Designer John Greg Ball -Weblog

I have always been interested in what other artists / designers work spaces look like. We have all have one. But what do they all look like? Are there similarities? Whats in the studio? What objects do those people collect and admire? What do they surround themselves with? How do they decorate? Or do they even decorate at all? What tools do they use? Is the space inspiring? Is it as mess, or is it tidy and clean?

In my opinion, an artist’s studio is very telling of one’s likes, dislikes, and often speaks alot about their work. The studio is where all the innovation happens for creative people. Above are shots of my own studio in Calgary- hope you enjoy!

Members of Industrial Designers of Edmonton Association were recently featured in this fantastic new book by daab: Young Designers Americas. Products included a few of our pieces from the Hoodoo series, and work by fellow IDEA member- Adriean Koleric. This is a great book, that illustrates many of the talented young designers working in Canada and the U.S. today. Its also available for online purchase Here

hoodoo lamp at the 2006 toronto interior design show- prototype exhibit. a fantastic exhibit this year. Shoko and I were thrilled to be a part of it!

Shoko and I have updated the HooDoos site with our media release and an introduction on our newest lighting project: The Tornado Lamp. Tornado will be shown at IDEA’s FROST Exhibit in Edmonton 2006. -Enjoy

Life changes fast.
In my case, I will be living in Calgary Alberta in less than two months. Jenn and are moving to Alberta’s prairie city and look forward to our new future there. As a creative “designer- type”, I have always loved moving. The stress and adjustment with new surroundings seems open the flood gates of Creativity for me. Calgary is a bigger city than Edmonton, and I look forward to finding what can happen there. I ‘ll be keeping a close eye on ACAD and the Institute for the Creative Process. Looks like a great lecture series with Wil Alsop, Charles Landry, and Bruce Mau among their list of speakers. I will certainly miss Edmonton and all the friends and great people I have met here. Especially those I met through MADE and IDEA.

I look forward to flyfishing Calgary’s Bow River and trips back to High River to visit family friends who will once again be in much closer proximity. (photo above by: Greg Ball while attending Calgary’s Home and Interior Design Show- Fall 2005)

Designboom hosted the International “Teenaged Furniture” Competition in spring of 2005 with Australian manufacturer COW by NSR. Among the 3652 entries, the “subsonic” chair designed by: Greg Ball received honorable mention, and a cash prize of 500.00 euros.

Jury:
marcel wanders, designer, NL
sean dix, designer, USA / ITALY
shinobu ito, designer, JAPAN / ITALY
birgit lohmann, (designboom)
nir pizmony (Cow by NSR), AUSTRALIA

Good design is an ongoing project. I try to acheive it not only in my product design work, but in my home as well. For me, the living room is the most important room in our house. This is a place where we entertain guests, and spend quality time with friends and family. In our living room, there is no TV, a stereo, and our library of books in the corner. I picked blue for the theme wall to match my “Otto” Chair and the “Syms” lamp in the corner. I also added my ACID tables with green tinted glass in front of our leather couch. We installed beachwood laminate floor with orange-tinted walls that contrast the cool shades of blue. My home is filled with great Art created by those I admire most. When I’m not on the the computer, I spend alot of time in our living room sketching, chilling out to music, or reading books.

In the spring of 2005, Shoko Cesar and I launched “The HooDoo” series. As designers, we have been discussing the idea that within the current global consumer landscape, available products have virtually no meaning, nor connection to where they come from.

“Hoodoo products offer elements of the Alberta Prairies to the global design landscape. By adding meaning to each product, Hoodoo items are intended to be timeless, well-designed objects for the contemporary home” (shown above: HooDoo Lamp- designed by Greg Ball + Shoko Cesar)

The Doghaus project was featured in Western Living this month! I spoke with Amanda Ross and she was very excited about my project. It is always quite a thrill to have your work as a full-page image in magazine like Western Living. Many thanks to my talented brother: Grant Ball for prototyping this project.

Quote from the article:
“These clever architectural canine quarters—a sort of West Coast rancher-meets-Alberta grain elevator style—fuse modern form and function for a fetching sleeping alternative. Being in the doghouse was never so desirable”.
Amanda Ross- Western Living

I entered a few napkin sketches to the CATIA/ Core 77 – IMAGINE AND SHAPE - Napkin Sketch Competition in New York City, and was honored with a “notable” entry for my water/ info kiosk design.