Whiskey Tango Fontbook

martin creed

2010-10-05T13:47:00.000-07:00

I recently had the pleasure of getting a guided tour of Martin Creed's show Open/Closed, Big/Small, Full/Empty, On/Off, at Western Bridge Gallery. Martin Creed's work tends to focus on time-based installations that involve the viewer in the piece. The show at Western Bridge includes Work No. 312, a dark room containing a lamp that flashes on and off automatically, momentarily illuminating gallery patrons before returning them to darkness; as well as a piece consisting of a small dog (a Chihuahua) and a large dog (a Wolf Hound) who are loose in the main exhibition space during gallery hours. Unfortunately I didn't get to experience the latter piece when I was there as the dogs were on break. The highlight of this exhibition is Work No. 360, an installation consisting of a large room filled to the halfway point with silver balloons. Gallery patrons are allowed and even encouraged to interact with this piece. I have to say it was the most fun I've had at an art exhibit in a while. Playing in a room filled with balloons is even more fun than it sounds. My friend snapped a few photos, which I'm including below. I think you can see how much fun I was having.

I know, I know

2010-10-05T13:24:00.000-07:00

Once again I've been neglecting Whiskey Tango Fontbook. I swear I had good reason, though. There's been a lot happening in my personal life in the last few months - some good, some bad - but it's all kept me pretty busy. The good news is, I got a job as a designer. Finally! Now that I'm not worried about finding a job, I plan to return to my twice a month posting schedule. Anyway, I'm back. And I've been looking at lots of great art in Seattle, so I have plenty to discuss. Thanks for reading!

sean alexander

2010-05-24T14:29:00.000-07:00

I recently had the pleasure of viewing some of Tacoma-based artist Sean Alexander's work at the 5x5 show at Grey Gallery. Sean uses ink, watercolor and graphite on paper to illustrate a slightly surreal world that recalls folk art traditions. His drawings are intricately detailed - the low-res images here don't do them justice - so if you have a chance I highly recommend checking out the show at Grey Gallery. It will be up through June 4th.

lehel kovács

2010-04-12T13:22:00.000-07:00

Lehel Kovács is a freelance illustrator based in Budapest. I love his series of illustrations depicting images of 26 cities (one for each letter in the alphabet) as shown in Google Street View. I've been sucked into virtual travel using Google a few times myself, so can appreciate the inspiration.

amber albrecht

2010-02-24T02:59:00.000-08:00

Amber Albrecht is a printmaker and illustrator based in Montreal whose silkscreen prints and ink drawings depict beautiful dreamscapes filled with romance and melancholy. From her artist statement:

I portray dream-fueled absurdist situations, which often draw heavily on my cloudy recollection of the storybooks of my childhood, saturated as they were with strange creatures, impossible happenings and oneiric landscapes. These stories created for me a very idiosynchratic [sic] conception of a past-that-never-was, and much of my work is directed toward bringing this past into being.

via Drawn!

olympic fever

2010-02-22T08:53:00.000-08:00

I've been completely addicted to watching the Vancouver Olympic Games this past week. I always watch at least a few events (like figure skating and downhill skiing) but this year I've been watching everything NBC deigns to show us. In keeping with this obsession, I thought I'd show some of my favorite designs from Olympics past. My favorite is probably Munich 72 - the now iconic identity system included a massive array of posters, pictograms and signage, all designed by Otl Aicher and team. Every single piece is amazing and you can see a lot of it here. Mexico City 68, designed by Lance Wyman and Eduardo Terrazas, is also great. The op-art poster works as a stand-alone piece, but if you look at the identity as a whole - the icons, signage, posters, etc., I think it's quite striking and really reflects the spirit of the location. I give honorable mention to Montreal 76. The logo is brilliant in its simplicity and I also enjoy some of the posters. You can see posters from just about every Olympics here, and you can see the logo, poster, medal and more for 46 past Olympic games at olympics.org.

