Dieter Rams, industrial designer who heavily influenced Apple’s product designs, talks about form vs. function and also “Less is More” in respect to contemporary industrial design. In many ways his industrial design process can easily be applied to graphic design. In the design world his “10 Commandments of Design” continue to influence most designers in some way or another.

I love when he talks about design in respect to usability and functionality. He goes on to say …

Design should not dominate things, should not dominate people. It should help people!

What he says here is stupidly simple yet so profound — design should help people! I have much respect for this man and his contribution to the design world.

I have finally, and I do mean FINALLY, got around to updating this blog. I do believe that “updating” is a very brief way of putting it though. As the few of you who have been checking in from time to time may have noticed, this blog has gone through many revisions of skins in order to make it play nice with all different types of browsers.  What initially started as a design refresh ended in a mess of re-skinning and more re-skinning.  Also, since I last posted (yes, last August was my last post) I have been through many different job trials and tribulations, post Spain, which have kept me fairly busy. Additionally, I recently completed a much needed design refresh on my portfolio site.

All unnecessary excuses aside, I would like to say that this blog will remain a very integral moving part within my digital brand. You will start seeing regular updates again regarding my personal projects and inspirations as well as a juicy mix of varying content.

Stay tuned.

-Zac

I just found out a few weekends ago that my blog no longer works properly in the new version of Internet Explorer.  I am going to try to get this fixed soon but in the meantime I hope everyone has a different browser to view my blog.  It works great in every other browser I have tested in aside from IE.  If there are any other problems please email me personally and I would greatly appreciate it!

Thanks!

-Zac

Even though I was going to Spain to experience another culture and to see a different part of the world, the main reason I was going over there was to work as a student intern for Imagewest International and to work with a small municipality of Madrid called Villanueva de la Cañada.

Working with the town of Villanueva de la Cañada was a very exciting and very challenging project for the Imagewest International team.  The language barrier was a big challenge for all parties involved.  Even though the language barrier was one hurdle to jump, we were able to overcome it through strong teamwork and clear communication.  Another challenge was trying to adapt to the Spanish way of life.  Client meetings were never on time and work was never on a strict hourly schedule.  Everything was more laid back mostly because of the traditional working schedules that were implemented due to the amount of sunlight Spain gets.

Challenging or not, I gained so much invaluable international experience through working with the dedicated people of Villanueva de la Cañada.  It was a once in a lifetime opportunity for all of us to be able to build relationships with people from a totally different part of the globe.

I definitely am going to miss Spain and all the wonderful people that I met in my travels.  Now, who’s up for a trip to Germany?

Zac

Well, I decided to try my hand at some Spanish cuisine and it actually turned out to be a really great idea.  Tortilla española, also called a Spanish omelette in the States, is a staple here at most tapas bars and restaurants.  I have been able to find it everywhere I look here; I even had a piece that this guy was handing out at the bullfight I went to.  Because I couldn’t get away from this dish, which isn’t such a bad thing because I love it, I decided to test my culinary art skills and cook one up.  It was a fairly cheap dish at only 3.50 Euros and it made about three tortilla españolas.

The pictures I posted are from the one I made last night.  This one was only my second attempt at cooking one of these.  It wasn’t too shabby for my second try and it tasted just like the real deal in the restaurants.  I suppose it isn’t such a hard dish to make considering that there are really only three main ingredients (egg, potatoes, and onions) but there are a few subtleties that I picked up in preparing the dish.  I’m by no means a master at making tortilla españolas (yet) but the ones I made were definitely good enough for the cook and that is all that matters, rite?

Here is a pretty good recipe for the dish via About.com.  Check it out, it’s durn good food!

Zac

Ciutat de les Arts i les Ciències, Valencia

El Palau de les Arts Reina Sofía Building

Everything in this area was covered in this mosaic tiling

This past weekend I was very fortunate to be able to make a short weekend getaway trip to Valencia and experience a totally different place within Spain. Valencia is a very beautiful and eclectic port city nestled along the western Mediterranean.  Even though I didn’t get to see much of what this city had to offer (see also Barcelona post), what I did get to see and experience was enough to have me planning another trip back to Valencia in the future.

In Valencia, we were quasi-isolated near the Ciutat de les Arts i les Cièncieswere (City of Arts and Sciences).  This really wasn’t a bad deal because we got to view all of the futuristic architecture created by Santiago Calatrava in the Ciutat de les Arts i les Cièncieswere.  Upon walking into this massive strip of green space and colossal structures, I felt almost like I was in a Star Wars movie.  It was such an awe-inspiring place and definitely one of the cooler examples of modern architecture I have ever laid my eyes on.  Unfortunately, I didn’t get to see much else of the city aside from this little area.  We did go to the beach, which was located next to the port, and I did get my fair share of sun.  In fact, I got a bit too much sun and I got a bit burnt.

