pieces of imprisoned ephemera

this flickr set documents ephemera found in a prison library where the poster volunteers. these are little human gems. some are humorous, some have a darker side beneath the initial glance.

prison finds 

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electrotattoo

i find something really lovely and sensual about this concept from phillips:

electronic tattoo: a design probe

if you need a plug in to see it or have trouble, try here on youtube

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not everything needs to be kitty-ized. or does it?

i have seen some pretty interesting hello kitty items through my obsession with everything kitty-san. however, i have not felt the burning need to press the exhaust from my car through hello kitty’s head. however, someone has. and now we all can.

hello kitty tail pipe fitting

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future thinking : nextnature

this blog has a ton of future thinking and the future is now ideas. some really amazing ideas!

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cloud computing

cloud computing is quite a lovely buzzword:

cloud computing: where software is delivered as a service over the Internet to a variety of devices

here is an article that uses it in reference to the google empire

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holy viral participatory branding campaign!

firefox goes sticker bombing … i am on the fence about this effort. maybe i will get back to this post after i digest it:
join the firefox “operation” team, logo bomb the globe.

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graduate school is my origami unicorn

i am a graphic designer
i make visual communication stuff
brochures, web sites, business cards
i know how to get through the process
and complete the project
work is done to solve problems
work is done for clients
art is done for me
in my spare time
which i do not have because i am a designer
and always working or not
i am a graphic designer, i know what this means

then i get here @ NCSU:
(enter unicorn)

or do i?

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japanese clothing designer makes disguises

reacting to increasing levels of anxiety about assault, in spite of declining numbers in crime, this japanese designer creates impromptu hiding places for the pursued.

Fearing Crime, Japanese Wear the Hiding Place

this is an interesting experiment. what are the other potential catalysts for these creations? unwanted advances on the street from men, privacy for lunch or a cell phone call? what does disguising one’s self as a large psuedo-public object say? i find this fascinating.

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power of brand

while researching for my seminar paper, i came across this database:

Hate On Display: A Visual Database of
Extremist Symbols, Logos and Tattoos

its not very comprehensive and focuses on neo nazi or anti-semitic symbols, but it is a reminder of the power of signs. the semiological analysis of these marks would reveal deeply embedded myth and relationships of power and class.

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sticky type and other gravity defying projections

so i guess christopher baker presented at AIGA Next on none other than a collection of those quirky urban projections that have been piquing my interest for the past year. he included both GRL and TXTual healing (which I wrote a paper on). i was really taken by what i believe is his own work, the featured piece in the posted clip. the way the type clings to each other, the push and pull of the motion, it references rather beautifully the vertical space that it “inhabits”. so, typophiles, enjoy. i did. now once again, why can’t i think of something like that? maybe i can … this project re-inspired me to look again at my last studio project.

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