Complex Blog » Design

Complex’s Uncut “Shotcaller” Interview: Brian “KAWS” Donnelly

Joe — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 20:23:48 +0000

Complex’s August/September Style & Design Issue is burning up newsstands this week with a bunch of pretty ladies and awesomeness in the world of—yup, you guessed it—Style and Design. Brian Donnelly, A.K.A. KAWS, collaborated with N.E.R.D. on Complex’s 2008 Style & Design cover story, so this time around we decided to profile the artist in our regular interview series “The Shotcaller.” Donnelly has had a breakout year, with gallery shows in NY and L.A., artwork on Kanye’s 808’s & Heartbreak, and a recent collabo with Japanese illustrator Hajime Sorayama.

We just put the uncut interview with KAWS online, where he speaks on Sorayama, Clipse, working with Supreme and BAPE, and new projects on tap. We also put together an exclusive bonus video that features a smoking hot model making out with the KAWS x Hajime Sorayama x Medicom/Original Fake NO FUTURE COMPANION figure…

• CLICK HERE TO READ THE UNCUT KAWS “SHOTCALLER” INTERVIEW

BONUS VIDEO: KAWS x HAJIME SORAYAMA’S NO FUTURE COMPANION TOY:

Daily Style & Design News: August 11, 2009

Bradley — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 16:23:47 +0000

And just like that, Australian T-shirt king Schwipe is finished. Fuck. [Schwipe]

Kanye and Spike Jonze will release the 10-minute a short film/music video for ‘ye’s song, “See You in my Nightmares” on September 8th. [We Love You So]

We usually reserve these posts for interesting/cool moments in style and design, but sometimes it’s important to call out the A-holes. If you’re going to shit on Helvetica, do something awesome, not some idiotic T-Shirt, thanks. [whitezine]

Afro-centricity is so 1989? The great Dane Henrik Vibskov begs to differ. [Slam x Hype]

Rick Klotz could be the most awesome guy in this whole streetwear game. [The Hundreds]

The eN eS dubs Varsity jackets are worth selling your firstborn. [Hypebeast]

Winogrand, Weegie, Boogie. Nils Jorgensen. Awesome. [nilsjorgensen]

Daily Style & Design News: July 28, 2009

Bradley — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 18:55:09 +0000

Mishka teams up with the UK homie French on a new T and art show. This guy is the shit, check his work here.

The British company Surface View will be collab-ing with the Royal Photographic Society on a new set of wallpaper/murals later this month. Eddie Muybridge what up. [Moco Loco]

Fuck yo’ graf T-Shirt brand. INSA is a whole ‘nother level. [Sneaker Freaker]

Mark Jenkins’ install at the FAME festival in Grottaglie Italy is something else. [Slam x Hype]

Barnes and Noble free Wi-Fi! hahahahaha. [Gizmodo]

This is some serious design shit. [The most amazing website on the Internet]

Art Beat: The 10 Damien Hirst Works You Should Know

Bradley — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 17:38:21 +0000

Images surfaced yesterday of the Damien Hirst -designed TREK bike that Lance Armstrong will be riding in the eighth stage of the Tour de France bike race next week. The bike, like most things Hirst is attached to, is impressive, and the graphics look like they were created by a crazy man. To put it lightly, Hirst is a crazy man. Crazy paid, that is.

The name “Damien Hirst” is famous, and perhaps you posted his Supreme skateboard collaboration to your blogspot/Twitter and pretended to know his deal. Or maybe you copped that 10Deep T-shirt (?). Dude is actually pretty awesome, and just in case you find yourself pulling a blank when the British homie gets brought up in conversation, we figured we’d break down the bullet points for you. Hit the jump and get educated on Damien Hirst’s most iconic/interesting work so next time you sneak into a gallery function for the free Krug you’ll be all set.

The Physical Impossibility of Death in the Mind of Someone Living (1991)
• It’s a shark swimming in formaldehyde. Anyone can do that, right? Right, but only one guy did. Originally commissioned in 1991 by Charles Saatchi, the ad superhero re-sold it in 2004, turning Hirst into the second most expensive living artist after Jasper Johns at the time (he surpassed Johns in 2007). It also put Hirst on the map in a big way. Due to deterioration of the original 14-foot (4.3 m) tiger shark, it was replaced with a new specimen in 2006. It is on display at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City until 2010. Cop the Lego version and act like you know.

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Pharamacy (1992)
• A lot of Hirst’s art questions the ideas of art itself, and this life-sized recreation of a pharmacy inside the Tate London was one of his more banger wacko installs. He had all that shark money leftover and figured, “Yeah, let’s just go for it and see what happens.”

