There are a lot of designs for growing plants upside down, but this is a pretty clever way to do it. Competitors advertise how you can grow vegetables using this method, but I think it looks more classy with flowers and ivy.
Johnny Strategy is the pen name of the author of Spoon & Tamago, a Tokyo / New York based design blog. Raised in Tokyo and educated in New York, Johnny holds a unique design perspective and shares it with viewers by providing a collection of beautiful and inspiring images from Japan, the United States, and across the globe.
It is easy to see that you are influenced by your upbringing in Japan and your higher education in the U.S. What was your first impressionable moment that involved design as a child? I was never that into art or design as a child, at least not consciously. It wasn’t until high school that I took a ceramics class with a really inspiring teacher, Mr. Nimori. That was when I first really discovered the Japanese aesthetic and everything about it suddenly made sense to me. He set me up to do a mini-apprenticeship with a Japanese master and even sacrificed a weekend to take me into rural Chiba to introduce me. That was an amazing experience.
What is it that you wish to bring to your American viewers that can only be found in the Japanese culture? I guess I’m just trying to share high-quality undiscovered work that I’m sure would inspire people around the world. It would be rad if someone saw something they liked and decided to incorporate a certain theme or concept into their own work.
It can be difficult to scour the online design world and find content worthy of blogging about. How do you seem to find a selection of such interesting finds for Spoon & Tamago? It is a difficult task and I couldn’t do it without my wife. Ninety percent of what we write about comes from our own independent research. We have an extensive database of designers, design shops and art galleries whose websites we frequent. And everything is so intertwined now that one thing usually leads to another. We are also associated with boheme, an artist collective based out of Tokyo, who we talk to occasionally and exchange information.
Are there designers who you work with or know in Japan that use your blog as a catalyst to their cross-cultural work? There are a couple gallerists and design collectives that we talk to, but we don’t work with anybody. However, designers have contacted us after we wrote about them, telling us how previously they had close to zero exposure and now have a couple interviews lined up with magazines. Correspondence like that has been one of the more rewarding things about running Spoon & Tamago.
What is your view on cutting-edge design in the United States compared to the work of Japanese design? I believe that the success of a designer lies in their ability to grasp and understand the future needs of people. And to look into the future one must first turn to the past. Therein lies the advantage of Japanese designers. An accumulation of culture and tradition rests in the past and is an immense resource for creativity and innovation. Their land is overflowing with stories of the past. There are arts and crafts, skills and techniques, religions and practices, all of which have been passed down from generation to generation. Some have complete historical records while others are known only in their current state. Nonetheless, they are all tools of the designer.
Blogging can be a great release for writers who need an artistic outlet or a great way for designers to share inspiring and creative work. What is Spoon & Tamago for you? It started out as a journal; a tool to catalog everything that I liked and was inspired by. If you go back to my earlier posts you’ll see there is much less geographic bias. However, my blog eventually took on a life of its own. I began to understand that I could really add value and make meaningful contributions because of my background in art (I majored in Fine Art, minored in Art History) and from growing up in Japan. I was able to place these designers in context and that’s when people really started to respond to my posts. And that’s when I started writing not only for myself but for others, as well.
Who or what inspires you to create and drives you to discover new things? I’m inspired by a lot of things. Lately I’ve been inspired by literature. I’m also inspired by food and the presentation of it, nature photography, animals, rust and other forms of deterioration, just to name a couple. I’m also inspired by my wife and two kids. Having kids has been great because they pull you into their world and you’re able to reunite with your childhood imagination; the stuff you thought you misplaced many years ago.
Is there any genre of design that interests you more than others – product design, fashion, photography, architecture? I suppose my background in ceramics inclines me towards sculpture. Industrial design, as well, because of the sculptural characteristics.
I can imagine that seeing art and design firsthand is more fulfilling in person than clicking links and searching online. Do you travel much from Asia to the States for your work? I do. I travel to Japan at least twice a year. And I’m always making new discoveries. During my previous trip to Japan I found myself in the corporate headquarters of a company in Shinjuku and I saw they had a small museum. Not thinking much of it I decided to kill some time there. As I was concluding the tour I arrived at their prized possession, which turned out to be the original Van Gogh “Sunflowers” painting! It’s been hiding there for the last 20 years. I thought that was pretty crazy.
Floor of an elevator made to look like a 1,000-foot drop! I hope no one has passed out in this elevator.
Scale is everything when you are seeing this advertisement from above. From a distance, these people walking over and around this scratching dog look like fleas.
Everyone dreams about what they would rather be doing; this advertisement shows how extreme that may be for some people.
Clever way to advertise “shark week” on a city bus. I bet it looks way cooler in person!
This vacuum billboard takes a second to get, but it is pretty good.
Nothing says “we sell jumbo muffins” like a car crushing advertisement set-up showing jumbo muffins falling from a billboard.
Awesome billboard idea, but too much white space leaves your logo left unseen.
Driving around the corner and seeing this skyline billboard would set you back. I love how advertisers are creating up exhibit designs to retain the attention of consumers.
Wow, now that is putting trust in the product you are advertising! 3M claims it sandwiched real money into this bus stop advertising campaign.