Munich 1972
Mexico City 1968
Montreal 1976

alexis anne mackenzie

2010-02-18T11:40:00.000-08:00

Alexis Anne Mackenzie is a collage artist based in San Francisco. She composes each piece by hand, using images cut from vintage books. According to her artist statement, her intent "is to portray the world as a flawed thing of beauty - a place that shines brightly, but has a dark side to match." Mission accomplished, I'd say.

via SeeSaw Designs

letterheady

2010-02-15T09:08:00.000-08:00

I recently found a new blog to obsess over. Letterheady shows interesting letterhead designs - noteworthy for their design, who they belong to, or both. There are some real treasures, including the letterhead of Johnny Cash, Hitler, Albert Einstein and the Star Wars Corporation (ca. 1976). The ones I'm showing here are some of my favorite designs from the site.

via Letterology

stacey rozich

2010-02-09T14:03:00.000-08:00

Stacey Rozich is a Seattle-based artist and illustrator whose work draws inspiration from folk art and children's books. She uses gouache, ink, watercolor, and even acrylics to create a cast whimsical creatures and dreamlike narratives. She shows regularly in Seattle, and has a show opening February 13th at Dolce Vita in Ballard. For those of you who don't live in Seattle, you can see more on her blog.

creative condition

2010-02-03T07:54:00.000-08:00

I started using Add-Art a couple of months ago. It's a service that replaces adds with art, in conjunction with Adblock Plus, in Firefox. Sometimes the art is really interesting, and sometimes it's just so-so, but it's almost always better than the ads it replaces. These pieces created by New York-based design firm Elastic Brand caught my attention recently. According to the creators' statement, they were inspired by "creative individuals and their real encounters with people in their lives as they started to define their goals and pursue their dreams." They asked fellow creatives to submit "a quote that marked a turning point in their creative lives," along with a photo of themselves as a child and put the them together using a simple color palette and bold type. The goal was to highlight the opposition that many aspiring artists, musicians and performers encounter from family and friends who, however well-intentioned, don't understand what it means to be a creative person. It's a simple concept, but the results resonated with me.

cloth bound

2010-01-18T09:26:00.000-08:00

I came across this collection of gorgeous cloth-bound classic novels during a recent shopping excursion at Anthropologie. Designed by Coralie Bickford-Smith for Penguin Classics, each book is decorated with a Victorian-inspired pattern printed directly onto the book cloth. The result is a beautiful object that would enhance any library. I wish I could afford the whole set. According to Design Sponge, Anthropologie and Urban Outfitters are the only retail outlets for these books in the US, but I haven't seen them on Urban Outfitters' website or at any of their stores.

mark newport

2010-01-04T09:07:00.000-08:00

Backstage, 2009, Archival ink jet on paper, 13 x 19 inches

This Thursday I'll be at the Greg Kucera Gallery for the opening of Mark Newport's exhibition New Work. Mark was my fibers instructor when I was a student at Western Washington University. He was always one of my favorite teachers because he encouraged his students to think about the relationship between the subject we were attempting to depict and the medium we used to do so. You can see this in his own work as well. He uses the themes of knitting and superheroes to examine and challenge traditional roles of masculine and feminine, creating life-size hand-knit superhero costumes that he himself sometimes wears in photographs and performances. If you live in Seattle, I highly recommend taking a moment to check out his work in person this month. The show will be up through February 13th. If you can't make it, you can see more here.

L to R: Bobbleman, 2006; Batman 3, 2006; Naftaman, 2008; all hand knit acrylic and buttons

L to R: A Man, 2009; Argyleman, 2007; Sweaterman 4, 2007; all hand knit acrylic and buttons

happy happy joy joy

2009-12-24T16:41:00.001-08:00

December has proven to be a very busy month for me. Between my job, my internship, and making cards and gifts I've barely had time to think, let alone blog. But I did want to take a moment to thank you for reading my blog in 2009, and to wish you all the best in the coming year. I'll be back in January, but I leave you with a little hand-drawn and collaged type I created for my Holiday card this year. See you in 2010!

novel package

2009-12-04T11:18:00.000-08:00

During a recent shopping trip, I came across these lovely packages for A Rather Novel Collection perfumes at Anthropologie. I really like the juxtaposition of the organic line drawings with geometric shapes. There's a lot going on here, but the monochromatic color palette, minimal type treatment and generous negative space help to create a design that is eye-catching yet simple. I haven't been able to find any information about the design online, just this blurb from Anthropologie's site.

Not a travelogue, but a scent-o-logue: each fragrance in this edition was inspired by a different flavor of tea found in one of six global locales. Housed in book-like boxes, the titles of each are based on the tea's place of origin.

