Creative Closeup » design

Home Decor for Absolute Geeks

Enrique — Thu, 08 May 2008 09:56:37 +0000

So you think you are a perfect geek just because you have a talking Homer and a Space Invaders mug at your desk? No chance.
Maybe a lava lamp or a not-so-exclusive Google mini-fridge? Meh, go away.
To become a respectable geek you should do more than buying used schwags on Ebay for your cubicle. Not to mention that hanging solar system built using old cds is your one way ticket to nerd city.
To become a real geek, just take a look at this gallery of uber-cool home and office appliances, furniture and other decorative elements built just for this purpose.
Most of them are very expensive, and some others are just prototypes. But that shouldn’t be an obstacle in you search for a better geekness. Just be sure to get them now that you are single and free. No wife in her right mind will allow any of these at home!

Geeky Wall and Floor Decor

Magnetic 3d mesh curtains

Ascii curtains

Wallpeppr: Paint with Flickr images

Light emitting wallpaper

Persian puzzle rug

Space Invaders wall decals

Geeky Kitchen and Bath Decor

Luminous ripple faucet

Musical shower

Toast printer

WC Notes

Keyboard waffles | Tetris ice cubes | Star Trek bottle opener

Kitchen stuff from LEGO

LEGO salt and pepper

Geeky Furniture

Cut out PANO chair

Han Solo carbonite desk

Pixelated sofa

Cardboard folding chair

Arcade coffee table

Appliances, Pillows and Other Decorative Objects

Rideable vacuum cleaner

Defendius maze door chain

Emoticon pillows | Space Invaders pillows and bath towel | Binary pillow | PacMan plush set

Practice plant

Geek Lifestyle Books

Geek Chic: The Ultimate Guide to Geek Culture

Geek House: 10 Hardware Hacking Projects for Around Home

Upgrade Your Life: The Lifehacker Guide to Working Smarter, Faster, Better

100 Exceptional Free Paper Models and Toys

Enrique — Thu, 14 Feb 2008 17:34:11 +0000

There is an underlying web world about papercraft modeling. It is not visible. It is hard to find. And, in many cases, the web sites are in a language that most of us can’t read. But, believe me, it is huge. And it is not about printable cards or paper dolls, or even scrapbooking. It is about stunningly good looking three dimensional paper models: Gadgets, toys, characters, cars, robots, spaceships, airplanes, buildings and even working photo cameras. You name it. This list gathers some notable models available for download. But this is just a small sample. At the end of the article you will find links to paper modeling books, paper models directories, paper modeling software and tutorials, and paper models blogs, which in my opinion are the most important of all, just because they are constantly updated and the owners seem to have access to information that’s very difficult to find. Grab your X-Acto knife, some glue and start building now!

Papercraft Modeling Books

Paper Engineering: 3D Techniques for a 2D Material	The Toymaker: Paper Toys That You Can Make Yourself	Paper Toys
Piazza San Giovanni in Florence: Scale Architectual Paper Model	Automata and Mechanical Toys	Cut and Make Japanese Masks

More Papercraft Modeling Sites

Papercraft Modeling Blogs

.: Paper Forest, Paper Kraft, Gundam and Robot Anime, and Papercraft World These four blogs have enough information to keep you busy for the rest of your life. No kidding. They are constantly updated and the information they bring is outstanding. If you don’t like to do your own research and investigation, chances are that what you are looking for is hidden here in these blogs. A must read. These four blogs were of a great help when writing this article. A big thank you to the owners!!

Papercraft Models Directories and Networks

.: 3D Paper Model and Space Station 42 If you want to get your hands dirty browsing though lots of information, these two directories contain all kinds of models ordered by categories. .: Nice Paper Toys Nice Paper Toys is a new and exciting network of papercraft artists. You can browse their works and download the free models.

Papercraft Software

.: Pepakura Designer Pepakura Designer allows you to create paper craft models from already made 3D models. Some paper models around the web are created with this software and exported in .pdo file format. You can download the free Pepakura .pdo viewer here.

Papercraft Modeling Tutorials

.: How to design a paper model This tutorial guides you through the process of designing your own paper models from scratch. .: How to make papercraft models High quality and very well done video tutorials that shows the basic tips and techniques to build your own paper models. Some advanced tips too. .:NEW – Download, print, fold, paste Low Tech Magazine wrote an article similar to this one with some models that are not featured in this list. They linked to this article as an additional resource. Thanks!!

10 Excellent Art and Design Twitter Accounts You Should Follow

Enrique — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 13:06:46 +0000

A couple of weeks ago I compiled a list of 20 Cool Photoshop, Photography and Design Twitter Accounts You Should Follow for my Photoshop Roadmap Blog.
The post was a big success and I decided to make a more design and art oriented version for this blog. These accounts are very active and are sending tweets every day about illustration, art, industrial design, decor, designer toys, design in general, and even job posts for the design community.
If you are new to Twitter, start building your followers base by following some of these accounts and retweeting their best messages or, better said, tweets.

