Michael Aleo

Anyone have $1500 to spend on me? This bag is awesome. (via...

Wed, 15 Feb 2012 15:06:15 -0500

Anyone have $1500 to spend on me? This bag is awesome.

(via MULHOLLAND BROTHERS Hand Made Bridle Leather Briefcase Satchel Messenger Bag | eBay)

Dieter Ram's Ten Principles of Good Design

Mon, 13 Feb 2012 10:07:39 -0500

Good Design:

Is innovative - The possibilities for innovation are not, by any means, exhausted. Technological development is always offering new opportunities for innovative design. But innovative design always develops in tandem with innovative technology, and can never be an end in itself.

Makes a product useful - A product is bought to be used. It has to satisfy certain criteria, not only functional, but also psychological and aesthetic. Good design emphasizes the usefulness of a product whilst disregarding anything that could possibly detract from it.

Is aesthetic - The aesthetic quality of a product is integral to its usefulness because products are used every day and have an effect on people and their well-being. Only well-executed objects can be beautiful.

Makes a product understandable - It clarifies the product’s structure. Better still, it can make the product clearly express its function by making use of the user’s intuition. At best, it is self-explanatory.

Is unobtrusive - Products fulfilling a purpose are like tools. They are neither decorative objects nor works of art. Their design should therefore be both neutral and restrained, to leave room for the user’s self-expression.

Is honest - It does not make a product more innovative, powerful or valuable than it really is. It does not attempt to manipulate the consumer with promises that cannot be kept.

Is long-lasting - It avoids being fashionable and therefore never appears antiquated. Unlike fashionable design, it lasts many years – even in today’s throwaway society.

Is thorough down to the last detail - Nothing must be arbitrary or left to chance. Care and accuracy in the design process show respect towards the consumer.

Is environmentally friendly - Design makes an important contribution to the preservation of the environment. It conserves resources and minimizes physical and visual pollution throughout the lifecycle of the product.

Is as little design as possible - Less, but better – because it concentrates on the essential aspects, and the products are not burdened with non-essentials. Back to purity, back to simplicity.

Holy guacamole (Taken with instagram)

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 01:57:14 -0500

Holy guacamole (Taken with instagram)

Photo

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 12:00:03 -0500

Tomorrow

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 00:50:51 -0500

Tomorrow starts a huge new chapter in my life and my family’s lives. Tomorrow I officially start working from home - and with an entirely new group of people. I’m ready for the challenges and rewards that come with it. I’ll be talking non-stop about my upcoming positions and projects very soon, once the dust settles.

"Spending of the best part of one’s life earning money in order to enjoy a questionable liberty..."

Tue, 24 Jan 2012 00:51:16 -0500

“Spending of the best part of one’s life earning money in order to enjoy a questionable liberty during the least valuable part of it.”

- Henry David Thoreau

No blur filter (Taken with instagram)

Thu, 01 Dec 2011 09:41:19 -0500

No blur filter (Taken with instagram)

Bella’s perch (Taken with instagram)

Wed, 30 Nov 2011 00:28:01 -0500

Bella’s perch (Taken with instagram)

The tree (Taken with instagram)

Wed, 30 Nov 2011 00:26:40 -0500

The tree (Taken with instagram)

traffictraffictraffictraffictraffictraffic (Taken with...

Tue, 18 Oct 2011 08:48:21 -0400

traffictraffictraffictraffictraffictraffic (Taken with instagram)

Taken with instagram

Sat, 15 Oct 2011 22:12:02 -0400

Taken with instagram

Sat, 15 Oct 2011 22:09:59 -0400

Taken with instagram

Started pouring five seconds later (Taken with instagram)

Fri, 14 Oct 2011 09:44:48 -0400

Started pouring five seconds later (Taken with instagram)

Taken with instagram

Fri, 14 Oct 2011 00:14:10 -0400

Taken with instagram

Fri, 14 Oct 2011 00:11:07 -0400

Taken with instagram

Mon, 10 Oct 2011 12:56:45 -0400

Taken with instagram

Morning (Taken with instagram)

Mon, 10 Oct 2011 09:58:35 -0400

Morning (Taken with instagram)

(via Landscapes on Devour.com)

Fri, 07 Oct 2011 23:43:47 -0400

(via Landscapes on Devour.com)

"It’s been called the Gig Economy, Freelance Nation, the Rise of the Creative Class, and the..."

Thu, 06 Oct 2011 15:35:29 -0400

“

It’s been called the Gig Economy, Freelance Nation, the Rise of the Creative Class, and the e-conomy, with the “e” standing for electronic, entrepreneurial, or perhaps eclectic. Everywhere we look, we can see the U.S. workforce undergoing a massive change. No longer do we work at the same company for 25 years, waiting for the gold watch, expecting the benefits and security that come with full-time employment.

We’re no longer simply lawyers, or photographers, or writers. Instead, we’re part-time lawyers-cum- amateur photographers who write on the side. Today, careers consist of piecing together various types of work, juggling multiple clients, learning to be marketing and accounting experts, and creating offices in bedrooms/coffee shops/coworking spaces. Independent workers abound. We call them freelancers, contractors, sole proprietors, consultants, temps, and the self-employed.

And, perhaps most surprisingly, many of them love it

”

- The Freelance Surge Is the Industrial Revolution of Our Time - The Atlantic

American Firms Now Embrace Design, But They're Aging Fast. What's Next?

Tue, 04 Oct 2011 10:35:00 -0400

American Firms Now Embrace Design, But They're Aging Fast. What's Next?:

Article from Fast Company Design, and a follow-up posted by Adaptive Path’s Todd Wilkens, American Design Firms: Too Old or Too Fat?