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Spot Paintings (1990s)
• Recalling his Spot paintings, for which he first became known in the ’90s, Hirst says: “I only painted the first five and I was like, ‘Fuck this,’ I hated it. As soon as I sold one, I used the money to pay people to make them. They were better at it than me. I get bored. I get very impatient.” There’s about 300 or so of these, one of which we’re pretty sure Hov owns.

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Hymn (1996)
• Hey, get it? It’s like science class only way way waaaaay more expensive. As a side note, the science guys got mad.

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Stations of the Cross by Damien Hirst and David Bailey (2004)
• This series of twelve photographs depicting the final moments of Jesus Christ got the Christians in a tiff while making Hirst more of an art star. The collab with David Bailey mixed some nudity in with the blood and dead cows—click over if you want to see the boob shot.

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Aubade Crown of Glory (2006)
• Ok, stained glass window. Wait a second, those are exotic butterfly wings! Thousands of them. L.A. shit its collective pants when these showed up.

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For the Love of God (2007)
• Hirst’s platinum skull is encrusted with 8,601 flawless diamonds, including a pear-shaped pink diamond located in the forehead of the skull. It cost £14 million to produce, and went on display at the White Cube gallery in London at an asking price of £50 million, which would have been the highest price ever paid for a single work by a living artist. It sold for $100 million, kind of.

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The Hours Music Video featuring Sienna Miller (2008)
• Dude had some time on his hands while the Hirst factory team churned out work. He figured he’d link up with Brit pop super group The Hours and have British Lohan-to-be Sienna Miller go nuts on video. Having Damien Hirst direct a video for your band isn’t so bad.

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Damien Hirst X Supreme (2009)
• Hirst teamed up with Supreme to promote his Spin paintings through skateboards this past April. A solid investment, these puppies are reselling at at least double on eBay today.

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Damien Hirst x Livestrong x TREK “Stages”
• Look for this full Livestrong x TREK “Stages” bike to be revealed next week, a special design that Hirst did for Lance Armstrong, and a pattern that will appear in a Hirst piece for the “Stages” art exhibit, a traveling show that will feature work by KAWS, Hirst, Mark Newsom, Os Gemeos and others.

Razor Sharp: A History of Unforgettable NBA Hair Designs

justinm — Thu, 07 May 2009 22:13:53 +0000

Ron Artest’s head game is vicious. We mean his hair designs. Don’t kill us, Ron-Ron.

Haters call Ron Artest a head case. Complex agrees that his head needs to be examined, but not because QB’s finest is some kind of dangerous unhinged manimal who’ll punch you in the face and force you to listen to Allure albums. With a fresh Houston Rockets logo shaved into his head for the 2009 NBA Playoffs, Ron-Ron is keeping the proud NBA tradition of hair designs alive.

They’re like temporary head tattoos for anyone who worries that a Starbury logo on their dome might not be the look they want at 40. In honor of Artest’s super cut, Complex looks back at some of the most unforgettable slam dunk designs we’ve seen in the NBA over the years…

Kenny Walker, 1989
• Two lines? Nah, that’s an equals sign, as in: “My Gumby flat-top fade = fresh for ‘89, you suckas!”

Anthony Mason, 1994
• While Michael Jordan was off disgracing the game of baseball, somebody had to make the 1994 NBA Playoffs interesting. Like Mase, the constantly evolving designs shaved into the left side of his head muscled everyone else out of the way, then kneed them in the balls for good measure.

Anthony Mason, 1994
• Exposure was limited, but the ad rates on Mase’s pubes were much, much cheaper.

Anthony Mason, 1994
• As far as we’re aware, Mase was the first to rock a design in the NBA Finals. The Knicks lost to the Rockets in Game 7, but as far as we’re concerned he’s a champion. John “2-for-18″ Starks, however, still gets ball boy status.

Ron Artest, 2005
• Rather than enraging Ron-Ron by editing his company name, let’s just change the dictionary spellings of “true” and “warrior.”

Drew Gooden, 2006
• An experiment with negative space (as in every single inch of this)? Our best guess is that Drew told his barber to make it look like somebody had just shit on his neck.

Ron Artest, 2007
• Name on jersey? Check. Team name on head? Check. Grab the Tru Warier lunch box/thermos and Ronald’s ready for the short bus.

Anthony Mason, 2007
• Retirement couldn’t stop Mase. We hope male pattern baldness never does either.

Daniel “Boobie” Gibson, 2008
• No joke, the “B” is for Boobie. Take it or squeeze it.

Daniel “Boobie” Gibson, 2008
• LeBron’s lil’ dun is a star (in his own head).

