The Windows of New York is a beautifully illustrated blog of weekly posts by graphic designer Jose Guizar. With simple backgrounds and wonderfully chosen colour palettes, each window is one that has caught his eye while walking the streets of NYC. An easy to navigate one page site, I find myself returning time and time again to browse through the intricate details of each as I were to stroll through the Big Apple. Makes me want to return, at least for a quick visit to my favorite breakfast place in Chelsea… more on that later. Well done Jose! Be sure to check out more of his work in his portfolio here.

- J

Albert Einstein

Jeffrey Veen

Bloc Socks

From time to time I like to share one of my favorite Kickstarter projects. A Project byDimitar Apostolov who lives in San Francisco, CA has really captured my quirky fashion sense and my heart! Apostolov has set up this campaign to help his  Bulgarian grandmother (how can you not already be melting?) add income to her daily pension.

The money raised will go towards setting up a knitting center and launch her first line of socks. This are the kind of socks that you’d putz around your house in during the fall and winter, kind of like slippers. And I am LOVING the bright colors and subdued browns with the traditional patterns.

So how do you get a pair AND help support this cause? For any pledge over $45 you get to choose any pair of bloc socks from the site. Personally, I like the Zora style best. (see below) The spontaneity of the colors partnered with their tall height will make them my go to house slipper this autumn.

- J

English Proverb

Henry David Thoreau

Design for the web, without knowing code?

Let’s face it, we all knew it was coming. And software developers have been trying to tackle it repeatedly, nothing yet seeming to permeate to the top.

WordPress has arguably been the most successful at bringing easy site design to the masses by allowing coders to sell their designed ‘themes’ to those less code savy. 

The first ‘drag and drop’ theme that I stumbled across was Ultimatum. I suppose I use ‘theme’ lightly here as the site boasts, “Ultimatum is not just a WordPress theme or framework. It is a total design suite and powerful application builder at the same time.” Regardless, I have yet to try it out and while I am sure it is easier to navigate than writing my own code I still am a bit hesitant to cough up $65 for their starter license. Not that I’m arguing that is expensive - in the long run of things the best thing most small companies or any company for that matter can do right now is invest in website design. The other prices are available here.

But what really caught my eye is the Great Adobe’s new software Muse. Having a great personal history with my Adobe products, I trust Adobe to not steer me wrong and maybe this time someone’s got it just right. The short video above shares one of Adobe’s latest products that truly seems easy to navigate from a non-coder’s point of view. Of course I’m sure having basic knowledge of website design will only make it easier to add in your own html and bring your site to that higher level with customized widgets and such.

I have high hopes for Adobe’s Muse and while it’s just in Beta version right now, at $14.99 a month for a year contract I might consider giving it a test run (also available month by month at $24.99). Check it out for yourself! 

-J

Charles “Chuck” Harrison - industrial designer of the View Master (among many other incredible products)

Fashion + Puppets + Soda - c’est magnifique!

It’s kind of old news by now, but I’ve been meaning to post on Diet Coke’s new European Creative Director for awhile. None other than Jean Paul Gaultier has been revitalizing the brand through a series of fashion inspired short films and new dressed up bottle designs.

The video series, all featuring Gaultier as the ‘serial designer,’ all utilize puppets as the main characters in desperate situations where Gaultier’s fashion comes to the rescue. There are three in the series and can all be found on youtube. Episode 1 is above and here are the links to episode 2 and episode 3.

I can’t decide if it’s Gaultier’s amazing French accent or his fun, inspired wardrobe that always makes me smile. Regardless, this is an exciting pairing of beverage and fashion and in my mind - a success. “allo, bébé…”

- J

Bam Bam - King Charles

If you’re anything like me, Monday’s can seem a little slow and you might need a kick to get into your creative groove. If coffee alone isn’t cutting it, check out the quirky, and talented King Charles. He’s catchy and upbeat and you’ll find yourself tapping your toes as you smile listening to the lyrics of Ivory Road, another great little tune. (I’m still singing the background ‘bam, bam… bam, bam’ in my head as I type)

Watching the above video just once was enough for me to always picture his fantastic mustache and locks when listening to his music. How could this not bring a smile to my face? 

According to his tumblr page May 7th is the date for the new full album, which will be here before we know it! Many other videos can be found here.

Enjoy and happy Monday!

-J

Truly brilliant and beautiful. Radiohead is pretty versatile no? This makes me wonder what a sped-up fast paced clip would look like to the Used or Taking Back Sunday. I’m thinking you need some harsher colors.

Love the absence of color as it makes you more aware of the movement and lines in the dancers and the fabric. Not too shabby for a TUESDAY, ay?

- J

explore-blog:

Ballet dancers in ultra-slow-motion, at 1000 frames per second, to the sound of Radiohead.

(ᔥKottke)

There IS a light at the end of this creative tunnel. What a good Tuesday video. Thanks to @ckwok78 for sharing it with me.

A Little Printer for a Little Paper

BERG, a London design consultancy, is looking to rethink the Daily paper. Little Printer works like a receipt printer, using heat to print out crossword puzzles, foursquare updates, and birthday reminders. 

While it looks like for now all that’s on the schedule is pre-orders 2012 will be the year of the Little Printer. Check out this site for joining their mailing list and reading other press coverage on this revolutionary little sidekick. 

I am just keeping my fingers crossed hoping LP will have a little price tag!

- J

Talk About Dedication

“In Your Arms” by Kina Grannis is a music video of talent, time and collaboration. Emphasis on the element of TIME. This whimsical and brilliant video is made entirely of stop motion photography and 288,000 jelly beans and 1357 HOURS. The man behind it all is director Greg Jardin. 

To truly understand the focus this intricate process took, be sure to check out the link here. In the end, what an amazing production - well done Greg and Kina!

Now I’m hungry for some jelly beans…