Design Forum

GDBar is Officially Closed

2010-08-10T18:41:00.002-04:00

Thanks to everyone for your comments and readership over the years. The archives will remain available. It has been a wonderful adventure.

This blog has moved

2010-05-01T01:23:00.001-04:00

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Living Lichtenstein

2009-10-30T15:19:00.003-04:00

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

2009-10-28T12:14:00.003-04:00

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

2009-10-28T12:07:00.002-04:00

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

2009-10-27T14:24:00.004-04:00

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!

2009-10-27T14:02:00.003-04:00

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

2009-10-15T15:38:00.002-04:00

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

2009-10-14T09:24:00.002-04:00

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

2009-10-13T15:24:00.004-04:00

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

2009-10-12T10:46:00.002-04:00

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

GDBar Will Be Back Soon!

2009-04-09T07:35:00.003-04:00

GDBar's extended hiatus will be ending soon as things revive behind the scenes. Thanks so much for continuing to comment and for sending emails during these months of silence. You, readers, have inspired me to fight burnout and take up the reigns again, and I really appreciate that. More coming soon!

Cool Hunter: Creative Office Space

2008-09-03T20:49:00.002-04:00

Take a look at some of the world's most creative office environments—and, while you're at it, enter your own for consideration in the Cool Hunter's book on the subject!

Sans Serif Type Tee at Target

2008-09-02T23:31:00.001-04:00

Randomly spotted at Target.com: a t-shirt showcasing sans serif typefaces. From the oh-so-cheesy product description: Dreaming of page layouts? This tee from Turn Nocturnal is the answer to your graphic-design dreams. The T-shirt line features the best of the sans-serif bunch, including Helvetica, Myriad, and Futura. Write on!

New Prints at Keep Calm

2008-09-02T22:59:00.000-04:00

Some exciting developments over at Keep Calm, including the inclusion of cinema-inspired prints by London-based Richard Roberts and the launch of an accessories store for printed mugs and tea towels. The Keep Calm team has done a wonderful job expanding from their original "Keep Calm and Carry On" reproductions, growing in unexpected directions and working with different artists. As always, I look forward to what they do next!

Summer Vacation

2008-07-28T17:07:00.003-04:00

GDBar is on summer vacation! Back after Labor Day—I hope everyone is having a contented and colorful summer!

Rosemary Laing

2008-07-25T01:21:00.002-04:00

Fun for Friday: Check out the work of Australian photographer Rosemary Laing. From staged shots with flying brides to powerful landscapes (that are sometimes on fire!), her photos are full of tension and motion and clearly influenced by her training as a painter. Laing is also currently one of the artists showcased in the 2008 Biennale of Sydney. [via Artkrush]

Obauhaus: Obama in Berlin

2008-07-24T14:16:00.004-04:00

Meaningful Distraction showcases (and refutes any controversy surrounding) Barack Obama's campaign poster for his Berlin address, which pays cool tribute to the Bauhaus and is yet another nicely designed move by his creative team. The poster is available to download on the Obama site. [via The Daily Heller]

Photographs from Beijing

2008-07-24T13:48:00.006-04:00

There are some wonderful photographs emerging from the current spotlight on Beijing and the upcoming Olympics. I noticed one (above right) in July's Vanity Fair, and the other (above left) popped up in my weekly Activate email. More than just another look at Beijing's architecture, these photos are studies in scale, capturing everyday people prepping for chaos against fascinating landscapes of texture.

ILT: Getting started with Letterpress

2008-07-24T13:44:00.002-04:00

Benjamin Brundell has a nice post over at ILT called Letterpress From Scratch: "This article looks briefly at this resurgence of interest in letterpress, why you might like it and some help to begin enjoying this fascinating pastime."

Banksy

2008-07-23T12:38:00.002-04:00

Controversy seems to follow infamous British street artist Banksy wherever he goes—and whoever he is. Rumors that the artist, who is known for his anti-establishment satirical style, was once a "nice middle-class schoolboy" are causing a surprising and somewhat ridiculous stir, and the mainstream media are gleefully crying "Banksy Revealed!" and conjuring up an art world Deep Throat. If you've never heard of Banksy, you can read up on Wikipedia or see some of his work on the official Banksy site—current hype and fuss aside, he's been doing some cool stuff for years.

