Day 61: Prezi crazy

I recently got offered the Vice President position for the SIFE group at my school. I'm extremely excited for the opportunity.

First task so far, design an ah-mazing prezi presentation for the SIFE national competition. My group wants me to design a prezi presentation. I have to admit, I'm already slightly bored with prezi (they need more fonts!) but I look at the task as a challenge to do something really different.

I tackled the storyboard last night. I really wanted to create some sort of story to go along with our presentation. Stories are always more memorable than stating facts after fact.

Here's what I came up with so far:


No one will be able to compare to us.

Cool Discovery of the Day

To buy these AWESOME laptop sleeves : http://twelvesouth.com/products/bookbook/

Why I believe a Mac will fulfill my life.

I desperately want a Mac laptop. I was converted earlier in the Fall but have yet to save up the resources necessary to purchase a beautiful Mac. (Crib, car seat, stroller, and diapers are consuming my savings)

Here are the reasons why I believe a Mac will fulfill my life:

• Its Powerpoint animation is to die for (my favourite is the "cube"). Sidenote: did you know that Apple created powerpoint and sold it to Microsoft?
  
• Every serious designer owns a Mac.
  
• Macs are built to last (unlike my stupid HP Tablet).
  
• Mac will not freeze on me (unlike my stupid HP Tablet).
  
• Mac offers original and outstanding templates.
  
• Just the look of a Mac causes inspiration.
  

There's always this argument with artists and creative people. Do the tools you use really help create inspiration?

I believe that the answer is: YES..... to a certain extent.

I'm a marketer.

It is my job to convince you to realize that the tools you use (ie. the products I'm selling) will change your life and THAT is why you should spend the money to buy it. Of course, this marketing proposition isn't always true. Some of the stuff really is useless.

I compare the tools you use to create your art to your settings. The environment that surrounds writers, painters, web designers, etc. is very important. Some writers need a peaceful getway, away from reality, to create their masterpieces. Some artists thrive on busy streets where commotion is their inspiration.

I need to have music on when I write. I tried to multi-task and listen to my talk-radio stations as I wrote. Couldn't concentrate. I write best when I'm in my bed, late at night. Or, I have to be sitting in my big armchair by my HUGE window with no one around me.

Just as the atmosphere is important, so are the tools used. On my desk, you'll find 10 different neon highlighters, multi-colored pens (both ball-point and gel), 4 different sized and colored post-it pads and a collection of STAEDTLER watercolor pencils heaping inside my metal desk organizer. Behind my massive inventory of writing utensils, you can see an equally massive stack of different notebooks, artbooks and folders.

Maybe it's just my obsession with organizing that I have all these different tools, but I really find that using certain objects help inspire creative thoughts.

And, of course, flipchart paper. Flipchart paper is THE BEST PURCHASE YOU'LL EVER MAKE. Nothing like a big piece of paper just waiting to be filled to spure you on.

The only audience that matters is you

I am exhausted to the core.

I spent the last hour on the computer trying to strum up some energy to write today's blog. Couldn't do it. So I promptly shut down my computer and decided to retire only to restart the computer 15 minutes later. The annoying thing about my writing is that I like to write in the moment. You know you've finally gotten the hang of blog writing with your thoughts come in blog articles.

I knew that if I waited until tomorrow morning to write, the result would not be the same as it would be right now.

Today was a decent day. It started off fine and just got more tiring from then on.

I did some yoga this morning in order to jump start the baby-fat burning. Ended up hurting my lower back.

Later, when the creative juices in my mind started flowing, my back prevented me from reaching my beloved post-it notes in time. Many thoughts and ideas were lost in the attempt. They will be truly missed.

The highlight of my day was when I watched Objectified, a documentary by Gary Hustwit.

The video is about the interaction between humans and the design of all the objects surrounding them. It was an excellent documentary. I would've preferred if it had some better background music to keep the video more upbeat. But still, a fantastic documentary. The video definitely made me think.

I love design. I wish I was a true designer; the kind with all the training and knowledge.

Instead, I'm just a designer at heart.

I think what differentiates a designer from everyone else in the world is their special "third eye". Everywhere you look, design surrounds you. True designers see this and not only acknowledge the design but think of what can be improved and how to make it better. Design can always be improved because technology is constantly changing the way we do things.

One industrial designer in Objectified said, "True designers want their products to look like no design was put into it. [It should feel so intuitively natural]".

I don't entirely agree with this statement. Yes, good design should make the product innately easy to use..... but a unique design is what makes objects stand out from other objects.

Take a chair. The functionality of a chair differs only slightly, but uniquely designed chairs (with funky chairs and colours) are purchased because of their screaming design and form.

Designers are the true innovators of tomorrow. I find something fascinating about how designers interact with the world THROUGH design. When you pay attention, it is overwhelming to see how design truly affects every part of your life. From the bench you sit on at the bus stop to the shape of your toothbrush. Imagine what it'd be like if SUPREME design was embedded into every object we encountered in our daily lives. I would imagine it'd be like living in Japan. They have such a forward design thinking and aren't afraid (or poor) to implement it everywhere.

I want beautiful design to touch my life at every point possible. I'm determined to only spend money on things that fit this criteria.

One of the speakers I liked the most in Objectified, Rob Walker, a write for the New York Times Magazine, said that the whole point of purchasing is to find a connection with a true item that truly reflect the true story of who you are because really.....

the only audience that matters is you.

Sixth Sense

How can I explain this technology?

Basically, it's amazing. This website shows a video that says it all.





I've thought about it.... and finally decided.

What do all consumers care about?
Getting the best value for their purchase!

I want someone to create a device or application that solely gives me price comparisons instantaneously so I don't have to do it.
Let's say, I walk into a store and remember that I need to buy Windex. Before I buy the Windex offered at Loeblaws, I want to pull out my phone and quickly be told that Windex is actually on sale at Walmart for$2.
I hate buying things and then realizing I could've gotten them cheaper someplace else.

This sixth sense device sounds absolutely brilliant!