I'm tempted to buy the entire set just to display the boxes, and I don't even wear perfume. That Anthropologie really knows how to sell me things.

beka goedde

2009-11-27T11:53:00.000-08:00

Beka Goedde is a Brooklyn-based artist whose paintings employ etching, pencil, gouache and plaster gauze on panels to illustrate the movement and architecture of the city. Her images are at once geometric and organic; visions of the city as a growing, moving, living organism. You can see more here.

via But Does It Float

city market

2009-11-18T09:22:00.000-08:00

City Market is a small grocery and deli in Seattle's Capitol Hill neighborhood. It's probably best known for the humorous sandwich board signs which regularly grace the sidewalk in front of the store. These witty signs have been delighting hill dwellers for years. I've been enjoying them myself since I moved to Seattle three years ago, but I only recently learned the identity of the artist behind them - City Market's manager Cain Morehead. Apparently the first sign was created on a whim and the tradition took off from there. This is just a sampling of a few personal favorites, but can see more at Moorehead's myspace and flickr pages.

rob tyler

2009-11-13T09:13:00.000-08:00

My friend Rob Tyler, a Portland-based filmmaker, has been uploading some pretty amazing photos to his facebook page lately. These were all taken with his cell phone (I think he has an iphone app for the polaroid-esque borders) and they're pretty great. A testament to Chase Jarvis' maxim the best camera is the one that's with you.

vintage books galore

2009-11-11T09:05:00.000-08:00

So, I talked about one fabulous vintage book blog in this post a few months back, but I've recently run across a few more and had to share. I just can't get enough of these!

I came across UK Vintage's flickr collection via a post on Drawn! It's a fun collection of mostly pulpy paperback covers like this one:
A friend turned me onto A Journey Round My Skull a couple of months ago and I've since lost hours to it. Will (no last name shown) shows an extensive collection of book covers and interior illustrations, as well as other art and design, from all over the world. There's some really amazing stuff here - these are just a few of my favorites:

again

2009-11-10T23:13:00.000-08:00

Well, once again it's been a bit longer than usual since my last post. I just started an internship which has changed my schedule quite a bit - I don't have as much free time as I used to. Excuses, excuses, I know. Anyway, I hope to get back into my once or twice a week posting routine now that I'm settling into my new schedule. I promised some photography a couple of weeks ago, and that is still in the works, but it's not quite ready yet. In the meantime, I've got some great vintage book design coming up tomorrow. Thanks for your patience!

tania alvarez

2009-10-20T09:43:00.000-07:00

Tania Alvarez is a designer and illustrator based in Montreal. I recently came across her Overseas Type and Fabric Type on Behance and fell in love. Beautiful work.

...and I'm back

2009-10-20T09:25:00.000-07:00

I know it's been a while since my last post, but it has been an extremely busy couple of weeks. I have a lot going on right now between my paying job, freelance work, and social stuff, but I promise to get back to posting more regularly. Also, I'm starting a new drawing-a-day blog. I'll be sure to let you know when that is up and running. In the meantime, I've got some gorgeous typographic work for you to look at today and some photography coming up later this week.

justin gibbens

2009-10-01T09:15:00.000-07:00

I recently saw one of Justin Gibbens' paintings on Punch Gallery's site advertising their current Winner Takes All fundraiser (which sounds pretty cool) and had to learn more. Turns out I've seen his Birds of Paradise series before, although I can't remember where (perhaps I'll wake up in the middle of the night with the answer to this question). His watercolor and gouache paintings are a little like Audobon on acid - highly realistic traditional renderings of wildlife with a surreal twist. In Gibbens' world, cranes have four heads, moles have unicorn horns, eagles are 'American Griffons' and owls have Bird of Paradise tails. You can see more here.

toby lunchbreath

2009-09-30T14:39:00.000-07:00

I saw one of Toby Lunchbreath's illustrations on Drawn! the other day and proceeded to lose the next several hours looking at his flickr stream. Some of his drawings are pretty insightful and most of them are totally hilarious. I highly recommend checking out the whole collection - just make sure you have a couple of hours free.

josh keyes

2009-09-23T08:56:00.000-07:00

My friend Jesse Lortz just turned me on to the work of artist Josh Keyes. I love his use of realism to portray surreal scenes of our possible future. His work is a beautiful warning of what could be to come. Keyes is originally from Tacoma, WA and I feel a lot of the Northwest coming through in his work - from the animals depicted to his use of Northwest Native imagery like the totem pole. The end result is somehow familiar, even though what he is showing us is (hopefully) a worst case scenario.

sally hayden gilmore

2009-09-22T13:11:00.000-07:00

Beautiful sculpture and drawing from Sally Hayden Gilmore. Sally and I were in the art department together at Western Washington University several years back and recently got back in touch through the wonder of Facebook. Her work is beautiful, tactile and sexually charged. I really love how she blurs the line between 2D and 3D by incorporating components that break off the page in her drawings, and 2D elements on the wall behind some of her sculptures. The first three images I've shown here are sculpture and the last three are drawings.

