As I think I have mentioned, music plays a huge part in my design and everyday life. So once and a while I am going to share a band or musician that I have recently discovered. They may not be new to you but they are either something I have just discovered or I have been listening to a lot lately.

Today I discovered Phantogram and they are phenomenal. their catchy beats and ethereal lyrics carry over well into a live setting which is rare, especially for a duo. Be sure to pick up their new album Eyelid Movies. Good stuff to work to.

In the spirit of the Winter Olympics starting next week (and I do love me some Olympics) I did a search for past Winter Olympics logos. My curiosity took me to a post from early last year showing all the logos from 1924 to 2010. It’s amazing the trends that are displayed throughout. They go from very dignified to more experimental.

On a 1 to 10 scale of creativity, the Vancouver 2010 logo is at most a 6 or 7. A 10 for me is the Mexico ’68. In my opinion, one of the best of both the summer and winter games. Although not a 10, I did like the 2006 Torino logo though. Of course, anything is better than the 2012 London logo.

Click here to read the article.

The 99 Percent has an interesting article about how public speaking is good for your design career. That may be but I still don’t like it…

Click here to read that article.

Ah, someone beat me to it. Actually, not really.

I am a Flash designer/developer at heart but I have ventured away from the medium for a while. Why? jQuery. Enough said. Most clients do not want a full Flash website, or they are not willing to pay for the work it entails. Instead, content is king (as it should be). The only Flash elements they want are either slideshows or, well, slideshows. Which I can accomplish easily, and less clunky, with jQuery. So do I abandon the beloved Flash which has given me a career? No. I just choose to learn new things and move on. If I don’t need Flash for something, I don’t use it. Plain and simple.

Now, on to the article…

The Withering Away of Flash. • A post from Full Stop Interactive’s Blog.

Something draws me to places like Iceland and the Nordic countries. Maybe it’s because that’s where my ancestors are from. I’m not sure. But there is something magical about those areas. After watching pieces from videographer Eva Sturm, I need to go. Her art is breathtakingly beautiful and subtle. She finds the beauty of the land and let’s it speak through her lens. After watching the above, check out her other works as well and you’ll see what I mean.

If you haven’t heard of Creative Mornings then you are really missing out. The talk series was started by swissmiss herself, Tina Roth Eisenberg, and features some gifted creative minds talking about everything from usability to creative thinking. This talk is especially meaningful as it features the one and only Michael Bierut of world-famous Pentagram, talking about the most important people in our careers, whether we like it or not, clients.

Dwell is the epitome of interior, product and architectural design exposure and their website is just as good, if not better, than their printed material. Especially the videos and slideshows sections. In this lovely morsel, the gents and ladies of Smart Design show universal design in the world of public bathrooms. Maybe there is something to all those travel plaza restrooms I venture into when I am on a road trip.

As you may have noticed I haven’t had many posts as of late. Blame a stomach bug that has plagued our household throughout the week. No worries. We are all getting better and I’ll be back to posting soon.

Fuel TV Signature Series ID Number 24 from Royale on Vimeo.

Great motion graphics work in this piece from Adam Haynes and Co. Someday I will find the time to brush up with my animation and After Effects skills. Too bad I have no time…

“Adam Haynes is our personal hero. Seriously, have you seen his work? Not only is it CRAZY detailed and dynamic, but it’s begging to be moved. Luckily, our friends at Fuel TV provided us the opportunity to collaborate with Adam through their Signature Series. Adam threw down some key frames, including an insanley detailed wave that we then had the pleasure of animating.”

Spike Jonze is a modern visionary in filmmaking along with Gilliam, Del Toro, and Gondrey. Here’s the trailer for his short film, I’m Here, that will be showing at Sundance. I can’t wait to see this.