Cool Stuff

Asian Film Festival of Dallas Gets a New Look!

July 20, 2016July 20, 2016Shelley LaiLeave a comment

This year, I was given the opportunity to design the marketing materials for the Asian Film Festival of Dallas (AFFD). They were open to a complete redesign and gave me creative freedom – what designer doesn’t love that? It was a demanding schedule, but I was up for the challenge!

The first thing I did was update the logo, giving it a clean, contemporary look. I chose new fonts, along with a new color palette (primary: black, white, grey; secondary: red, gold). These styles were then extended to the website and promotional videos for AFFD.

With all the changes and updates approved, I started on the festival program. This, too, received a healthy redesign: from the cover, front of book pages and ad placement, to special section pages, program schedule and film reviews. Response to the new cover layout was overwhelming, but I was even more pleased with AFFD‘s reaction to the new layout of the film reviews and program as a whole. I wanted the reviews to be easy to read, and eye-catching at the same time. With this in mind, compelling movie stills were placed at the top of the page to grab the reader’s attention. Since there was a lot of info for each film, it made sense to lay it all out in a grid-like format. This made it easier to read. Another thing I added was the special premier labels to let festival goers locate premiere films more easily. Once I redesigned the festival program, I then updated the look of AFFD’s VIP badges, flyer, poster, vouchers, ballots, Facebook profile images, and T-shirts.

Fortunately, I was able to attend the festival this year to see all the new marketing materials in person and, finally, to meet the new people I’d been working with. All in all, I think everything was well-received and came out nicely.

If you “love subtitles” like I do, the Asian Film Festival of Dallas (AFFD) runs through July 21st, so it’s still not too late to check it out!

AFFD Marketing

Poster

Festival Program

T-shirt

Planning the program with awesome handwriting.

Flyer

Festival Program

VIP Badges

Vouchers and Ballots

Festival Program

10 Cool Modern Unique Desks

February 25, 2016Shelley LaiLeave a comment

1. Minimal Wall Desk by Orange22Modern

2. Katedra office desk by Desnahemisfera

3. A33 modern office desk by J&M Furniture

A33_1000

4. Volna desk by nüvist

5. K Workstation by Misosoup

6. Tank Desk 1.2 by Peter Petersen

7. Bulego desk by Abad Diseño

8. Walker Desk by Modloft

9.Leo Desk by Valsecchi1918

10.Goggle Office Desk by Danny Venlet

Dollhouses Aren’t Just For Kids Anymore

January 20, 2012January 20, 2012Shelley Lai1 Comment

Ever wish you could own a modern luxurious house furnished with pieces you’d rather gaze at than sit in? brinca dada, a New York based toy company, has made it possible with their minimalist doll houses with matching contemporary furniture. Here are a few of my favorites! (Now, if only I could get a hold of the “Honey I BLEW up the Kid” machine…)

Bennet House

Bennett House by brinca dada is an oasis in the sea of glitzy toy houses. Heavily influenced by the De Stijl movement of the early 20th century, it emphasizes lines, squares and rectangles in asymmetrical patterns while minimizing color. Fans of Rietveld’s Schröder House will recognize another influence. Architect Tim Boyle explains how Bennett House breaks out of the townhouse genre: “Townhouses are typically a stack of floors with a few windows on each floor, and no inside/outside relationship. I prefer architecture that reveals structure and engineering, hence windows extend past floors to show the weight and thickness of the structure.”

Bennett House is more than just a pretty façade–its clever design and use of space invites play whether open or closed. The townhouse features a two-story living room, elevator, roof top pool and glass rail balconies in both the master bedroom and children’s bedroom. And Bennett House is made of CARB-certified woods and non-toxic, lead-free paints and stains, so it is easy on the environment.

Details

Designed by: Tim Boyle
36” x 21” x 21”
Scale: 3/4”

Made of bamboo and other eco-friendly woods
Non-toxic and lead-free paints
Retail price: $599 (Purchase Here)

Edward House

Inspired by Neutra’s Kaufmann House and Gary Cooper’s home designed by A. Quincy Jones, brinca dada’s Edward House features many distinguishing architectural features like glass corners, minimalist cut stone and hardwood floors. The Edward House has six rooms including a living room, kitchen, library/office, master bedroom, bathroom and child’s bedroom. With its large, open floor plan and floor-to-ceiling windows, the Edward House enjoys year-round sunlight. Finally, the dollhouse is easy on the environment with only eco-friendly woods and non-toxic and lead-free paints. Assembly required.

