To explain the name used for this secondary yet extremely important character in the Tron: Legacy movie, presented here is a mister Jonathan Rinzler, or J.T.Rinzler, aka Lucasfilm Executive Editor and author of books you’ve almost certainly seen or otherwise own: The Making of Star Wars, The Complete Making of Indiana Jones, and the more recent Making of The Empire Strikes Back. Marvel at this lovely story and giggle with joy at the subsequent joy felt by the kids of JTR:

“Friends told me about the fact that there’s this character Rinzler in the new Tron movie,” says Rinzler. “So I went online to see if I could figure out where they got the name. But I couldn’t find anything. There aren’t many Rinzlers in the States and it’s not a name that means anything, as far as I know… Then when Joe Kosinski came as a guest speaker I was actually on my way to the event before I realized this might be a chance to ask him. So I waited till after the q-and-a, went down to the front, and said I had a strange question but had to ask where he got the name, or where the writers got the name. And he said that he was sitting with the two writers working, and there was a book on the table ‘a Making of’ he said… ‘Oh yeah, it was Making of Star Wars by someone named Rinzler.’ So I said ‘that’s me’, thanked him, shook his hand and said I had to go out and buy a few action figures — needless to say, my kids are thrilled.”

Hooray! Now go see that freaking movie and make sure your eyes and ears are cleaned out because it’s a trip!

[Via Official Star Wars Blog]

I’ve been searching for a way to take one thing and turn it into another. My own quest involves record covers as canvas, attempting to carry them into another dimension by the name of immortality in artwork. That’s exactly the same thing that’s going on here in this set of ceramic sneakers by Kang S. Lee, a Korean artist living and working in, of all places, Mexico City, Mexico. This project goes by the name “sneakers in ceramics” and it is 100% certainly the bomb. Made entirely with a mold sculpted from a size 41 Nike Dunk, each piece fired to cone 6 (1260′C, 2300F), and now in a collection of 10.

This project, says Lee, will be expanted to 50 to 100 pieces according to however the future decides to unfold. Possible other shoes to be entering into the project (or perhaps another project?) are the Vans Original, Converse, and Adidas Superstar. I also vote for the Puma Clyde, as I do love how it feels on the foot and also looks on the foot.

As I was saying above, this is a fantastic method for converting what’s still considered a low art (or a design for feet, not an art at all.) Converting it into something, something more than just a shoe, into a piece of pricelessness, something that describes history without even having lived through it. Also it’s fabulous that not only the outside of the sneakers are painted, they’re split and crushed and everything, painted on all surfaces.

Rockin rollin sneakin.

Take a look at the following description by the artist Kang S. Lee:

Sneakers are one of the most exciting and fast-changing phenomena in youth culture today. Sneakers moved out of the world of sports and became part of pop culture, as well as street and high fashion. They have also earned cult status among the serious wearers and collectors, followed by a series of limited editions, collaborations between sport-shoe companies, and designer / artists.

My sneaker project, modeled from a limited edition of Nike Dunk from my own collection, participates in the urban sneaker culture through the creative possibilities of the sneaker-form. It also challenges its extremely fast-changing and fame focused scene by using ceramics, one of the most traditional and labor-intensive mediums. Viewers will be able to enjoy the details and patterns on the ceramic sneakers, whilst being able to question what is behind the form by observing the various deformations of the pieces that often engage our emotions.

You may contact Lee through this email address: lee.kangseung @ gmail.com

When I first saw the image you see above this sentence, I thought, WOW great idea for a series of photos! All of them with a boom mic approaching their head! Then I realized that this wasn’t part of a series like that, instead it was an installation, a sound art project recording this piece of wood. What? That’s crazy talk, right? Wood doesn’t make any noise, it just sits there. That’s true, until you get some woodworms involved.

I’d let you peek at the video of this amazing event happening here, but the artist, ZIMOUN, has strict regulation on how the work is viewed, and that’s alright, so I respectfully suggest you go take a look over at http://zimoun.ch/. Very snappy! Turn the HD on.

But after that fabulously brilliant worm recording is that stinkingly excellent idea of the boom mic in a crapload of photos. Gotta do that.

Are you excited for winter? Winter is the time when you sit inside all day long on your computer doing work and noone can tell you to go out and get some sun because guess what? It’s snowing outside. All day. But wait! What if you could go outside and fly down a hill so fast there was a chance you could get permanently injured or die? Oh man! Let’s do it! Designer/maniac Krzysztof Czajka presents a three-ski board of death suitable for any crazy person to use in a brand new winter sport known only by the title he so simply bestowed upon it: “Smash.” Definitely for certainly not something you want to do if you’re afraid of doing what the title implies you might. Black diamond!

Industrial Design is a sort of design that’s generally about reduction, I find. The most brilliant of modern projects done in the industrial spectrum end up making people’s lives simpler through innovation through simplification — but every once in a while there’s something like this, like this Smash board, that comes along and wrecks all that in such an excellent way. Taking you right off your feet, throwing you on your back, adding another ski (or just turning a single-person luge sled into something for x-games folks, if you prefer that way.) It’s just dangerous and foolhardy!

But it’s also exciting and makes your brain pump so much adrenaline into your body that you’ll never regret having done it – just so long as you live to love it. To see more projects by Krzysztof Czajka, head on over to his online portfolio and click forever.

This post is part of the World Famous Design Junkies sports category.

You know the best part of any graphic magic is the teeny tiny moments inside of it. The little swoop here, the double circle there, the greatness! Designer Christopher Andrew Sisk knows this, and he’s got it all cubed up. This is a project called “Streetscape” and it’s totally made for the gallery. In fact, it’s sitting in a gallery when you see it in the photos above and below – Thomas Anderson Roe Gallery in Greenville, SC. It’s really rockin out in tall towers and stacks all over the room. You’ll recognize some of the signs, others I’m sure you’ll have no clue one way or another.

These blocks in Streetscape are constructed of hand-cut vinyl (sticker back) and plastic. In this way, they’re made of the same such stuff as the signs they replicate. Very poetic, yes?

Here’s some words on the matter as written by Sisk, the artist:

In my body of work for my senior thesis at Furman University, I drew on my fascination with the highly interconnected, commercial, modern urban landscape. Letterforms and shapes literally and metaphorically guide us as we traverse these landscapes both in our daily routines and in our travel experiences. The wayfinding signage assisting us forms part of the larger identity of place and culture that informs this work. I sought to examine, reproduce, deconstruct, and blend these visual cultural elements and create my own three-dimensional landscape installation with which viewers can interact.

Never underestimate the power of chopped up pieces of powerful things. Graphics chopped and screwed, re-arranged and glued, that’s always been amazing, and it’s always going to be amazing because it’s running rampant through the bloodstream of POP.

To see more works by Drew Sisk, take a look at his lovely portfolio.

This post is part of the World Famous Design Junkies signs category.

What’ve we got today?! Something glorious in the mail. A tiny book capable of some humongous ideas. Scribbles and sketches of the greatest things on earth will fill these pages. The folks that’r owners of these books will find themselves inspired by the every pages unto which they write. This is “Space for Ideas,” a sketchbook designed and distributed by Design Sojourn. Each of the ten pages in this book fold out once, twice, three times, and into a giant 8-panel sheet. Infinite space for everything you could dream of!

Handmade in Singapore and patent pending. This book’s severely simple in a very nice way. Thick around all the edges, back and front, side to side, and the paper is high quality too. Made for exactly the situation you’re sure to be in when you receive it. Lots of drawing, lots of penning, lots of greatness on many different sized surfaces.

Each book comes wrapped in a white paper bellyband with tiny instruction on what the deal is plus address of where to buy more. Imagine a lovely stack of these right beside your cash register in your fancy “everything” store. This particular sketchbook idea only exists here, only Design Sojourn distributes these. Imagine having a stack of sketchbooks so unique only your store has em in the whole of the city.

And if you’re not the owner of a store, think about how fabulous you’ll be, all jammin down the block with your brand new Space for Ideas sketchbook in your hand, the cock of the walk, everybody all staring and wishing they’d've been as cool as you n’ ordered one.

Find your own one of these in the Design Sojourn Store.

This post is part of the World Famous Design Junkies illustration category.

Let’s take a look at this watch. It’s magnificent. It’s a great watch. But it’s not about the watch, it’s all about the box. This box is amazing, fantastic, foldable, reusable. Reusable you say? Yes, once you’ve purchased the watch and have it on your wrist, telling all sorts of time and whatnot, you’ve got the package which turns into your very own sundial. That’s like two timetellers for the price of one!

Designer Allison Connell’s got the right idea. Not only is the whole buffalo usable here, the whole buffalo is black and yellow and the punch for hanging on the pin is a triangle. If I ever have a bunch of watches to sell, I’m going to contact Allison Connell to contract this wacky magnificent package. I’d even keep the same name “North Timepieces” because it’s super awesome and totally makes directional sense.

Go head on over to http://abconnell.com/ if you’ve got a barrel full of watches or if you’ve got another project you want Connell’d.

This post is part of the World Famous Design Junkies packaging category.

Behold, a tiny collection of guitars turned into masterpieces of weirdness by a collection of artists of such odd disparity. One guitar basically has nothing to do with the next other than the base and in a couple cases, the region from whens the artist cometh. The photos we’ve got below were taken at the place where this show resides: Grumpy’s Downtown Minneapolis. This show was originally conceived as part of the Amphetamine Reptile Records 25th anniversary bash, and runs until September 30th, 2010. Go look! Have some tater tots and really tasty chicken strips and a brew!

La-La Land Gallery (owned and operated by artist/Minnesota native Kii Arens) and Ox-Op (that gallery that hasn’t been open for EVER behind Grumpy’s downtown Minneapolis) present customized Waterstone Guitars by this fantastic list of master artists and designers: Aesthetic Apparatus, Arbito, Brynn Arens, Kii Arens, Anthony Ausgang, Gary Baseman, Keith Brogdon, Andrew Brandou, CLUTTER Magazine, DALEK, Steve Ellis, Ed Fotheringham Ray Frenden, HAZE-XXL, Myles Karr, KOZIK, Jessie LeDoux, Little, Friends of Printmaking, Rob McBroom, Michael Motorcycle, Niagara, Juliette Oken, Martin Ontiveros, Plasticgod, Chris Reccardi, Chris Ryniak, Snaggs, Savanna Snow, Gary Taxali and Amanda Visell. Most of these guitars are for sale here: [OX-OP]

Grumpy’s Downtown
1111 Washington Avenue South
Minneapolis MN 55415

Below you’ll notice two sets of photos. The detail pics of the guitars in perfect light are done by OX-OP, the rest, photographed in the bar, are by WFDJ. Use liberally.

This post is part of the World Famous Design Junkies 3D category.

Welcome to the world of the Smths. They make toys and play-jewelry and apparel and every little thing you could want as a super-cool kid. Right here right now we’re talking about their collection of soft characters. With names like Taro, Alfredo, and the glow in the dark Laptop, you can’t go wrong. And they’re BIG. That’s what I love. Huge and gigantic soft animal creatures for the full enjoyment of every kid.

And some have custom fabrics, some have color changing effects, pull-cords, and super cute eyes all around! It’s a fantasy of softness.

First read these words on the entire plush series from the Smths Lab:

Meet Taro and all his friends, it’s the soft toys collection made for the Smths Lab’s launch. Each toy has a particular feature (such as original designed fabrics, colour changing patterns, soothing sounds and pull-purr chord systems)

Then take a shiny look at these words about the glow!

Alfredo the Laptop, Etche Kréàm and Lollipop. Soft glowing toys realized in collaboration with the Luminex Spa company. The LUMINEX® material is a luminescent technological fabric containing optical fibers.

It’s always fun to glow. It always seems to me magical that a material can collect and hold energy like GID items can. Luminex employees must have gratifying jobs – making things glow brightly. Reminds me of my friend Chris H’s job working on software for hospital systems; he just moved into their new Dungeons and Dragons wing. Fun. Have fun, make fun things. Not that being in the hospital is fun, but better technology makes an easier trip for anyone. Glow in the dark, fix your heart.

Now look at these Smths plushies!

This post is part of the World Famous Design Junkies glow in the dark category.

Creating a piece of a puzzle, constructing a connector. This is what industrial designer / architect Jon Kleinhample has done with this rubbery looking amalgamation. Looks like it might be really awesome someday for a bridge or a piece of car or to hold up my collection of comic books. Who can really tell? The take away from this the following: to be an amazing designer in any field, you aught to be able to make a single block. Try creating a piece of pattern. Maybe make an art project that can be repeated, like a new kind of canvas to be painted on. Attempt a new way of executing a problem that can be replicated.

Be an architect of your own methods.

Designer Jon Kleinhample has a lovely portfolio at http://jonkleinhample.com/ where he shows many large and small projects he’s done and hopes to do in the future. This is a man who loves to think big by first thinking small. Piece by piece.

This post is part of the World Famous Design Junkies conceptual category.

Photographer / filmmaker / designer Alaric King presents a new way to hold a soon-to-be-extinct media by placing it in an inextinguishable* source of energy, shelter, and food: wood. Designed in Photoshop and AutoCAD, machined and cut using a 3D chisel, finished by hand with beeswax.

The only reason I say inextinguishable is because of Alan Weisman and his book The World Without Us, a scientific look at the possibility of no more human beings. This notion was also basically lifted up, turned around, and renamed “Life After People” by the History channel which released it as a multi-episode 3D animated television series. In a class I had in college about global design, we watched it and renamed it “Buildings Falling Down” since that’s basically the gist.

If we don’t destroy the world first, after we’re gone it’ll all go back to business as usual eventually. All the monkeys and birds in the towers, then no towers, then all green.

Does this cd case speak to that reality? Idunno. It does speak to the idea that CD cases were never a healthy art form. The only way you’ll ever compare to the magnificence of the 12″ vinyl album cover is to make the tiny CD cover into something as fantastic as this. Materials, details, feel and smell. Such a nice thing to behold and beheld.

This post is part of the World Famous Design Junkies CD covers category.

No matter how conscious I am of the water I use, I still use too much. Just recently I payed the first bill I’ve ever had where the water portion was shown separately. It was cheap! Basically free! So I’m even less conscious now than I was before. I’m practically passed out! But look at this heavy statement right here, above and below. It’s called “Poor Little Fish” and it shows, in a very real way, how you could be killing all life on this planet by using too much water, especially all the little orange fishies.

This Poor Little Fish bowl is the work of designer / artist Yan Lu. He’s got your guilt in mind, and he wants it! He wants to smash you right in the guilt muscle if you think about using too much water. How? By threatening to kill this fish. As you use water, the water level in the fish tank goes down. That easy. That scary.

Then as he notes, the water you use isn’t the same water as is in the tank. Both are safe and clean for fish and human. You wont be washing your hands with goldfish poops.

Words from Yan Lu:

As consumption is incalculable, saving is often neglected through daily consumption. Rather than forcing people to consume less, thus depressing the using experience, Poor Little Fish basin offers an emotional way to persuade consumers to think about saving water, by making consumption tangible.

//

There is a traditional shaped fish bowl in the Poor Little Fish basin. While using, the level of water in the bowl gradually falls (but does not actually drain out); it will go back to the same level once the water stops running. As well, the water from the tap is pure, as its pipeline does not connect to the bowl.

Elegant and weird, just how mama likes it.

This post is part of the World Famous Design Junkies 3D category.

The perfect and most appropriately absurd contraption for getting around your city whilst remaining in “natural” mode is this – the “Parkwheel.” This wheel of grass and walkability is designed and executed by David Gallaugher and a couple helpers from his school Dalhousie architecture. It’s a grass wheel. Walk around in it with no shoes or socks on.

Make sure you only enter buildings with tall doors. Feel that fantastic feeling on your tootsies and wiggle them around a little bit.

NOTE: I’m having a bit of trouble reaching Gallaugher and was given this content from a third-party source. If you know D.G., or know where he hides his online portfolio, lemme know, so we can spread more love over world toast!

This post is part of the World Famous Design Junkies naturalistic category.

I was writing a post for the greatest industrial design project posting site on the planet Yanko Design today and I happened upon an amazing quote. It’s the one you see above. It’s got LEGO in it. Sometimes things so simple as a recollection of someone else’s childhood ring such a true bell in you it brings a tear to your eye. That happened to me here. Not just about the building block toy, but about the knowing what’s fun and knowing what brings you joy as a kid remaining lit through to your adult life.

Thustly, I have made this LEGO post. It is full of LEGO.

The quote above comes from a multi-talented industrial designer by the name of James Howlett. He’s up in the UK and his online portfolio resides at http://jameshowlett.co.uk/ He’s got amazing ideas. Search for his name in quotes “James Howlett” on Yanko Design starting at midnight (that’s when the post I wrote will be posted) and check out how it all plays out. Hint: it’s rather do-it-yourself and oh Idunno… block inspired?

On a slightly side-note, I’ve heard people go nuts when other people say “LEGOS” because that’s technically not correct. This reminds me of the band The Prodigy aka Prodigy – called both things not because of mis-spoken terms, but because the guy in the band who was in charge of approving album designs saw that adding or subtracting the “THE” made for a clearer or more awesome message. That’s graphic design.

Now let’s look at some LEGOS.

Also BTW I was going to tabulate about how LEGO affected my life, but it’s incalculable. I would be a different person today if it weren’t for LEGO. Thank you LEGO for being there as a tool for me to teach ME how to build. Love and hearts forever.

The following photos come from the following photographers: DuneChaser, BatBoy2424, MSKogly, Eva The Weaver, Eddie Scholl, DZ Knight 2003, FATIMA, WunzTwice, Vintage LOVE, KendramCCracken, SavaTheAggie, AndTheMonkey, LetterB, Syclone16, Josh Ellingson, WarpDesign, GreenColander, Tim Ellis, PeriGirl, click0happy, jRittenHouse, JPob, Matt Downey, Sava The Aggie, Fraggle Rawker, CC Chapman, Kaptian Kobold, IAmAdam, splorp, UESC, bjmurphy234, Ben Spark, Dlofink, buttershug, LegoJunkie, and Jammarz. Thanks for LEGO lovelies!

This post is part of the World Famous Design Junkies 3D category.

When you go into a graphic design project, especially when that project is something so simple as a poster, just a poster, you’ve got to go wild. By wild I don’t mean crazy, I mean wild. I mean you’ve got to throw a boomerang, see how far it can go, then catch it. Catch this. This is a poster as put together and made by designers at Aesthetically Loyal (Anthony Kolber). It’s a poster for a thing called “Yes Diggity!”

Here’s some official information from Aesthetically Loyal on the project:

This project formed the poster for Yes Diggity’s first birthday party at Miss Libertines. It was a literal progression of the brand into the physical realm. We formed a numeral one using the diamonds from the logo’s crown, constructed from folded pieces of cardboard, hand-folded, pasted onto our wall and photographed. The accompanying type treatment was an exercise in extending the concept of the monospaced font to a mono-hierarchical structure, forcing only colour and text decoration to highlight the degrees of importance within the information.

That’s heavy! It’s almost a “trick” constructing something amazing, taking a photo of it, turning it then into a poster. But it’s not. It’s a real thing. it’s not a trick at all, it’s just a really awesome method for making something fantabulous.

Head on over to the Aesthetically Loyal online portfolio to take a peek at their info and/or to see if they’ve got anything newer (or older!) out there to see: http://aestheticallyloyal.com/ – it’s hot. OR if you’d like to contact them directly, hang a left over to ae @ aestheticallyloyal.com for an email adventure.

This post is part of the World Famous Design Junkies color category.

Those gray flyers you see walking around your feet, picking up the crumbs, landing on your face if your face looks like a reasonable place to land. Yeah, those pigeons. That’s what’s going on here. These are the artworks of one Laurel Roth as represented by Frey Norris, Packer Schopf, and Schroeder Romero Galleries. Each of these birds is part of set called “Biodiversity Reclamation Suits for Urban Pigeons.” That means Roth takes pigeons (hand carved mannequins), sets them on stands, and crochets yarn coats for them to look totally and wholly fancy in. Everyone loves a little fancification, right?

Even dirty birds like to feel loved and to look super sassy.

From the Biodiversity Reclamation Suits for Urban Pigeons, the bird you see above is the green-coated “Carolina Parakeet.” This is the newest bird, this set beginning in 2007 and continuing on to 2010 (and hopefully beyond.) The dimensions and ingredients of this bird (and basically the rest of the birds in the set are as thus:

crocheted yarn, hand carved pigeon mannequin, walnut stand
8 x 9 x 13 in.
20 x 23 x 33 cm.

Below you’ll see several other birds, each of them with a different name: Dodo, Passenger Pigeon, Ivory Billed Woodpecker, and of course that Carolina Parakeet. This is the sort of settling into the art that I’m loving seeing at this point in our sharing internet history. I speak occasionally on these internets of the art movement were in right now, the one that’s tied directly into the graphic design acceptance boom and internetting life we’re quickly becoming fully accustomed to. You can see the understanding of the people this project is going to reach, but you can feel the confidence and calmness in the project too.

What I mean is some projects I post here on WFDJ know their audience for sure, but take that understanding hardcore, not reeling back the project into the real world. Take the 365 Stormtroopers project. It’s wild, it’s wonderful, it’s now. In 10, 20 years, it’s still going to be cute, but the impact, its strongest point, isn’t going to be there anymore. Where Stormtrooper action figure photos take heart in their surprising comedy, these birds come correct in a very “this is excellent” manner.

Great craft, great execution, very aesthetically pleasing, and still it has the initial impact, but one that I don’t think is going to fade over time. It’s always going to be strange seeing human-crafted pseudo-clothing covered pigeon.

Especially if that clothing is a Dodo costume.

If you’d like to get in contact with Laurel Roth, head on over to the LR contact page or touch base with any of the following galleries which represent: Schroeder Romero Gallery in New York, Frey Norris Gallery in San Francisco, and Packer Schopf Gallery in Chicago.

This post is part of the World Famous Design Junkies outer space category.

Today (I wrote this a few days ago) I hear the sad news that one of the ultimate original players in the Graffiti and Hip-hop world has kicked the bucket. “RAMM::ELL::ZEE” or Rammellzee as he was called died today [June 27, 2010] whilst, if the rumors are true, he was doing math equations in none other than his home town and city, Far Rockaway, Queens, New York. How unbelievably appropriate for one of the most mathematically sound wild-style artists of many generations. The first I ever heard of him, he was being described in the Graffiti documentary film “Style Wars,” his paintings of weapon-clad letters being shown by his pal Dondi, another king.

In humble celebration of the passing of Ram, I and we present to you a gallery of armored letters, operators that blow the lids off all that they encounter. Rest in peace, Zee.

“The letter is armed to stop all the phony formations, lies, and tricknowlegies placed upon its structure.” – RAM EL ZEE

Rammel is an enigma. An eternally complicated graffiti man who, according to wikipedia, revealed in an interview that his name meant heavy, heavy stuff – derived from “RAM” plus “‘M’ for ‘Magnitude’, ‘Sigma’ (Σ) the first summation operator, first ‘L’ – ‘longitude’, second ‘L’ – ‘latitude’, ‘Z’ – ‘z-bar’, Σ, Σ – ‘summation’.”

Dondi speaking about a work with Ram in a Style Wars “scene extra”:

And that’s just the tip of this metal, mental iceberg. Look for some videos of this crazy brilliant man if you dare. He’s wild. Above begins and below continues the gallery including a couple of works by Ram himself (above being a “B” by Ram owned by a private party), plus a bunch of paintings by adventurers that were inspired without a doubt by Ram’s life in one way or another. Have a feast on these giant masterpieces in his honor.

Where appropriate, the filenames of the letters in the gallery below will lead you to their sources. Due to the super-futuristic nature of Ramm Ell Zee, I expect you to know how to access that information. Internets, graffiti, letters with weapons. Activate!

This post is part of the World Famous Design Junkies lettering category.

This project reminds me of one of the first things I ever posted under the World Famous Design Junkies name, another cross with cash in mind, the Ticker Cross. This one’s sort of the analog version of that one, a severely simple message in a piggy bank the shape of a cross. Put your coins in there and remind yourself of the bad parts of the Catholic faith! It even has a little piggy tail on the butt.

This lovely bank is made by Wyatt Little aka Heck yes Design. It goes by the name of one of my favorite Slayer songs: “Jesus Saves.” I bet he would have saved if he weren’t chosen to be the son of God. That’s a big responsibility and demands a life without coins. Sandals only. No plastic.

This cross isn’t in production yet, but when it is, you can bet I’ll be gripping it with my slimy claw fingers, filling it with my gold coins from the gray market.

Contact Little through his http://www.behance.net/WyattLittle Behance contact form or visit his excellent portfolio at http://wyattlittle.com/. Updates!

This post is part of the World Famous Design Junkies kawaii category.

How does one flatten the world? Everybody whose working on artwork and designwork today is trying to make the world smaller for themselves. It’s making connections, taking confusion away from the world, figure things out for other people AND themsleves so that the environment they live in is simpler. The person we’re speaking about right here in this thread’s got the world pushed down and flattened – almost. Not that he didn’t make it the whole way, no! He stopped pushing right before the end to reach his means! This project is called “Foreshortened Space” and it’s done in wood by Ron van der Ende.

It’s brilliance.

Now this is wood construction, all put together, 3D, done so fabulous it’s an optical illusion. But it’s gotta be deeper than just that trick. This is gorgeous. Each of the works you see here are only the newest of a series of works that spans back a few excellent years now. Each of these works in the gallery are inside the last 12 months, most of them from 2010.

Then, double down! This guy mister Ron van der Ende has a very similar viewpoint of self-empowerment on the internets, take a read:

This website [http://ronvanderende.nl/] was built blogstyle in WordPress by Ron van der Ende with a homemade theme and some WP plugins (Fast and Secure Contact Form, Home Page Link, My Category Order, My Page Order and xili-tidy-tags). The theme was created with the help of this tutorial and a lot of playing around with the css style sheet). I think visual artists should consider taking charge of their own (web)representation as a natural part of their field.

And why not?

Its cheap, quite (but not too) easy and just plain fun!

As you may have guessed, http://ronvanderende.nl/ is where you can see more works by Ende. It’s a really simple, tops online portfolio. If you’d like to just mail him straight away, shoot an email to http://ronvanderende.nl/?page_id=148 – that’s his contact form.

This post is part of the World Famous Design Junkies wood category.

Perhaps you know that Japan is a wild and crazy place. Perhaps you know that. Something you also maybe know is that generally their autos, because of the congestion in their small world, are also small. What you may NOT know is that sometimes they get big. Really big. I mean like semi-truck big. And when they do, (not always, but I WISH always,) they go wild. Mister Roger Snider has a camera. Mister Roger Snider went to take some photos. Mister Roger Snider got some bright lights.

Mister Roger Snider goes more often by the name Roger Snider, and works with his fantastical set of photos he calls “Ultra Rigs of the World” or UROTW. This set of photos spans back to the late 1990s, with these seriously fantastically amazing ones still popping up today. In fact, the set you see above and below is his latest set, taken on a journey to Japan in May 2010.

A few words from Snider:

My 1st trip out of the country this year led me back to Japan. Capitalizing on my shoots from back in 2008, I really dove deeper into the culture this time. I also brought my Profoto strobe with me to shoot portraits and interiors. I think you can see the upgrade in production value.

