MSLK Creative Director and Co-Founder Marc S Levitt was quoted in a recent Atlantic article, speaking about the design profession’s critical — yet largely unsung — role. The article aims to draw parallels between wide-ranging professions from fact-checkers to anesthesiologists, describing them the “Invisibles.”

Citing examples ranging from book design to the now-infamous Palm Beach County “butterfly ballot” in the 2000 presidential election, Levitt describes the careful role designers play in shaping others’ content:

While some may think that the best design always grabs our attention, Levitt counters that great design often shouldn’t call attention to itself. “I’m not as concerned with prettying things up as I am with the end user being engaged in the right way.”

The article seeks to draw a connection between various professions, finding common traits:

Meticulousness, savoring great responsibility, and seeking only internal satisfaction are a trifecta of traits—a near antithesis of our societal ethos of insouciant attention-cravers—as a culture we’d all do well to follow.

Full article, by David Zweig, can be read here: http://mslk.co/zFPIm2

McQueen at the Met
The late fashion designer, Alexander McQueen’s, retrospective at the Metropolitan Museum of Art has become THE exhibit to see this summer. The exhibit manages to flawlessly display his edgy, fashion forward clothing and accessories in addition to his unparalleled runway shows. The show ends on August 7th so be prepared to stand in line and fight a crowd.

Yoga in the Park
The Socrates Sculpture Park is hosting yoga, pilates, and martial arts classes throughout on weekends until September 25th. All classes are free; a schedule is located here.

Food Trucks!
It’s no secret that the food truck has become one of the biggest culinary trends today. It’s nearly impossible to list all of the amazing meals on wheels available in the city, but some refreshing treats by Kelvin Natural Slush Co, Coolhaus, and Big Gay Ice Cream Truck are sure to help you beat the heat.

Rockaway Beach
Speaking of food, the boardwalk of Rockaway Beach is beginning to experience its own culinary renaissance. Hop on the A train to Beach 105 and you’ll find yourself amidst surf, sun, and amazing food by Caracas Arepa Bar (which is a thing to love in its own right) and impeccable coffee by Blue Bottle Coffee.

The Highline
The Highline has quickly transformed itself into an NYC hotspot. This gorgeous elevated garden located on the West side of Manhattan hosts a variety of events as well as a few choice food vendors such as People’s Pops and L’Arte del Gelato.

The Lot
While it is considered to be a part of the Highline experience, The Lot is worth a mention of its own. Located underneath the garden at 30th and 10th, The Lot features a variety of food vendors as well as The Lot on Tap, a bar operated by Colicchio & Sons. If you head there before September 26th, make sure to check out the giant skating rink sponsored by Uniqlo. And if you even want to get a little shopping done, Uniqlo is operating a pop-up shop at the space as well.

Governor’s Island
Governor’s Island is open for the summer and is hosting a wide range of events including some by our friends at Figment. Check out the full calendar of events here!

Free Pools
If you don’t feel like trekking all the way out to the beach, try out one of New York City’s many pools. The Astoria pool in particular is free, Olympic-sized, clean, and surprisingly not crowded. The full list of pools is located here!

PS1 Summer Warm Ups
Every Saturday this summer (until September 3rd) you can check out MoMA PS1′s Warm Up 2011. This annual outdoor concert series aims to introduce audiences to the best in experimental live music, sound, performance, and DJ’s. Admission is free to MoMA members and Long Island City residents.

Astoria Beer Garden
A cold beer is always a good way to beat the heat, and Astoria’s famed Bohemian Hall & Beer Garden is a great place to do it at. Bring some friends and enjoy some drinks in this former Czech social club’s spacious garden.

Galapagos Art Space
If you prefer to enjoy your drinks indoors and out of the heat, then perhaps a show at the Galapagos Art Space will strike your fancy. The venue brings the outdoors indoors with a 1600 sq ft lake located in the building. The Galapagos hosts a variety of events including such as burlesque shows and the upcoming Floating Kabarette.

