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Here it is! Our annual Design Book Gift Guide! In this list, we’ve compiled our favorite titles from the past year. We hope this helps you find the perfect gift for your loved ones this holiday season.
Take a look at that honkin’ apple! Philadelphia based illustrator Greg Pizzoli creates a fun whimsical environment in this illustration as he plays with the proportion of the massive textured fruit and the teeny tiny cars. There are so many neat colorful details to look at, such as the airplanes in the sky, buttons on the apple, and the varied shapes of buildings on the land.
10.28.10 | Grace Danico | Found design | 
4 comments
Amsterdam based illustrator Stefan Glerum has a unique style that I can’t get enough of. He uses rich colors, textures, and geometric shapes to create this abstracted totemic like figure for the flyer of music event Dog Day Disco. His use of typography is also thoughtfully executed in its shape and simplicity.
10.21.10 | Grace Danico | Found design | 8 comments
The Tree House Press is alias of UK based illustrator and designer Marc Aspinall. This illustration, aptly titled Love Letter, nicely blends rough textures and halftones with organic shapes and distinct line work to create a fun and endearing piece. Read the rest of this entry »
10.07.10 | Grace Danico | Found design | 5 comments
French illustrator Blexbolex is killing it with the illustrations for his latest book Dog Crime, published by Nobrow Press . Inspired by whodunit films from the ’50s and ’60s, Dog Crime is about a man running for his life as he’s entangled in a heated conspiracy. Printed using three spot colors, Blexbolex’s illustrations are bright and punchy as they use an array of overlaid forms.
07.06.10 | Grace Danico | Found design | 28 comments
Summer is officially here, and what better way to spend it than a day at the beach!
This illustration, created by French illustrator Aurélie Guillerey, depicts just that with its cast of characters enjoying a day of fun in the sun. The composition is balanced as it focuses on kids making a pretty awesome sand fort while having other people enjoying outdoor activities in the background. The use of color is cheerful with the perfect amount of textures to highlight small details. Let’s go fly a kite!
06.22.10 | Grace Danico | Found design | 5 comments
London Based illustrator, Rose Blake, is one of my favorite illustrators at the moment. This print, entitled Annus Mirabalis, playfully illustrates the first stanza of the poem “Annus Mirabalis” (Latin for “Wonderful Year”) by Philip Larkin. Rose successfully sandwiches two ambiguous love making figures between the Chatterly ban and the Beatles’ first LP, creating a striking and awkwardly funny image. Her use of color is delightful with the poppy orange as a nice contrast to the dark plum and light blue tones.
06.15.10 | Grace Danico | Found design | 2 comments
London based illustrator, Clayton Junior, has a keen eye for precision as shown here in this image from the “A View From London” exhibition at the London Transportation Museum. Here, he depicts the hustle bustle of the city in a delightful way by cohesively weaving the intricate details of buildings and people with an eye-catching color palette. If I had my choice, I’d want to be one of the kids on the scooter instead of the commuter with the briefcase.
06.08.10 | Grace Danico | Found design | 9 comments
TRIBUTE SERIES: NICHOLAS FELTON (FELTRON) /
Charlotte based designer Matt Stevens recently started a personal project to reinterpret the classic Nike Air Max once a day for a whole month. Along the way he created a series that pays tribute to his favorite illustrators and designers including: Frank Chimero, Mikey Burton, Invisible Creature, Jessica Hische, Michael Schwab, Aaron Draplin and others. Matt absolutely nails it. Without looking at the title of the piece you can easily guess who’s design/ illustration style he’s attempting to capture. It’s Sole good Y’all! (sorry) See the the complete Air Max Gallery here.
06.04.10 | Dave | Found design | 7 comments
Los doce trabajos de Hercules – Illustrated by Miguel Calatayud c1973
Miguel Calatayud is a Spanish illustrator and is best known for his work in the world of comics. I dug up a couple of his books, both of which were published in the 70s by Editorial Doncel as part of their Trinca collection. If your a fan of the early work by Push Pin Studios and the bold styling of Peter Max, I think you will really dig Miguel.
I have a couple extra copies of each book. If you like what you see you can pick up a copy of either Los doce trabajos de Hercules or Peter Petrake in the grain edit shop.
06.02.10 | Dave | Off Our Bookshelves | 21 comments
Every line counts for Texas based illustrator and artist Toby Thane Neighbors. Created as part of the Story Motel group show at the Owl & Lion Gallery, this illustration successfully weaves warm tones and detailed lines to transport us to the old frontier. Neighbors has a nice way of cataloging objects in his works, and this piece is no exception with its bag of bullets, feather, and hungry badger at the heels of the pensive gamekeeper. Read the rest of this entry »
06.01.10 | Grace Danico | Found design | 11 comments
Philippines based artist, Dan Matutina, has a keen eye for rich textures and geometric shapes in his works. Dan started a poster series inspired by his friends Facebook statuses called Status and Shapes. This piece, titled (Sheena Padilla) “LET’S MAKE BAKA, DON’T BE TAKOT,” translates to “Let’s fight, don’t be afraid.” The hot hues clearly communicate the heated adrenaline in a fight, and the shapes are positioned in a way that looks like two fighters boxing.