Trek District: The Ultimate Bike for City Slickers

donniek — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 19:08:13 +0000

Trek actually planned the District colorway to match our infamous Complex dugout jacket. So we think.

While going “green” isn’t always easy, a great way to reduce your carbon footprint is by riding a bicycle instead of driving. Sounds simple, but if you live in a major city, you really have no excuse not to get a bike. So what kind? The ballyhooed fixed-gear movement has become trendy recently, but consider fixed-gears the allover prints of the bicycle world. It makes better sense to invest in something like the all-new Trek District bike, which hits stores in the first week of April.

Our buddy Erik from Trek stopped by last week to give us a sneak-peek at the District, and it is a thing of beauty. But looks aside, what makes it special is that it’s Trek’s first single-speed, belt-drive (i.e. no chain) bicycle. The District has specs and parts to satisfy bicycle enthusiasts while being user-friendly enough that your mom would have no trouble riding it. Uh, pause. Every aspect of the District has been well thought-out and executed with careful attention to detail. At $929, it may cost a grip, but think of it as a lifetime investment'as long as it doesn’t get jacked. For a detailed look at the features of the District, and as a bonus, some pics of the Trek x KAWS bike for Lance Armstrong, see below…

TREK DISTRICT FEATURES:

• The belt drive (also used by motorcycles and snowmobiles) is a carbon fiber composite belt reinforced to prevent stretch.

• No bike chain means: no lube, no maintenance, no noise, no worries.

• The District comes equipped with Bontrager Race Lite Hardcase tires and alloy rims.

BONUS:
TREK x KAWS for Lance Armstrong:

Web site: Trek Bicycle

Style & Design News: December 4, 2008

Bradley — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 22:08:13 +0000

Apparently Microsoft read our “How to fix the monster” post, and had Common do some T-shirts to make them cool by association. Does this mean that he’s a PC? Homie is riiiiiiich! [Microsoft?]

Hey Leah, nice holiday line. If you need some more ideas just Google Barbara Kruger. Sorry. We think the stuff is dope, but this is the Internet, so no one reads it unless we take shots. [Hypebeast]

Speaking of T-shirts, and The Hundreds (from the snowboard post), Brooklyn Dom gets the Adam Bomb logo stoned. [The Hundreds]

New Apple in-ear headphones. Sweet! [Gizmodo]

Dan Colen gum puzzle available at Colette. [Slam x Hype]

Complex Style & Design News: December 3, 2008

Bradley — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 22:10:57 +0000

Hey! Buy this T-shirt. It’s a collab between Craig Metzger (artist and former creative director of eS and Instant Winner/Acapulco Gold) and the Mountain. If you don’t know, he was doing sneaker collabs with Invisible:Man before anyone in the blogosphere knew who Andrew Lee was. The shirt is for a good cause too: $5 from each purchase goes to the NRDC. [Enginesystem]

KozynDan, the great married art duo, just dropped a collab with Puma. We would have liked to see more of the art, but these are cool. [Highsnobiety]

Lacoste has been getting blog hype with the Stash shoes, which is great. If you’re buying though, check these Missouri’s in black by Shoes Up. Very nice. [Nice Kicks]

Let Banksy draw on your house, cash in for double! [Slam x Hype]

December SB launch images. Yawn. When can we get to June? That’s when the fire hits. [Hypbeast]

Sports Ball Chairs Will Step Your Seating Game Up

Joe — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 17:53:37 +0000

If you're looking to add another set of balls (PAUSE) to your Sunday Football experience, you might want to cop these luxury sport-inspired seats from German company VIP Seating.

A step-up from usual sport-themed furniture, the seats are hooked up in top-notch nappa leather, chromium and other highbrow materials that will impress both your Budweiser guzzling friends and your interior decorator jump-off. Chairs are available in basketball, volleyball, golf, tennis and soccer. The distribution is sketchy for now, but if you're looking to inquire, hit up sales@vipseating.de. See the full set of chairs below…

GOLF “EAGLE” CHAIR:

BASKETBALL “NBA” CHAIR:

SOCCER “HATTRICK” CHAIR:

TENNIS “VOLLEY” CHAIR:

[VIP Seating via BallerHouse]

Pantime Clock Shows Its True Colors

treats — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 19:54:34 +0000

For some obsessive artists and designers, it’s hard not to see everything through the lens of Pantone. No matter what they come across, there’s a subconscious tendency to match its hue up with its respective number from the Pantone Matching System. Well now those OCD color freaks can even use the Pantone system to tell time with a new clock called Pantime.

