BKWLD

I banged out some new graphics yesterday for my team while I'm at BKWLD working on the Sacramento Kings project. All the graphics were made from scratch with no photo manipulations.

-Arif the Scientist

Brooklyn Circus SF 2 Year Anniversary Block Party

I've been working in Sacramento with the legendary design agency BKWLD & I'll be here for another 5 weeks. All I can say is Sacramento Kings... the rest is secret for now. This weekend however happens to be The Brooklyn Circus San Francisco's 2 year anniversary. So I drove down there to enjoy the party. For a distance reference, it's about an hour away from Sacramento. When I say shut the block down... they literally shut down all of Fillmore Street (9 blocks) & it was packed! Please excuse the quality of the pics. They were shot from a phone.

-Arif the Scientist

Get S#!+ Done Month

Arif. A quick brand ID I made in After Effects for an featured interview.

Early Am Id from Arif Merritt on Vimeo.

UNKO vs Shogun Video Game

So if you haven't heard by now there is an offical Unkommon Kolor vs Shogun Video Game!!! After making a few tees as an ode to our childhood games, and with the epic collab between us & Shogun... what better way to start off the summer than with our own video game. Who's touching that? No one. The game was created and animated by one of our designers & web developer Arif Merritt (development time 2 days start to finish). Unkommon Kolor, you're favorite artist's favorite... everything. Click here or on the images to play the game! Make sure you're at the event tomorrow!


Title Screen


A behind the scenes shot (coding). More to come...


Game Play


Game Play

Friends In All Places...

Arif the Scientist here just to letting you know that the Friends In All Places segment isn't over. After seeing the initial two posts, those I've talked to about being featured have expressed a vested interest in this project, and some want to do full interviews & 2 are sending in videos specifically for this feature. So hold tight, you will definitely love what's to come.

Until then, keep supporting us @ UNKO & stop by the store http://shop.theunko.com

Friends In All Places...

Arif the Scientist on this beautiful GSDM bringing you the second installment of Friends In All Places... Today through Friday I'll be sharing with you friends of mine who, some secretly some publicly, are behind all the cool things you see in fashion, music and entertainment. Today I'm bringing you a close friend, EMMANUELLE TRICOIRE, who've I've known since MSN was the only instant messenger, :) was the only smiley & everyone had hotmail accounts. She taught me the little French I know & the concept of bringing out personality in every piece I create. She's worked in major Parisian studios & is regularly called on by well known hip-hop magazines like The Source & Complex. And I love that she still film cameras & develops in a dark room. Shouts to all the artist still practicing the original techniques!
Check out her site & blog for more: http://www.emmanuelletricoire.com

Friends In All Places...

Arif the Scientist here again bringing you a special treat today. Now everyone is familiar with the Good Wood NY Jesus Piece’s that have been floating around but take heed. Good friends over at The Goodie Bag in Ontario (Canada) hit me up with a dope collaboration to feature between PRPLMNT and Saint48 that produced these wood bezel watches. They are available in base colors of red & black. W-Shock watches retail at $260 via Wood Shock. And you better believe my version is coming soon lol. A feature video about the whole wood movement and a great street artist by the name of Beau below the images. And shouts to Kellen Dengler (shoots video for hypebeast tv) Everyday next week I'll be posting exclusive features from my friends around the world.

Remember... being an artist is not a competition but a contribution...
& still waters run deep...

Prohibit NYC Presents: "Aesthetic Resistance Movement" from Kellen Dengler.

HTML 5 vs Flash & The New UNKO

Arif the Scientist here... to those who know me well, you'll understand where I'm coming from, but for those you who don't maybe this will give you some insight. My post today will not unveil any detail about my personal life directly, but will definitely make you consider how you look at yours. (The image above is what happens when you go to adobe.com on the new iPad.)

As many companies & brands Unkommon Kolor is revamping, redesigning and restitching the way we do everything. And although the year has only begun, there have been some major announcements in the world. A peak into my world... at the end of the year the design world grunted and complained at how the internet has become stale and lacking creativity. Social networking seems to be is a cop out for most. An automated everything is the way to go. "Can I updated my blog, twitter & facebook at the same time?! Well I want gain more friends on facebook, but I don't wanna spend time on facebook." -insert any clueless business who just wants to follow a fad.

Before I get too in depth with how ridiculous the internet has become, let me make the main point. Apple's announcement & unveiling of the iPad has caused all kinds of controversy in the design/ developer world. There are rumors that HTML5 will do away with Flash. What do this have to do with you? This is the equivalent of saying every person you know with photoshop is now a designer & every person with a Canon is a photographer. Beginners get new tools and think they can compete with pros. Why am I ranting? This has everything to do with you! Are you listening?! Children of the YouTube, facebook & general instant gratification age... if you haven't noticed, YouTube & Vimeo have already started switching over. You might not have a clue what either is, but you're being called to decide. Will you settle for what's being put out? Or will you challenge and scream no, give me more?! Apple just made a larger version of the iPhone. Without flash F*@# that piece of crap. You can't see half the websites on the internet. It's an oversized $500 iphone. Why should we pay more for mediocrity? Give us the full experience. Engage us and impress us!...

As I leave the edge of my seat & slouch back... thinking about how some will continue as they have. To them I say, keep living. One day you'll see. To those who understand, thank you for always growing and pushing the envelope. Here @UnkommonKolor (yeah I used twitter lingo), we are doing something new... moving on and taking our place in history as The Greats! Blue, Jeremy (Biggers & Campbell), Flaca, Senior Blanco, Samantha and myself Arif... we're growing & only hope you're coming with us!

Shouts to the Geniuses of Style: Texas Edition, Street Etiquette, Lookbook.uk, Early Am & definitely looking forward to the Madbury Club.


I'll leave you with that for now. Research the rest...

PHILLIP ANNAND from TONE on Vimeo.