iPhone BBD App is a mobile application that allow you to design a typeface with your finger. I find very inspiring this new approach of type design: you don’t have bezier curves or special grids and no need of pen/arrow/zoom/snaps tools: just use your finger. Really hand made .

This is another test. A bit random, 80s and squared. All the glyphs are mono spaced and the lines are huge.

My overall consideration is that this kind of type design highlights the importance of using new tools. This leads to some developing alternatives and a different approach: understanding that it’s impossible to have a 5 column grid for an A letter, makes you think out of the box (and design a shitty A -sometimes). The design process is more important then the result because following a different path to complete your goal gives new points of view and ideas. Even if it’s too soon to close a complete font using only a smartphone, I believe this is the direction to the new type faces era.

This is my first stop motion music video. I’ve always wanted to tell a story with the stop motion technique and music plus lyrics are the perfect ingredients to start with. The song Holy Freebased Blues from Headquarter Delirium, the last album of Giovanni Ferrario, came at the right time.

Once I got the story and the rhythm I started working on the idea and the storyboard with Laura Veronesi.
Laura and I whilst in Lisbon (2009) shot the 3000+ pictures used in the movie clip. It took me ages to organize, import, sync and export the whole material because I was totally new on this. It was fun and I loved to have made this project.

When Luca Ruggenenti asked me to design his first music CD booklet I accepted blindly. As soon as I’ve listened to the music (recorded at Stefano Castagna Studio and produced by Giovanni Ferrario) and learned the stories behind the lyrics I decided to make something completely out of standards. Once discussed the concept and the prints budget I started researching and sketching the artworks. The first idea was to make a pop-up booklet containing the CD, but I had no time and budget to project seven or more pop-up pages (each pop-up has its hollow punch, bends and glow areas). That’s why I focused on just one big pop-up (the fox) and an unconventional way to present the compact disc inside the booklet.

It’s not easy to get good print quality with reasonable prices (I’m near Brescia, Italy) and it’s even more difficult to find a small printing company interested in follow such a small and complex project (we print only 500 copies the first round). Hollow punches, bends, glow, hard cover, three kind of paper hand assembled. There was no time to make any print test because the dead line was too short: this happens most of the time and can have very funny consequences. All in all I’m very satisfied with the result and I wish to keep working on print projects (every day more rare).

Since then I’m working on his visual communication, making different sort of thing, such business cards, menu graphic design and branding. This year I’ve rebuilt his brand strategy and made it more straight and simple: only three leading services (catering, consulting and teaching), plus a special “food project” every 6 months (soon we’ll launch it, stay tuned). I’ve merged his newsletter and news into an integrated blog and we have also explored some social networks (facebook, linkedin and issue): he knows so many crazy stuff it’s a pity not share! We decided not to spend even one cent in advertising and develop a solid SEO and gain something day by day (no rush in the kitchen!?).

I’ve used wordpress as web platform and I can tell is a better and better tool for web design. It made me want to develop a Creative Commons theme to use for my new thinkless website and share. I also wanted to make it mobile ready and follow the w3c standars.

I’m spending more time shooting, reading and playing with my iPhone then with my Macbook (yes, sometimes I work too! ) and I was considering how I’ve changed my opinion in these years about software, hardware, art and communication-wow! lots of changes lately. I’ve always had the idea that the beauty is mostly in process of doing something rather then in results. It took me years to let go of photo films (well, sometimes I still have the pleasure) and consider Photoshop as part of my photography. Catching the moment with my camera is already a great job for me (hey! I’m not a pro) and since I’m using a camera phone I take very different pictures. At the beginning I thought I would never publish nor share them because they were so different from “my way” of taking pictures (and I’m not talking about technique), but I realized later their interesting aspects and their power: in their simplicity they are truly representing what I’ve seen and what I’ve felt about the situation or atmosphere.

It’s about being smartly fast or not be at all!