05.18.10 | Grace Danico | Found design | 15 comments
This illustration from Sweden based illustrator, Ingela P Arrhenius, is a real hoot! It features a earthy colored owl with a geometrically patterned body against the cool colored tree and background. The composition is neat and symmetrical and it makes me feel like hiding in a tree for the day. Who’s in?
04.27.10 | Grace Danico | Found design | 11 comments
Kansas based illustrator and designer, Ty Wilkins, has a keen eye for illustrating animals in a neat and refreshing way. This fox, one of the first in a series of animals, uses minimal geometrical shapes and rich hand painted textures. As a nod to his typographic interests, each illustration incorporates an asterisk, which adds visual charm. I wish I had this little guy as a pet!
04.14.10 | Grace Danico | Found design | 13 comments
Buenos Aires based illustrator and artist, Nate Williams, is a force to be reckoned with! This illustration, entitled Lion and Molecules, uses an earthy palette reminiscent of A&W root beer; the chocolate brown layered over the orange and cream is a real treat! It’s choc full of organic shapes and patterns, including really lovely star bursts and variations in line texture and weights. Nate’s hand drawn type is also very fun and unique as it juxtaposes thick and thin, masculine and feminine.
04.07.10 | Grace Danico | Uncategorized | 7 comments
Berlin based illustrator and designer, Cristóbal Schmal, has an impressive collection of work under his moniker Nomono. This particular piece, created for INOPOLIS’s guided tour for the 90th anniversary of Bauhaus, celebrates Berlin as the modern city. The color palette is limited and the imagery is quite striking. I really love the rough textures and geometrical figures in this illustration, especially the red ray emanating from the foreseeing eye.
03.30.10 | Grace Danico | Found design | 9 comments
Space is the place, and I’m completely head over heels over UK illustrator Matthew Lyons!
This particular illustration, entitled Planet 4570 (1961), is a fake movie title that incorporates dramatic light and shadow, minimal brushstrokes, jewel-like crags, and strong type. His aesthetic is incredibly refined for his young age (21), and his work employs contemporary interpretations of the space age future, which feels new yet distantly familiar.
01.20.10 | Grace Danico | Found design | 28 comments
Guns Pattern 2 – 17″x22″ Designed and Illustrated by Jonny Wan
Really loving the work of Sheffield based illustrator Jonny Wan. His portfolio is filled with interesting explorations with shape and color, plus the dude can draw some guns! If I had cartoon hand, I would ask Jonny if I could take a few of these heaters out to the local hand-drawn gun range to squirt some rounds!
You can catch Jonny over at Twitter and for those interested in purchasing a print, you can pick one up in his shop.
01.12.10 | Dave | Found design | 3 comments
It’s out with the old, in with the new. Goodbye 2009, hello 2010!
Netherlands based illustrator, Esther Aarts, created this holiday greeting card for van Ditzhuijzen accountants. Its charm lies in its personified objects, such as the gleeful teabags and toothy stapler, set against coarsely textured backgrounds. I really like the color scheme with its varied pink hues in stark contrast to the grainy black, and the hand drawn type is also an added plus…making way for a fresh new year.
01.06.10 | Grace Danico | Found design | 14 comments
By land, sea, and air, this illustration takes us everywhere!
Created by illustrator Robert Samuel Hanson for Monocle magazine, this landscape playfully takes us to the scenic countryside to the bustling city. The piece is nicely laid out, with a very clean, matter-of-fact style.I really love all the details Robert’s included, from the tequila truck and Mayan temple, to the billboard advertising cerveza and masked news person…this is where I want to be today.
12.11.09 | Grace Danico | Uncategorized | 6 comments
I spy with my little eye—a dapper gentleman suffering from writer’s block!
Created for Markkinointi & Mainointa (Marketing & Advertising) magazine by Finnish illustrator Lotta Nieminen, this illustration has varied textures and layers that work so well together. The color palette is cool and complementary, and I really dig the different shapes that she uses to accentuate the man’s face and clothing…symmetry at its finest!
12.01.09 | Grace Danico | Found design | 7 comments
Mmm…deliciously patterned sweets!
