Design

Saul Bass’ Celebrated Title Designs

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Movie title sequences begin and end every movie and can be quite entertaining in and of themselves. Here are some of Saul Bass‘ movie titles.

The Title Design of Saul Bass from Ian Albinson on Vimeo.

Movie titles can put the audience in the right mood for the movie, or close it in the right way….check out your favorites at Forget the Films, Watch the Titles.

45 New Digital Media Resources

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I’m often asked how I keep abreast of the changes in technology.  Interest is my number one response.  Ever since earning my Masters Degree in Media Studies from The New School, NYC, I’m fascinated at how people use technology.  So, in order to keep current, I snoop around, ask questions, read a variety of blogs [like Mashable for example], and I attend  conferences and/or present at them.

Here’s a good article for those seeking to find some new digital media resources. 45 of them in fact.

Obama for America Artworks

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Obama for America invited artists from across the country to volunteer their creativity to support President Obama’s jobs plan and the campaign. Now it is time to vote.  Luckily, you get 3 chances to vote. Here’s my favorite, from Julie, Seattle, WA.

I love this one because of the bold use of color, which draws the eye into the design [you’d see this one from across the street]. Julie has cleverly manipulated the typography to ‘work’ and communicate the idea of jobs and she placed the crane image perfectly to allow our eyes to ‘move’ through her design.  Julie also complimented the poster by repeating the iconic star [in blue] and allowed just enough of the blue, behind the red to peek out.  Was she symbolizing the ‘blue skies’ of new jobs coming to America?

Tilting Teacup

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Brilliant design and functionality!  What more can you ask for?  I do love a nice cup of brewed tea, from loose leaves and this cup makes for an easy 2-step brewing process. Tilt the cup one way for brewing [the leaves have their own little compartment], then tilt the other way to strain and drink.

The mug has been designed to fit into your hands. Tipcup has this in several plastic styles and Uncommon Goods offers it in the white and black plastic.

DIY: Out of a Frying Pan and into a Bird Feeder

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About a year ago I had found this funky square frying pan out on the street. The odd shape attracted me, yet the aluminum metal made it not the greatest frying pan. Fast forward to this year; I wanted a bird feeder and thought about the old frying pan.

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A trip to the hardware store [one of my favorite places to shop] gave me the bits and pieces I needed.

$1.19  1 -5/16″ threaded rod
$ .99  3- 2″ diameter washers @.33/ea
$ .57  3 -5/16″ nuts @.09/ea
$ .14  1-5/16″ cap nut
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$3.17  Total Cost

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Step 1: Removing the old lid knob
This actually proved to be the most difficult step of the whole project.  However, after some strong wiggling with the pliers, it popped off and left a small hole in the lid, from which I began.

Step 2: Enlarge the hole on the lid
I used a simple drill-bit holder [not professionally recommended, but it worked] to enlarge the hole left by the old lid knob.

Step 3: Prepare lid
As I wanted the lid to remain as a roof, I put the threaded rod into the hole and capped the outside top of the lid with the cap nut.  Then, I added the washer up into the inside of the lid and secured that with another nut.

Step 4: Preparing the bottom of the pan
I measured to find the exact center of the bottom pan, marked it and pounded the drill-bit holder to create a small hole.  This was easy, as aluminum is lightweight. I then used a series of drill bits [from my tool box] to further enlarge the hole until it would allow the 5/16″ threaded rod to pass through the bottom of the pan.

Step 5: Drainage
I pounded a few small holes into the bottom of the pan, to allow for any rain/snow drainage-again using the drill-bit holder.

Step 6: Screen lining
To keep the birdseed from falling through the drainage holes, I cut a small square of lightweight screen to line the bottom of the pan. Again, I poking a hole into the screen lining to allow the rod to pass.

Step 7: Attaching the bottom pan
I put a nut onto the threaded rod, then a washer, [just as I had done for the lid in Step 3] positioned the bird feeder onto the slotted perch [the old air conditioner shelf] and -from the bottom- threaded on the washer and the last nut.  I tightened the nuts-to fit snug and straightened out the bird feeder.

Step 8: Fill the feeder and wait.

I often see cardinals flying up and down our street, so I’ve added extra black sunflower seeds in hopes of attracting them to the feeder. I also hope the old air conditioner shelf will serve as a landing pad and dream the hungry birds will soon be perched up onto the edges of the frying pan and have a nice meal.