For the Facial Hair-Challenged

I don’t really know what to say about this—except that it’s hiiiiiiiilarious. And, funny ranks high on my criteria for successful design. If you should need a crocheted beard, do call on Ms. Tara Duff of North Logan, Utah.

Cool Book Alert!

I don't think I've ever seen this many good illustrations in one book: Illusive.

The Big Caption

So this post is way overdue, but better late than never! I was having a drink with my friend Ian and he mentioned that he created a blog where he matches photos he finds with his own copy & typographic treatments. I think they're great and you should check out his site (http://thebigcaption.com/) if you like what you see.

The Design that Would Have Saved My Computer

So, I spilled a glass of water on my beloved MacBook Pro laptop (long sigh). If only I had known about this brilliant and beautiful invention (that doesn’t look or feel like a sports bottle or sippy cup), maybe I’d still have use of my keyboard’s s, q, h, n, etc.

Contigo’s 100% spill- and leakproof travel mug. The ”autoseal” feature means that the only time liquid can escape is when I am sipping. Keeps drinks hot for 4 hours or cold for 12. Yay!

Connected!

There’s hope for Prom yet.

. . .and believe it or not, teens can be pretty cool too, as proven by these duct tape creations motivated by a nationwide contest drummed up by some smarty-pants PR gurus for Duck brand duct tape.

A Word on Words

I don’t think it’s a stretch to admire a bit of creative writing in this here blog. These two stories (offered below as podcasts for all you multi-taskers) inspired me in the way that all good art should. I felt utterly naked by their relentless insight into the human psyche, all the while impressed that each could so bluntly, lovingly and accurately capture the deepest parts of grief.

Hey, I know that I’m not the only one here with dark places. So, maybe these stories will resonate with you too. Maybe in your own set of fears, anger, loss, etc. etc. you’ll feel less alone—and maybe ultimately: hopeful, too.

click here: SPAR
Written by Kij Johnson, presented by EscapePod (fantasy fiction podcast magazine).  Don’t listen to this one at work—it’s rated X.

then here: LITTLE GODS
Written by Tim Pratt, presented by PodCastle (fantasy fiction podcast magazine).

Ooo la la!

I have been perusing the world of fashion illustration lately, researching for a graphic design project we’re currently working on in the studio. And I have to say, as in all fields there sure are a number of duds. What a breath of fresh air Barcelona-based Ms. Sandra Suys was for me. Yes, I am biased towards high contrast art—the marriage of muted monochromatic tones plus brilliant color; expressionistic strokes mixed with crazy photo-realistic details; etc—but I think anyone would attest: these illustration sure are sweet, no?

Calling all typophiles!

Russian-born typographer and quilling expert Yulia Brodskaya:

Letterpress Lust

A sweet wedding invitation set from Emory Allen:

BIT TRIP BEAT

. . .stumbled across this video on my web wandering this morning. I appreciate the integration of sound this game. What's more fascinating to me is that it looks like the player is either extremely relaxed and focused—in a meditative state—or totally stressed out and tripping balls. . .anyone played this game before? Which is it?

A monster a day. . .

Just wanted to share this super idea from the fantastic graphic designer/illustrator/creative person-in-general, Stefan Bucher of 344 design: The Daily Monster—enjoy!

Kung Fu Bunny

. . .need I say more? Check out this great Chinese animation—
a charming balance of humor and inventiveness. Waaaaaaaaaaaaah!

Web Comic Book Nook

In this week's cozy recommendation corner, I would like to point you towards one of my favourite webcomics, namely "Shrub Monkeys" by KT.
The artist is a young animator who casts herself and her two siblings (Shagster and Hes) as the main characters in order to share... her life? Her daydreams? Random thoughts? Probably a healthy mix of all three - and then some.

I am always first in line when there's self-deprecating humour to be had, and Shrub Monkeys excels at that. Plus, the artist's style is nice and loose, communicates well, and the colourscheme strokes my soul.

Off to Shrub Monkeys!

There is hardly anything that excites me more than some quality stop-motion animation.
Maybe a great cup of coffee. Or the fact that the powers that be will soon provide us with another 80ies movie starring John Cusack ("Hot Tub Time Machine"), two decades after we had all considered that time window to be closed. But I digress.

