http://blog.taskisdesign.com/

IDEAS FOR A ROOFTOP We’re currently developing some ideas...

Sun, 07 Mar 2010 16:30:00 -0800

We’re currently developing some ideas for a rooftop with stunning 360 degree views of San Francisco, shown here looking out at the Mission, Noe Valley, Twin Peaks and Sutro Tower. We’re navigating SF rooftop regulations, egress, and our infamous microclimates.

More to come…

MAJO CALDERON Not too long ago we did a website for...

Sun, 07 Mar 2010 00:56:00 -0800

MAJO CALDERON

Not too long ago we did a website for Oakland-based Chilean filmmaker Majo Calderon. Her films typically deal with social and environmental issues, such as the excessive coastal development threatening Puerto Rico’s beaches in The Edge of the Sea, a short documentary that has won numerous awards and is currently making the rounds at film festivals the world over.

We designed a simple and straightforward site on the Wordpress platform that achieves the desired effect, a no-frills showcase of work.

…ANND WE’RE BACK! It’s shamefully past due,...

Sat, 06 Mar 2010 23:07:00 -0800

…ANND WE’RE BACK!

It’s shamefully past due, but since we’ve decided to actually use this BLOG with some frequency, I suppose I should announce that we recently launched our website, much love to Alex Fernandez for all the brilliant code that made it possible.

There you’ll find the completed Leland Tea shop, MXD MSG, and a few older projects. We’ll be sharing several new and upcoming projects right here on the blog over the next few days, a bit of an update on what we’ve been up to, as well a look at our new space in the Mission district of SF.

Joshua Prince-Ramus of REX encourages architects to step up and...

Mon, 01 Feb 2010 15:50:00 -0800

Joshua Prince-Ramus of REX encourages architects to step up and take responsibility not only for concept, but also execution in design. He then reinforces his point by exhibiting the transformative qualities of the recently completed Dee and Charles Wyly Theatre in Dallas. Having seen a few talks with Prince-Ramus, I have to say he’s a fantastic speaker and very articulate.

Warning: The video has a 19 minute runtime, so grab a tea/coffee/beer and enjoy.

via TEDxSMU

Caleb Duarte, an Oakland-based chicano artist, has been working...

Tue, 15 Dec 2009 17:33:00 -0800

Caleb Duarte, an Oakland-based chicano artist, has been working with themes of “home”. His latest project is a mix of sculptor and performance called “Casas Voladoras” (Flying houses).

Casas Voladoras is an ongoing collaborative performance art project focusing on experiences of global migration, mobility, the moving monument and oral histories specifically dealing with communities and recent immigrants from the Americas. It is a one-week intensive workshop using art and performance, ritual and moving theater for the empowerment in telling our own stories.

Performance art workshops will be held at the Red Poppy Art House in San Francisco, spring 2010.

His earlier works evoke a sense of emotion attached to the idea of “home”. He uses a mix of hand rendering and built pieces made from found wood, concrete, and gypsum board.

KQED SPARK did a segment on Caleb in 2007: click here.

Since 2005 fashion designer Scott Schuman has been taking photos...

Sat, 05 Dec 2009 15:13:00 -0800

Since 2005 fashion designer Scott Schuman has been taking photos of (mostly) regular people he encounters on the streets of New York, Paris and Milan for his blog, The Sartorialist.

I thought I could shoot people on the street the way designers looked at people, and get and give inspiration to lots of people in the process. My only strategy when I began The Sartorialist was to try and shoot style in a way that I knew most designers hunted for inspiration.

Schuman’s work has resulted in his blog being hugely influential in both fashion and photography realms. He now shoots for publications including French Vogue, Elle and GQ. Above is his recently released book, a collection of his favorite images from over the years, accompanied by some commentary. I was very pleased to find that not only is the book a sublime catalog of great personal style, it’s also an outstanding collection of portraits that captures perfectly the feeling of people-watching while walking down a city street.

The power of architecture to change the world is an idea that...

Fri, 04 Dec 2009 07:25:00 -0800

The power of architecture to change the world is an idea that many a design student believes in. Recently, an inspirational speech given by Professor Irma Ramirez at U.C. Berkeley regarding her and her students’ work on a Low Cost Sustainable Tijuana Housing Prototype, is helping to reinforce that belief. The prototype was built using local accessible materials and passive heating/cooling systems at a minimal cost while being socially responsive to the communities’ needs; a poverty stricken immigrant population on the Mexico-US border.

Reminiscent of Samuel Mockbee’s Rural Studio, the Tijuana project has an even tighter construction budget of < $1000, and is limited to using materials and building systems that local residents can reproduce and utilize according to their own needs.

The design is an academic collaboration with architecture students at Cal Poly Pomona, the John T. Lyle Center for Regenerative Studies, Corazon (a local non-profit), and families in Tijuana, Mexico. Their work won them the NCARB prize in 2008.

See the presentation boards here

Jacques Herzog of HdM discusses plans for the Tate Modern...

Thu, 03 Dec 2009 02:02:59 -0800

Jacques Herzog of HdM discusses plans for the Tate Modern gallery extension.

Current TV’s Embedded series puts viewers up close and...

Wed, 25 Nov 2009 21:17:00 -0800

Current TV’s Embedded series puts viewers up close and personal with various musical acts, having featured such artists as Mos Def and the Silversun Pickups. This episode centers on one of my favorite artists, Common. We see him on tour promoting his latest album at radio shows, record store signings, and live on stage. We also get a panel of Common’s colleagues talking about why he’s so dope. Also on offer: thrift store shopping in San Francisco with Lykke Li, and an acoustic performance in a Paris alley with Bloc Party.

