Inception: It's a must see movie!

Last weekend my husband and I went to a matinee to escape the 100+ degree temperatures. Which movie did we choose? Inception - directed by Christopher Nolan, starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Joseph Gordon-Levitt.

This was one of the BEST movies I have seen in months (maybe even years). Everything came together perfectly, as a result, the audience was entertained throughout the whole movie. The cast did an exceptional job, the direction was awesome, and the creative storyline blew my mind. My husband and I discussed the plot on the car ride home, and then later with friends over dinner, and I'm still thinking about the ending. I would highly recommend seeing it!

On a different note, the publicity for the movie was equally as impressive. Just check out these cool New York City billboards:

Cool Music-Making Flash Websites

Check out these fun flash websites when you have some time to kill...don't worry, they are worth the loading time!

Make you own beat box group! (this one is really addicting, in English or French)

Check it out!!

I just LOVE this concept! You can use a live feed of people walking around Hamburg to create your own symphony orchestra! Just assign instruments to pieces of sidewalk, street or river, and when a person or vehicle touches them you instrument gets played. It was a little jumpy on my computer, but I didn't mind because it is such a cool idea.

Check it out!!

I just couldn't take my eyes off of this one. The animation is amazing...the butterfly and "square with frog legs" thing look like they are going to fly/jump right off of the computer screen. The drum beats are cool too.

Check it out!!

Google Pac Man!

I just went to Google to search for a shuttle to LAX (yes, I have moved to the west coast!!! More on that in a later post...) and I was pleasantly surprised, their logo has been transformed into a playable Pac Man game! I played it for a little while and completely lost all motivation for what I was trying to get accomplished this morning...haha. Google should definitely make more interactive logos! :D

Click here to learn more.

HH Graphic Design at Target

A little while ago, another designer commented on one of my design comparison posts saying something like "I've never seen those logos, why don't you comment on designs that we see around?". I wrote this post is in response to that comment.

I decided to take my digital camera and my discerning eye to the local Target to see what kind of great (and greatly disturbing) designs I could find...here's what I came up with...enjoy! Oh, and don't forget to leave a comment to tell me if you agree/disagree.

COSMETICS

I really like this packaging...it's says "Pow! Buy this mascara!!!"

This is just...plain...boring...

Sorry the pic is a little burry...but I like this packaging, especially the color scheme and the border. The logo is really cute too!

Ugly, ugly, UGLY!! The grey and light pink are extremely washed out, and they look terrible together. What is with the crackled background? It makes me think of wrinkles...I guess they were trying to echo the shapes of the surface of the product...lame.

HOUSEWARES

I absolutely LOVE everything about this packaging! It has a cool, simplistic design, and I like the bright green and grey color choices. The logo is also very cool, I like the interlocking "u" and "m".

This is sooooo bad compared to the previous one. What is with the line at the bottom of the "t"?? It looks like they were trying to make an interesting logo, but only spent 5 seconds designing it. I can't believe this got approved and produced.

I am a big fan of Method products. My eye is always drawn to their line because it looks so classy compared to other cleaning products on the same shelf.

See what I mean? Cheap and cheesy looking. :(

GROCERY

Beautiful design...everything goes together and flows very nicely.

Weird packaging...I don't like the colorful fruit placed with the stark black and white photo.

CHILDREN'S TOYS

Crayola has had the same packaging since I was a kid. When it is mixed with a TV character that kids love, you get a winning combination, and kids will want it.

Just a mis-mash of colors, gradients, and fonts...too much is going on here.

TECHNOLOGY

Lexar uses color and gradients in a smart and inviting way. I also like the drawings on the front of the packaging that help guide technology inexperienced people.

Come on Motorola...This is boring! It's simple, but not in a eye-catching way. Also, the blue they chose bothers me for some reason...

Well, there you have it, my collection of good/bad design strait form the shelves of Target. What do you think? Do you agree with my assessment? Let me know!! :)

Fascination with Jumping off of Buildings?

I know that the economy is bad right now...but jumping off of a building is NOT the answer!

No, don't jump! Wait, is that...Mr. Gormley?

This above image is a piece by artist Antony Gormley (check out his website, he has some really interesting things!). He set up life-size figures on top of New York buildings in order to inspire people to think about their surroundings. Oh, did I mention the figures are molds of himself? Read more about it here.

I like this ad...it is simple, but creative. As someone who is searching for a job in this economy I definitely get it. Good job Career Builder!

Copy Cat

Although the packaging for Red Jak looks great (a few of my twitter friends were singing, I mean tweeting its praises)...I just can't get over the fact that they pretty much ripped off the colors/ideas of one of the most well known drink brands...Coke.

The reds of the two brands are slightly different (probably because Coke has trademarked their shade of red) but the overall color schemes are the same. If you took away the vertical red strip, the "low carb" version of Red Jak has almost the same packaging as Diet Coke, even similar flourishes (though Diet Coke uses them more subtlety).

This is iconic packaging.

So, Red Jak, even though I understand where you got your motivation, I wish it wasn't so close to the inspiration. Your packaging just reminds me of Coke...by the way, I think I'll drink a Coke right now!

I [LEGO] NY!

These "legoisms" depicting different aspects of New York City were created by Christoph Niemann. He even published them into a book! I love how he takes this iconic toy and makes its pieces into a quirky statement. I found it extremely entertaining to see what he can do with only a few blocks and his imagination. Here are some of my favorites:

This makes me think of American Beauty... "It's soooo beautiful..."

I suddenly have a craving for sushi...

So simple, but very amusing.

This one is my favorite. The first time I was in a NYC subway station , I said "Did I just see a rat the size of a dog?!?...yes, yes I did, ew."

He also has some funny Google Maps images, check them out here.