Happy Election Day! I guess by now it’s pretty obvious who I’m voting for. I hope by now you’ve cast a ballot for your pick (or are planning to) and I also hope you’ve perused my Election Collection Part I and Part II. (150+ fab election-related links!).
Since my birthday is always right around election day (in fact, I was born the day Ronald Regan was elected prez), and it’s always not far from Halloween, I think of the day as a part of a conglomerate of holidays that kick-off the whole winter holiday extravaganza that ends on New Year’s Day.
My election day is shaping up to look like a less exciting version of the image above. But there is still time to make presidential-shaped snacks and wear pretty buttons! (more…)
Which do you like best? (Some of my favorites listed at the bottom of the page.)
CLICK to open the related page or product in a new window.
Am I missing anything? Let me know! I’ll update the page through election day as I find more relevant links! WordPress is having trouble with all of the added links, I’ll add links to Part II through election day. Lots more there!
Obama & voting prints, merchandise, blogs, web-pages, posters, maps, and more. Click on each images & it will open the related site in a new window.
Have a favorite? Here are some of mine:
Web-Pages
AIGA’s Get Out the Vote Posters: Hundreds of posters made by graphic designers encouraging people to vote. Free and printable.
7-Election: Find out who will win based on the number of McCain / Obama cups purchased.
Every Moment Now: Records the number of article references to each candidate in a cool graph.
Yes We Can Has: Like our favorite random web-site, LOL Cats, but for the Obama… and cats. It’s not supposed to make sense.
The Great Schlep: Sarah Silverman is hysterical. She wants you to convince your Jewish grandparents in Florida to vote for Obama.
Oct 12, 2008
Author: Maria | Filed under: Public Art
Spelling Change just emailed me about their new project involving Obama-inspired letters, Obama supporters wearing letter T-shrits, and the fun way you can put them together. (The about page explains it best, actually.)
The site allows you to write Obama-related phrases (or anything you choose) using their fun politically-inspired alphabet (or make your own letters!), then you can embedd it on your webpage or purchase a T-shirt, sticker, poster, or postcard with the word you’ve created.
Oct 10, 2008
Author: Maria | Filed under: Graphics
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…)
No matter who you’re going to vote for in November, you can’t deny how successfully artists have come out in support of Obama. There have been articles about the use of typography in Obama’s campaign, a big hullabaloo over these HOPE posters, & a general artistic influence not seen in the campaigns of any other of the potential candidate (except maybe Ron Paul).
If you are an Obama fan, here are some buttons to get you in the spirit:
Not real buttons, but design is by Oliver Munday (click to see more designs) from a NYTimes Article about the big-to-do over Obama not wearing a lapel pin.
Project #8 Buttons, $1 each (15 different & clever designs by a variety of artists)
I FORGOT TO PUT A NUMBER 7! BUT these buttons were free from Trollback (all gone!), but they’re worth checking out anyway. Notice the airfreshiner (sp?!) button the background? Fabulous!
I found a bunch of these designs on the Urban Outfitter’s Election blog! (It’s fabulous & fun!) If you know of other cool buttons I haven’t post here, please inform me below!
I don’t know how to make this sound not dorky, but I enjoyed watching this PSA-style DON’T VOTE video starring a billion famous people like Tobey Maguire, Ellen, Dustin Hoffman, Sarah Silverman, Leonardo DiCaprio, ETC ETC ETC.
In some states the deadline to register to vote is TOMORROW!
Anyway, in some states, the deadline to register to vote is tomorrow, so watch and register away! (Declareyourself.com, the site where you can register, also has a simple page that breaks down where each candidate stands on some key issues.)
Google maps will tell you where to vote & your registration deadline!
ALSO you can go this page on google maps to easily find out your deadline to register (just put in your address!). And, mid-October, they’ll also provide you with your voting location (that stuff used to be such a pain to find! I mean, back in the day… when I voted for the first time… in college… four years ago… by absentee ballot…). Anyway.
Hello friends! In my very first issue of currently obsessed, I’d like to share some things that I’ve recently been consuming/listening to/lusting for. As you can tell from all the picks, I am in study mode. Non-mechanical #2 pencils? Check! Candy and coffee? Double check! (Note: My productivity is correlated with candy consumption. Legit. Kind of like Felicity’s pre-med roommate and her M&Ms, minus the pre-med part. Or, Michael from the Princess Diaries and HIS M&Ms. ) The Life Aquatic violates this set from being completely study-related (I can only intake a limited amount of David Bowie. Especially when I’m trying to “critically” read.), but this is currently obsessed…so no discrimination allowed. Ciao!
I got a pack of Ticonderoga tri-writes last month. They are wonderful! I hold writing utensils awkwardly and incorrectly (it’s not my fault!) (my hand basically looks like it is itching to punch someone…I know you were trying to picture my awkward-looking hand…). They sharpen very well (I love my Maped sharpener!). As the name implies, the pencil is triangular- a built in pencil grip! Also, these pencils don’t run away when you throw them down in frustration. How obedient!