So kick back and check out the video, you’ll be very glad you did.

via okayplayer.

Our buddies at WSDIA | WeShouldDoItAll recently updated their...

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 18:15:00 -0800

Our buddies at WSDIA | WeShouldDoItAll recently updated their website with some new (sexy) work including a cover for the New York Times Magazine, identity work for Nike’s Flywire technology, and some Nike US Open t-shirts (above). Check it out!

SPILT is a bold and unique exhibition, a diverse assemblage of...

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 07:56:00 -0800

SPILT is a bold and unique exhibition, a diverse assemblage of inspired works from talented, new artists and designers working in an array of media — fine art, photography, architecture, furniture, fashion, video, music — where works are presented in an immersive and interactive context with the story, the challenges, the context, the inspiration, processes, and environment of the designers and artists vitally framing the exhibition itself. SPILT provides the audience with a stunning showing of inspired art and design, along with an intimate experience and connection with the artists and designers themselves.

Join us in Santa Monica this Saturday (Nov. 14) for the very first SPILT exhibit by our good friends Hunter Leggitt and Hans Walør.

We’ll be curating a SPILT show in San Francisco very soon, so look out for that!

Architects finally have their very own social network. Dubbed...

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 07:25:00 -0800

Architects finally have their very own social network. Dubbed ‘Facebook for architects’, Architizer launched last week and aims to ‘empower architecture’ by enhancing the way we network/connect with each other. Their ‘about’ page illustrates exactly how they intend to achieve that.

Architizer is a new way for architects to interact, show their work, and find clients. It is an open community created by architects for architects. One architectural project has dozens of contributors, from the intern who made the conceptual models to the construction administrator. A project on Architizer links all members of the architectural community.

The founding team consists of New York office HWKN, Berlin agency KREATIVEKONZEPTION*, and Benjamin Prosky, Director of Special Events at Columbia’s GSAPP. The site is steadily growing, filled with thousands of people, projects, and firms, including ours.

A conversation with the great Paul Rand. He talks about the...

Mon, 05 Oct 2009 12:38:00 -0700

A conversation with the great Paul Rand. He talks about the meaning of (graphic) design and how it relates to art, his own definition of design - “The synthesis of form and content.” - and the importance of clearly communicating your terms.

Definitely worth a look.

Paul-Rand.com

Below are some of the films I was lucky enough to see at the...

Fri, 02 Oct 2009 00:40:00 -0700

MXD MSG Screening

Jeff, Ike, and actor Sean Smith

Q&A after the screening

w/ Diliana Deltcheva & Melanie Williams

w/ Producer Anki Gyllengård

w/ Director Anthony Pang & Devon Young

Industry Party at the W

Below are some of the films I was lucky enough to see at the SDFF, and the filmmakers, who were all fantastic people.

Mended by Diliana Deltcheva (writer/director)

Short Term 12 by Destin Daniel Cretton (writer/director) - Best Short Film, Sundance 2009

Pocket Queens by John Kaiser (writer/director)

Love In Bulk by Andrew Rubin (director)

Brite Eyes by Andrew Eckblad (director)

Deadland by Gary Weeks (writer/producer)

The Job by Shem Bitterman (writer/director)

So while we were down south for the SDFF last week, Jeff of...

Tue, 29 Sep 2009 03:56:00 -0700

So while we were down south for the SDFF last week, Jeff of Breadtruck Films informed us of his idea to re-cut Mixed Message from a runtime of 13 mins to about 7 mins. We holed up in his apartment for several hours, offering encouragement (and sometimes derision) as he re-edited the film and remixed the sound. Finally, we had the lead, Sean, come in to record some ADR and additional narration to tie the whole thing together. The result is an even more focused film with a bit more urgency, but one that does not lose any part of the original message.

Call it a Director’s Cut if you will (the original version will continue to be screened at festivals and other gatherings), here it is for your viewing pleasure. Please feel free to leave comments (no really, we insist!)

After winning the first prize at Brainwash Film Festival this...

Tue, 22 Sep 2009 02:31:00 -0700

After winning the first prize at Brainwash Film Festival this summer, we’re thrilled to announce that Mixed Message has once again been selected to screen at the San Diego Film Festival this week!!

It’ll be showing in the San Diego Shorts category on Thursday starting at 8p and again on Sunday starting at 3:30p.

If you’re in the area definitely stop by and check it out. For all our Bay Area folks, we’ll be putting together a screening in San Francisco soon enough.

MXD MSG @SDFF

Our website is almost done. no, really…

Tue, 22 Sep 2009 01:46:00 -0700

Our website is almost done.

no, really…

Haus+ by Anne Menke (her first built project). via archdaily

Tue, 22 Sep 2009 01:05:00 -0700

Haus+ by Anne Menke (her first built project).

via archdaily

"Mies van der Rohe once said that being good is more important than being original. Originality is a..."

Sun, 06 Sep 2009 22:46:00 -0700

“Mies van der Rohe once said that being good is more important than being original. Originality is a product, not an intention.”

- Paul Rand

We’re seriously digging the new EP OOF! from Blue...

Wed, 26 Aug 2009 20:23:00 -0700

We’re seriously digging the new EP OOF! from Blue Scholars, an intelligent and very funky Seattle-based hip-hop duo.

The album is an ode to Hawaii and the video above is for the song HI-808 (referring to the state of Hawaii, it’s area code 808, as well as the classic Roland TR-808 drum machine) which inspired the EP.