Development01 Network: @development01

I will start with my own Twitter account. The Development01 Network is a group of sites that I own and manage myself. The most important of those sites are Photoshop Roadmap and Creative Closeup. In my Twitter account I tweet everyday about Photoshop tutorials and design resources. From time to time I engage on certain conversations, but mostly I provide useful and interesting links.

Follow Development01

Dornob Design: @dornobdesign

From Dornob site: Dornob is as much an interactive design archive as it is a collection of the latest innovative architectural, interior, furniture, furnishing and fixture designs. The primary focus of this design publication (read: blog) is on works that take form and function to the next level – that defy particular typologies, wander away from convention and are more than merely consumable objects.

Follow Dornob Design

Paperkraft: @paperkraft

From Paperkraft Blog: My name is Ron Rementilla and I run Paperkraft.net to help guide people find the best free papercrafts on the web and promote the works of prominent and up-and-coming paper modelers, even the obscured ones.

Follow Paperkraft

Toysrevil: @toysrevil

From Toysrevil Bio: Blogging daily about Toys and all-things pop culture. Twittering everything under the sun and moon, bopping up-n-down the subconscious stream of cyberlife.

Follow Toysrevil

Drawn!: @drawn

From Drawn! blog: Drawn! is a multi-author blog devoted to illustration, art, cartooning and drawing. Its purpose is to inspire creativity by sharing links and resources.

Follow Drawn!

MOMA Museum of Modern Art: @MuseumModernArt

From MOMA site: The Museum of Modern Art is a place that fuels creativity, ignites minds, and provides inspiration. With extraordinary exhibitions and the world’s finest collection of modern and contemporary art, MoMA is dedicated to the conversation between the past and the present, the established and the experimental. Our mission is helping you understand and enjoy the art of our time.

Follow Moma, Museum of Modern Art

Yanko Design: @yankodesign

From Yanko Design blog: Yanko Design is a web magazine dedicated to introducing the best modern international design, covering from industrial design, concepts, technology, interior design, architecture, exhibition and fashion. It’s about the cutting edge and the classic, the new and the rediscovered. It’s all about the best.

Follow Yanko Design

Retro To Go: @RetroToGo

From Retro To Go site: Home of all that’s hip and cool in the retro world. Every weekday, Retro To Go spoils you with a pile of supercool retro gear we’ve found around the web and indeed around the shops and junk shops of the world.

Follow Retro To Go

The Cool Hunter: @TheCoolHunter

From The Cool Hunter Site: The Cool Hunter is a natural fit for its readers – creative influencers who stay in the know and ahead of the curve. Global in outlook, culturally discerning, The Cool Hunter readers are connected, creatively aware, confident, stylish and sociable. They value architecture, design, style, music, fashion and entertainment. They work, play and travel internationally and bring with them distinguished tastes and a demanding appetite for quality information.

Follow The Cool Hunter

Core77: @core77

From Core77 site: Since 1995 Core77.com has served a devoted global audience of industrial designers ranging from students through seasoned professionals. Core77 publishes articles, discussion forums, an extensive event calendar, hosts portfolios, job listings, a database of design firms, schools, vendors and services. Core77 provides a gathering point for designers and enthusiasts alike by producing design competitions, lecture series, parties, and exhibits.

Follow Core77

Papercraft: Design and Art With Paper

Enrique — Thu, 19 Aug 2010 14:52:38 +0000

An unparalleled collection of groundbreaking creations crafted from paper as a material for innovative art and design. Paper is arguably the most important material of our civilisation and has continued to serve as a medium for documenting information and ideas. Today, paper is enjoying something of a renaissance among young artists and designers worldwide as an experimental material for design. There is also an insatiable concurrent trend for designing three-dimensional handcrafted objects as documentedin the books Tangible, Tactile and Hidden Track.

Papercraft is an extensive and timely survey of innovative art and design work crafted from paper. It explores the astounding possibilities of paper craft in all shapes and sizes some are playful, whimsical and quick to produce while others are far more intricate and created in painstaking detail. From the most basic techniques including cutting, folding, gluing and collage to the use of cuttingedge technology like embossing and laser cutting, paper and cardboard-crafted works are reaching new artistic heights.

The book gathers the most extraordinary creations from small objects and figures to large-scale art installations and urban interventions as well as three-dimensional graphic sculptures from a vast spectrum of artistic disciplines ranging from character design, urban art, fine art, graphic design, illustration, fashion, animation and film. Adding even more value, this illustrated book also includes a DVD with printable templates for creating your own paper characters and toys as well as a curated selection of the best stop-motion animations.

This book provides a comprehensive insight into the enormous creative potential of this multifaceted material and reveals how paper is firing up the imaginations of today s designers and artists.

