DESIGN, BUSINESS & INNOVATION

Photos Thomas Alleman via Fast Company.

"In his series, The American Apparel, Alleman documents the clothing line’s ads as he finds them in East Los Angeles, one of the city's poorer areas. And just like that, the ads start to look downright preposterous. “My mission is neither to validate nor vilify,” Thomas Alleman says of the series. He doesn’t have to. There’s a not-so-subtle absurdity to a model in a wet T-shirt posing above two weary older women, waiting for a city bus, or a girl doing the splits while locals walk by with grocery bags." Read full article in Fast Company. E.T.P. 4' And have a look at more work by Alleman here.

Photo: Simon Signs by Alex Poon, signs "Candy"via Fast Company.

The near future wearable technology can teach you sign language, prevent pilots from falling asleep, keep your dog close to you with a digital leash, or deliver kitten photos when you most need it (yes, that's right, the world knows that you need kitten photos to soothe your anxiety). Read more in this article by Fast Company about their findings in the Consumer Technology Show held in Las Vegas early this year. E.T.P 6'

Illustration by Rob Donnelly via Slate.

Writer and illustrator Jessica Olien writes an insightful article about that one thing that allegedly everyone likes, but not really: creativity. "In the United States we are raised to appreciate the accomplishments of inventors and thinkers—creative people whose ideas have transformed our world. We celebrate the famously imaginative, the greatest artists and innovators from Van Gogh to Steve Jobs. Viewing the world creatively is supposed to be an asset, even a virtue. Online job boards burst with ads recruiting “idea people” and “out of the box” thinkers. We are taught that our own creativity will be celebrated as well, and that if we have good ideas, we will succeed. It’s all a lie." Read full article in Slate. E.T.P. 8'