Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Zero

My (almost) pro bono -project... I designed the The Craft Museum of Finland website about nine years ago and nothing's changed since then (besides small front page update) - until now! I decided to renew the whole site using ajax and all kinds of small improvements that help generally to keep updated information... well, up to date. The site is still in trial so there are amounts of small things still to be fixed but any way... I still have to design more dynamic background - now the site is too plain and somewhat boring when it comes to its structure. I actually designed the site last winter when there was still the old logo - which was more light and sort of "flying" and created a whole another atmosphere to the site. But anyway: I hope that the functions are now more dynamical and hopefully also the content will be easier to manage.

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Hot hot hot. They promised thunder and rain in the weather forecast but so far only small few drops water have fallen. The air is so sticky and heavy though that I'd be amazed if this didn't lead to a grande thunder storm later today. Hopefully I have battery enough on my laptop to finish all the prints for Lahti exhibition (starting in the beginning of September).

The Shop page for Craft Museum of Finland

The Craft Museum wanted something different for their shop - not the usual nanny-layout so many times associated to crafts but something different. The task was to create one page which could present the whole variety of the shop selection, not to create an online shopping possibilities. When I started to make layout I knew already that updating the page could be a difficult task: information runs well but photos are the issue. So the whole layout could not be based on some topical visual issues but I had to find some timeless elements. And something dynamic.

The page is actually very simple: just one page with two main items: books and other items. Books, other items and the t-shirt poser are picked randomly with every reload of the site. So, first time you may see the girl standing on white t-shirt, a book about rugs and hand made toys and the next time you come to visit you'l may see the girl standing on black t-shirt, book about socks and some jewellery made out of forks. Small product introductions will open by clicking the small images.

Because the "other items" div is placed on the right lower corner, the site seems a bit empty when viewed by larger browsers. I'm going to fill the background of the page with badge images to avoid empty spaces... - when I'll get them...

And because of the lack of shop photographer - my first photo commission ever! Quite good photos with my compact camera without any special lightning. Would not work in brochures, but on the net site - who would guess that they are not taken by a professional photographer... :D

www.craftmuseum.fi/shop/

Lancashire Hotpots - Chippy Tea

More illustration, more print...

I did some small illustrations (six) for Craft Museum's following exhibition. I had a small crisis when I started to make them since my hand started hurting and I couldn't draw them as I had originally planned. Thankfully the pain went away nearly totally in less than a week and I could finish the job the way I had planned. (Well, not quite, because I'm not very pleased with all illustrations I made.) I scanned my drawings and then added some ideas with Photoshop.

Today I started day by conversation with Eeva Ylönen / Paperiverstas to whom I'll be making netsite and some printed material (business card and some brochures). I basicly KNOW much about print world but I really don't have that much experience on that area, so I'm a bit excited about the project.