Terry pointed out the Areva isometric animated commercial below (which explains how the generation and distribution of nuclear power works) to me earlier in the summer. The similarities between it and Röyksopp's "Remind Me" music video can be easily explained, both were created by French design group H5. Those of you interested in the music used in the spot, the song is "Funkytown" by Lipps Inc.

Areva Commercial


Röyksopp Remind Me


With Blair done, Steve Bell, the Guardian's cartoonist, reflects on how the Blair got his avatar.

Chinese Opera has always been a bore to me, but I'm digging this set of illustrations. No idea who is behind them though.

Nathan Sawaya left a career as a lawyer to become a full time LEGO artist. Crazy talented, check out some of his pieces!

I love business card designs, especially designs like Jamie Wieck's growing business card.

Wachowski brothers are at it again. Not content with making regular looking movies, they are filming Speed Racer to reflect the cartoon. The entire frame will be in focus!

Yay or nay on a brown wall, Invotis Wall Gear Clock.

Animal drawings on the Underground map. When I get back to the states and start my daily commute (once I find a job), I'll have something to do while staring at the NYC Subway Map. I'm sure I'll be able to find an image of a rat in there.

While we are on the subject of maps, Eddie Jabbour, graphic designer for Kick Design, created a new subway map three years ago and has continued to refine it. Looks great, but he was rebuffed by the MTA because it was geographically inaccurate. Strange since the current design by Michael Hertz isn't very accurate itself. According to the Gothamist interview, "in order to make the most of the space available and therefore to make the map readable (since New York’s actual geography is taller and narrower) was to knead, bend and squeeze the map to fit in the already existing frame. Once we did this we realized that we could nip and tuck smaller areas of the city to give more space to congested areas like lower Manhattan and downtown Brooklyn without major damage to the overall sense of the city’s geography."

Another week and I'll be back in Brooklyn. Ever wonder how the DUMBO area got its name?

On the subject of Brooklyn, MTV is filming a pilot about life in Brooklyn. Their focus is on some students attending the local high school, Brooklyn Tech. Count me in as an interested viewer! The last time I followed an MTV show was during a summer at CMU, everyone at Chateau was hooked on Real World Paris. I didn't attend high school in NYC and always wondered how different it was compared to a suburban high school. The fact that it's close by and that some of my friends attended it makes it that much more interesting.

Labels: design