Co-found of the visual label ANTIVJ, artist Olivier Ratsi created this digital projection using anamorphosis to let the viewer fall into a new dimension.
OMG Space - Gorgeous Art Infographics of Space Objects by Margot Trudell
This truly phenomenal project is from Margot Trudell, a graphic, web and motion designer living and working in Toronto, Canada. They are available as art prints or stretched canvas here. I am definitely wanting to get some for the kids' study.
From her project page:
OMG SPACE
With this project I wanted to communicate to people what we've managed to accomplish in space exploration in simple terms; I found that many people don't know much about the subject because of how it's typically communicated, with scientific and technical jargon. Through the use of infographics that simply and clearly illustrated a lot of information, people could easily take a brief look at one infographic and even without looking closer grasp that we've managed to send a lot of things and people to the moon for example, and looking closer they could see that China has plans for a manned lunar mission within the next few years, for example. This simple and easy to understand approach is meant to encourage people to look into the field more, and the OMG SPACE name is meant to encourage excitement about space exploration, especially amongst younger people. Infographics for the dwarf planets Haumea and Makemake were not created due to a lack of imagery available for use; it should be noted though that there have no no expeditions to either of thiese dwarf planets to date, and no expeditions are currently planned.
These infographics were intended for print, and thus the copy on most of them isn't easily legible when reduced in size and resolution for the web. I have included the blurbs about each planet below the image for easy reading. I researched and wrote all the blurbs myself, specifically choosing facts about each planet that I thought were particularily interesting, rather than standard facts like mass and age and geological make-up, to help people look at these planets in a different way than usual.
There is also a website associated with this project,omgspace.net. Aside from promotion, I used the web and the lack of limitations in web design to illustrate the true scale of our solar system. The images of all the planets and the distances between them are completely to scale, and there are links at the bottom of the page to take each visitor to whichever planet they choose; I also included the asteroid belt and the heliosphere for the sake of illustration, which are also placed correctly and sized to scale.
Creatures Made from Typewriter Parts
Oakland-based sculptor and illustrator, Jeremy Mayer, collects old typewriters, disassembles them, just to reassemble them in the shapes of birds, animals, humanoids.
Mayer:
"The first few pieces I created were very crude, but I loved the idea of making something from an archaic relic and from only one other object. Reactions to my work are mostly positive. A few typewriter collectors bemoan the destruction of the machines. The ones I use are in pretty rough shape, so I feel no guilt about taking them apart.”
See also Things Come Apart
Illustrations of Social Media Icons in Decay by Andrei Lacatusu
Digital artist Andrei Lacatusu in Bucharest has created these totally realistic 3D illustrations of the top social media brands. The details are really pretty impressive.
Movies to Watch — Black Panther — Get $5 Off Your First Ticket
Disclosure: I am a product designer at Atom, so I am a bit biased, but the offer is available for anyone to use when they sign up for an Atom account.
A new series on the blog here is to feature movies that I am excited to see and share. This upcoming addition to the Marvel Universe is highly anticipated (the reports have it selling more pre-sale tickets than any other in the franchise.
I already got my tickets for Black Panther, which opens February 16. I have an offer to get $5 off for your first ticket when you join Atom Tickets (use the promo code SQUAD).
Charming Stop-Motion Fishing Trip Created on a Desk by Guldies
Guldies on his youtube channel shares his animations, and this recent stop-motion short titled Going Fishing is too good not to share. 2,500 photographs shot with a Canon EOS 600D entirely on his bedroom desk make up this charming and clever movie.
Colorful Parrot Plumage from Fashion Photographer Solve Sundsbo
Known more for his fashion photography than his nature photography, Swedish photog Solve Sundsbo has this bright collect of colorful parrot feathers.
Amazing Cooking Cutaway Photos
In the stylish Modernist Cuisine: The Art and Science of Cooking author Nathan Myhrvold collaborated with photographer Ryan Matthew Smith to create these amazing and gorgeous cutaway photos of the cooking process.
See also Cut Food »
Plant Guns & Ordinance
Artist Sonia Rentsch created this series, Harm Less, composing guns and ammo out of plant material.
Abandoned Olympic Venues from Around the World
I've often wondered what happens after the Olympics. I would love to find a comprehensive archive of Olympic venues...
Wooden Map of Super Mario World’s Dinosaur Land
Alex Griendling designed and illustrated this map of Super Mario World’s Dinosaur Land In collaboration with Neutral Ground which were then laser engraved onto 14″ x 18″ pieces of hand-selected wood.
Snowflakes: Clear and Up Close
Don Komarechka, an Ontario, Canada-based photographer:
"The process is unlike most other photographers who shoot snowflakes, and allows me to play with prismatic color and surface reflections to a much greater degree."
He take multiple images he's shot of the snowflakes (against a plain black mitten his grandmother gave him) at different focus distances and merges them together.
Universal Unbranding - Making the Logos We Know and Love Speak the Truth
Universal Unbranding is a project by maentis to bring wit, point of view and accuracy to some of our most recognizable corporate logos.
Macro Insects by Photographer Nicolas Reusens
Photographer Nicolas Reusens uses a technique known as focus stacking — combining several images taken at different depths of field. These photos are from Costa Rica, Malaysia, South Africa, Peru, Ecuador, Mexico and more.
Long Exposure Photos of Fireworks Strapped onto a Drone
It sounds like something from a meme generator, but photographer Calder Wilson was recently experimenting with fireworks hooked to a drone that he flew around while capturing it in long exposure.
Toys in X-ray Photos
We've seen photographer Brendan Fitzpatrick create stunning floral X-rays (here) and here are a series of toys in his Invisible Lightseries (Behance).
Gift Guide — Books for the Designer in Your Life
Often I get asked a lot of times about which books I'd recommend for the designers in their lives. Here is a short list.
Books — The Field Study Handbook by Jan Chipchase
The Field Study Handbook is from Jan Chipchase, founder, Studio D Radiodurans, writing at the intersection of design, tech, human behaviour & culture.
From the emergence of ad hoc mobile payments in Africa, to the torrent of technology changes rippling across the globe, our understanding of the behaviors come largely through the disciplined and attentive field research. Here is the preeminent text on doing it well.
Splash Heroes: Super Hero Milk Portraits byJaroslav Wieczorkiewicz
London-based photographer Jaroslav Wieczorkiewicz creates these striking superhero women portraits with milk and food coloring, layering up to 200 photos of the same model with different milk splashes to create the final images.
Transient — Gorgeous Storm Chasing 4k Video from Dustin Farrell
Director of Photography Dustin Farrell (http://dfvc.com) created this compilation of the best of his storm chasing video from the summer of 2017.
And it is achingly gorgeous....
"Lightning is like a snowflake. Every bolt is different. I learned that lightning varies greatly in speed. There are some incredible looking bolts that I captured that didn't make the cut because even at 1000fps they only lasted for one frame during playback. I also captured some lightning that appear computer generated it lasted so long on the screen."