matthew waldman X graniph

for years nooka staff and friends of mine always looked forward to the souvenirs i brought back from trips to japan. and the most beloved/coveted of these is always the fresh crop of graniph t-shirts! i literally keep half a suitcase empty to make room for the 20 or so t shirts of theirs i would buy each trip. this being no secret, my dear friend tomoyo in tokyo made an introduction to the design team of graniph and the project below was born! so, special thanks to tomoyo, yamada and graniph for making this happen – i'm really very thrilled. i of course, will blog again when it gets closer to the release date and i have more samples to photograph. verbage from the press release is below.

nooka and graniph are thrilled to release a new collaborative t-shirt, designed by matthew waldman this may, available in japan only. the limited edition t-shirt features a star made of the nooka’s popular Creatures of the Night CAMO print. This exclusive design is printed on a heather grey shirt, with sizes ranging from extra small to large for men and women. Anyone who purchases this collab t-shirt can enter to win one of the 2 creatures of the Night watches. this campaign will hit graniph shop sometime in may 2010.

Graniph is a clothing design company based out of Shimokitazawa, Japan, that specializes in producing designer graphic T shirts. Using a unique design strategy, Graniph releases as many as 100 new designs every month featuring different artists and designers around the world.

this t-shirt will be available in countries with graniph shops and online for other regions from their site. you can also get the nooka camo watch here, and the music skins here, not to mention the fabulous nooka strip [belt] and yellow zub watch muscle boy michael is wearing in the photo.

nooka press: time out magazine

text by michael a. traverzo

in this weeks time out new york, the nooka strip was featured in a very fitting part of the magazine, the parsons vs fit spread. i say "fitting" since the green strip was pictured on a parson's student, coincidentally, the school where matthew waldman has taught. you can bet this was very exciting for matthew to see!

be sure to purchase your green nooka strip here!

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design process: subtle changes

i am always told how well nooka as company does with branding – normally, companies retro-fit corporate identity systems piecemeal and only consolidate and rationalize when they are big enough to hire a large branding agency. in actuality, i started nooka with the brand fairly well articulated before i had actual product and the brand is as much a product to me as the actual objects we design and sell.

well...here is our first major [minor?] change since i debuted the logo 10 or so years ago – BOLDER logotype. it will be a subtle to unnoticeable change to the layman, but i'm sure the design crowd will appreciate the change.

it also contains the "mindstyle™" tag line.

here at nooka, we love evolution via iterative process as much as inspired design explosions!

hennessy black x nooka

text by michael a. traverzowith a new blend of jasmine and orange flowers mixed with citrus, honey and grapes, hennessy has taken the brand beyond cognac to the premium mixed spirits, with the introduction of hennessy black. sleek, sexy, clublike, hennessy black blends more than just drinks. music, culture and now, the release of the exclusive nooka collaboration. only 700 pieces have been produced, infusing the the zub zenh 20 with graphics inspired by hennessy's insignia.

you won't be able to get your hands on this one of a kind "mix" unless you're a hennessy vip!

straight or mixed – hennessy black is the highly versatile, decidedly different new cognac from the world's leading cognac house – distinctively smooth with a fresher, lighter flavor.

forgot to mention, since becoming involved with this project, nooka founder, matthew waldman, has concocted the nooka sidecar – now the official party drink of the nooka lab: equal parts hennessy black, cointreau, fresh squeezed lemon and lime juice [half lemon half lime], and a splash of simple syrup [or sugar] to sweeten: shaken vigorously with crushed ice, strained and served in a small sugar rimmed water glass or tumbler – YUMMY!

thanks to kdu, the keystone design union, for getting us involved. learn more about the kdu here!

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new retailer in singapore: red dot museum shop

text by michael a. traverzo

nooka is proud to inform you that we have a new retailer - the museum shop located at red dot museum, singapore. if you're there, be sure to stop by!

the address is as follows:
28 Maxwell Road
Singapore 069120
6534 7194

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nooka press: t magazine

it is always a privilege to see nooka products featured in various magazines, but i am finally starting to feel like a true design star by being featured in T magazine (the new york times style magazine) 2 months in a row. it is especially exciting to be referenced in david coleman's article good timing of the spring 2010 edition [as well as seeing a yellow zub on a model in a fashion pictorial of the same issue]. what makes it even more amazing is the fact that mr. coleman could hear any of what i was saying the day he did the phone interview – i was home with laryngitis!

purchase the zenh hyper space pictured above here and purchase the zub zoo electric yellow here!

studio visit: shin tanaka and naoko shimojo

shin tanaka and naoko shimojo visited the nooka lab last wednesday! i'll hang out with them again in tokyo in april. i'm glad shin is doing more high profile art events. i introduced him to the KDU this visit of which i am a member. learn more about shin here. get your super limited edition shin tanaka mini nookanooka here.