From switched.com, a look at a new form of snail mail developed by students at Syracuse University. Using Gmail, the Google Envelope would be able to send paper versions of e-mails inside envelopes that show the delivery route.
Gmail users could, in theory, simply click a ‘Send Envelope’ button to receive a printout of their missive along with an envelope that, itself, would be an enlarged GoogleMaps itinerary, directly displaying the quickest possible route of delivery.
I think that this is such a great idea. Not only does it make envelopes aesthetically interesting, it could potentially revamp the postal service. While it’ll hard to challenge e-mail in terms of speed of delivery, I still enjoy receiving letters through mail. It is a lot more personal and meaningful.
Shepard Fairey is a graphic designer whose most recently known for the Obama “Hope” poster. Some of his other work include his “Andre the Giant Has a Posse” campaign and the movie poster for “Walk the Line”. I especially enjoy his use of color and simple geometry. His work relates to my final project in that I will be taking photographs of myself and dividing them by color “pieces” as I make my collage .
Jonathan Yeo is a British artist who is best known for his portraits. In 2007, Yeo was commissioned to do a portrait for the George W. Bush but before he was finished, he was told that his services wouldn’t be needed anymore. He then decided to a portrait anyway, one with cuttings from pornographic magazines. I had come across this while looking for final project ideas, and it caught my attention. It made such an impact on me that I decided to make my final project a collage. Check his website for the full-size, more offensive image.
Here is an interesting collage of the movie scenes, which reminds me a lot of the first post I made for this blog. It is basically a collection of the history of film. It’s very engaging when you try to look at each image and try to see if you can recognize any of the movies these images were captured from. I came across this while researching ideas for my final project, which I wanted to have a film theme. Please visit the blog that I found this from to see the collage in its full resolution.
From CNN.com, here’s a look back Google’s illustrated variations on the logo of its home page. Some of the looks are simple, and others are very elaborate and clever (I personally love the bar code). It’s amazing if you really think about it…millions of people around the world use Google. Imagine having to create an image for that large of an audience!
Roger Ebert is a well-known film critic. He is probably most remembered as one half of the duo ‘Siskel and Ebert’ that appeared on television reviewing the current films that were out. His battle with thyroid cancer was featured in a recent issue of Esquire magazine. In 2006, Ebert underwent surgery to remove cancerous tissue in his jaw. This meant removing sections of his jaw bones completely. Since then, he has lost his voice and his ability to drink and eat. In place of his voice, Ebert had a computer in which he could communicate through an electronic voice by typing on a keyboard. While this method was sufficient, it wasn’t his voice. Recently, Ebert appeared on Oprah to show off a new system in which the computerized voice sounded very much like his own.
Cancer surgery may have cost film critic Roger Ebert his speech, but his familiar voice was resurrected in a much-anticipated interview with Oprah Winfrey this afternoon. Ebert debuted a synthesized voice, developed by a Scottish company that compiled Ebert’s DVD commentaries, singled out specific words, and crafted a computer program that delivers what he wants to say.
“It still needs improvement, but at least it sounds like me,” Ebert said through his computer as his wife, Chaz, choked up beside him. “In first grade, they said I talked too much. And now I still can.”
I’ve been a fan of Roger Ebert since I was in high school, when I really started to gain a passion for film. While some people may check rottentomatoes.com or imdb.com to see if they want to watch or rent a movie, I always check out Ebert’s reviews first through his website and his television show. Needless to say, I was very moved when I heard that his face had been dramatically altered – someone I had watched on television frequently. The use of technology nowadays always astounds me…I’m always asking myself “how can they top that?” And just when I think every idea in the book has been used, a new one comes along. Using digital media to restore a person’s voice is just one amazing example of how far technology has come since Alexander Graham Bell’s invention revolutionized the way the world communicated.
I end this post with an inspirational quote from Ebert’s Esquire interview.
“I know it is coming, and I do not fear it, because I believe there is nothing on the other side of death to fear. I hope to be spared as much pain as possible on the approach path. I was perfectly content before I was born, and I think of death as the same state. What I am grateful for is the gift of intelligence, and for life, love, wonder, and laughter. You can’t say it wasn’t interesting. My lifetime’s memories are what I have brought home from the trip. I will require them for eternity no more than that little souvenir of the Eiffel Tower I brought home from Paris.” – Roger Ebert, Esquire Magazine, Feb 2010
David Carson is one of the most famous and influential graphic designers in the world. He’s most known for his work with experimental typography and grungy, gritty style. He’s able to communicate through his images without using words. And when he does use typography, he cares more for composition of an image rather than readability and content of the words. During by beginning graphic design course last semester, I wrote a paper on him and was very inspired by who he is and what he has accomplished in his career. I often look at his works as inspiration before I start design projects.
Here is a very clever way to advertise Coke’s new bottle design that has a gives the drinker a better grip. This definitely dispels the notion that the only interaction between consumers and advertisements is simply visual. This just proves that you don’t need a fancy touch screen or 3d glasses to promote a product. Simple methods such as using Velcro is in every way as effective as today’s new technology.
Olly Moss is a very talented graphic designer from London. Some of his work include two series called “Films in Black and Red” and “Video Game Classics”. In “Films in Black and Red” He does this by taking elements from a film that would otherwise be overlooked and uses them to define the entire film. In “Video Game Classics”, Moss uses the templates from Penguin Books (click here and here) and creates new cover art for video games. As a designer, I want to be at a level where I can capture the “essence” of an idea (in this case, a film or game) through my design as Olly Moss has done.
This is pretty awesome. Heinz has ingeniously changed the design of their ketchup packets, making them either squeezable or dip-able! While it is a simple and small design, the actual designing process must have been very involved to come up with such a concept. This will solve problems about the current packet design being too small and too hard to open. Coming to a fast-food restaurant near you this fall…
.jpg)
