4th of July in Michigan

I had the great fortune of being invited to New Buffalo, Michigan for the 4th of July holiday weekend. It was great excuse to get away from screens for a few days while enjoying new inspiration from this small, lakeside town.

Munich and Salzburg Christmas Markets

This holiday season, I flew over to Europe to enjoy the sights and flavors of the Christkindlmarkts.

One of the things that really stood out to me was how little waste there was. Having attended many markets in the US, I’m used to seeing overflowing trash cans.

Their mug deposit system is simple, yet effective. For 10 euros, you could a delicious holiday beverage in a cute mug and then have the option of keep the mug or returning it and getting 5 euros back. The deposit system was used at other vendors where you could enjoy your meal on a ceramic plate with a cloth napkin and return them both to get your deposit back. Much better experience all around.

Washington D.C.

I hadn’t been to Washington, D.C. for many years, so I was excited to tag along on my sister’s business trip to see the national’s capital. Though it was incredibly hot and humid it was exciting to revisit old favorites from the National Museum of American History (Dorothy’s ruby slippers and Jeannie’s bottle) while seeing new inspiration.

Though the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum was under heavy construction, we were still able to marvel at many of the machines that changed travel forever.

Hotel Figueroa, Downtown LA

Hotel Figueroa is by far one of the best brand experiences I’ve had while staying at a hotel. From the website to the packaging of the water provided, every touchpoint is well thought out and beautiful.

On top of that, it has an empowering history as “the largest commercial building funded by women for women when it opened in 1926.” Hotel Figueroa gave women the “freedom to live uninhibited lives among other like-minded women, serving as a safe haven for solo female travelers, who were prohibited from checking into most hotels without a male chaperone.”

Learn more here

Adobe MAX 2019

I had the privilege of attending Adobe MAX 2019 in Los Angeles, California. It was an inspiring experience filled with a wide variety of artists from Murakami to Dave Grohl. The graphics and experiences within this conference won’t be forgotten soon. Would love to work on an event such as this in the future!

Responsive design - font sizing resources

Handy chart showing font size conversions and custom converter tool: http://pxtoem.com/

Also, a helpful guide to help understand the difference between REM and EM when coding a responsive design: https://j.eremy.net/confused-about-rem-and-em/

Icons for everything

A great resource for finding icons when designing a website. Nearly a million curated icons, created by a global community https://thenounproject.com:

Interactive Inspiration

In the front end web development class that I am taking, we are invited to share inspiration examples. Here are a few of my favorites that have been presented in class.

I love the use of illustration and animation: http://www.animalmade.com/

Thoughtful use of simultaneous video:

Unexpected and inventive navigation: http://shantellmartin.art/

New Microsite for the Leonard A. Lauder Research Center for Modern Art

After months of planning and hard work, I am pleased to announce that my newest project with The Metropolitan Museum of Art has officially launched!

The Leonard A. Lauder Research For Modern Art microsite now provides guests with unique views and information regarding some of the greatest works in modern art. Not only are users able to digitally access all 81 objects in the Leonard A. Lauder Cubist Collection, but they will also be given a rare view of the archival labels and previously hidden artwork contained on the backs of the paintings.

Last night, I had the pleasure of celebrating at the opening reception for the new Leonard A. Lauder Research Center for Modern Art's first exhibition, "Cubism: The Leonard A. Lauder Cubist Collection." It was a wonderful opportunity to view the entire body of objects and to experience The Met after hours.

Designing for The Met has be a tremendous privilege and I look forward  to our continued collaboration.

A view of The Metropolitan Museum of Art as it hosts the opening reception for its newest exhibit "Cubism: The Leonard A. Collection."

Back of the painting Houses Under the Trees by Fernand Léger. Visitors of the exhibit "Cubism: The Leonard A. Lauder Collection," get a rare opportunity to glance at the back of a master work.

Composition (The Typographer) by Fernand Léger. After weeks of viewing only an image of this painting, it was exciting to see the scale and color in person.

Someday, I hope to work on a project like this...

A teacher in graduate school showed me this projection as inspiration for an experience design project that I was working on. Many years have passed, but I still love watching it. So many New York buildings would be an incredible backdrop for this!

On Thursday March 10, Hot Wheels™ lit up Circular Quay, showcasing groundbreaking 3D projection technology at Customs House in Sydney, Australia. In a spine tingling show, the notorious Hot Wheels™ Skull Racers shattered the facade of Customs House as they competed in the ultimate speed racing battle.