cultivate creativity

Melding a love of data, a razor-sharp wit, and an old-school comic strip aesthetic, Jessica Hagy crafts simply drawn charts and diagrams that play like philosophical punchlines. They contemplate complex issues, like the challenges of choosing which ideas to nurture, and simple truisms, like the relationship between joy and bacon.

— from the 99% blog

“Phone Book”… not the cleverest name, but this is a very creative idea for an interactive storybook!

found at everydayUX

Well, I didn’t really intend to take the whole summer off from this website… but, that’s what happened.

At least I’ve been relatively consistent about posting (mostly Charlotte-focused) info and events to Twitter. So, if you don’t follow @cltcc yet, and you you should start! (And, my personal account is @budesigns.)

But, just know: I do plan to begin posting here regularly, again.

Come help make Pecha Kucha Night a continued success in Charlotte!
~~Forwarded message below~~

After another successful Pecha Kucha Night*, we are starting work on Volume 4 of Pecha Kucha Charlotte. And more than ever, we want your help to make it happen. So please join us tomorrow, Thursday 05/28/09 at 6:30 at the bar/lounge area of Pewter Rose (1820 South Blvd. Charlotte 28203), as we start planning our next big inspiring, provocative, entertaining night.

“Cloud” Installation by Wonderworld @ Pecha Kucha Vol. 3 on 04/2/09. Image courtesy: Mitchell Kearney

Vol. 4 will be back in Charlotte, most probably in late August. We haven’t decided on the exact date or location. We would love to have your help and input in all aspects of the event, including:

• Selecting the day and the venue,
• Finding presenters, communicating with them, and in putting together the final show,
• managing the website/web pages for the series,
• help at the venue during the event…

…plus there are many other things that you could be involved in. Be a part of one of the most exciting art/design-related social events in town.

Moreover, this time we will also be discussing the future of the series, beyond Vol. 4.
The success of these events were far greater than what we had imagined when we started off. While it is wonderful to have that kind of popularity and recognition, managing such a large scale series is also pretty demanding for an all-voluntary, informal group like point8. So we would like your input on whether or not to continue the Pecha Kucha series, and if we do, how you can be involved in it.

So please stop by on Thursday, grab a drink, and join the conversation.
Let us make it happen once again!

Thanks,

Manoj P Kesavan
www.point8.org

~~

* Pecha Kucha Charlotte Vol. 3 was held on April 2nd 2009 at the Gettys Art Center, Rock Hill.

We had 12 presentations and over 160 attendees – a capacity crowd for the historic courthouse space in downtown Rock Hill. We had some of the most engaging, and often intense presentations we have had so far. Thank you for making it such a big success. Thank you also for all the compliments, critiques and other feedback since the event. All that would really help us improve the quality of the upcoming ones.

Missed it? Get a quick taste of it here: http://cltblog.com/2689
The full event: http://cltblog.com/pages/pknclt3
— videos courtesy of Justin Ruckman & Erik Button of CLT Blog

…And do check out excellent the Photos:
By Zan Maddox, Gallery Up
By Mitchell Kearney

Jason Santa Maria, whose blog posts frequently arrive with wonderfully customized designs, has recently posted this one called Pretty Sketchy, which initiates a discussion on the benefits of keeping a sketchbook. He has also started a Flickr group where people can share pages from their own sketchbooks. Enjoy!

Nobody does it like House Industries. Not only do they create top-notch typographic design, but each project seems to be an adventure into a theme or body of work, resulting in some of the most luxurious printed materials you’ve ever laid eyes on.

House Industries most recent project pays tribute to the modernist designer Alexander Girard. In my opinion it is their most impressive collection to date. It includes a Type Family, a Nativity Set, t shirts, alphabet blocks, lettering, Marilyn Neuhart designed Casa dolls and more.

Catch the interview with co-owner and art director Andy Cruz at grain edit.