Graphic designers were asked – please recommend a book that you have found particularly inspiring or meaningful to your development as a creative person? This is their book list for inspiration.
Telescopic text is very clever and a great piece of writing to boot. Just click away!
Every day Jason posts a photograph of something that made him happy. He calls this the Daily Nice.
A ‘Gift Guide’ Guide from The Moment. Neatly encapsulating the best of the web’s present suggestions.
Do it yourself with Ksubi and Teen Vogue – painted jeans. There’s also a few other handy D.I.Y. fashion instructions from designers.
Japanese street style is my favourite! It all started with FRUiTS in 1997 and I am glad to see how the effort of recording fashion in Tokyo has been maintained in a digital form. Check out DropSnap, Style Arena. I have been a fiend for these sites lately as I look for inspiration in clothing textures and kooky hair cuts. Sanna’s (on-hiatus) Vagabond Looks is excellent too!
Oh dear. Technical issues are abounding here at the Code For Something fort – resulting in many lost months worth of your lovely comments. Just how many there were surprised me… So while we don’t celebrate Thanksgiving in New Zealand, I think this is an appropriate time to get on board with gratitude.
Thank you for reading, and all the delightful feedback. Honestly, it’s really made my year!
And as I’d like to give back in turn to you, if there’s anything you’d like to read/see more of, please send me an email- amber@codeforsomething.com – I would absolutely love to hear from you ❤
The AIGA GAIN conference was recently held in New York, focusing on design in business. Malcolm Gladwell was one of the speakers there, discussing the development of creativity and the manifestation of genius:
“Genius and creativity don’t necessarily spring forth unbidden… they require time and support to experiment, to try and even fail.”
Luckily for us who didn’t make it there – despite my best efforts – a video of his talk and a transcript has been made available online (no embedding sorry). Watch it. It only takes half an hour but it is so inspiring. He’s also a very funny and engaging speaker, so the minutes will fly by. Ahh it totally encourages me to get up off my ass and create, create, create all day. I hope you feel like that too after listening!
Is there any finer instrument? Ever since seeing Shy Child (and an ambitious keytar thrashing above the head) I have been thinking about these synthy 80’s beasts.
“The keytar was developed by Anthony Masakowski and commercially introduced in 1980 as the Moog Liberation. Early users included Spyro Gyra keyboardist Tom Schuman and the band Devo. The word “keytar” is a portmanteau of “keyboard” and “guitar”...The keytar was made popular in the 1980s by glam metal bands, as well as synthpop and New Wave groups. Changing trends in music diminished the keytar’s popularity shortly thereafter.”
There is nothing better than sitting around watching roaring flames or glowing embers… it’s an event for all seasons too! On the beach, or in a cabin or even at home. If you have a little outdoor area, it’s not too much effort to procure a little brazier for some good quality fire time. My fire lighting technique involves crumpling up newspaper, creating a teepee of kindling with larger bits of wood lying on the base to push in – similar to this gorgeous photo:
Whether you are camping or snuggling beside a hearth, you might need a couple of accessories to perfect the experience. These hip-flasks from I Don’t Like Mondays would look adorable by your side. If you’re going to do it (my sneaky wee it being vodka or pink lemonade), you may as well do it in style.
5 other essentials you need to make your fireside moment magical…
Blankets, preferably plaid. Marshmallows for roasting and toasting – I set mine on fire till they are almost destroyed. A cute little beanie or cap for your head. A guitar for making music and singing along to. A camera for savouring the moment – I love taking long exposures of flames and sparks. Snap, crackle, pop!
Late spring. Standing in the dappled light of my front porch. Or, of my verandah as we say around here. The differences in language use between various English-speaking nations really become apparent when you start putting things out on the Internet for consumption, as opposed to just observing.
It’s a wonderful thing though, especially as a writer, you get to tap into a vocabulary well deeper than you ever imagined. A few examples of the variations I love are:
But most of all… I love fringe – bangs – iron curtain of hair! This is what started all my musing – isn’t it funny how the two words are completely unrelated? From what I understand fringe was the original term, then bangs developed colloquially, from a use of the adverb bang – meaning abruptly. It obviously stuck. Anyway, here is my new fringe in action:
+ Tempt blue dress
+ Levi black jeans
+ Silver canvas plimsolls (shock, from the Warehouse)
There seems to be about 20 different shade of pink & purple in my hair. If I was to step into full sunlight you’d see a halo of magenta around my crown. Anyway, bangs are fun – it’s amazing how different they can make you look.
Rather a lot of thinking and commentary for an outfit that ended up being very pared back. I guess I’m just fascinated by language and culture. How about yourself - are you a fringe or bangs kind of cat?
I never used to be enamoured with sneakers… Shoes, yes, always! However I always thought sneakers were going to look ridiculous on my giant feet. Until I started working at a design agency, with a fair number of shoe addicts. Often, before they even say good morning, your daily footwear has been inspected – I kid you not. It’s all about who has the coolest kicks. There always seems to be an obsessive craze going on too – this month it is cheap canvas plimsolls. Heh, I have them, everyone else is hunting for them!
