Tech gift guides can sometimes feel like the neglected middle children of Gift Guide Land—too often I see them populated with afterthought items, a perpetuation of the notion that tech can’t be pretty. Well, dear readers and fellow tech obsessives, I am here to tell you that this does not need to be the case! Why choose between form or function when you can have both? From Allied Maker’s wonderfully whimsical cloth-covered extension cord(above) to Karlsson’s retro-fabulous flip clock, these gifts will satisfy both the tech junkies and the design savants on your holiday gift lists! Check out all of these wonderful gizmos, gadgets, and electrical doohickeys after the jump! Power on!
There’s an oft-quoted phrase that says “the best camera is the one you have with you.” Today, the camera that almost everybody has with them is an iPhone and, despite its tiny size, it actually packs quite the photographic punch. Over the course of time that I’ve had one, my iPhone has slowly worked its way up to becoming my default camera—my bulky DSLR coming out only when I need a truly “professional” shot. There’s no denying the iPhone’s (or any smartphone’s) benefits—it’s compact, actually fits into a pocket, and takes photos that genuinely rival consumer-grade point-and-shoot cameras. (For anybody skeptical of the iPhone’s photo-taking power, I highly recommend Austin Mann’s exhaustive iPhone 5S review.) As with any camera, though, the iPhone’s capabilities are vastly improved when you learn how to use it, taking advantage of everything it has to offer. Below, you will find my own favorite tips for making the most of your iPhone’s camera—from ways to expertly compose a shot to tricks for getting a more “manual” look. Let’s get snapping!
1. Shoot with a grid! Like many professional cameras, the iPhone’s camera app has a grid feature that allows you to view your shots with a 3×3 grid overlaid on top of it. There are numerous benefits to shooting this way, from making sure objects are truly centered to making sure your image is perfectly aligned. Although a grid, what with its right angles and implications of exactitude, seems like it might be creatively stifling, it actually opens up a world of awesome compositional possibility. On the iPhone, the grid isn’t turned on by default. Go to the “Photos & Camera” section of the Settings app to turn it on.
2. Get fancy with your focus! The iPhone automatically adjusts its focus and exposure every time you reframe a shot (you can see it doing this with the little square that pops up on screen when you do this). However, “manually” adjusting your focus for more customized shots is easy-peasy: just tap the screen once to choose the object or location that you want focused/properly exposed. If you want your camera’s focus to be on something that isn’t in the frame or you want to be able to shift your composition after focusing, the AE/AF Lock feature is great. Simply press down on the screen and hold until the focus square pulsates twice. You will then see the words “AE/AF Lock” at the top of your screen. This feature is especially useful if you’re trying to get a nice “blurred” effect on your image—just lock your focus on something super close up and then take your photo!
3. Get the perfect shot! One feature that professional photographers use to ensure the perfect shot, especially with portraits, is burst mode. Essentially, taking photos in burst mode takes a number of photos in quick succession, allowing you to edit through them and find the perfect shot (no blinking eyes or awkward poses!). The iPhone has this feature built in—simply press and hold down the camera’s shutter button. Instead of the singular “snap” noise that accompanies a tap on the shutter, you’ll hear a quick succession of snaps—and your iPhone will capture photos for as long as you hold the button. Quick tip: for super-simple snapping, and to take photos the old fashioned “button” way, simply hold down the top volume button to snap a photo.
4. Optimize your shooting environment! Whether you’re shooting with a professional camera or an iPhone, the same rules of lighting and composition apply. It’s always best to use natural light (even with the iPhone 5S’s new “True Tone” flash, artificial light looks, well, artificial). Aligning your grid with elements in your environment also leads to more appealing compositions. Check out our guide for shooting interiors for tips for composing the best photos.
5. Get the best apps! Although I recommend shooting in the iPhone’s main camera app before importing to other apps like Instagram (this allows you to save a high-res photo and then crop to your specifications), I do have a few exceptions to this rule. The VSCO Camapp, which is quickly becoming the gold standard of iPhoto photography, is a superbalternative to the iPhone’s built-in camera. Its camera mode allows for even more manual control, from focus lock to a two-finger tap that allows you to adjust your exposure and focus separately—a feature that I use an a regular basis. VSCO also has a number of amazing filters and post-processing options that allow for great fine-tuning and photos that look remarkably film-like. Aside from VSCO cam (a must-have for any iPhone photographer), I also recommend AfterLightfor its post-processing and framing options.
From the New York Subway system to American Airlines, Massimo Vignelli was responsible for some of the most iconic and enduring graphic identities of the twentieth century. Born in Milan in 1931, Vignelli displayed an interest and aptitude in design at a relatively early age. At sixteen, he began working as a draftsman at Castiglioni Architects in Milan. Here, he not only became immersed in the practice of architectural design, but also in the ideas of key Modernist thinkers.