Swedish illustrator Jonas Bergstrand has an awesome eye for patterns and keen sense for earthy color. These posters, originally created for Pippi Day—an anniversary celebration for Astrid Lindgren’s children’s hospital, nicely juxtapose thick and thin lines, and also has many interesting patterns and forms.
11.19.09 | Grace Danico | Found design | 10 comments
Ah! Nothing beats a spot of tea and the company of man’s best friend!
The composition of this print, created by Buenos Aires illustrator Sollinero, is nicely balanced and uses a relaxing color palette consisting of warm ochres and cool blue. I really love the patterns and details throughout the print, especially the little baubles that tie the rug, lamp, lounge chair, and gentleman’s pants together.
11.04.09 | Grace Danico | Found design | 11 comments
Play that saxophone letter E!
Norway’s Darling Clementine designed this jazzy poster for Blårollinger, a concert series for children and adults in Oslo. I am in awe of all the little creatures and singing and playing instruments; they fit so well with the large type, which have also been personified to have fun! I also really dig the color scheme, with its warm and cool complements…very appropriate for the season and weather.
10.28.09 | Grace Danico | Found design | 10 comments
Step aside Partridge Family, there’s a new bus in town!
This four-color print, by the wonderful Phoenix based illustrator Meg Hunt, incorporates a few of my favorite things: animals, transportation, and lots of patterns! This mobile zoo accounts for a lot of animals, including a llama, zebra, long necked giraffe, and even a tiny little quail. I really love the juxtaposition of wood grain patterned bus against the intricately patterned road and buildings, and the color scheme makes me want some bubble gum. Fun!
10.21.09 | Grace Danico | Found design | 13 comments
wedding invites designed by Katie Kirk
I love these wedding/reception invites designed by Katie Kirk of Eight Hour Day. The invites are for Katie’s sister who plans to get married in Mexico and then have a giant pig roast in Wisconsin. I hope the pig on the front of the invite enjoys his last days of freedom! He’s on his way to being ham nugglets.
Last time we checked in with Katie she was wrapping up work on her first children’s book. The book, which is titled Eli No!, tells the story of a mischievous dog and his journeys. At the time, the book was lacking a publisher. Since then, the book has secured a deal with Abrams. Looking forward to the release!
10.13.09 | Dave | Found design | 8 comments
Los Angeles based illustrator, Christopher Lee, has an eye for designing kooky characters. This poster, originally created for Gallery 1988‘s group show “Crazy for Cult,” has a fun take on some characters from cult classic movies. The colors are reminiscent of my mom’s old tupperware (hooray for avocado green!), and the mixture of type is really pleasing to the eye. From Howard the Duck to Data from The Goonies, there are so many little intricacies within each character of this poster that it forces my hungry eye to want more!
09.30.09 | Grace Danico | Found design | 12 comments
C’mon ride the train & ride it! Toot! Toot!
This cheerful train track is created by Tokyo based illustrator and character designer, Toru Fukuda. He runs a delightful website titled Drawing Wonder, where he illustrates whimsical cartoons inspired from the 1960s and 1970s.
This particular illustration depicts unhitched trains, alternate tunnels, a nice water tower, even a free wheelin’ mustached conductor! Using multiple hand drawn layers, bright primary colors and thick lines, Toru successfully channels his inner Ed Emberley. Who’s up for a ride to Happyville?
09.09.09 | Grace Danico | Found design | 12 comments
Brazilian designer, Odiléa Toscano, illustrated delightful magazine covers and book jackets in the 1960s and 1970s. This particular illustration, created as the cover of Visão Magazine in 1962, omits a handful of energy as it uses bright complementary colors and geometric heavy forms and type. I really enjoy the intricate cutouts of the subject’s hair and the shapes he’s about to twist with his wrench!
(Via Design Diário)
08.19.09 | Grace Danico | Found design | 7 comments
Ah, the joy and merriment of the carousel! This record cover by Portland based illustrator, S.britt, depicts all the fun adults can have riding on whirling whimsical animals.
Created for Canadian based bands The Low Tones and The Redstripes, this illustration juxtaposes cheery animals and people with the morbid title of “Spin Till You Die.” The assortment of colors remind me of my mom’s Tupperware from the ’70s, and the textures add a familiar worn-in touch. The pink and white of the carousel top are also like Mother’s Circus Animal cookies. Yum!
08.12.09 | Grace Danico | Found design | 6 comments
Cecilie Ellefsen is a Norwegian illustrator and animator with a fine talent for creating intricate dioramas made of paper and plastic. Her work incorporates brightly colored cutouts of animals, forests, and mythical creatures. Her compositions pose a lot of depth, and they’re so fun to look at (especially when they’re lit!). Read the rest of this entry »
08.03.09 | Grace Danico | Found design | 8 comments
Illustration for Cottage Life Magazine
Edward McGowan is an Edinburgh based illustrator with a keen eye for bright colors and rough textures.
