celts.

After last week's discussion I found myself really drawn to the Celtic/Gaelic illuminated manuscripts.  Then I thought about where I have seen or might see items with inspiration drawn from illuminated manuscripts, like the Book of Kells.    

My first thought was Celtic tattoos.  Many are inspired by symbols featured in many illuminated manuscripts.  Celtic design also features complex knot imagery as a basis for any design.  This knot work is symbol with no beginning or end and represents the never-ending cycle of death and rebirth.  I focused a lot on celtic zoomorphic graphics.  Zoomorphic basically means an animal is represented.  Here are a few examples from the Book of Kells.

Many people like this style tattoo because they feel like there is "a connection to an earlier culture that placed an emphasis on the natural world."  Here are some examples of the tattoos inspired by designs like the ones above.   

Then while researching I found a couple pages about tattoo artists that specialize in these manuscript inspired tattoos.  One even had a page about manuscripts and their relation to the modern tattoo.  Check out this page to read it: 

http://www.tribal-celtic-tattoo.com/Book%20of%20Kells.htm

Other Random Notes::

Next I thought about the story book in the movie, Shrek.  Though the book is a little more simplistic, it is still inspired by these ancient manuscripts.  This book is also featured in the sequels.  

Later I randomly came across this picture which I thought was a clever modern interpretation of character on an illuminated manuscript, though this style is not the same as the ones we talked about.  The logo is for the Jamestown Jazz Choir and the school's mascot is the knight.  

Design by Lenore103

Lastly, this set of playing cards I came across awhile back feature characters in the style they would have been featured on an illuminated manuscript, though not necessarily a Celtic one.  I thought the colors had a similar feel to older manuscripts.  

Photos and Design by Natalia Nezhdanova on Behance.net

  

designer.

Who am I as a designer?

That question is impossible for me to answer because I honestly don’t know.  I like to think I have a different perspective when it comes to designing, but I don’t have a consistent enough perspective to declare one. 

I like everything from messy and modern to sleek and unique.  (I also like that that rhymes, ha)  I draw inspiration from everything, and I mean everything.  I read a lot of blogs though this is my first attempt at writing one.  I constantly check out staple blogs like The Dieline and Smashing Magazine.  I also just spend time looking through websites and magazines I happen to come across. 

I also like things that are homemade and/or eco-friendly.  I love simplicity and clean lines in designs.  

One day I would love to work with sports teams, preferable a hockey team.  Branding and marketing for them would be a great job.  Besides that I would like to work somewhere it is cold where I could ski during the day and work at night, but I know it will extremely hard work to get to that point and chances are I might not ever make it.  

I guess you could say music also inspires me.  I listen to it all the time and it is rare to see me without headphones on.  I love finding new bands and artists that are not mainstream.  I don’t know what would happen if there was no music, and don’t want to.

starbucks.

We all have friends who go to Starbucks every chance they get.  This person even might be you. 

I’m just not a person to go and sit in Starbucks to get homework done or even just socialize.  I find it hard to concentrate with everything going on in there.  Also I have never been one for coffee.  I just don’t like the taste or the smell.  But I do enjoy a good cup of hot chocolate or hot tea. 

Photo from macleans.ca

Recently it was announced that Starbucks has decided to drop its name from its two-decade-old logo.  There has been a lot of online backlash.  It has been proven that customers don’t like changing logos; however, if successful Starbucks would become an icon such as Apple, recognized all over the world. 

I do like change, but I don’t know if their logo is that universally recognized.  In the U.S. there is a Starbucks on every corner so looking at it like that, the logo is recognized, but across seas where they haven’t been as long, might be a problem to get the brand recognition they are looking for. 

I just thought it was interesting and we will see what happens next. 

Also, did you see the new cup size Starbucks will be offering in the upcoming months? 

Photo from breweddaily.com

The cup is called “Trente” and it is 31-ounces!!!  I don’t know anyone who needs 31-ounces of caffeine.  I actually don’t know anyone who could drink that much coffee.  The “vente” size for hot drinks is currently 20-ounces and for cold drinks is 24-ounces.  So this is quite a big step up.  This new size will only be available for cold drinks, but still.  I can’t help but think about the number of calories in the new size.  It’s crazy!  

