The Desktop Wallpaper Project

The Desktop Wallpaper Project

Since I started my blog almost a year ago I’ve written almost a thousand posts, made a ton of amazing and talented friends, and learned that keeping a blog going isn’t as easy some people make it look. I’ve also felt that I wanted this blog to be more, and do more, than a normal blog does. Finding the new, cool thing is fun and all, but my blog has grown so much since it started that I felt like I should try and do something more, something that would benefit you, the reader.

First and foremost I decided that I wanted this new project to be free. Well, free doesn’t leave a whole lot of options that don’t include me going into debt, so I had to be creative. What I decided to do was start a project based off the of the Radiohead Desktop Wallpapers I created last year in honor of In Rainbows coming out. This time I decided to write all of my favorite artists and designers, many of which you’ve seen featured on this blog, and see if they’d contribute a wallpaper. As it turns out, my favorite artists and designers happen to be some of the nicest people out there, and so many of them were more than happy to help and be a part of this project, which I’ve called The Desktop Wallpaper Project.

Here’s the plan: I’ll be releasing one desktop wallpaper every Wednesday morning (California time) until I run out of wallpapers. They’ll be free to download, and come in a multitude of monitor sizes, as well as iPhone and PSP versions just for the fun of it. As of writing this, there are 60 artists involved with the project, some of them providing multiple wallpapers. Who are these 60 artists that are participating? Well I’m not telling because I really like secrets and surprises, and I want you all to be surprised and excited come Wednesday.

To get things started though, I’m releasing three wallpapers by three amazing artists: Tim Biskup, Mcbess, and Andrew Groves. Having to narrow down which three wallpapers would go first wasn’t easy, but I wanted to give you a good idea of what the coming months have in store. There are going to be some of the biggest artists out there today, mixed in with some artists you may have never heard of. But the one thing they all have in common is just how creative they all are. Without further ado, here are the first three wallpapers.

The Desktop Wallpaper Project featuring Tim Biskup

The Desktop Wallpaper Project featuring Mcbess

The Desktop Wallpaper Project featuring Andrew Groves

I just want to say thank you to all the artists that are involved with this project. Without them this obviously wouldn’t have been near exciting. Please come back next Wednesday to see who’s wallpaper will pop up next.

Bobby Solomon

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March 5, 2008 - See more posts by Bobby

Dress Up Devendra Banhart and Contest

File this under ‘A Complete Waste of Time’ but I also happen to think it’s really clever. On Devendra Banhart’s new website, there’s a section that allows you to dress him up in any way you want! I love all the weird shit they have to choose from, like the purple poncho with the uni-bomber glasses or his boating shorts.

We should totally have a Dress Up Devendra contest where we see who can come up with the best outfit! Here’s the deal, create an outfit, take a screencap of it, then post a link to the image in the comments. If you don’t know how to make a screencap, or how to host a picture somewhere, you’re automatically disqualified and no, I can’t help you, haha… As Christian from Project Runway says, it better be “Ferosh”!

Bobby

P.S. I also found this random picture of Devendra running around in his underwear looking like a 12 year old girl with a moustache that made me laugh.

Bobby Solomon

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March 4, 2008 - See more posts by Bobby

Pottok Wallpaper Launch at Walnut Wallpaper

Last night I popped over for the launch of Geoff McFetridge’s new line of wallpaper, Pottok, as well as the opening party of Walnut Wallpapers new store. When I got over to the store there was no parking to be found anywhere, but thankfully Walnut was cool enough to have free valet parking for everyone who attended the event.

Inside they had all of the Pottok wallpapers lining the walls, a big table full of food, and free pins were being given away. But the best giveaway of the night had to be the samples of wallpaper which had been cut with a scalloped edge and signed on the back by Geoff himself. I grabbed two samples, which are definitely going to be framed and hung in my bathroom asap.

It was also pretty rad because I saw a ton of people I knew, including Amber who works at my office as an intern, the lady from Walnut who’s name I can’t remember because it’s too late, Lisa who I used to write with at LAist, and an old friend who really wasn’t happy to see me, haha… It’s just weird because everyone seemed to know each other, proving just how small of a world it really is. I also had a chance to talk to Geoff for a minute as well and he told me that one of the designs, which is not on the website but I do have pictures of under the cut, features a ton of people he knows including his assistant and was made in part for a friend who passed away.

Be sure to check out all the photos under the cut for a ton of wallpaper fun.
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Bobby Solomon

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February 29, 2008 - See more posts by Bobby

Linc Concept Phone by Greener Grass

The Greener Grass has done it again, coming up with yet another awesome way of helping the environment using good design. I posted about their Current State iPhone Concept earlier this month, but now they’ve got a phone idea that’s all their own.

The concept is called Linc, and while it looks and does everything like an iPhone, that’s not what makes it cool. What makes it stand out is that device already has its life planned out for it. Basically you lease the Linc for about a year until they send you a new one with all the fancy upgrades that usually come along a year later. You then sync all of the data from your existing phone to the new one, then ship your old one away to be recycled. Their idea is that older Linc’s could be disassembled Johnny 5 style and the materials could be re-used for future versions of the phone.

I personally think this could work simply because they make it look so easy to do. I mean, they would send you the cool new phone that makes your out-dated phone look antiquated! And getting your existing info onto your new phone would be a breeze as well. One thing they would definitely need to include is a system that wipes all the info off of your phone, I know I wouldn’t want someone getting my phone numbers off my old phone. It would be cool if Apple could implement some sort of program like this, thought I’m not quite sure how well it would go over with people.

Would you pay a monthly leasing fee instead of one big sum to be up-to-date with the coolest phone and help the environment?

Check out more photos of the Linc under the cut.
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Bobby Solomon

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February 28, 2008 - See more posts by Bobby

Ladd Magazine Holder by METAPHYS

I can easily admit that I have a problem with magazines. I think I always have, though now-a-days my 25 year old paycheck is larger than my 19 year old paycheck, so I tend to buy a lot more. This habit leads to having stacks of magazines all over my apartment. But if I had something like this Ladd Magazine Holder by METAPHYS, this probably wouldn’t be so bad, and my apartment would be a lot cooler looking.

I’m not entirely familiar with METAPHYS, though I know they all into the same minimal, Japanese design category as Muji and plusminuszero. Basically it’s awesome stuff you can only get in Japan (Muji being the recent exception). Ladd up there goes for ï¿¥49,800, or about $50 dollars $500 DOLLARS. I totally put my decimal point in the wrong place, and now I regret posting these. They are rather cool, but nowhere near $500 cool. I’ll just got to some craft fair and buy a ladder made out of branches or something…

Bobby

Bobby Solomon

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February 27, 2008 - See more posts by Bobby

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