Read more about this…

Designing for Children: Marketing design that speaks to kids

Enrique — Sat, 26 Mar 2011 18:54:12 +0000

Marketing to kids has become a multi-billion dollar industry-transforming child’s play into serious business. Product creators and designers have multiple channels through which to access this hungry market-including the Web, television, and the plethora of new wireless devices-but first, they must understand what innately appeals to today’s savvy, market-wise young people. This timely book reveals how to create designs that truly speak to the interests of kids by examining a wide range of successful campaigns for food, clothes, toys, magazines, websites, and entertainment for children. In detailed fashion, she takes readers through the false starts, challenges, and design revisions that initially plagued each campaign-and then reveals the solutions that resulted in the final, kid smart design. Some of the companies included: Barbie, Brio, Get Real Girl, Klutz, Crazy Bones, Nickelodeon, Kids Discover, Scholastic Books, Harcourt Brace textbooks, Jerry Pinkney, Zillions On-line, Teacher’s Pet (TV show) Gary Baseman, Cheerios, Sonic kids meal toys, Bubble tape etc., Milk Chugs, San Diego Zoo, Ring-A-Ling Circus

Origami Design Secrets: Mathematical Methods for an Ancient Art

Enrique — Thu, 23 Jun 2011 11:44:35 +0000

Robert J. Lang, one of the worlds foremost origami artists and scientists, presents the never-before-described mathematical and geometric principles that allow anyone to design original origami, something once restricted to an elite few. From the theoretical underpinnings to detailed step-by-step folding sequences, this book takes a modern look at the centuries-old art of origami.

Becoming a Product Designer: A Guide to Careers in Design

Enrique — Sat, 18 Jun 2011 11:46:43 +0000

The one-of-a-kind guide to a career in product design
Becoming a Product Designer is the most complete and concise survey of the many opportunities available today in the field of product design. Written by a leading expert with more than thirty years of experience, this highly visual guide delivers a comprehensive overview of the field, from prerequisites and requirements for a variety of educational paths to coverage of major design specialties, such as transportation, packaging, furniture, sports equipment, and medical equipment design.
Interviews and advice from leading product designers offer an inside look at the real world of product design. No other book provides the same unique, in-depth material on educational training, portfolio preparation, and career possibilities, as well as the business aspects of product design, and much more.
Bruce Hannah (New York, NY) has been a force in product design since 1967 and has owned his own successful design firm since 1976. He is a tenured professor at the Pratt Institute, Brooklyn, New York and in 1992 was named the Cooper Hewitt’s first designer in residence. He is also the recipient of IDSA’s National Design Education Award.

Unfolded: Paper in Design, Art, Architecture and Industry

Enrique — Sat, 01 Jan 2011 13:57:23 +0000

In ”Unfolded Paper in Design, Art, Architecture and Industry” paper conquers the third dimension and demonstrates the undreamed-of possibilities it holds today for lightweight construction, product design, fashion and art. From “Paper”, the collection of bags by Stefan Diez, to Konstantin Grcic s paper models and the scented paper garments of Issey Miyake, this book presents paper as a high-quality contemporary and ecological material. An enormous selection of projects, the lavish design and numerous illustrations provide designers with invaluable inspiration for their work. The content core of the book is a comprehensive list of state-of-the-art paper products and innovative paper technologies, supporting designers in their everyday work with detailed information on the “high-tech” material paper. From Japanese washi paper and paper foam, to ceramic paper and carbon fiber paper, “Unfolded” presents the latest in research and development, as well as the most important methods and technologies in handcrafts and industry.

Industrial Design A-Z

Enrique — Sun, 03 Jul 2011 12:01:55 +0000

From Toothbrushes to cars, everyday products designed by luminaries. Exploding with color, aesthetics and style, Industrial Design is informative and fun. You’ll have a hard time putting it down

Packaging Design: Successful Product Branding from Concept to Shelf

Enrique — Sun, 26 Jun 2011 12:02:04 +0000

How to create packaging designs for consumer brands that effectively communicate in the retail environment

Packaging Design: Successful Product Branding from Concept to Shelf is the most comprehensive resource of practical and professional information for creating packaging designs that serve as the marketing vehicles for consumer products. Packed with real-world advice, step-by-step descriptions of the creative process, and all-important insights into the stakeholders, the design process, and the production process, this book illuminates the business of packaging design like no other.

Whether you’re a designer, brand manager, or packaging manufacturer, the highly visual coverage in Packaging Design will be useful to you, as well as everyone else involved in the packaging design process. In one convenient book, you’ll find:
* Insightful images of the design process, design concepts, three-dimensional models, and prototypes
* A wealth of case studies showcasing how superior packaging designs were created
* A framework for today’s packaging design business
* Environmental considerations, along with legal and regulatory issues
* Useful appendices with advice on portfolio development and professional practice guidelines