Francois started UM (short for Users & Makers) with a mission – to celebrate the craftmanship behind great design. In Francois’ words: “In music, the musician plays the instrument. But in design, as soon as you start to touch a tool, you become instantly downgraded. You become a nobody. That’s always baffled me.”They are last, [...]
Yvette Helin has one of the coolest jobs ever, making custom costumes for everything from Broadway shows, to theme parks, to TV commercials. You’ve probably seen her work. She made the costume of the Geico gecko. She’s done Rugrats, Jimmy Neutron, Scooby Doo, Pokemon… The list goes on. Her amazing studio is in Greenpoint, and [...]
The GMDC is a completely unique setup – a nonprofit landlord renting space to small manufacturers. Brian talked to us about the future of urban manufacturing, and all the cool stuff that their tenants are making.
How is the GMDC different from other studio spaces in the city?
We like to describe ourselves as a bit of [...]
Tags: Brooklyn, Business, Creative, Design, Greenpoint, Interview, Manufacturing, New York, Real Estate, Workspace
Awesome show alert.
Steven Urbatsch and Matthew Josephs run Material Process Systems. Their extensive shop focuses on architectural and furniture fabrication. During a slow period in the shop due to the recession, they dreamed up the idea for RE/BUILD. Fast forward a few months and the show is just about ready to open, May 15th at [...]
When these guys were still both in school for graphic design, they began to explore the surrounding creative territory. They spent their summers in New York interning for photographers and art direction agencies. During the school year, they pursued fun independent projects like bedazzling tons of cigars and photographing a local Pittsburgh rapper. They starting [...]
Tags: Art Direction, Branding, Brooklyn, Business, Carnegie Mellon, Creative, Design, Fashion, Greenpoint, Interview, New York, Photography
We met Karl Zahn at the New York Gift Fair last month. He was showing his wooden tools (below) and we may have passed silly/amazing drawings back and forth between our booths to pass the time… But that’s another story.
This story is about how awesome Karl’s work is. He creates conceptual objects that we are [...]
Tags: Brooklyn, Business, Consulting, Creative, Design, Furniture, Greenpoint, Interview, Manufacturing, New York, Products, RISD, Woodworking
DESU is another design studio we’ve seen in past years at Brooklyn Designs. Their home accessories have always struck me as particularly beautiful. Straight lines, machined precision, and a striking use of color sets them apart. We interviewed David to find out his story. http://desudesign.com
How would you describe DESU’s philosophy?
I think that changes depending on [...]
Tags: Accessories, Brooklyn, Business, Creative, Design, Furniture, Greenpoint, Interview, Manufacturing, New York
Jan is a Dutch designer who in the past couple years transplanted to New York. Within months after he arrived in here, he began working with clients such as Kikkerland and Target. Inspired by the New York design scene, Habraken set out to launch his own design studio in 2007. The studio (under his own [...]
Supermarket is an innovative website which allows independent designers to sell their wares. Curated by its founders, it has a wide range of objects, but not so wide that it overwhelms you. It’s a fantastic venue for designers to put their work up for sale online without dealing with headaches like coding a website or [...]
Alissia is a hotshot designer from Holland who currently resides in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. Her products are clever, witty, and have quite a bit of character. We went over to her studio to find out how she’s built her career as an independent designer. www.byamt.com
So how did you get the word out about your first product?
I [...]
Tags: Accessories, Brooklyn, Business, Conceptual, Creative, Design, Dutch, Eindhoven, Greenpoint, Interview, Jewelry, New York, Products, RISD
