In my opinion, the Chinese Qipao is not only a traditional dress for women, but also genuinely a piece of art. It is featured by stand collar, right side opening, fitting waist and slip bottom, which can fully set off the beauty of the female shape. It is usually made of excellent materials like silk, silk brocade, satin,…

Bigger is better? Not for this spectacle of art. This aesthetic focuses on the art form of regular everyday things in an irregular size – specifically, incredibly small. These tiny replicas, despite being tiny, manage to draw in more attention than it they do at their regular size. For example, yesterday’s lunch? Already forgot. But take…

When I hear the word ATV, short for all terrain vehicle, I automatically think four wheeler because those are the ATVs I grew up with and are the most common incarnation of the ATV.   However, ATVs were originally invented as three wheelers, with the first ATV from a major manufacturer, Honda, shown below. This is…

Retro Ski   Though this old school style on the ski slopes began in the 1930s and 40s, it peaked in the mid 60s though the 70s. The retro style includes both a mentality as well as a physical rad getup. style of advertising   Old School  http://www.skinet.com/ski/article/throwback-thursday-radical-freestyle The one-piece snowsuit is more than just…

The Nerd (adjective: nerdy), is a descriptive word to identify a person who is overly intelligent, obsessive, and/or lacking social skills. Typically this individual may spend outrageous amount of time on obscure, unpopular, non-mainstream activities or culture. Also, generally speaking the topics usually have a highly technical theme or relating to fantasy and fiction. A…

Growing up in Steamboat, I was surrounded by two main themes, Skiing and ranching. This meant that dressing up in our school meant either a suit or something similar to this: Formal Cowboy Wear (source: http://www.blacktieguide.com/blog/2013/12/18/the-western-tuxedo/) This country western/Cowboy aesthetic has been around for a long time dating back to the 19th century in northern Mexico.…

Pixelrama of Tokyo by eBoy An aesthetic with which I have had interest in for a while is Pixel Art. Popularized during the 1980s and 90s in video games, the aesthetic has been revived in recent years due, in part, to the nostalgia each tiny square carries with it. The idea behind pixel art is…

The log cabin aesthetic brings a certain type of homey-ness to a structure. Its a fairly engrained imagine in our heads at this point: the minimalist but cozy interior, dim lighting, warm atmosphere. http://www.everything-log-homes.com/images/log-home-interiors.jpg It’d be hard to date the origin of this aesthetic, but it is an old one. Back in the day (way back),…

For many people, drinking their morning coffee is a ritual needed to kick start the day. Coffee was popularized across Europe in the 17th century, which quickly launched Brazil into becoming the worlds largest bean producer [1]. Today, the average US citizen consumes 7.5lb of beans annually [2]. Recently, coffee has experienced a craft revolution that has popularized micro-roasteries, local coffee shops, espresso drinks,…

Early in the 20th century, the Art Deco visual aesthetic was highly influential in fine art, industrial design and architecture. Art Deco is one of my favorite aesthetics because it radiates an optimism about the future. It alludes to the possibilities of  human industry with stately figures and clean symmetric lines. I was reminded of the…

Many breweries like to keep things simple, doing minimal work to get the brewery looking nice. Taking advantage of the industrial “warehousey” feel of the buildings which house many breweries is crucial for many breweries. By using and accentuating exposed concrete, brick, piping, and dark muted colors, breweries can create a very modern and welcoming…

http://science.howstuffworks.com/innovation/edible-innovations/molecular-gastronomy.htm   Molecular gastronomy is defined as a type of food science that utilizes physical and chemical transformations of ingredients to create meals and drinks that are shown in a new light. While the art form first started out as a food science, it has slowly grown into an aesthetic in design as the focused…

Google’s Material Design Guidelines (Google.com) The “Flat” or “Material Design” aesthetic is gaining popularity across multiple different mediums- from digital design to print, to cars, and even fashion. Making a first appearance in 1950s and 1960s magazines and tabloids, the flat aesthetic has continued to gain popularity. After a modern culture boom in skeuomorphism (think fake wood-texture paneling…

Smartphones have become ingrained in many peoples’ lives as an essential device. A device that can handle nearly all the productivity in your life is very convenient. Because of the rapid advancement of technology these days, all aspects of smartphones including their aesthetics have evolved over time. They started out as slow, clunky bricks and…

The past few years have seen a sharp increase in the scope of what drones can capture on camera, as well as the environments in which they capture this footage. Ever since my childhood, I have been a huge fan of surf films, ranging from The Endless Summer in 1966 to the recently released View From a Blue…

Freestyle snowboarding has exponentially gaining viewers over the past decade. One of the most notable events in this extreme sport is the Winter X Games. Within the X Games there are multiple snowboarding events however, Big Air takes the crown. The worlds greatest snowboarders get together and put on the show of a lifetime sending their…

As a California Native growing up with access to both the coast and the mountains, I was drawn to thrills of surfing and snowboarding. In recent years, the two sports have collided and are bringing inspiration to each other. After living in Colorado these last few years, I have noticed how the surfing industry has…

Simplified down, martial arts are systems of training for combat, each with a unique philosophy on fighting.  Some martial arts like Tai Chi focus on inner development and health while some like Muay Thai focus on tournament style fighting.  Whether a student is training for self-defense, competition, fitness, entertainment, or for spiritual development, all styles…

If you are familiar with rat rods the term may conjure images of Mad Max and the over-the-top rust-buckets that sped through the desert in the never-ending chase scene that comprised the entire movie. Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)  Entertainment Weekly To many, they are cosmetically and mechanically cobbled together machines from repurposed parts used…

“Dia De Los Muertos”  Day of the Dead is full of aesthetics, from the Grave decoration, the parades, and the attire they where to celebrate the dead. learn a little of the history of the Day of the Dead and enjoy the visuals. Dia De Los Muertos (Day of the Dead) is a rich Mexican…

As a Mechanical Engineer, I have found the aesthetics and physics of  rock stacking to be interesting. For people that do not know of this art, rock stacking is when you take rocks and stack them on top of each other to produce a structure. Rocks tend to(but not always) have minimal flat edges, are stacked…

Suburban communities, also known as suburbia, is an ideal epitome of the American Dream. This ideal way to live started in the 20th century, and was particularly helped by the end of World War II because military personnel were drawn to the aspects of a comfortable community built for families and safety [1]. Suburbia is…

Nature consists of some of the most amazing aesthetics not just in the visual design, but in the functional design as well.  I wanted to look specifically at the strongest and weakest animal on earth, the box jellyfish. http://www.planetdeadly.com/animals/dangerous-jellyfish https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwjVppSfqLLKAhVQ2mMKHekYCGwQjRwIBw&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.tumblr.com%2Ftagged%2FBox%2Bjellyfish&psig=AFQjCNE4opDMSWYP-6NoRmmxsu9hcTv9UA&ust=1453170044800788 The box jellyfish is a beautifully delicate and extremely lethal animal.  This carnivorous jellyfish located…

This aesthetic dates back to the Qin Dynasty (221BC-206BC). The lion dance is one of the most vibrant performance arts that the Chinese history passed along. It was so popular that other Asian countries like Japan, Tibet, Korea and Vietnam adopted it and to this day have their own versions of the lion and performance.…

image: pintrest.com, courtesy of “Here’s Earl.” As we prepare for our warm-up project in Upcycling, the aesthetic that first comes to mind is “Shabby Chic”. The popularity of Shabby Chic is evident by the vast number of articles and images featuring it. It’s also a mainstay in artisan marketplaces like Etsy.com, where creative hopefuls go…