bad banana blog

Reinvention

HILLMAN from Hillman Curtis on Vimeo.

I was saddened to hear about the recent passing of Hillman Curtis, a true pioneer in the world of design and creativity. In the video above, where you will see a man ravished from the cancer which would eventually kill him, you will also see a man who had the courage and drive to persue his creative calling.

Near the end of the video, he tells young designers to "be prepared to reinvent yourself."

"Be prepared to go out on a limb, occassionally. And be prepared to do the things that you feel strongly about, that maybe other people don't. That maybe don't have an immediate source of income or revenue. For me, what started out as a vacation, a creative vacation, from these bigger corporate jobs, has become my life calling."

I'm not a designer. And I'm certainly not young. But I've been on a journey, myself, that started out as a creative vacation. I think in some ways, this blog played a small part in getting me started on this journey. I move on down the road, inspired and energized. I hope this blog helped you feel that way at times, as well.

This will be my last post here.

 

Threadless Scout Books

Threadless, the crowdsourcing t-shirt people, and Scout Books, the make-your-own notebook folks, have joined together to offer (you guessed it), crowdsourced notebooks. Each pack of three pocketsized notebooks ($9) will feature a selection of themed designs voted on by the Threadless community. Available August 11, the notebooks are made from 100 percent recycled paper and printed with vegetable ink in Portland, Oregon.

Via Cool Hunting.

Tsujita Ceiling Installation

Japanese designer Takeshi Sano used 25,000 wooden sticks to design the ceiling for the Tsujita restaurant in Los Angeles. Inspired by the mystery and beauty of clouds as seen from the IZUMO shrine in Shimane Japan, Sano calculated the focal length between eye line and each drumstick-size wooden stick in order to create a stereoscopic effect. More photos here.

Via Contemporist.

Observations Notebook

Love this handmade, British oilskin notebook from Merchant & Mills. Available for purchase here, with shipping to anywhere in the world. While you're over there taking a closer look at the notebook, take a look around the site. Operating out of a 500-year-old cottage in Wales, Merchant & Mills sells fabric, patterns, and dress-making accessories with pitch-perfect branding in today's internet age. Old school meets new school.

USB Battleship

With five USB 2.0 ports, the USB Battleship brings convenience, order, and a touch of whimsy to your desktop. Just one of 77 cool design gifts under $77 in Core 77's Ultimate Holiday Gift Guide 2010. Check it out. Purchase your USB Battleship here.

Via Core 77.

Blended Seating

German designers Yvonne Fehling and Jennie Peiz blended chairs, stools, and benches into a single public seating installation, Stuhlhockerbank.

Via It's Nice That.

Brand Name Pencils

Bob Truby's Brand Name Pencils is a website dedicated to, you guessed it, brand name pencils. Neatly organized by brand name and country of origin, it's a virtual pencil box containing virtually every brand of pencil ever made.

Via @pourmecoffee.

Fabric Shakers

Industrial designer Emir Rifat Isik brings a soft touch to the dinner table with his Tuzu Biberi ("salt and pepper" in Turkish) concept. Isik combines the tactile warmth of fabric with a pouch design that expands and shrinks along with the contents. Very interesting.

Via MoCo Loco.

Twisted Lights

Dutch designer Erwin Zwiers bends plywood to make his unique Twisted Lights, never knowing the final form each lamp will ultimately take. The flexible plywood is wrapped from the top of the lamp down, creating an organic shape that is both one-of-a-kind and warmly inviting. Read more about the project here.

Via Contemporist.

Polyedra Sink

The Polyedra sink from Franke takes the basin and puts it front and center as a piece of modern art in the kitchen.

Is there an aspect to a creative project you're working on right now that shouldn't be hidden? Are you taking something for granted? Can you turn the most functional part of your project into the hero?

Via Trendir.