Hail to the Busker

Something I have always appreciated about my morning commute is the buskers in the subway stations. Chinese flute, African thumb piano, Peruvian pan flutes, and the occasional banjo add a welcome flair to my day. What is more, they are so good, I often speculated as to what the possible process was for selecting them. Is there an audition? Or is it invitation only? Well, the commuter daily 24 hours answered the question for me.

Apparently, once a year 200 musicians compete for 75 licenses to play in the subway. A bad audition means the end of a livelihood for some.

Now, I have been to more than one club where the music is awful, have bought more than one CD that I wanted to return, but I have rarely had a problem with the subways cultural cornucopia of auditory accompaniment to my day. Like so many other creative pursuits, talented people are playing in the subway for spare change, (or for those without a license, finding other means). Sometimes the highest quality is where you’d least expect it, right under your nose.

We still have nearly 5 months left but...

I thought I would offer up this little article on 8 Web Design Clichés of 2006. Remeber kids, a little goes a long way, while overdoing it gets you lamb-basted. I also appreciate how the author of the article is guilty on examples four and five.

Ceci n'est pas une pipe

Much of my day is spent on perspective. How you see something may be different then how the designer sitting across from you sees it, or how the creative director or client see it.

For example, I get a creative brief which says the president of such and such a company wants their brochure to evoke certain ideas. So I sit down and interpret what my creative director will want to see, who in turn is interpreting what the clients marketing person is looking for, who in turn is thinking of what the president of the company wants, who in turn is thinking of what will work with HIS clients. These layers of perspectives and interpretations can be straightforward, or can come out of left field.

So, for my fellow designers, I offer these examples of interpretations and perspectives for your viewing pleasure.

A new approach to etching – Etch a Sketch art at its most impressive

A different kind of graffiti – man creates art from the grime on his windshield

Another way to brand a company – literally