From the looks of things, Chris Rubino knows how to mix work and play. The NYC based designer, a 2006 ADC Young Gun and possessor of a shining list of lustworthy clients, hasn't abandoned his personal pursuits in order to achieve success. In between putting in hours for the big boys (Banana Republic, The NY Public Theater, and Uniqlo to name a few), Chris spends his time making museum quality posters for his favorite bands and jetsetting across oceans to display his artwork at solo shows.
Read on as we chat with this young whippersnapper about art, design, and all the stages in between.
Joshspear.com:Tell us about your personal history in design.
Chris Rubino: When I moved to New York right after graduating my portfolio was full of paintings and clips of bad abstract animation. I was lucky enough to find a job in which I was told "we can teach you how to design but not how to draw." I made a bunch of bad record covers, a good friend and discovered typography. Over the next few years I was given great opportunities with a couple higher-end design firms until I felt very ready to be on my own. Seven years later I am still sitting here, hopefully moving forward.
We all know that protecting the environment has shifted from a nice-to-do to a must-do. One of the most promising, but still mostly unexplored, frontiers is green energy. As the world finds new ways to harvest nature to create power, it's inevitable that designers and engineers will find increasingly innovative ways to mix this technology into our lives.
Created by Australian design firm Büro North in partnership with the Victorian Eco-Innovation Lab, the VEIL Solar Shades do more than just transfer sunlight into energy. They also, thankfully, look really damn cool. Unlike old skool solar panels, the shades have an organic, natural sloping design. The pattern across the top looks like the veins of a leaf, harkening to the photosynthesis that solar collection is modeled after. Partially funded by the Aussie government, the VEILs are designed for schoolyards where they have the practical benefit of shading tykes from the hot sun.
The shades are also meant to actively engage both kids and adults in their operation: markings on the base show which positions are best to get maximum energy collection at different times of the day, and they are lightweight enough for a child to adjust. Underneath the awning, an LED feedback system shows whether the shades are getting enough sunlight. A pattern of indicator lights glows green if the shade is getting enough power, but turns red if the shades need to be re-positioned. Brilliant.
The folks at Barcelona’s artist and designer consortium, ROJO, have been on our radar for quite some time now. Their wonderful design books, coupled with a multitude of other artistic endeavors, have more or less become staples of our design diet. Luckily for us we’re still hungry for more, because as our preferred purveyors of Spanish design perfection, they’ve got even more goodies for us to eat up. This time the group behind ROJO Magazine is going beyond print and product collaborations by expanding into the world of video art. Their new site, ROJO TV Online focuses on bringing art fans the best video talent around, completely ad free. Not only can you see astonishing work created by artists such as Robert Seidel, Antenna, and Javier Longobardo, but if you fancy yourself a master of the moving image, there’s an open call to submit your own pieces. So go ahead … show the art world you’re a creative force to be reckoned with.
Living in New York is more or less a tale of two cities. It’s either a center-of-the-universe tourist trap or the place that millions of us call home. For city dwellers there are certain unspoken truths that are common knowledge, yet remain less apparent to those visiting. You can’t read about them on any “I Love New York” T-shirt or learn about them on any Grey Line tour bus. However, if you find yourself in town from May 30th from June 15th you might just gain some insight into the five boroughs from Chris Rubino’s The Center of Something Exhibit at Chashama on West 44th Street. The Brooklyn-based artist/designer (read more about him here) has created an installation highlighting an assortment of “souvenirs” that combine the fantasy of tourism with the realism of actually living here. In addition to souvenirs, Rubino also uses hand drawn screenprints of maps, advertisements, and signage to create a strange melding of both worlds. Catch the opening night reception on May 30th from 6 to 9 p.m, to get a first hand look … before the tourist throngs.
Luxury. Binary. Juice. Is there a limit on what people will pay to nourish themselves through the medium of fruit juice (and, um, nutritional gel)? It seems as though MonaVie has set out to answer that question — a little social experiment if you will. “Let’s pack 19 fruits into a wine bottle (including acaí — wooo!), chalk it up to the Balance-Variety-Moderation philosophy, and charge about $45 per bottle.” MonaVie has been around for a few years now, but I just heard about it. Given that it is sold through a MLM (multiple level marketing) system, that doesn’t surprise me … maybe those peddling it are too ashamed to announce the price to potential customers. At any rate, I (reluctantly) can’t wait to try the stuff. Hopefully it’s coming to a martini bar near me someday soon.
I have a couple of questions for our readers: (1) Have any of you tried the juice? (2) What are your thoughts about products sold this way (is it an automatic turn-off or do you let the quality of the product speak for itself)?
It seems like the last thing the world needs now is a new brand of spring water. But if it’s being sold by a puppet dancing to Snap’s “Rhythm is A Dancer,” the folks at Drench spring water have me convinced otherwise. Their minute-and-a-half-long masterwork of a commercial, created by the U.K.’s Chi Advertising, is so exhilaratingly funny that it makes us thirsty for more. The ad features a hydrated hipster (aka Brains from Thunderbirds) who could just as easily serve you some Drench or serve you on the dance floor. We’d go with the former … that puppet’s pretty talented.
Summer is coming to England, which means we can break out our long sleeve T-shirts and light jackets. That's a joke. It isn't that bad. But England isn't known for its bright and sunny weather. So eco-friendly London fashion line Howies sent their clothes to friends in San Francisco and Malibu to model for their summer line (also a good way to splash into the American market). The result is a photo-friendly catalog showing some of the best clothes they've put out in years, alongside some beautiful American locals. You can view the catalog as a PDF off their website, but if you can get your hands on the physical book you won't be let down. Howies is known for giving their products a great narrative, because everyone wants to know the real story behind the jacket.
