http://www.astrostudios.com/blog/ Astro Studios - Blog en-us Sat, 04 Feb 2012 04:02:51 -0800 info@astrostudios.com http://www.astrostudios.com/blog/181/February_Events_Calendar/ <h1>Feb-You-Ary</h1><img src="/dispatch/_depot/blog_image/590w/4318b5eae2f1c700a0dcc57ff1008cbc.jpg" alt="F1" />=<p>Warmest February EVER! So get out and check the following entertainment events. You’ll probably see an Astro employee or two at one of these here happenings. Please check venues for accurate times and pricing. Click Read More for dates and info.<br /> <br /> <br /> Feb 1st - <b> John Baldessari, Class Assignments</b> - California College of the Arts, FREE <br /> <br /> Feb 2nd - <b>Textonomy</b> - Tommy Tourell Gallery, FREE<br /> <br /> Feb 4th - <b>Hadouken</b> - Art Space gallery 7:00, $3<br /> <br /> Feb 4th - <b>Eleanor Friedberger and Dominant Legs</b> - Independent. $15<br /> <br /> Feb 5th - <b>Pug Sunday</b> - Alta Plaza Park 2:30 PM<br /> <br /> Feb 7th - <b>Granta 118: Exit Strategies Launch</b> - City Light Bookstore 7:00 PM<br /> <br /> Feb 7th - <b>Leni Stern And The Masters of African Percussion</b> - Yoshi’s SF 8:00 PM<br /> <br /> Feb 11th through 14th - <b>The Ultimate Date Tour</b> - Exploratorium <br /> <br /> Feb 11th - <b>SF IndieFest RollerDisco</b> - CELLspace, 8:00 PM, $10 Admission<br /> <br /> Feb 14th - <b>The Eternity Ball</b> - Fort Mason 6:30 PM $100 (Tux Rental Included)<br /> <br /> Feb 17th and 18th - <b>Audium 9</b> - Audium Theater of Sound Sculptured Space, 8:30, $20<br /> <br /> Feb 18th - <b>Open Make: Time</b> - Exploratorium<br /> <br /> Feb 20th - <b>Serra Bowl Meltdown w/Hysterics,Needles,Culture Kids</b> - Serra Bowl 8:00 PM<br /> <br /> Feb 22nd - <b>Sketch Tuesdays</b> - 111 Minna Gallery, 6:00 PM<br /> <br /> Feb 25th - <b>Barracuda</b> - 111 Minna Gallery 10:00 PM<br /> <br /> Feb 28th - <b>ArtSpan Social Media 101 for Artists</b> - SOMArts Cultural Center 6:00 PM</p><p><a href='http://www.astrostudios.com/blog/181/February_Events_Calendar/'>Permalink</a></p> Wed, 01 Feb 2012 00:02:00 -0800 http://www.astrostudios.com/blog/181/February_Events_Calendar/ CultureFree TimeOur Neighborhood Tom Galbraith http://www.astrostudios.com/blog/180/Assembly_Line_Collectives_Hadouken/ <h1>Norio&apos;s Art at The Space Gallery Saturday Feb 4th.</h1><img src="/dispatch/_depot/blog_image/590w/f945f6c84fcc83abfc093777c5f300be.jpg" alt="A1" />=<p>Hadouken is the latest art show by the <a href="http://assemblyline-collective.com/collective/blog/2012/01/17/hadouken-alc-san-francisco-show/" target="_blank">Assembly Line Collective</a> from Los Angeles, and they have asked our very own Norio Fujikawa to participate. Along with the show there will be entertainment provided by DJ Inkfat, Recess and Meeat. The show is at the Space Gallery on Saturday Feb 4th at 7:00. Come check it out and say Hi to Norio. The show will run through the end of February.<br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.spacegallerysf.com/blog/" target="_blank">Art Space Gallery</a>, 1141 Polk Street, $3.00 Admission….cheap!</p><p><a href='http://www.astrostudios.com/blog/180/Assembly_Line_Collectives_Hadouken/'>Permalink</a></p> Mon, 30 Jan 2012 00:01:00 -0800 http://www.astrostudios.com/blog/180/Assembly_Line_Collectives_Hadouken/ CultureFree TimeOur Neighborhood Norio http://www.astrostudios.com/blog/179/Toms_SOMA_Review_15/ <h1>Tin Vietnamese Food</h1><img src="/dispatch/_depot/blog_image/590w/934c16d65430aca903fcdb4205c75975.jpg" alt="tin1" />=<p>Working in SOMA still has its challenges as far as good cheap places to eat are concerned. For the past couple years, without a doubt, the go-to restaurant in SOMA for lunch has been Tin. A delicious and inexpensive Vietnamese spot that delivers the goodness to your table every time, at Tin all of the ingredients are fresh and tasty. I may