Link About It: This Week’s Picks
Cosby sweaters, headstands, Nintendo history and more in our look at the web this week
1. Color of the Year
Pantone has named Emerald (Pantone 17-5641) the color of the year for 2013. Described as luxurious and sophisticated—and strikingly close to (albeit a shade bluer than) Cool Hunting’s signature green—the color is speculated to dominate designers’ palettes from fashion to interiors so look for a little emerald in your life next year.
2. Oscar Niemeyer
Famous Brazilian architect Oscar Niemeyer died this week at 104, working until his death and leaving behind a legacy of Modernist masterpieces. Best known for his lyrical and radiant museum in Rio de Janeiro and government buildings in Brasília, Niemeyer is credited with helping Brazil carve out a national architectural identity. A contemporary of Le Corbusier and Frank Lloyd Wright, Niemeyer revolutionized Brazilian architecture much in the same way Le Corbusier and Wright did in the Europe and the US.
3. Behind the Sweater
They say the clothes make the man, and in the case of Bill Cosby few could argue against the adage. While the colorful, crazy Cosby Sweater has become an icon in its own right, few might realize that the phenomenon started at the hands of one man—Dutch-born Koos Van Den Akker. In this enlightening mini-doc, Vice takes a tour of the designer’s studio and offers an interesting and often hilarious look the designer’s storied past.
4. The 12 Desks of Christmas
Through 15 December London-based publishing company Laurence King is putting on a clever contest to show off their creative spaces and celebrate the holidays. In “The 12 Desks of Christmas” a staff member’s station is revealed each day, and site visitors who successfully match up the proper owner have the chance to win £100.
5. Nintendo: An Animated History
It’s been a long time since we blew out a game cartridge to get our Nintendo back up and running, but the Japanese game company still holds a special place in our hearts. In a new animated video, Parisian designers Anthony Veloso and Quentin Dron from Retro Game Addict present a nostalgic history in a Mario World-like timeline.
6. Good Food Awards
Celebrating the best in food and drink across the US, Seedling Projects is collaborating with food journalists, independent grocers and farmers to award excellence among its industry’s peers. The Good Food Awards Finalists for 2013 have been released with nearly 1,000 nominees vying for 99 spots in a special ceremony taking place 18 January 2013 in San Francisco. Caterogies include beer, charcuterie, confections, chocolate, coffee and more.
7. Design Within Reach iPad App
The contemporary design outlet Design Within Reach launches its first app for the iPad. An extension of their site, the iPad App offers build-your-own-room features as well as design history timelines and mini-bios of luminaries from Eames to Le Corbusier.
8. Strong Headed Photography
Turning the conventional approach to portraiture literally on its head is UK-based photographer Caulton Morris. Operating with a “spur of the moment” mentality—and no trick photography—Morris shoots his head-standing self-portraits wherever he finds the urge, leaving his portfolio full of eye-catching images in unpredictable settings from a canoe to the toilet.
