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Japan, I Love You
July 19th, 2008
Last night my friend Taylor had me listen to Yellow Magic Orchestra, a Japanese band from the late 70s, early 80s. I really can’t explain how excellent they are, except to say that they may be the Japanese DEVO (although, slightly subdued). Check this video:
Yellow Magic Orchestra - Rydeen
After exhausting all of their videos on youtube, I ran into this band. A more modern, pop version of YMO, Polysics. Self described as “technicolor pogo punk”. There are no words, just watch.
Polysics - I My Me Mine
Polysics - Black Out Fall Out
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Scrapbook #1
July 18th, 2008
I’m going to start posting some of my favorite designers and designs in a series called “Scrapbook”. This post we’ll be looking at the work of two of my friends from Spokane. Karli Fairbanks and Nick Tibbetts.
Karli Fairbanks
Karli and I met in the graphic design program at Spokane Falls CC. She has a really beautiful hand-crafted look to her work. I particularly like her hand lettered type. Always unique and appropriate for the design. Many more pieces on her website and flickr.
Nick Tibbetts
I met Nick through Karli and we instantly hit it off. He and I share a love for flat-colors whether it be for screen printing or poster art. This is one of my absolute favorite illustrations. I don’t think I’ll ever get over it. Nick’s myspace has more of his work. TeeVee is the former name of Nick’s band, now called Oil of Angels .
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The Architecture of Happiness
July 17th, 2008
I was revisiting this excellent introduction to architecture today to compare it with F.L. Wright’s essays . One of my favorite things about architecture is how it marries mathematics and logic with art and humanity. But it wasn’t always this way. Botton writes:
“The principles of engineering may have brutally contradicted those of architecture, but a vocal minority of nineteenth-century architects nevertheless perceived that the engineers were capable of providing them with a critical key to their salvation — for what these men had, and they so sorely lacked, was certainty. The engineers had landed on an apparently impregnable method of evaluating the wisdom of a design: they felt confidently able to declare that a structure was correct and honest in so far as it performed its mechanical functions efficiently; and false and immoral in so far as it was burdened with non-supporting pillars, decorative statues, frescos or carvings.”
-Alain de Botton, The Architecture of Happiness
This idea of simplification by reducing beauty and utility into the same structures is fascinating to me. In my last post I quoted Wright speaking about “useful things” and I think this is what he was talking about.
I often times find myself considering the similarities between architecture and web design. Both mediums are interactive, permeable, and require the marriage of style and function. I wonder who I am, the architect or the engineer? The graphic artist or the developer? Great designers are both.
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Frank Lloyd Wright - On Architecture
July 15th, 2008
Yesterday I picked up this book at a used book store downtown. I’ve never read Wright before so when I saw this beautiful cover looking out at me I knew that I needed to. It’s a chronological selection of his writing broken up into several sections with regards to his changing environment, philosophy, and style. So far I’ve only read his earliest works from his early 20s to early 30s, around the turn of the century.
Nearly every paragraph is quotable. Wright’s pen spews forth insight even when the subject may not be exclusively architectural in nature. Take this for example:
“Useful Things. Avoid all things which have no real use or meaning, and make those which have especially significant, for there is no one part of your building that may not be made a thing of beauty in itself as related to the whole.”
and this:
“Decoration. Decoration can tell your friends lots of things that you do not know and would not like if you did. It is of no use to you unless you do understand and appreciate it. It would not be sufficient justification for you to have it just because it looks rich or because somebody else had it.”
-Frank Lloyd Wright, Architecture and the Machine 1894
Incedently, my great great grandfather William Gates lived in Chicago and became good friends with Wright and even commissioned him to create original pottery for his Terra Cotta Company better known as TECO . I haven’t had a chance to visit Chicago yet, but my sister has recently relocated there so I am planning to go.
I hope this can be an ongoing theme of discussion here as I continue to learn about architecture and share my findings. Please feel free to send in related information.
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The Ghost and the Grace
July 14th, 2008
I’ve been doing web design for my friend Daniel Anderson for a while now. Daniel is half of the duo Idiot Pilot , and with his help I was lucky enough to be able to design their website. His newest project, The Ghost and the Grace , is quite a departure from Idiot Pilot, but nonetheless reflects Daniel’s intense knowledge of music.
I designed the site pictured above and the album art for his 4 upcoming EPs below. There’s a mash-up that Dan recently posted on his excellent blog at the very bottom.
You need the Adobe Flash Player to hear this.It Takes Time to Videotape (Daniel Anderson Mix)
Almost forgot. Dan and my friend David Drori and I also made a promotional video for The Ghost and the Grace. Here it is:
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The Myriad - With Arrows, With Poise
July 13th, 2008
My brother-in-law is the bass player for The Myriad . They’ve had some success recently, but I’ll leave that story for another day (or to their myspace). What I’d really like to talk about is the design for their new album art. It was illustrated / designed by artist Dave Gorum who has an excellent portfolio that I would highly recommend checking out. The image above is the final album art and the image below is an early draft. I really love the final product but I’m left wanting that beautiful rock texture from the earlier version. It brings to mind the underground dungeons filled with monsters from the Zelda franchise. The orbiting moons are a stroke of genius as they subtley suggest that this mythology is taking place on a very distant world.
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When We Reach the Stars
July 7th, 2008
Alright here it is: my first single! I’ve been messing around with Logic and a keyboard for the last few months and put together this song. It’s available for download in a zip complete with high-res album art. The song is posted below. I’d love to hear some feedback from everyone, because I would really like to improve my musical skills.
You need the Adobe Flash Player to hear this. -
4th of July: big explosions
July 5th, 2008
The 4th was great. I’d like to thank my good friend Daniel Anderson for hosting one of the best 4th parties I’ve been to in a very long time. Why was it so great, you ask? Well, explosions of course!
Great day, great food, great friends, great fun. More photos on flickr .
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About
My name is Karl Peterson and I'm a designer living in Bellingham, WA. This is my life.
You can reach me at kbpeterson(at)gmail.com
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