So I decided to go further and seek for other people using camera phone as their photographic tool for projects and work. There are so many with so cool projects! Just to name few of them: David Hockney, Dennis Dunleavy, Matt Bango. On the other side, there are many who don’t consider the camera phone as tool to take serious. I think this new approach is an inevitable way to break the conventional boundaries of mobile devices photography and show to people many different ways to take pictures.

I recently organized with llot creative network the iPhone art photography open contest aiming to promote research results and stimulate further interest in new media and social networking in relation to art and photography. The project in less then a week has collected many pictures and the participants have responded very well with discussion about post production, editing and software (Apps) used in their arts.

I also want to share some pictures made with iPhone and edited with MoreLomo App. Nothing special, but made and uploaded (on flickr) with the blink of an eye.

But I’m not here to review the technology, I just want to share a custom script I’ve wrote to add the Google “Buzz it” button into AddToAny Wordpress Plugin. You just have to go in the Share/Save Buttons settings and add the following lines in the additional options field (replace EXAMPLE.COM with your domain):


var a2a_config = a2a_config || {};
a2a_config.custom_services = [
["Buzz it",
"http://www.google.com/reader/link?title=A2A_LINKNAME_ENC&url=A2A_LINKURL_ENC",
"http://www.EXAMPLE.COM/googlebuzz_16x16.png"
]
];


I made a quick png version of the Google Buzz icon, but you can use any icon you want to.
16×16 px and 32×32 px

Try it out clicking on the Share icon below. If you find bugs or you improve it, let me know.

I’ve recently joined Behance Network. Even if the set up it’s not really user friendly, I must say there is still fresh and hot material to get inspired. I wonder if and how they can check every single request to join. Anyway, I find it very useful to have access to awesome portfolio and search for quality inspiration. I would keep adding some works time to time, with more focus on typography. Here the artworks to start with.

Download the free fonts.

I’ve recently been working on a name, a typeface for her and a new life.
Been always upstairs and downstairs I’ve decided to make a typeface from an iPhone: yes! I’m making this font with my fingers (literally).
I just want to share the most creative moment of my life.
I will publish as soon I’ll finish the complete capital alphabet under Creative Commons with all the details and the making off.
Loving Greta.

Everybody can do beautiful portraits, with a super cool camera and big names. What really impress me are Enzo’s stories behind the pictures. He brings the photograph to another level where there’s no more interest in lights, focus, deep field and the “behind the scene” becomes the main character.

Enzo Dal Verme exhibition opened Saturday the 5th of December 2009 at wave galley, Brescia. I took some iPhone pictures of his projected photographs over a wall with the words “divieto d’affissione” (post no bill) during the launch party. In another situation it could have looked like a testimonial campaign about removing prints advertising form public walls. Overall there was a friendly and warm atmosphere: of course, there were candles and a sheep!

“Project Group nasce dalla voglia di creare un gruppo al servizio dello sviluppo e del miglioramento. Un gruppo di professionisti che lavora con impegno e passione per dare valore alle organizzazioni clienti.”

Actually I work in the web business unit of Project Group with the coolest guys around: Alessandro Mininno, Fabrizio Martire, David Saitta and Giorgio Mininno. Everyone has a different background and together we are trying to make a better web 2.0. Brand analyses, viral and buzz, social media marketing, creative commons, design communication and nerd talks are our daily agenda. We’re still warming up, but stay tuned because we getting ready to beat you in Street Fighter whilst developing your web marketing plan and re-design your corporate identity.72VHKB78DPYK

The best way to shoot Berlin is using a Leica camera, of course. During the last three years I went quite often to Berlin and every time I shared the coolest situation with my finger on the shutter (Digilux III, 50mm f 2.0 and 28-55mm f 2.8-3.5). Berlin is changing so fast that sometime I had the impression to discover new places just because a renovation or a demolition. You never get board to look around and the city excites your eyes constantly. I took thousands of pictures in the same places and I still haven’t enough. Your brain is always stimulated by the old-new sensation making you feel like a little explorer with his camera: you can’t miss a thing, even if you are walking back home again and again. Here a selection, and more on my flickr map.

