Artist of the Month

Though AOTM is normally a section dedicated to recognizing new artists, I want to use this time to recognize an under-appreaciated man.

Carlo Mollino was a true renaissance designer. He did furniture, buildings, cars, and photographs. He lived a life of an intellect, a playboy, an adventurer, and an Italian.

You can see his work here.

kinky japanese

Not all japanese are kinky, but this guy certainly was. And it sounds like he was in shape too. I can just imagine some guy going down to the police station to claim all 4000 of them ... for his wife

Steal My Idea

So Chrysler is going down in smokes. Big automaker can't seem to sell enough cars to keep doors open. Daimler's unhappy. What's a girl to do?

Saving Chrysler by bringing back the ornate brand:

Sure efficiency is a nice thing, fuel consumption and aerodynamics are the talk of the town. But Chrysler can't compete anymore with the big fish at the big fish games.

It should sell the plants it has in prime real estate to boost cash flow, put that cash into existing plant renovations and R&D, and come out with 50 unique products in small batch runs available for a limited time (maybe reissued after 4 years when significant improvements have been made).

In the US, brands like Maserrati, Lotus, Maybach, Bentley, and Ferrari are thriving, and the Fords and Caddys and Dodges of this world are making imitations for affordable options that are inconsistent with their brands. Caddy these days is more of an upscale GM than it's own brand.

Chrysler is in the right spot to design American Luxury Cars. Make cars that stand out and hold up but you have to act fast to get one. It can dominate with cars like the Prowler and PT Cruiser. The US auto market is craving a modern-day collectible car. An American car that harks back to the 50s when portholes and fins were all the rage.

Alternative Uses in Design and Reality

Jane Fulton Suri of IDEO and Richard Wentworth have eyes for catching interesting uses of the world around us. Just take a look at their pictures and feel inspired to notice the many "band aid" solutions that can be applied in our lives. Jane also has a book coming out on the subject, and her website and Flickr site are becoming a forums for these band aids.

Patagonia founder Yvon Chouinard would ask: how can we take one tool and put it to many uses? Though there will always be a limited-use luxury market, it's is increasingly important for the masses to design for multiple purposes.

Working to Retire

In the USA, college graduates have high expectations that they are going to be successful, make it rich, and retire in their 30s. For those that actually do retire in their 30s, I have to wonder what example you give your kids. Hear me out.

In Asia and Latin America, there is a deep respect for elders. One works hard through their life and supports their parents. And you raise your kids hoping that when the time comes they will take care of you. It seems like the biggest difference here is that people work to retire the previous generation, and build on their success through the next generation. With this model, everyone wants the next generation to be as successful or more than the previous.

The American model of striking it rich and then giving your kids an easy life is not a sustainable model. But most entrepreneurs follow this. And this whole generation of middle- and upper- class kids is mentally relaxing, not working to their full potential in part because their pressure to succeed is not as high as in Asia and Latin America. To be more competitive, should something change in America?

Steal My Idea

Not everyone can afford to buy a DaVinci or a Rembrandt. You don't see too many Caravaggios in your friend's living room, but you really love his work. Lithographs and posters are sooo dorm room, don't you wish there was some way to show off your interest in art while still portraying an air of contemporary sophistication?

Step 1: Take 3-10 of your favorite pieces and find images on the internet (do a google image search for large files). Maybe mix and match new with old artists, but definitely put in some pieces that are 300+ years old.

Step 2: Size them all so that they are the size of post cards.

Step 3: Print them on your photo-printer.

Step 4: Put them in identical frames that has a diagonal of at least 28", 1 picture centered per frame. Try a white/cream canvas background, glass cover, black wood frame. Something like this. For the more adventurous, try an even more contemporary frame.

Step 5: Show off at your next party. Maybe line a hallway or stagger in a room.

The Clinton Jinnah Tale

I've been looking at the pictures in this article for nearly 2 weeks now, and even have a few collectables of my own. Among the many incidents that Jinnah has been accused of, he made the FBI's list for his "scheme to funnel money" to the Clintons. As sneaky as he seemed, I wonder if he just really loved to give money to and take pictures with Bill and Hillary.

Urban Planning Geek

The East Biloxi community rebuilding plan.
This is one of many post-Katrina projects. 76 pages of boring and generic planning. It is compassionate and somewhat detailed, but I can't help but think East Biloxi deserves better. That we can really take these projects and make them something huge and exciting.