have to hand over what little street cred I have after I say that Tin is better than Tu Lan. Yep I just said it, TIN IS BETTER THAN TU LAN. I’m cool with being wrong, if wrong tastes this right. What Tin lacks in hipster charm, it more than makes up with the scrumptious food blazing out of their kitchen. One tip is to show up about 10 minutes before noon or well after 1:00 because the secret has been out a while about how good the food is. Get yourself to Tin, you’ll be glad you did. Below is what we ordered:<br /> <br /> Cha Gio / crispy-fried rolls with pork, shrimp, jicama, taro, woodear mushrooms, glass noodles – 6<br /> Grilled Lemongrass Pork Sandwich, with side mixed greens salad or soup of the day $7.50<br /> Pho Bo / rare beef & brisket with rice noodles in beef broth $7.50<br /> Grilled 5-Spice Chicken with rice $8.00<br /> Wonton Noodles / shrimp & pork wontons, xa-xiu pork, egg<br /> noodles $7.50<br /> <br /> Vietnamese-style coffee with condensed milk $3.00</p><p><a href='http://www.astrostudios.com/blog/179/Toms_SOMA_Review_15/'>Permalink</a></p> Fri, 27 Jan 2012 00:01:00 -0800 http://www.astrostudios.com/blog/179/Toms_SOMA_Review_15/ CultureOur Neighborhood Tom Galbraith http://www.astrostudios.com/blog/178/Making_The_Rounds_At_CES/ <h1>Buzzing Round&apos; The Hive</h1><img src="/dispatch/_depot/blog_image/590w/b1e0dd1539aa90d5d4c391e5cea8ddcc.jpg" alt="C1" />=<p>Ah, that CES time of the year has once again come and gone. The air was dry and smelled like smoke, perfume, money, and fun. For a conference that is storied to be dying out, you couldn’t tell by the massive numbers of product nerds buzzing around the hive.<br /> <br /> Navigating through the honeycomb, I noticed lots of sexy, technically perfect machines. But missing was the improved entertainment, content control, the blend of other devices, and the use of killer entertainment to go with my hot new OLED.<br /> <br /> As always, phones were hot…. but the actual phones were more than outnumbered by the tons of phone cases and accessories. Of course these were targeted at the fashion end of gadgets. Fitness minded and stylish wearable gadgetry were well accounted for.<br /> <br /> I found the high-end stereo corridor the biggest guilty pleasure. We cruised through the audiophile snobbery — nothing but the best, the Aston Martins of stereo. With marketing speak about 5-axis CNC machines the bragging points come from the perfection of materials, machines, and cabinet making at levels unseen Theses products are the real industrial eye-candy.<br /> <br /> My thoughts to make for a more intriguing CES, would be the inclusion of entertainment moguls and other content makers to transform the CES gadgetry into stories, art, entertainment, and not just sweet “electronics” but a comedy, a drama with real heroes and actors! Bring the film and art that creates our backdrop on life to the excellent scale and design of consumer electricity…Lifestyle, emotion, and culture – that’s what we are all working on.</p><p><a href='http://www.astrostudios.com/blog/178/Making_The_Rounds_At_CES/'>Permalink</a></p> Mon, 23 Jan 2012 00:01:00 -0800 http://www.astrostudios.com/blog/178/Making_The_Rounds_At_CES/ CultureDesign Caleb http://www.astrostudios.com/blog/177/SimpleTV_Making_Waves_At_CES/ <h1>Simple.TV On Engadget</h1><img src="/dispatch/_depot/blog_image/590w/7d84a22135972b35fb04a1344e2c971a.jpg" alt="S1" />=<p>The Astro designed Simple.TV is generating noise at this year's CES. Simple.TV combines a powerful HD tuner & DVR into one beautifully designed package that allows for convenient watching anytime anywhere on connected devices. Check out what <a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/01/10/simple-tv-dvr-placeshifter-frees-free-tv-from-the-constraints/" target="_blank">Engadget</a> has to say about this fresh device.