My stay in Valencia was a very satisfying, albeit short experience.  Much like the rest of my adventures in Spain, the Valencia experience seemed to all be a blur.  With the element of time however, I will be able to focus my thoughts and reflect on this whole trip.  All in all, Valencia is an awesome place!

Still more to come from Spain.
Stay tuned.
Zac

Sky outside the Plaza de Toros de Las Ventas

Plaza de Toros de Las Ventas, Madrid

This guy was one of a conglomerate of hollering fans

American Embassy

Madrid is a very intriguing city.  Since we have been here we have met some amazing people and experienced some very interesting cultural customs.  Our stay in Madrid has been much different from our stay in Barcelona.  The people here seem much more welcoming and they always go out of their way to help us whenever we need it.  Also, Madrid seems to be less of a tourist destination and has more of a big city vibe.  I’m not saying that I like Madrid better but both cities really are two vastly different places with two totally different experiences.

This past weekend we were able to go out and explore Madrid a bit more.  We went to a bullfight at the world-renowned Plaza de Toros de Las Ventas and we also got to go out and experience the Madrid nightlife.  Like Barcelona, Madrid’s nightlife can’t be put into words.  You just have to go experience it for yourself.

So far, we have been able to build some great business relationships with some very dedicated and hard working people at the Universidad Camilo Jose Cela.  With two weeks left to go in this adventure we are well on our way to improving and building international relations between two universities across international boundaries.

We have reached the halfway point on this four week journey so look for much more to come from Madrid!

Zac

Public unsanctioned art is a very touchy subject within most communities in the United States and abroad.  Here in Spain, it seems that on almost every street corner you will see some form of street art.  I was floored by the fact that in just about any community, big or small, there were wall tags or designs.  I’m not sure what some of the laws on street art here in Spain are but I would assume that it is illegal.  Illegal or not, it does provide some eye candy for me to look at on top of all of the other visceral sights and sounds that this beautiful place has to offer.

Zac

More graffiti in Barcelona

Really nice futbol stadium in the middle of Barcelona

Barceloneta Beach

Architecture outside the Arc de Triomf walkway

Arc de Triomf in Barcelona

Templo Expiatorio de la Sagrada Familia in Barcelona

Hotel Gaudí in Barcelona

These circle-in-a-square stones were everwhere in Barcelona

Meat booth at the Boqueria in Barcelona

Shellfish in the Boqueria

Pablo Picasso's old stomping grounds

Outisde of Pablo Picasso's old house/Picasso Museum in Barcelona

It feels just like home in Barcelona for some reason...

Christopher Columbus Monument in Barcelona

I have been without internet access since we left Barcelona the other morning so I have been unable to get a post up in the past few days.  Nonetheless, we finally arrived in Madrid after a long crazy day.  Barcelona was great in so many ways that I can’t do it justice in only one post.

Barcelona was a great city with a very interesting and complex people.  Although the people were a very passionate and hard working bunch (from what I noticed), they also seemed to value the arts and leisure.  Barcelonians definitely knew how to have a good time and this was made apparent when we walked along Barceloneta Beach at night.  The nightlife was definitely very lively and energetic, even until the wee hours of the morning.  Aside from the nightlife, there was just so much to see and do that it was almost impossible to experience everything that the city had to offer in just three days.  Each morning I would wake up to the sound of just a few trucks humming about but as the day progressed other peripheral sounds and scents would seep into the airwaves.  I shouldn’t forget too much about Barcelona, at least how it looked, because I took close to 530 pictures.  Yeah, 530 pictures.

We did get into Madrid safely but not without a few crazy moments with airplanes and taxi drivers.  All is well though and I am comfortable in this new place that I will be calling home for the next few weeks.  More to come from Madrid!

Happy late Father’s Day Dad!

Zac

Our First Plane Out of Nashville to Atlanta

Mediterranean Coast Line of Barcelona

Graffiti Out the Window of the Metro Train

Barcelona Street Level

Our Hotel Rooftop Getaway

View from the Rooftop

I have arrived in Barcelona after spending a very long time on a couple of planes.  Jet lag is already setting in and hitting me hard but I have managed to stay alert enough to get my way through Barcelona via the Metro and footing it to the hotel.  After being in Barcelona for only a short while, I can already tell that there is much to do and see in this town.  It is a beautiful place and we couldn’t have been greeted by better weather.  It is very sunny and around 80 degrees!

I’m very excited about the trip and I think it has finally hit me that I am in a totally new place.  It is unfortunate that we will only be in Barcelona for a few days because it is such a rad city.  By the way, when I speak of we I am speaking of the student run ad and PR agency Imagewest that I am traveling and interning with.

Check back soon for more updates, I have only just begun to explore Barcelona and Spain.  Again, for quicker updates check out my twitter.

Zac