The Story of a Sign

Here is a movie short (it moves a little slow at first, but worth watching) that reveals something that I think is an important component to graphic design that is not utilized frequently enough. It can make a good design great. It's not about trying to convince your audience what they should do or believe by telling them, but find a way to personalize their experience with your subject matter. I think its important to switch roles from designer to audience member, asking yourself what aspects may be meaningful to you even if you have no particular interest in the topic at hand.

Watch movie here

(Thanks to my e-mailing aunt)

3deluxe: the book

The German-based multi-disciplinary design firm, 3deluxe, has a knack for finding the poignant places where graphic design, architecture and interior design meet. Their new book, 3deluxe, is slated for release this September. Enjoy this preview:

Milk vs Oil

Lately I've been fascinated by the variations in price of a one gallon container of milk. The fascination began after seeing this photo in a local grocery store window.


The numbers reminded me of the ticker-board signs at gas stations indicating prices. These signs have interchangeable numbers so they can be easily customized and (especially) adjusted regularly. So now I'm wondering, is the price of milk just as unstable as the price of oil? Is milk more or less of a commodity than oil? Necessity? Perhaps only coincidentally, oil in Manhattan is also $4.39.

If nothing else, the price of milk is a good indicator of the alarming overall increase in household items. The not-so-quiet increase has bumped everything up 10-20% in the New York metropolitan area. Even my hummus is up $5.49 from $4.99.

So I'm curious, what is the cost of a gallon of milk where you live? What about oil?

Natsuno Hiraiwa

I found this book a while ago at Kinokunia Book Store and was just so inspired by her creativity! She is a graphic designer who studied fashion in Paris. In her book, you will see very simple and interesting geometric-shaped pieces of clothes that are quite beautiful. I could not find many images from this book online, (sorry my scanner is not working at the moment) but I made a vest for my friend's birthday once, and it was so simple to make. (It is the one that is shown right above. It is basically a donut-shaped vest when it is spread flat. To wear it you put your both arms in the donut hole. Does this make sense?) Check out her website and enjoy her beautiful creations! (Scroll down all the way to see her image library.) I put some images from her past collections here.


She also takes beautiful polaroid photographs!

Something for Every Kind of Car Owner

A one-time client of ours, Tim Roberts, launched Infectious this year. It's an SF-based company that recruits artists to create these cool car decals...because not all of us are into fireballs.