Ice Cream
We’re pretty sure it’s a science-proven fact that summer isn’t complete without ice cream. New York Magazine has rounded up a slideshow of 16 ice creams to check out this summer, and I’m pretty sure i need to try all of them. Check the list out here, and see if you can make it through the whole thing without drooling.

Naumburg Orchestral Concerts
The oldest free outdoor concert series in the US. Features “symphonic and semi-classical” music on select Mondays and Tuesdays in the Central Park Naumburg Bandshell. Sounds like a great place for a classy and cost effective date this summer!

Talk to Me
With McQueen closing soon, it’s time to find another exhibit to check out. Thankfully the MoMA just opened “Talk to Me,” an exhibit all about the design and communication between people and objects. There’s plenty to see and interact with at this new show; don’t forget the museum is free every Friday from 4-8.

Escape to New York
Music festivals have become a summer staple for many people; it’s a great way to catch (more than) a handful of great shows and enjoy the summer. Escape to New York strives to be a little different featuring installations and performance art, experimental theatre, high-end glamourous camping “Glamping,” the world’s biggest brunch at a live music festival, and amazing culinary delights. The music line-up, which includes Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeroes, Best Coast, Of Montreal and a bunch more, seems promising as well! The event is this weekend but tickets are still on sale so there’s still time for a last minute decision!

It’s that time of year again. Love is in the air, and MSLK has compiled our 3rd annual list of things to do, give, and love this Valentine’s Day. Single or not, there’s something for everyone to enjoy.

Learn Something New Together
NYMag’s Valentine’s Day guide has a great list of classes that are perfect for couples. From cooking and wine tasting to couples yoga and -ahem- naughtier things, there is bound to be something perfect for you and your better half.

Get Cultured
Looking for a different kind of educational experience? The Museum of the Moving Image in Queens just reopened after its hiatus featuring exciting new exhibits such as Real Virtuality and Dolls vs. Dictators. (Even though it’s closed Mondays, it’s still something to love!)

Have an Appy Valentine’s Day with the  OTO App
Just in time for Valentine’s Day, MSLK’s app OTO has been updated with new love-inspired themes! Hit your crush with Cupid’s arrow or send kisses their way. It’s a free update if you already have OTO. If not, email us and we’ll send you a download code to get OTO from iTunes free!

Give Something Nerdy
Amrit Richmond is using tumblr to curate a wonderful selection of Valentine’s Gifts for the nerd in your life. Gamers, designers, and just regular ol’ nerds alike will find something that strikes their fancy. Nerdy gifts are regularly added to the collection so keep checking back for more great Valentine’s Day ideas.

Send a Designer Card
For you less creative types, there are plenty of talented designers out there designing unique cards for every occasion. AIGA Nebraska has a great collection of Valentine’s Cards on their Felt and Wire shop for sale. Be sure to check out the MSLK shop while you’re there too!

Send a Designer E-Card
If you’ve waited until the 14th to send a card, Kate Spade still has a great collection of designer e-cards that you can send. Each one is designed by a different artist and is guaranteed to be a welcome sight in anybody’s inbox on Monday morning. MSLK also has a set of printable Valentine’s that can always be made in a pinch.

Splurge on some (really) nice chocolate
If you’re going to stick with the classic gift of chocolate then go for the best. Mast Brothers Chocolate is a small Brooklyn-based chocolate factory whose reputation for excellent chocolate is only growing. Perfect for dark chocolate lovers, flavors range from classic dark chocolate varieties to almonds with sea salt and serrano peppers. To top it all off, this delicious chocolate is also beautifully wrapped so it’s perfect for that chocolate loving designer (or hipster) in your life.

Sip Some Tea Instead of Eating Chocolate
Speaking of chocolate, the Republic of Tea has released a special Red Velvet tea made with rooibos tea, chocolate, and beet root bits.  In addition to the red velvet flavor, Republic of Tea offers a selection of other chocolate infused teas. The strawberry and chocolate tea sounds particularly intriguing!