dirt poster

2009-09-17T09:38:00.000-07:00

Roland Tiangco's Dirt Po(or)ster is currently making its way around the internets. According to his website, it is "a poster the recipient completes by revealing spot-varnished type with hands made dirty by handling the poster." Very clever. Apparently it will be for sale to the public soon - details here.

cassandra jones

2009-09-16T08:56:00.000-07:00

I saw Cassandra Jones' video installation Eventide a few years ago, but had forgotten about it until I came across a post about her on BOOOOOOOM! the other day. I am quite fascinated by her work and her process. She takes found photographs and creates original still images and videos from them. The result is something new and beautiful that speaks to our connectedness, as well as the way the internet has changed how we view images. The video I've posted here is an interview with Cassandra about her work. She does a great job of explaining what she does and why she does it.

vanessa marsh

2009-09-08T09:15:00.000-07:00

Vanessa Marsh is a photographer and sculptor based in San Francisco. We went to undergrad together at Western Washington University many years ago, during which time I had the privilege of seeing the beginnings of her artistic career. I haven't seen her in many years, but I love what she's doing these days. She builds models of places from her past and then photographs them. The result is a scene that is both real and surreal, almost as though the viewer is being afforded a glimpse inside Vanessa's memory. I, for one, am grateful for the view.

grain edit

2009-08-27T12:19:00.000-07:00

I have a new favorite blog - Grain Edit. According to their site, it "is focused on classic design work from the 1950s-1970s and contemporary designers that draw inspiration from that time period." What's not to love?

T is for Times

2009-08-25T09:45:00.000-07:00

I just came across this intriguing collection of T’s on But Does It Float. They are all versions of the logo for T Magazine (the New York Times Style Magazine), which I must admit I've never read. Apparently these T's were made by artists and designers for past issues of the magazine. I've posted a few here, but it really is worth checking out the entire set on T Magazine's blog.

gift idea #1

2009-08-12T22:08:00.000-07:00

I want this. Please. Thank you. It's available for purchase on supermarket.com, which, by the way, is a pretty cool site.

via we love typography

charley harper

2009-07-30T13:50:00.000-07:00

I have been a fan of Charley Harper's work for years. The love affair began when I happened upon some notecards with his bird illustrations on them at a little shop three or four years ago, and I have to say it was love at first sight. Relying on simplified, geometric shapes and a playful color palette, his work looks very fresh and contemporary today, while still retaining a 'mid-century' feel. He has inspired many creatives, notably fashion and interior designer Todd Oldham (who wrote a wonderful coffee table book about him a couple of years ago), and graphic designer and illustrator Eleanor Grosch (another favorite of mine - I have three of her prints as well as a pair of Keds she designed).

leigh wells

2009-07-23T08:12:00.000-07:00

I just stumbled upon these "Tangle" drawings by San Francisco-based artist Leigh Wells on The Beholder. I'm really digging her intricate line work and monochromatic color palette. The first 4 are drawings - either ink, graphite or gouache on paper - and the last two are etchings. You can see more here, and some pieces are available for purchase here.

gala bent

2009-07-15T12:27:00.000-07:00

I first came across Gala Bent's work on Joey Veltkamp's blog, Best Of. I just love her generous use of detail and sparing use of color. I believe these are all graphite and gouache on paper. You can see more here, and if you live in Seattle, you can see her work in person at the SAM Gallery from July 16 to August 14.

sean p. morrissey

2009-07-12T13:09:00.000-07:00

Gorgeous prints from printmaker Sean P. Morrissey. I love his use of overlapping lines and geometric forms. They appear to be mostly lithographs, with maybe some etching and silkscreen, but I can't quite tell from the digital images. I wish his website had some information about the media used. Oh well, they're still lovely.

via Pitch Design Union

film the blanks

2009-07-11T14:01:00.000-07:00

Film the Blanks is "an ongoing experiment to abstract and/or reduce film posters," according to its creator John Taylor. He takes movie posters, some iconic and some not, and reduces them to simple graphic elements. The result is often quite beautiful and it's fun to try to guess which movie they are, although I must admit my own movie knowledge is not always up to the challenge.

via Printeresting

eleanor wood

2009-07-08T12:19:00.000-07:00

I just came across one of Eleanor Wood's collage illustrations on Share Some Candy and was intrigued by her use of vintage photographs to create a new narrative. Also, I just really like her color palette.

up & up

2009-07-06T10:30:00.000-07:00

I was at Target yesterday for the first time since January or February and I noticed that they have rebranded the Target store brand as Up & Up. I always thought the old Target store brand packaging was a bit ahead of the curve in that it was very simple, relying heavily on solid color fields and the bulls eye logo. But the simplicity wasn't quite working for the brand, because it looked a bit dull, was very obviously a 'bargain' brand, and some of the packages still managed to look cluttered. The new Up & Up packaging is still simple, still uses solid colors, but feels much cleaner and more upscale, thanks in large part to the amount of white space employed. In addition, the bulls eye has been replaced with with a very simple arrow logo and fun photographic imagery. The typography feels a bit more elegant to me as well, and many of the packages incorporate some playful copy. The overall effect is an iconic, easy to recognize brand that looks both more fun and more upscale than a store brand. I like it.