This is the third and probably the last of the series: three stop motion videos about How to make original cocktails and having lots of fun drinking them.

Laura Veronesi and I have started this project during an holiday trip to Nottingham UK, visiting Thomas Colombo: the craziest mixologist ever. He made me a Milano Torino Breakfast cocktail, yes! with a croissant aside. We shot it right away. After a couple of days he made another cool cocktail: 16 Red Snapper.
I definitely enjoy to make this kind of improvise photo sessions and do not know exactly where to go with the shooting.

This last video was shot in Italy during holidays with a little of pre-production and storyboard. We let Thomas four-five hours standing in the swimming pool with short and bow tie trying to keep everything in its right place and the cocktail done.
A special thanks to Pat, the chilliest man on pool.

What is it?
It’s a friendly orange card that stores up to 4GB worth of photos and videos – but also uploads files wirelessly to your computer and sharing sites like Flickr, Facebook, YouTube and more! The Explore and Pro cards will even geo-tag your shots invisibly and automatically (thanks to one free year’s worth of unlimited Wi-Fi hotspot access).

I decided to try it out during a three day “gipsy” wedding in Rovinj, Croatia. Sounds a bit crazy I know. But it was a real moving wedding from Friday to Sunday. It was the first wedding I’ve ever participated with a camera, plus wherever there was an hotspot available all my photos would be publish on my mobileMe account straight away. I had to think twice before shooting but at the same time don’t loose the “wedding moments”. After a couple of Croatian grappa around noon I just start shooting and having fun, completely forgetting rules technology and wireless. I must confess I had to delete a few pictures . Here my selection.

Thanks to Joe from Photojojo and thanks to Christiane and Dejan (husband and wife)

August 2009, Thomas Colombo prepares a 16 Red Snapper cocktail at Bar Sixteen, Derby UK
Stop Motion Video to be continued.

I’ve always loved Lisbon and I’ve decided to live there for a while and find out more about the city and Portugal. I spent eight month in the capital from October 2008 to June 2009. Awesome!
Lisbon has a very special light that seems to ask you shooting every time. Thanks to my local friend, colleague and guide Francisco Uhlfelder, I had the chance to be at the right places in the right moments. I took many pictures with different cameras, but the ones most reflect my Portuguese atmosphere were taken with an old lomo lc-a and positive films (FujiChrome Sensia, Velvia – also Kodak Ektachrome).

July 2009, 10.12 AM, Thomas Colombo prepares a Milano Torino Breakfast cocktail at Bar Sixteen, Derby UK
Stop Motion Video to be continued.

2006 | Gestweb research,  icons set

2007 | Gestweb research Key Family, interface design.

“KEYfamily è il software di protezione internet per minori che consente di gestire l’accesso in modo differenziato per ogni utente. Infatti è possibile stabilire le regole di navigazione fino ad un massimo di 5 utenti/ gruppi di utenti che comprendono filtri per la navigazione internet di analisi semantica (content filtering), eventuale gestione di liste personalizzate, accessi criptati, tipologie di file, visualizzazione dei log di navigazione ed attività e tempi di navigazione.”

2009 | IMAGER, Campari Jelly by Davide Franzoni

This is a video clip extracted from Imager project: www.imager.it

Read more about the project.

It’s been a long time I’ve tried to photograph flowers, but with no satisfaction. Lately, I took the chance to photograph some beautiful gardens around Sintra, Portugal with a different approach. Instead of trying to capture the beauty of the flowers (mostly much better for real then pictured) I went for the idea of them, the essence. I realized that blur and motion shots are perfect for my point of view because they abstract enough the subject giving a completely new shape and meaning.

Isn’t it nice, taking a different way home, to discover an hidden treasure? or simply watching things with a new twist? I’ve mixed several common sounds with everyday images (like birds chirps and antennas in the sky) creating a new version of my surroundings on the edge between reality and dream. Simply reframing the relation between images and sound open the door to funny and inspiring perceptions.

