Change has come to the American internets.

Congratulations, Mr. Obama.

Now make all of the other government web sites this pretty.

[Whitehouse.gov redesign]

Off Topic: Anime Designers Can Enjoy, Part 4

Since I started working, my anime-watching has dropped off considerably, but I've still been able to follow a few series. Below are some that may appeal to designers, with styles and art direction that veer away from "typical" anime.

Michiko to Hatchin


Plot: After a woman breaks out of a high-security prison, she rescues her daughter from abusive foster parents. Together, they search for the man who may be the key to their pasts.
Style: Colorful pop, heavily influenced by Brazilian design.
Where Can I Watch It: It's not out here yet, but I'll be surprised if this isn't licensed soon.


Soul Eater


Plot: A group of students at a school for "shinigami" (kind of like grim reapers, but with cooler weapons), train to build up their powers and battle enemies.
Style: Very "shounen"-y (lots of fight scenes, big spiky hair), but it's colorful and bright with a dash of juvenile humor. Excellent fight choreography and characters. If you like Tim Burton, check this out.
Where Can I Watch It: Good news! This one has been licensed by [Funimation] for release in English. So, hopefully, it will be out soon.


Akagi and Kaiji




Plot: Both based off manga series by Fukumoto Nobuyuki, Akagi and Kaiji center around the underworld of gambling and life-or-death bets.
Style: Pointy noses, questionable anatomy, and butt-ugly men. I LOVE it. If you think that anime is too "pretty", check these out.
Where Can I Watch It: Kaiji is being released subtitled in English through the online video service [Joost]. Since Akagi is all about mahjong, I doubt it will ever be released in North America, sadly.

Previous posts of "Anime Designers Can Enjoy":
Part One
Part Two
Part Three

Selections from the 2009 Ikea Catalog

Better late than never, I finally got my hands on the 2009 Ikea catalog. The "design for a budget" home goods retailer is known for their simple, innovative and - yes - cute designs, but I noticed this year a distinct lack of cute in new items, opting for more sleek, mature styles. Lots of molded plywood and stainless steel. I did find a couple cute items, though:


[HERMAN chair]
While not exhibiting any of the classic characteristics of cuteness (roundness, etc.), there's something charming about the newcomer to Ikea's line of sitting implements.



[GRIMEN bed frame]
Soft and round and looks very comfortable. It also reminds me of a bento box.



[TRIPP storage tins]
Cute cute cute. I was tempted to pick these up during my last Ikea trip.




And Pantone's [prediction] that yellow (or, specifically, PANTONE 14-0848) would be this year's "it" color is showing signs of being true.


Also, I have a new article at SpeakUp: [A Letter to President-Elect Obama from Young Designer]. Check it out!

cute: ur doin it wrong

[no]

Design Benign on Twitter

http://twitter.com/DesignBenign

I'll mostly be using to post links to research and ideas for posts.

Cute Collections- Food

Cuteness and food go together like, well, peanut butter and jelly. I've explored this sweet relationship before with [bento boxes]. Below are some other examples of cuteness good enough to eat.



Cupcake Dance




Sweet Packaging


Pentagram's Paula Scher cranked up the cuteness on no-calorie sweeteners with this [delightful packaging] for Truvia.



Huggable Desserts


Soft, squishy felt pies, cakes and other sugary goodies [have been popping up] on handmade goods web site Etsy.



Kitty Sushi


Sushi and dumplings are cute enough on their own, but add a kitten into the mix (as character franchise [Nyan Nyan Nyanko] demonstrates)? That's just asking for trouble.