Sushi vs. Gehry

2008-07-23T12:23:00.004-04:00

"Japanese architect Kengo Kuma has criticised the architecture of Frank Gehry and other contemporary architects, and claimed they could learn a lot from how sushi is made." Kuma makes an interesting parallel between design and sushi, saying that success in both areas involves choosing the best seasonal materials and keeping things simple so that the journey isn't compromised by becoming too long or overly complex. Meanwhile, Gehry is being praised for his Serpentine Gallery Pavillion, the ninth in the gallery’s series of temporary architectural installations.

Keep Calm: The Scarlet Letter

2008-07-22T11:09:00.004-04:00

Another great (and highly limited-edition) print from the Keep Calm crew: Douglas Wilson's hand letterpressed Scarlet Letter. Get one while you can!

Speak Up: Highlights from TypeCon 08

2008-07-22T11:04:00.002-04:00

Over at Speak Up, Armin gives a nice rundown of some of the type-related oddities and panel topics that were the focus of last weekend's TypeCon 08 in Buffalo. A nice taste of links and video from what looked to be a fascinating event!

JSM: Shake it Like a Metaphorical Picture

2008-07-21T23:56:00.000-04:00

Spurred by the looming demise of Polaroid film, Jason Santa Maria muses on the visual metaphor of a photograph.

Critter Quest: Our SF Zoo Project

2008-07-18T18:01:00.002-04:00

Endless Fun for Friday: Critter Quest is a simple but highly engaging multimedia campaign being run by the San Francisco Zoo, in which people stand in front of zoo ads (running on local bus shelters) and photograph themselves against backgrounds of animal ears, tails, and wings. They then upload their photos to the project website, where their snaps could win a spot in upcoming SF Zoo print materials. The gallery is great—everyone is grinning!—and the project serves as a wonderful example of how designers can engage the public with fun yet simple ideas. [via Cool Hunter]

Pes: Western Spaghetti

2008-07-18T17:55:00.003-04:00

Even More Fun for Friday: Stop-motion animator Pes has a new short film out called Western Spaghetti, in which a plate of spaghetti is created using everyday objects like bubble wrap (boiling water), pick-up sticks (pasta) and glitter (parmesan). Game Over, the Pes-created video game short, was previously featured here. [thanks *g!]

Creative Park Paper Craft

2008-07-18T17:43:00.002-04:00

More Fun for Friday: Creative Park offers an almost endless array of paper craft projects with downloadable templates. Shown above: various plants, animals and paper airplanes from their list of origami templates—just download, print and fold! [via HOW]

Jellio Furniture

2008-07-18T17:37:00.003-04:00

Fun for Friday: Modern design awaits at the end of a lovably ridiculous stroll down memory lane: Jellio creates fun furniture that resembles (and, in some cases, has the functionality of) 80s toys. My favorites: the Lite Brite table (which you can actually use to create your own design) and the Rubik's Cube table. There is old school candy, too—button benches and gummi lights! [via JS]

Yellow Sticky Notes Animated Film

2008-07-17T23:30:00.001-04:00

Animator Jeff Chiba Stearns created his Yellow Sticky Notes animated film after realizing that his Post-It To Do lists were consuming him. His personal career journey and major world events flow from one note to the next during this experimental personal project, created with a black ink pen and over 2300 yellow sticky notes.

Smashing Mag: Hiring Authors

2008-07-17T23:19:00.001-04:00

Have something to say about web design? Smashing Magazine is hiring writers/bloggers/people who make top 10 lists. Bonus: enter their Guest Author contest and you might win a Macbook Air.

Helvetica Film Now Available on iTunes

2008-07-16T23:58:00.000-04:00

Gary Hustwit's Helvetica documentary is now available to purchase from the iTunes store (note: the link will open iTunes). The digital download is only $9.99 and is currently the #1 documentary on iTunes! You can watch the trailer on iTunes as well (warning: doing so will likely inspire you to immediately click BUY NOW).

Invisibleman

2008-07-16T23:52:00.003-04:00

The guys behind Invisibleman describe the site as "a collaborative of like-minded artists who chronicle their creative works for the purpose of mutual inspiration and public exhibition." There really is a little bit of everything, including a simple, wonderful header animation! Worth a look, especially if you're in need of a casual creative boost.

