The Holoscene: A Delicate Movement

My friends Ashley + Calvin just wed at The Holoscene on Saturday and, true to their world-class design style, they chose a venue whose design is well carried throughout their physical and virtual space. The physical-- well, creative, but let's check out the virtual.

When you first open the Holoscene site --it sounds like opening a present, and that's what a website should be-- it should be a well-tailored gift-- you're greeted with this 8-bit scene in the middle of the page, surrounded by white space.



What's cool about this is the delicate movement of the bird as it flies through the abundant space, making the space become real and active. Also, the "glittering"? of the colored lights in the skyscraper window. This also creates a sense of life, which is rarely seen in a website. The various levels of earth are a great way to incorporate a menu within the design itself. In fact, all it is is menu, which is awesome. The delicacy of the labels make it look modern and fresh, which takes over the 8-bit feeling, making that seem like a choice, not a limitation.

Now here's the true crown-- hit "menu" and look at those flowers. They move and change as though they're listening to some invisible music. It's a great incorporation of movement without taking over the scene. In fact, the delicacy does take over the scene, but it's so open that it keeps its boundary, leaving the viewer without feeling overwhelmed. What's lacking in this simplicity is a back button (OK, you can use your browser's) or another menu to explore the various pages in the site.



There's some nice animation near the bird in the "links" page, as well. It's powerful in speed, but extremely delicate. This delicacy and action brings in a definite feeling of life.

My favorite part, though, is the implied music through the flowers. They seem as though they're moving to music but, fortunately, there's no music involved. It's like, the site knows that we can't open it at work with sound, and not everyone has the same taste, so why appeal to universal appreciation of sound? Give it the implied sense of dance and let the user fill in the rest. Well done.

Your DIY Spanish Style Bedroom

OK, you want a DIY Spanish look for your bedroom, you want to give only a handful of dollars, and you want it in a weekend. Here's a simple way to create your bedroom's new look:



You'll Need:

Paint: Primer & a nice, BOLD color
Fabric with an intricate, bold pattern on it
Fabric for drapes (or new drapes)
Objects from Nature
Frames
Spray Paint

~~~~~ the first step ~~~~~

OK, the first thing you can to do transform your bedroom into a Spanish Manor is to remove your furniture and paint the walls a BOLD color. Painting the room is the cheapest way to have a huge effect. A deep and lavish red is nice and dramatic, while an eggshell blue or a spring green all have personality to them, which is what you want. If painting the entire room is too much, consider doing just a wall. If you can't get enough paint, consider doing the ceiling a complimentary color. Also think about the size of your room: darker colors will give it a smaller, cozy feeling while lighter colors will open it up. If you live in a dark area, then lighter (yet still saturated) colors might be the way to go.


~~~~~ the second step ~~~~~


OK, now think about what you want to bring back into your room. Does your furniture match your new look, or is it more of a Victorian or even teenage hue? This is the time to select what you keep, and what you find another home for (your friends, curb, and even your basement/attic will be happy to house what you don't need).

What should you keep? Woods. Natural elements. Things in bold color. Don't bring too much back-- it's nice to live in an open, airy environment, especially if this Spanish Manor is anywhere near the Mediterranean in your imagination.


~~~~~ the third step ~~~~~

Cheap, DIY Wall Art.

Here's where your fabric and frames come in. Purchase some great fabric with strong patterns and colors, or choose a nice white-on-white pattern, and frame it with old frames. You can pick up your frames from garage sales and thrift stores. To create a complete look, remove the glass from the frames and spray paint them a complimentary color to your new walls. When dry, replace the glass, add the fabric, and hang. Instant art, few dollars, big effect.


~~~~~ the fourth step ~~~~~

Drapes. The longer the drapes, the more dramatic the feel, so go straight to the floor. You can either purchase new drapes, or buy some fabric and make your own. Making your own is way cheaper (depending on the fabric), way more DIY, and is the best way to get the perfect length.


~~~~~ the fifth step ~~~~~

Engage your Antique Finding Skillz and look out at garage sales and thrift stores for any accessories that fit your new look. Those could be colorful ceramics, Virgin Mary statues, crosses, and other beautiful items. You don't need too much: a few pieces make a strong statement while several pieces create a crowd.

~~~~~ the sixth step ~~~~~

Lay back and enjoy! And if your friends helped you create your piece di resistance, some tapas & beer is an excellent way to pay them back (just a suggestion).


Want more inspiration?

Spanish Homes Photography

Frida Kahlo

Look up Spanish Style Decor on Google



Do you have any suggestions for creating the perfect DIY Spanish Style room?

The Creative Invoice

Why not take something that's ASSUMED boring and bring it to life?


While researching how to create an invoice, I came across Holdsnowater's invoice on Flickr. The design is so great-- it's an invoice within an invoice, it's well labeled, and nothing gets in the way of the theme-- the whole thing screams Invoice, and yet the whole thing screams Well Designed.

It makes me wonder if creatives should have different invoices for different types of work. Like, for me, one Design Invoice, one Photography Invoice, and one Writing Invoice, each one with accompanying visual styles and elements to compliment the theme... Perhaps have a template, and switch the colors and graphics for each one accordingly, but have all other visual elements remain the same.

For a "quick" (not so quick) template that I had to give to my dad for some logo work, I created this one below. It's not as tight and assembled as Hodsnowater's, for sure, and it's not my clear theme delineation proposal, but I like it. Do you?

Do you have any links for other creative twists to boring financial documents?

There's no standard for how to do financial documentation, as long as it's clear. American Apparel, apparently, has a really well designed receipt. Check it out! It's always nice to come across some stellar design.