Here's what the packaging used to look like:And here's the new Up & Up version:

nate lambdin

2009-07-03T16:37:00.000-07:00

I'm really loving these marker drawings by Seattle artist Nate Lambdin. I can't remember how I first came across his work, but I'm glad I did. You can see more here.

bet awards

2009-06-30T10:23:00.000-07:00

I saw a couple of commercials for the 2009 BET Awards over the weekend, and I really like the graphics. The bright colors and contour drawing vector illustrations are fun and youthful, which seems appropriate for this event. The logo is simple but interesting. And after a quick google image search I learned that this year's identity is a HUGE step up from 2008.

silhouette masterpiece theatre

2009-06-27T13:27:00.000-07:00

These hand-cut silhouette illustrations by Wilhelm Staehle have been making the rounds on the internets for a while, but I really love them, so I'm showing them anyway. They're beautiful, witty and reasonably priced. I highly recommend perusing the entire collection.

ito / maceachern

2009-06-26T09:38:00.000-07:00

My friend Madoka Ito and her husband John MacEachern recently moved to Kyoto (where Madoka is from) and so I don't know if they've had time to make a lot of art lately. But I really like this 'Cyclectic Art' they were making. Madoka is a painter - she draws and/or paints on wood panels and John, who is a sculptor, builds the apparatus that houses them. The end result is, as they tell it, an "interactive, mechanical, moving painting / sculpture." It's an interesting take on narrative - sort of a visual choose your own adventure.

betsy schairer

2009-06-25T10:34:00.000-07:00

Betsy and I go way back (we first met in Mrs. Bell's class at Suquamish Elementary) and so I am in no way qualified to be objective about her work. But I love it. She's doing a lot with textiles and mixed media these days and I think she's making some awesome stuff. You can see more on her blog and etsy store. Oh, and this one was drawn at my house - that's my teddy bear:

ryan molenkamp

2009-06-24T19:41:00.000-07:00

I met Ryan when we were in the art department together at WWU and have really enjoyed seeing his work develop over the years. You can see more here.

alan hurley

2009-06-23T21:10:00.001-07:00

I've been a fan of my friend Alan Hurley's work for a long time, and I can tell you from personal experience that his obsession with robots goes way back. These are a few of my favorite of his paintings, but he also does silkscreen, murals and fashion design. You can see more here.

friends week!

2009-06-23T21:04:00.000-07:00

So, I took a little break from blogging while dealing with portfolio show madness (I'm done with school now - woot!), but I'm back. This week I'm going to focus on the artwork of some friends of mine that I really love. I hope anyone reading this enjoys their work as much as I do.

pear'd

2009-06-15T19:39:00.000-07:00

I'm loving this packaging for a line of pear drinks by Chicago based designer Susie Grace. I'm not sure how these bottles would fit on store shelves, but they're so fresh and fun.

via The Dieline

chest envy

2009-06-09T19:33:00.000-07:00

I want this chest. Bad. Inspired by vintage wood type, this chest was made by UK custom furniture shop Kent & London. Anyone have £2700 I can borrow?

via Death by Kerning

a lost art

2009-06-08T17:41:00.000-07:00

I'm loving these simple Polaroids by Grant Hamilton. Beautiful! It's so sad that Polaroids are almost extinct.

via Pitch Design Union

dima belush

2009-05-23T14:15:00.000-07:00

Beautiful images from photographer Dima Belush, shot with an Agat 18K, a Lomo-style camera which has the ability to shoot two frames in one standard 35mm negative space. You can see more here.

via BOOOOOOOM!

sama

2009-05-22T13:49:00.000-07:00

These brightly colored icons for the SAMA Festival make me happy. They're just so fun and pretty! The identity system for the festival, which was designed by UK firm Independent Studio, is based on abstract Asian fabric patterns.

via design work life

jessie douglas

2009-05-21T10:39:00.000-07:00

I'm really digging these screenprints by UK illustrator Jessie Douglas. She has a nice sense of composition and negative space, and the ability to show the beauty in these ordinary street scenes that most people pass right by. You can see more of her work, including her amazing sketchbooks, here and here.