Totoro Forest Project

2008-07-15T14:20:00.004-04:00

Animators, comic book artist and illustrators from around the world are donating work in support of the Totoro Forest Project, an international charity effort to preserve the Sayama Forest sanctuary outside Tokyo (nicknamed "Totoro Forest" because it was location that inspired Hayao Miyazaki's beloved film My Neighbor Totoro). Miyazaki has been actively involved in preserving the land for over a decade, and established the Totoro Forest Foundation as an ongoing effort to save the forest from urban sprawl. How exciting that so many artists have donated work to support a forest that most have never seen! The gallery is extensive and full of wonderful things. Environmental gestures aside, it's quite a testament to how deeply Miyazaki is appreciated. Pixar will auction off the art in September. [via Drawn!]

Flavorpill Absinthe

2008-07-15T14:09:00.002-04:00

I was bombarded by Flavorpill's Absinthe campaign in an email this morning, to the point where I clicked through and checked out the link (something I'm rarely inspired to do with banner advertising). I don't know whether it's the slightly dark humor, the orange, the clean type (it's refreshing that they abandoned all Moulin Rouge-style visual references) or what, but now I really want to try some absinthe...

Paul Antonson

2008-07-15T13:47:00.004-04:00

The Village Voice's annual indie music festival SirenFest is this weekend at Coney Island, and this year features another energetic illustration by Paul Antonson. Antonson has done the Siren graphic for the last several years, and his site is full of other great stuff—don't miss his patterns! More info on SirenFest available here.

Threadless $25 Print Sale

2008-07-14T15:20:00.002-04:00

Over at Threadless, their full selection of graphic prints are on sale for $25 through July 20th. Get them while you can!

Swiss Typography: Print to Web

2008-07-14T14:58:00.003-04:00

Web designer Samantha Warren looks at how the International Typographic Style (or Swiss Style) is being translated into online design, theorizing that the move towards simpler web presentation as the reign of MySpace-style chaos fades is similar to the way clean, Swiss-style visuals were embraced after WWII. Interesting idea.
[via Speak Up]

Fleet Foxes: White Winter Hymnal

2008-07-11T23:59:00.000-04:00

More Fun for Friday: Watch a stop-motion animation natural world spring to life then fade away in the Fleet Foxes White Winter Hymnal video, directed by Sean Pecknold. [via Motionographer]

Markku Lahdesmaki

2008-07-11T23:55:00.001-04:00

Fun for Friday: lose yourself in the wonderful photography of Markku Lahdesmaki. Shown above: one of his intriguing shots from the Chinese space program museum. Don't miss the animals of Portfolio 2! [via Coudal Partners]

Taschen: History of Advertising

2008-07-10T23:50:00.000-04:00

New from Taschen: The History of Advertising. The book is divided into sections by decades and showcases major campaigns throughout history since the first ad agency was created in 1842.

Handwritten Typographers

2008-07-10T23:37:00.000-04:00

Handwritten Typographers satisfies any curiosity you might have had about the personal scrawl of people who eat, sleep and breathe type, such as Erik Spiekermann and Marian Bantjes. [Thanks, Chad!]

Veer: Kernie

2008-07-09T12:44:00.003-04:00

The Veer summer sidekick is a robot named Kernie. Print out your own robot and document his adventures: "Pose him next to badly kerned signs, project him building-high, or sink him waist deep in mustard at the family BBQ. You could even take him on your next scuba/skydive/Euro vacation." The most creative Kernie photo wins $200 to spend on Veer merchandise. Contest ends September 15th.

Edward Bawden

2008-07-09T12:16:00.002-04:00

BibliOdyssey showcases the diverse work of British illustrator Edward Bawden (1903-1989). "In a sixty year career, Bawden produced numerous book and poster illustrations, ceramic, wallpaper, patterned paper and metal garden furniture designs, woodblock, linocut and lithographic prints as well as a sizeable body of watercolour and gouache paintings. He travelled extensively and taught printing and design at a range of institutions." His varied landscapes and "subtly humorous" sketches of people are especially interesting—worth a look!