Created by a UK college student named James Beattie, the Pantime replaces traditional clock numbers with an array of colors and corresponding PMS numbers, starting with “012 C” (the Pantone number for yellow). While there’s no evidence of a rip-off, the Pantime is strangely similar to the Chromachron, a watch designed by Tian Harlan in the 1970s. Check out a close-up of the Pantime, as well as the O.G. Chromachron, below…

Tian Harlan’s 1973 Chromachron watch:

[Swiss Miss Via Pan Flower]

D.I.Y. Mega Man Animation Totally Rocks

treats — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 17:50:35 +0000

After a 12-year break, this year’s WiiWare title Mega Man 9 (a.k.a. Rockman 9) marks the official return of the video game franchise that hit NES in 1987. And if you had any doubts about the dedication of the humanoid robot hero’s fans, you won’t after watching this D.I.Y. tribute video from college student Nicolas Menard.

Using stop-motion animation, Menard re-created a level from the game with simple obstacles like LEGO bricks, cereal boxes and a harmonica. In this photo-trickery game, Mega Man’s must defeat Menard, who plays as “Fork Hand,” a giant fork. Watch the video below to see what we mean…

[TechEBlog]

Ringo Holographic PDA Could Replace Your iPhone

treats — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 17:27:07 +0000

Take it from us: touch screens on mobile phones are just the foreplay for technology’s next big jumpoff. Yeah, fingering your smart phone is cool, but the full interactivity of holograms is already on deck. At Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design in Israel, Ivan Tihienko’s holographic PDA concept seems likely to one day eclipse today’s pocket-sized devices.

Through the use of a digital shadow, Tihenko’s design, called the Ringo, creates a radius of multi-colored arcs on the ground around you. At the wave of a hand, the user is equipped with a standard menu of date/time, GPS, and games like air hockey and chess. Unfortunately, we’re probably gonna have to wait a few years for the technology to catch up to the concept. See the demo video below…

Holographic Interface – round interface – Ringo from Ivan Tihienko on Vimeo.

[Ringo Via Fubiz]

The V-Cube Will Leave You Puzzled

treats — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 17:52:53 +0000

The original Rubik’s cube is f-ing hard to solve. Before we had YouTube clips that gave away the secrets to solving ErnÅ‘ Rubik’s color-coated block, the challenge stumped many an '80s baby. Now, true brainiacs are gonna have to step their game up if they want to solve the V-Cube, a 7 x 7 x 7 upgrade from the traditional 2 x 2 x 2 cube.

In May 2003, Greek engineer Panagiotis Verdes started sketching designs for a 5 x 5 x 5 flip of Rubik’s design. This year, his so-called “21st Century Cube” hit the market in three different sizes'the V-Cube 5, 6, and 7. On October 26th, he’ll be putting puzzle solvers to the test with the V-Cube’s first brain-busting competition in Germany. Start practicing now by copping one HERE, and watching a speedcuber in the video below…

[V-Cubes Via Technabob]

Dean Fraser Turns Marvel Superheroes Into Simpsons

treats — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 18:04:26 +0000

Last year when The Simpsons movie hit theaters, BK launched a promotion called “Simpsonize Me,” where you could turn a photo of yourself into a Matt Groening-style cartoon. But since then, Dean Fraser has been the only one still going hard, Simpsonizing a wide variety of pop culture icons for a little project that he’s calling the “Springfield Punx“.

Some of the characters Dean has rendered include Dwight from The Office, Neo from The Matrix, and even former Simpson’s writer Conan O’Brien. This month, Fraser is focusing on Marvel, posting a different superhero or villain from the comic universe each day. In addition to three of the Avengers pictured above (Captain America, Thor, and Iron Man), he’s dropped 12 other characters so far. Check ‘em out below…

FANTASTIC FOUR (MINUS THE THING)

SILVER SURFER AND DR. DOOM

GHOST RIDER

SHE-HULK, THE HULK, SUB MARINER

LUKE CAGE, MS. MARVEL, THE PUNISHER

[Springfield Punx Via Drawn!]

DIY Dragon Wings Take Flight For Halloween

treats — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 17:44:36 +0000

Halloween is right around the corner so you know what that means'time to get creative with costumes. Sure, you could dress up as something obvious, like Obama, McCain, or Palin (everybody’s doing it), but you might want to think outside the ballot box if you really wanna to stand out. The designers behind Gryphern, a website dedicated to costume design, are urging you to get creative with an instructional video that shows how to make a elaborate pair of retractable dragon wings.