via The Strange Attractor

judge a book

2009-05-20T12:44:00.000-07:00

Thanks to FFFFOUND! I have a new favorite blog. Judge a Book features mostly vintage book covers the author finds in thrift stores in the UK. I have always loved midcentury book cover design - my favorites are Penguin and Pelican - but now I can see so many in one place! I will be anxiously awaiting the next post.

emily ann pothast

2009-05-19T10:59:00.000-07:00

Seattle artist Emily Ann Pothast combines collage with colored pencil or ink drawing to create beautiful geometric images. She is represented by Grey Gallery.

henri draws

2009-05-18T15:52:00.000-07:00

He sure does. I'm loving these drawings, but I wish there was more information available about this mysterious Henri who does most definitely draw. Nevertheless, I recommend perusing his portfolio.

via Changethethought

astrid stavro

2009-05-13T19:11:00.000-07:00

Gorgeous book design from Barcelona design firm Studio Astrid Stavro.

via but does it float

jacob magraw-mickelson

2009-05-12T11:17:00.000-07:00

The first time I saw Jacob Magraw-Mickelson's work was on the cover of Chuck Palahniuk's Rant: An Oral Biography of Buster Casey, which has always reminded me of some kind of medical diagram. Maybe if you were to dissect a fairy it would look like one of these paintings. You can see more on his website.

amy bennett

2009-05-10T16:32:00.000-07:00

When I first saw these oil paintings by Amy Bennett, I thought they were photographs of 3D models, which, as it turns out, is not so far off. From her artist statement: "I am interested in the fragility of relationships and the awkwardness of a group of people trying to coexist and relate to one another. To that end I create miniature 3D models to serve as evolving still lifes from which I paint detailed narrative paintings." The result is a beautiful bizzaro suburban world filled with the mysterious and the mundane. I highly recommend taking a moment to view the entire collection on her website.

via The Strange Attractor

mayuko fujino

2009-05-06T19:16:00.000-07:00

I just stumbled upon these beautiful paper collage illustrations by Japanese artist Mayuko Fujino. I love how she combines traditional Japanese paper (washi) with magazine cutouts to create these fantastical images. You can see more of her work on her website, and also her Etsy store.

via made sweet

sue doeksen

2009-05-02T15:49:00.000-07:00

Papercuts for YCN from Sue Doeksen on Vimeo.

I was intrigued by this tshirt designed by designer and illustrator Sue Doeksen on Reckless Erika and decided to check out her portfolio. She has some pretty cool stuff - I love the way she combines seemingly disparate images to create interesting narrative compositions.

suite pillows

2009-04-29T16:10:00.000-07:00

A fun gift idea for the design nerd who has everything... And the entire Creative Suite is only $80. Available here.

via Swiss Miss

autumn story

2009-04-28T23:02:00.000-07:00

This new video for Autumn Story by Firekites features wonderful chalkboard animation directed by Lucinda Schreiber and Yanni Kronenberg. It reminds me a little bit of those mural animations by BLU. I love it. Of course I am biased since it includes a barn owl, which everyone knows is the coolest kind of owl (if David Bowie can turn into one, they MUST be cool).

via Drawn!

brian banton

2009-04-28T21:14:00.000-07:00

I saw these posters by Toronto designer Brian Banton on Behance today and I am in awe... and in love. You really have to check out the entire set or you're missing out - so many little details to devour and enjoy!

the 3/50 project

2009-04-28T16:59:00.000-07:00

This is a great idea. You know what they say, every drop counts... Check out The 3/50 Project to learn more.

via Pitch Design Union

ricky allman

2009-04-27T11:07:00.000-07:00

Wow. I came across a few drawings and paintings by Ricky Allman on but does it floa t (which, by the way, is chock full of inspiration), and had to see more. The paintings are beautiful with their mysterious, space-like settings and saturated palette of darks and brights, but I think I like the works on paper even more. Amazing shading and line work... wow.

mei yau kan

2009-04-27T10:50:00.000-07:00

I happened upon these beautiful and mysterious lomo-style photographs by Mei Yau Kan on flickr last week. You can see more on her flickr stream.

venn humor

2009-04-26T18:29:00.000-07:00

I just found these hilarious little venn diagrams by Frank Chimero on design work life. You can see them all here.

kyoko okubo

2009-04-26T17:39:00.000-07:00

I love these paper sculptures by artist Kyoko Okubo. Animals + mystery will get me every time. You can see more of her work here.

via BOOOOOOM!