This particular illustration, created for Cottage Life Magazine, features a white house surrounded by tall cone shaped clusters of trees and various patches of green. The composition draws one’s eye to the tiny house and skinny path, which connects the earth to the sea. The textures within this piece are coarse, and the illustration itself is reminiscent of those found in my old Social Studies books from elementary school.
07.22.09 | Grace Danico | Found design | 15 comments
Editorial Design for Issue One of Pendulum Magazine (2009)
Ah, the bustling city. This magazine cover by Canadian dynamic design duo, Komboh, has it all: high-rises, cars, trucks, and busy people. Juxtaposing the grime of the city is a thick, clean white coil, which adds a simple graphic element to the crowded urban streets. The design is straightforward, clean, unpretentious, and nice to look at.
07.17.09 | Grace Danico | Found design | 5 comments
Illustrations for Good Magazine by Always With Honor
Let it be known! These are charted waters, literally!
Designed by Brooklyn based creative collective Always With Honor for GOOD Magazine’s June issue, this devastatingly entertaining info graphic depicts the “Largest Bankruptcies in History.” Its design is straightforward, simple, and fun as it uses bright colors and geometric shapes. Each boat appropriately corresponds with the data, with tiny sailboats depicting small money loss and huge cruise ships depicting major losses.
07.08.09 | Grace Danico | Found design | 4 comments
After feeling around, I’ve come to this conclusion: I can afford a relaxing day in the sun and enjoying more work by UK based illustrator Marcus Walters.
Created for Barclays Bank, this illustration is bright and cheerful amidst a neighborhood of homes for sale. The clever type contained within the cloud nicely complements the analogously colored homes. I especially enjoy the intricate details that lie within the trees and the decoration of the homes. Read the rest of this entry »
07.01.09 | Grace Danico | Found design | 4 comments
One of my favorite past times is sewing, and seeing this poster by Paris based graphic design and illustration studio, Supercinq, makes my crafty little hands flutter with joy!
I love all of the playful shapes and objects within this poster, as well as the clustered mix of fancy hand drawn type. I especially like the color scheme of this piece. The black hand holding a white needle with red thread provides a nice contrast against the lightly textured aqua background.
06.24.09 | Grace Danico | Found design | 10 comments
It’s a fact: adding the letter “D” at the end of the word “Designer” creates a “Designerd.” Should we be ashamed of this? I SAY NOT!
This clever little poster by Brazilian based graphic designer and illustrator, Pablo Lobo, is for the Designerd in all of us. Its monochromatic color scheme resonates true simplicity, and I like how the delicately fancy white typeface is set against a dark thought bubble.
Maybe the thickly mustached gentleman is contemplating the quirks of his next big project? Or perhaps how awesome it is that he’s designed the first pair of pantoes (pant-shoes)!
06.17.09 | Grace Danico | Found design, Uncategorized | 9 comments
Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls! Check out this lovely poster created by London based illustrator Natsko Seki!
In this piece, Seki combines hand drawn elements with intricate details of collage. I love that the bright primary colors are platforms for the bevy of performers, including busy cyclists and trumpet tooting trained seals. She really captures the magic and enthusiasm of the circus with the layered composition, all of which remind me of Boniface’s Holiday by Russian animator Fyodor Khitruk. Did you happen to see the bear on the bicycle?
05.20.09 | Grace Danico | Found design | 9 comments
What a scrumptious illustration by Finnish illustrator and designer, Maija Louekari! She has a sensational eye for bright punchy colors, geometric forms and patterns, as well as fine lines. Louekari won a design competition staged by the Univeristy of Art and Design Helsinki and the iconic textile and clothing designer Marimekko in 2003.
05.06.09 | Grace Danico | Found design | 12 comments
Can’t see the wood for the trees – Poster for shop opening.
Today we would like to introduce you to UK based illustrator/designer, Jeffrey Bowman whose work has been influenced by everything from space exploration and the wonders of the universe to the intricacies of type face creation and pattern repetition.
04.29.09 | Grace Danico | Found design | 23 comments
Very happy to run across the work of Kevin Dart this morning — he has some serious talent going on. His rough textures and sketchy illustration style combine so nicely with the clean 60’s style graphics and type. His work feels like a perfect fit for Seijun Suzuki’s gangster movies. And I love an airplane with a swoosh. I also want that suitcase. So yummy.
04.10.09 | Ethan | Found design | 13 comments
YES! I am really digging this fun and colorful design by Andy J. Miller of Koma Design. Created for Palmercash T-shirts, this design reminds me of one of my favorite animation shorts from Sesame Street featuring an out of this world pinball machine. Miller’s composition is dense, but it’s constantly keeping the eye moving. Every shape and figure melds and trickles it way into another someplace else, creating an overwhelmingly pleasing pattern. His candy coated color scheme is pretty yummy too!