</p><p><a href='http://www.astrostudios.com/blog/177/SimpleTV_Making_Waves_At_CES/'>Permalink</a></p> Wed, 11 Jan 2012 00:01:00 -0800 http://www.astrostudios.com/blog/177/SimpleTV_Making_Waves_At_CES/ Design Mark http://www.astrostudios.com/blog/176/Messing_up_minds/ <h1>All up in CCA&apos;s Master of Design Program!</h1><img src="/dispatch/_depot/blog_image/590w/99664d7dc7ed67b58bf8be53b480d477.jpg" alt="M1" />=<p>I just finished teaching my Fall 2012 class at <a href="http://www.cca.edu/" target="_blank">CCA</a>. We put the students through the paces of great design, and crazy research.<br /> <br /> My goals for the students were to have them find for themselves, the right balance of strong points of view, conviction and the desire to change the world. The students busted out their big ideas this week, finishing a 4 month master's thesis journey. It comes with great reward and I'm super proud of the result…Let's see if they let me back into the classroom in 2012!</p><p><a href='http://www.astrostudios.com/blog/176/Messing_up_minds/'>Permalink</a></p> Mon, 19 Dec 2011 00:12:00 -0800 http://www.astrostudios.com/blog/176/Messing_up_minds/ Design Caleb http://www.astrostudios.com/blog/175/Movember_comes_to_a_close/ <h1>Staches Raising Cash!</h1><img src="/dispatch/_depot/blog_image/590w/60818135b98f100e0b99e2aead36ba6e.jpg" alt="Mov1" />=<p>It was one gigantic itchy upper lip of a November here at Astro, and now it’s time for a shave. But not before the ballots were cast for prize donations. The winners of this years Mr. Movember Awards each received a generous donation in their names to the Prostate Cancer Foundation. Most Aristocratic Mustache went to Mark Weedon, Most Intimidating Mustache went to Jesse Madsen, the Weakest Mustache award went to Ming Hsieh. In a shocking turn of events not one Astro Mustachioed employee had a wife or girlfriend leave them, but a few of the fathers in the group did make their kids cry. Just 335 more days to next Movember. Or who is ready for Decembeard?</p><p><a href='http://www.astrostudios.com/blog/175/Movember_comes_to_a_close/'>Permalink</a></p> Fri, 02 Dec 2011 00:12:00 -0800 http://www.astrostudios.com/blog/175/Movember_comes_to_a_close/ Culture Tom Galbraith http://www.astrostudios.com/blog/174/The_Blank_Stares_Three/ <h1>Putting It On Wax</h1><img src="/dispatch/_depot/blog_image/590w/966fe0574397524e4a6f4e7bb40e9d6b.jpg" alt="B1" />=<p>The Blank Stares is the rock band I’ve been in since 1999. We started in Brooklyn, then moved out west around 6 years ago. This LP is our 2nd official release, and other than the help of a few extremelytalented engineers, we did it all ourselves. It’s always a blast seeing your songs come full circle from initial jams to printed wax. The vinyl record, as well as the digital downloads for Three, and the CD and digital downloads for our previous recording “All Blown Up” are available at our <a href="http://theblankstares.bandcamp.com/" target="_blank">band camp site</a>. Stream it for free, or purchase yours today and support independent rock and roll!</p><p><a href='http://www.astrostudios.com/blog/174/The_Blank_Stares_Three/'>Permalink</a></p> Wed, 30 Nov 2011 00:11:00 -0800 http://www.astrostudios.com/blog/174/The_Blank_Stares_Three/ CultureOur Neighborhood Tom Galbraith http://www.astrostudios.com/blog/173/Northwest_Design_Invitational_Awards/ <h1>The Shaggies!</h1><img src="/dispatch/_depot/blog_image/590w/f311b408f3957bba770205706e331634.jpg" alt="N1" />=<p><a href="http://theshaggies.com/behold/">The Shaggies</a> are the fresh and newly updated Northwest Design Invitational awards. Because we like bright and shiny new things, we entered a few products to be judged. And BAM, we walked away with a Bronze in the category of "Design for Information and Communication" for the A30 Headset, and an Honorable Mention in the category of "Experiments/Concepts/Zombies" for our Kitchenscape. <br /> <br /> Can't wait to party, participate and show solidarity with our Northwestern design brothers and sisters next year.