Anyway, with all this sneaker madness, my interest was piqued and given a little time I am now really excited about kicks. I have been on the look out for a new pair and my first, second and third thought was – COLOUR!
I like these watermelon, enamel blue and shadow purple runners by Onitsuka Tiger. Saiko Runners, inspired by the retina burning 70’s. According to the Tiger site, “Saiko” means ultimate in Japanese and sounds like ‘psycho’ in English ❤ I love clever names.
These beautiful lavender beasties are a collaboration between Converse and Danish brand Wood Wood (who have also worked on Nikes). Luxe suede meets high attention to detail such as the red eyelet and star perforations. In AKL Area 51 sell them for around NZD$200 – tempting!
Puma Booties in black, white gardenia and strawberry ice – the most amazing colour names ever, non? These shoes are beautiful in person – look carefully and you can see the metallic mesh detailing. I also adore the strap to bind fast against your ankles. Formally named The Key WN’s, they are inspired by a traditional b-ball shape.
The pumas may be close to perfect but I am still on the hunt for some good ‘bee’ like sneakers, thick splashes of yellow and black. I have been perusing a few sites, but the perfect pair haven’t popped up yet. In the world of sneakers though, new designs seem to crop up every day. To garner obsessive level intelligence and observe macro sole analysis, head to:
I am having my hair cut tonight at my beloved Blaze, and sought inspiration. I found it in the gorgeous Jean Seberg, who has rocking the blond pixie crop long before any “name” models. Casually cool, tousle and go… Sigh, unfortunately this will not work for me, now or in the future, much to my dismay. I think I will leave it up to the hairdressing gods!
What’s your dream haircut, attainable or otherwise?
Ruby Republic makes clothes for the lazy gal. By lazy, I mean those girls who want to look casually fabulous by throwing on a t-shirt and a pair of jeans.
I like these ridiculously buttery looking tees with pretty prints. It’s a direct route to simple chic, just like this:
Check out their cute itty bitty news feed too – there are some gorgeously soft pictures tucked away in there.
A simple musing, but why aren’t there more yellow houses? Sunny, cute adobes that smile out of grey streets. I’m dreaming of egg yolk weatherboards with robin blue trims. Apartment blocks that look like giant cadmium yellow liquorice all-sorts. Mini limoncello cottages…
Perhaps I need to journey to San Fransisco or perhaps Arles, as per Vincent’s suggestion… for that’s what paintings are, mostly provocations to go seek something for yourself.
“Street with a View” is an incredibly neat art project conducted merrily down a one way lane, in conjunction with Google Street View. Artists Robin Hewlett and Ben Kinsley, along with their friends and community, staged a series of action packed scenes, which in turn was captured with 360-degree photographs of the street. The results then became part of the navigable Street Maps.
Watch this video all about the project and process:
And check out this map for the street view of Sampsonia Way, Pittsburgh. Keep an eye out for the marching band (seen above), sword fights, love lasers, joggers and knotted sheet escapees. You could call it the ultimate ‘Easter egg’!
The whole project totally gets me thinking – how else can we use technology and art for the good of our community, and for the joy of people discovering our community?
Elektrobank, directed by Spike Jonze and starring one Sofia Coppola. I have been scouring the internet for the last few days looking for the Miss Dior Cherie clip but alas, nothing yet. Dear Internet Goddesses, please provide!
However, I did stumble upon the iheartsofia youtube channel which made me feel loads better, and amongst the champagne ads and dreamy trailers was this gymnastics themed video:
Sigh. Sofia is my number one crush and inspiration. Is there anything she can’t do?
It was my birthday a week ago… 23! On one hand I feel like I’m getting rather old, on the other I feel like a tiny lamb ready to take on the world. To celebrate I had a party with (most of) my favourite people and watched New Zealand’s election while eating politically themed cupcakes. I was lucky enough to receive a few things too:
An amazing summer scarf…
A beautiful style book, Fashion Now 2 – the ID guide to designers…
"Fashion, which is drowned in rules, could have a revolutionary ambition"
Original 1980’s brake levers for my sassy orange and pink steed…
As well as a book on fixed gear bikes… How wonderful is this illustration?
Cupcake lip gloss and sparkly A…
Also some other things like a bed spread from my parents and a new cellphone from my boyfriend. My trusty donut phone (named for the Mind Wave donut stickers plastered on it) died a painful and drawn out death.
I’m a such a lucky girl – I am thrilled with any sort of birthday thought. If it’s been your birthday recently or you have one coming up I wish you all the very best! Let’s bring on the next 12 months!
Photographer Gemma Booth has enchanted me with her fashion fantasies. Great clothes and dreamily lit scenes featuring girls you would want to be friends with. She also has a fine selection of documentary shots.
Trick Or Treat
Trick or Treat
Park Life
Park Life
The Family Circus
Gemma has a blog you can peep at, updated with visual tidbits and inspirations – I hope she updates again soon!