03.24.09 | Grace Danico | Found design | 15 comments
Although it is raining, I’d love to join this golden man for a relaxing tranquil time at the beach. Finnish illustrator, Sanna Paananen, has a real knack for using rich saturated complementary colors and thoughtful line work. In this pleasingly orchestrated composition, we see a nice contrast between the golden sands of the beach and the blue details of the rain, umbrellas, and man’s speedo. Paananen plays with the positive and negative space, concentration, and shape of the rain drops, creating a rhythmically soothing effect to the piece. I especially like the simplistic details in the shell’s line work. Read the rest of this entry »
03.04.09 | Grace Danico | Found design | 9 comments
Like people playing footsie, some trees just wanna play rootsie!
Such is the case in this fun, skillfully crafted illustration by Italian illustrator, Bombo! (aka Maurizio Santucci). Like a fine puzzle, all the pieces fit together nicely. The composition creates a realistic pop-up environment that I wish I could travel to, and I really enjoy the tangled roots and the nervous expression on the tree’s face. Read the rest of this entry »
02.25.09 | Grace Danico | Found design | 7 comments
Dan Reisinger was born in Yugoslavia in 1934 to a family of painters. His early life was filled with adversity including losing most of his family to the Holocaust. In the 1940s he moved to Israel where he eventually joined the Air Force. It was here that he met his mentor and friend Abram Games. In the 1960s he set up a design studio in Tel Aviv where he helped to design the Israeli Pavilion at Expo’67 as well as create a body of work for El Al Airlines.
02.05.09 | Dave | Found design | 18 comments
Philadelphia based illustrator and designer, Tim Gough, has a real knack for eye popping color and juxtaposing thin, densely clustered lines with stronger meatier ones, creating some rich textures.
01.13.09 | Grace Danico | Found design | 5 comments
Swedish illustrator, Klas Fahlen, has such an eye for detail and beautiful energetic line work. Some of his illustrations remind me of the work of Olle Eksell and Stig Lindberg. Check out Klas’ portfolio here via Art Department.
11.19.08 | Grace Danico | Found design | 9 comments
Pinback poster
Lots of good stuff going on in the land of Belgian waffle cookie trees. Delicious is serving up this beauty along with some other tasty treats in their shop.
(Via the always yummy Pica + Pixel)
09.22.08 | Dave | Found design | 7 comments
Eric Tan nailed it with his recent line of limited edition prints for Wall-E. The illustrations were inspired by vintage Disneyland attraction posters.
I saw Wall-E on friday. The theater was packed, as you might expect for the premier in Oakland. Pixar is only a few miles away from my house, so I’m sure there were illustrators who worked on the film in the audience. It was unlike any other Pixar film I’ve seen. Amazing in so many ways.
(image via Slash Film)
Also worth checking:
Exclusive look at the making of the Wall-E picture book.
07.01.08 | Dave | Found design | 3 comments
I wonder who this guy is waiting for? Maybe he’s into Planespotting? Whatever the case, the guy in the back with the brown jacket looks pissed.
Great Airport scene from Japanese illustrator Atsushi Hara. His work is reminiscent of Miroslav Sasek and Richard Erdoes. Check out Atsushi’s portfolio for a selection of hand picked gems.
(via stickers and stuff)
05.20.08 | Dave | Uncategorized | 4 comments
Cool work from Brooklyn based illustrator and designer Stephen Kelleher aka Frankenstyles.
04.30.08 | Dave | Found design | 2 comments
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Richard Erdoes – Policemen around the world c1967
Richard Erdoes was an author and illustrator. He was born in Vienna, Austria in 1912 and later immigrated to the United States. The book above is one of a 3 part “around the world” series. The other two books were Musicians of the world and Peddlers and Vendors of the world. Both of which, were produced around the same time in the late 1960s.
It looks like Erdoes’ used a combination of Pen/ Ink and gouache to achieve the finished look found in the images above. This reminds me of the work of Miroslav Sasek who I believe used gouache as well.
Many thanks to grain edit reader Thorsten Schmidt for sending the following Richard Erdoes link in:
Richard Erdoes magazine illustration
You can pick up a copy of Policemen around the world at Amazon.
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Also available for your viewing pleasure: Ryohei Yanagihara
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04.28.08 | Dave | Off Our Bookshelves | 10 comments
I’m just in awe of Canadian comic book creator and illustrator Pascal Blanchet’s work. It was tough to decide what image to post, everything is so good.
