Living Lichtenstein

What a great Halloween costume -- a woman transforms into a living version of a pop art comic strip character. Roy Lichtenstein come to life, CMYK and all.

Blik Wall Graphic Halloween Sale

Blik, one of the original makers of cheeky, non-committal wall graphics, is having a Halloween sale. Save 31% this week on all online orders by entering code SPOOKY at checkout. Discount does not apply to custom orders. Blik has come a long way since their first tiny collection and now has an expansive line of imaginative wall decals -- what can I say, I'm a sucker for the Super Mario Bros. [Thanks *g!]

Keep Calm: Grow Your Greens

This "Grow Your Greens" poster is part of a new collection by Keep Calm Gallery called Garden Organic -- three limited edition hand-screened prints are being sold to benefit the UK's leading organic growing charity. Whether you are in a position to actually grow your own greens or no, a typographic nudge towards eating more vegetables is always appreciated.

El Vetica

Mike Monteiro's new El Vetica shirt for Mule Designs (where he is the Design Director) celebrates both typography and luchadors... and why not? What began as a type joke on Flickr (see here) progressed to version 2 after some comments from the community. Monteiro ultimately went with the opinion of Daring Fireball's Dave Gruber to create the final version (though not all agree with these changes). Always nice to watch evolution happen.

GDBar is Back!

Yes, I've returned from my year of technological burnout. For months, I was completely uninspired and creatively blocked. The causes and cures were many, but -- long story short -- I'm getting back on the horse. Things have shifted behind the scenes here at GDBar. First, I'm no longer in New York City and part of that uber-competitive design scene. Having spent the last five years working in virtual offices with the internet as my main playground, physical location starts to matter less. I'm now based in the US Midwest and enjoying that... for now. Second, from here on out I'll be posting when I find things that I enjoy, rather than commit to a daily post. If you're still reading this blog, I thank you. Also many thanks to those of you who have emailed and continued to browse the GDBar archives -- you guys are a part of what has brought me back. Here's to you, readers! Now, on with the posts!

Kenji Hirata

I'm enjoying the flow and colors within the work of Brooklyn artist Kenji Hirata. Hirata says that his art is "strongly inspired by nature, billboards and hand painted signage of Southeast Asia, and futurism" and that he's developed his own language of icons and symbols that mix to form different meanings. The different galleries on his website are well worth exploring -- for example, the vibrant dragon in gallery 10 is quite different than musical abstracts of gallery 5. Enjoy!

Graphic Designer vs. Client

A short YouTube gem called Graphic Designer vs. Client sums up the professional experience for many, sadly enough. Says the client needing a brochure for practically pennies and in the next seventeen minutes: "Are you going to do it Microsoft Word? I have a friend who says that it is all you need for really nice looking professional publications. In fact, he could give you some tips on layout, as he's done a course on interior design." NSFW, because the designer gives a series of honest and appropriately profane responses.

Oh, and there is also a sequel!

The Thames and the Tube

Last month the River Thames was one of the details erased from the map of the London Underground in an attempt to make the 75-year-old info graphic less cluttered. After public outrage, the Thames will be restored to the map when the next version is printed in December. Thames-less tube maps may become collectible design oddities! In the meantime, Ian Baldwin muses on the history of the map and the significance of the change (and correction) over at Design Observer. [via Patrick Bell on Twitter]

Writing Machines on Flickr

The Writing Machines group on Flickr showcases photos of old typewriters and computers... some that capture these relics in unexpectedly beautiful ways. There are plenty of shots of typewriter key typography that too, Shown above: Typewriter front view by Pedro Fonseca photography