Data is the new s(oil)

Wonderful talk by David McCandless about new ways of visually interpreting data. Great graphics, but more interesting is his passionate take on how we can view and process data in context and more easily.
For more info on McCandless see here.
If you haven't already, check out TED talks here. Lots of great ideas, presenters and mind blowing observations!

Pony Up - One, One and Two.

The Ponies zine returns, at last, in a new format and with a new name: Loose Leaf.
It's due out in September, first issue free. If you like it you can subscribe for twenty bucks and have it deleivered right to your mail box. Awesomeness. You'll need to email the industrious K to send your own submissions and to subscribe.
So, to submit! After getting the wonderful Juliette on board we decided to contribute a quick game (our take anyway) of exquisite corpse that we'll complete before the submission due date, swapping our working file three times each before finalising. A5, black and white. No theme (eek!).
The idea is to spend minimal time and have fun, of course!
Here's my and Jule's first marks and my second. I've just bought a lovely 'typographic workhorse' from House Industries – the font family Eames Century Modern, so thought it would be a good excuse to start playing with it.
I'll post the rest up as we go. I'd love to hear what anyone else is doing.

First Five Out - AGDA Event

Come by The Oxford, Leederville, tomorrow night to see some awesome local designers who've been in the industry for five years or less... 'though I should issue a disclaimer here! I will be joining Rochelle Smith,  Scott Cain, Gene Eaton and Russ Goodman as the fifth presenter. Sorry - I did try to find an alternative!
Here's the spin...
Five designers, each having graduated in the past five years from their design course, have been invited to come and speak about their experiences thus far – people who started in design and who are now working in the industry, or outside the industry in other creative fields. How has having a base in design influenced and led each presenter to where they're at now? Especially regarding entering the design industry in Perth, their motivations and their tips to new graduates.
Come and join us!

Better late than never!

This year looks exciting, especially with a bit of traveling thrown in. I'm in a funny spot right now - heading off to Japan for a month next week so not really wanting to start too many new projects right now. I feel a bit in limbo! I can't wait to be in the snow, and I can't wait to be back in the studio to get my teeth into some new work!
This year I'm hoping to get a few 'extra-curricular' projects completed under the name of Studio Stroke, including a few collaborative efforts with fellow designers and other creative types. Want to join in? Drop me a line.
Planning on uploading a few pics of design in process - documenting the stages of a few recent projects. It's the kind of stuff I like checking out when I look at the work of others... the image above is from a series of wedding stationery I'm working on.

Melbourne Type

Spent the weekend and a bit in Melbourne, assisting with the assessment of ISTD submissions from students throughout Australasia. I slept in the swag on my wonderful friend Juliette's floor and took the opportunity to do something for every waking moment! I had a great time.
The ISTD assessment involved five professional designers being paired with 5 design educators, in turn moderated by Becky Chilcott (of Chil3) and the Chair of the ISTD, Freda Sack (of The Foundry). Besides seeing some lovely student work, we got to meet a few of our design 'heroes'!
When we weren't ISTD-ing Juliette and I were hitting the vintage markets, eating out a lot, drinking at roof top bars and generally having a ball. What fun.
So now... I'm all fired up for the new year. I want to go back to study and attend Massey, in Wellington. I want to visit Melbourne  more regularly... and I am back to missing Juliette - she rocks.

Mixtape Love

I've been accused a not being very romantic, so I'm making an effort. My first attempt is making a mixtape for my other half. I'm trying to choose songs that have a bit of meaning to us, or are appropriate to being on a 'love' mixtape kind of thing. Some I've got in mind are a bit of a laugh but that's ok! It's hard excluding songs that you like but don't fit the criteria!
I'd love to hear any suggestions.
So far my list includes...
• Gotye: Hearts A Mess
• Angus & Julia Stone: Paper Aeroplane
• Jose Gonzales: Heartbeats
• Tea Party: Winter Solstice
• Sarah Blasko: Flame Trees
• MGF: My Ex-girlfriend's Boyfriend
• Hilltop Hoods: Chase That Feeling
• Feist: Brandy Alexander
• Faithless: Don't Leave; We Come One
• Cat Empire: Protons, Neutrons, Electrons; Two Shoes
• Bran Van 3000: Willard
• Ben Lee: Gamble Everything for Love
• Biftek: We Think You're Dishy
• Architecture in Helsinki: Heart It Races
• Johnny Cash: Jackson (ok, so not so romantic but we love it!); If I Were A Carpenter
• Jeff Buckley: Satisfied Mind
• Alex Lloyd: Amazing (...)
• FOTC: Business Time

Little Lauren's Kite Party

It was Little Lauren's 8th birthday yesterday so her mum and dad organised a kite for each girl to decorate then we all went down to the foreshore to fly them - fantastic idea! They had a ball, and they made some fantastic kites with killer graphics, even some lettering. Ahhh!