I love News Corp! Said no one ever.
Something doesn’t smell right… Previous posts on the subject: http://www.justinfox.com.au/?s=myplates
I love News Corp! Said no one ever.
Something doesn’t smell right… Previous posts on the subject: http://www.justinfox.com.au/?s=myplates
Tribute to Kustom King George Barris (Nov 20, 1925 – Nov 5, 2015) Designer of the 1966 Batmobile (which I watched on TV as a kid!). #respectyourelders
ICOGRADA Regional Meeting, Melbourne in 2002.
A good friend of mine Dom Bartolo and I got to represent Australia for The Australian Graphic Design Association (AGDA) and present The Australian INfront in front (see what I did there?) of the International Council of Graphic Design Associations at the ICOGRADA Regional Meeting in Melbourne in 2002.
Where AGDA Designers wore black from head to toe these ICOGRADA Designers were Design Gods wearing white from head to toe. JEDI KNIGHTS OF DESIGN! Being in our mid 20’s at the time both Dom and I were in awe of their presence.
I presented the site and INfront Manifesto on the big screen and we got great feedback from the Knights. They acknowledged the importance of supporting grass roots efforts like INfront. They then asked if we would like to join them for their regional meeting…
… Oh my God. Dom and I had just been invited to the JEDI COUNCIL!
We sat in on their Jedi High Council, giddy as fuck. The Knights were arguing about the price of Adobe Photoshop. To me, it was fascinating, to Dom it was wrong. Dom manned up and had something to say (HAVE SOMETHING TO SAY!). He slid the mic closer to his mouth and this came out:
“I work hard. I spent 4 years studying to be a Professional Designer. I’ve been working as a Professional Designer for the past 3 years. I get paid from 9AM-5PM but I’m expected to stay back and work until 9PM most nights without extra pay. My cousin works at McDonalds and gets paid until 5PM, at 5PM he’s outta there!”
Jaws dropped. Silence for at least 5 seconds but felt like 5 minutes. There was no answer. We were applauded once again for being able to inspire the elders and just like that, on the biggest high known to man, we were flown back to Sydney on AGDA’s account and the rest was history.
Also on MEDIUM.
20 years. Lots of work. We’re sad to let The Australian INfront Design Community go, but it’s for the best, to leave on a legacy of love and respect.
We’ll be shutting down the site on the 8th of March 2019. Please be sure to back up everything you may need before the site is taken offline.
There’s no doubt that myself, Damien and Zann still have a ton of love for the Australian INfront (we most likely always will!). Traditionally we’ve always launched site redesigns, in fact we’re more than half way through the new site design now, but life has gotten in the way for all three of us, and we’ve had to re-assess the launch of the new Australian INfront.
Since INfront’s conception in 1999 I’ve had more time than most to put energy into the site, but I can’t say that I’ve done much at all over the past 10 years.
Rebelling against my professor of Design by presenting the Australian INfront manifesto at Sydney Design 99 Conference (instead of spending the time on the stage praising my old design school) was a bold move. Big moves like this have been made time and time again by Damien and Zann with INfront Apple Talks at the Apple flagship store Sydney, Field Trip Conferences at ACMI Federal Square Melbourne and The Seymour Sydney to name just a few.
One quick glance over both Damien and Zann’s personal Facebook profiles suggests that between work and family the guys are extremely time poor. Recently we got a 3-way chat together to discuss INfront’s future; Are we going to relaunch this new re-design? Because INfront needs HEAPS more love to get it anywhere near where we had it once upon a time, and it needs even more love and energy for us to take it to where Damien and Zann can.
INfront is a passion project. Something which the three of us forget at times. We still love the creative community and some part of us will always want to be part of it, just so we can help out, but INfront has had so many amazing moments that we’ve come to realise that as time goes on we can’t live forever in those past moments, and now we have our families to put our love and energy into too.
20 years… it’s been a GREAT run and we are proud of staying true the entire way through. To the founding members (you know who you are!) massive respect and thanks for the groundwork. To everyone else; we have nothing but GRATITUDE for all those who have ever stepped up and joined us on this epic mission to get Australian Design the respect it deserves, to place our local talent on the International Map. We started with the Australian INfront Manifesto. We’ll wrap it up with it too.