simplicity, FTW

2009-04-21T22:17:00.000-07:00

I love this identity system for Elephant & Castle Shopping Centre by the Design Practice. So simple, yet so clever!

via design work life

sometimes nonsense makes sense

2009-04-19T22:03:00.000-07:00

I just came across these nonsense info graphics on Pitch Design Union. Not sure who made them, but you can check out more on their flickr stream. Who says beauty can't have a sense of humor?

no one does it like you

2009-04-05T13:23:00.000-07:00

I am in love with this new video for my favorite song from Department of Eagles' album In Ear Park. It was inspired by the work of artist and illustrator Marcel Dzama (you may have seen his work on Beck's album Guero, or They Might Be Giants' The Else). Some of his drawings remind me a tiny bit of Henry Darger. You can see more of Dzama's work here.

via Kitsune Noir

shaz madani

2009-03-28T14:09:00.000-07:00

I happened upon this poster by UK designer Shaz Madani on Image Spark today and the message resonated with me. So I decided to check out her website, and learned that it's part of a larger campaign aimed at getting people away from their computers called Man or Mouse. I also found these:

From Madani's website: "An excercise to create a tailor made solution to dissuade an individual from their heavy dependence on a product used on a daily basis and offering them an alternative." Cool.

housekeeping

2009-03-28T13:57:00.000-07:00

As you may be aware, I originally started this blog to fulfill an assignment for my Experimental Typography class. As such, it was primarily focused on typography. Now that the class is over, I plan to continue to share interesting and inspiring design-related things I find in my daily travels on the web and IRL, but I will expand my focus to include other aspects of design, as well as art and illustration. Enjoy!

new math

2009-03-23T17:07:00.000-07:00

These are from a blog by artist Craig Damrauer. They're not exactly experimental typography, but they're so much fun I'm posting them anyway. I like the Modern Art one the best.

via Build

objectified

2009-03-23T16:48:00.000-07:00

More fun with type via Gizmodo. This poster for the upcoming industrial design documentary Objectified (by the same guy that brought us Helvetica) was designed by Build and takes the iconic swiss design style to a more playful level by incorporating the film's logo into the sixth line of objects. The last line shows objects used to make the film. Fun! The poster is available for purchase here.

type geekery

2009-03-23T16:36:00.000-07:00

A friend of mine just sent me this link today from Gizmodo. It's a periodic table of typefaces, designed by Squidspot. I'd say it's incomplete and some of the classifications are debatable, but it's pretty cool, nonetheless.

nice cans

2009-03-17T23:47:00.000-07:00

Two different aluminum beverage cans featuring prominent letterforms - one for beer, the other sparkling wine. I really like the lager can - the simplicity is refreshing, and it has a distinct 70's vibe. I'm not convinced by the Shine can... Couldn't they have found a more interesting S?

Both via the Dieline.

maxwell lord

2009-03-13T22:03:00.000-07:00

I saw this illustration by Russian artist and designer Maxwell Lord on Oatmeal and Cinnamon today. Love it! You can see more on his website, but it's not the best site design...

cody hoyt

2009-02-27T09:54:00.000-08:00

For your Friday viewing pleasure, some beautiful typographic illustrations by artist and illustrator Cody Hoyt. He majored in printmaking at Massachusetts College of Art, and incorporates a lot of traditional print media like intaglio, lithography and silkscreen in his work. The end result is just beautiful. I currently have this one as my desktop wallpaper at home:

via Kitsune Noir

make nice

2009-02-27T09:40:00.000-08:00

Some fun typography work from Portland designer Ven Hist, aka Make Nice.

sanderson bob

2009-02-27T01:01:00.000-08:00

Some very cool type treatments from UK designer Sanderson Bob.

via Changethethought

eika dopludo

2009-02-26T13:41:00.000-08:00

Some pretty cool hand-drawn letters from St. Petersburg-based illustrator Eika Dopludo. Check out her flickr page for more lovely illustrations.

via Pitch Design Union

christiaan postma

2009-02-25T14:27:00.000-08:00

Wow, some pretty cool stuff from Stockholm-based artist and designer Christiaan Postma, rethinking everyday items like clocks and calendars in a fun (and typographic) way.