(Many thanks to Julia at Book by its cover for passing this along)
04.17.08 | Dave | Found design | 12 comments
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Concepts – Promotional book for US Steel c1961
Industrial designer / illustrator Syd Mead is well known for his vehicle designs and backgrounds for classic science fiction films like Blade Runner and Aliens during the 1980s. Long before these projects, he produced a series of conceptual illustrations and paintings for US Steel. The futuristic automobiles, diagrams and environments were published in several promotional books during the early 1960s.
These books are intense to look at. The full page spreads are over 2 feet wide and heavily detailed. Keep in mind when viewing the images above, that this work is very early on in his career, as he had recently finished his studies at Art Center in Pasadena.
04.16.08 | Dave | Off Our Bookshelves | 13 comments
Invisible creature has a slew of great design and illustration work at their site including the album art for the latest Hawk Nelson record.
Be sure to check our interview with Invisible Creature.
04.08.08 | Dave | Found design | 4 comments
Frank Chimero is having a great time, apparently. His portfolio is full of super fun, exciting work. As a design student, it’s always thrilling to see work that is equal parts vision, humor, inspiration, and a snappy idea.
04.04.08 | Ethan | Found design | 6 comments
Frank Chimero is having a great time, apparently. His portfolio is full of super fun, exciting work. As a design student, it’s always thrilling to see work that is equal parts vision, humor, inspiration, and a snappy idea.
04.04.08 | Ethan | Uncategorized | 4 comments
The Futile Vignette is a design studio run by Mick Marston, out of Sheffield, UK. Mick’s work is a fun combo of contemporary and vintage illustration styles. Lots of rabbits, cats, girls with pig noses, hands holding things, and 2 George Saunders book covers! (Anyone know if those are in print?)
Bonus points for an interesting website, too!
03.31.08 | Ethan | Found design | 2 comments
VÃ¥rt svenska samhälle – by Sixten Björkholm c1963
Cool book cover illustration by Staffan Wiren. Great example of swedish modern illustration from the 1960s.
On a sidenote, just talked to my friend Joe Beats and he’s got a killer mix online that he put together for designer vinyl toy store Munky King. Listen to the mix here.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
(Staffan Wirén book cover via David at the Klockarp institute)
03.25.08 | Dave | Found design | 4 comments
Letterpress cityscape print by lab partners
Ryan and Sarah aka lab partners sent me a sweet print. My wife and I have been wanting one of these, so we were super excited when the package arrived at the doorstep. I didn’t realize it was letterpressed till I opened the mailer. That really blew me away. I can’t stop touching it! ha
If you like the print above, then you have to stop by the lab partners ETSY shop. Gocco prints and goodies for everyone. Also be sure to check out their wonderful design and illustration work as they post it from time to time on their blog.
03.20.08 | Dave | Product Reviews | 3 comments
Cover illustration/typography for the Yale University Art Gallery spring catalog
Garrett Morin does great work. He draws lots of type and makes people happy. You may have seen his works in the likes of Mike Perry’s Hand Job book. If you click on over to his site, you’ll find lots of happy characters, t-shirt graphics, corn-cob pipes, animated GIFs, skateboard graphics, magazine covers, and a great animated spot for Death Cab for Cutie / MTV.
Garrett’s also a member of the Rad Mountain collective, which recently did some yummy illustrations for Good Magazine. Check it.
03.06.08 | Ethan | Found design | Comments closed
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Giant Golden Book of Biology – An Introduction to the Science of Life c1961
Text by Gerald Ames and Rose Wyler – Illustrated by Charley Harper
It doesn’t get much better then this. This is Charley in his prime.
“In a style he called “minimal realism”, Charley Harper captured the essence of his subjects with the fewest possible visual elements. When asked to describe his unique visual style, Charley responded:
When I look at a wildlife or nature subject, I don’t see the feathers in the wings, I just count the wings. I see exciting shapes, color combinations, patterns, textures, fascinating behavior and endless possibilities for making interesting pictures. I regard the picture as an ecosystem in which all the elements are interrelated, interdependent, perfectly balanced, without trimming or unutilized parts; and herein lies the lure of painting; in a world of chaos, the picture is one small rectangle in which the artist can create an ordered universe.[cite this quote]
He contrasted his nature-oriented artwork with the realism of John James Audubon, drawing influence from Cubism, Minimalism, Einsteinian physics and countless other developments in Modern art and science. His style distilled and simplified complex organisms and natural subjects, yet they are often arranged in a complex fashion. On the subject of his simplified forms, Harper noted:
I don’t think there was much resistance to the way I simplified things. I think everybody understood that. Some people liked it and others didn’t care for it. There’s some who want to count all the feathers in the wings and then others who never think about counting the feathers, like me.”
