Austin Mansu | A Twenty Something Experience Architect

One day, when I actually get around to it, I'll put My own content here but untill that day comes you might as well have a squiz at my most read feeds.

The Cool Hunter - Latest Articles

Latest articles by The Cool Hunter - for more checkout www.thecoolhunter.net

Photographer - Andrea Karin (Grace Jones)

It would take a bold and confident photographer to work with Ms Grace Jones – she of the panther like qualities and iconic outlandish style! Andrea Karin (http://www.andreaklarin.com/) seems to have created not only a working relationship with Ms Jones but also a truly collaborative experience with startling results. Ms Jones prowls across the studio space commanding your attention with her dramatic poses and facial expressions. See more visuals over at Fashionation (http://www.fashion-ation.net)

Posted on 19 November 2008 | 8:12 pm

Buccella Wines

The art of packaging design (design/The-Power-of-The-Box---Powerful-Packaging-Design/) continues to inspire us. The latest interesting example to land on our desks is this classic take on packaging label design by Californian boutique winery, Buccella. (http://www.buccellawines.com/)Taking the age-old wax seal as its inspiration, the bottle's simple label makes a bold statement about the brand - that it is formidable, timeless and not easily forgotten. And according to reviews by major wine critics - so is the product. Earlier this year, The San Francisco Chronicle named Buccella a "cult" brand and one of the top 10 new wineries to watch. Great packaging design and a great wine to match...a coupling made in hedonist's heaven. Pass the glasses please. - Lisa Evans.

Posted on 19 November 2008 | 2:25 pm

A Smaller World

If the first and second generations of social networking portals were about opening up the world, the third generation is about closing it again. Invitation only sites are popping up everywhere, creating exclusive, gated virtual communities that shut out the “masses.” bluechipexpert.com (https://www.bluechipexpert.com/login) and doostang.com (http://doostang.com/), where aspiring members must submit their resumes to be considered for acceptance. Other sites are blatantly and proudly parochial, such as aprivateclub.com, (http://www.aprivateclub.com/) which is only for New Yorkers in-the-know. If you were lucky enough to score an invitation to the Cannes Film Festival, you would also have gained access to the festival’s ‘private’ online portal, cannes2008.ning.com (http://cannes2008.ning.com/), created for attendees only. In Asia, well heeled society-types and business movers and shakers can network at dianefay.com (http://site.dianefay.com/index.php), a members only online club where one has to be invited to gain entry. In Europe decayenne.com (http://www.decayenne.com/) offers a similar exclusive club concept for invited members only. Wall Street types can commiserate the global financial meltdown with eachother in the privacy of cyberspace at bankersavenue.com, (http://www.bankersavenue.com/Index.aspx) a members-only portal for bankers who must be invited to join. Global expats can catch up on local knowledge and network at internations.org (http://www.internations.org/). The members-only site is for diplomats, members of IGOs and NGOs, foreign correspondents and other expatriates employed by multinational companies and their family members. If you don't bat for the "straight" team you can connect with other successful 'power' gays and lesbians at cosmocircle.net (http://www.cosmocircle.cc/) .If bizarre beliefs are more your thing then you can try getting into the spacecollective.org (http://spacecollective.org/) invite-only community, where "forward thinking terrestrials exchange ideas and information about the state of the species, their planet and the universe." Sounds like a blast. Where do we sign up? American Express should jump into the fray here and create a network for people who use their “black” card. Are businesses missing out by not creating exclusive environments for their high end customers?- Laura DemasiDo you know of any other “private” networking portals like these? send us a tip (component/option,com_contact/Itemid,14/task,view/contact_id,1/) pics via cobrasnake (http://www.thecobrasnake.com/)

Posted on 18 November 2008 | 3:10 am

What We Twitted About

The Most Influential Women in Web 2.0 (http://www.fastcompany.com/articles/2008/11/influential-women-web.html?#)Malcolm Gladwell’s elegant and wildly popular theories about modern life have turned his name into an adjective—Gladwellian! But in his new book, (http://www.newsweek.com/id/169196) he seeks to undercut the cult of success, including his own, by explaining how little control we have over it. (http://nymag.com/arts/books/features/52014/)The Killers amazing MTV stage set (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U58HAK0KUGg feature=related)seems to have been borrowed from Etienne De Crecy live performance. (http://it.youtube.com/watch?v=Jzil8S7tUeY)New Xbox game sells 2.1 million (http://news.vgchartz.com/news.php?id=2496) on day 1Justin Timberlake as Beyonce's back-up dancer (http://www.dailymotion.com/video/k2WSDQPiWXPdj5QiGT) on Saturnday Night LiveYearbook (http://www.yearbookyourself.com/) yourselfJ.K. Rowling, delivers her Commencement Address, “The Fringe Benefits of Failure, and the Importance of Imagination,” at the Annual Meeting of the Harvard (http://harvardmagazine.com/commencement/the-fringe-benefits-failure-the-importance-imagination) Alumni Association.It was an ugly 2008 for the entire fashion magazine industry (http://www.wwd.com/media-news/fashion-memopad/fashion-magazines-bear-brunt-of-economic-meltdown-1859479)twitter.com (http://twitter.com/thecoolhunter)/ (http://twitter.com/thecoolhunter)thecoolhunter

Posted on 17 November 2008 | 9:02 pm

The Cool Hunter Lands In Amsterdam (17-24 Nov)