So, stop motion animation: Here is an awesome and inventive bit of it, thought up by none other than Rhett and Link, who bring joy into my life on a regular basis.

The short is called "T-Shirt War", which should give you a fair idea of the content.

Enjoy. I did.

A New Way of Being

A cute animation from the Adbusters website, encouraging us to celebrate “Slow Week” Feb. 8th - 12th. Click here to see it.

“Slow isn’t necessarily a pace, it’s a philosophy – a way of approaching life. We can slow down simply by addressing the disconnect that makes life feel anxious, alienating and fast. Try simple things like shopping at a local farmers’ market rather than a big box store. Knowing the provenance and history of your food will change the way you experience eating. Instead of hopping in your car and heading to Starbucks, walk to an indie coffee shop. Chat with the owners, smile at a stranger and sip your latte from a mug rather than dashing off with a cardboard cup. Explore what your neighborhood has to offer and experience the simple, provincial pleasure of purchasing cheese from one store, bread from another. To slow down, we don’t have to stop moving – we just have to move in different, more meaningful ways.” – pulled from Adbusters site

Info Design, oh yeah!

W3school’s engaging illustration of browser statistics sure is pretty. Even if you don't care about browser popularity from Jan 2002 to Aug 2009, this interactive graphic is worth the look-see (or click-see, rather).

Letterpress Lust

Just another ode to the Letterpress from Meaghan Barbuto at Vince:

 

Folksy

My hometown of Aachen, Germany sports - beside a cathederal that, as legend has it, was financed by hoodwinking the devil himself out of a ton of gold - mainly this: fountains. Tons and tons of them. Because the place owes its existence to a cluster of hot springs upon which it was built. The density of fountains in that city borders on a pest problem.

But there is one particular fountain that always manages to make me smile when I return back home.

This gigantic badboy here has a name, and it's Bahkauv. Now, why would a scaly snarling dragon make me smile?
Because this monster comes straight out of a local folkstory, several centuries old, which tells us of the Bahkauv's special hunting pattern: It would prowl the streets of Aachen past midnight in search of drunk men, in order to - there is no other term for it - scare them shitless. Because they should be at home with their wives, not drinking away the precious family money in the city's many pubs.

You just have to appreciate a place that not only has a legend like that, but also chose to erect a huge fountain in its honour.

Praying is, by the way, a useless defense against the beast. Makes it more aggressive, in fact. But swearing and cursing like your life depends on it does the trick. True story.

Having a Field Day

So, the studio took a field trip to the mothership of 3D Feature animation, otherwise known as Pixar Studios.

The place was—and I am going to use a phrase that has not tumbled from my lips since I left adolescence behind me—made of win. Look no further than the “Grape Soda” Badge on one of the cars in the employee lot.


Well, actually, do look further, because the main building is quite beautiful on its own, but the development artwork that can be found throughout made strolling around a real joy.


Am I rambling? Perhaps. But that artwork really was amazing, and seeing the models and paintings up close proved to be very educational. Alas, those were all behind a sign politely requesting that no photos be taken, so you will have to trust my gushing on this. Getting your hands on a copy of “The art of UP” would be a nice alternative, though. A book I warmly recommend.

Sadly, the legendary cereal bar has been cut down to half its original size quite recently. The folks at Pixar now have frequent access to 10–15 different kinds of cereal. Right next to the water cooler, so to speak. Makes the 40 cent Coffee at my Academy look like a rip-off, if you ask me.

I also caught a glimpse of some work for an upcoming film as it was swiftly carried through the hall (and by “caught a glimpse” I mean I impolitely craned my neck like a circus attraction for longest possible full exposure), and I'll tell you a secret: It looked awesome.

After setting up a dork-tastic shot of myself and Luxo Jr (as seen below), all is now well in the world.

All that’s left to do is thank Kat for making time in her busy schedule and sacrificing her lunchhour to allow this giddy, wide-eyed intern to traipse all over her workplace. I cannot tell you how much I appreciate it.