Boy do I wish I could join the tech savvy troupes in Utah this weekend for Alt Design Summit, but I have prior obligations of the highest priority – a good friend’s wedding here in New York! See the list below- if you can check 3 or more items, you belong at the heart of the snowy action tomorrow!

Who Should Attend Alt?

1. People that love talking about design in all its iterations. What it is. How it’s changing. Why it’s important.

2. People that read sites like Apartment Therapy/drive German cars/subscribe to magazines from Europe.

3. Design or lifestyle bloggers who want to (finally!) meet their fellow design and lifestyle bloggers.

4. People from across all the design disciplines: graphic, industrial, fashion, interior, product, textile. Plus illustrators and photographers too.

5. Business Owners who make pretty things and want to figure out [...]

Risa (laughter), beso (kiss), and cuerpo (body) are just a sampling of the delightful Spanish words that Andrea Cavagnaro, Buenos Aires based artist, depicts in her eye-catching felt sculptures. We can’t help but be reminded of Jen Stark’s paper sculptures profiled here, when we see Cavagnaro’s brightly colored and lush layered felt. In addition to these colorful wall hangings, Cavagnaro creates large-scale environmental art displayed throughout Argentina. Pattern Pulp recently had the pleasure of meeting Cavagnaro in her charming studio where she allows her free spirit to guide her to new artistic discoveries. Check out our inspiring Q&A with Cavagnaro and discover how taking new paths led this artist to unexpected places.

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PP: What is your design process?

AC: I enjoy working with fabrics. I love to spend hours and hours cutting, gluing, [...]

Saving money is certainly in style this season, and now so are piggy banks. Since everyone is pinching pennies, Argentine designers have transformed the kiddie version of a 401k into a design object for the style and money conscious. The colorful swine are dominating Buenos Aires’ boutiques, including Tienda Palacio, Puntos en el Espacio and Materia Urbana. Local kitsch brand Casicursi created two of our favorite piggys – one covered in leopard print, another in red and blue paisley. These two patterns have been dominating international trends, but look fresh when used in this unexpected way. Malba (Museo de Arte Latinoamericano de Buenos Aires), the premier modern art museum in Argentina, features colorful leather piggys in the must-see museum shop. The leather material of these banks celebrates the culture’s most popular [...]

Budget slashing has forced artists, retailers and marketers across the globe to get creative in finding lower-cost solutions to advertise their wares.  Be it a rummage in the craft bin or a simple play on words, trend-setters such as Anthropologie and Barneys have proven less can be more when the concepts are strong. Today we’ve chosen to focus on tape as a decorative way to enhance a creative message.  Earlier this summer the malleable nature of this medium was incorporated in the Color Forms layout featured in the New York Times Magazine where the photographer chose to compliment this Matryoshka table with vibrant colored floor striping.  Applying similar energy and stiff color blocking, this repuposed Umbro t-shirt from 2006 reveals that DIY done right can update any brand.  Using color, function and a healthy [...]

Tape measures can be used for more than just sizing up material — in some cases they are the material. Fusing pop art vibrancy with everyday functionality, the tool responsible for measuring our daily lives is stepping out from behind the scenes to claim a bit of creative recognition. We first noticed ruler art on the streets of Palermo Soho, where brightly colored suspenders popped up at a local craft fair. Inside the walls of Tienda Palacio, a trendy Buenos Aires boutique, folded flower pendants and resin keychain accessories reclaim the traditional notion of a tchotchke.

The fine art world hasn’t been exempt from the trend. In 2008, Debbie Smyth of Ireland, combined black and white tape measures to form magnificent geometric woven prisms. Using less malleable materials, a unique wall hanging featured at this [...]

So you’re talented and terrified of not staying relevant in the ever-evolving digital marketplace.  For the patternmakers out there working strictly by hand, you’re in luck if willing to expand upon your skill set. Orli Sharaby, the fashion editor for PSFK, recently forwarded us some uplifting news which she spotted on the blog, Fashion Biz Inc.  FBI just announced the launch of a brand new free program for unemployed patternmakers set to start at the end of April.  Courtesy of a grant provided by Microsoft Corporation, this special program offers free training to unemployed patternmakers who need to improve or enhance their computer skills in order to obtain full time employment.  Alternatively, if you’re a graphic designer looking to hop the fence onto the crafty side, the Etsy Labs in Brooklyn offer periodic patternmaking [...]