Greif Masters 2010 Bike Polo Tournament
8 February 2010
Last weekend, on my way to ISPO for the Black Crows stand (more on this later), I stopped in Karlsruhe for the Greif Masters Bike Polo tournament. Probably the biggest European tourney so far, with 40 teams from France, Italy, Germany, Switzerland, Holland, the UK, and more… 14 teams were lucky enough to get invited (we were!), and the others registered. This tournament gave us a glimpse of what the future of our sport could be:
A giant screen with timekeeping, scores, team logos, upcoming games, etc… Very nice design by Steffen Mackert of the Candy Colored Clowns:
Custom-made goals, wider than the usual “cone to cone” standard in bike polo, with nets:
Solid (and very local-flavored) tap-out points:
A big and warm indoor venue, with the fantastic bonus of having a high vantage point:
And for once, our team, Zombie United, did pretty well. We won all our qualifying matches apart from one draw, and lost in the semi-finals to the winners, L’Equipe (who win every European tourney anyway). Finished 3rd! Thanks to Fixie Inc. and all the Karlsruhe players for setting a benchmark…
Friends and their wheels / pt.21: Ross Lovegrove
29 January 2010
On the way back from my lunch at Tom Dixon’s, I passed by Ross Lovegrove’s office to say hello and to make that day the design day…
Ross – who is probably one of the nicest, most positive and most easy-going persons I know – has got a spectacular office in west London, with a custom-made spiral staircase, and a garage spot built to fit perfectly his (much collectible now) Audi A2.
The bottom level of the office:
Ross and his Audi A2. Notice how snugly the car fits in its spot under an angled wall. I also like the fact that there is a glass window between the garage and the office:
Ross has designed a nice watch for Issey Miyake. The fascia pops out, and the bracelet is shaped to accomodate that pointy bone we all have on our wrists:
Plus it comes in a spectacular box:
Previous Friends and their wheels:
pt.1, pt.2, pt.3, pt.4, pt.5, pt.6, pt.7, pt.7 v2.0, pt.8, pt.9, pt.10, pt.11, pt.12, pt.13, pt.14, pt.15, pt.16, pt.17, pt.18, pt.19, pt.20
Friends and their wheels / pt.20: Tom Dixon
15 January 2010
I had a long-overdue lunch a couple of days ago with Tom Dixon. His office used to be near ours in Clerkenwell, East London. But he recently moved to West London in the former Virgin Records offices, and now occupies a stunning complex next to the canal, from which he runs his design empire with his usual phlegm and wit.
We interviewed Tom a while back, and from what I can remember his 1978 Moto Guzzi T3 California was in better shape at the time…
Now it seems a bit worse for wear – nice “custom” touches here I think:
Tom also has a 1949 Bentley Mark VI, which he’s currently turning into an electric vehicle. He’s now looking for batteries, so if you’re the heir to the Energizer family fortune, now is the time to show your generous side:
If you look closely in Tom’s portrait further up the page, you’ll notice a snowball in his hand. This was all part of a plan to engage into a gigantic office snowball fight, which I was drawn into:
The Bentley post-fight:
the office from outside:
Tom also publishes a kind of newspaper/magazine yearly:
Always a great and inspiring time to see Tom, even if after our Miami Beach jaunt, this lunch took place in a less warm and relaxed setting…
Previous Friends and their wheels:
pt.1, pt.2, pt.3, pt.4, pt.5, pt.6, pt.7, pt.7 v2.0, pt.8, pt.9, pt.10, pt.11, pt.12, pt.13, pt.14, pt.15, pt.16, pt.17, pt.18, pt.19
Absolut Bar by Yorgo
7 January 2010
I recently finished my first proper product design project (the first one being a Black Crows display).
Absolut Vodka wanted a mobile bar unit that could be taken from event to event, that would adapt to the various venues, and that could be easily put together and transported. They opted not to commission a product designer, but to see what a graphic designer could do with a three-dimensional challenge.
I decided to apply a visual language that I frequently use in my two-dimensional work to a free-standing object. Taking inspiration from Op Art and Kinetic Art, this system of perforated metal plates laid in front of each other spell the word Absolut against a backdrop of light, but only when seen from straight ahead.
As a result, the moiré effect is especially striking when walking laterally in front of the bar, and will certainly startle more than one party-goer after a few vodkas…
So from the side you can’t see much:
Until you’re straight ahead:
Here you can see how some of the holes are blocked on some plates and not on others:
The cut-out pattern is loosely reminiscent of the shape of the Absolut bottle:
And there are spaces to rest and display actual bottles:
The plates seen from the side:
The top of the counter also has that pattern:
The structure was built by the amazing guys at La Fabrique.
Photos by Henri de Carvalho.
To get a better idea check this short film we did (directed by La Controverse):
Mai & Yorgo’s alpine adventure – Pt.3
3 January 2010
The snow finally came to Chamonix and we set off in a group, like a formation of actual Black Crows, with skis from the first 3 seasons mixed:
Mai was riding the Viator in 167, and of course sporting her family racing colors proudly:
Mai has been blogging about this on her Honeyee page too.
Mai & Yorgo’s alpine adventure – Pt.2
28 December 2009
We made it safely and quickly to Chamonix, the GT-R’s mean fascia clearing the fast lane of the Autoroute for us. First thing to do here: a bit of Black Crows branding. Keeping it subtle.
Mai & Yorgo’s alpine adventure – Pt.1
26 December 2009
Off to Chamonix for a bunch of Black Crows meetings and some winter testing with Mai Ikuzawa and her Nissan GT-R. First stop: my parents’ house, where the uncanny visual similarity between my mother’s Kia Soul and the GT-R becomes glaringly obvious.
Follow her reports on her Honeyee blog.
Thanks Jennifer!
25 December 2009
The unique, wild, lovely and uber-sexy Jennifer Eymere gave me a great birthday/Christmas present: a pair of sunglasses with FLAT lenses. Somehow all sunglasses today feature curved lenses, and the only way to avoid that is to go for vintage models. But these recent Mosley Tribes specs have got the flat look that I love. Thanks Jen! And check her blog…
Driven: Nissan Cube
17 December 2009
I finally had a brief drive of the Nissan Cube, a car that has been one of my all-time favorites since I first saw it it its concept version (the Chappo). The fact that for years it was a Japanese-market-only vehicle made it even more desirable, and I used to drool with envy each time I saw an imported one pass by in the streets of London.
The Cube in its 3rd incarnation is now available worldwide, and thankfully has not changed much of its boxy shape in the process. I still prefer the old headlights, but the finish and attention to detail on this version is clearly a step up.
The launch took place in the Truman Brewery in London, coincidentally in the exact spot where we shot an Aston Martin a few months ago:
Nice cubic mugs:
Our car had white wheels! Very cool detail, I haven’t seen this on a production car since Peugeot used to fit them on their “rallye” editions in the 80’s:
The Cube:
Assymetry is great:
My bike fit in the back:
And here is the cover we did a year ago, for which we built square wheels and square shoes (by Atalanta Weller):
Vestoj Magazine
14 December 2009
If there was a an award for the person with the most positive energy, the nicest character, the friendliest smile, and the longest legs, Anja Cronberg would probably win. Anja used to work with Intersection years ago, then went back to her native Sweden to work on Acne Paper for a while. Now she is living in Paris, and has just published the first issue of her magazine, Vestoj. I only had the time for a quick glimpse at it, but it felt refreshingly new and unusual, with an impressive roster of contributors, a sophisticated yet simple design approach, and heaps of text to read if you’re tired of fashion magazines that align boring fashion shoots back to back.
Anja:
Vestoj:
