AU Blogspot

Isobel is a very creative London advertising agency that has some beautiful work.

I think their nicest piece of work is their Bullring Birmingham commercial that I’ve embedded above.  

Michael R. Nelson
Creator Of The Ideation Phase
Ashworth College Graphic Design Instructor

Zohar Lazar is a unique illustrator.  If you were to happen on his work out of context, you might mistake him for someone who worked for MAD Magazine in the 50’s.

He seems to willingly take on that retro aesthetic, but then creates works with a much more post modern composition and subject matter.

I feel like a lot of his work is hit and miss, but when Lazar hits, his work is extremely interesting.

Michael R. Nelson
Creator Of The Ideation Phase
Ashworth Graphic Design Instructor

Studio K  has a lot of talent and their portfolio is definitely worth a long hard look.

Michael R. Nelson 
Ashworth Graphic Design Instructor 

     Thanks to thinbegin for permission to use this Photo.

David Carson spent a decade building his reputation as an underground graphic designer before gaining mainstream popularity in the early 1990’s.  Some have labeled his signature style as “dirty” in the sense that it may appear unpolished, heavy, and visually dense to the common viewer.  Carson was one of the first graphic designers to mash seemingly unrelated typographical and photographic elements into one composition, a practice that is so commonplace today as to almost appear cliché, but at the time,Carson’s ability to convey what were perceived to be complex (subconscious) messages through his work was considered groundbreaking.  In the following video, Carson discusses how his design instincts have always guided his career from day one—and how important it is for young designers to develop their own intuitive style in order to consistently create substantive work.  Click on the image above to watch this video.  I think you’ll find some inspiration in the life and work of David Carson.

Ryan Rode
Interactive Services Manager
Ashworth University

              Thanks to Starck Ting for permission to use this Photo.

Throughout his career, Philippe Starck has positioned himself ahead of the design curve, practically ignoring it, but not through the prescient recognition and/or early adoption of trends.  Starck instead relies on ingenuity to reinterpret the concept of design itself, reworking the most mundane of objects (clocks, silverware, computer mouses, etc.) until they are capable of being perceived in different contexts—with new meaning and functions.  In this conceptual sense, one can detect traces of Marcel Duchamp and his influential readymade objects.  The following video offers a fine introduction to the vision of Philippe Starck.  Starck’s vision will inspire you.  Click on the image above to watch this video.  Let us know what you think. 

Ryan Rode
Interactive Services Manager
Ashworth University  

In the midst of flu season (and with hay fever just around the corner), the face mask is undeniably a part of Japanese life. Fortunately, however, for fashionable young things, it needn’t be a setback—claims the latest marketing campaign from mask company Unicharm in collaboration with popular fashion and lifestyle website GirlsGate.com.

Under the clever banner, “Maskore,” the campaign includes a “Miss Mask,” as well as tips on how to match your mask to different outfits and hairstyles, such as teaming up a velvet party dress with a jewel-studded mask, wearing a pretty pink mask for a shopping date, or dabbing a little soothing aroma oil on your mask before heading out for a hectic day.

Okay, its still a face mask, but definitely the most stylish looking ones we’ve seen this season!

Michael Keferl
Trendscouter and Researcher for CScout
Ashworth University Contributing Blogger

*If you’re official job title is “trendscouter”, you may work for a company that qualifies as hyper-cool, such is the case with Michael Keferl’s job with CScout, the leading trend and market research in the world’s most innovative and trendsetting country: Japan. We’re thrilled to have this opportunity to share Michael Keferl’s observations and analyses with the Ashworth University student community. By the time we in the U.S. hear about the latest technological developments, it’s likely that Michael Kefler and CScout have identified, documented, and archived the news months prior. To learn more about the life and work of Michael Kefler, please visit the CScout TrendBlog. Thanks to Michael and the other great people at CScout!

                           Image courtesy of Front Design.

The design applications provided by the latest in motion capture/rapid prototyping technologies are empowering new designers to experiment like never before.  Front is a furniture design company based out Sweden and they have pioneered the use of this amazing technology, which allows the user to take their traditional free hand sketches and translate them into 3-D digital files; the process doesn’t end there though.  These virtual design files are then transformed into actual physical models that mirror what one originally began as a free-hand sketch!  It’s quite an abstract process to describe with words, so I’ll let the following video show you what’s it all about.  Whether you’re a graphic, web, fashion, or interior designer—you should feel excited that such tools are becoming increasingly available on the market at affordable prices.  Have you had an opportunity to work with a design program of this nature?  Let us know.  

Ryan Rode
Ashworth University  

             Thanks to Mike S for permission to use this Photograph.

Naked & Angry is a low run fashion design website that will take submitted fabric designs an create ties with the designs that are chosen (voted on by other users really). It’s an good concept. The other thing I like about the site is how you purchase the ties. There are only so many ties made, and you purchase them almost like auctioned lots. There are numbered boxes and you can purchase tie number 12 or whatever is still available. It really enhances the experience of shopping for a limited edition product.

Michael R. Nelson
Graphic Design Instructor
Ashworth University

              Thanks to liz_com1981 for permission to use this Photo. 

Chain making is an exciting endeavor.  There are so many variations of links that can be made from ordinary wire that you probably could think of a new pattern every day.  No introduction to chain making would be complete without mentioning the basic component of all chains, the link.   

Links come in a variety of shapes and sizes, but the most common is a plain circular ring known as a jump ring.  As a jeweler, you will make and use jump rings for a variety of repairs as well as custom design work.  Let’s take a moment and discuss how jump rings can be made efficiently. 

To truly be efficient in the shop, wire, plate, and findings such as jump rings should be made in quantity so that a large supply of a wide assortment is always available.  Sometimes a jump ring of a special size is needed, in which case you can simply make one in the following manner.    

Start with a piece of round wire of the desired gauge.  Use round-nose pliers to bend the wire until the wire overlaps, forming a ring.  Cut the wire with end-cutters at the point of overlap.  You now have a jump ring.  Notice that the area that has been cut is slightly jagged.  This should be filed flat with a barrette file or a sanding disk on a flexible shaft machine.  If the jump ring is left with a rough edge, it will not butt up evenly and will be very difficult to solder closed cleanly.  In addition to making soldering difficult, rough edges on jump rings can pull apart and snag clothing. 

You can eliminate filing by cutting the jump ring with a saw.  You will find this method fairly time consuming for just one jump ring, but when making several of them at once, it is much more efficient to eliminate filing by using the saw.  In order to make multiple jump rings, you will need a rod of some sort as a mold.  In the shop, there are many such small steel tools you can use. (more…)