Mix Something on the Stronger Side
For those who need something a little stronger than tea to drink, Liqurious is a collection of drink recipes from around the web. Whether you’re drinking alone or with someone special, you’re guaranteed to find a drink that will hit the spot just right.

Make One-of-a-Kind Treats
If you love baking for Valentine’s Day and are looking to get creative, then look no further. Kopykake sells edible ink cartridges as well as printable icing paper for your home printer. The downside is you may make something that is way too pretty to eat.

Go See Something a Little Different
This Valentine’s Day Le Poisson Rouge presents an event for those who are looking for something a little darker: “Sex and Taboo: A Valentine’s Day Massacre.” The event features various performers and dancers and promises to be a night of passion, blood, and  deviance. Tickets are only $10 in advance and the first 25 guests get a  gift bag from Toys in Babeland NY.

Go Sledding in Central Park
There’s nothing like snuggling up close to one another and then pummeling down a snow covered hill. All of this crazy snow NYC has been getting means that the sledding conditions in Central Park are just right. It’s the perfect activity for the young (at heart), and it’s free!

I knew even before moving to NYC that the holiday displays along and around 5th Avenue were a must see so I was excited to go out and take the photos for this year’s window recap. And I must say that what I saw exceeded my expectations. The windows were beautiful with an impressive amount of attention to detail. And with so many windows themed around travel and fantasy worlds, I felt as if I was being transported somewhere else just by looking at them.

[View with PicLens]

Bergdorf Goodman

This year, the theme for Bergdorf Goodman’s Women’s Store was “Wish You Were Here.” This broad theme allowed David Hoey and his team to create a wide array of scenes. From the original Penn Station to the moon, by the end of my stroll around the building I felt like I had traveled the world. One might argue that theme was too broad, and the windows were not cohesive enough, but it’s hard to complain when the displays themselves are so gorgeous. Thanks, Bergdorf Goodman, I do wish I was there.

[View with PicLens]

Barneys

Barneys windows are the oddball of the group (in a good way). It seems that they stick with more offbeat themes (such as Have a Hippie Holiday) and this year is no different. The theme for this year’s windows is Have a Foodie Holiday and feature ridiculous and sometimes creepy (I’m talking to you Paula Dean) sculptures of celebrity chefs. I must say, I was highly amused.

[View with PicLens]

Tiffany’s

Tiffany’s windows may be small but they still manage to catch your eye. Their displays take you on a more storybook-like journey, filled with books, castles, and fairy tale villages. Tiffany jewelry decorates the landscape, and fairy tale phrases written in red make an eye catching finishing touch. These little displays managed to hold my attention for as long as some of the larger windows that I saw.

[View with PicLens]

Saks Fifth Avenue

Saks Fifth Ave apparently owns snow, but this year they also tried to own bubbles. Their windows illustrate the world a girl finds after going into her parents cabinet (with some bubbles scattered throughout). There are also some windows illustrating party themes, but I’m not quiet sure how they fit into the whole story. While these windows and the clothes the mannequins are wearing are lovely, I feel like they’re missing something when compared to others that I saw on my stroll.

[View with PicLens]

The last images are just a few of the other windows that caught my eye. It’s interesting to note how these elaborate displays still manage to relate to the products being sold inside. The storefront window is what draws people inside and tells them what to expect. The holiday window is no exception to this and is unarguably  the most important one. Barneys quirky windows imply that they are trendy, fun, and edgy. Tiffany’s storybook windows speak to the classic feel and timelessness of Tiffany’s products, while Bergdorf’s extravagant and ornate windows definitely tell you that they are a very high end retailer.

I enjoyed the windows so much that I actually went out to view them twice. Experiencing Christmas in NYC for the first time has been wonderful, but going home for the Holidays is going to be even nicer. I hope everyone else has been enjoying and will continue to enjoy the holidays as well. See you next year.

