: Lykke Li: I Follow Rivers

: cosmic top

If you see me some time soon and I have my iPad on me, please ask me to show you this app. You just have to see it in person.

Warning. This app is totally useless, and really more of a time-out for-the-brain kinda thing. It doesn't organize anything for you, or remind you of appointments, or even locate a something on a map. Its just mesmerizing. You can literally alter space, time, gravity, and sound with this thing. 

There are a series of celestial-like 3d shapes that can be spun like an old fashioned top. You can change parameters such as the sound, effects of gravity, speed, and view by zooming in or out. Like I said, it doesn't really do anything else for you. Its just fun, and who cant use a little bit of that?

Below are a couple of stills(screen grabs) from the app. Unfortunately I cant capture the movement and sound which is the best part of this. You can see some of that in the video here, or just below the images. Visit the Cool Bear Studio site to learn more.

: rio

Fantastic video describing the new logotype created for the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. They claim you see something new every time you look at it. I think they may be right. The video shows what some of those things are. 

Head over to Under Consideration to see more about the launch of the new logo this past New Years Eve on Copacabana Beach.

: flickrdesign

I love Flickr for inspiration, comp imagery purposes, and just for general entertainment. I will often just do a search on a subject or place that I am currently interested in just to see what comes up. I call this kind of activity "Search as Entertainment".

I have never used it as a resource for looking at design though. I imagine there is quite a wealth of it on there but have not searched it out. Luckily as in most seemingly unmet need on the web, someone is already on the case. Check out flickrdesign. "At flickrdesign.com we pride ourselves in featuring the best graphic design uploaded to flickr.com. Everyday we search for new and impressive designs featuring beautiful colors, typography, concepts, style, and layout." Enjoy.

: dark side of the lens

DARK SIDE OF THE LENS from Astray Films on Vimeo.

: wrangler

Here comes one of those "when I was a kid" moments. Happens more and more these days. I wonder what that means. I suppose I already know the answer.

Wranglers were not cool. They were just a step above Toughskins. Not so for today's European Wrangler brand presence.

: crate and barrel

I like Crate and Barrel a lot as a brand and for their products. Everything is usually simple, clean, useful, and pragmatic. It seems to me a very American aesthetic and makes me think of a sort of modern day Shaker design.

Its interesting then that they have taken this to a new level as part of their site interface design. Seems as though someone finally got sick of the pull-down navigation device. Instead, they reveal the entire available menu in a simple column structure as you make your selections. An obvious solution perhaps, but still surprising. Perhaps its a new trend, or maybe it is a convention that fits perfectly with the brand's easy no nonsense approach. Either way, its good to keep in mind for trend spotting.

: lesson 2

You can learn from a dog that the breeze has a sweet smell.

: lesson 1

A swim in the ocean always super-charges your attitude.

: dribble

Dribble is a content sharing community for designers. The visualization in the second screen-shot below explains how it works. There is a lot of lingo associated with it such as "all stars", "shots", and "rebounds". Basically though, its a sharing platform for creatives, designers, and developers where you can essentially get your worked critiqued. Oh, and did I mention it is invite only. Yet another one of these I need an invite for. Anyone out there have an extra?