September 28, 2007

Little Fury.

Esther Mun and Tina Chang are Little Fury. I love the name of this shop and all that it implies about both the design and these two women. I literally tracked them down after seeing the new Rembrandt packaging on shelves. That packaging almost turned me into a Rembrandt-user and that’s the kind of design that makes me sweat. After checking out their site I realized the Rembrandt Moment was, in fact, not a one-time deal. All of their work is brilliant. My other favorites are their work for Morimoto and Sterling.

Posted In graphic design, packaging
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September 26, 2007

MSLK.

MSLK is a Long Island-based design shop that strives to move beyond pretty-picture layouts and achieve accomplishments through strategy. In other words, their design has a goal of functionality as well as visual appeal.

I love these bookmarks, which are a great example of all that MSLK seems to stand for in the Design World.

Posted In graphic design
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September 20, 2007

The London Design Festival.

This would make for an incredible Thursday. Or any other day for that matter.

The London Design Festival is in its fifth year and fast becoming a solid fixture on the creative calendar. The Festival boasts over 200 projects and audiences of 300,000. It’s serves as an umbrella by working in partnership with a network of organizations and individuals – from museums and retailers, to educational institutes, creative businesses, trade shows, magazines, designers and cities. The Festival aims to mirror the unique eclecticism that the city of London eminates.

Pentagram is responsible for the identity of the Festival and did an incredible job with the branding and design.

Posted In graphic design, travel
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August 31, 2007

You Are Here.

Love, love, love this poster from Johnson Banks. It’s so clever and entirely too truthful.

“This project dates back to the mid-nineties, and was originally meant to be a tongue-in-cheek, semi-autobiographical but mainly fictional guide to graphic design for students. It soon spiralled out of control and became a bittersweet journey through the many different lives of a graphic designer.”

This is the third printing of the poster and each time a few new blurbs pop up on it. You can get one at the Johnson Banks shop for £20 plus shipping.


Posted In graphic design, paper goods, posters
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August 29, 2007

Happy 5th Veer.

It’s been five years since Veer stepped into the peripherals of creatives everywhere. Not just a stock photo house, but a provider of good photography, illustrations, motion clips and typefaces. Someplace different that allows “us” to break out of the grid and make things work, filter out the mundane, and do the best work possible. Pretty cool. I know that Veer is my source of choice and lots of other designers feel the same way.

I almost forgot to mention Veer’s incredible merchandise. Part self-promotion, part signature design. Here are just a few of my favorites.

Kern Zip Up $69

Extra Black Hoodie $59

Type City Prints $55/10

Posted In graphic design, online, wear it
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August 10, 2007

The Designers’ Prayer.

I saw this and need it after the week I’ve had. I’m sooo glad it’s Friday. However, even though this week has been my Best Week Ever, it’s still about equal to a good week at my last job. So all in all, not that horrible I’m thinkin’.

(The Designers’ Prayer is the genius work of Selina Hull.)

Posted In graphic design
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July 27, 2007

Seventy-nine.

I’d love to get my hands of a copy of this book – Seventy-nine Short Essays in Design by Michael Bierut. Apparently each of the essays is printed in a different typeface. You can pick it up here at Amazon.

Posted In graphic design, read up
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July 25, 2007

The Little Know-It-All.


It’s a book, not a person. Not me (unforturnately, or fortunately depending on how you look at it and who you are). more specifically, it’s a book for designers. It might as well be the new Design Bible actually.

The Little Know-It-All: Common Sense for Designers by Silja Bilz is divided into sections explaining unique vocabulary used in design, printing, typography and photography and includes helpful tips and concise analysis in areas such as advertising, mulimedia, business, copyright and project management. It is structured thematically and equipped with a resourceful index that references numerous sources and links. It’s complete with graphics that illustrate and supplement the texts, making it a reference book for students and newcomers while serving as a trusty companion for professional designers and media professionals alike in their everyday work.

Posted In graphic design, read up
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July 19, 2007

Happy Birthday Helvetica.


Not everyone’s a graphic designer, so not everyone knows that the popular typeface Helvetica is celebrating its 50th birthday this month. Veer has created an awesome sketchbook ($22) just in time. Choose sides in the design world’s love/hate relationship with Helvetica, or have it both ways. This two-sided notebook features a loving quote in Helvetica Std on one cover, then flips to reveal a darker intent. Favor one side or work from both, toward the middle. A center divider keeps the peace.

Posted In graphic design
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July 18, 2007

Improve Your Creative Life. Today. No, Really.

I’ve been reading a couple of incredible blogs lately – one of which is American Copywriter (and yes, it even pertains to us graphic designer/art director-types).

This post is from a few months back, but really stuck out to me. Especially this part: Don’t blame the creatives for not caring after round of revisions 13. Are you kidding? If your spouse asked you – no demanded – that you rearrange the living room furniture 13 times over the course of two days, stopping whatever else you were doing each and every time to do so because it “had to be done right now!” you would quickly stop giving a shit about where the couch and overstuffed chair were. In fact, you’d probably throw him/her and your cadre of Pottery Barn tchotchkes out the freaking window. So don’t blame the creatives when this happens. Man, it’s human nature to stop caring.

Posted In graphic design
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