Hello Kitty Art Exhibition

A few weeks ago, I visited an art exhibit at the Royal/T Restaurant in Culver City showcasing works by many different artists and designers. This exhibit was dedicated to celebrating the 35th anniversary of Hello Kitty. The particular day I went had live painting by 2 contemporary artists - Camilla d'Errico and Buff Monster. I thought it was interesting how they blended their own style and made Hello Kitty a modern subject in their pieces.

I also got to check out the exhibit - there were pieces done by many different artists such as Crowded Teeth, Dan Goodsell, and Jason Mecier. I was actually exposed to a lot more contemporary art by going to this exhibit. I got to see how artists used something as simple as Hello Kitty as inspiration for pieces done in their own style. Everything from sculpture to paintings to clothes were designed with Hello Kitty in mind. This made me relate back to our design projects this semester and how we had to design something with constraints in mind. I felt that most of the pieces exhibited managed to produce something modern and exciting while still remaining in those constraints. I really enjoyed the exhibit because it combined two of my favorite things - Hello Kitty and art.

DesignerCon returns this weekend | Brand X | Los Angeles Times

DesignerCon returns this weekend | Brand X | Los Angeles Times

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Shepard Fairey

On November 4, I got the opportunity to watch Shepard Fairey's lecture at Annenberg. I had not known much about Fairey other than his work at Obey so I learned a lot from this lecture. I especially liked the story about how he started in art and how he got attention from the media by manupulating the public. I think the most intriguing part of the lectures was the questions that the students asked, particularly the one about his case with the Associated Press concerning the Obama posters he made. I thought it was interesting to hear his side of the story and his views on protection of intellectual property and the freedom of speech. I thought he has a point when he said that other than the fact his work was based on a photo taken by someone at one particular time, the posters were in no way alike. Also, his defense that the posters were his form of freedom of speech and therefore undeserving of the lawsuit. I do not feel that the AP should get a cut of his work because all art is in one shape or another based on someone else's work, thus Fairey should not have to give the AP any compensation. I do, however, feel that the AP should get credit for the photo. All in all, I thought the lecture was entertaining and enjoyable, and best of all, in the end, I got him to sign my Shepard Fairey flyer.

color scheme issues?

For those of you looking for more interesting color schemes, check out this link:
http://contests.apartmenttherapy.com/2009/color/main/allpalettes

Captains of Fashion

Recently, I went to a lecture for the Captains of Fashion series. In attendance was Mark Werts, sponsor of the Captains of Fashion series and CEO and founder of American Rag CIE; Ron Friedman, a CPA at Principal, Stonefield Josephson, Inc.; Ilse Metchek, President of the California Fashion Association; and Larry Russ, an attorney and founding partner at Russ, Kabat, & August. As a business major, this lecture was particularly interesting to me because it emphasized the business of fashion. All three guest speakers spoke about how to maintain a fashion company, particular in Los Angeles and in this economy. Ilse Metchek, who very obviously had a wealth of knowledge on the subject, gave a simple yet informative lecture on the basic tools needed for success, which included timeliness, a thorough knowledge of fashion history and trends, and basic understanding of the Microsoft Suite. She also stressed the importance of knowing geography and the state of the economy in different countries that one would import or export from. She also shared interesting facts about the fashion industry today, including the fact that the return rate of online purchases, 42%.

Larry Russ spoke about the importance of a good lawyer. A lawyer can help you decide if you want your company to be a sole proprietorship, a partnership, a corporation, or a LLC. He also helps with all the research that comes with finding an original product and an original name for the company. Oftentimes, starting companies get sued right when they start because their name has already been used by someone else. Also, the protection of intellectual property, like your designs, is in the hands of your lawyer, so an experienced lawyer is important.

Ron Friedman lectured on basic accounting needed to start a company. He provided us with typical, and for me, all too familiar, balance sheets and income statements that acted as the backbone of a business. Like all the speakers before him, Ron stressed the importance of a good team. Without a good team, your idea is viturally useless.

Though this lecture was not very design based, I thought it was interesting to see what comes after design and how to be successful with your designs.

Shepard Fairey: Art, Culture, and Politics

Last Wednesday, I went to go watch Shepard Fairey give a talk about his work at the Annenberg Auditorium. He started off with his background, and how that fed into his Obey campaign.
The ubiquitous image merely began as an inside joke amongst his friends at the local skate shop where he worked, and it was publicized by a local newspaper that misinterpreted the Andre the Giant stickers as an official campaign. From that point, Fairey realized he could really use this attention as a way to launch a brand, and so that's how the Obey clothing line followed.
The reason why he intentionally chose the term "Obey" is because he's mocking consumerism, and how the public is constantly seeking what seems mysterious or new. I find this ironic, since he essentially takes part in this consumerism through his Obey empire. However, he mentioned that since he can't overthrow capitalism, he might as well find a way to criticize it from within the system.
What I found particularly interesting were the questions asked during the Q&A session. A student asked him to explain the Obama poster scandal (Background: Fairey was found guilty of lying about which AP photo he used) and he admitted that it is something that he will probably regret for the rest of his life. However he also defended his actions by claiming that he used one photo that looked similar to an entire set of AP photos. (I kind of lost him there, so I'm not too clear what he was trying to say about this issue.)
Overall, I found this an entertaining talk and Fairey was quite the charmer, despite his infamous reputation.

Notable quotes of the night:
"Freedom of the press goes to those who own one."
"Obedience is the most valuable currency."

Objectified Trailer

Gary Hustwit, director of Helvetica, is releasing a new film called Objectified, which focuses on industrial design.

Here's the trailer. Check it out: