This was a magnificent book. Normally the books I purchase are technical and informational, such as The Animator's Survival Kit by Richard Williams. I thought I wouldn't learn things from image based books. But this book changed the way I think. This book has a large selection of beautiful imageries on objects from many strands of artistic, scientific, and intellectual endeavor. The collections are stunning, vibrant, detailed and inspiring.
Selected images are from Mendo Book
A documentary Emmy nominee Craig Foster did the underwater photography for this film as he bonded with a special octopus.
It's about how an octopus inspired a man and changed his relationship with people. He visited the octopus everyday and the octopus made him feel he was a part of the underwater place and not a visitor. I always believe that we can learn from and get inspired by anything as long as we keep our eyes and mind open. Near the end of the film, it got emotional and made me cry. If you have not watched this film, I strongly encourage you to check it out.
Courtney Mattison creates series of dedicate artworks made by ceramic that are inspired by beauty of coral. Her works raise awareness of global warming that causes coral endanger.
Artist Statement: I love coral reefs for being exotic, diverse and often venomous. When creating my work I relate to the challenges faced by corals—arguably some of the least relatable animals—by quietly and methodically constructing large, delicate, stony structures that can change an ecosystem. Sadly, coral reefs are so threatened by our greenhouse gas emissions, pollution and overfishing that scientists agree they may cease to function by the end of this century. As a sculptor with a background in marine conservation science and policy, I believe art impacts our emotions and can move us to value the blue planet we live on in ways that scientific data often cannot. We protect what we care about and we care about what we know and understand. Art can bring the beauty and peril of coral reefs above the surface and into view and can inspire us to protect the ocean.
Herzog & de Meuron Architekten is a German architecture firm with its head office in Basel, Switzerland. During my college year of Graphic Communication study, we had a project on making a book base of an architect in their design aesthetic. I was assigned on Herzog & de Meuron. At that time, I had no idea who they were and what their works looked like. After doing a lot of research I fell in love with their architectural design. I loved layers of different materials. For me, their works are all about the creative use of materials and texture.
The long, low-lying monolithic structure's most prominent feature is its gabion walls, which are constructed from locally sourced stones of various sizes. The stacked rocks covered in metal caging filter natural light into the interior and also provide temperature control, essential to the wine-making process.
–Kristine Klein
The prefabricated concrete panels are similar to the glass belts of the groove-windows, and are imprinted thanks to specialized experience in screen-printing. The basis for the motifs for the prints is photos discovered by the artist Thomas Ruff in magazines he accumulated over the years in his private collection. From this collection he selected the appropriate motifs and arranged them in the horizontal belts running around the façade. The imprint on the entire façade unifies the surface; the differences between concrete and glass seem to be annulled.
–Herzog & de Meuron
The building’s dramatic copper facade is perforated and textured to replicate the impression made by light filtering through a tree canopy, creating an artistic abstraction on the exterior of the museum that resonates with the de Young's tree-filled park setting. The building's copper skin, chosen for its changeable quality through oxidation, will assume a rich patina over time that will blend gracefully with the surrounding natural environment.
–de Young Museum
I have known the brand Patagonia for a long time but was not familiar with their activism until recently. Unlike some of the brands who use terms like “eco-friendly”, “recycled” as a marketing strategy, Patagonia truly cares about activism, and shares stories on how to protect our planet.
As a graphic designer I always want to volunteer my skills to contribute on good causes. Through Patagonia I found Catchafire, an organization that strengthens the social good sector by matching professionals who want to donate their time with nonprofits who need their skills. I am currently working on an illustration project for a non-profit that serves people of color, Indigenous Peoples and low-income communities living under the threat of polluting industries, and workers, in the service, energy, farmworker, and chemical sectors.
If you are interested on helping out non-profit organizations with your skills, you can check out the Patagonia x Catchafire site here
Dieter Rams is a German industrial designer, closely associated with the consumer products company Braun. His philosophy of design is "Less, but better", which you can see on his works, everything has its purpose and function. He also believes good design lasts long time. In the current world, people are so use to update their phone for example every single year. And companies are intensionally making products last a short time of period so their customers have to purchase new device in every few years. This not only causes a lot of waste and hurting our environment but also devalues good design. It is pretty sad in my opinion. Dieter defines good design in 10 principles
Rams introduced the idea of sustainable development, and of obsolescence being a crime in design, in the 1970s. Accordingly, he asked himself the question: "Is my design a good design?" The answer he formed became the basis for his celebrated ten principles. According to him, "good design".
There is a documentary about Dieter Rams made by Gary Hustwit if you are interested to learn more about him and his design principles.
I discovered the website Pair Up shortly after shelter in place happened back to March 2020. This website was built to connect creative people around the world. You can browse the website to find people you want to connect with from a wild range of fields: filmmaker, founder, designer, illustrator, culture mover, copywriter and many more. The Pairer list what field he/she is in and available time. You can message them and build connection from there. It's a really fun and interesting concept. Check out if you are interested.