Design inspiration

I was fortunate enough to go to Semi-Permanent design conference last week. This conference collaborates speakers from all design disciplines, including; web design, graphic design, film, fine art, visual effects, illustration, interaction design, stop motion, photography, animation, graffiti, architecture, and motion graphics.

It allows creative minds to come together and share different ideas, techniques and styles. It is also a way that some of our industry idols can pass down their knowledge and hopefully introduce passionate people with slightly eclectic minds to the crazy and amazing world of design.

There was one designer in particular that inspired me, Kelli Anderson. Kelli is a self-described artist/designer/tinkerer who pushes the limits. She designs over all disciplines and will go beyond the boundaries to "do anything necessary to complete a project”.

She uses her work to make people aware of the issues, faults and flaws in society.  She worked with a team of like-minded individuals in 2008 and created a counterfeit of the New York Times. They distributed hundreds of thousands of newspapers all depicting a better world. They called it the Utopian Future. Intended to catch commuters off guard, it initiated numerous conversations about activism and democracy.

 

Read more here: http://kellianderson.com/projects/fakenewspapers.html

Kelly also worked on a music video Girl Walk // All Day. The idea behind Girl Walk // All Day came about as a form of studying how people interact in public spaces. It taps into the urge many have to break out in an ordinary setting and also the desire to push the boundaries of a traditional music video. A traditional music video usually goes for 1 track but this video spans the length of an album. They collaborated with dancers from all styles and used public areas around New York as their props and unassuming bystanders as extras.

 

Watch video here: http://girlwalkallday.com/watch-the-film/all-aboard

It became aware to me throughout the talk that Kelly looks at the world in a way that makes me feel everyone has the ability to make the world a better place, we just need to open our eyes and try a little harder. She uses design to make people aware of some of the worlds problems; below are some of the info graphics she created that highlight social and economic differences in the world.

 

Another awesome example of KellI’s work is her paper record player, the hand spun record plays from a sewing needle moving along the grooves of a textured record and is amplified by folded paper. Genius!

 

Check it out here: http://kellianderson.com/blog/2011/04/a-paper-record-player/

Kelli has an obsession with maps, so built her website off a Google Maps interface.

Have a look http://www.kellianderson.com/index.html

What I learnt from Kelli is that there are hidden ideas in every day things if we just take time out observe. Use new and everyday things in your design, find your own ideas“ clichés aren’t interesting, we need new design”. Going to this conference has opened my eyes and mind to new avenues and adventures in the world of design.