Norman Rockwell on Google Doodle
February 3, 2010
It was an awesome surprise to see Norman Rockwell on the home page of Google doodle today. I always felt that he was a very underestimated artist and overlooked and that he deserved so much more respect from the art community. Sometimes I hate how high-brow art critiques can be; and yes, I can see the faults in his work too.
Years ago I was lucky to spend some time near Arlington Vermont, close to where Rockwell did a lot of his later work. I saw many of I met a few of the local residents whom had the privilege to model for his paintings; while they were children. Than a year or so after that trip I visited the Guggenheim Museum in NYC to see a full restrospect of his carreer. It was there, that I not only was able to see his work in person for the first time but truly fell in love with his work.
I urge you to go seek out his work and rediscover it’s simplicity in story telling and fullness of his style.
Vimeo tries out new HTML 5 player!
January 22, 2010
One, if not the greatest video sites Vimeo, is trying out the latest HTML 5 video player which requires no flash.
As posted yesterday on the official Vimeo Blog:
We’re rolling out a new beta test today: the HTML5 player!
What’s the HTML5 player, you ask? Simply put, it’s an alternative to our current Flash player that looks and works almost exactly the same way. What are the benefits?
- The player loads right away — no more spinning butterfly thingy
- You can jump anywhere in the video, without having to wait for it to buffer
- Smoother, less jumpy playback (we hope)
That said, there are some drawbacks:
- It’s a beta test — it might be buggy!
- It only works for about 25% of you: you must be running the latest versions of Safari, Chrome, or IE with Chrome Frame installed.
- It cannot go full screen. Unfortunately this is a limitation of the browsers right now. We are working on adding at least full-window support in the next day or so.
- It only works on Vimeo.com right now, embed code will still be Flash.
- “Only” 90% of videos uploaded in the last year will work in the new player. All told, about 35% of all videos will still require the standard Flash player. In this case, Vimeo will automatically switch for you. It should just always work.
To enable the HTML5 player, click the “Switch to HTML5 player” link below any video. Enjoy!!!
This looks super sweet and I love the fact that this company is pushing forward with technology. You Go Vimeo!
Design Robot Videos
January 19, 2010
Wow, these videos nail it on the head for designers. Some clients are difficult to talk to. Enjoy! (sorry for the language.)
I just found this great video podcast called !Doctype starring Nick Pettit and Jim Hoskins. Basically, it’s a show for designers that want to know more about code or developers that want to kick up their coding to make it pop. I highly recommend you check them out and subscribe to the shows feed.
Enjoy a sample:
I Love Fred – Fred Products that is.
January 15, 2010
I have been a long time admirer of Fred & Friends Products. The fun and functionality of eveything they make blows me away. Maybe it’s just the kid in me, but I want to find more reasons to buy them.
You can usually find them in your local Spencers , Pop Deluxe or House Boutiuque stores.
Fred & Friends Plates
New Logo – Black Heart Productions
January 14, 2010
I was asked to design a logo and simple animation for Comedian Daniel Tosh’s production company, Black Heart Productions. you can see it at the end of each episode of Daniel’s Comedy Central show TOSH.0 – enjoy.
Black Heart Productions from BillBDESIGN on Vimeo.
Objectified
November 26, 2009
I was up the other night and caught part of the Objectified documentary. In case you have never heard of it, as they would say…
Objectified is a feature-length documentary about our complex relationship with manufactured objects and, by extension, the people who design them. It’s a look at the creativity at work behind everything from toothbrushes to tech gadgets. It’s about the designers who re-examine, re-evaluate and re-invent our manufactured environment on a daily basis. It’s about personal expression, identity, consumerism, and sustainability.
It was airing on a local PBS station and it made me want to run out and buy it. I already own the Helvetica doc by the same peeps.
Here is a clip from the doc and I hope you go out and see it for yourself.