May 12th, 2012 §
On a secluded African island, you’re finishing dinner in your private cottage when there’s a knock at the door. Villagers from the local church choir have arrived ready to perform a song and dance ritual just for you. That’s the kind of above-and-beyond room service to expect at Tanzania’s Lupita Island retreat.
These days, attracting travelers takes more than just good service—it takes oodles of creativity. Hotels are one-upping each other with the most unexpected of amenities, large and small, serious and silly. From in-room art lessons to personal Book Butlers to homemade ice cream for your pooch, we’ve uncovered the world’s over-the-top room service offerings, whatever your idea of pampering or price range.
Read my full TRAVEL + LEISURE ARTICLE.
Courtesy Enchantment Resort
November 26th, 2011 Comments Off
In the November 2011 issue of Design Bureau Magazine, I continue my 5 Designers/ 5 Questions column. Dishing with some of the industry’s coolest restaurant designers, I interview Christian Helms, Karen Herold, AvroKO, and Cass Calder Smith to see what’s cookin’ in their wildly creative minds. Expect hard-hitting journalistic questions like, “Avocado, artichoke, carrot – which would you rather have as your design sidekick?”
Check out the full article below (click pic to enlarge):
August 23rd, 2011 §
Album art and CD packaging may be a dying breed (thanks to the rise of MP3s), but awesome music-inspired design projects are coming through the speakers loud and clear. In the September 2011 creativity column for HOW Magazine, I speak with some insanely talented folks who are finding ever more creative ways to infiltrate their love for sound into the mix. From ultra-inspired posters and self-promo pieces to interactive paper invites and videos, we’ve tapped some killer creatives to share how music has helped make their designs sing.
Read my full article on HOW Magazine. And check out Kelli Anderson’s paper record player invite below:
August 12th, 2011 Comments Off
The Spanish graphic designer Joan Pons Moll is creating a new typeface, but unlike most typographers, he’s doing so with his feet rather than a computer, and he’s slightly out of breath. Taking sneakers to pavement, Pons is planning to run the entire alphabet — both upper- and lower-case letters — in his inventive endeavor, Running Alphabet.
Read my full article on T: New York Times Style Magazine.
Image Courtesy Running Alphabet / Joan Pons
May 22nd, 2011 Comments Off
The architects at Supermachine, a small, inventive Thai firm, sometimes refer to themselves as “guerrilla architects.” Says principal Pitupong “Jack” Chaowakul, “We love to play around, finding new ideas that suit our projects and testing stuff out.” They also love colour. When the Thai government established the Bangkok University Creative Center, to promote a shift from an agricultural and industrial society toward a creative economy bolstered by animation, design, fashion and information technology, the school called on Supermachine to conceive its interiors. The firm delivered in flying colours.
Check out a preview of my article in the Canadian design publication AZURE MAGAZINE (and check out the full print version below!)
April 10th, 2011 Comments Off
Downing tequlia shots, ogling over Mila Kunis, and wanting to be the next Mark Zukerberg – just a few of the things on the mind of a twenty-something guy. But the bygone days of the industrial revolution? Probably not on his top-ten list. Yet, for twenty-somethings Paul Wilkes and Scott Hill, the über talented founders of Oklahoma City-based design firm Foundry Collective, both their philosophy and design style are uniquely rooted in the memory of their forefathers – Midwest hardworking Americans who earned their keep toiling in oil fields, farms, and factories during the industrial revolution.
Read my full article on HOW MAGAZINE.
Image Courtesy FOUNDRY COLLECTIVE
Image Courtesy FOUNDRY COLLECTIVE
July 16th, 2010 §
Look in the mirror and say hello to the nightmare of all clients—Yourself. Why is it so hard for graphic designers to design for ourselves? In my latest article for HOW Magazine, I offer tips for taming the fire-breathing client within yourself while working on your brand’s website and other promotional materials. Read the full article HERE.
