brief attempt to get away from those that cause harm. Maybe a trip to Spain is on order. Time to get that house.

Posted at 3:46 AM. There are no trackbacks or pingbacks.

There is something about a culture that knows that it is not always a necessity to be able to consume at anytime. After being in Berlin for a few short months now, I am adjusting to a slightly slower lifestyle, though think I could go even slower.

I am now having to think ahead and plan what I need to purchase for the following day, and what food we may need. A slight nuisance, but one I am grateful for. I am fond of the Sunday’s that are spent browsing flea markets or having the occasional coffee, all without the craziness of consumerism fluctuating around. Sunday’s are dramatically more mellow in the city and it brings the pace of living down to a gentle and reflexive pace. Able to just breath and take the time to enjoy this life.

More and more I feel as if I am a hair away from leaving it all and moving to the country. The thought of owning a plot of sustainable land, and simply living off it without the pressures placed by society is now a constant. I would like to leave the consumerism, general unhappiness, and the attempt to force both on all those around that plagues society and its’ inhabitants. Away from it all, it is easy to be just live and enjoy that for that.

I would love more days like Sunday: the chance to stroll, sip coffee, and think. To enjoy friend’s company, and enjoy life free from the hypocrisy that attempts to drown us all.

Dustin, let’s get that farm! Just need a mountain with a paved road in the area to ride on. We can build the mini in the yard next to the corn!

Posted at 12:54 AM. There are no trackbacks or pingbacks.

I think it is time to renew this creed, and take a self-evaluative look at what we, as designers, are creating and for whom. While talent seems to be at an all time high within the design field, the content and project created seem shallow and self-serving. Whole portfolios of self-initiated projects projected into every blog for what may be nothing less than celebrity? I can not, and do not claim to speak for anyone other than myself, but question where we are heading as a field who no longer creates for a client but for themselves. While that could be an amazing ability to focus on our voices being heard and seen, it feels as though the mark is being missed. While we could do grand projects for just causes, we are simply more interested in small projects that vainly attempt to show our depth as designers, and are in actuality playing in the shallows rather than jumping in completely.

Where are our heroes? Who will move to the front of this new generation?

Posted at 12:46 AM. There are no trackbacks or pingbacks.

A few people from MASH have been working for awhile now on a backpack with the Japanese bag makers SAG. After a number of revisions, we are all happy with the finish product and the features it offers. SAG is always creating innovative bags and this project is something I am proud of being part of (besides design input, I did the inside pattern and labels). Thanks to Yoshi and Ichigo from SAG, and Mike and Andy for their part in making this bag such a great tool for cycling.

Posted at 10:50 AM. There are no trackbacks or pingbacks.

The currency of words will always be fundamentally low due to the fallible nature of language. Spoken or written words will always maintain a slippery surface of meaning, constantly sliding and slipping out of grasp. While the relevance of spoken words over written is endlessly debatable (bring it Andy, haven’t talked about that in a while), for this juncture I am going to say that spoken words are much more credible than that of written.

While the virtue of the internet is the ability of giving voice to any who wishes, it has also become one of the most troubling areas of our existence. It is beautiful that I am able to meet and communicate with people from all around the world, and that my voice can reach them, though what is contained in my voice? If I have never met you face to face, never shared a laugh, a disappointment, a concern, or an outrage, how can I understand? How can I read what is there in words written before me? I am sure over time that it is highly possible that through written discourse, I could come to know someone like kin, yet I do not doubt that that would take a long amount of time and patience. How then must I read these words that people put on their sites? How must I take criticism?

All with very little significance I think. While some people whose thoughts I read with great reverence, though I know that I may be misinterpreting them, and others I give no credibility through lack of knowledge. I read with hesitance, since I do not know where people are coming from, or what their intentions may be. However, I write with no relectance, and verbally spew my thoughts with no regard to how people may read them. I place my words out there with thought to meaning and execution, but think little of how people may feel as if my words are intended as insult, or merely that of an inside joke. Not know that I am fairly serious in almost everything I do, and that my humor can slip through at odd times. Or when I am having fun with my words, and falsely pretending. I apologize to those who read these words and interpret them as malcontent.

I have been told often that I have strong opinions. I have been told that I am an asshole. Both of which are probably true. I wield my opinions like a sword, always willing to let them fly, however I am always willing to listen and converse on whatever that opinion may be. I believe that opinions and the ability to actually discuss, does not happen enough. People are too busy saving face, and worried of upsetting others than to say what is really on their mind. I am weary of that, and don’t wish to have to hold my tongue or keep what I say internalized because it could offend. My intent is never to offend, but to bring relevance to a matter that has relevance to me. I stand by opinions and wait til another one comes along to replace it.

The internet is the anti-thesis of language. Never able to understand the voice of those that choose to voice themselves on it. I take all that I read on the internet as a grain of salt. The words are words with no author, and with that they lose a bit of what little structure they have. I also assume people are like me, but that is not always the case. As for that, do not read what I write as anything more than the that of the schizophrenic homeless man on the street. He is more likely to yield truth than myself.

