Jeremy Spidell | Ten Years and Still Hongry
May 18, 2012 | No Comments | View »
Today’s another awesome one at Bluezoom; we’re enjoying the crap out of celebrating Jeremy Spidell’s (co-bawss) induction into the BZ Ten-Year Club.
Though each of us feels it, it’s damn near impossible to verbalize the presence and impact our player-coach has had on us as a business, as a team, and each of us as human beings (for the better, which is even harder to do). And we’d throw down the gauntlet to show us a bawss more intense, passionate, compassionate, and genuine – and that can bring the surprisingly good rap skills (unlike that 8th grade book report you’d like to sweep under the rug) and straight-up solid sense of humor that’ll make your gut hurt. While we poke fun at Jeremy’s very open love for culinary indulgence, at the heart of it, it’s a way to celebrate his healthy appetite for everything, his way of livin’. It’s contagious, and we wouldn’t be doin’ it the way we do (or where we do it) without it.
There’s a lot more to say and show, but for now we encourage you to raise a glass and a wing to Jeremy Spidell today/tonight/this weekend. He’s been busting ass, cracking up, pushing forward, and layin’ it down for ten straight. Big up yourself, Jeremy: we owe you.
As the jamboree continues, we’ll post up shareable pics and vids to the BZ FB. Keep eyes out.
Nuttin’ but love for ya,
-BZ
Hulk Work in Target
May 11, 2012 | No Comments | View »
Stumbled upon these in the toy section of Target this week – and was surprised, impressed, and reminded that the good stuff doesn’t have to be complicated. It just has to resonate. No motion sensors, no blinking lights, no projections. Just Hulk footprints in the right aisle, straight to where you (and the kids) can find all of the new Avengers merch. Smart and entertaining, pretty much like the movie itself. Check it out of you haven’t already, or check it out again if you have. Best Hulk since Ferrigno. And make your way to Target’s toy section to see these, and because toys are good for the soul.
Thanks again for your time this Friday afternoon. We hope you all have a great weekend. Maybe we’ll see you in the theater. Again.
Extra butter,
-BZ
Tags: Avengers > floor graphics > Hulk > point-of-purchase > Target
MCA was completely awesome
May 4, 2012 | No Comments | View »
Big heartache around here as word spreads about the death of Adam Yauch, Beastie Boy’s MCA. Before most of us were doing the advertising thing, we were busy being amazed and constitutionally affected by what MCA was putting down. Growing up with it. Learning it. We could yammer on about his (and their) influence musically, culturally, personally, and recite lyrics ad infinitum. But we’re gonna just say a big thanks and put Check your Head on, probably followed closely by Ill Communication. Or Paul’s Boutique. Listen to some Beasties and pour it out for MCA this weekend. Thanks, MCA for doing it the way you did it. It was right.
You can’t front on that.
-BZ
(and another hat-tip to @howowc for bringing it to our attention.)
It’s About Time, Beautifully
April 27, 2012 | No Comments | View »
Cast aside the artspeak you might’ve picked up in school or have been subjected to in galleries and coffee shops and just say DANG. Federico Pietrella’s date stamp paintings are worthy of your time and true feelings.
So take some more in and feel great about it right here.
(Discovered via the ever-excellent Colossal. Bookmark ‘em.)
That’ll do it for now. Thanks as always for looking our way. It’s never taken lightly.
Have the kind of weekend you’ll want to put a stamp on.
- BZ
Tags: art > federico pietrella > image rendering > inspiration
Sunday Browse | Circus Prints
April 22, 2012 | No Comments | View »
There’s no better time to gaze upon well-dressed acrobatic monkeys than a mellow, rainy spring Sunday afternoon – and the monkeys are just the beginning. So while you’re looking at the internet this afternoon, take a little time to stop over to the Netherlands’ CircusMuseum.nl and draw some inspiration from the art and design of a bygone era where jugglers, clowns, freaks, monkeys and magicians held center stage. Maybe even buy a print or two. Twelve categories in all, and in the curator’s words, “at the heart of the collection, and dating from 1880-1930, are nearly 3,500 colour lithographs by the Hamburg printer Adolph Friedländer.” Certainly worth a look before things get all buttoned up again tomorrow.
Thanks for checking us out this afternoon, and we’ll see y’all again later in the week.
Your honorary ringmasters,
- BZ
The RGB Revolution, Circa 1912
April 13, 2012 | No Comments | View »
Usually when we mention the RGB Revolution we’re talking about the ever-expanding universe of wonder unfolding on RGB pixel displays right before our very eyes. But not this time. This time, we’re taking a loving look back at what Russian photographer Sergei Mikhailovich Prokudin-Gorskii had going on 100+ years ago, which was this, amazingly:
“He used a specialized camera to capture three black and white images in fairly quick succession, using red, green and blue filters, allowing them to later be recombined and projected with filtered lanterns to show near true color images.”
That’s revolutionary. That’s DIY. That’s hacking. Knowing how stuff works and having your way with it. Very inspiring stuff from 100 years ago. Hat tip to Tommy Beaver for finding and sharing this article where we have and you can peruse 34 of these photographic, historic, and inspirational gems.