If you’ve got a shit-load of time on your hands between now and October 31st, prepare yourself for this labor intensive arts and crafts project. Using pipes, cables and screws, the video provides an in-depth explanation of how you can create a pair of flapping wings for only $18. Even if you don’t want to dress up as a “dragon,” these will add a new dimension to any costume'we guarantee you’ll be the only Flying McCain in the party. Watch the instructional video below…

[Gryphern Via G4]

Igloo Satellite Cabin Insulates In Hot And Cold

treats — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 16:01:47 +0000

Thanks to Sarah Palin, good old fashioned Alaska livin’ is all the rage these days. But before you make your way up to the state’s snowy tundra for a moose hunt, you might want to invest in this modern equivalent to the classic igloo. For the past 25 years, Icewall One’s Igloo Satellite Cabin has been used by scientists to withstand harsh conditions across the globe.

Back in 1982, designer Malcolm Wallhead created the round, alien-like pod for the Australian Antarctic Division. The fiberglass construction and polyurethane insulation can protect you not only from polar ice caps, but the searing heat from tropical climates as well. Multiple igloos can be linked together via tunnels, making a perfect haven for your whole team. See more photos below…

[Icewall One Via Designer Gallery]

Nokia Cranks Up Music Inspired Headphone Designs

treats — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 17:01:38 +0000

Putting the power of design in the hands of the consumer has its strengths and weaknesses. It’s an opportunity for unknown designers to get some shine, but sadly sub-par concepts and uninspired execution usually overshadow the real talent. But damn, we can’t hate on the left-field designs that have come out of Nokia’s Music Almighty Headset Competition this week.

The Finnish company called on consumers to put a music-inspired spin on their line of Bluetooth earphones, using tools provided on the website like beaming lights, interchangable colors, and decorative characters. The five winners will actually be manufactured as one-of-ones and will be displayed in select retail locations. Check out designs inspired by Jay-Z, MGMT and Santogold below…

TITLE: Str8-Star
INSPIRED BY: Jay-Z
SONG INSPIRATION: “Jockin’ Jay-Z”

TITLE: Kolory rzadza
INSPIRED BY: Jamelia
SONG INSPIRATION: “Superstar”

TITLE: Wood Style
INSPIRED BY: nvitrox
SONG INSPIRATION: “Wood”

TITLE: Silver
INSPIRED BY: Joey Beltran
SONG INSPIRATION: “Energy Flash”

TITLE: Working For The Weekend
INSPIRED BY: MGMT
SONG INSPIRATION: “Electric Feel”

TITLE: Gold+
INSPIRED BY: Santogold
SONG INSPIRATION: “Santogold”

[Nokia Via Nokia Conversations]

Qayot Turns Pacman Into Poufman Furniture

treats — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 17:42:05 +0000

If you’re still crashing on old-school bean bags, it’s high time for an upgrade to real furniture, my dudes. Italian home design company Qayot will help nostalgic geeks hold onto the golden era of 8-bit video games with the Poufman living room set, which was unofficially inspired by Pacman’s iconic silhouette.

Qayot unveiled the collection recently in a furniture design exhibit called “Abitare Il Tempo” in Verona. With a wide variety of interchangeable, two-tone polyester linings, the round and square seats can be combined with additional sets to produce flexible seating for any situation. Sadly, they haven’t yet created a red ghost ottoman to match. Check out more images of the Poufman set below…

[Qayot Via Freshome]

Kenchikukagu Folds Whole Rooms Into Rolling Boxes

treats — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 17:05:55 +0000

In today’s market of over-priced real estate, the average apartment is basically a man-sized shoebox. Now you can make the most out of the space thanks to Japanese company Atelier OPA and designer Toshihiko Suzuki, who have introduced a series of folding “rooms” called Kenchikukagu.

The innovative line features a kitchen, bedroom and office that all fold up into compact cabinets that can be wheeled away for easy storage. For about $7,500 each, you can buy one now on Amazon Japan. See how it all unfolds in the video below…

[Kenchikukagu via Luxurylaunches]

Studio Kahn’s ‘Water Games’ Lights Up Tic-Tac-Toe

treats — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 16:35:15 +0000

Good ‘ol water. Is there anything H2O can’t do? You wanna cook food, clean clothes, mix up a little Kool Aid…power a game of tic-tac-toe? Yeah it does that too. Studio Khan, a design collective from Israel figured out a way to use it the base component to light up each X and O spot in a new project they call “Water Games.”

The innovative collective flipped the pencil and paper game into a touch-sensitive process. Players dip their fingers in circles filled with water, which light up green or blue on contact. Underneath the porcelain unit lies a complex matrix (we won’t bore you with techy-talk) of wires that make the magic happen. See tic-tac-toe 4.0 in the video below…

[Designboom]