Day 2 of agIdeas! A somewhat later start, but this gave Liz and I a chance to have “breakfast”, and what better way to wake up than with a large cup of Krispy Kreme’s caramel latte. HEAVEN!!

I’m pleased or not so pleased to say that no one particularly “bothered” me today; it was all generally pleasant… Though you’d think it’d be better to be roused into fury or fangirl delight. I did get Wayne Thompson’s signature on my sketchbook though; I may scan that in later, if anyone cares to have a laugh with me. :P Vincent said (somewhere along the line of) my being easily affected by fangirl tendencies. It’s called passion, and dedication, and yes, some healthy doses of obsession!

Also was able to collect our “free” agIdeas 20th anniversary book. I am so sad flicking through the 2007 speaker list. And I’m always sad about this because CHIP KIDD (The rockstar graphic designer who like, totes loves Batman, even more than me! How is this possible!) attended and I did not go to agIdeas that year. I was in first year; what did I know about design then? Zilch! This book is absolutely a brick, weighing more than 2kg and probably worth more than $100. A great weapon of choice I daresay!

Surface graphics of agIdeas. At least it’s not pixelated like it was in 2008! I’m still holding out for that year being a complete satire on bad design… I have more photos from agIdeas posted on my Flickr. Not a lot though.

Theo Jansen

He initially majored in the sciences (though he had orignally wanted to become a pilot. This was not to be) but he has instead channelled his physics background into producing ethereal mechanical creatures designed to be self-driven via the natural elements. Very intriguing fellow, with a quirkiness that could only become a charming European.

Nathan Drabsch

I love watching motion graphics reels; they’re just so mesmerising and surreal. The ABC3 channel graphics and shorts were mind-boggling. As a child I don’t know I would have appreciated all this digital flurry; what happened to the good ol’ days? Have we really grown up that fast?

Fay Plamka

I was looking forward to hearing her speak. Oh, the glamorous world of a court artist (and not the Velazquez kind!). It was riveting to hear Fay describe her experiences rendering the faces of some truly nasty criminals, and the legal entanglements she got caught in; she had much more to say I’m sure, but there just wasn’t enough time!

Amanda Henderson

There were some interesting “spectacles” in her company’s designs. I liked the rococo/baroque-esque interior created for one of the racing festival venues; they were merely facades—tiles of a massive image arranged onto a frame so as to deceptively give an overwhelming feeling of opulence and grandeur. Fashion parades are all about the façade too.

RESN

I wish I could design interactive interfaces like these guys! The website experience would be a whole lot more worthwhile.

Ghostpatrol

I’m still kind of mesmerised by his rainbow Lucifer T-shirt. Quite the oxymoron. He wasn’t particularly inspiring per se; I suppose he let his evocative imagery do the talking. At least now I know who did the street art on the very street where Classic Comics is! (It was Miso, Ghostpatrol’s partner).

Dan Formosa

Smart design indeed! These are the designers who leave you in awe, because what they do is ingenious and socially responsible at the same time. Also he validates my need to constantly check the internet for opinions on new products (from books to tech gadgets to music)

Peter Biggs

What can I say? I think I hate advertising executives for their (natural) self-congratulatory pomposity. I can’t believe in year 12 I wanted to enter this industry. Probably because I was such an ignorant twat. That’s not to say he didn’t have anything invalid to say; I rather thought his emphasis on pursuing the “dangerous edge” to be a good philosophy, though it’s hardly a new concept. Also amused that nearly every creative tends to quote T.S. Eliot’s Wasteland.

Wayne Thompson

The first Australian type designer to have sang a song about fonts? Quite possibly. But whether it was good is another question, though there was something very daggy and endearing about this guy. Liz pointed out it’s because he’s a dad, and I think that certainly rings true. It was interesting to contrast his fonts to say that of the classical masters, namely the Dutch and Swiss, or that of Tobias Frere-Jones.

Brendan Dwyer

Shoes, shoes, shoes!

Australia Project

Very relevant and meaningful undertaking in defining Australia’s identity as a nation, a multicultural society, a people. I would definitely like to participate in some way.

Rico Lins

Rico has a really diverse folio of poster designs. He also mentioned a ‘Labyrinth of Passion’ film poster, describing it as kitsch (see, I am extremely aware of anyone uttering this word at any time now!). I want the poster; and I want to watch the film now.

Tribute to Les Mason

I suppose it’s blasphemy that I’d not heard of Mason until this conference (but I was not of this generation! In fact, I’m like 3 generations away), but now I do, and having heard various accounts of his life and career, it’s plain to see his obvious influence on people, and a wry wit about him too. His widow described him, upon their first meeting at some night club/discotheque, as Don Draper (Mad Men).

Javier Mariscal

Even though we were running well overtime, I’m glad I stayed back. Javier was really delightful; he went through one of his latest projects, an animated feature film called “Chico and Rita”. It’s set in Cuba during the 1940s (at this I’m already falling in love with it) and it’s a narrative simply teeming with passion for love, for music, for glamour, for life, for despair. It looks spectacular, and the soundtrack and set designs are sensational. I am so looking forward to watching this when it’s released in cinemas (goodness knows when in Australia though!).