-Cristina Gomez

]]> http://mslk.com/reactions/holiday-window-recap-2010/feed/ 0 http://mslk.com/reactions/mslk-creates-plays-on-words-while-playing-with-words/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=mslk-creates-plays-on-words-while-playing-with-words http://mslk.com/reactions/mslk-creates-plays-on-words-while-playing-with-words/#comments Mon, 15 Nov 2010 19:09:10 +0000 Cristina http://mslk.com/reactions/?p=4382

This past weekend, a couple of us at MSLK had the opportunity to take a break from our computer screens and have some fun with words. The Spark Typography Workshop invited participants to use unconventional materials to illustrate ordinary words, and the results were rather “hair raising.”

Those of us from MSLK decided to use the workshop as an opportunity to illustrate some common words in a clever way. For example, we took oranges and illustrated the word “juice” thus illustrating “Orange Juice.” See if you can figure out the rest from the images below.

[View with PicLens]

The workshop was a good reminder of the fact that creativity doesn’t always happen behind the computer. Getting your hands dirty and experimenting with different media is a great way to broaden your horizons, and sometimes you can stumble upon a new technique or idea to use in a current design project.

Check out these next images to see what other awesome words people crafted this weekend!

[View with PicLens]

And of course thanks to Spark as well as Michelle Bowers and Amelia Irwin for hosting a fun and inspirational event.

There’s a chill in the air, and chestnuts about to be roasted. That means it’s the perfect time to start thinking about gifts for the holidays. MSLK now has a wide range of giftable items for sale on the online shop at Felt & Wire.

10 items are currently featured: limited edition posters, letterpressed cards, die-cut bookmarks, and foil-stamped gift tags. Each is priced to match any budget (and grade-level of humor.) Many of these items can be useful in making your gifting easier, such as our customizable gift tags.

So pick up a set of your faves today:

http://feltandwireshop.com/seller/mslk

There’s never a simple answer to this question because there’s no such thing as a one-size-fits-all solution to what graphic designers do.

This is why I will be conducting one of two pricing workshops next month at How Magazine’s Mind Your Own Business Conference at the Sheraton Hotel here in NYC as a Spark event.

The matter of pricing comes down to a number of factors that all designers must weigh including — but not limited to:

• Scope of work?
• Time frame for delivery
• Number of components for this task?
• Media to be used (print, web, etc)?
• Length of usage for final product (terms, rights of ownership)- Size of client’s team, number of decision makers?
• What is the designer’s experience and expertise as it relates to the task at hand?
• What is the client’s experience in working with creative teams?
• Has the project been done before or will we be creating something from scratch?
• Will photography, illustration, copyrighting be necessary? Will it be provided or need to be sourced?
• Does the budget allow for the designer to be in control of the production?
• Is this part of a larger campaign?
• How many members of my team will need to work on this project?
• How many hours do I think it will take us?
• Is there good chemistry between the company and the client?
• Will my firm be able to promote our work once it is completed?

Because every job is unique and every solution a designer creates is custom, the answers t0 all of these questions ultimately affect the end price. We have to take all these factors into consideration in order to arrive at a price that’s fair for all parties. As a result, clients often encounter a wide variety of pricing without the ability to make apples-to-apples comparisons between firms.

Pricing: The Topic That Dare Not Speak Its Name
MSLK is a big fan of honest and open discussions about money which is why we talk about budgets early, and often! We want our industry to also facilitate these discussions and help remove some of the mystery from pricing and wide ranges of pricing.

That is why we are hosting this workshop, so designers can discuss their strategies together and confirm that they are generally upholding the same  ranges for similar work.

Our Workshop’s Goal
“Comparing Proposal Strategies and Pricing” is the name of the two round-tables — one for Branding and Print, one for Website Design and Social Media Campaigns. The workshops are a chance for designers from all around the country to respond to the same sample project. Sheri will be hosting one workshop on Website Design and Social Media Campaigns along with Larissa Nycz from Tribecca Designs, and Carrie Hamilton from Kismet Design and I will conduct our workshop on Branding and Print.

All participants will have a chance to compare how we would price these projects and  recommend a schedule of how the project will run.

