Happy Saturday! I hope you all had a lovely new year’s eve/day. Yesterday, I sifted through my neglected Reader, and saw something on Pikaland that warmed my geeky little heart.
!@$%&!!! Designed by illustrator Mithila Shafiq, this font was featured in the October issue of Neo2. Organic chemistry was one of my favorite college classes, and I remember playing with my little molecular building kit. I only tried making critters, and never anything THIS neat. Ho hum. Neo2 has a whole collection of free fonts, and I am particularly fond of this one as well:
WASH TYPE by Emilia Bertola Longhi. And the little tilda’d n? So precious. One last note: All of these fonts are only available as a package of jpeg images of each letter- NOT as a TrueType font file.
Yesterday, Maria shared her Christmas loot. Past-Tricia thought, “Gee… I guess it would be appropriate to share what I received this holiday season as well.” Below is a selection of items that present-Tricia is currently enjoying.
Saucony Jazz sneakers – I’ve never owned Saucony sneakers, or worn sneakers with thumb-size soles. The soles honestly frighten me. I’m already not very graceful, and I forsee a lot of awkward plummets. I like these sneakers, though, and I’m going to test them out/power through the gigantic soles.
Imperfect Articles T-shirt (Mine is by Rob Davis and Michael Langlois) – This is the best T-shirt I have ever owned. Based in Chicago, Imperfect Articles is an exceptional shirt company that amalgamates fine art and fashion. The shirts feature the designs of upcoming and established artists, and are incredibly limited edition (only 30-50 pressings!!!). Given that each shirt is hand-dyed, screen-printed, and numbered, these shirts are truly works of art. I love how each shirt has a background story and is so unique. The work on my shirt (19/50!) is Teenagers from Mars, which features the lyrics to the Misfits song “Teenagers from Mars” in ARABIC!
Tea Forte – I’ve always admired the design of Tea Forte bags. They’re too perfect!
The Forever War by Dexter Filkins – Ever since my nectar-sweet friend Tina told me about Dexter Filkins, I’ve wanted to read The Forever War. Not only did I receive a copy, but it is signed by Dexter Filkins! And he wishes me good luck in the future. At the pace I’m going, I need a lot of luck. VERDICT: this is a wonderful gift.
Saraid Oxford by Jeffrey Campbell - My first pair of Jeffrey Campbell shoes! I have a wee penchant for Jeffrey Campbell shoes, because they are really neat. The designs are impeccably detailed and fun. One of my closest friends wore a splendid pair at graduation, which provoked me to more seriously consider getting a pair. I’m not sure where you can get mine, but I’ve provided a link of the shoes in black & white.
DeLonghi Espresso machine – I used to be a barista, and one of my favorite aspects of the job was the opportunity to practice making latte designs. I’m rather excited about this espresso machine, however, I’ve already invested a few hours in trying to figure it out, only leading to my FAILURE. I’m horrible at reading directions. In this particular case, when I start reading, I get too excited and can’t focus on the directions!
Snowshowers Jelly and Solid Perfume – I easily get sick of scents, but I don’t think I’ll ever get sick of Lush’s Snowshowers. I am currently, and forever more, obsessed with the scent. A blend of champagne, orange, and cognac, Snowshowers is extremely refreshing! And I’ve recently learned that Lush Jellys are great. You can put them in the freezer to make them wobble like firm tofu, and pinch off a corner when you’re in the shower. I am new to Lush. I wonder if this enthusiasm is normal to a new Lush convert.
I love reading, but I also adore books as physical objects. This is why I am in love with Penguin. Especially today. In fact, I can barely contain the love I feel for these bright, beautifully designed book sets & their matching posters (HINT: Scroll down for some Shepard Fairey). SWOON!!!
I was reading The Penguin Blog, which is UK-based, and found out about these awesome Penguin Sets. There are 13 sets of books which contain a bunch of novels of a similar theme or by the same author, and each set has covers designed by a single artist.
What’s more, FIVE of the sets also have an accompanying poster (or two). The BEST of which is the George Orwell set because it includes TWO posters (1984 and Animal Farm) designed by Shepard Fairey (of Obama Poster fame).