A typographic clock - the stick-like pieces move to display the hour - this progression shows the change from 3:00 to 4:00:

Calendar wallpaper - I wish I had this in my studio:

Via SeeSaw

darren booth

2009-02-23T21:32:00.000-08:00

I love love love Toronto-based illustrator Darren Booth's hand-drawn type. This is just the tip of the iceberg. His site is full of beautiful things.

via Design*Sponge

not so deadly

2009-02-22T22:12:00.000-08:00

I just saw these candles inspired by the seven deadly sins on Death by Kerning. They're made by Cannes-based company Demèche. I'm not sure how I feel about the labels (they look a little slapped on to me), but I'm loving the type treatment. It has a real vintage calligraphy feel, updated with open spaces and elegant flourishes that do really remind me of flickering candle flames.

when type goes bad

2009-02-15T14:05:00.000-08:00

Anna Friel's dress has NO written all over it. No, really it does. In theory, I like the idea of mixing typography with high fashion, but this just isn't working...

via Go Fug Yourself

letter monsters

2009-02-15T14:03:00.000-08:00

I saw these cute letter monster illustrations on Boing Boing the other day. North Carolina based designer and illustrator Joey Ellis created them to help his son learn the alphabet. They remind me a little of something Reis would do. You can see the whole alphabet on his flickr page.

type love

2009-02-13T20:47:00.000-08:00

Okay, so I'm not generally a huge fan of valentine's day, but this print by Laura George is pretty cool. It's available for sale at Dawanda.

via Print & Pattern

your typography is so 1864

2009-02-08T15:45:00.000-08:00

I recently came across this link to Depression Press' flickr photostream on design work life. They've got a lot great stuff on there, but this book of typefaces from 1864 seems to be getting the most attention. I can see why...

this cup isn't lying

2009-02-05T22:26:00.000-08:00

I saw these coffee cup designs by waldo pancake for UK coffee company Puccino's on The Dieline today. Holy crap these are awesome! I wish we had Puccino's here, although I don't drink coffee or tea so I don't know why I care... Anyway, according to The Dieline, the designer, Jim Smith, has been designing for Puccino's for 10 years and has quite a bit of leeway to play with language and humor. love love love! Waldo pancake's site doesn't seem to be working (probably too many people linking from The Dieline), but you can see a lot more on his flickr site. Also, there's an interview with Jim Smith on Brand New (which I somehow missed).

letterpattern

2009-02-04T23:46:00.000-08:00

I created this pattern from my own hand-drawn initials, based on this quick little pencil sketch:

egg press

2009-02-02T18:16:00.001-08:00

When I lived in Portland, they sold these gorgeous letterpress cards by Egg Press at my local grocery store, New Seasons. Oh, how I miss New Seasons! I've seen these cards at Blue Bottle Gallery in Seattle, but not at the grocery store. But back to Egg Press, they are a small operation based in Portland; their main focus is letterpress printing, but they also do offset and silkscreen. And even their logo is cute!

what I want for valentines day

2009-01-28T23:36:00.000-08:00

I love this silkscreened tshirt by Rotterdam based designer Stiksel. Seriously, if you want to get me a present, for any reason, this is a good one. I'm a size large in American Apparel. Love these tea towels too, but I can't wear them... You can see more on her Etsy Shop.

via Death by Kerning

even the packaging looks good

2009-01-26T12:52:00.001-08:00

Wow, this packaging is some of the most exciting I've seen in a while! It was designed by Pearlfisher for Jamie Oliver's new Jme line of food and kitchen products. I love the playful use of language and type and the vintage-meets-contemporary feel.

via the Dieline

found type - aurora (part 2)

2009-01-24T14:34:00.000-08:00

As promised, more found typography from the set of photos I took on Aurora last year.

wrap it up

2009-01-22T21:31:00.000-08:00

I saw this super cute wrapping paper on Print & Pattern and wanted it instantly. Designed by Swedish illustrator Bo Lundberg for UK retailer lagom's Spring 2009 collection, it somehow manages to look both antique and modern at the same time. Too bad I already have more wrapping paper than I could ever use.

fabric type

2009-01-21T23:38:00.000-08:00

I love Australian artist and designer Rachel Castle's embroidery and applique artwork. She has a lot of fun with type.

via Oatmeal & Cinnamon

good riddance

2009-01-20T01:34:00.000-08:00

I stumbled across Chris Piascik's type illustrations on flickr recently and was truly inspired. He posts a new drawing every day, straight from his moleskine sketchbook, which is just amazing. This one seems appropriate for this most special day...

yes you can

2009-01-20T01:05:00.000-08:00

I just love this poster by UK designer Adam Ellison. Such a clever idea. From his website: "I produced and distributed 200 posters that challenged people to make a change, and continue to make positive changes in the world." Sounds very Barack Obama-esque to me...

via greenthing

found type - aurora (part 1)

2009-01-19T22:14:00.000-08:00

I took these photos on Aurora Avenue about a year ago. There's so much to look at on that street, but I am always struck by the number and variety of signs. Here's a sampling - more to come.