Hasta La Creative!

You don’t hear a lot of users gushing about their social networks these days, but Instagram seems to be a noticeable exception—as illustrated by the recent trend of photographers creating artistic homages to its logo.

Hundreds of people having been posting their interpretations to the photo network, using objects that range from the obvious end of the spectrum—rocks, seashells, and candy—to the unusual, like axes and dog treats. Coffee cups are popular, as are lenses from actual cameras.

Many of them appear under the hashtag #myinstagramlogo. There’s a pretty astounding level of diversity and creativity in the mix, and all in all it makes for  a nice example of consumers putting their own stamp on a product they’re passionate about.

Some of the versions are quite abstract, though. Out of context, one might just look like, for example, an odd (if pretty) flower arrangement, or a pepperoni pizza.

So is this an official marketing promotion created by Instagram, or was the Facebook-owned brand at least behind the original idea? If so, there’s no obvious evidence. We’ve contacted the brand to find out and will update you if we hear back.

Check out some of our favorites below. 

Via Design Taxi.

Apple’s new ad for the iPhone 5S is called “Dreams,” though it might have been called “In Your Dreams.”

Like other recent iPhone spots (and iPad spots, for that matter), it shows people using the device in pretty amazing ways—to measure wind speed, to plot the course of an airplane, to place a diamond in the setting of a ring. At the 37-second mark, you see a woman place her iPhone against the ribcage of a horse (they don’t even bother to explain it, really—all you need to know is the iPhone is horse compatible), and it hits you. You’ll never use your iPhone for any of this stuff (well, OK, the audio translation app looks pretty rad).

Is an advertisement aspirational when you don’t necessarily aspire to many of the behaviors it depicts? It’s a key question for Apple, which is riding that line between rarefied and relatable in its marketing.

The iPhone looks most impressive, of course, when it’s being used by exceptional people doing exceptional things. But the spots may connect better when they show ordinary people doing ordinary things. (There’s a reason why last winter’s “Misunderstood” ad, showing a kid doing little more than taking video with his iPhone, was so hugely popular.) It’s a tough balance. How esoteric do you want to get before going full horse-heartbeat?

“You’re more powerful than you think,” the new ads say. That line casts the Apple user as a kind of superhero in disguise, thanks to the supercomputer (and the apps written for it) in his pocket. And that’s fine, as long as Apple keeps acknowledging, in its ads, the countervailing truth—that we’re ordinary people, too.

Just when we thought Facebook couldn’t get any more ordinary, we stumble upon a user who’s taken the constraints of the platform and come in like a wrecking ball into its boring blue walls.

Facebook user “Nikki,” better known as Reddit user rubberdogturds, had some fun with Facebook’s cover photos by inserting herself into a slew of famous pop culture images. The results are fantastic, and will probably make you second-guess any social media savvy you may have. 

Check out the her entire body of work here, and some of these works of beauty and sheer Photoshop wizardry below.

Via Gizmodo.

When JWT Singapore was tapped by the Association of Women for Action and Research (AWARE) to create an educational campaign about date rape, the agency decided to go in a different direction.

The result was Guardian Angel, a personal safety accessory line that looks like jewelry but is also designed to get women out of dangerous situations.

The $120 device, which can be worn as a necklace or bracelet, has a button that, hen pushed, automatically triggers a call to the wearer’s cell phone. That method is billed as a way for a woman receiving unwanted attention to create a convenient excuse to leave. If things become more serious (read: dangerous) the wearer can push the button and hold it down, sending a text alert to a designated contact, who will receive the wearer’s GPS coordinates and an automatically generated request for help.

While the idea is interesting and seems to be made with good intentions, there’s something problematic here: If you take a look at Guardian Angel’s website, you’ll notice it’s filled with cloudy backgrounds and waifish young women in white tops and little makeup. The image we’re presented with is one of innocence. While the visuals are probably supposed to look heavenly and angelic in the vein of the product name, the end result is that the Guardian Angel is a device to protect innocence. 

Why is that a bad thing? Because sexual assault isn’t something that just happens to cute, unassuming young women. And sexual assault doesn’t have a gender or sexuality associated with it. (Yes, many sexual assaults do involve young men attacking young women, especially those that are widely reported and picked up by media outlets, but assaults don’t happen to a specific type of person.) Sexual assault is pervasive and upsetting and a huge issue in our culture, so let’s try to keep that in check while creating the visual idea of an assault victim.

On The Verge, Adi Robertson describes a deeper problem with the idea of everyday assault-prevention tools:

“That’s what’s wrong with the Guardian Angel’s gauzy, stereotypical femininity: it ends up normalizing rape as an unremarkable, if unfortunate, part of the female experience. The soothing language—making women ‘feel less vulnerable’ so they can ‘live their lives to the fullest’—smacks of the vagaries in tampon commercials. It’s something everyone knows about but nobody wants to hear about, and certainly nothing that we want to acknowledge is a shamefully common plague in our schools, our prisons, our armed forces, and almost every other social institution.”

Maybe if the Guardian Angel’s creators had more directly acknowledged how awful it is that we need a piece of technology like this to begin with, then maybe the mission could resonate more.

Via Fast Company.

Créée par Studio Banana Things, « Kangaroo Light » est un produit d’éclairage portatif, ludique et flexible conçu pour s’adapter à l’intérieur de votre sac, sur une table, par terre, sur une étagère et dans une multitude d’autres applications. Sa forme flexible, sa petite taille et sa légèreté permettent de faire preuve de créativité.

Voici une table multifonctionnelle créée par le designer allemand Tom Schuster qui dispose d’une surface en bois ondulé. Des éléments technologiques sont intégrés tel un dock d’accueil pour smartphone et tablette, un tiroir sur le côté permet à l’utilisateur de ranger l’ordinateur portable et de profiter de la surface du bureau.

« The Last Memory » est un court-métrage en 3D réalisé par Olivier Latta qui voulait rendre hommage aux marsouins communs de la Mer Baltique qui meurent sous l’eau à cause des filets des bateaux de pêche et de la pollution. Un projet pour son université de design à Dessau et une musique composée par Clemens Ruh.

The Making-Of :

Le studio allemand Design Addicted nous démontre avec Glitch Me sa capacité à modifier, détourner et répéter avec talent différents éléments pour leur donner une seconde vie. Des compositions impressionnantes et visuellement impactantes à découvrir dans une série d’images.

L’artiste Flynn Talbot a créé une installation de lumières appelée « Primary » qui a été exposée à la PSAS, à Perth, en Australie. L’artiste explore les 3 couleurs primaires et les formes triangulaires à travers 3 sources de lumières LED différentes. A découvrir avec les photos de John Madden.

La marque allemande Rotring a récemment dévoilé son outil pour les créatifs avec cet objet Rotring 800+ qui fait à la fois portemine mais aussi stylet pour les appareils tactiles. Un objet au design facilement reconnaissable car reprenant les éléments de la marque à découvrir dans une série d’images et en vidéo.