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AUSTRALIAN INFRONT MANIFESTO
INfront is a collaborative project space and launch pad to Australia’s best online designers, artists, design companies and other related web sites.
INfront is also a growing community of like minded people who inspire and motivate each other. Lean on each other at times. Bend the rules. Help when there’s a need for a freelancer, a brainstorm, an opinion or some constructive criticism.
GET AHEAD GET INFRONT
INfront intends to expose talented Australian designers and artists and change the international perspective of Australian Design and Art to a more accurate level, one that reflects the sophistication, individuality, and passion of designers and artists in Australia.
Australia, design & art are fundamental to our being and as a group we intend to explore what this means to ourselves and the international community.
Our work is Australian and of international standard.
We seek GLOBAL RESPECT
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Please note; we will be shutting down the site on the 8th of March so be sure to back up everything you may need before the site is taken offline.
Much love and respect; Justin, Damien and Zann.
Not sure why ROLEX came to mind when I tried to illustrate a moral compass, definitely not right enough to tattoo on my body, must convince Nanami to help!
I’ve had a lot of Deep & Meaningful conversations with people recently. Many of them have expressed that I have a “Strong Moral Compass”. I had to look it up:
Strong Moral Compass – used in reference to a person’s ability to judge what is right and wrong and act accordingly.
I like this for me. I like it a lot. It helps me face the harsh reality that in order for me to truly be me, I might never able to win back some family and friends, ever.
I’m finding myself once again and very quickly going back to my old ways; IE: I am the only me in this world, thus I have only me in this world to rely on.
I’m seeing a separated woman of strong faith (it’s complicated). Her husband (also of strong faith) broke one of the Ten Commandments. They have a gorgeous 4 year old son and have decided to go through divorce.
Does what we do here on Earth even matter? It’s hard for me to believe it does when, every now and then, you get blaringly loud signs from God that you’re not at all in control of your own life.
A few months ago I met 2 Elders. I’m thankful to both of them for taking the time out to invite a total stranger into their home. They listened to what I had to say; everything from earbashing Mormons on weekends as a kid to vultures trying to convert Dad to Catholicism on his dying bed.
Through visual storytelling they helped me to see Religion in different ways, they helped me to understand that God is not to there to be blamed for what others do wrong, it’s more about your personal relationship with God, and his offer to walk beside him is there for me if I wanted it.
They tried to convert me on the spot, but I ninja turtled into my shell. They’re not going to get me that easily! They then asked if I was at least willing to try to talk to God before I left. To make a prayer. I did this without much hesitation, and realised that speaking to God feels just like speaking to Dad.
When I speak to Dad I ask him to please look after my mother and sister (sometimes out loud at his gravestone, sometimes in mind), I feel that I speak to my father like one would speak to God.
I was then asked if it would be OK if they said a prayer for me. Of-course! I was SO down! They asked for God to show me a sign within the next 7 days, a sign so strong that I wouldn’t have any doubt about God’s existence.
I got that sign too, LOUD & CLEAR.
My mother let me know that an esoteric family friend looked into my future and told her that if I don’t settle down with this married woman, I won’t get another chance again to have kids and a normal family life. I’m like Mum, please.
Later that afternoon said married woman and I were slothing on the couch going through design posts on my personal blog, we scrolled all the way back to 2013 (yes we were bored) and we came across an interview I did with raised by wolves.
It’s a good interview! I really enjoyed re-reading it as I felt it encompassed quite a few of the things I had going on, that I’d like to get going on again!
The next morning the doorbell rang and I took delivery of this amazing parcel.
It’s the sign I was looking for! A smack in the face! A printed edition of raised by wolves with the interview that I did in 2013, the interview that I just happened to read last night, printed and laid out so beautifully in front of my eyes in the morning.
OK. So God exists. Does that change anything? Well… not really?!
I have more questions, and so long as I have questions I’ll forever ask them… because to question is to live, right?!
I’m a good person, but I could be a better person. I could learn to better respect others’ beliefs, to better listen and learn from them before so quickly deciding whether to give influence or take influence.
I believe God exists, but to be a good person has nothing to do with Religion.