What these trucks are called, or what the act of making these trucks is called is Dekotora. According to this wiki article, it’s believed that the first “Truck Guys (トラック野郎 Torakku Shōnen)” (1976) movie was the source of this modern Dekotora lifestyle, or at least the first boom of it. This “Truck Guys” movie (and its 7 sequels) was put out by the Toei company, a favorite of mine because they’re responsible for the ultra-gory cult-classic “Battle Royale” (2000). Each of these trucks of course has their own individual aesthetic, the opportunity for customization super-high now compared to when this fabulous hobby / lifestyle began in the 70′s. Back then it was hardcore, find the pipes and lights from wherever you could find them. Now there’s manufacturers and custom shops that’ve got the skills to do the deals.

Below you’ll see Snider’s May 2010 Japan set. It’s hot. It’s amazing. It’s trucks with so many lights on them that you wont know what to do with yourself when you see them.

It takes a special kind of person in an amazing sort of financial situation to create one of these rigs. The style and grace you can very obviously see in every one of these trucks is, thought it’d seem the opposite here, not easy to come by. It takes not only vision and skill, but craftsmanship and a LOT of dedication as well. Any project that’s had this amount of time put into it deserves a big hard look, handshake, and even a hug. The same goes for Snider, whom without, I and you might never have seen such magnificence. Thank you Snider, and please PLEASE continue to do this.

You can contact Roger Snider at roger@ultrarigsoftheworld.com, find him at his WordPress blog and leave him a nice comment, or take a peek at his fabulous portfolio site at http://ultrarigsoftheworld.com/ for real.

This post is part of the World Famous Design Junkies custom culture category.

Look through these images using our sassy new gallery mode!

So I’m sure you’re aware that once an appliance sort of… runs its course, and you’re not really using it much anymore because it doesn’t work so well, or it doesn’t keep the ice cream as cold as it used to, it swallows the energy. It swallows a BUNCH of energy, and you’re paying for it. And you don’t like that, right? Well check it out. There’s a place that can take care of that for you, and they’re affiliated with puppets. Puppets, you say? Yes. Big furry ones. Terrifying puppets from HELL.

They’re more insane than they are hellbound, but they’re definitely creepy. These are the creatures created by Furry Puppet Studio for commercials that’ll be made for PECO electric company. PECO is the group that I just spoke about, the ones who’ll take your electricity hungry giants away for you. You’ll wish they were real. You’re already wishing they were real. Perhaps they could grab a soda for you when you didn’t want to get up.

EDIT: The commercials themselves are filmed by Tierny ad agency.

You know what they remind me of? Chairy the Chair. Or any of the other hundred wild animate pieces of furniture that Pee Wee Herman keeps at his Playhouse. But these are heavy. By that I mean they’re totally amazingly well made, researched and executed.

Take a peek at the images in the gallery below and if you’re in a place where you can listen to sound, watch the making-of video they just uploaded too. Neat stuff! And what an odd subject, yes? When’s the last time you discussed puppet design and creation with your cohorts? Interesting subject.

This post is part of the World Famous Design Junkies moving parts category.

For when you plan on fighting Fraggles, more than likely. This is what you need to get business done. This particular set of knuckles is made out of sterling silver and quartz crystals, it’s an art project by the wonderfully genius designer artist Debra Baxter. It’s just the sort of thing you think of a hundred times in a day, but you just never get out there to pick up those crystals from the crystal emporium. You know? Thumbs up for execution, for doing it, and doing it well. Harvest with your eyeballs this and a small load of extra projects by Baxter in the gallery below, whistling while you work.

I can’t imagine your wrist would be in any sort of good shape once you insert this into the mouth of your enemies. Maybe if you actually ARE fighting Fraggles.

They go down easy.

Crystal Brass Knuckles (I am going to realign your chakras motherf*****)
Quartz crystals, sterling silver
7 x 6 x 2.5 in

Debra Baxter is responsible for a huge sack of projects, each of them made with such methods as glass blowing, metalworking, and alabaster sculpting. What you’re about to devour is the Crystal Brass Knuckles as well as the earlier projects from over the past 12 months or so. She’s been rocking for several years now. Really heavy stuff.

Once you’re done here, contact Baxter by emailing debrabaxter@gmail.com and/or visit her portfolio page to explore all of her older works! It’s all very fabulous work of a very lovely sort: http://www.debrabaxter.com/ – get rocky!

This post is part of the World Famous Design Junkies 3D category.