Each Penguin set includes 2 to 16 books (and 0 to 2 posters) and run from $40 to $380 (the priciest collections aren’t necessarily the ones with the most books).
Click to see the rest of the posters and details of the most expensive “luxury” books. (Also, more of my rambling.) Or, check out the UK Penguin Sets page (I can’t find a US Sets page, but you can order to the US)! (more…)
It’s almost election time, and that means lots of cool, free, printable posters by professional designers!
AIGA (the professional organization for designers) sponsored an awesome contest where members created and submitted VOTE posters. While the organization picked 24 winners, I had tons of fun going through all the posters to find which ones I liked best.
The one above is a winner in my heart. So funny, and true. So true, that when I posted it in my cubicle a coworker became so obsessed that she printed out about 10 tabloid sized AIGA posters, envisioning specific ones being plastered everywhere from the kitchen to the men’s bathroom. Success!
Anyway, the poster was created by Rob Alexander, who works at visitoffice.com, a design agency which I’ve just come to discovered does work for the McSweeney’s-related Pirate Supply Store (you know, the store that supports those kids’ writing centers).
Who wouldn’t want a bottle of Captain Blackbeard’s Dye and Scurvy BeGone Capsules? (I am actually totally in love with this stuff. You can shop for it here.)
I digress.
Back to the vote posters. (All of the ones below are free except for VOTE! by Obey. We don’t blame them, it’s a high-quality print!)
So, go to AIGA, checkout the posters, and download your favorites. Print them at work on tabloid paper. Post them everywhere. A BONUS Palin-related poster, after the jump! (more…)
See all parts of the Luke Williams interview here!
Okay, so, I hate to say it, but there is a little bit too much coolness packed into this post. I am sad to think that some of you will not click on every single inspirational link I provide you with!
Alright, so hopefully you’ve examined Luke’s “Thanks for Nothing” cards and read about his work. Now, read about who he’s inspired by (um, plus some other great links that didn’t fit in Part II):
So, who is Luke inspired by?
By the way, Mr. Cox runs the graphic design blog www.changethethought.com, to which our new friend Luke is a contributor. (It’s a well-designed page with great content, and cheap art for sale.)
Other links to visit: It’s Nice That (exhibition where Luke’s work is being shown), and Destroy Today (in case you are wondering: “To destroy today is to make the most of the day — destruction as a form of creation”) the web-site of a fabulous web-designer I have come across many times before, who is apparently working with Luke to re-do Luke’s web-site!
If you can’t get enough of Luke you can order prints which will be “happily produced upon request.” Just send him an email at luke@lukelukeluke.com.
See all parts of the Luke Williams interview, as they are posted, here.
Above: 365 Day Calendar Cube, Solutions for Maryland 2008, Metaphor Print, and Weapons Pattern
I found graphic designer (see above) Luke Williams (he made those “Thanks for Nothing” cards from Gilah Press), while on one of my many ventures stumbling around the internet (yes, that’s pretty much what I do in my free time).
I immediately bookmarked his site (which you should visit to see more of his work, and apparently there are fantastic updates coming soon!), and later he accepted my invitation for a little Stickers & Donuts artist interview (yay! we love it when they say yes!).
Luke is currently a senior in graphic design at Maryland Institute College of Art. He has already worked as a designer or intern at a handful of companies (Under Armor (sports-ware), Pentagram (design firm), Bechtel Corporation (engineering company), to name a few), and his work can be found everywhere from the internet to traveling exhibitions to actual stores. Did I mention he’s also a photographer? (Yes, some people get all the good genes.)
“Right now I am obsessed with my future. A healthy combination of fear and excitement has me very anxious to know what is in store for my career.” —Luke
His Nada Bike Idenitity & Promotion has recently gotten lots of attention (I love how doodle-y it is, and turquoise is my favorite color!), making the virtual circuit on blogs and an actual circuit in a traveling exhibition (www.itsnicethat.com).
