February 28, 2011

captured










After seeing Scott Hansen's blogpost on these Friday on ISO50, I posted links to them on Twitter and facebook, but I still can't stop watching them, and think they deserve more attention. These are a series of spots done for EF International Language Centers, directed by Gustav Johansson, shot by Niklas Johansson, and designed by Albin Holmqvist. The typography in these is strikingly beautiful (as is the cinematography,) and as Scott said, any of the type frames could easily make a poster in and of themselves. The Barcelona spot is probably the best of the bunch typographically, but all are wonderfully smart and sensitive to their locales. But these spots strike on so many levels beyond design, especially for me. They accurately capture the very personal sense of adventure and discovery and meeting people that you experience in travel. This is brilliantly achieved by focusing on subtle moments, not grand scenes. Landmarks may appear, but they aren't the stars. These spots are all about personal moments. In the London spots, there is a shot of an intersection and a shot out of the bus: both really don't show anything in particular and seem like they could be accidental, but they actually expertly capture the light and surroundings, capturing the moment (its the same sense of moments that I often try to capture in my blind photography.) Similarly, the stories all involve subtle moments of connection between characters. (I think the Paris one my be my fav, but that may be my love for the city causing some bias. However, the spot does feel remarkably like what my time in Paris has felt like.) For advertising to work, it has to evoke an emotion. Its something we forget much too often. Thankfully, these guys got it right.
  • Vimeo: Albin Holmqvist: Live the Language
  • February 25, 2011

    truck detailing iii












    third in a series: details from the paint jobs of some of LA's gourmet food trucks

    February 23, 2011

    fresh apples?




    Anyone that's a fan of Apple products is familiar with the yellow post-it that occasionally appears on the Apple Store website and what it means: usually that the store is being re-tooled because of a new product or product update. There's nothing worse than debating a purchase and then finally shelling out a bunch of bucks for something, only to find out that a newer version has been released a couple weeks later. The post-it appearing tonight made me realize there may be some out there who don't know about a site I have come to rely upon when thinking about buying an Apple product: the MacRumors.com Buyers Guide: When to Buy page. It lists all Apple products, their past version's release dates, and links to rumors about the next release. From those, they recommend whether to buy or whether to wait. Its just educated speculation, so take it for what its worth, but its at least a resource to check before buying blindly. And if you do end up buying something right before a new version is released, it's always worth checking to see if they will exchange your recent purchase for the model that was just released. Don't take my word on this, but I believe Apple is usually pretty friendly about making an exchange if its within two weeks (there may be a fee); and beyond that it could still be possible at the discretion of the store you purchased it from. Again, I could be wrong on that, but its always worth checking. Either way, its always good to know before you buy.
  • MacRumors.com Buyers Guide: When to Buy
  • February 22, 2011

    busy-ness







    Two projects in their final stages has meant a lot of busy days and all-nighters, which by default continues the theme of not having much to share here (and frankly no spare time to share it if I did.) Still, for the sake of not letting the blog go too long without an update, I'll offer a peek. I can't show the projects I'm working on, but here are some slivers of parts of them.

    February 19, 2011

    gallery






    just another gallery of local slivers (sorry, for some reason, just not much to share or tell lately)

    February 16, 2011

    February 15, 2011

    flashback: life changer






    One of the worst things about trying to maintain a blog is the need to constantly feed it. Usually I try to fill space with galleries and random photos when I have nothing to share (or no time to share it.) Lately I haven't even been able to come up with those! So here's another tactic: a flashback to where I was this week five years ago. Luckily for you, it happens to be interesting: I was working my first Olympics in Torino, Italy. Not only did it introduce me to a great crew of folks that I've been lucky to work with every two years since, but it also introduced me to Europe, because it was the first time I had ever been. The travel I took while over there after the Olympics ended opened up new worlds in every way you can imagine, and I haven't stopped going back any chance I get. Here are a few of the pics that were on the blog during this week five years ago - most of the posts were just whatever I had worked on that day (so Mom & Dad could watch for it on the broadcast,) but there are a couple posts of other stuff too. You can check out the full posts in this link:
  • the jonberrydesign blog: February 12-19, 2006
  • February 14, 2011

    adventureland









    This weekend a mini gourmet food truck festival popped up in Redondo Beach near the pier. After reading about it, I got a couple pals to join in and make a day of it on Sunday. My pal Jon biked down from Santa Monica (a little farther than he realized!) and my pal Pat met us from Redondo. Since the fest was close to Naja's Place, one of my favorite bars and a favorite stop for beach biking, the idea was that we could make it a back and forth of a few visits to the trucks and the bar. After a foggy morning, the day broke open and was perfect, and I loved how on one of trips, the lot had turned into a bike lot. Throughout the day, we sampled fare from The Shrimp Pimp Truck, The Greasy Wiener, and Coolhaus, but the star was a grilled cheese that No Reservations had on special with a sharp cheddar, pulled pork, apples, and a currant cayenne aioli on top. It was out of control. Though after the sun went down, it made our last stop at the trucks a little chilly. Deciding I wasn't done with the night, I made one more stop at Simmzy's, another favorite place closer to home in Manhattan Beach. It made for the perfect cap on the evening, though I hadn't expected to get accosted by a cougar (really - I still have marks on my bicep!) It kinda serves me right after laughing at the scene before I came into her sights. The truck festival continues the next couple weekends too. Just say the word if you wanna make a run!

    February 12, 2011

    gallery






    Sorry for the lack of posts lately... Been a busy few days and frankly, just not much to show or say. So as filler, here are some slivers of some projects I'm working on at the moment...

    February 9, 2011

    truncate your junk



    It's the season for Yellow Pages being dumped on your front porch and all over your street, and if you're like me, it means about 6 different companies all dumping their versions. I know some of you live in locales that have banned Yellow Pages. They tried to bring a bill to do that last year in CA, but the GOP killed it in committee. I did find the site below where you can register to opt out of some yellow pages - it takes a few steps, but its doable, though I'm not sure if it covers them all. Lately I've also been tossing lots of stacked up junk mail - which led me to search for a way to opt out of at least some of that. I found another website that supposedly allows you to opt out of credit card offers, catalogs, and magazine offers. You also have to register and do each individually, and they disguise it as choosing which you want to receive, but with a few steps, you can opt out of those as well. (Note that if you've done business with a company, they are still allowed to mail you and this won't opt you out of mail from them.) Still, its something. I just registered myself, so it'll be a while before I know if it works. It's at least worth a try...
  • YellowPagesOptOut.com
  • dmachoice.org: Direct Mail Opt-Out
  • February 8, 2011

    truck detailing ii










    more detail shots from the paint jobs of some of LA's gourmet food trucks...