From skateboards to toys, the Web 2.0 world of make-on-demand continues to expand for a populace that runs on a mixture of Adderall and instant gratification. Magcloud is just one of the latest in the trend, a print-on-demand service where you upload a PDF and they print you a real, professional paper magazine with saddle-stitched covers. You can order as little as a single issue printed with the Indigo printers developed by HP (MagCloud is an HP Labs project). If you, like me, grew up in the era of zines and got a job at OfficeMax to use the copy machine and long-reach stapler, MagCloud is an interesting endeavor in outsourcing the DIY aesthetic (which makes it more like DIT — Do-It-Themselves). I have to admit I’m kind of excited about it though, and am already brainstorming ways to use the technology. The project is still in the beta phase, but fully usable for those with a major credit card and a US address.
Ray-Ban Wayfarers have become one of the most iconic sunglasses in the world. Following last year’s Project Colorize campaign, which saw collaborations with artists Ron English and Tara McPherson, Ray-Ban is gearing up to release a pair of shades designed for the DIY movement. Or, rather, lack-of-design. The Colorize kit will come with a blank pair of Wayfarers and a pack of markers and stencils with which to customize them.
Barack Obama will be the 44th president of the United States of America. To honor and celebrate his historic achievement, Robert Bosch, Faculty at Oberlin went ahead and created a portrait of President-Elect Obama out of 44 complete sets of double-nine dominoes. Want to do this yourself? Thought so, here are the plans by number, also after the jump. READ MORE…
One week left to go before the presidential election. We’ve shown you the posters, shirts, websites, bike, video game and toys. Now it is up to you guys to actually go out and do it. Just in case you need a little extra encouragement, a new website THUNDERVOTE.com has launched with the direct goal of getting out the vote. You can print off posters, make a paper toy and even instructions on making your own Obama bike (if you’re an Obama supporter), all for free from the design brain of Tristan Eaton. Make your way to the website and turn your office into a DIY campaign headquarters. And remember Thundervote’s motto: Don’t be stupid. Show up and vote on November 4th.
One part audience engagement, one part marketing, and with a few techniques from Barack Obama’s online outreach team’s playbook thrown in, Indie GoGo could be a Godsend for independent filmmakers. After filtering by location and topic, the social marketplace invites film fans to learn more about projects currently being developed (not to mention throw a few dollars their way). Not only do films generate an early fan base before release, but the site creates a simple way for producers to know who their audiences are and the kinds of perks they’re interested in, whether it be widgets or visits to the set. IndieGoGo opened shop earlier this year but has already helped a Polish film about a Jewish dwarf who hid in garbage cans to survive the Holocaust and a mockumentary web series about 1970s rockers achieve their fundraising goals.
Danae Ringelmann, one of three co-founders who spearheads film finance efforts, calls the network’s Do It With Others (DIWO, a collaborative approach with DIY spirit) outlook a good way to be proactive since distributors aren’t solely responsible for generating fans anymore. While people who liked a film could previously only support it by buying a physical copy, this model encourages transparency to create a more inclusive relationship between filmmakers and open source-familiar fans. Consider it mini patronage at its finest.
Bespectled San Francisco eyes will be on open source social effort the Workbook Project this weekend as they bring their audience-selected film festival and conference to the city. First, on Friday, August 15, filmgoers are invited to use their mobile phones to select which of 22 films will be screened in the evening at Mint Plaza (a video description is available here).
During the day on Sunday, the DIY Days summit at bar/gallery 111 Minna will tackle the ever-increasing difficulty of independent film finance and distribution. Webby Awards creator and local filmmaker extraordinaire Tiffany Shlain will be presenting and a variety of program directors, content acquisitions gurus, and producers will be in attendance (although only one self-described Mega Professional Amateur Comic Artist has signed up so far). The August 17 program will be gratis thanks to distribution festival From Here to Awesome and Current TV. Of particular interest to Bay Area content creators are daytime panels on audience building and the blanket “craft of cross-media.â€
We’re not yet millionaires, so buying a spot on any beach near us is impossible. But Studiomama gives us hope. This environmentally-friendly, London-based designer recently revealed her newest project — the Beach Chalet. This 388 sq. ft. structure is small enough to fit on almost any beachfront but comes complete with a kitchen, bedroom, and porch — which is more than you can say about your New York apartment. It’s built from cedar and softwood, which gives it the look of high-end plywood. And although it’s yet not available for purchase, you’ll be sure to see us hammering away on a lone beachfront once it is.
Kate Spade ain’t got nothing on us. With Elemental Threads’ line of customizable purses, day clutches, and totes, we are the master of our own design destiny. Choose between dozens of patterns, from paisleys to Geisha girls, to cover your bag. You can even choose from linings, handles, etc., right on down to the type of fastening button. Maybe it’s because the concept of these do-it-yourself designer items is, well, DIY that keeps the cost down. Either way, we already feel like Louis Vuitton’s successor.
A few weeks ago we told you about a little competition Grace over at D*S was having for all of you shelter magazine obsessed DIYers. Now the time has come to vote! Our personal favorites are the newspaper subscription table (our coffee table is 90% Sunday New York Times anyway), Baby Doll Coat Rack (hang your jackets; disturb your dinner guests), and Suzanne’s creepy wooded wall mural (who doesn’t love the classic children’s bedtime story, Sleepy Hollow?). But, the choice is up to you. Get to voting!
