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Woody Light (Purchase Here)

2010-09-10 00:00:00 GMT

We have offered a few special products for sale on our site before and we are now excited to continue this by bringing to you this super sexy light made of wood.

The American Oak veneer shade has a big presence — 40 inches (101.1 cm) in diameter and 27.5 inches (70 cm) in height — yet it seems to float serenely in the air. The shade adds a warm Scandinavian glow on to you decor in any room at home, and it looks great in the office, too, over a conference table or above a seating area. The light comes fully assembled and delivered within a few days.

You can order it here and pay by PayPal. Delivery is free

Free Delivery Woody Light $1,495.00

Why Street Art Matters

2010-09-09 00:00:00 GMT

Some city councils get it, others don’t. Tapping the creative talents of street artists, illustrators and graphic designers is an effective and cool way to make bland public spaces, old buildings, bridges and car parks new again, and to freshen up the concrete jungle. It is also an effective way of keeping graffiti away. Plus it draws attention to the building or structure as “potential” not as something to be hated. Maybe it will even bring a buyer, a new occupant or additional creative ideas about how to revitalize the building? Anything but the current dilapidated state of abandoned spaces!

Street artists and muralists bring with them vibrant and a new perspective that architects or designers may not have. This does not mean that millions need to be spent to upgrade the buildings immediately, all you need is vision, courage, local creative talent and some colorful paint like these perfect examples here. Our subscriber list reads like the Who-is-Who of city councils around the globe. So here’s a challenge to you: You need to step up and change the face of your city. There are way too many ugly, run-down buildings, bridges, tunnels and walkways that can be completely transformed into exciting and fun environments with some creative input.

Contact Access so we can help. - Bill Tikos

Hatched At Louis Vuitton Bond St, London

2010-09-09 00:00:00 GMT

The ostrich eggs have hatched at the Bond St Louis Vuitton store in London. Every few days a new egg is hatched revealing a new shoe, watch or accessory.

You can always rely on Louis Vuitton for original, fresh window displays.

Le Marais du Billet School - Switzerland

2010-09-05 00:00:00 GMT

We would not have dreaded back-to-school if our school had looked like this! In fact, most of us would be happy if our office looked like this! Interestingly, more and more schools are starting to look like appealing places of work, while creative offices often look like play rooms. Is there some strange psychological explanation to this, or is it just that we are willing to break the perceived rules a bit and rethink what a school or place of work should look like? Design thinking in action?

This cool school is located in Cheseaux, north of Lausanne, Switzerland. The project by Lausanne-based Graeme Mann & Patricia Capua Mann has appeared in the media since its completion two years ago, but it deserves to be viewed again. We love the incredibly clean lines, minimalist use of materials and especially the light. The old thinking probably suspected that if classrooms had large windows and views to anything even slightly pleasing, kids would not pay attention to the teacher. They were right of course, but that had more to do with boring teaching methods than views. - Tuija Seipell

Cardboard Cinema For Short Films

2010-09-04 00:00:00 GMT

Who says you cannot become the host of your very own pop-up movie theatre? Just book a room, put up a big screen, build a seating theatre from cardboard and you are set. While you are at it, you might as well make the seating interesting. Don’t just pile up square boxes upon boxes but have some creative fun and allow the audience to experiment and experience different ways of sitting, lounging and viewing the screen. Can this be done?

It has been done in temporary museum and exhibition settings so why not at home or at the office? Cardboard is an amazingly versatile recycled and recyclable material just waiting for more creative uses. Contact ACCESS if you want to know more, or send us your cardboard discoveries. Bill Tikos

The Mini Ad That Demands Your Attention

2010-09-01 00:00:00 GMT

One of the selling points for Mini Cooper Clubman – the Mini that is roomier yet still cute — is that it has room for some luggage. The Clubman’s luggage compartment measures 9.2 cubic feet (the basic Mini has only 6 cubic feet) and has a cargo cover as standard equipment. Clubman’s split-folding back seats can be lowered to increase the cargo space to 32.8 cubic feet that will accommodate not just basic luggage but even a snowboard or baby stroller.

Art director Maximilian Pinegger and copywriter Justin Salice-Stephan, two 24-year-old's from Miami Ad School took this feature to hart and created a cute airport luggage carousel guerrilla ad for the car and its roomy trunk. Many well-known brands and agencies support ad schools, most likely looking for indications of the next Alex Bogusky. - Tuija Seipell.

Hurts - Wonderful Life

2010-08-31 00:00:00 GMT

I am a very stylish video clip. It's Bros meets Robert Palmer meets Tom Ford.

Breast Cancer Foundation of Singapore

2010-08-29 00:00:00 GMT

Are you obsessed with the right things? ask the new print ads of Breast Cancer Foundation of Singapore. But it is not the words but the images used in these ads that draw attention and require a double take. Using Kryolan body paint and Daler Rowney Expression angled brushes and sponges, illustrator Andy Yang Soo painted a model's body and photographer Allan Ng took the pictures for the ads that suggest that perhaps women should focus on health and have their breasts checked rather than obsess about their big butts, pimples and bad hair days.

The visuals were created at Republic Studios. The agency in charge was DDB Worldwide, Singapore. Bill Tikos

Designing The Ultimate Public Car Park

2010-08-26 00:00:00 GMT

Great, aesthetically pleasing design needn't be limited to traditional architectural forms such as houses and public buildings.

Utilitarian spaces, such as car parks, present architects and designers with a unique opportunity to bring beauty and harmony to the everyday functional spaces that are normally ignored by great design minds.

We're excited to report that the tide is changing, evidenced by these good-looking car parks.

Modern design is all about "experience" and these car parks pictured acknowledge that one's experience of a private or public place begins the minute they pull up in their car. Innovative developers and designers are recognising just how crucial this is - it's almost too late by the time the consumer arrives at the front door. The "experience" of good design starts well before that.

Our agency ACCESS is currently working with a few developers globally in creating the ultimate public car park and we're on the hunt for architects/designers who already have created in this space. In the know? Get in touch. Seen any other interesting car parks we should know about - send us tips - Bill Tikos

Childish Gambino - A Legit Triple Threat

2010-08-25 00:00:00 GMT

What springs to mind when you think of actors making music? Likely you’re confronted with horrific images of Russell Crowe and Keanu Reeves belting out their ‘hits’ in earnest, followed by the faint smell of bad ideas. But there are exceptions to the rule. Jason Schwartzman has impressed over two Coconut Records, uh, records, as has indie pinup Zooey Deschanel as half of She & Him. Well, now you can add to that list Donald Glover.

As well as being a writer on 30 Rock and starring in fellow NBC sitcom Community, Glover’s also been exploring his other creative outlets under the moniker Childish Gambino, releasing his latest album Culdesac for free online last month.

Yet unlike fellow network TV funnymen like Andy Samberg and his Lonely Island crew, Glover’s turn on Culdesac is completely straight-laced and serious, and all the more entertaining for it. Although it isn’t a great surprise, this dude can rap, throwing out tight-wound verses that have enough bravado and charisma to make any rapper jealous, particularly on tracks like Hero or the grandstanding swagger-fest Let Me Dope You. Elsewhere, something like Put It In My Video races along with frantic beats and These Girls is a sombre crooner’s jam.

It’s a twisted hip-hop fantasy made real with the effortless cool of guys like Wale and Pharrell, mixed with a bit of Eddie Murphy’s forays into music. And it’s all good. - Dave Ruby Howe