A clip from the 2009 documentary “Objectified” which is all about industrial design. Since 1997 Jonathan has had his hands on just about everything that has contributed to Apple’s success.

Ives approaches design with a minimalism that requires tons of thought. I would love to say something intelligent about the man beyond the words “sheer genius”. I am amazed at his capacity to create each iteration by combining and minimizing the impact on the user.

Now this is a dentist I actually may want to visit. The fact that they actually took the time to work with a designer on their brand tells me they may actually care about me. I love the fact that the phone icon creates the cavity or blemish on the tooth. It also signifies the action you need to take to get rid of the blemish when you pull the card out. After pulling out the card the tooth is perfect again signifying the result of calling the dentist. Absolutely brilliant!

I think one of the worst things imaginable in this life is visiting the dentist. I don’t think I have ever had a pleasant experience. They always tell me something is wrong and how I am not flossing enough.  In actuality they should just record themselves and play it as soon as I walk into the office but with a twist – honesty.

“Hi, this is Joe, your dentist. While you are sitting and relaxing to elevator music, your tension will begin building. You will wonder, what could he possibly tell me this time? Yes, I am going to tell you that you have a root canal and that you have a cavity that needs filling. You will also wonder, does he have to use the pointy pick all the time? Yes, I always use the pointy pick that will claw at your gums and hurt terribly. I am going to poke and prod and needle you until you really don’t want to eat for a week. Those are the facts and the pleasantries. Let’s get down to the real business.

Why does he hire all those hot dental assistants? a) You are less likely to scream like a little bitch while this hot woman is sucking your spit from your mouth and wiping your drool and b) This is also to distract you from getting terribly upset at your tremendous bill that insurance probably won’t cover when you leave. You wouldn’t possibly act like a complete asshole in front of a hot woman. You will also wonder, is he actually cheating with his wife with one of these assistants? OF COURSE I AM! You think I am an idiot?”

I find this project highly hysterical.  There are certainly some great artistic versions of the dollar as seen below.

We’re a culture not a government

Better Late Than Never – LOL ‘ode to sans serif

From ‘Russia’ With Love

Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness

In Jack We Trust – ‘Here’s Johnny’

The next one has the most thought behind it and actually has a bit of reasoning if you check out the blog post.  Everyone else just submitted pretty designs while this designer actually came up with a good ideology.  Check it out.
Dollar ReDe$ign: Michael Tyznik

I really can’t explain it better other then to tell you to go check it out yourself.

Finally, after a year of getting honoree (top 15% of entrants) for different sites at the USTA, 2008 USOpen.org was selected as a Webby Nominee. Last year we overhauled the site completely from top to bottom.  Tons of personalization features and we had an all time high of traffic, visits, time on site, and 200+ million pageviews. I am super excited as this is one of my first awards working at the USTA.

The first year I was at the USTA the 2007 project timeline only allowed for minor tweaks to the previous years site. Last year I was able to work with IBM’s team and work from concept to completion on creating a new design from scratch.

The Webby’s is basically the Oscar’s for the Internet. It is a 13 year old show that brings out the best and brightest of the industry. Hollywood even gets in on the mix as last year saw Stephen Colbert and Will.i.am (Black Eyed Peas) make an appearance at the show. We are currently up for an award in the Event category against Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show Online Series, YouTube LIVE, Sony CES 2009, and Yahoo! Upcoming. So how we are going to beat the most trafficked site on the Internet AND models in lingerie is up to God in heaven. However, being selected as even top 5 nominee is an extreme honor and I already feel like we won.  A lot of hours and hard work goes into the US Open each year by hundreds of people. All of us should be proud of this accomplishment.  I always wanted to win a slinky for an award.

Here is the official email from the Webby Awards –

Dear Ken:

It is our pleasure to inform you that The Official Website of the 2008 US Open has been nominated for The 13th Annual Webby Awards in the Events category.

As one of only five nominees in its category, your work and the team behind it are eligible for the Internet industry’s two most sought-after awards: The Webby Award and The Webby People’s Voice Award.

David-Michel Davies
Executive Director

The Webby Awards | Int’l Academy of Digital Arts & Sciences
http://www.webbyawards.com | http://www.iadas.net

So the voting has already started – Please vote for USOpen.org for the People’s Voice Awards.

Batman through the years. I personally like the older ones before the 80s.

This is probably in my top 20 best ever designed tshirts. I honestly don’t think I need to explain this just click over to Threadless to check out the larger view.

This is awesome use of stop motion. From concept to execution I just absolutely loved this video.  It also helps a lot when the song is kick-ass. These are the kinds of videos I will be featuring on my new site which I am working on.

For fun Facts about the video visit -
http://www.myspace.com/orenlavie

Oren Lavie music on iTunes-
http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZ…

Her Morning Elegance
Directed by: Oren Lavie, Yuval & Merav Nathan
Featuring: Shir Shomron
Photography: Eyal Landesman
Color: Todd Iorio at Resolution
© 2009 A Quarter Past Wonderful

“Her Morning Elegance” written and produced by Oren Lavie, from the Oren Lavie album The Opposite Side of the Sea
© 2009 A Quarter Past Wonderful/Adrenaline under license from Tuition