The world as designed by Porsche

 

These are some of the final entries in the Porsche Next Design Challenge. The contest can be summed up with this quote: "There are thousands of design details that go into creating a Porsche. Each builds upon the rest, creating the car's essence. Could you take one element of the iconic design to create a brand new thing that embodies what Porsche is, but in an entirely new outlet?"

This is particularly interesting because the idea leads into the next components of our final project for the class. (More to come about that in class, of course.) For now, check out the links:

Top 25 entries, Part 1: http://www.fastcodesign.com/1669517/announcing-the-top-25-in-our-porsche-next-design-challenge-part-1

Top 25 entries, Part 2: http://www.fastcodesign.com/1669525/announcing-the-top-25-in-our-porsche-next-design-challenge-part-2

Top 7 finalists: http://www.fastcodesign.com/1669580/the-top-7-in-our-porsche-next-design-challenge

Head in the clouds

 

Alright... this is not design per se. Maybe fine art, tho? Either way, intriguing.

Clouds have been a fascination of humans forever. Not in a meteorological sense (yes, that too), but in a visual sense. They're are nature's very own Rorschachs. And to visual people like us, that's pretty cool.

http://www.gizmag.com/indoor-clouds/21702/

Designers of the Week

 

Vicente Wolf

Vicente Wolf is an interior designer boasting a 35-year career in the industry. He has worked on everything from commercial design for the largest international corporations, to private homes. He's authored several books on design, and has been honored as a top designer by institutions such as Interior Design Magazine (Hall of Fame inductee) and Architectural Digest (Top 100 Designers).

http://www.vicentewolf.com/associates/info/biography
http://www.interiordesign.net/hof/11239-Vicente_Wolf.php

George Lois
Yet another giant in the design world-- this time with particular focus on advertising-- is George Lois. Famous in part for his Esquire Magazine covers, The New York Times had this to say: "George Lois' Esquire covers are considered among the most memorable propaganda imagery in any medium, and certainly the most provocative in the history of the magazine industry."

http://www.georgelois.com/
http://www.vice.com/read/george-lois-671-v18n1

I [photograph] NY

A photographic census of New York, one street portrait at a time.

"The Humans of New York Project is an effort to create a photographic census of the city of New York,
with an eye toward creating artistic portraits of strangers on the street. Over 4,000 street portraits have been gathered thus far."

http://humansofnewyork.tumblr.com/

D.C. Redux

A planned redesign/revamp/restoration of the National Mall in Washington, DC.

http://www.fastcodesign.com/1669505/get-ready-the-national-mall-is-leaping-into-the-21st-century

Take a Line for a Walk

Last minute, I know... but Robin Landa is doing one of her talks tomorrow (12:30 p.m., Room 415, STEM building). If you guys are free, you must go! Don't miss this great opportunity!

"Historically, design instructors have employed various exercises to allow students to make discoveries through artistic activity. Prof. Robin Landa has developed a journal composed of varied exercises conceived by experts in many disciplines to cue the user to respond – to sketch, design, conceive, write, muse – to do whatever the prompt calls for. The prompts are deliberately varied. Some are purely conceptual, many are visual, some are about storytelling or other aspects of life – all are creative exercises. Professor Landa’s presentation is not only intended for design students but is also for anyone who wants to enhance their creative thinking."

http://orsp.kean.edu/reseach_day/Faculty_Presentations.html

Need.

 

I will be so incredibly proud of you guys when you design something like this. And then of course donate one to your Introduction to Design & Visual Culture professor.

All joking aside, this really is an amazing mashup of science, engineering, and industrial and interior design. It takes the slickest of seacraft design (similar boats were created for tasks such as global circumnavigation at record speeds), and mixes it with a luxury yacht.

http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-57414698-1/james-bond-batman-boat-is-anything-but-a-prop/?tag=contentMain;contentBody;1n