Designed by Joao Ricardo Machado | Country: Portugal
“This is a project for a ice cream identity and package family for kids. It was a final college project created for the Graphic Design Project class in the College of Arts and Design Caldas da Rainha (ESAD.CR), Portugal. The faces and expressions interact with the kids by showing how fun and delicious it is to eat ice cream and turn the package into a collectible and reusable fun object for kids. Particularly, I always feel like laughing when i look at theses happy faces.”
Designed by Jess McGeachin | Country: Australia
“Westmalle Tripel is a Belgium beer brewed by monks of the Westmalle Abbey. It is sold as a not-for-profit product with all surplus donated to charity.
My concept behind this packaging was very much driven by religious imagery, inspired by the Abbey that the beer is made in. The iconic arch of a stained-glass window is reflected in the typography, bottle and carry pack of the product. The packaging is designed to allow light through to further emphasize the intended aesthetic.”
When I first came across a couple of images of these works, I thought they were real city captures using a tilt-shift filter. Little did I know that these are, in fact, fairly normal photographs of paper cities, meticulously crafted by New York-based artist Yumiko Matsui. The skillful artist, who hails from Osaka, Japan, uses her native land as inspiration for her miniature world, mimicking the busy shopping centers, traditional streets, and illuminated riverside.
The city models may technically be “miniature” but there is a lot going on in each piece. I think the precision and detail is what initially threw me off into believing it was a real city that had an illusionary toy-like aesthetic. From the vehicles and locomotive chugging across the cityscape to the food stands and traffic lights lining the streets, there is an unbelievably precise execution to each scene. The characteristics of each display shines brightly. Matsui says of her work: “If you had ever been to any of the cities I have created in miniature, you might actually feel sentimental! If you have never been to these cities, I want to give you a preparatory experience!”
Matsui’s original direction in art was abstract and surreal illustration, where she says she had a tendency to focus on “the line between light and dark, black and white, good and evil…etc.” but has since changed her course of artistic attention. Upon moving to New York City, there was a longing for home that swelled within her and, thus, came her paper dioramas of her hometown of Osaka. The artist’s sculptural paper works, though intricately detailed, are simple in their construction, requiring a modest set of materials—colored paper and glue.
Mark Jenkins doesn’t like to conform. In fact, he goes one step further by altering his surrounding landscape with clever and witty installations that would make anyone do a double-take. We’ve covered his street art a few times before, so today we’re featuring a collection of his shockingly awesome indoor sculptures, some of which are guaranteed to make you laugh and maybe even squirm.
“There is opposition, and risk, but I think that just shows that street art is the sort of frontier where the leading edge really does have to chew through the ice,” says Jenkins. “And it’s good for people to remember public space is a battleground, with the government, advertisers and artists all mixing and mashing, and even now the strange cross-pollination taking place as street artists sometimes become brands, and brands camouflaging as street art creating complex hybrids or impersonators. I think it’s understanding the strangeness of the playing field where you’ll realize that painting street artists, writers, as the bad guys is a shallow view.”
San Francisco has some of the most distinct homes that you might encounter in California, but this 1,750 square foot home on a corner in Bernal Heights is definitely a sight to see.
The great thing about this project is that even with the historical architecture that is so prominent in this Northern California city, there are codes to abide by when building a new structure– including things like “bay windows, notched side yards and inset entries to create movement and shadow along the streetscape.”
When you’re worried about the shadows the buildings are going to create, there’s got to be a little bit of pressure to live up to. This project did just that all the while keeping Green elements in mind while creating beautiful focal points with the stair case and cantilevered roof.
Not to leave out the strong design elements such as the wood cladded ceilings, clean lines and curious attention to detail; this home is a spectacular piece of art nestled in the design heavy city of San Francisco. The project was designed by the team at SB Architects.
