AU Blogspot

With their latest groundbreaking video, created from 3-D data captured by the latest in laser scanning technologies, Radiohead continues to close in on the singularity many of our childhood friends may or may not be sleeping through.  The video speaks for itself, so my story ends here.  I’ve included a link to the “making of the video” as well.  These features are usually boring, but this one is actually cool.  Check it out…  

Ryan Rode
Interactive Services Manager
Ashworth University 

Jonathan Ive is arguably the most ingenious designer of the last decade.  An analysis of Ives’ portfolio requires almost a suspension of belief to comprehend.  The term portfolio could easily be replaced by “culture” in this case, since the products of Ives’ masterful mind have literally altered the way all of us, collectively, have learned to communicate, conduct business, entertain ourselves, etc.  Well, if you haven’t heard of Jonathan Ive, I’ll go ahead and reveal why his multifunctional industrial/graphic/technical design talents are recognized in the same scope as a Leonardo DaVinci.  Ives is the principle designer of the iMac, iPod, and iPhone.  He is currently the VP of Industrial Design at Apple.  The video I’m sharing today consists of a short interview with Ives in which he discusses the overall arch of his design style.  It’s simply an introduction that I hope will inspire you to reach your creative potential as you progress through your program studies.  I look forward to hearing what you think.  Stay focused!

Ryan Rode
Interactive Services Manager
Ashworth University

     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

As a web designer with the ability to create dynamic online business platforms, you are truly in a unique position to turn your entrepreneurial dreams into reality.  This video tells the inspiring story of Theresa Rodriguez, a young entrepreneur who founded BostonNighlifeTV, an online site that keeps Bostonians in touch with everything “cool” going on in the city’s nightlife scene.  Do you have a great business plan that you’ve been sitting on?  What are you waiting for?  Think about it.  You’re a web designer.  You don’t have to wait on anyone to get your idea off the ground in the online marketplace.  It’s not unrealistic to think that you could be the next Theresa Rodriguez.  If you have an idea that you’d like some feedback on or would like to share your own success story, feel free to email me at:

aublogspot@ashworthuniversity.edu

I look forward to hearing from you!

Ryan Rode
Interactive Services Manager
Ashworth University

Joshua Davis is acknowledged as one of the most innovative multimedia-digital designers the world has ever seen.  Creator of such seminal web sites as Praystation, whose’ radical use of open source flash applications was almost unheard of at the time; Davis has redefined the very concept of “interactivity” for a generation of web designers.  His relentlessly creative work defies classification and incorporates elements of physics, mathematics, code, architecture, etc.  Are you getting the picture?  This guy is a monster.  I decided to post this video chronicling his work on what is now considered a legendary campaign for BMW’s Z4 automobile.  It doesn’t matter if you’re a web designer, graphic designer, or just someone who appreciates brilliance in any form; you should take a few minutes to learn from Joshua Davis.  Let me know your thoughts.  Who are some of your favorite designers?  If you’re not sure, simply share some of your favorite web sites with the Ashworth student community.  Talk to you later.

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  

        Thanks to Alex Whittaker for permission to use this Photo. 

The Brooklyn Digital Foundry does some great web and digital media work. I think what makes their designs excel is their control of information and how their interfaces gradually reveal only the necessary information.

They also appear to do an excellent job of attracting cool clients, which is a difficult and important design skill to master and taught no where.

Michael R. Nelson
Graphic Design Instructor
Ashworth University  

                           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 Paul Jackson for permission to use this Photo.

If you haven’t heard by now, Microsoft has created a customized version of Office for the Mac. Based on their sometimes contentious relationship over the last decade, this collaboration may come as a surprise to many, but these two giants actually have a long history of integrated development dating back to the early 1980’s. It seems that Apple’s softer and smilier aesthetic has leaked into Microsoft’s current “simplify your work” campaign. Their website is user-centric from a navigational persective, with a design emphasis on intentionally amateurish animation.  I’m interested to hear how successful you think Microsoft was at conveying a looser image through this website.

Ryan Rode
Ashworth University