– Wikipedia
02.25.08 | Dave | Off Our Bookshelves | 29 comments
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Charles Harper’s work looks just as fresh and exciting today as it must of looked 40 years ago. Its been great to see a renewed interest in his illustrations mostly due to the recent release of Todd Oldham’s book Charley Harper: An Illustrated Life. Heres a small sample of Charles’ work for Ford Times. The issues featured above are from the mid to late 60s. In addition be sure to check out the Charles Harper Flickr group. Enjoy!
10.22.07 | Dave | Off Our Bookshelves | 2 comments
We’re really diggin the online portfolio of Bo Lundberg. He draws influence from modern antiques, objects and patterns that he stumbles across in everyday life.
10.16.07 | Ethan | Found design | Comments closed
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In our latest edition of book picks we highlight titles from Wee Society, Intercom, Universe/Rizzoli, Laurence King, TBW Books, HarperCollins and Princeton Architectural Press. In addition, we take a look at a stunning new typeface from Lost Type. All this and more after the jump.
Aart-Jan Venema’s illustrations put a smile on my face. Brimming with loose brush strokes and bursting with color, his work is exuberant and refreshingly childlike. I’m especially fond of the piece above that he created for the Dutch Newspaper NRC. The drawing corresponds with an article that discusses captcha forms which are used to distinguish humans from bots. By creating a hilarious wonderland filled with dogs, ice cream cones, and bowling balls, he portrays the folly of picture captchas and how they can be difficult for users to complete.
The holidays are approaching and Mighty Deals has prepared a special deal of holiday inspired vectors. Hand-drawn elements, greeting cards, background patterns, illustrations, text effects are just a few of the items part of this massive package. All-in-all over 400 design elements are included and AI, EPS and PSD files are provided to allow for customization.
See the complete package here.
Chen Winner is an Israeli graphic artist and filmmaker currently working in London. Highly influenced by printmaking, her animated films contain layered colors, distressed textures, and other elements usually associated with screen printing. This is especially notable in her collaboration with CNN. For the network’s Econundrum series, she created an episode on the ecological dangers of plastic water bottles. Featuring witty and informative imagery, the project won a 2017 World Illustration Award in the Research New Talent category. To watch the video, along with her other films, visit her Vimeo channel.
The Moderns by Steven Heller and Greg D’Onofrio
Looking for some new inspiration or something to add to your winter reading list? Here’s a few of the titles that we’ve received within the last month or so. Included are awesome titles from Abrams, Blast Books, The Monacelli Press, Thames & Hudson, Wee Society and Princeton Architectural Press.
Tishk Barzanji crafts surreal illustrations inspired by modernism and London’s architecture. Brimming with massive windows and shadowy figures, his pieces explore themes of deconstruction and man’s interaction with space. These concepts are also present in his animated work, which demonstrates how objects would move through his mysterious landscapes.
Filled with muted colors and old-fashioned technology, Sébastien Plassard’s illustrations have a vintage flair. The nostalgic imagery often turns surreal and dreamlike as he depicts melting automobiles and horse-car-robot amalgamations. His alluring pieces have added a dash of whimsicality to popular publications such as The New York Times and Télérama.
Keith Negley is an award-winning illustrator whose drawings easily transition between organic line work and rigid collaged compositions. His illustrations have appeared in national magazines, such as the New Yorker and Newsweek, where he’s covered subjects such as racial discrimination, medicine, and entertainment. In addition to his editorial work, he’s designed striking book covers and contributed to collaborative zines and gallery shows. He’s also published two books of his own titled My Dad Used to Be so Cool and Tough Guys (Have Feelings Too).
ITAL/C is a multidisciplinary studio that prides themselves on their diverse array of projects. From wine labels for small vineyards to global campaigns for large corporations, the studio has collaborated on ventures of all sizes. Adding to this varied collection is their assortment of side projects that express the shared interests of their designers. This work has taken on many forms including board games, animations, and silk screened notecards. Most impressive is Indoek, a surf-centric blog run by the studio’s founders. For the website, they’ve designed apparel, zines, surfboard wax packaging, and even curated a photography show. The blog’s most recent design endeavor is Surf Shacks, a book that documents the homes of surfers around the world and features ITAL/C’s original photography and illustrations.
The speckled textures of Simone Noronha’s illustrations give her work the eccentricity of an airbrushed painting, yet the drama of a vintage grainy film. This aesthetic is perfect for clients, such as The New York Times and Vanity Fair, for whom she crafts illustrations for their inviting, yet serious articles. This visual style was also fitting for her submission for The 69 Project, an online group art show that celebrated music from 1969. While illustrating Led Zeppelin’s song, “Babe I’m Gonna Leave You”, she merged simple forms with intricate stippled shading. The combination of these elements capture the bittersweet lyrics and tone of the ballad.
