designing in the un-real world

So, I'm currently reading this very basic, but interesting nonetheless, book called: Stop Stealing Sheep & find out how type works, by Erik Spiekermann and E.M. Ginger.

I'm also in the process of creating wireframes for a website, so my mind is flooded with all kinds of thoughts.

One thought I've been chewing on for a while is the idea of creating something non-existent- I mean, it exists, but not really, you can't touch it, you can only see it, or experience it optically.

I guess I'm just getting at this: the more time I spend thinking about where this project is going to manifest, the more I'm kinda weirded out by it, this worldwide web that's WORLDWIDE, meaning it's everywhere, but really, it's nowhere.

So, this thought isn't anything new, as I'm sure you thought this same thing at one point, but when you actually have to make something to exist in this place that isn't physically existent, it's a bit of a trip- I mean, this is what people do for a living- web designers, user interface designers, developers and programmers, making websites we can only experience visually- we can't touch them, but we can make it look like you can, and that's weird, but I guess it's just like taking a flat, fresh sheet of paper and drawing a landscape and creating the illusion of depth, right? The only difference is that this entails creating the illusion of depth on a computer monitor...again, nothing new here, just me being easily amused and sharing my amazement with you- that's what a blog is for, right?

As for the book, I think everyone should read it- it should be required in school, not just for designers. It's a fun and easy read.

Target kicks ass!!

I haven't seen this dress in any Targets, had to buy it online and I'm so excited to wear it!!

Target kicks ass!! 

Who's job is it at Target headquarters to decide which designers to work with?Whoever has this job kicks ass.

Whoever you are, thank you.

So in love...

So, another rainy day in sunny Los Angeles; who cares though? I'm in love. The rain's  actually quite refreshing to me anyway...

Anyhow, during one of our production meetings here at the studio, my boss shared with us the recent Diesel campaign http://www.diesel.com/, it's pretty awesome, content-wise and visually- simple, neat, yet so much fun! Right up my alley.  If you know me, you know that I love mostly everything, but one part of the day here I love the most is our production meetings. I love them not only for the coffee break, but because it's time away from our desk to respond to each other's work, to brainstorm and to share cool/ inspiring/ fun findings, and then I post them here. But I love also that I learn an extraordinary amount from what seems like a light discussion over coffee. And even though I feel like I am lacking something, I always leave our meetings feeling tons of ideas and thoughts churning through the coils of my brain waiting to make their way on the computer screen- and that's a production meeting. 

The internet is green

So far, the biggest issue I've observed here at the design studio is that the final product is usually determined by the demands/ needs of the client/user/consumer. The issue is how to make the demands of the client work with the creativity of the design agency, whcih seems very rudimentary but I just had to point it out because it's what makes this job so exciting and challenging.

So, I've been doing a lot of research on the internet, mostly checking out websites to see what people are doing, taking notes and then sharing them with my boss and fellows. 

I've been starting my searches with  http://www.smashingmagazine.com. It's a pretty helpful site, a lot of the work is already done for you with sites already neatly compiled for your viewing; I'd recommend giving it a look.

Anyhow, doing all this research made me realize again that there is so much of the same stuff going on out in the world, and the idea of making something new, newness, is kind of non-existent, almost. It's more about refreshing an idea, at least that's what my research has shown. As an artist/ designer, I am influenced so much by my environment and experiences that when I attempt to make something, I don't go for new, I pull thoughts, memories, receipts from the bottom of my purse, whatever reminded me of that thought to create, and I go from there. The interesting thing is that a lot of people out there have the same final products, but what brought them to that final product I'm sure was not the same thought or thought process and to me that's so interesting that we can end up in the same place by way of different routes, like driving on the freeway. I can take the 405 all the way to Santa Monica or I can take the 710 to the 90 and exit Lincoln-either way I go, I'm still going to end up in Santa Monica.

So in the end, we're just recycling-the internet is a "green" environment full of recycled thoughts and I love it(even though I don't really love the term "green").