The Japanese have a penchant for creating unique characters. They’ve more or less made brand mascots into an art form — just ask anyone who has become addicted to Pokemon or Hello Kitty. When MoMA announced that they’d be releasing their Destination Japan product collection, it seemed only natural that it have its own brand identity creature. Thanks to toy designer and retailer Kidrobot (along with Japanese design studio Devilrobots) they now have Mochi. Not only is Mochi a welcomed addition to the kawaii (cute) mascots menagerie, but eager collectors are already lusting after him (her? it?). The limited edition Mochi toy can be purchased at the MoMA store along with tons of other Eastern-inspired products. Get yours now!
On the odd occasion we find ourselves perusing our personal library via candlelight, we usually have the misfortune of spilling hot wax all over our hands (and our leatherbound books). If you face a similar situation — or you just like the old fashioned idea of touring your darkened home like Uncle Scrooge — perhaps you’d enjoy the Goodnight Eileen lamp from Chilean designer Christine Birkhoven. The energy-efficient candle-shaped LED employs magnetic induction to deliver electricity to the lamp, using its ceramic base to recharge. We’ve also found romantic candlelit dinners are much more enjoyable without the fear of accidentally singeing your arm hair.
Once upon a time, Barry and Levon had $240, and that bought…a lot of puddin’. But, what if they had $600? That would just be too ridiculous to comprehend. How I Spent My Stimulus takes a look at what Americans are blowing Bush’s $152 billion economic stimulus package on (note to our international readers: click here to learn more). From carabiners to train tickets, an extra few hundred dollars in the average taxpayer’s pocket opens up a whole new world of conspicuous consumption. So send in your pic or video of 600 lbs of dog food, three nights at a Westin Hotel, or, gasp, 150 gallons of gasoline. When the money is free, there’s no wrong answer.
The web has allowed a whole new range of collaborative photography projects to flourish. Artists teaming up are obviously nothing new, but the ease and instant gratification afforded by the Internet makes for free-flowing ideas around the world to congeal into one artistic idea. Some of these collaborations have found a way to focus on one thing that’s universal and immutable: time. Our locations, cultures, and languages are all different, but it's always going to be 10:15 a.m. somewhere. With that in mind, Ten:15 wants you to send in a picture of whatever you happen to be doing at 10:15 a.m., no matter where you are in the world.
Participants can create their own user portfolio and link it back to their personal site, making it a great way to search for new photographers — or just be a voyeur in other people's lives. You can search the archives by photographer, date, or location. Somehow, the communal collection of our banalities turns them into something fascinating. Having photographic proof that some dude in Manila is putting cream in his morning coffee just creates a little more balance and order in the universe. The casual nature and spontaneity of the photographs can't be faked. They capture that laid-back moment where someone picked up their camera or phone at 10:15 a.m. and just snapped away.
We love a good light show as much as anyone, but Elliot Golden has taken it to a sci-fi level. The fantastic lighting effects in the above image leave us terrified to ask what is dripping from that man's hands. Elliot comes from an illustration background, depicting the surreal world of bland working environments. His new work explores the possibilities of injecting that same feeling into human extremities. Whatever’s happening, it makes us want to watch old space monster movies with a black light on. Elliot has a new show that just opened in Williamsburg at the Heart and Soul Gallery.
Tired of everyone stealing your look? Maybe you should stop shopping at the Gap. Instead of populating your wardrobe with mass market pieces, drop by Hanging Out and ogle the unique accessories like the Casa Nostra Pizzeria and Nintendo shoulder bags, or the very early, limited edition back-to-school agenda (crazy panda ad pictured above). All of their products are available at reasonable prices — unlike that Mulberry purse you blew your paycheck on last weekend. Although if you don't live in Europe, it'll cost you a plane ticket to buy them.
When we used to sneak out of our parents house in high school, it was just to party and drink beer. When Richard Reynolds started sneaking out at night, it was to plant flowers in front of his flat. We're sure it made his neighbors happy, but he had no idea that it would turn him into some kind of gardening superhero, fighting the forces of neglect, land shortage, and public apathy for garden aesthetics. He began recruiting his friends and started a blog called Guerrilla Gardening.
Years later the movement has inspired communities to don dark clothes and plant colorful flowers at night, throwing seed bombs out of car windows. He has recruited "troops" that have started chapters in New York, Berlin and other major cities. And their nighttime activities earned them praise from everyone from Esquire to Al Gore for fighting neighborhood filth with forks and flowers. Read all about Reynold’s green days and wild nights in his new book, On Guerrilla Gardening.
The folks at Barcelona’s artist and designer consortium, 
Luxury. 
The Japanese have a penchant for creating unique characters. They’ve more or less made brand mascots into an art form — just ask anyone who has become addicted to Pokemon or Hello Kitty. When MoMA announced that they’d be releasing their 
Once upon a time, Barry and Levon had $240, and that bought…a lot of 
When we used to sneak out of our parents house in high school, it was just to party and drink beer. When Richard Reynolds started sneaking out at night, it was to plant flowers in front of his flat. We're sure it made his neighbors happy, but he had no idea that it would turn him into some kind of gardening superhero, fighting the forces of neglect, land shortage, and public apathy for garden aesthetics. He began recruiting his friends and started a blog called 