On his dream job: “I would prefer the challenge of solving a problem that has few answers, and therefore the client would not be easy going. Oh, and the budget is enormous.” —Luke
And his photography cracks me up (Multilingual, above, is actually 6 separate photos, but I combined them here so they’d fit!). For someone whose dream job requires a big budget, he seems to have accomplished quite a bit with some colored paper and tongues!
Up later today: Designers that inspire Luke!
See all parts of the Luke Williams interview, as they are posted, here.
Last time I posted about these beautiful and funny Thanks for Nothing (ex. Thanks for nothing… you’re blocking my driveway) cards by Luke Williams for Gilah Press you guys (and I) loved them! So, when Luke offered up-close pictures (and an interview to-boot!), I was thrilled and decided I had to post again. I’ve also got info on where you can snag a set for yourself!
“To help suppress any potential drastic measures, these cards allow you to subtly deliver your true feelings towards a particular public service with minimal confrontation.” — Luke Williams
Check out all of the pictures that follow, & then get ready for my interview with Luke, coming tomorrow! (Hint: he actually makes more than just these beautiful cards!)
If you already know about these annual reports, scroll down to read about the new data-collecting web-site!
This may be old news to you, but as I was reviving my English major spirit by reading Penguin’s Blog (Penguin the book company), I learned about graphic designer Nicholas Felton’s personal “Annual Reports.” I became so obsessed, that I had to post about them here.
Felton records everything from how much he drinks and walks to where he eats to how many books he reads. At the end of the year, he compiles this data in an amazingly designed “Annual Report” (check them out on his web-page).
You can also order a printed copy of his reports, but they’re all sold out (that’s why everyday after January 1 I’ll probably check his web-page to be sure I get a copy!). (Is it weird that not only I, but other people as well, want the “Annual Report” of some man we don’t even know?)
I became so obsessed with the idea of graphs, data, and a corporate-like personal report, that I started recording my past year (which I decided, for various reasons, was July 9 to July 9). Luckily, I compiled and saved 169 lists over the past year (I’m an obsessive list-writer), so I have a lot of data. But I didn’t know how I was ever going to make such pretty graphs.
The Web-Site!
That’s why I’m so excited that is that Felton is creating a web-site, called daytum.com, just for the purpose of beautiful data-collection. It’s currently open by invite-only in beta, and I’m hoping, hoping, hoping someone will let me in!
(A couple of blogs lately have also mentioned mycrocosm, another resource for collecting and graphing daily life-data. It looks cool, but I do love that daytum is designed by Felton!)
So, yes, I’ve posted approximately seven times about Threadless, the t-shirt, and now print-making, company of great graphic design, and, having recently received my Spoilt print in the mail (yay!), I had to post again.
The prints are thrilling because I’m not an everyday T-shirt-wearer, but I just love all of the designs on the T-shirts. The only real problems with my print are: (1) I wish it were more giant, (2) I wish I could find a frame that works with it. Alas.
Anyway, one of the most fabulous parts about receiving my print was seeing which number print I was getting (they have runs of 250). I believe I was number 90-something, so that means over one-third have been sold. Secondly, the print came in a fabulously thick and huge tube.
Luckily, the people at Threadless knew that we lovers-of-graphic-design, having a general affinity for creativity, would wonder what to do with this monster-of-a-tube. Thus, they provided the above insert: “It’s Not Just a Tube! 12 tubular uses you might not have considered” (with art by Olly Moss, who recently posted this Wilde at Heart design, which I love, on his blog, and is the artist of my beloved Spoilt print!)
The tube-ideas include everything from “Ninja Sword” to “Huge Glass” (my personal favorites are “Robot Arms” and “Hamster Cannon”). Also, the bottom warning is spectacular: “Many of these uses are not safe or possible.” Though I would really like to give “Giant Spit Baller” a try…
Update 7/4/08 9:15AM: Threadless prints have been reduced to $19.
Major sales in the design world this week, some of them super-amazing and ending today (McSweeney’s!!!).
Have a WONDERFUL three day weekend and make sure to visit Tricia’s amazing school supply posts before you do your Labor Day shopping!