This blog is merely my ranting for myself, if you ever feel compelled to, please write me, and let me know your opinions and we shall try our best to discuss it. Please do not judge based of random collection of words on a blog, get to know me first before the flags of concern wave.

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The only colors I need.

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The late 1980s and early 1990s saw the affects of Post-Modern philosophy on design. A revolutionary period that brought to the forefront thinking on communication in the visual medium of design. Designers like McCoy, Fella, Earls, Venezky, Tenazas, Blauvelt, Keedy, and many others brought this thinking on semiotics into the design world, and to the clients. What was met as a style, due to the lack of inclusion of such theories into the column that is design philosophy, came and left the design mantra, bringing a revival in modernism. However, the zombie of Post-modernism has come back to walk the streets of Design, though true to a zombie nature, is in bits and pieces and struggling to become whole. (Ok, I apologize, probably a very bad analogy there).

As Graphic Design evolves, the spectrum widens, and what is classified as good design is opened that much more to those that are able to find new ways of communicating ideas. Never before have I seen such experimental play from students, young professionals, and ranked firms. It is quite amazing that so much of this work is done for clients, though the majority is not, and is generally well-accepted by the audience.

I stumbled upon sites from a former colleague and a number of other recent CCA graduates, and I was amazed at the quality of work. Many of the pieces were very impressive; containing the openness and experimentation of a class project, but executed with a visual awareness that was not there when I was in school. I realize trends evolve and that this was not in style when I was attending, though the work was amazingly fun and creative. It felt as if Post-Modernism is back, and maybe actually finding a home within the design canon.

Though as I further look at these pieces, something felt off. The first hit of visual stimulation started to fade and as the facade fell apart I was left looking at the soul of the piece, and it was empty. This is the common fault I see with the majority of this work coming out now; it is not design. It is art. What is being treated as brilliant and slightly skewed interpretation, yielding beautiful forms, is a mass of random pieces that offer little as a whole, and this it what is being held up and paraded around as the great design of our period. Random bits of chaotic scraps, that in the attempt that they are brought together, may mean something. Ironically enough that sounds true enough to my understanding of language, but does not work with the role of communicating, that which is the one main task of the designer.

Maybe this evolution is still young. Possibly over time this will come together, but right now I see the allowance of too many people taking liberties without understanding what they are doing. They have no reference to those that came before in the Post-Modern wave, and are simply not able to achieve the same level of reading in their work. Where Post-Modern was a beautifully layered story of design, these pieces are random puzzles that lack any solution. Post-Randomism needs some clarity before it can move on, or hopefully dies a sudden death.

Posted at 8:30 AM. There are no trackbacks or pingbacks.

For most, including myself, blogging is not easy. Searching for new content or topics to write or share with the digital world is a time-consuming task, and I think it is noteworthy when certain blogs can constantly update with new content that has not been shown on countless other sites prior. It is a time consuming effort to sit down and write and develop your thoughts for something that seems like an extra-curricular activity. I find it difficult to sit down without distractions and write out a full blog post giving it the time it needs to edit and rethink the post, and all the while questioning whether this is an idea worthwhile of voicing. Too many times it would be easy to simply post the nonsense that goes on in my head with no consequence as to who may or may not read it, or just simply post random crap that further pollutes the information highway.

I am active on a few blogs, some of which you can find in the profile section of this site, and cautiously proceed with my posts on those. For some, like Arkitip, it is extremely disappointing when someone seems to miss the point of such an astounding platform. All the other members of the blog are on point with what they post and it is always original. I strive to live up to that level and respect the place they have given me among them. It is sad when the posts under the name MASH, which a number of us post under, are filled with meaningless photos, or the re-hashing of someone else’s blog (or worse, re-post of their own blog post). Can we not create, find, or discuss more important things, especially on a forum such as that? I leave my simple posts on what colors I like or where I rode that day to my own personal blog, so no one has to read it.

This is a small part of a larger issue I find with the internet and the voices it contains. Too many sites are failing to bring the content and authorship they should. This is merely my opinion, and I am falling into my own hypocrisy by turning to the internet to state my opinion, but I am tired of reading the nonsense people have to post. I am slowly finding that my links I check daily are shrinking due to unoriginal or ignorant posts. Something I find troubling since for many of those sites, that is what the authors do; they blog. That is their job.

On the other hand, those that maintain a high level of content and writing deserve the utmost praise. Certain blogs like DesignObserver are constantly updated with interesting and well written pieces on design and culture. Others like Arkitip are a constant source of new information that is not re-iterated across every other ‘culture’ site. Others like Crailtap and Defgrip keep a steady flow of content coming onto their sites.

It seems like a fairly simple task to keep the content new and interesting and not fall into a pattern of writing simple posts with news that is weeks old. Too many sites simply regurgitate that which they have read, or offer no real thought other than unhappiness with one thing or another and that brings the quality of information down across the internet. For a generation that turns to digital means for news and information (almost being told what to do) they are being led astray.