</p><p><a href='http://www.astrostudios.com/blog/173/Northwest_Design_Invitational_Awards/'>Permalink</a></p> Tue, 22 Nov 2011 00:11:00 -0800 http://www.astrostudios.com/blog/173/Northwest_Design_Invitational_Awards/ DesignNews Tom Galbraith http://www.astrostudios.com/blog/172/I_Am_Legion/ <h1>Norio’s Custom Toy at 1:00 AM Gallery</h1><img src="/dispatch/_depot/blog_image/590w/0128cd7f3a3e75cca6126212132a9196.jpg" alt="I1" />=<p>I was recently asked by the 1:00 AM Gallery to participate in a group show called I Am Legion. The show combines three of my passions; art, toys, and robots. So naturally I accepted the offer. I was one of forty or so artists with backgrounds in a variety of styles and mediums, who were given ThreeA vinyl toys to customize as we chose. <br /> <br /> Thank you to my fellow Astronauts for coming out and showing the love <br /> on opening night! The awesome results are on display at the gallery until December 4th. <br /> <br /> 1:AM Gallery, 1000 Howard St., San Francisco</p><p><a href='http://www.astrostudios.com/blog/172/I_Am_Legion/'>Permalink</a></p> Wed, 16 Nov 2011 00:11:00 -0800 http://www.astrostudios.com/blog/172/I_Am_Legion/ Culture Norio http://www.astrostudios.com/blog/171/MarcAntoine_AubertStagiaire_Extrodinaire/ <h1>Canaveral</h1><img src="/dispatch/_depot/blog_image/590w/e183d52ff6be79347565774b62deec3c.jpg" alt="M1" />=<p>It is no secret that Astro loves bikes, so I created the Canavaral concept to show one potential future for our collective passion. I designed it to incorporate two of California’s biggest obsessions: freedom-loving lifestyle and eco-friendly values. I gleaned my inspiration from the NASA Apollo program which encompasses advanced electric technology, landscape discovery, and NASA's distaste for gravity. The freedom of motorcycling here on earth is the closest we will get to the freedom of floating through low gravity on the moon, and their space suits look awesome.</p><p><a href='http://www.astrostudios.com/blog/171/MarcAntoine_AubertStagiaire_Extrodinaire/'>Permalink</a></p> Tue, 08 Nov 2011 00:11:00 -0800 http://www.astrostudios.com/blog/171/MarcAntoine_AubertStagiaire_Extrodinaire/ Design Marco http://www.astrostudios.com/blog/170/US_Half_Marathon_SF/ <h1>Grace Under Pressure</h1><img src="/dispatch/_depot/blog_image/590w/728ea9c3d2da605277189a2af0a93a13.jpg" alt="G3" />=<p>This past sunday I challenged myself to run the 10th annual <a href="http://ushalf.com/" target="_blank">US Half Marathon</a> in San Francisco. Influenced by fellow Astro mates Norio and Dana who ran a half marathon earlier this year gave me the confidence to attempt this. It was until mile 9 that I felt this confidence, and after there was only pain and screaming in my head: "wtf were you thinking?!"<br /> <br /> Like all things, the worst passes. Each draining hill was gifted by a beautiful view of the city. Running across the golden gate bridge was a unique experience in itself.<br /> <br /> I'm glad I did it, and I'm glad it's over.</p><p><a href='http://www.astrostudios.com/blog/170/US_Half_Marathon_SF/'>Permalink</a></p> Tue, 08 Nov 2011 00:11:00 -0800 http://www.astrostudios.com/blog/170/US_Half_Marathon_SF/ Culture Grace http://www.astrostudios.com/blog/169/Stuff_Magazines_Gadget_Awards_2011/ <h1>Move Over Rover And Let OnLive Take Over</h1><img src="/dispatch/_depot/blog_image/590w/ee119675fd4dae634e377cd6c12ccc9a.jpg" alt="S1" />=<p>Congratulations to OnLive for maxing-out the Innovation of the Year category from <a href="http://www.stuff.tv/awards/2011/innovation-of-the-year" target="_blank">Stuff magazine’s Gadget Awards 2011</a>. OnLive’s cloud gaming subscription service, driven by an Astro-designed controller and MicroConsole, are giving the gas-guzzling gaming establishment something to check for in their rear views. Caution Xbox and PS3: Objects in mirror are closer than they appear.