The wheels on the bus go round and round, round and round…
This is a clever way to seek out jobseekers at an ATM. This company has an entire ad campaign with miserable people shown ‘working’ in automated machines, like coffee machines and photo booths, as if they are actually inside.
Italian manufacturer Boffi is reissuing Joe Colombo’s Minikitchen, a monobloc kitchen on castors, designed in 1963. This is more proof that good design does demand relevance in new times. The all-in-one design would still fit into any small dwelling, or any museum, for that matter.
One of the more famous Colombo pieces is his 5 in Uno nesting glass design. I have seen this before but was just reintroduced to the designer when reading that the Minikitchen was being produced again. I think both of these designs are timeless and deserve recognition for their unique and inspiring qualities.
Joe Colombo’s 5 in Uno glass design.
This Children’s Paper Chair design is a great idea for your little scribblers. Rolled up into 1,640 feet of white surface, this drawing easel allows your little one to sit on the paper roll to draw; as it is spun forward the height of the seat lowers. The roll of paper can even be flipped over to use every square inch of white space. What a clever way to focus your child’s creativity onto a surface you don’t have to scrub clean!
Judson Beaumont is owner of Vancouver-based Straight Line Designs, established in 1986. Known for his custom wood, fiberglass and mold making, Beaumont enjoys offering a whimsical view into his world through furniture and exhibit design. Much of Beaumont’s studio work has been displayed around the world and on numerous design sites.
What was your first impressionable moment that involved design as a child?
I never did art classes as a child, it wasn’t until graduating high school that I started to look into it as a profession. I then began to look at design more seriously and decided to take the concept farther by attending art school.
It is easy to see that you are influenced by your childhood; what are the things from your childhood that you wish to pass on to others through your work?
I try to pass on the ideal of never limiting yourself or your creativity, take chances and hold onto the childlike fascination with the abstract.
You attribute your style to people like Walt Disney, Dr. Seuss, Warner Brothers, Pee-wee Herman, as well as designers like Philippe Starck and Frank Gehry. Have you had the opportunity to meet or correspond with any of these cultural icons?
I have met both Frank Gehry and Philippe Stark at various trade shows. I admire the fact that they push the limits more than any other designers, always reaching forward and defying limitations.
How did you make the transition from student to business owner, creating Straight Line Designs out of design school?
I never wanted to leave art school; for me it was the greatest thing I had every experienced. After going through a short trial in the movie industry, I decided to venture out on my own and start my own studio. My plan was to create my own art school environment.
What is the key to your success in your design studio, having worked nearly 25 years with so many clients on so many projects? Is it the atmosphere, the content of your work, or maybe the end result of seeing people enjoying your finished work?
I think it is a little bit of everything combined. The talent of my staff, being able to create such unique products and getting to enjoy the reactions afterwards.
How important is it for you to have sketches and renderings to communicate to your clients before you create your finished designs?
It is one of the most important aspects of design. It is very important for me to visualize the project with the client on paper before it ever begins being built.
You have said that you try to incorporate elements into your designs that make each project un-intimidating, interactive and fun. Is this difficult when working with a medium such as wood?
No, we work with many different techniques to bend the wood and create unique shapes, we definitely push the medium. We also incorporate fiberglass and mold making into our list of materials, as well.
Giving talks and slide shows must be rewarding, but how do you make time for speaking engagements; do you travel to schools and businesses or do they come to your studio?
It is definitely a little bit of both. I enjoy going to schools and events and talking with students but it is also great to get them down to the studio so they can see everything in a real working environment.
What should an aspiring designer do every single day, with the intention of becoming a better designer through habit?
I would say sketching, and researching are definitely the most important stepping stones to becoming a better designer. Looking into other artists, getting inspired and seeing what others are doing around you.
I don’t know about this one; designer fire extinguishers? There are some things that are better left untouched, and I believe the fire extinguisher may be one of those things. To redesign the color scheme of one of the most recognized, standard products worldwide would not be a wise venture.
This design reminds me of a story a college instructor once told about being commissioned to design signage for a newly built community of homes. Ignoring the standard of fire engine red for stop signs, my instructor had used the shade of blue assigned to the community’s signage brand for the stop signs. Yeah, you can guess the end result.
Stop signs are red, record buttons are red and fire extinguishers are red; that’s just how it is!
This IPhone app drafting template is pretty sweet. Use it to storyboard that awesome app you think is going to turn the world upside down. The reflective metal material is reminiscent of the Apple brand, but I think that the old-school, green plastic drafting template would be way better.
Here are ten great images to make you say ‘wow’, all from the team at Straight Line Designs. I have seen these images peppered throughout the design blog world for some time now, but I thought I would include a top 10 of what I consider to be their most unique designs as a collection. Enjoy!
Finally, a gadget worth talking about that isn’t a cell phone. So many gadgets are being created with a cell phone as the core of the product; cell phones with cameras, cell phones with GPS, cell phones with MP3 players. This pocket-sized electronic features an HD video camera with a built-in projector. The 2.5 inch LCD is there for previewing, but if you want to showcase your footage on the back of a travel seat or on the wall of your home or office, there is a Pico projector built right into it. And of course, as with any new and exciting product to be leaked out to consumers, there is no timeline or price for this awesome gadget.