Buckminster Fuller at the Whitney

2008-07-08T13:58:00.002-04:00

The Whitney's highly anticipated Buckminster Fuller Exhibition is open now and runs through September 21st. "The results of more than five decades of Fuller's integrated approach toward the design and technology of housing, transportation, cartography, and communication are displayed here, much of it for the first time."

Movie Posters on Flickr

2008-07-08T11:32:00.002-04:00

Michael Heilemann has a nice collection of movie posters on Flickr that includes some wonderful alternate/additional versions of posters that have become iconic. Viewing the set as a slideshow sends you leaping between decades (ex. Logan's Run to The Birds to Burn After Reading) and provides the opportunity to examine a selective history of movie poster design. [via Jason Santa Maria]

The Daily Heller Email

2008-07-07T23:53:00.001-04:00

Steven Heller's Daily Heller email blast launches today (on Heller's birthday, no less). Heller has been blogging for over a year, but now he's teamed with PRINT magazine to deliver a daily weekday design-related email. "Steve Heller is the one human being through which all information about graphic design, past, present, and future, is required to flow. Checking in with him once a day is the least that the rest of us lesser mortals can do."—Michael Bierut

Art of the Title

2008-07-04T14:36:00.002-04:00

Fun for Friday: Kick off your holiday weekend with a few movie title sequences from Art of the Title. Like the ever-growing and more Euro/Indie focused SubmarineChannel Film Titles project (previously featured here), Art of the Title is a growing treasure trove of big screen type and graphic treatments. Shown above: stills from the title sequences of Iron Man (Kyle Cooper), The Incredibles (Pixar), Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium (ReelFX) and We're Here To Help (Firehorse, who deserve big props for animating tax forms into a thing of beauty!). [Thanks, Kevin!]

CarType

2008-07-03T21:36:00.004-04:00

CarType defines itself as "A comprehensive collection of emblems, car company histories and logos, reviews of typographical and graphical applications, design features and just about anything that is car related." Even if you aren't a car nut, there are some interesting posts—for example, the icons shown above are the five new emblems from GM that will be used on vehicles to identify the energy power source. Some discussion has begun about whether individual companies should be developing these icons or if instead there should be a global standard set of images. [via Arun]

Coca-Cola: Beijing 2008

2008-07-02T11:53:00.002-04:00

There are some wonderful graphics and bits of flash happening in the Beijing 2008 section of the Coca-Cola website. The colorful koi, above, can be snapped up in the downloads section as a free desktop wallpaper. Also fun: the design-your-own-bottle contest. [via How About Orange]

EW's 25 Perfect Movie Posters

2008-07-01T23:43:00.000-04:00

Entertainment Weekly has some questionable picks for their 25 Perfect Movie Posters (since 1983), which is meant to showcase ideal examples of film art. There are many fine candidates in the pack, like the posters shown above, but "perfect" is a strong word... The Showgirls poster? Really? [via Speak Up]

Walmart Rebrands

2008-06-30T23:34:00.000-04:00

Brand New has mixed feelings about the new Walmart logo, and showcases their brand through the years (including a "frontier font" version during the 60s).

Rob Sheridan: Sketchblog

2008-06-28T13:18:00.002-04:00

Bonus post: Who doesn't love stumbling into Monster land on a Saturday afternoon? While doing some technical wrangling behind the scenes at Blogger, I happened onto Rob Sheridan's Sketchblog. Sheridan, an art director and designer based in Los Angeles, maintains his sketch site as a "creative playground" on the side. His over-the-top blog design immediately sets the tone, and he works in a variety of styles, from retro to twisted to comic to cute—his monsters and astronauts are my favorites. He's also got a great series of wallpapers for computer and phone screens—his iPhone drawings are shown below. Enjoy!

CandyKaraoke

2008-06-27T12:26:00.004-04:00

More Fun for Friday: For the CandyKaraoke show, over 70 of Ireland's leading artists and designers were asked to re-imagine their favorite album covers. Shown above: David Bowie's Aladdin Sane by Cliona O'Flaherty and Detail's interpretation of Abbey Road. What a cool idea! [via Drawn!]

Face Your Pockets!

