Design Respeck (Part 7: Recycling Ain't so Bad...)

It's been a minute since the last "Design Respeck" installation...so I figured I'd come back with some eco-friendly, green design appreciation to go with the times. Here it goes:

Reinventing the Cassette Tape



Cassette tapes, born in the 1980s, are known to have poor sound quality and have become an animal of the past, but similar to the Transparent House lamps we noticed last year, ooomydesign has managed to rescue old cassette tapes to create a series of gorgeous glowing lamps.

Ooomydesign’s cassette tape lamps are intricately linked together using plastic ties. Some lamps are crafted an x-ray view effect in the lamps made from clear tapes, and others feature a kaleidoscope of light shining against a wall from a set of wheel holes. They can be purchased from the ooomydesign online shop, but designer Vanesa Moreno is also open to commissioned lamp projects from your personal collection of tapes. Moreno’s vision is to collect enough cassette tapes to create a set of cassette chairs, tables, and other furniture reborn into retro reality. She is accepting donations through her website.

Via Inhabitant

TerraCycle x Yak Pak: Billboard Messenger Bags




Since 2001, TerraCycle has revolutionized the industry by making eco–friendly and affordable products from waste materials. And just recently, they have decided to use Yak Pak’s expertise in design and manufacturing to come up with products that are stylish, nearly indestructible and eco-friendly at the same time. The bags are made up of different cuts of billboard vinyls making every single bag a one-of-a-kind piece of art. I forgot the mention that besides from being stylish and eco-friendly, it would only cost you less than $35 to buy one of these. The product line includes a variety of functional shapes including messenger bags, backpacks, laptop sleeves and totes.

To know more about it, check out TerraCycle.net and YakPak.com. Check out some of the products for you viewing.

Via Bay Area Bags

UMG - The Car Park: Photography

FINALLY the photography section of The Car Park is LIVE today! That will be where all of our automotive/transportation photo work will be showcased entirely (and of course, posted on this blog). Anyway, if you haven't seen it yet, take a look:



As always, if you like (or love) the work, feel free to shoot us an e-mail at info@unscenemedia.com or pass the work along to people you think would be interested.

UMG Introduces 8lbs, 6oz.

With Unscene Media going through some rapid expansion and big changes, I'm happy to announce that in addition to The Car Park, UMG is launching its next project called "8 pounds, 6 ounces" - photography dedicated to kids and pets.



The inspiration for the name came from the pride and joy parents feel once their new baby is born. I felt that the photography in this section will aim to capture the pride and joy both parents and pet owners feel towards their prospective babies in the fine art, modern style that you have come to expect from UMG. Here are a couple preview shots:




Since this is an introduction of a new, specialized facet of UMG, there will be special pricing for anyone interested in photos for the small things that we love! We'll be running this pricing until August 22, 2009. Feel free to either visit the site and fill out an inquiry form there, or directly e-mail info@unscenemedia.com.

Come say hello soon!

For You Freelancers

Hey all -

I know there are plenty of you out there, so I figured I'd make you aware of a sweet podcast directly specifically at you guys on the grind. It's called (surprise, surprise) Freelance Radio and it is a great resource to really get your work tweaked in the right direction. They're on their 35th podcast episode already, so if you haven't checked it out, give it a listen.

They usually have a pretty "intellegent" panel o' pros come in and speak/debate about what is useful in the field...which is a good thing because they have such differing opinions that you realize there isn't a clear cut avenue to success at all - it simply boils down to what works for you and your system. Nevertheless, it's nice to hear from people that have already "been there, done that" and hit the potholes so to speak instead of having to trek it blindly all on your own. If not for that, it's a good way to keep you hip and motivated to do the RIGHT work while you're on the grind.

Here's a little something about Freelance Radio from the girls (and guy) over at itsdesignrelated:

"In order to survive the rough waters of what we call the economy, we as designers, must have a wider perspective on networking, marketing and becoming a better designer or artist. Freelance Radio is a great way to keep you fresh and thriving as a designer. There are tips on everything freelance covers topics from the client side, business side and creative side.

I recommend it. Its a must if you are looking to becoming a better designer than you were in 2008! Goodluck!:

Check it out:

UMG x Performance BMW Magazine Scans

So I got my hands on some full scans of the August 2009 Performance BMW magazine that featured Unscene Media photography and my Melbourne E90 M3 - dubbed "Red Death" by IND Distribution. From my previous post, I thought that they had just done a page spread of the car with my photos, but it turns out there were more! Littered across several popular car forums I found that IND posted up the scans too.



From IND Distribution:
"Please check out the August 2009 issue of Performance BMW to see IND's Red Death, and KKSigua's project car! I'm sure most of you are familiar with the photos already, but it is great to see Mike Maravilla's (Unscene Media Group) and Johan's (WheelSTO) photos in a full size magazine.

Special thanks to CA Automotive for this great opportunity!"






And here are all 5 photos that Performance BMW picked from UMG for the magazine:







Be sure to pick up a copy!! I can't WAIT to see these in person.

GJ x Niki: Sisterly Love

This past week, I had the lovely opportunity to shoot the Del Rosario sisters who just recently graduated from their prospective schools - thanks again (and congrats) Bay 1 and Niki! They definitely wanted to get some shots in by the Adler Planetarium and surrounding areas, so we made use of the museum scenery. Since I had been there before on another photo excursion, I tried to use the space in a couple different ways to give myself a creative workout.

As a bit of a throwback, we did some shots at their house which was recently worked over. The new colors and schemes really gave me great inspiration for different moods throughout the shoot. Since he's such a character, Lil' made his way into the photos as well, haha. Anyway, here are some pics from the shoot. Enjoy!