The Cool Hunter Platinum (http://www.thecoolhunter.net/platinum/) is on the road again next week, (17-24 Nov) this time hitting Amsterdam so posts will be limited. If you live in Amsterdam or have spent time there let us into your secret address book. We want to know everything about this hipcapital....who and what is making waves in all disciplines of design/architecture/fashion, plus the most interesting things happening in lifestyle, retail and hotels/spas, clubs/bars etc. If you live in Amsterdam send us your tips...we're on the hunt for all the coolest things we don't yet know about. Tell us everything bill@thecoolhunter.net

Posted on 13 November 2008 | 7:13 pm

London's Hottest Event Agency Needed

The Cool Hunter Events is on the hunt for a collaborative partner in London for some major, high profile TCH branded event projects in 09. We are looking for London's hottest event agency with a strong background in large scale, design, lifestyle fashion. If that's you, contact us or if you're in the know about London's top event agency, send us a tip. bill@thecoolhunter.net

Posted on 13 November 2008 | 5:35 pm

RESTROOM DESIGNS - The Truth Is In The Loo

Bathroom, washroom, toilet, powder room, ladies’/men’s room, whatever we call it, it is the one place in any public or semi-public place — including restaurants, hotels, concert halls, clubs or bars — that really tells what the entire establishment is all about.Sometimes it may be possible to fake customer care, cool or luxury at the front end, but the truth is always revealed in the loo. If the bathrooms are ordinary, filthy or in poor repair — or all three — you can be sure that the whole concept is just surface glare, without substance and without true respect of the guests.Just as the owners’ attitudes are reflected in the staff they or their managers hire, their true values and beliefs are revealed in the places that get overlooked in poorly executed concepts: parking garages (http://www.thecoolhunter.net/design/Is-That-Really-A-Car-Park-/) , coat checks, kitchens, and most visibly and most commonly, bathrooms.It continues to baffle us why it is not obvious that the experience of going to a concert or dining at a restaurant includes the entire experience, not just parts of it. The divine food in a restaurant or the concert at a venue has a lot to cover up if the journey to your seat was poor agony. We have all had experiences like this: You were scared in the car park, got soaked in the line-up outside, had your wet coat crushed and your scarf dropped at the coat check, and when you proceeded to freshen up in the bathroom, it was completely uninspiring, poorly lit, ill-equipped and stinky. You are disappointed, but not surprised. It has happened too often.Which is why we are glad that bathrooms are starting to get some serious design attention. There is so much room to impress and surprise that it is amazing everyone isn’t doing something about it. It is one huge untapped opportunity. Because most of us have been so thoroughly underwhelmed hundreds of times, our expectations are quite low to start with. Owners and designers of such places have an unprecedented chance to surprise, please and pamper us, and to show that they really mean business all the way through.We are hoping that we will be seeing much more of great bathroom design and that there will be fewer disappointments in your future. Let us know when that happens. - Tuija Seipell

Posted on 12 November 2008 | 9:44 pm

Camper Shoes By Jamie Hayon

Shoes say as much about the wearer and his or her character as do eyeglasses. Jamie Hayon’s line of shoes for Camper (http://www.hayonstudio.com/project.php?id=34) is perfect for self expression. With his industrial design aesthetic and love of tap dancing shoes, Hayon has created a collection of sporty shoes that has a touch of elegance; an upgrade from the humble sneaker. With its smooth, form-fitting shape, linen-print lining and diamond-patterned sole, this shoe is more than just a mere accessory for the feet – it’s a fusion of style, form and function. – Kate Vandermeer

Posted on 10 November 2008 | 3:42 pm

Global Warming - What's All The Fuss About

When in Amsterdam, do as the Amsterdammers do. This seems to have been the thought behind Ogilvy Action’s clever public awareness campaign for MTV Switch (http://www.mtvswitch.org/). In the city named after a river (Amstel) and a dam, what better way to create viral attention inexpensively about the rising sea levels, but to use the canals? Eerily realistic-looking inflatable hands stick out of the water, holding up a sign with a simple question and the website address. The idea evokes thoughts of not only rising water but also of us all sinking, pleading for, and desperately needing, help. - Tuija Seipell

Posted on 6 November 2008 | 7:33 am

Nikki Farquharson - Mixed Media Girl

We have a hunch we will be seeing much more of the work by the young, London-based graphic designer and illustrator, Nikki Farquharson (http://www.nikkifarquharson.com/). Her ongoing project, Mixed Media Girls, gives the viewer a lot to look at. The collages appear innocent and sweet but at the same time exude sharp, pent-up energy that does not feel altogether safe. The title of the work is also wonderfully suggestive — or not, depending on how the reader wishes to understand it.Farquharson’s work extends from the one-dimensional world to book projects and 3D pieces in which she often ponders and twists the meaning of words and proverbs, spies on conversations, and questions established truths. In 2007, she started the website Random Got Beautiful (http://www.randomgotbeautiful.com/) that is open for anyone to submit images focused on a specific color. Farquharson’s work was on display in September in Helsinki at the YCN Alive exhibit (http://www.ycnonline.com/event/show/128/kokoro-moi-kokoro-moi-helsinki) hosted by the Helsinki-based agency Kokoro Moi. (http://www.kokoromoi.com/index_content.html) - Tuija Seipell

Posted on 6 November 2008 | 2:07 am