The Luxury of Work

Not many people have the luxury of waking up everyday and having work or having something to look forward to something new day by day.

Sometimes we dread work more than we really should.

But only when that work is taken away from us will we really realise how much of a blessing and luxury it had been to have it.

Be grateful while you still have the day and the occupation so that you can still live and have your being.

June 2011 Quake Christchurch


Grand Chancellor leans even more now. It had been leaning since February quake, making the surrounding area danger zone. Now it's worse.



If you look up the street (this used to be Manchester Street), you can see Majestic House, the white stone building on the centre right of the frame.

50 Reasons To Not Date A Designer, Apparently. I've Bolded mine.

1. They are very weird people.
2. There are billions of them in the world, like colors on the screen of your computer.
3. They will analyse conversations in layers.
4. You will spend the day assembling furniture from IKEA.
5. They drink and eat all kinds of weird shit just because they like the packaging.
6. They hate each other.
7. You’ll come out the last out of the movies because you have to see the full list of credits.
8. They cant change a light bulb or without making a sketch.

9. They fuck up all the tables with their cutters.
10. They rather study the paisley pattern on your outfit than listen to what you have to say.
11. They will fill your house with magazines.

12. You never know if it is really an original or a copy.
13. They make collages with your photos.
14. They do not know how to add and subtract, they just understand letters.
15. They idolize people who nobody knows and speak of them as if they were his colleagues.
16. They take pictures almost daily and all are cut in weird shapes.
17. They ask your opinion about everything but  they do whatever they want.
18. Everything is left justified, right or center unless they arrive late.
19. They hate Comic Sans with the same passion they love Helvetica.
20. They use iPhone for everything, because everyone has one.
21. You can not decorate the house without consulting them.
22. They steal street signs.
23. Always carry their hands painted with something.
24. They buy dolls unfinished for them to paint.
25. Everything becomes something other than what it really is: cards as tickets, cards as …
26. When arguing, you will be nicknamed like the OSX spinning wheel (not affectionately)
27. Do not know how to dress without consulting the Pantone book.
28. They hate Excel.
29. They read comics.
30. They want to save the world only with a poster.

31. You will spend the day brainstorming.
32. On vacation they will take you to countries that you do not know exist and have no beach.
33. Museums are their second home.
34. They know more positions than the Kamasutra.
35. They can’t go to a restaurant without secretly critiquing the menu design.
36. They listen to music you have never heard of.
37. They can´t cook a normal dish, they always have to experiment with new ingredients.
38. They read rare books: stories of children, Semiotics …
39. When you are going to tell you something, everyone has read it in their facebook and twitter.
40. They have own iPods before you knew they existed.
41. The orgasm they remember is when they heard that Adobe was acquiring Macromedia.
42. They have their own shops just for them and there are the most expensive in the city.
43. They want to spend all the money in the Apple Store.
44. You will never understand their gifts.
45. They see ordinary objects and laugh.

46. You wake up in the middle of the night hearim them screaming “When is the deadline?”
47. They see CMYK and RGB like Neo sees the Matrix.
48. They dream of the day nobody will make a single change to their designs.
49. They rather pay for a font than for a special birthday gift.
50. They are always sleepy because they work 24/7.

The Hateful Green Shadowed Water Called The Visa Application

So the time has come once again to lodge my application for renewed visa. How I hate it. I hate all the paper work. And this time round it is worse because I am running it all by myself. And you can imagine how that will work... Well it just doesn't work.

I had been putting off getting onto the website and downloading the forms and starting to read them, process by process, step by step.. Painful.

I procrastinated til last night.

Last night I woke up in a fearful fit after a strange nightmare I had just had. It didn't make any sense, and that was why it felt scariest.

So in that raw fearful moment the starkness of my visa situation dawned on me: That if I didn't get on to that as soon as possible, my real life would become something like a nightmare!

I made a vow then, right there to jump on to it the moment I wake up this morning.

So far, been good.

Still doesn't mean I enjoy it. I dread every single step. Right now, heaven sounds like a free residence to NZ to me. Not that I fawn for NZ that much, but just so I don't have to go through this ordeal.

Here goes. I plunge. Into that hateful green shadowed water.

*splash!*

Church and graphic design?


I have asked the question myself many times - How important is graphic design to church?

And to some people, talking about graphic design in church might sound like I am 'be-littling' churches to a status of institutions and companies - by talking about branding, website, and all that. Some might find that revolting.. Some might say that a church is a family and we should not be wasting time on looking good and looking cool and looking alternative and indie.

I might agree with you in a way. You might consider graphic design of less importance than soul saving. And the church should focus on the latter instead of thinking about the former.

Well..

In the 30's there was a German design movement called Bauhaus who said that Good Design Makes Life Better.

I totally believe in that. 

Aesthetics is so important. It sometimes makes all the difference.

For example, a home to a person is a place that brings happy memories, a place that 'feels' like home. Humans are extremely senses-driven beings. They need to 'feel'. Good design contribute to that. A person surrounded by revolting colours doesn't 'feel' quite right, and it affects him mentally. Good design communicates friendliness, acceptance, warmth.

If you spend all weekend (despite the fact that you're very busy all week, lets say) to clean up your house, to make it look good, to make it feel good, to make it clean and nice to live in, and not like a pig sty, you know the importance of good design. Or.. If you prefer a room that's messy with books and cups and clothes littered around, that's the 'branding' you have made for yourself.. That's how you see yourself and wish to convey to your parents or friends who come to your room. You enjoy being there.

Design is a very human activity. It is basic. A church or a family cannot not be into design. They cannot not care. Yes, they might not invest in a graphic designer. That is a matter of economy and budgetting, not a matter of how important design is to them.

Is it less important than soul saving? Well, I don't know. You shouldn't even compare things. Is cleaning up your house more important than inviting people to come over for tea? They all contribute to one thing - building the home.

Edge Kingsland & Arctic Monkeys album

So, its only 12:49 and two things have made my day already.

I downloaded Arctic Monkeys' new album. Just because I had to hear it already. I swear I will buy it on itunes when it comes out. It hasn't been released yet. Suck It And See its called. Listening to it now. I love hearing Alex Turner and the band. They are cool.

I also found this new site that Edge Kingsland has put up for their Signs Of Life Conference. Edge is a church in Auckland that is considered off-beat and alternative. I was there when I lived in Auckland, and I loved it. Check out their website. To me, it is one of my favourite church websites. It is very indie. Very cool. Many churches don't have the attitude to be able to pull that off - I don't think even Majestic could do it, as much as we claim to be creative. Maybe that's the reason. We have the set branding of being 'creative'. Which is great. Which is just what we are. Edge is also just what they are. Who knows, they even don't really care so much and that's how their site turns out like that.. Just plain HTML-sort of look.

Anyway I found this new site they have up - Signs Of Life Conference. It is put up on Tumblr. And well, I introduced the designer to Tumblr.. And a few weeks later you see their conference site on just that. Tumblr.

I love the fact that you can inspire/give-ideas-to people so easily thanks to the internet. I have borrowed so many good ideas from other designers from Twitter. I have used Tumblr and used it and used it again. I borrow skills from all over the Internet. Its great!

Another thing is.... I think designers should take sites like Tumblr and wordpress and Blogger (and such sites) seriously. Majestic site is based completely on Wordpress. You don't need to worry so much about the php and CSS and all that so much anymore. Why even bother? Maybe you can spend more time working on other stuff than wasting hours cracking programmes making a 'proper site'?

Just thoughts. At the moment I am sold out for blog-sites. I might change opinion in the future.