turning wall into dry erase board

I just saw this on HOW magazine, paint that can be used on walls to turn them into dry erase boards. I think this idea is quite innovative and certainly creative. The act of sustainability and conservation has escaped our generation and perhaps something created like this will give everyone more incentive to be more green-friendly.

However, I don't think this is particularly useful in houses...maybe in the rooms of little toddlers or kids that like to draw. There are too many Stepford moms that worry about their perfectly furnished homes. But nevertheless, this would be perfect for people working in the fields of graphic design/advertising...any career with a creative outlet. Instead of buying tons and tons of blackboards, businesses can think ahead and paint their walls with these special paints and an abundance amount of white space will be available for all employees wishing to get their ideas across.

This smart invention is similar to the blackboard paints that sell at Home Depot and etc. But as cool and fun this seems, I don't know how successful it would be. I think if they targeted toward a specific audience, (for example, businesses working in the creative field/teenagers/parents with small children) it would flourish even more. But I definitely see this more as a novelty, something fun to do with the homes, making it quirky and exciting.

tweet tweet : new design platforms

I'm a big fan of twitter. With less than 160 ( or so) characters, some people come up with the wittiest and funniest "tweets" across cyberspace. But along with this new social networking website, comes the beauty of new designs and opportunities for all nerdy techies. I just came across this article on logodesignlove talking about how twitter is helping designers get their work into the general public. I'm no advertising expert, but with 160 characters, twitter seems like the perfect advertising platform that's 1) free! and 2) fun to use.

Moreover, the wonderful thing about twitter (and tumblr, if you use one) is that they instruct newbies (like me) on how I can create my own "htmls" and other graphic design jargon. It seems like a mouthful, but they make it so easy that even computer illiterates like me am willing to give it a try. Twitter itself has some cool designs. Like when there's too much traffic and twitter-ers can't get to the page, this cute whale pops up on the page and tells me to try again later. I'm usually very impatient but seeing this whale indefinitely soothes my twittering anxieties.

The wonderful tech support that comes with these new social networking sites is definitely a smart and new-age move by new developers. It makes graphic design accessible to the everyman and suddenly, this realm of creativity doesn't seem so scary after all. However, the downfall to this accessibility is that actual graphic designers have to work overtime to make sure their designs are undeniably professional but also, likable for the general public. It's the cyberworld's Sophie's Choice.