It may be an obvious or cliche choice for favorite designer…but I really do love Saul Bass. He is best known for his poster design as well as his creative approach to opening titles in film. For those of you not into old movies and poster art, you’ll know his logo for United Airlines.
I was excited to find today that his film,”Why Man Creates”, created in 1968 was for the first time uploaded to youtube in it’s entirety. The film explores and discusses the nature of creativity as it is broken down into 8 stages.
It aired for the first time, as a shortened version, on the first broadcast of “60 Minutes” in 1968, and also won an Academy Award for Best Documentary Short.
I’m not sure what little kid didn’t play with boxes when they were little. I can remember occasions when my nieces and nephews would toss the toy aside to play with a box, building school buses or airplanes, playing house…even in this age of technology. So if you’ve ever painted on a box, cut holes in a box, stacked boxes or sat in an empty refrigerator box, you’ll enjoy this gangsta ode to crafts.
Creative marketing agency, John St. in Toronto, Canada recently added this charming case study based on pink ponies and the saturated market of children’s birthday parties. Marketing strategy has never been so cute!
Thank you to my loyal readers that continued to stop by while I was away. I’ve been granted my Australian Residency and have moved from New York to Sydney again. Things have been busy but now that I am settled I plan to get back to writing. Unfortunately, the Megnificent Made Etsy store will be on hold for a while longer. I’ll let you know when I get back to making hand made treats for you!
In the mean time there is exciting news to report! I’d like to congratulate the Sunswift Solar Car Racing team from the University of New South Wales on their Guinness World Record for fastest solar car.
for more Megnificent design work please visit meganguhl.com
The car, nick named IVy, beat the 22 year old record by 10 k/hr and came in around 88.5 k/hr. Congratulations to the Sunswift team!
I haven’t been blogging much lately but I assure you I have been busy crafting. I’m not going to apologize again for not turning it all into paragraphs and pictures straight away but I can promise there is plenty to be shared. In the mean time I am unapologetically enjoying that I have work to do, sun to bask in, and new crafting adventures to indulge.
While I do all this, I thought I’d share some work by Ken Baily. Someday he will line my kitchen walls with two of my favorite things…dogs and food.
Recently my friend, and talented Graphic Designer, Jason enlisted my help stitching together a pattern he had come up with for a laptop back. He’s pretty creative and while he doesn’t sew that much, this was the fifth evolution of the laptop bag he’s created since headed off to college.
He’s just graduated from the Rochester Institute of Technology by the way and is leaving New York for his new job and exciting new life in San Francisco. Yay for Jason!
Every time he constructs the bag he incorporates lessons learned from his last creation. I think this fifth round bag will last him a while. To see the history of bag designs check out his blog here.
Jasons Got a Brand New Bag
The bag has two front pockets with a handy little flap over it to keep things from falling out. Inside there are two compartments for laptop and books. On the side there is a pocket for pens. One major change to this bag was running the loops and D-rings for the strap through the interior of the bottom of the bag. That adds a lot of support and I think he’ll be able to stuff this bag and not worry about weight.
I made a minor change in the pattern to give him some sharp clean corners and sturdy pockets, but for someone that doesn’t sew he came to me with a very well thought out plan.
Jason is also a talented screen printer and plans to embellish the bag with an original design. I’ll let you all know when he does.
Good luck in San Francisco Jason! And thanks for including me in on the project!
I cannot get enough of these supre cute and GENIUS 2 in 1 zippered sneakers by Nat-2.
This clever hightop sneaker design zips apart to reveal a comfortable looking sandal underneath. They come in lots of great styles and even as a lowtop design.
2 in 1 Zipper Shoe
This design team from Germany has dedicated itself to innovation in style. They’ve been the recipient of multiple design awards such as the Red Dot award, the Innovation and Design award in 2007, the ISPO Brand New Award, and was named one of the 50 shoes that changed the world by the London Design Museum.
Their 4 in 1 Stack design converts a clog to a low top, high top and boot with detachable pieces.
I am in Australia right now to attend my boyfriend’s graduation with his PhD in engineering. To celebrate, I am throwing him a party in the park with a picnic theme. I’ve really enjoyed putting together fun picnic gingham prints in red and blue. I promise to take photos of the finished event!
Australia right now is slipping into winter…although it is an unusually sunny autumn. For those in the north gearing up for summer, here are some picnic etsy finds to get you in gear!
Upcycled Vintage picnic blanket by SewnNatural
Wicker Picnic Basket by Ravennasgirlvintage
Fan Shaped Basket Purse by TimelessTotes
Red Gingham Bow Picnic Sash Dress by CoralieBeatrix
While I am up in the air on my way to Sydney, I thought I would share with you the wonderful art of illustrator Noma Bar.
Noma was born and raised in Israel but currently lives and works in London as an illustrator and graphic designer. He has worked for publications like New York Times, Esquire, The Guardian and Time Out London. Most recently he has published a book called “Guess Who? The Many Faces of Noma Bar” that features beautiful caricature style illustrations that utilize shape, color and manipulation of negative space. See if you can figure out these portraits and find the hidden elements that give their identity away.