We know there’s a bunch of you out there, just waiting for an excuse to bust out your electric drills and saws in the name of DIY hackage. Grace over at D*S (as well as the fine folks at 2Modern) are giving you a bigger incentive to do so: the 2008 D*S DIY Design Contest. Anything — furniture, decoration and beyond — is welcome, as long as it’s for the home (that means no fashion or accessories this year) with the grand prize offering a $500 gift certificate and $150 and other prizes scale down, accordingly. Entries are due in by March 2nd, with voting commencing on March 3rd running through the 9th. All the details are available over on the contest page. Good luck!
Publishing is a little less entry-friendly in Brazil, I’ve observed. You can already have a decent amount of money from other sources so costs become no object, get picked up by only a handful of publishers or rather approach things in DIY style, the latter of which has inspired a small treasure trove of fashion and art magazines. But DIY publishing, if you want to take it to the art form that it can be, can benefit from a helping hand, especially if you don’t have the resources to produce. Publishers taking on secondary roles of advisers and arbiters, Sao Paulo’s Editora Organiza just opened their doors for business to help zine and mini-book authors bring their projects to fruition. The duo running the company boast graphic design experience for major magazines in Brazil and print using silkscreen and photocopying machines — two devices common but not always accessible to the public at large. As part of the company’s inauguration, they’re holding walk-in appointments for anyone interested in discussing their projects and already have created a beautiful sample pack to show what can be capable with their involvement. Those who live in Sao Paulo should hit up their website for more info on times and their location; who knows, the next Punk Planet could be ready to be born.
Vinyltoys Templates is a website that compiles the plans (blueprints?) for a wide variety of vinyl toys from manufacturers that span the alphabet from All City Style to Woodentoy. There are currently about 40 templates up for your downloading and hacking pleasure, with more to come. In the interest of full disclosure, I should say that the information you will find on Vinyltoys Templates means absolutely nothing to this writer. I don’t know much about vinyl toys, nor do I know how to work with vinyl in any sort of artistic way (though I do believe I’ve done a good job of sitting on some vinyl car seats in my day…minus the sliding that takes place during sharp curves). But none of my shortcomings should stop any of you vinylphiles out there from getting high off the fumes and creativity involved in your hobby. If it’s your bag, consider this site your new best friend.
I’m a total dunce at graphic design. I can write about it, but heck if i know which option I should pick in order to shade or shadow. But with the help of the online tool Paper Critters, anyone with C-level design skills can pretty convincingly fake their way through the design of a pro-looking, standing paper toy creature that stands *almost* right up there with Furni’s Big Chief. It’s all in the application; you’re supplied with different tools used to decorate your critter, like shapes, thematic stencils that range from “cute” to “rebel” — good for those of us who can’t even draw a straight line to save our lives — a palette of colors, as well as the option to incorporate an uploaded image from your hard drive. But the best is the end result; when you’re finished, you print out your little bad-ass, fold and glue him together, and wait for office workers to think you’re keeping your secret talent on the DL.
This week has seen some serious life changes for me, most notably the purchase of a new MacBook, marking the end of a three-year run with my beloved Powerbook , and signing a lease on my very own one-bedroom apartment (with a walk-in closet! And full kitchen! And a back yard!) in Brooklyn. I guess this places me in the “big girl” category” now, and naturally has me focused on one thing: furnishing my new digs. Once upon a time I would have done an IKEA run & dump, but editing this site along with years of retail merchandising for various design and organization companies have made me a little uh, snobbish refined my tastes considerably. It’s not that I don’t love me some IKEA — what apartment is complete without a bookcase whose construction makes you borderline suicidal? — but I’m just kind of past the generic dorm-roominess of it. Some people get creative and hack theirs up, and others take cues from the flat-pack system and create their own.
The Emergency Stool 5 is a laser-cut piece of baltic birch plywood which breaks apart to create a stool or a side table in, dare I pun, a snap. The instructions are etched on top of the stool, eliminating the need for paper instructions. A far better conversation piece than one that starts with “So, I got the bloody thing home from Elizabeth, New Jersey, and it had no allen key in it…”
One week left to go before the presidential election. We’ve shown you the 
One part audience engagement, one part marketing, and with a few techniques from Barack Obama’s online outreach team’s playbook thrown in, 
We’re not yet millionaires, so buying a spot on any beach near us is impossible. But Studiomama gives us hope. This environmentally-friendly, London-based designer recently revealed her newest project — the 
We know there’s a bunch of you out there, just waiting for an excuse to bust out your electric drills and saws in the name of DIY hackage. Grace over at 
Publishing is a little less entry-friendly in Brazil, I’ve observed. You can already have a decent amount of money from other sources so costs become no object, get picked up by only a handful of publishers or rather approach things in DIY style, the latter of which has inspired a small treasure trove of fashion and art magazines. But DIY publishing, if you want to take it to the art form that it can be, can benefit from a helping hand, especially if you don’t have the resources to produce. Publishers taking on secondary roles of advisers and arbiters, Sao Paulo’s 
I’m a total dunce at graphic design. I can write about it, but heck if i know which option I should pick in order to shade or shadow. But with the help of the online tool 
This week has seen some serious life changes for me, most notably the purchase of a new MacBook, marking the end of a three-year run with my beloved 
