110m Tweets a Day But It Just Takes One To Make A Difference–Exposing The Dark Side Of Urban Outfitters

In January this year there were over 200 million users on twitter and the average number of tweets per day hit 110 million (stats from Forbes). Twitter gives anyone a voice some louder than others, most will go ignored but then occasionally the odd tweet really sparks something big. Just say the term super injunction and your conversation will reach twitter very quickly but it isn’t the frivolous lives of footballers I am here to talk about.

Just 4 days ago Amber Karnes tweeted “I think it’s time to boycott Urban Outfitters. They have done this to so many independent artists. NOT OK. http://bit.ly/kvbMdt” 

Amber’s link sent her readers to a tumblr page, the images on the site showed a piece from the Urban Outfitters Jewellery collection (Top) and the uncanny similarity it has to the work of an independent artist(Bottom).

The artist in question Stevie Koerner was clearly far from happy. “My heart sank a little bit. The World/United States of Love line that I created is one of the reasons that I was able to quit my full-time job. They even stole the item name as well as some of my copy.”

I am amazed that this is allowed to happen! To have the cheek to not only replicate the design but to go as far as copying the name and artists words is a beyond belief. It is like asking to be caught!

The twitter backlash was justifiably immense. Within 20 minutes Amber had had over 170 new updates about this one post, her name was even showing up in trending data and the post became one of the Top Tweets of the day. Urban Outfitters were facing serious questions from the public and Stevie Koerner was receiving continuous messages of support. I am unsure how this tweet has directly affected Urban Outfitters. I hope it has shamed them into withdrawing the item from sale. There may not have been a direct result now but I hope this has seriously shocked the company, making them think twice about copying the work of independent artists in the future.

The fact that one tweet can create such a wave of interest is incredible. The twitter generation has certainly arrived, there will be much press about the networking sites negatives but if more stories like this keep emerging I will certainly be staying on board.

Gravity Meet Your Archenemy

This is the tagline for the Gel-Blur 33 trainers by Asics. I saw the ad for the product online and instantly wanted to blog about it. Such a simple, clever concept that fits the brand image and product perfectly. Well worth a watch!

My First Trip To Blackpool

Just writing the title of this post I felt like I was back at school writing an essay about what I had been up to over a holiday! Summer is officially here, now that my last assignment has been handed in so let the spontaneous road trips commence! The first stop, Blackpool!It was deemed a crime to be northern and have never been to this seaside town so a few of my fellow course mates and I jumped in a car and headed over to the beach. I didn’t quite know what was in store for me but a stroll along the edge of the beach, sweet treats in hand and wander along the deserted pier was the perfect remedy for the past few weeks, trapped inside doing university work. I may have lost a few quid in the amusement arcades and I don’t know how well I would cope during high season but for a chilled afternoon in the sun it was perfect.

The photos here are a few I took while I was there, the beautiful weather did all the work for me!

To view all the photos from my trip click here for my flickr account.

Nod To A Blog–Spoon & Tamago

Do you have a a series of blogs that you check daily? I certainly do and at the moment Spoon and Tamago is one of my favourites. The strap line of the site is ‘art, somewhere in between New York and Tokyo’ but what is included in the site ranges from technology, product design, fashion, art and architecture.

I find that often when I visit blogs I get a sense of déjà vu, much of the material I will have seen on other blogs but that isn’t the case with this site. I almost always find something new and exciting.

Below are a few links to some of my recent favourite articles. Enjoy!

Mizukagami

Jun Igarashi | The Construction of  a State (Tea House 2006)

Designer Workspaces

Little Miss Google

The day before a project hand in at university tends to be rather stressful but when I found myself on Google I stopped, smiled and had a bit of a procrastinate. To celebrate important events and dates Google often changes its header picture for a day and on this day (9th May) it would have been the 76th birthday of Charles Roger Hargreaves who died in 1988. The English Author wrote and illustrated the Mr. Men and Little Miss series so this little gesture by Google is a fitting tribute to his work. The books have sold over 85 million copies worldwide, I had many of them myself as a child so happening upon these creations was a real treat.

If you didn’t catch them yourself here is the full set of 16 drawings that appeared on the website.

May Presentation (Prezi)

SketchUp Walk Through Of Design

Prezi Presentation

The Missing Piece Of The Puzzle…

 

You found me!

Preston PARLE Graffiti

The side of the Ship Inn Preston has, so I am told, for years been covered in Graffiti. I am new to the city and also to the new look Ship Inn and so have only witnessed a couple of the great pieces of work, each produced by the mysterious PARLE.

I haven’t been able to find any information about the artist or any other works so please comment if you know more!

Below is the current graffiti that appeared earlier this week.

What Font Is Your Tash?

Just a quick blog to show you guys this great poster by Tor Weeks. Moustaches and fonts somehow go hand in hand on my interior design course and following a lecture based around fonts and a social based around moustaches thought this was perfect! Enjoy!

For more information on the posters click here.

Vertical Grass

I have been researching ways of getting greenery into cities in unusual ways so have been looking at grass as wall coverings. Below are a couple of the best examples I have come across so far…

Heather Ackroyd and Dan Harvey have become famous for the work they have been doing with grass over the past decade. Their technique involves spraying a clay mixture over a surface and then individually planting seeds. The seeds are watered and grow for a couple of weeks to form a thick, layer of grass. Unfortunately the affect is only temporary but the result is staggering. The building above is Dilston Grove, a beautiful but now derelict cathedral. The entire inside and outside of the structure was covered by the pair to create this fantastic piece of art.

This showroom designed by Vector Architects to display green technology has a more permanent grass covering. A grass panel system is used to cover both the walls and the roof of the structure and has a number of benefits including a  high thermal efficiency on top of its great appearance.

I don’t think I have ever seen a grass wall in person but I think they would be a great addition to many cold, grey urban environments in the UK.