Archive for the ‘design’ Category
What happens when a zombie bites a pirate? That’s right: Zombie Pirates! On May 20th, Captain Jack Sparrow will return in Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides to entertain us, crush our expectations, or perhaps a little of both. Until then, the awesome potential of seeing zombie pirates slowly shuffle across the screen can be fueled by this recently released concept art.
Need a place to hang your stealth armor, samurai umbrella, or Naruto cosplay pants with style? Sure you could use real throwing stars, but even ninjas need to get their move-in deposit back. Well, have no fear, the Ninja Coat Hook is here to help.
Ninja Coat Hooks via Amazon
Unleash your fury against the masses of raindrops that plot to foil your destiny with your very own Samurai Sword Umbrella! (Disclaimer: not recommend against real life ninjas or TSA agents.)
Samurai Sword Umbrella via Amazon
Like so many of my favorite novels, I found this book accidentally. I was looking for books that experimented with form, and boy did I ever find a book that experiments with form! This book is so experimental that it was deemed unprintable until Visual Editions decided to take a stab at it. With the help of an ambitious Belgian company called die Keure, Jonathan Safran Foer’s book Tree of Codes has come to fruition.
If you’ve been watching Fringe over the last few seasons (and you should be), you’ve probably noticed that the intro has taken on a life of its own. While the intro sequence could have easily become forgettable, instead it has developed its own complex personality that both mirrors the themes of the show and serves as a visual cue about the location of the upcoming episode. In a recent episode the show has gone even further by introducing an amazing 1980′s style remix of the opening sequence that fit perfectly with the flashback episode.
Ancient cavemen would be charmed by the Gamirasu Cave Hotel, modern cave dwellings set in a restored thousand-year-old Byzantine monastery in Turkey. The hotel’s got some cool highlights, such as Turkish cooking courses where you can try your hand at Turkish wine-making or bake artisanal breads in a stone oven.
But perhaps the most unique perk is the chance to witness the meditational dance of Whirling Dervishes. This Sufi worship ceremony, formally known as the Sema, is performed with the aim of reaching religious ecstasy. The spinning of the body in repetitive circles is said to be symbolic of planets orbiting the sun.
You may not be familiar with her name, but you probably know her work. Some of the most iconic costumes in the Tim Burton universe, from Edward Scissorhands to Sweeny Todd, have all come from the mind and hands of Colleen Atwood. Here we’ll look at her latest Oscar winning work from the hit movie, Alice in Wonderland, including concept drawings, photos, and a video interview with the designer herself.
Take a moment to prepare yourself because what you’re about to read may shock you, may confound you, may make you glad you’re not reading this out loud to your children.
The Wii remote is not a golf club.
I know, many of us wish that wasn’t true, but no matter how much the Tiger Woods PGA Tour PR team might tell you it is, the small rectangular controller is not. Attempting to recreate your golf grip and swing is almost futile, but that doesn’t stop die-hard golfers from trying. However, now there’s an alternative: the Chicken Stick. What may in fact be the adorable love child of a 9iron and the Nintendo Wii, the Chicken Stick, made by the company Bad Chicken, is a virtual golfer’s dream come true.
The Chicken Stick takes the upper half of a golf club (complete with Golf Pride grip and True Temper® shaft) and grafts on a sturdy holder for the Wii remote. Combined with the Wii and Tiger Woods PGA Tour Golf, it offers the promise of allowing the player to bring their real world swing to the virtual course. But is it too good to be true?
Being obsessed with golf, I had to try it out. I had spent several weeks coming up with the best way to hold the remote that let me somewhat recreate my golf grip, but it still wasn’t the same. But after unboxing the Chicken Stick and playing 18 virtual holes, there is no doubt about it, the Chicken Stick does add an unbelievable level of realism to Tiger Woods PGA Tour golf, second only to having a true golf simulator.
I enjoyed the experience of taking a full grip and swinging the club as I played St. Andrews or Torrey Pines, so much so that now I can’t imagine playing the game without it. I’m dependent upon the ‘Stick and in my house it’s become a mandatory accessory.
But the question remains: is it worth the steep $40 price tag? Truthfully, that depends upon your level of obsession. For the casual player, probably not. But for anyone on the fence about purchasing one who has dreamed of having a driving range in their living room complete with a launch monitor detailing your face angle, swing plane, and launch angle, it’s worth every penny.
Having worked as a product designer, I was intrigued by both the concept and execution of the Chicken Stick. I had the chance to interview Bad Chicken co-founder Jordan Brandt about his design process, what it was like designing the Chicken Stick, what design hurdles had to be overcome, and what’s in store for the future.
This week’s color palette was inspired by a unique fashion installation on Michigan Avenue in Chicago.
These fun knitted stools were created by Irish textile designer Claire-anne O’Brien. They are just about the coziest little stools I’ve ever seen.
