The Kite Runner

Have y'all seen (or read) Afghan-American writer Khaled Hosseini's The Kite Runner? We finally did. If you like type (and I know you do), you'll enjoy the film titles that The Ebeling Group created:

And, I must mention the story, too: Whoa. Amidst the intensity of the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, the film manages to reveal a Kabul that is universal in its everyday make up of good and evil. I am not very familiar with this culture (I've never even flown a kite), but I absolutely felt our kinship as a species. I know some of the scenes are difficult to watch, but necessary, I think. Rather than allowing you to just be an observer, the author broaches the subject of honor vs. shame in a way that injects the moral directly into your blood stream. Pretty effective from my perspective. Your reactions?

*For those of you who don't know the story, I hate to ruin it, but it must be acknowledged that the rape scene caused so much controversy, the actors were actually threatened and had to be relocated to an undisclosed city in the United Arab Emirates before the movie's release last year. What's surprising to me is that the family that experienced the most grief was that of 12-year-old Ahmad Khan Mahmidzada, the boy who played the victim. In Afghanistan, the victim of a rape is often ostracized. (And, not that it should matter but: Fearing their community's response, Ahmad and his parents actuality refused Ahmad's participation in the rape scene. A body double was used.)

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!