2008-06-27T12:18:00.004-04:00

Fun for Friday: the Face your pockets! projects wants to know who you are and what you're carrying around—empty the pockets of your bag, jeans, jacket, etc. onto a scanner, get your face in there as well, and create a visual record of your personal inventory. Adding your face is a bit of a new twist on the standard art school "What's in your pockets?" exercise, and the site has some fun images. [Thanks, Yuthi!]

MagCloud

2008-06-27T11:16:00.002-04:00

MagCloud is a site that allows you to publish your own magazine. "All you have to do is upload a PDF and we’ll take care of the rest: printing, mailing, subscription management, and more." Could become an nice self-publishing resource, especially for independent artists—a catalog of a recent show or design event, for example. It will be interesting to see how things develop! [via Jason Santa Maria]

2008 Typophile Tee Battle

2008-06-26T15:07:00.004-04:00

If you're interested in designing the 2008 Typophile t-Shirt, you have until Monday to post your entry. The winner gets three t-shirts, a copy of FontShop's Fontbook, and credit for the design. A few of the current entries are shown above—there is still time to get in there!

Eames Stamps Have Arrived!

2008-06-26T03:46:00.002-04:00

The Eames Stamps promised by the US Postal Service (previously featured here) are now available and can be ordered online! Get them while you can!

ILT's Crossword 2

2008-06-26T03:40:00.000-04:00

Though the race to complete the puzzle and win a copy of Veer's Anziano typeface has already been won, you can still tackle ILT's second typography crossword. Stuck? The answers are available in last week's Sunday Type (always chock full of excellent things).

Muji Award International Design Competition 03

2008-06-25T22:00:00.001-04:00

The third Muji Award International Design Competition is on! The theme this year is "Found Muji"—find inspiration from "the wisdom accumulated by our predecessors all over the world" and apply it to modern product designs for Muji. For example, designers at Muji discovered that the traditional 90 degree socks hand-knitted by Czech grandmothers fit the foot much better than the shape of most machine-manufactured socks... so they now produce 90 degree machine-made socks. "In this way, a factor found in Czech tradition, culture, and wisdom was converted to a new MUJI product befitting our modern age." Entries will be accepted throughout July. [via Cool Hunting]

Carrie Marill

2008-06-24T23:29:00.000-04:00

I'm enjoying the bird paintings of Carrie Marill. I was lucky enough to snag her piece The Faceted Couroucou when it was featured on Jen Bekman's 20x200 last year, but wasn't quick enough to grab today's print of A Dream World Glimmers In The Background Of The Soul (has anyone else noticed that the sellout factor for 20x200 is now almost instant? Sigh...). Marill describes her paintings and drawings as a direct response to her immediate surroundings—she is currently based in Goodyear, Arizona.

Louise Fili

2008-06-23T23:12:00.000-04:00

If you are unaware of Louise Fili, take a moment to browse her weighty portfolio of restaurant identity work, package design, and books—you will probably see several things you recognize. Specializing in the design of restaurants and food packaging, Fili designed for Lubalin in the 70s, was recently inducted into the Art Directors Hall of Fame, and has co-authored several books with her husband, Steven Heller, including one of my favorites: Typology: Type Design from the Victorian Era to the Digital Age. [via 37signals]

Little Factory Typographic Scarves

2008-06-20T23:59:00.000-04:00

More Fun for Friday: See if you can get your hot little hands on one of Little Factory's Typographic Scarves before they're all sold out! Laser cut from strips of ultrasuede, the scarves are available in uppercase, lowercase and numbered versions. [via Craftzine by way of *g—thanks!]

Michael Hughes: Souvenirs

2008-06-20T23:55:00.000-04:00

Fun for Friday: the Souvenirs Flickr set of photographer Michael Hughes. His shots are mini exercises in composition and visual humor, and are as much about the things that we design and purchase to remind us of where we've been as they are about the various locations around the world. [Thanks, Yuthi!]

Jimdo

2008-06-19T23:36:00.000-04:00

Jimdo was recently recommended to me as a choice for portfolio sites. Much like Carbonmade (previously featured here), this seems like a relatively sleek, affordable and manageable option. Note: if anyone is using these free/inexpensive sites for their design portfolios, send me a link! I'd love to check things out...