More Information
Where: HOW Mind Your Own Business Conference  Sheraton New York Hotel & Towers, New York City
Time: 8:00-8:50 am each day
Cost: $1,195 full conference registration, – $100 discount code available for Spark members
Register Here: http://www.howbusinessconference.com/register/

On October 13th we will cover Branding and Print
On October 14th we will cover Website Design and Social Media Campaigns

The MYOB Conference
The entire MYOB conference is 3 days (October 12-14) of close-up, nuts & bolts problem-solving combined with big-picture, long-term planning. You’ll look at your work, your clients and your marketing from a whole new perspective. Find solutions to some of your toughest business problems.

Organized by HOW magazine, in partnership with noted consultant David C. Baker of ReCourses, Inc., this conference is tailored specifically to address the challenges faced by creative-firm principals and owners. You’ll explore hard-hitting topics on managing for profit, leadership, and positioning your firm for smart growth. Plus you’ll have numerous opportunities to network with other creative firm principals in a non-competitive environment.

Visit www.myobconference.com for the complete rundown on conference sessions, speakers, and special networking opportunities. We’ve found this is a design business conference that really gets down to business!

Come see MSLK‘s eco-art installation, Take-Less, at Brooklyn’s Dumbo Arts Festival on September 24th – 26th!

We’re pleased to be a part of this amazingly creative event once again, building on the success of last year’s event. Our project can be seen on Washington Street, the center of all the action for DUMBO’s annual art festival.

The event itself is described by the event planners as a showcase for: “touchable, accessible, and interactive art, on a scale that makes it the nation’s largest urban forum for experimental art.”Take Less is MSLK’s 3rd project in a series of eco-art installations focusing on society’s thoughtless consumption of plastic. The number depicted, 2629, stands 8-feet high and represents the quantity of takeout meals consumed each second in the United States. Within these meals are countless plastic components designed to be used once and thrown away. To illustrate this, plastic containers of every imaginable type are mounted to the number’s surface. Additionally, informational signage containing facts and solutions are mounted to the piece.

The purpose of the installation is to help people visualize the immense waste we produce, all in an effort to inform viewers that they can be a part of the solution. How? By requesting recyclable components, saying no to plastic utensils, containers, etc.

For more information about the festival, click here.

These days many people are visiting websites from their mobile devices. As we become as completely untethered and free to roam the internet at will, customers are checking emails and Googling key phrases as soon as the mood strikes.

Is your website ready for their call?

Apple’s iPhone captures the largest percentage of mobile users, and with the launch of the latest iPhone and iPad, we can only expect those numbers to increase. What does that mean for you? It means that any Flash technology on your website won’t be visible on a mobile device. To read my previous thoughts on why Apple isn’t playing friendly with Flash you can read this article here.

MSLK has been feeling the effects of new challenge for a few years now, and as a result we’ve come to limit our use of Flash on websites. However, when it comes to movement, effects, and a seamless control of the design experience nothing compares to Flash.

It’s ironic that Steve Jobs calls the iPhone the “ultimate web viewing experience yet it cannot handle many of the best online experiences created to date.

There’s new technologies on the rise like HTML5 and JQuery which promise to take some of Flash’s… well, flash, and bring it to the mobile realm. Another option is to develop a mobile-friendly version with content and design specifically tailored to the platform. That’s exactly what we did by developing an alternate site which has the ability to detect which browser you’re on (Safari, Chrome, etc) and it automatically redirects to the mobile.mslk.com address.

This mobile site is not a mere translation of our main site. Rather, it’s optimized for touch screens by having large buttons for easy navigation, and simplified content.

Instead of getting mad, we got even better. Have a look on an Apple — or any — mobile device!

NY1, our favorite TV news source, ran a short feature on MSLK’s latest eco-art installation Take-Less, along with the Figment festival as something to check out this weekend.

Featured in the clip is are shots from our assembly, featuring Sheri Koetting, Ryan Nussbaum, Christel Fearon, and Daniela Morell. All shot by unofficial MSLK documentarian John Meehan.

Check it out!