Thanks for your time, and have a great weekend.
From Russia with Love,
-BZ
More Cluster, Less Clusterfudge
April 5, 2012 | No Comments | View »
We know we’re supposed to be talking about Peeps this time of year, but something more delicious caught our eye while perusing the ever-enriching Brand New blog this afternoon. We’re finding the refresh of the GooGoo Cluster identity & packaging is especially sweet and savory. Hats off to Green Olive Media; you’ve done your client and the cluster-loving world a great service – and thanks to the GooGoo bosses for letting well-designed simplicity do its thing.
With that, we’re off to find some RC and enjoy the holiday (might even grab that GooGoo finder app). We’re hoping you have an equally enjoyable one.
Hop along,
-BZ
More images and opinions over at the Brand New post: http://www.underconsideration.com/brandnew/archives/gaga_for_googoo.php
Tags: GooGoo Cluster > identity > packaging > rebrand
The RGB Revolution – Paper via Pixels
March 30, 2012 | No Comments | View »
It’s apps like 53‘s Paper that change how people do stuff, it’s just that simple.
Are there more ‘robust’ sketch and paint apps within finger’s reach? Sure thing, go check out Procreate, it’s great for many, many different reasons. But for everything that an app like Procreate can do, it’s everything that Paper decides not to do that makes you rethink what ‘powerful’ can mean. Paper gets right to it without messing around. It’s effortless. It simplifies. That’s powerful – powerful enough even to have Michael shopping for a stylus (dangit) and Tommy thinking about skipping the pulp and graphite every now and then.
Let Melvin Parker warm up the stage with an important lesson, and then get right into the demo vid (you’ll see Paper don’t play). Then go get it. It’s free*. Even if you don’t have an iPad, go ahead and get it just in case.
Thanks, Melvin.
Enjoy,
-RGBZ
* it’s free to download the app, but there are in-app purchases to get everything Paper has to offer. Max is $8. Pack a lunch for a day and you’ve taken care of it.
Tags: 53 > app > draw > iPad > paint > Procreate > sketch
Everything is a Remix
March 22, 2012 | No Comments | View »
Remix: to combine or edit existing materials to produce something new.
The first time a good number of us heard Parliament/Funkadelic, it was actually Dr. Dre. Or would that be the other way around? Either way, as Dre’s genius source material eventually came to light, at first there was a little Dre magic lost, a little harshing of the buzz. You felt like you just learned something about the real world. But there was also the rush of (re)discovering new adventure in old terrain. The originals. Felt like striking oil. After that, the Dre could be appreciated on richer levels, too: as an innovator through appropriation, reapplication, and reinvention. Then you start trying to know every sample and reference in Paul’s Boutique. And before you know it, you’ve lived long enough to spot patterns, recyclings, and reuse of stuff that you knew when it was new, and realize for yourself that by and large, ”new ideas are merely several old thoughts that occur at the exact same time.” ( Jonah Lehrer, How We Decide) Everybody’s combining, overlaying. It’s the nature of creativity. And it really seems to be in bloom these days.
Kirby Ferguson is hip to this too, and has recently put the bow on his four-part web video series, Everything is a Remix that explores, educates, and entertains us on the almighty remix:
“Remixing is a folk art, but the techniques are the same ones used at any level of creation: copy, transform, and combine. You could even say that everything is a remix.“
Forsooth. We’ve embedded the first one here for you, and as the subtitle suggests, there’s a good bit of citing artists that Led Zeppelin seems to have failed to acknowledge. Dang, Jimmy. Dang.
But if you really want to do yourself a favor: get some peanut butter for your chocolate, grab your favorite upcycled repurposed drinking glass, and watch them all right here.
And while we’re at it, watch this, too. For real.
With a Whole Lotta Love,
-BZ
Tags: art > copy and paste > creativity > Jonah Lehrer > Kirby Ferguson > music > remix culture
Time and Place
March 16, 2012 | No Comments | View »
The good ones will tell you that drawing is less about the pencil, pen, and paper – that those are just tools for what drawing really is: mark making. One way or another, any which way and loose if that’s your taste. It’s the same sort of spirit that draws the line between photographers and gear junkies. (more on that some other time)
When we saw what Aaron Parecki had going on, recording his global position constantly for over three years and translating his location data graphically, we saw genius and beauty, but we also saw drawing, and found it a quite refreshing take on the art as well as the use of more science-leaning things. Great concept, beautiful execution.
We’ve embedded a small time-lapse rendering Aaron created below as well. We’d highly recommend you take a little detour this afternoon to get a deeper (and larger) look at Aaron’s thoughts and see more beautiful location drawing here: http://aaronparecki.com/GPS_Visualization, and take the challenge to consider other ways to make art of what you’re already doing.
Thanks again for reading and looking (and a thankful hat tip to DViCE for pointing us in the right direction).
We hope y’all have a great weekend.
Let’s go,
-BZ
Tags: aaron parecki > data visualization > gps