</p><p><a href='http://www.astrostudios.com/blog/169/Stuff_Magazines_Gadget_Awards_2011/'>Permalink</a></p> Fri, 04 Nov 2011 00:11:00 -0700 http://www.astrostudios.com/blog/169/Stuff_Magazines_Gadget_Awards_2011/ News Tom Galbraith http://www.astrostudios.com/blog/168/Movember_Events_Calendar/ <h1>Let It Grow!</h1><img src="/dispatch/_depot/blog_image/590w/7011184a913c8348be4a9e8523627209.jpg" alt="Mo" />=<p>Sick and tired of feeling bald faced, or like a bearded hippie? Come join us in celebrating Movember. Everyone knows that November is Mustache appreciation/awareness month, but who really does anything about it?<br /> <br /> Astro. That’s who. Even though there are possibly more mustaches on Earth than there have ever been, we salute this flaunting. Mustaches are nothing more than facial hair pennants, flapping in the wind, but they also serve as a personal man-ifestation of one’s confidence, self-worth, and accomplishment. Please check out the following events, (check venue websites for accurate times and pricings,) and occupy your face with a handsome soup strainer.<br /> <br /> Nov 1st - 30th <b>Movember</b> - Grow a moustache if you can. We are!<br /> <br /> Nov 1st - 7th <b>MOMA</b> -Talk to Me: Design & Communication between People & Objects<br /> <br /> Nov 1st - 12th <b>Ocean Beach</b> - Rip Curl Pro Search 2011<br /> <br /> Nov 1st - <b>Swissnex San Francisco</b> - The Art of Robots<br /> <br /> Nov 2nd - <b>Roxy Theater</b> - Gainsbourg: The Man Who Loved Women<br /> <br /> Nov 2nd - <b>The Warfield</b> - Curren$y, Method Man, Big Krit<br /> <br /> Nov 2nd - <b>Dickerman Prints Gallery</b> - Hulls: The Art of Decay in the SF Bay<br /> <br /> Nov 3rd-4th - <b>Parc 55 Hotel</b> - The Dieline Forum (presented by HOW)<br /> <br /> Nov 4th - <b>The Make-Out Room</b> - Nerd Speed Dating<br /> <br /> Nov 4th - <b>1:00 A.M.</b> - I Am Legion (3A Custom Toy Art Show)<br /> <br /> Nov 10th - <b>The Independent</b> - DJ Qbert and Mixmaster Mike<br /> <br /> Nov 10th - <b>California Academy of Sciences </b> - Surf and Tides Nightlife<br /> <br /> Nov 11th - <b>111 Minna</b> - Merkley-ZZZ???<br /> <br /> Nov 11th - <b>Regencey Ballroom</b> - GWAR<br /> <br /> Nov 17th - <b>SF Center for the Book</b> - Artist trading Cards w/ Courtney Cerruti<br /> <br /> Nov 17th - <b>California Academy of Sciences</b> - Into Space Nightlife<br /> <br /> Nov 19th - <b>FIFTY24SF Gallery/Upper Playground</b> - Sage Vaughn: Runaways<br /> <br /> Nov 23rd - <b>Regency Ballroom</b> - tUnE YarDs<br /> <br /> Nov 29th - <b>Bottom of the Hill</b> - Melt-Banana, Retox, Peace Creep</p><p><a href='http://www.astrostudios.com/blog/168/Movember_Events_Calendar/'>Permalink</a></p> Tue, 01 Nov 2011 00:11:00 -0700 http://www.astrostudios.com/blog/168/Movember_Events_Calendar/ Culture Tom Galbraith http://www.astrostudios.com/blog/167/Sol_Republic_High_Fidelity_High_Fashion/ <h1>Making Noise In The Wall Street Journal</h1><img src="/dispatch/_depot/blog_image/590w/ac0fd1dce377533688403ef96eeda95f.jpg" alt="SR1" />=<p>Thanks to The Wall Street Journal for making the Astro designed Sol Headphones their #1 headphone pick in their Gears & Gadgets section. The world is catching on to what we already know; Sol headphones sound awesome, and just as importantly, look ferocious. Sol Republic…We salute you!