A container for space creators. Movement defines space, dancing reinvent the space around us and a container is no longer a limited area but a receptacle of art expressions.

“È un luogo di produzione e spettacolo dove il movimento e le idee creano spazio all’innovazione nelle arti performative che necessitano una collocazione diversa rispetto al tradizionale teatro. È un luogo dove ogni individuo viene coinvolto in prima persona potendo scegliere  tra un ampio ventaglio di corsi di danza e altre discipline del corpo, dove si può assistere e organizzare prove e spettacoli, incontrare artisti di tutto il mondo, partecipare a conferenze e stages mensili di respiro internazionale.”

• Logo
• Flash website www.container12.com
• Blog News www.container12.com/news
• Flayers, Posters and Postcards

2007 | Container 12, dance and performing arts, corporate identity

2009 | IMAGER, Black and White Martini by Davide Franzoni

This is a video clip extracted from Imager project: www.imager.it

Read more about the project.

Download evereverse font

2007 | evereverse, visual communication, typeface, mac – pc (TrueType)

“Sillón 8, un nuevo periódico gratuito que se acerca a la cultura de modo divertido, brillante y dinámico, es una publicación totalmente criolla que sin embargo deja siempre sus puertas abiertas al mundo que se encuentra fuera de nuestras fronteras terrestres y mentales. Es un periódico trimestral en el cual todos podemos participar, en el cual todos tenemos un espacio para decir lo que pensamos, para que la riqueza creativa de nuestra tierra llegue a todos los rincones donde las personas quieran compartir y aprender.”

www.sillon8.com

@identity #thinkless

The meaning of the word identity is changing fast. My online profile is getting more and more important in my daily life and it’s not something just related to the screen anymore. Social networks logos are becoming strong brands and when I think how they interfere with myself, I image an identity function (with me, the community and the society) where I can morph my surroundings to best fit in, or just reverse the equation (vice-versa) causing a kind of freedom to express myself and communicate. But also, by definition, the identity function always returns the same value that was used as its argument, changing the hot spot from the result to the process to solve it. I find this path very interesting because it has affected all the people I know but still in so many different way that turns difficult explain the equation or understand what was their start.

2006 | Ritratti d’inchiostro by Luca Lombardi, writer, Flash website

www.ritrattidinchiostro.it

2007 | Container 12, dance and performing arts, Flash website

www.container12.com

See the complete design project

2006 | Sergen serigrafia, Flash hot-site

www.serigrafiasergen.it (website offline)

2008 | Muovo, truck and alternative advertising, Flash website

Extra Ordinary ADV. Muovo crede nell’innovazione e nella ricerca. Evitia i luoghi comuni e il sovraffollamento visivo, selezionando solo spazi extra ordinari. Progettia, sviluppa ed allestisce spazi pubblicitari innovativi, dinamici e ad alto impatto.

www.muovo.net (website offline)

2008 | Format, progetti abitativi, corporate identity

Format is a design company from Torino, Italy, that offers a wide range of tailor made design solutions.
“Format propone soluzioni abitative contemporanee e progetti di design, con grande attenzione al trend attuale ed all’originalità.”

The project, started as a redesign, changed completely the visual identity of the company. The first thing to do was to choose a new name (before was “Spinello”) and a new tag name (the old one was “mobili”). After a few months of researching and exchanging ideas I came up with “Format, progetti abitativi”. We decided to redesign everything, but at the same time create some standards to make the corporate identity extremely easy to use. I ended up with simple square modules and well balanced color palette. The project is still on going: new flickr account, soon on facebook and a cool external project.

www.formatabitativi.it

2009 | IMAGER, Secret Recipe Stop Motion VIdeo by Laura Veronesi

This is a video clip extracted from Imager project: www.imager.it

Read more about the project.