Details

Designed by: Tim Boyle
17” x 17” x 26”
Scale: 3/4”
Made of eco-friendly woods
Non-toxic and lead-free paints
Retail price: $349 (Purchase Here)

Dylan House

Inspired by the minimalist masterpieces of Paul Rudolph and Tadao Ando, Dylan House features a concrete-and-glass feel, but with the breezy openness of a beachfront home. Floor-to-ceiling windows open to allow natural light into the house and play from many angles. The Dylan House has five living spaces on three levels: living room/dining room, kitchen, bedroom, bathroom and roof patio. Furniture is sold separately.

Details

Designed by: Tim Boyle
23” x 15” x 16”
Eco-friendly MDF
Non-toxic and lead-free paints
Retail Price: $149.99 (Purchase Here)

Maison Furniture Collection – Complete Set

The Maison Furniture Collection from brinca dada is the perfect complement to both Edward House and Bennett House. The line’s clean and sophisticated aesthetic mixes classic modern design with contemporary “in fashion” highlights. In the words of designer Cecilia Reboursin, “The key was to work on every detail to add an extra dimension of authenticity to the line. We used American black walnut as a common thread, giving a contemporary feel to each room. We then added color as accents, but also as an attraction to children’s sensibilities.”

The Maison Furniture Collection – Complete Set is comprised of 40 different pieces and offers furnishings for seven rooms, plus two sets of accessories. All furniture elements are made from high-quality woods and fabrics and are fashioned with non-toxic, lead-free stains and paints.

Details

Designed by: Cecilia Reboursin
Scale: 3/4″
7 rooms,plus 2 sets of accessories, 40 pieces
Materials: Wood, fabric
Retail Price: $399 (Purchase Here)

Blue Genie Art Bazaar 2011 – Don’t Miss It!

December 14, 2011Shelley Lai1 Comment

This past weekend, I went to Austin’s 11th annual Blue Genie Art Bazaar event. If you love arts and crafts, or are looking for a unique Christmas present, you are bound to found something there! Plus, you’ll be supporting the local artists! They open 7 days a week 10am – 10pm from Nov. 3th0 to Dec. 24th.

Here are some things there that I thought were pretty cool:

13 Cool Unique USB Drives

September 3, 2011September 10, 2011Shelley Lai2 Comments

1. Camera USB Drive from Photojojo

2. XtremKey All-Terrain from Lacie

3. Wooden Memory Sticks from OOMS

4. Memoring from Gung

5. Wooden USB Drive from Thalbach

6. DATA clip from nendo

7. Folderix from Art. Lebedev Studio

8. Candy USB from Jazwares

9. Zip Zip USB Memory Brick from Zip Zip

10. MosKeyto from Lacie

11. The Memory Men from Pat Says Now

12. Transformers from Big Bad Toy Store

13. Steampunk USB Drive from via technabob

Austin Town Lake Pianos Update!

May 3, 2011Shelley LaiLeave a comment

This past weekend, people were able to participate in smashing the “Play Me, I’m Yours” piano at the Pfluger Bridge Garden into pieces and taking them home as souvenirs. The pianos were placed around the city from April 1 – May 1, 2011 by the Art Alliance Austin to celebrate Art Week Austin. This concept was created by UK artist Luke Jerram in 2008 and has been touring internationally to major cities including NYC, London, and Sydney. Upcoming cities to follow are Geneva (Jun 2011) and San Juan (Sep 2011).

Austin Town Lake Keeps Keeping Austin Weird!

April 29, 2011Shelley LaiLeave a comment

I’ve been jogging at Town Lake lately now that it’s warmer and have been noticing a lot of changes. Sure, all the new construction on the pedestrian bridge at Lamar and new trail improvements are great, but what I love most is the random art that’s been popping up everywhere. Pianos have also been set up for whoever wants to play, or draw, on them! I finally remembered to bring my phone along to take some pics to share. Enjoy!

Pac-Man chalk art on Mopac jogging bridge. (sorry it’s not very clear; it’s been there for a while now so it’s fading)