Hello everyone, it’s me, your humble narrator in this epic story called World Famous Design Junkies. In this post I present a project of my own. In addition to being a writer on the topic of design futures and pasts, I like to make my own things from time to time. Projects I do generally end up being flat, but today I’ve got a 3D item for you: some customized sneakers. This is the first pair I’ve ever worked on, painting them using leather paints and working off an iconic car model by the name “General Lee.”

They burn so much rubber.

These sneakers are size US MAN size 10 and use the original sneakers, sole pads, and are painted with Angelus brand leather paints. Angelus paints are the hot stuff. Super sexy.

Above and below you’ll see detail shots from every essential angle, plus a few inessential angles also.

Ideally, eventually, the tongues will play this tune upon pressing:

Enjoi.

This post is part of the World Famous Design Junkies wearable category.

The most excellent sculpture I ever built in art school was one I made out of free wood glue and wood scraps from the scrap wood bin. All free, all A+. That’s sort of, in a way, what’s going on here with these newest works of wood and paint magic by Shawn Smith. Plywood, acrylic paint, and sometimes ink. That’s what these masterworks are made of. The heads of animals is what they replicate. The eyeballs of the elite are what they attract.

Your dollars is what they HOPE to attract. Buy them, gallery owners. I must see more! The only way for an artist to have the amount of time it takes to construct these things is if they’ve got the cash to eat dinner! So gallery owners, I say again, support Shawn Smith! This whole wood chippies glued together idea is fantastic!

The gallery below is in chronological order by year. Each year, starting in 2005, there are several works which were produced throughout the year. The gallery is ordered top to bottom, the newest ones at the bottom. Then after the gallery of individual projects, you’re going to see a set of images that all look alike, all of them with buzzards attacking an office. This is the bigger project of Smith’s dealing with these woodies. It’s called Vicious Venue and it’s a total bird attack!

Take a look at some words from Smith on the project:

Vicious Venue My recent work explores my interest in birds of prey as a source of conceptual inspiration and analogy. I am fascinated by vultures and the visceral way most people react to them. For my exhibition at Lawndale Art Center, I asked the question, “What would a digital vulture eat if it was somehow trapped inside this reality?” Vicious Venue is a sculptural installation consisting of a group of life-size pixelated vultures devouring an analog office full of obsolete technologies (like a typewriter, rolodex, and a rotary phone). The viewer becomes an intruder into the space, as if they are stumbling into the middle of the ongoing carnage as the vultures pick the office’s carcass clean. The title of the exhibition, Vicious Venue, refers to the double meaning of “venue” as both a place, and a group of vultures.

Scary. Again Vicious Venue is at the bottom of the gallery in it’s entirety.

To follow the further artworks and designworks of mister Shawn Smith, find him at his portfolio page, the gallery that represents him in Dallas: Craighead Green, or the gallery that represents him in Austin: DBerman Gallery.

This post is part of the World Famous Design Junkies bits category.

Over at one of the most wonderful places on Earth, the Happy Seamstress Pattern Company, they are having a fabulous little contest for whose best at crafting. The subject matter? Mario. Or everything in the Nintendo universe. And even that rule is broken sometimes. But it’s all in excellent fun, and in most cases, thread and needle bliss! So take a peek, all ye crafty peoples, for below we’ve got not just the future winners, but the entire contest entry bin! Everything, including the terrible ones!

JK there are no terrible ones. Just some that… just can’t win.

The Happy Seamstress holds contests every once in a while, and they’re not the crappy kind where the company basically rips you off by paying you squat for what you could get lots more cash for, no! The H.S. holds contests for fun fantastic items you’ve made for yourself, or in many cases, for your kids, and congratulates you on a job well done, no more, no less! That’s how design contests SHOULD be run.

Remember folks, work for full pay or work for free, NEVER work for cheap. Discounts are for the people who sell the items, not for the transaction between designer and corp. Happy Seamstress seems to understand this well, and I congratulate them!

Also they’re getting prepared to have a pattern store to run alongside their very excellent blog, and I bet it’s going to be just chock full of wonderful products so everyone go buy!

Also I should mention that not only is there cross-stitching and knitting going on in this contest, it’s limited only to the word “craft” basically so it’s everything. Clay to iron-together beads. There’s a Tri-Force earring and Space Invader magnets.

Love it all. All of it love.

This post is part of the World Famous Design Junkies arcade category.

I might have to start a “moments in brilliance” category for this package cause there’s only one pic, but it’s magfantriffic! Made by the designer Daniel Costas over in Guarda-Pontevedra, Spain. It’s a package of chocolates! Employing the excellent concept of one whole being made up of a bunch of delicious parts, this box is smart AND pleasing in a bunch of ways. It’s made for the Visual Trans group, a company that focuses on… business… software… solutions? Idunno. Something like that. Chocolate!

This post is part of the World Famous Design Junkies gridwork category.