Trader Darwin (Joe)’s Gummi Vites are the best! I have a really difficult time taking vitamins. I never remember, and when I do, I cringe when I see the submarine-sized pills. Bleh. These make taking vitamins so much fun! They might be too much fun, however, because I have definitely been taking more than the recommended amount. :( Trader Joe’s, $4.99 for a bottle of 70.
Recently, I’ve been thinking a lot about Bill Murray. As part of the Chicago Air & Water Show a month ago, he jumped out of a plane. I thought it was particularly funny that the Chicago Tribune chronicled his jump, minute by minute. The search feature of the Chicago Tribune website is stumping me right now (as is Chicago Tribune’s distasteful usa-todayification…which re-affirms the New York Times’ superiority…REALLY? DO YOU THINK I’M AN IDIOT AND NEED A PAGE-BAR TO NAVIGATE A NEWSPAPER?), but here’s the gawker article that mocks the Chicago Tribune’s Murray coverage. Just last week, Bill Murray was in the news again in regards to his apparent approval of an upcoming Ghostbusters film. Anyways, with all this Bill Murray nonsense, I realized that I still did not have the soundtrack to The Life Aquatic. I have been listening to it since I got it this past weekend, and it’s pretty good. I’m not ready to declare where it falls in my personal Wes-Anderson-soundtrack rankings (Royal Tennebaums and Rushmore are exceptionally tight), but this one is great.
At Trader Joe’s they sell this licorice in 1lb tubs. When you put a twisty chunk in your mouth? Utter bliss. Inspired by this post on Mindy Ephron’s blog, I went searching for a tub of Kookaburra at Trader Joe’s. Although it may not be Kookaburra, the licorice still tastes like the best masticated-fruit roll up ever. I can finish a tub, by myself, in less than a day. :( Trader Joe’s, $3.99 for a 1lb tub.
This is one of the most clever devices that I have ever seen. The Pentel Handy-lineS Memorization Aid Highlighter Set (whew! what a name) includes a green highlighter, an eraser marker, and a piece of red film. As you can already tell, this is not a normal highlighter. So let’s say that you have this monstrous exam on world capitals. You have in your notes, “Thimphu is the capital of Bhutan.” While you’re studying, you highlight “Thimphu,” because you want to make sure it is ingrained in your head. Also, highlighting keeps you from falling asleep. After you’ve reached Zimbabwe on your list, you’d like to test yourself to see how much you’ve retained. Instead of awkwardly covering up your highlighted capitals with your fingers, all you have to do is cover your notes with the red film. Result? The film masks your highlighted text, and you can’t read it! Test away! When you’re done studying, you can even un-highlight test using the eraser. MAGIC! Available at JetPens, $5.70
Moonstruck Chocolate Company is one of the best chocolatiers. They make really great truffles, and their chocolates are always well-balanced and not too alcoholicy (like Godiva). There used to be a lovely company-owned Moonstruck Cafe on Michigan Ave., but it closed. Womp womp. As a result, one of the only places you can get Moonstruck chocolates downtown is Macy’s. Moonstruck has a few cute signatures, including their ice cream cone collection, cupcake truffle collection, AND critter truffle collection. Similar to their iconic critter truffles, “Election Collection 08″ features elephant and donkey truffles! How patriotic! The elephant is a dark chocolate extra-bittersweet ganache, and the donkey features Moonstruck’s Mayan Ganache (milk chocolate, almonds, cinnamon). Also of note, the last time I was at the State Street Macy’s, the only election truffles left were elephants. I find this amusing and very telling. Available at Moonstruck, $15 for a collection of four.
Sometimes I go to Caffe Rom twice a day. It has gotten so excessive, that I feel like they know me pretty well. I think I’m on my way from becoming “medium americano girl” to “Tricia.” This graduation is sort of exciting, and sort of embarassing. However, this is one of my favorite places to get coffee. It reminds me of my ex-barista days, and the espresso is good. I gave Intelligentsia a chance (actually two chances), and it was pretty gross. Unwelcomingly sour. And, whenever I go to Starbucks, I always spill. Probably because the hippie free trade coffee gods are trying to punish me. Karma is a bitch when you are wearing something non-black.
Even though I wanted Urban Outfitters’ City Stickers, I didn’t come away from Urban Outfitters empty handed. Instead, I picked up a free nine pack of VOTE stickers. I just scanned in some of my vote stickers (above), and then checked out the Urban Outfitters “Pick a Winner” blog, which includes some lovely examples of what some artists do when it’s time to get political. (I imagine I’ll feature some of the posters on Stickers & Donuts soon.) (more…)