As a designer, Vignelli firmly believed that design should be clean, simple, and completely timeless. He detested trends and what he referred to as the “culture of obsolescence.” For him, good design surpassed the merely ephemeral, something he believed was a cause of waste and “visual pollution.” He favored primary colors and simple typefaces. “I don’t believe,” he has written in The Vignelli Canon, “that when you write dog the type should bark!” While Vignelli limited himself to just a few colors and typefaces, he was able to create intriguing, eye-catching designs through his clever plays with proportion, space, and balance. Like many of his modernist peers, he was obsessed with the grid and his negotiation with its stark boundaries produced elegant and beautiful results.
In 1967, Massimo Vignelli was commissioned to redesign the graphic identity of the American furniture company, Knoll. Known for its modernist furniture by designers such as Eero Saarinen, Marcel Breuer, and Harry Bertoia, Knoll’s products were perfectly suited to Vignelli’s timeless aesthetic. In the graphic program that Vignelli produced for Knoll, one can see many of his ideas at work, from his preference for clear, organized space to his use of the new (at the time) Helvetica typeface, something Vignelli undoubtedly favored because of its versatile simplicity. This poster depicts the Knoll logotype in large letters that overlap to form an almost abstract pattern. While a number of Knoll’s products are depicted as line drawings on the back of the poster, none are visible on its recto. Alone, the colorful, bold type communicates beautifully the power and elegance of the Knoll brand.
The Kingston, New York studio of Blackcreek Mercantile. Written and photographed for Design*Sponge.
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On a drizzly November morning last week, I found myself standing in the Kingston, NY studio of Joshua Vogel, learning way more about bees than I ever thought humanly possible. Joshua, a wildly talented woodworker—and apparently quite the loquacious fellow—has just finished telling me about propolis, the bee-produced material that is a key ingredient in his company Blackcreek Mercantile’s cutting board oil. Did you know that this wondrous, naturally anti-bacterial varnish is the only thing aside from honey and wax that honeybees produce? Did you know that, in the winter, bees will form a massive huddle and vibrate in unison to keep warm? I certainly didn’t. Although I’m meant to be snapping photographs of the space, I can’t help but feel momentarily transfixed. Joshua’s obvious passion for everything he does is quite clear—and it’s infectious.
It’s this passion that led Vogel to create his two businesses—Blackcreek Mercantile and his fine art branch, Joshua Vogel. It’s also what led him to pen a do-it-yourself handbook on the art and history of hand-carved spoons, due out next fall from Chronicle Books. At his Midtown Kingston studio, housed in a former pajama factory, this passion is a guiding and energizing force. With a rambunctious and gung-ho team that includes woodworker Dan Votke, apprentice Max Friedman, and Josh’s partner, Kelly Zaneto, the atmosphere here is one of warmth, vitality, and conviviality. When I arrive, music is playing, coffee is brewing, wood is being turned, and Josh and Kelly’s daughter, Violet, is playing merrily in the office with studio assistant Rachel Silverbloom. If it was cold and dreary outside, one would never know.
This is to say nothing of Joshua’s actual work which is, simply put, absolutely stunning. Wonderful examples of lovingly handcrafted woodwork, Josh’s sculptures and design objects are beautiful both to look at and to hold. From elegantly carved spoons to luxurious black cutting boards, the boundary between art and functionality is practically non-existent. These are the sort of objects that one will want to use and display.
With the holidays just around the corner, Josh’s studio is producing at full-force, so we are thrilled that we were able to sneak in for a behind-the-scenes peek. We hope you enjoy the visit as much as we did!
Background: You know the phrase “the best thing since sliced bread?” Well, as it so happens, the exact date of this world-changing invention is in relatively recent history. Introduced by Wonder Bread in 1929, the concept of pre-sliced bread encapsulated many of the ideals of the time. The late 20s and early 30s saw the introduction of Modernism to America, largely through the over-the-top ornamentalism of the Art Deco and Moderne movements—it wasn’t so much about functionality, but the novel and the superficially futuristic. Scientific and industrial advances had captured the nation’s imagination, something that created a thirst for products that embodied these ideas—even if that product was bread, pre-sliced. Since then, Wonder Bread has become part of the the American canon, the embodiment of the American impulse for wild innovation and an icon of our Atomic Age. In 1939, Wonder Bread took part in New York City’s World’s Fair, an event that showcased similarly futuristic productions, from advances in agricultural technology to the latest and greatest in automobiles. Although it may not seem this way today—indeed, we have long-since abandoned the fluffy white goodness of Wonder Bread for healthier options—Wonder Bread (and its mythology) fit in perfectly.