Wild.

I may or may not have mentioned before that I love hockey more than anything.  It is by far my favorite sport.  As a matter of fact I am watching the Flyers vs. Blackhawks game as I write this. 

And though I am a PREDS fan, I can’t help but notice significance in other team’s logos.  One that I find the most interesting is the Minnesota Wild’s bear head logo. 

This logo is filled with details you just might have missed.  The team colors are deep green, iron red, yellow/gold, and wheat. 

The logo pays tribute the wildlife within Minnesota as well as the spirit of the team.  It features evergreen trees within the bear’s profile.  These trees also represent the state tree: the Norway Pine. 

The bear’s mouth is styled to form a river with several twists, which also represents one of the state’s nicknames as the “Land of 10,000 Lakes.” 

The sun helps create the bear’s ear and to the side is the North Star, which creates the bear’s eye.  The star is very significant for multiple reasons. 

1.     The state is nicknamed “The North Star State”

2.     The French motto of Minnesota is “L’Etoile du Nord,” which translates to “The Star of the North”

3.     It also pays tribute to Minnesota’s past hockey team, the Minnesota Northstars, which were moved to Dallas after the team was bought.

The Minnesota Wild as we know it, was founded in 2000. 

Though like most teams, Minnesota has multiple logos, but this is by far my favorite. And since the official state sport is hockey, I would expect nothing less. 

All photos are from www.minnesotawild.com.

[[This post will also appear on my other blog page]]

matt.

This post is about a week late, but it is still exciting.  On January 13^th the Matthew Knight Arena opened in Eugene, Oregon and became the new home of the University of Oregon Ducks basketball teams.  It replaced McArthur Court; also know as Mac Court, which promoted the theme for the opening ceremonies—Mac to Matt. 

            The main donor on the project was Phil Knight, co-founder and chairman of Nike, Inc.  He is also a graduate of the UO.  The arena is named for his son who died in a scuba diving accident at the age of 34. 

            Ellerbe Beckett designed the arena.  Matt holds 13,000 fans, features new concession stands, wider walkways, and more bathrooms than the past court.  The project cost approximately $227 million, making it the most expensive college arena. 

            I’m not really a basketball fan, but was intrigued by the unique design on the court and the logo of the arena. 

            The court features the theme “Deep in the Woods” and has tall firs encompassing the center court.  There has been some debate because of the glare off the court and the difficulty seeing the centerline.  This one-of-a-kind court was developed by Tinker Hatfield to create “the most iconic television presence possible for UO.”  It is named for Pat Kilkenny, the school’s former athletic director.

all photos above in this blog are by Brian Libby and the website: http://chatterbox.typepad.com/portlandarchitecture/2011/01/a-first-visit-to-matthew-knight-arena.html

Here are some facts about the floor from goducks.com.

Materials

• Floor is a Connor Sports Flooring Quicklock Portable Floor (The same surface used for NCAA Men's and Women's Basketball Championships)

• Floor was manufactured in the upper peninsula of Michigan in the town of Amasa, Mich.

• Wood used for the floor was donated by Gonyea Family/Timber Products Co., of Eugene/Springfield

• Floor is 6,944 square feet of Northern Hard Maple that is from an FSC Certified Forest

• Fabrication of Raw Floor took one week to complete

• There are 225 interlocking panels weighing approximately 45,000 total pounds

Graphics

• Graphics were completed by United Services based in Idaho Falls, Idaho

• Graphics took 2,500 man-hours to complete

• Almost 2 miles of stencil material was utilized for the completion of the graphics

• More stencil material was used on this floor then used for the other 30 floors Connor Sports Flooring completed this year

            The arena logo follows UO’s modern design.  It was made to replicate a Japanese torii gate, which symbolizes an entrance to a sacred place.  The top is arched to mimic Matthew Knight’s grin.  It is placed slightly under the “O” and seems to cradle it.  I just really enjoyed listening and watching the opening.

For more information, visit mactomatt.net.  

welcome.

First off, let me start by saying this is my first intro to blogging so I apologize in advance if I unknowingly break any blog etiquette.   With that in mind if you see something that is incorrect, please let me know.

I am going to post my first blog in just a little bit, get ready!

:)