US Political Election Graphics Collection

2008-06-19T23:22:00.000-04:00

Logoblink has a nice collection of US political logos through the years, including LBJ's cowboy hat graphic, Fred Thompson's purple Hollywood glamor shot, Jackson's rainbow, and lots of heavily dated typography (oh, the 70s!). Fascinating as a timeline of type and graphics trends, funnier as a stroll through politics past.

Scrnshots

2008-06-18T23:06:00.001-04:00

Scrnshots is exactly that: screenshots. Intended as a way to share screenshots of web and screen-based design, the site allows you to tag, save favorites and share images with others. Similar to what Patrick Haney is doing on Flickr with his Web Design Inspiration photo pool (previously featured here), but with a broader community focus. A potential source of inspiration. [Thanks, Alex!]

Corporate Logo Mashups

2008-06-17T23:46:00.000-04:00

Brazilian designer Mario Amaya's initial series of corporate logo mashups created such online buzz that he put out a second series. Some are bizarre, some are arresting, some are baffling—random but worth a look! [via Brand New]

The Word of Mouth Manual, Volume II

2008-06-16T23:40:00.000-04:00

BzzAgent's Dave Balter is walking the walk by promoting his book The Word of Mouth Manual, Volume II by—you guessed it—word of mouth on various blogs and sites. It's available as a free download over at 37signals (or, if you prefer, for $45 on Amazon). "If you want your customers to start talking about your products and services, this book is a must read."

Doug Cowan

2008-06-13T23:58:00.002-04:00

Fun for Friday: Check out the sketchy coolness of illustrator Doug Cowan. Based in New York, Cowan creates images that seem simple but often surprise—movie characters, lots of animals (including a landscape of flying pink elephants!), inky-haired lovelies, comic book-style split sequences and much more can be found in his portfolio.
[via Cool Hunting]

The Pattern Foundry

2008-06-12T23:20:00.002-04:00

The Pattern Foundry is a new online archive of digital patterns available for public license and use, featuring patterns created by an international range of designers and artists, including Wim Crouwel. Many of the patterns are unusual and very interesting—if things continue to evolve, this could become a wonderful resource.

Designer Wanted at 37signals

2008-06-11T23:17:00.000-04:00

Exciting opportunity alert: 37signals is looking to redefine their look and feel, and you could be the designer to do it. Check out the posting and start brainstorming!

Furni Art Clocks

2008-06-11T23:01:00.001-04:00

Montreal-based Furni sells a blank canvas clock that comes packaged with a set of permanent markers. If you're not inspired to design and create your own, they sell creations by other artists that were recently featured in an art exhibition—extra cool points: a third of the proceeds from each exhibition clock go back to the artist. [via Cool Hunting]

The Girl Effect

2008-06-10T23:19:00.002-04:00

Currently making waves around the internet: The Girl Effect. Working with $100 million donated by the Nike Foundation and the Novo Foundation, Grow Interactive and ad agency rockstars Wieden + Kennedy have created a campaign that spotlights and invests in adolescent females in developing nations, who have a unique power to foster socio-economic change around the globe. The site is simple but powerful, packing a typographic punch that's bolstered by the G arrow logo. Be sure to check things out!

ColorFlip

2008-06-09T16:24:00.001-04:00

Using a simple premise to cater to an audience of color lovers, Rafaël Rosendaal has created ColorFlip.com. You literally flip from one color to another, and that's it... but it's surprisingly fun, a little addicting, and a nice way to inject some color therapy into a hectic workday. Similar fun can be had on the Colours site from CPH Creatives, which quotes Marc Chagall: "All colors are the friends of their neighbors and the lovers of their opposites." [via JS]

Creative Freelancer Conference

2008-06-09T16:14:00.003-04:00

Registration is now open for the first Creative Freelancer Conference, a 3-day business conference for creative-industry professionals who are flying solo (or would like to), slated to take place August 27-29 in Chicago. Presented by HOW and Marketing Mentor, the conference is for graphic designers, copywriters, illustrators and photographers, as well as solo practitioners of interactive, interior and industrial design. Bonus: at less than $500, registration is surprisingly affordable!

Viva Calaca

2008-06-06T16:52:00.003-04:00

More Fun for Friday: Viva Calaca is an animated ode to Mexico's Day of the Dead from Bilbao-based designer Ritxi Ostáriz, who created the short as a personal side project. [via Drawn!]