<br /> <br /> Here is the <a href="http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203499704576624893922274736.html?KEYWORDS=high+fidelity" target="_blank">link</a> to the article:</p><p><a href='http://www.astrostudios.com/blog/167/Sol_Republic_High_Fidelity_High_Fashion/'>Permalink</a></p> Fri, 21 Oct 2011 00:10:00 -0700 http://www.astrostudios.com/blog/167/Sol_Republic_High_Fidelity_High_Fashion/ Design Tom Galbraith http://www.astrostudios.com/blog/166/Nvidias_3D_Vision_2_Glasses/ <h1>Immerse Yourself</h1><img src="/dispatch/_depot/blog_image/590w/c1c46e7abec8dafb4579da2aeb0cc036.jpg" alt="3d1" />=<p>Shining a brighter light into the home theater spectrum, Nvidia just released their Astro designed 3D Vision 2 glasses. Specifically designed for gamers and 3D enthusiasts, the new glasses are more refined than past generations of 3D wearables. They come complete with new features that enhance the kinetic experience of 3D video games, photos and movies. Plus they just look cooler.<br /> <br /> Made of more face friendly composite materials, the 3DV2s offer a cozier fit that allow the user to prolong their viewing time in ultra-comfort. The lenses are twenty percent larger than those in the first-generation glasses, offering an expanded viewing area and increased external light blockage for a fully immersed 3D experience.<br /> In addition, 3D Vision 2 glasses are fully compatible with all existing 3D Vision Ready content and supporting products, including more than 70 different 3D Vision monitors, notebooks and projectors, video applications, and cameras. As if life wasn’t 3D enough, ASTRO and Nvidia are closing the gap between virtual and reality with every collaboration.</p><p><a href='http://www.astrostudios.com/blog/166/Nvidias_3D_Vision_2_Glasses/'>Permalink</a></p> Wed, 19 Oct 2011 00:10:00 -0700 http://www.astrostudios.com/blog/166/Nvidias_3D_Vision_2_Glasses/ Design Tom Galbraith http://www.astrostudios.com/blog/165/Fast_Companys_Masters_of_Design/ <h1>The State of American Design</h1><img src="/dispatch/_depot/blog_image/590w/dff9bad8f7cd9fc1294a5a137651b88c.jpg" alt="FC" />=<p>Every fall the trees lose their leaves, the days get shorter, and the minds of today's top designers get together for a festive think tank called the Masters of Design. Authored by Fast Company Magazine, MOD pulls together a motley crew of design thinkers for some serious chin scratching and commentary. For the third year in a row, Brett Lovelady, our very own design master and FastCo expert blogger, has been invited to participate and share his thoughts, hopes and dreams regarding this year's theme: The state of American Design. ASTRO is proud to partner up year after year with Fast Company and here’s to another year of fine reading and design+business blogging with the FastCo crew. And if you want to sample some of ASTRO’s “American as apple pie” Design ....click on this blue plate special we call <a href="http://www.astrostudios.com/downloads/Astro_Physics_Web.zip"> ASTROphysics</a>.</p><p><a href='http://www.astrostudios.com/blog/165/Fast_Companys_Masters_of_Design/'>Permalink</a></p> Wed, 19 Oct 2011 00:10:00 -0700 http://www.astrostudios.com/blog/165/Fast_Companys_Masters_of_Design/ Culture Tom Galbraith http://www.astrostudios.com/blog/164/Leaps_28th_Annual_Sandcastle_Contest/ <h1>Castles Made Of Sand</h1><img src="/dispatch/_depot/blog_image/590w/c5552c05b470a0c79a2ab38df75018e0.jpg" alt="L1" />=<p>This past weekend hundreds of children and their families joined the design and building communities to participate in Leap’s 28th annual Sandcastle Contest. Leap is a wonderful non-profit organization formed in 1979 to help provide top quality arts education programs in public schools. Astro firmly believes in the positive effect arts have on the youth of today, so we made a monetary donation and joined in on the fun. It doesn’t take much to get us out to Ocean Beach on a beautiful day, but getting our hands sandy with the kids was a blast. We can't wait for next year!