If you know me at all, you know that my two favourite genres of music are folk and electronica. While you might say that these two genres are pretty much polar opposites, I'd say that they're contrasting enough to be a perfect match. And in walks this gem of an album. Watson, a native of Montreal, has managed to marry ethereal and spooky synths with soft piano and acoustic guitar. Not to mention the quality of his voice, which carries a sweet sadness to it.
I have been following Watson for a while and am familiar with his two previous albums, but I really think he's come into his own with this one. Listen to the opening track below:
Accomplishment:
A new chapter has begun! Today marks my first day at my new job, and my first full-time adult-type job at that. After a day at EventMobi, I can see that things move pretty quickly there. I'm really excited to dig my teeth into the new projects we have going on, and as always I am happy to be again surrounded by design/development nerds who are as meticulous about detail as I am. It'll be a little while before I begin working on real projects, but the training is going interestingly enough. Of all things, I made a mock app of the 2015 Milan Expo as an exercise inside the CMS that produces the apps. All good fun. Though I must say that it looks a little strange to have the real Expo app beside my silly little mock app on my phone.
All of that said, probably the best part of the day was when two designers took me for lunch to Kinton Ramen. In that hour, I felt like a sponge. I tried to soak up everything I could about topics from Japanese crepe restaurants to the value of design management to the best and most accurate weather app that money can't buy (it's free). It's called Forecast.io and it's amazing.
Goal:
Now that I've seen the inside of this office in which I work, I know for sure that past Chloe was right. If I want to keep doing design stuff on the side for fun, I'll need to schedule time for it. So this week, I'll be scheduling time on Sunday for some serious work on my Wolf Parade infographic. It's pitiful to think of the steam I gathered at the beginning of the project, and need to gather again now. I'd say the hard part is pretty well finished since I've collected and plotted all of the data. It's just a matter of prettying it up a little, and maybe drawing the heads of all of the band members. That won't take more than a day (I hope!)
This is all making me feel like I am becoming a statistic myself – using Sundays to get all of my chores done. Ah well, there isn't a lot I can really do to help that, now that I am a nine-to-fiver with all the other poor saps.
Random Thought:
By now, it's pretty much an undisputed fact that the Green Room is Toronto's best bar. Cheap and delicious drinks and food, lots of places to sit on mismatched chairs and sofas, and a pretty outdoor patio. One thing that I think goes amiss about the place (and about its Bathurst & College sister Nirvana) is the amount of awesome art that adorns the walls. Even when it isn't awesome, it's still really intriguing to look at. I've noted that the art is all for sale by artists, which makes it even better. The bars get to run a loop of continually changing art (which, dare I say, freshens the soul), and the artists get a forum through which to have their art seen by lots of people (and possibly even make a sale here or there). Even if the establishments take a cut of the sales, I still think it's a great example of synergy in the city and always make a point to look at the art in restaurants that have pieces for sale.
Inspiration: Milan Expo 2015
I am a big fan of World Fairs and the connection they provide between people from different cultures and countries. You may have seen the branding project I did for Toronto's bid to be the host city in 2025. This year the expo is happening in Milan, Italy, and the branding is quite nice.
I love the mix of primary colours and how they overlap to create more colours. And the way that the numbers of 2015 overlap with EXPO is really cool too. From the expo website:
The logo can be interpreted in different ways. It is made up of primary colors and linear shapes that represent simplicity but also versatility which is multifaceted. It represents the essence of food, where just a few simple ingredients can be combined to create an infinite number of recipes, each with a different taste. It is also the symbol of light and energy where simple primary colors create different shades and energies. In the same way, Expo Milano 2015 represents the different fields of knowledge which, when brought together, create a new energy for the future.It feels so energetic and bright, which is in keeping with the theme of food and growth.
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