A Bold New Look for the SF Art Museum in Jittery Economic Times

The new visual identity ditches the old mark, a red square with “Asian” at the bottom, in favor of a simple letter “A.”

It’s been a rough few years for museums. The Asian Art Museum of San Francisco is no exception.

The San Francisco Chronicle reported last year that the museum was teetering on the brink of bankruptcy. Desperate to survive into the 21st century, the 45-year-old organization--which has one of the largest collections of Asian art in the world--ushered in a massive institutional overhaul. First, it restructured its long-term debt. Now, it’s restructuring its look, with the help of branding giant Wolff Olins, in hopes of broadening its appeal.

For the complete article please visit:  http://www.fastcodesign.com/1665119/a-bold-new-look-for-sf-art-museum-in-jittery-economic-times

If you're in San Francisco don't forget to visit the SF Asian Art Museum!

Airplane Art: Awesome Retro Logos of Airlines from Bygone Eras

The graphic is studded with awesome retro logos of airlines from bygone eras, ("The Route of the Air Chiefs" -- classy!). But the timeline itself is the most fascinating part, showing how a motley bunch of tiny air operators in the 1920s clustered together like The Blob almost overnight in 1930 and 1931, giving rise to The Big Four: United, American, TWA, and Eastern Air Lines. (Pan Am actually consolidated a few years before.)

The thickness of the lines corresponds to "the relative market share of passenger traffic for each airline," according to the poster retailer. It's also interesting to see the impact of airline deregulation in 1978 visually, as smaller operators like Southwest and America West suddenly spring up and former behemoths like Pan Am dwindle. It's cold comfort if you're stuck on a JetBlue flight without that extra leg room option, but maybe tossing out a few of these factoids to your seatmate will help you pass the time before landing.
[Buy from HistoryShots.com for $29.95;

For the complete story from FastCo Design, please visit:  http://www.fastcodesign.com/1665200/infographic-of-the-day-a-visual-geneology-of-the-airline-business

We love fun art and design, especially when it involves aviation!

Holy Stalactitie! These Images of Gems are really Paintings

 

 

These Absurdly Realistic Images Of Gems Are Actually Paintings

Holy stalactite!

Carly Waito is a young Toronto artist who paints pictures of semi-precious gems and minerals that are so frighteningly realistic, they’re virtually indistinguishable from a photograph. Every last facet and minute imperfection is captured in astonishing detail. The kicker: The paintings are tiny, some just 4.5 inches wide.

“I start by collecting the mineral specimens, usually from dealers online or at shows for mineral collectors, or from eBay,” Waito tells Co.Design. “Then I photograph the specimens using my DSLR with a macro lens and a complicated setup of lights and mirrors to get the reflections on the facets just right. I take many subtly different photos of each specimen before choosing one to print to use as my reference to paint from.”

Each piece is executed on masonite board with oil paint and small (very small) brushes. Waito’s first solo show, at Narwhal Art Projects in Toronto, stays open until October 2. To buy a painting, contact the gallery at contact@narwhalartprojects.com.
[Images courtesy of Carly Waito]

For the complete story, please visit FastCoDesign:  http://www.fastcodesign.com/1665050/these-absurdly-realistic-images-of-gems-are-actually-paintings

If you'd like information on paintings for your offices, building or facility please call us at (888) 440-9260.

Experimental Glasses That Turn Wine Into Art

I love wine and art....this is the perfect combination!  Thanks FastCoDesign and Belinda Lanks for a great article that we've shared!

Wine glasses generally come in two varieties: red (with a big wide bowl to facilitate oxidation) and white (with a smaller mouth and tapered bowl). We’re far from sommeliers, but, to us, it seems a shame that, with so much energy devoted to developing wine, so little creativity goes into the glasses in which it’s served. Gumdesign, an Italian design collective, fixes that disparity with playful twists on traditional crystal stemware.

Most of them are subtle, clever interpretations of the usual form: One, for instance, comes with its own cork stopper; another has a dainty spout. We’re partial to the one whose tulip bowl sits slightly tilted on its stem; when paired, they can lean in or away from each other.
If you’re a wine snob who holds fast to the belief that a glass’s shape can impact bouquet, these designs may not be for you. For those who select wine by the look of the label, these glasses might have the power to make box wine palatable.

They’re made by ColleVilca, an Italian factory that makes crystal objects by hand. To order, send an email to: mirella@vilca.it.

For the complete story, please visit:  http://www.fastcodesign.com/1665037/experimental-glasses-that-turn-wine-into-art

Stunning Office Furniture for Hiding Secrets!

From www.fastcodesign.com

Stunning Steampunk Office Furniture For Hiding Corporate Secrets
by Suzanne Labarre

The suite of chairs, a table, a lamp, and a cabinet you see here is stylish office furniture for the design-minded corporate lawyer who has something to hide, which is to say, oh, every corporate lawyer. Kidding! (But not really.)
Designed by Slovenia’s Nika Zupanc, the so-called Selfdiscipline series features built-in storage that can disappear in an instant beneath the edifice of a tres-hip, steampunk aesthetic (brass organ grinder levers and all).

For the complete article, please visit:  http://www.fastcodesign.com/1663635/stunning-steampunk-office-furniture-for-hiding-corporate-secrets?partner=co_newsletter

And for stunning artwork, consider an art rental or art lease - great artwork at low prices and, you can write off it off as a business expense!  Visit www.artrentandlease.com or call us at (888) 440-9260 for details.

Eye Candy: Gorgeous Sculptures Made Only Out of Pressed Flowers

By Suzanne Labarre, Sr Editor at Co. Design, article from Fastcodesign.com

Images courtesy of Ignacio Canales Aracil

And these ain’t your grandma’s pressed flowers! We love crafty stuff and everything, but we admit we’re a bit mystified by the appeal of pressed flowers, which have about as much youthful pizazz as a box of muesli. At least that’s what we thought until Ignacio Canales Aracil came along. The Spanish artist has managed to freshen up the old flower-press technique with a pair of gorgeous sculptures that appear to float in mid-air.

The sculptures -- called, ambitiously, The Fragility of Time -- are meticulously built out of plants and flowers plucked from various parks in the UK (with permission, of course). Aracil then flattens the blossoms and weaves them one by one over a cone-shaped paper mold. There’s no adhesive used here; the flower arrangement is its own support structure (comparable to a straw hat). About a month later, the flowers dry out, and Aracil removes the mold. The only addition is a coat of varnish to prevent the plants from absorbing moisture.

For the complete article by Fast Company, please visit: http://www.fastcodesign.com/1662857/eye-candy-gorgeous-sculptures-made-only-out-of-pressed-flowers?partner=co_newsletter

Aracil's sculptures are for sale, and a percentage of the proceeds go to the gardens Aracil worked with: The Wild About Flowers Nursery in Devon; and Pembroke-Lodge in Richmond Park. Visit Aracil's website for more images and info.