Kate T. Williamson

2008-06-06T16:35:00.002-04:00

Fun for Friday: get your hands on a copy of At a Crossroads: Between a Rock and My Parents' Place, the latest "graphic memoir" from writer/artist Kate T. Williamson (author of the also wonderful A Year in Japan). I was thoroughly drawn in by Williamson's illustrations of her experiences, which include Hall and Oates concerts, leafy landscapes, suburban nightlife, Halloween, and much more. Check out Williamson's official site for more of her work.

LogoLounge 5: Call For Entries

2008-06-06T16:29:00.002-04:00

Designers have until June 30th to submit work for LogoLounge Vol.5, the next in the series of popular books on logo design. Even if you don't enter, be sure to check out the rest of the LogoLounge site, including logo trends and featured designer sections.

Interesting Business Cards

2008-06-05T09:14:00.003-04:00

French blog Fubiz has a collection of 70 interesting business cards, some from familiar names like Jason Santa Maria and Marian Bantjes. Most are memorable, some are clever, and a few are wonderfully weird. [via Cool Hunting]

Design Melt Down: Portfolios 9

2008-06-05T08:49:00.003-04:00

Design Melt Down delivers its ninth showcase of designer portfolios. It's always interesting to see how designers are showcasing their own work—presentation in 9 seems to be playing it a bit safe, so be sure to check out some of the eight previous installments.

Gaia Dingbats

2008-06-04T13:14:00.002-04:00

New at MyFonts, the Gaia dingbat font. Created by Brazilian designer Ricardo Esteves Gomes, the ornaments can be used alone or in combination to form cool graphic patterns. Inexpensive (currently on sale) and with lots of potential!

Saving the Spark: Developing Creative Ideas

2008-06-04T13:03:00.002-04:00

Over at A List Apart, Mark Boulton has a great article up called Saving the Spark: Developing Creative Ideas. He emphasizes what we all already know: that most good ideas don't arrive in an illuminating flash and that it's an ongoing challenge to be professionally and productively creative on a daily basis. "To stand up to this challenge, you need to arm yourself with some good tools." Worth a read!

Boone Speed

2008-06-04T12:19:00.004-04:00

I'm enjoying the work of "adventure photo-artist" Boone Speed. From rock climbing action photos to blurred vistas, Speed's shots capture an often dizzying sense of texture, motion and physicality that can range in scale from epic to intimate. [via Cool Hunting]

Showcase of BIG Typography

2008-06-03T16:30:00.003-04:00

Smashing Magazine takes a second look at big typography used online, highlighting more examples of loud yet elegant onscreen letterform action. The first showcase of BIG type is also still available to view.
[via Quipsologies]

ilt's Sunday Type

2008-06-02T10:29:00.004-04:00

Don't miss i love typography's weekly Sunday Type posts. Bursting with great miscellaneous type finds, yesterday's edition features the mother of all initial caps, a birthday tribute to type designer Alejandro Paul, some Flickr goodness, two downloadable desktops (including a June calendar), and more. What a great way to start the week!

GDBar will return in June

2008-05-23T00:06:00.002-04:00

Every year around this time I vanish for a couple weeks (in case you hadn't realized yet, I'm knee deep in the middle of that annual disappearance). Have a wonderful Memorial Day Weekend, all—GDBar will be back soon!

Fontstruct

2008-05-09T17:50:00.003-04:00

More fun for Friday: More than just another font sharing and resource site, Fontshop's new Fonstruct site let's you build your own letterforms. I can't wait to try this! [via Poppy]

Packaging: Flight of the Conchords

2008-05-09T17:37:00.002-04:00

Fun for Friday: The SCOOP blog showcases the wonderful packaging of the new Flight of the Conchords CD. The album artwork features illustration work by Tyler Stout and features an intricate die-cut of Bret and Jemaine—I'm sold! "Don't make the mistake of buying this album off of iTunes or pirating it off the internet. That would be a complete waste of some brilliant design & print production," gushes the Scoop post. [Thanks, Kevin!]