Design: Carlton Cabinet
Designer: Ettore Sottsass
Date: 1981
Movement: Postmodernism
Country of Origin: Italy
Manufacturer: Memphis
Materials & Construction: Wood, plastic laminate
Background: While the garish colors, irregular forms, and shamelessly commonplace materials featured in this cabinet might come off as distasteful and ostentatious to some, this was in many ways the whole point. Ettore Sottsass, the object’s designer, was the founder and primary maker of the Italy-based Memphis Design Group, a collective that adopted many of the Postmodernist impulses of the early 1980s. Eschewing the perceived banality and false objectivity of Modernism, the Memphis group sought to dismantle the notion that design should be (or even could be) purely functional. In stark opposition to the “less is more” and “form follows function” dictums of Modernism, Sottsass and his cohorts subscribed much more to architect Robert Venturi’s notion that “less is a bore,” giving priority to emotion, humor, and symbolism rather than any utopian ideal. Although many designers and critics found Memphis design ugly and overly novel, others saw its blatant disregard for rules as liberating—a welcome breath of fresh air in a design world that had for too long been dominated by rigidity and precision.
After spending several years living within the concrete confines of Manhattan, designer Bill Hovard began to get the itch that befalls many a longterm New Yorker—the desire to uproot to greener, quieter pastures. In 2002, Bill began his search by drawing a 90-mile radius around the city and eventually followed the country’s siren call to the quiet town of South Kortright, NY. Nestled deep within the Catskills, South Kortright features breathtaking mountain views, hillsides filled with grazing livestock, and the zen-like comfort that can only be found when one travels beyond the realm of cellphone reception. Although Bill had originally envisioned settling in a Federal-style farmhouse, his path led him to a derelict, but charming, 19th century barn. Despite its disrepair, the structure was solid and featured hand-hewn, old-growth post and beam construction, a bluestone foundation, and dazzling natural surroundings. “It was love at first sight,” Bill says.
Once he settled on the location for his country retreat, it was time to get to work. Over the course of eight years, Bill renovated the barn into a beautiful, comfortable, and fully-functional living space. “It was important to strike a balance between old new” Bill notes, “and no attempt was made to hide or mask renovations or additions. Ultimately, it was preserving the past and creating a dynamic space with 21st century amenities.” For Bill, this meant sourcing materials that were regional and appropriate to the home: locally quarried bluestone, repurposed oak fixtures salvaged from other structures, and milled cherrywood for the floors and cabinetry. Filled in with antique and Modernist furniture, the home is a balanced, timeless mixture of Bill’s tastes and regional flavor.
Today, Bill has vacated the city permanently to focus full-time on Hudson Made, a lifestyle brand that features artisanal wares from regional artists and makers. “In late August, the western field on the property is in full bloom with milkweed and offers nourishment to monarch butterfly on their migration South,” Bill says. “This is how the property was suitably named. ‘Milkweed Barn’ has subsequently gone from weekend retreat to full-time residence. It is now home.”
Not to send anybody into a blind panic, but it’s officially crunch time: Christmas is less than ten days away.If you’re anything like me, this time of year will find you frantically running around doing all of the holiday shopping you should have been doing months ago like a responsible, level-headed adult. If you’re feeling the pressure of the holidays building—both temporally and financially—don’t worry. We gotchu. While we can’t foot the bill for your holiday presents (that’s on you, dear reader), we can try to lighten your load with a fun lil freebie—gift tags! Download the template for these woodland-themed cuties, print them out on some card stock, and you’re one step closer to finishing your holiday to-dos like a CHAMP. Happy wrapping!
DIY picture frames, made from tape. Concepted, styled, photographed, and written for Design*Sponge.
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When I moved into my dorm room for my freshman year of college, the first thing I did was unpack a gigantic envelope filled with magazine clippings. I had spent the entire summer going through various fashion magazines, cutting out pages with an X-Acto knife and saving them so that in the near future, I could wallpaper my entire dorm with them. I made a point of arriving early on move-in day so that I could stake out my space in the room and begin what amounted to an extreme makeover. It goes without saying that, upon finding me knee-deep in fashion photos with hands blue from sticky tac, my new roommate was none too pleased. I could tell that he, a quiet skater dude who brought just a single poster with him, was horrified by my shameless takeover of the wall space. At the time, I was quite convinced that I was something of a fashionista and could not be swayed from the belief that my decorating antics were at the absolute pinnacle of taste. In retrospect, I could have toned it down a bit.
When I moved into my first apartment a year and a half later, I had mostly abandoned this style of decorating. Instead, I was determined to make my new living space as adult as possible. After all, this was a real apartment. Equipped with cheap frames from the dollar store, I arranged several of my own photographs on my bedroom walls. Even if they weren’t expensive custom frames, they made me feel infinitely more grown up.
Indeed, there is something inherently sophisticated about hanging picture frames on one’s walls. Perhaps it’s because they lend a space some semblance of intent, rather than the feeling that random bits have been thrown together. Unfortunately, many rentals and dorms restrict frame use because of rules forbidding nails or tacks. Additionally, frames can be cumbersome to move and ones that aren’t from the dollar store can be quite costly.
As a cheap, easy and surprisingly chic alternative, consider framing magazine clippings, photographs and postcards with different colored tapes. The supplies travel lightly, can be changed frequently and can be purchased for very little.
