Popcorn! (our first project in class: Claire, Morgan, & Maya)

This is our first project for Design Fundamentals 102. We took popcorn and dipped it in ink to make a sort of 3D collage, and then we photographed it. Then we took the photographs and made an iMovie, using the images for shorter and shorter durations to simulate the popping of popcorn. Enjoy!

Roski Talks: Stefan Bucher

April 1, 2014

Last Tuesday, I had the pleasure of attending a lecture given by Stefan Bucher.  Bucher is a writer, illustrator and graphic designer.  He is California based and is the creator of the design firm, 344.  Before Tuesday, I had never heard of Bucher.  I am always excited to learn about and explore the work of artists and designers, whether new to just me or to many.  Bucher took us on a journey through his own independent artwork and projects he had worked on for companies.  It was amazing to hear him explain the evolution of his ideas; I felt like I had an inside look into his mind and his thought processes.

He discussed his book, The Graphic Eye, first.  This was one of his first creations, and by the end of his lecture, you could truly understand how much his work had evolved from this first coffee table book.  He went on to discuss the creation of the Yeti Story, a project he initially developed as a window display for Saks 5th Ave. that developed into a story book and stuffed animal toy.  After this, Bucher was hired to put together the graphics and design the space in the Monte carlo for the Blue Man Group.  It was neat to hear how much Bucher enjoyed this task and how fun it was for him to design simple things such as the carpets, lights and gift shop; they all came together and looked magnificent!  

Finally, Bucher discussed his Monster series, probably what he is most well known for.  His monsters are creations from ink blots that all have such outstanding personalities.  I found his idea behind them fascinating, that he started with an ink blot so he didn't feel as if the monsters were created out of nothing.  I enjoyed Bucher's talk, mostly because of his extremely eccentric and outgoing personality.  He is a quirky guy, but an excellent public presenter.  He engaged with us as the audience.  

Bucher's website: http://www.344lovesyou.com 

Stefan Bucher talk

Last week I went and heard Stefan Bucher talk at the Roski talks. He was extremely funny while being informative and I definitely got a good glimpse of his design life. I found it interesting to hear his concept of greed management and how it is important to do things for money but at the same time not give up your artistic vision. In particular, his work for the Blue Man group was something where this concept came into play as this client would tell him exactly what they wanted, making the design process very boring and untrue to Stefan's vision. However, doing this paid off as he was then allowed to design the entrance for their show.

Another one of his project that particularly interested me was the Yeti that he designed for Saks 5th Ave. This project is more true to Stefan's vision. In the first year Stefan only designed the toy and left all the other design to another designer, however, they did not fulfill Stefan's vision and failed to generate sales for Saks. The next year Stefan ensured that he went back to Saks 5th Ave and worked on the Yeti to fulfill his vision. He created a book with fur and gave the Yeti a personality. Surely enough, this turned out to be a success. The following year, the window display of Saks 5th Ave, complete with moving figures, was based on his book.

Stephan Bucher Talk

I really enjoyed the talk tonight from Stephan Bucher! He talked for quite a while, but his witty sense of humor helped pass the time. As he went through the projects, I enjoyed seeing how so many of them (at least the ones that he showed) had a personal slant to them, particularly with the monster characters. It was also refreshing to see that he included projects with mostly personal value or connection, rather than ones for big name brands, or that made more money. On the money note, Bucher's "Greed Management" concept was awesome. I myself deal with those money vs. pleasure/responsibility dilemas, and it's refreshing to see someone who acknowledges a scale, or balance, rather than pushing an extreme. It takes self-assurance to admit faults, so it was cool to hear Bucher discuss his own ups and downs as a creator and business person. His few moments of self-congratulation were balanced out with an acceptance of difficult work and hours spent in potentially unfullfilling ways. I personally enjoyed these more philisophical nuggets from the talk, but the work was also interesting. It's awesome to see a project such as the time travel charity store that was quick, fun, and refreshing balanced out with a grueling corporate process such as the Blue Man Group, where he had to squeeze out creative moments from an otherwise dull process.

Corsets and Wynwood

Hope everyone had a good spring break! During my time in Miami, my mom and I visited the Design District and Wynwood, which are two "up and coming" areas in Miami. The overall area contains new restaurants, fine shopping (clothes and furniture/design pieces) and art galleries. We checked out one of the art galleries called Bakehouse Art Complex, which had a ton of contemporary artists as well as some of the artists' offices, where we got to meet and watch the artists in action. One section of the gallery that was interesting to me was the fashion display by Luis Valenzuela. I really liked how he mixed traditional looks with contemporary fabrics. One piece was inspired by Marie Antoinette (as displayed below).

My Trip to the MOMA

Hello! Over president's weekend, I was stuck in the FREEZING cold in New York City. However, this gave me the incentive to do something productive and indoors--visiting the MOMA! Although I have been a handful of times, I always learn about new artists and find artists that I love and want to potentially follow or learn more about. One photographer's collection that caught my attention was Robert Frank's. According to the description next to his display, the photographs were "color instant prints (Polaroid) with hand-applied paint and collage." This display and mix of artistry really created dynamic and depth within each photograph. Some pictures had words, some didn't, but together created some a message. I would definitely check him out online or at another gallery/museum.

Better late than never: Hi, I'm Gabi!

Hi, I’m Gabi! I am a sophomore majoring in English, and, as of last week, minoring in Communication Design. A newcomer on the Los Angeles scene, I grew up in a small town in Connecticut on the Long Island Sound just outside New York City. Although I love New York, it’s hard to complain about the amazing weather in LA. I grew up with a multicultural upbringing. My Mom is from Argentina and my Dad is from South Africa. I am a recent fan of the fashion blog, Man Repeller. My roommate got me hooked on it. It's awesome. Check it out: http://www.manrepeller.com/ I have taken a few art classes, but have never taken a design class until now. Look below for some of my previous work!