Classic Illustration by Subject

2008-05-08T23:32:00.002-04:00

Check out Leif Ping's Classic Illustration By Subject collection on Flickr! What a treasure trove of images! [via Coudal Partners]

StatAttak: Wearable Info Graphics

2008-05-07T23:20:00.001-04:00

StatAttack is making a difference with design. In an effort to spread the word and improve living conditions in parts of Africa, they've created wearable info graphic tees that use a pseudo-80s punk style to showcase statistical info from individual countries. 20% of sales go towards building an orphanage in Mozambique—statistics reveal that life expectancy there is a shockingly brief 31.1 years.
[via How About Orange]

NYTimes Crossword Drawings

2008-05-06T23:14:00.000-04:00

What an interesting idea—using words taken from two or more of the puzzle's answers, iIllustrator Emily Jo Cureton creates a daily drawing from the New York Times crossword. [via Drawn!]

HOW Design Question of the Week

2008-05-05T12:54:00.002-04:00

HOW magazine has started asking a design question of the week in their online forums. The first question was: "What was the best and/or worst part of your first design job? What made it memorable?"

Monochrom

2008-05-02T12:34:00.005-04:00

Fun for Friday: check out the fun icons and wallpapers over at Monochrom, including the fruit label iconset, shown above.
[via ILT on Twitter]

Charley Harper: The World of Birds

2008-05-01T23:46:00.001-04:00

The Dinosaurs and Robots blog showcases Charley Harper's We Think the World of Birds, a commissioned illustration for the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. There is an interview with Harper and a link to purchase the poster online. [via Coudal Partners]

iGoogle Artist Themes

2008-04-30T23:28:00.003-04:00

Google has introduced Artist Themes for personalized Google homepages. Artists and designers in the lineup include Jeff Koons, Michael Graves, Philippe Stark (who doesn't seem to be listening to his own recent proclamation that "design is a dreadful form of expression"), glass master Dale Chihuly, aerial photographer Yann Arthus-Bertrand, and more.

Japanese Crepe Paper Illustrations

2008-04-29T23:25:00.003-04:00

Over at BibliOdyssey, PK showcases a charming collection of Japanese crepe paper fairy tales. The books were produced between about 1880 and 1940 in various languages and feature wonderfully atmospheric illustrations.

Zeldman: The Vanishing Personal Site

2008-04-28T15:22:00.003-04:00

Jeffrey Zeldman muses on the vanishing personal site. "We are witnessing the disappearance of the all-in-one, carefully designed personal site containing professional information, links, and brief bursts of frequently updated content to which others respond via comments." He showcases the site of interactive art director Jody Ferry (shown above), which sends you immediately to several external web services—the LinkedIn resume, the Flickr portfolio, etc. Zeldman doesn't approve or disapprove, but calls for conscious decision-making when it comes to scattering ourselves around the internet. He notes that "outsourcing the publication of our own content has long-term implications that point to more traffic for the web services we rely on, and less traffic and fewer readers for ourselves." This is an interesting point, especially for designers and artists looking to present a focused online presence—to quote from the insightful comment session: "technology has changed the way we market ourselves and our skills." Worth a read!

Keep Calm: Mai 68 Posters

2008-04-28T15:18:00.005-04:00

Limited edition printer proofs of Mai 68 posters are available at Keep Calm. This May marks the 40th anniversary of the 1968 Paris rebellions, which (in ridiculously brief summary) mark the turbulent shift from conservative to liberal values in French society. During the protests, students and faculty took over the École des Beaux-Arts and silkscreened hundreds of political posters. An exhibition of these posters is currently on in London, and a book cataloging 40 posters from the collection has been produced. Keep Calm is offering printer proofs of the book—each is a large format, hand-screened printed reproduction of an original Mai 68 poster. There are fewer of 10 proofs of each design, so get them while you can! Meanwhile, if your history is hazy, Wikipedia has more info on the events of May 1968 and how the rebellions both impacted and were influenced by other things happening around the globe.

Font Bots

2008-04-25T23:47:00.000-04:00

Fun for Friday: Jonathon Yule's awesome Font Bots, created from sans serif typefaces. Yule is a Toronto-based freelancer who is interested in "typography, grids and the intertwinement of design and play." Shown: the bots for Helvetica (Helbotica!) and Futura. [via HOW]