</p><p><a href='http://www.astrostudios.com/blog/164/Leaps_28th_Annual_Sandcastle_Contest/'>Permalink</a></p> Tue, 11 Oct 2011 00:10:00 -0700 http://www.astrostudios.com/blog/164/Leaps_28th_Annual_Sandcastle_Contest/ CultureStudio Norio http://www.astrostudios.com/blog/163/Astro_Physics/ <h1>Threequel</h1><img src="/dispatch/_depot/blog_image/590w/f267191d5cd2416f6a2c011dc7341feb.jpg" alt="PH8" />=<p>Today is a good day. It’s sunny and our studio has the pleasing smell of fresh ink wafting off our new book; Astro Physics. Our latest publication further delves into the matter, energy, motion and force that drives Astro. Physics puts our design process and hardcore inventions to print with rapid fire photo blasts of cultural leanings, lifestyle and art. Printed on a Heidelberg Speedmaster XL 105 offset printer, with a combination of weights and coated and uncoated Mohawk Vellum paper, we achieved a funky-fresh blend of feels and finishes. Click <a href="http://www.astrostudios.com/downloads/Astro_Physics_Web.zip"> here</a> to get the download. Happy reading!</p><p><a href='http://www.astrostudios.com/blog/163/Astro_Physics/'>Permalink</a></p> Fri, 07 Oct 2011 00:10:00 -0700 http://www.astrostudios.com/blog/163/Astro_Physics/ DownloadsNews Tom Galbraith http://www.astrostudios.com/blog/162/Export_PDF_Hired/ <h1>UC’s ID Students Drops Knowledge in Their New Portfolio Guide</h1><img src="/dispatch/_depot/blog_image/590w/b34fad4b7170224790bc43d6d9a5eb95.jpg" alt="e1" />=<p>For those who remember the first portfolio, you’ll probably recall how ambiguous and oftentimes frustrating that process was. I certainly do. Kerning, grids, typefaces were all terminology that, atleast at that time, I associated with a different discipline and therefore, overlooked. <br /> <br /> Fail.<br /> <br /> I soon found out there’s a LOT to be learned outside of ID studio: photography, storytelling, graphic design, how to export a god*#mn PDF – all skills that can influence your portfolio and ultimately, your being hired. Without this sensitivity, your portfolio can look flat, uninteresting and indigestible to the nameless professional who usually dedicates less than two minutes for each deck presented to them. <br /> <br /> Fortunately, it’s not all gloom and doom. Under the supervision of Michael Roller, the University of Cincinnati’s Junior ID class has created a spectacular guide that walks the newly minted ID student through their first portfolio. This is not a “For Dummies” book – it’s much more intelligent than that. Hire Me!? mixes humor and friendly enthusiasm for those wanting to build a clean, if not compelling deck. At the beginning of each chapter, the reader follows two fictional students who steer you through tough questions with their professors. The guide then organizes each following subject into a step-by-step process and eventually tackles more advanced topics the deeper you get. With over a hundred pages of helpful advice, Hire Me!? is smart, colorful and filled the authors’ own work to demonstrate what succeeded and what simply didn’t. All throughout, the students are first to admit that things don’t always work the first time, but with practice and consistency, things (and jobs) do get better. <br /> <br /> Recent alumni, including myself had a chance to include some parting advice about our internship experience too. It was a nice chance to reflect, but honestly, the real value was uncovered by the students themselves in the earlier chapters.<br /> <br /> Like how to export a PDF. <br /> <br /> Hire Me!? is on sale now at <a href="http://www.blurb.com/bookstore/detail/2516994">blurb</a> and all proceeds go towards funding their senior show next year. Check it out, you will be glad you did.</p><p><a href='http://www.astrostudios.com/blog/162/Export_PDF_Hired/'>Permalink</a></p> Fri, 07 Oct 2011 00:10:00 -0700 http://www.astrostudios.com/blog/162/Export_PDF_Hired/ Design Ming