2007 | Container 12, dance and performing arts, logo

See the complete design project

2008 | Giovanni Ferrario, Headquarter Delirium, booklet cd design

It’s been a long time I’m working with Giovanni over his visual identity (years ago I did his website and press shots). Last year I designed his fisrt booklet cd released as Giovanni Ferrario (his last project was published as Micevice). We usualy collaborate remote, becouse both of us are used to travel quite often, and this time was funny becouse he was in Italy, I was in Berlin and the publisher was in Luxembur.
The fisrt design project concept was about a journey on four wheels, with pictures from travels I did using a SuperSampler Lomo camera (absolute fun!). But after a discussion with the publisher over the cover I decided to change the whole concept using only one picture and keep it clean with an easy to read booklet. Below some skratch from the first idea.

2005 | John Parish, Once Upon A Little Time, photo session

Wow! I had a really great time with John and the band: Jean-Marc Butty (drums) Marta Collica (keyboards/vocals) and Giorgia Poli (bass/vocals). We spent three days together at Perpetuum Mobile studio (by Marco Tagliola and Asso Stefana), Nave (BS) Italy. I was shooting their day life while they were rehearsing the upcoming Once Upon A Little Time show: intense, smooth and peacefull. Some photos were used to promote the new album release.

www.johnparish.com

2008 | Format, progetti abitativi, Flash website

www.formatabitativi.it

See the complete design project

2008 | Format, progetti abitativi, logo
I have created a very simple color pallet to use with the logo and allow different combinations and mood.

www.formatabitativi.it

See the complete design project

Download wwwar font

2005 | Warweus, internet solutions typeface, mac – pc (TrueType)

2007 | Finenco Group, corporate identity

Finenco Architects was one of the first Italian Architectural and Design Firms registered in China, and now it is one of the leading companies in the entire Asian area.
During my Shanghais staying, I have created and developed:

• logo rebrand
• Finenco Architects website
• Finenco Construction Service website
• Brochure
• Portfolio sheets
• Business cards

2007 | Finenco Arch., architectural design firm, Flash website

www.finencoarch.com

See the complete desgin project

Raccolta di ispirazioni gustative. Immagini, suoni e parole attraverso il cibo.

Imager è un cortometraggio interattivo.
Un’insalata di immagini e visioni con un filo conduttore extravergine ed un pizzico di immaginazione.
Aggiunta di ingredienti speciali, interazione qb.

|

Inspiration ‘à la carte’: food as mean of expression.

Imager is an interactive short movie.
Newly picked visions and images dressed with moisturizing creative power. Crunchy extra bits and tangy interaction.
Chill before serving to let the flavors mingle nicely.

www.imager.it

2007 | Finenco Arch., architectural design firm, print communications

See the complete design project

2005 | Warweus, internet solutions, corporate identity

We presented the brand new visual identity in Brescia, Italy at NO PLACE FOR SPACE studio in June 2005, with a nice “we refactor” T-shirt as gadget.

• logo
• typeface
• business card (video)
• T-shit design
• Asteroid arcade video game launch event

View Warweus ascii art welcome.

Watch the video to see the business card material in action.

2005 | Roberto Abbadati, Chef, corporate identity

www.robertoabbadati.it

It’s always a pleasure working with Roberto. We started collaborate in 2005 and we still keep sharing many projects.

Here some links of what we have done and keep doing:

• Roberto Abbadati blog
• monochromes
• pictures
• event book

Download lca3 font

2006 | personal typeface, mac – pc (TrueType)

2007 | Francesco Cancarini, photographer, corporate identity

The project, started as a re-brand, brought me to create a completly new indentity for the photographer.

• new logo
• new website
• new business card and promo flyer

2005 | Roberto Abbadati, Chef, Flash website

www.robertoabbadati.it

See the complete design project

2008 | Thomas Colombo, Mixologist, logotype

www.thomascolombo.com

2007 | Milan, Roberto Abbadati food performance Flayer menu

www.robertoabbadati.it

See the complete design project

2004 | Adequa, human resources, corporate identity

• logo
• website (offline)
• office papers
• promotional flayers

2006 | Enzo Dal Verme, photographer, Flash website

www.enzodalverme.com