Icinori is the moniker of the design and illustration team Raphael Urwiller and Mayumi Otero. Since 2007, the duo has collaborated on drawings for advertisements and editorial pieces. In addition to their commercial work, they focus on Icinori Publishing, a non-profit that has produced over 30 books and a large collection of prints. Utilizing limited color palettes, speckled shading, and fluid line work, their books illustrate original stories and traditional folktales. To get your hands on their gorgeous products, make sure to check out their shop.
Francesca Sanna is an illustrator and author who illuminates serious issues in a welcoming and endearing way. Through her book and side projects, she tackles subjects such as immigration, education, politics, and body image. Her drawings have a strong sense of narrative and feature lovable characters that confront their battles with strength and positivity. Her recent masterpiece is her book The Journey. With simple sentences and enthralling illustrations, she tells the story of a young family who flees their country to live in a safer area. The book’s fantastic imagery and clever use of color beautifully teaches children about the emotions and struggles that refugees often encounter.
We’ve recently added a ton of great books to our shelves including titles from Princeton Architectural Press, Rizzoli, Laurence King Publishing, Thames & Hudson, and more! See them all after the jump. Enjoy!
Studio Makgill crafts beautiful work that is deeply inspired by their clients’ passions. While crafting the identity for the brewery Wiper and True, Makgill noticed the company’s fascination with nature and the biological process of fermentation. This motivated them to create a packaging system that depicts examples of how humans have used nature to their own advantage. The bottles feature illustrations of elephants performing at circuses, hot air balloons floating in the wind, and much more.
Siobhán Gallagher’s wit and charm shines through her personal illustrations and self-published zines. Her hilariously relatable comics and writings depict the struggles of awkward social interactions, big city living, and modern tragedies such as accidentally liking a crush’s old Instagram photo. This knack for successfully translating contemporary strife has led Gallagher to create editorial illustrations for prominent publications such as MIT Technology Review and Bust. Her collaborative efforts with illustrator John F. Malta are also quite impressive. Together they’ve edited an anthology of apocalyptic art, titled Till Doomsday, and published two editions of their zine, We Out Here. To get your hands on Gallagher’s work, check out her new book, In A Daze Work: A Pick-Your-Path Journey Through the Daily Grind, which was released this July.
Bohuy Kim is a Korean graphic designer who runs the studio Odd Hyphen. A strong believer in creative experimentation, he regularly pursues self-initiated projects such as the poster series Visual Impact. In this collection, he plays with unique typography, 3D illustration, and distortion techniques to explore subjects such as concealment, text, and the vicissitudes of patterns. Many of these elements are also present in his promotional posters for the Goopang art group where he employs abstract compositions and neon color schemes with striking effect.
I am smitten with Anna Hurley’s illustrations. Utilizing simple forms and limited color palettes, she crafts playful scenes full of charming characters. I’m especially fond of her illustration “Celestial Hair”. Here, she depicts a woman with a flowing mane that contains a bustling coral reef and a starlit sky. This enchanting piece encompasses the wit and whimsicality often found in her work.
Erik Kirtley is a Stockholm-based designer with a passion for typography and illustration. He beautifully displays his skills through a poster series titled Random Acts in which he documents everyday activities. With subjects such as “brushing teeth” to the more abstract, each poster has its own unique style, but still retains its connection to the larger theme.
Printmaker, JooHee Yoon, has continued to craft whimsical illustrations and prints that vibrate with color and personality. With Enchanted Lion Books she’s published two charming picture books, The Steadfast Tin Soldier and Beastly Verse, both printed with just three colors. She’s also done much editorial work, regularly illustrating for The New York Times, Plansponsor Magazine, and other prominent publications. To keep up with her work and to buy some of her pieces, make sure to follow her on Instagram and to check out her shop.
We’ve received some awesome titles from Nobrow Press, PIE International, Rizzoli, Standards Manual, and more. Also included are rad bandanas designed by Hitch, gorgeous linen journals from House Industries, and a collection of architecturally-inspired rubber stamps by Aurelien Debat. Check them all out after the jump.
Miranda Mayne launched Mira Design in 2015 with the intention to work with small businesses and socially conscious enterprises. Recent projects include One Tenth – a clothing company that supports survivors of human trafficking in Kolkata. For this collaboration, she crafted simple geometric illustrations to be implemented on t-shirts. Mimicking the movement of water and tides, the graphics represent the changes One Tenth hopes to evoke in the lives of others. Her love for minimalism is also present in her fine art. Reducing objects down to their most basic forms, she paints clean, yet striking compositions on handmade cotton papers.
With bright neon colors and lush gradients, Shawna X crafts illustrations that illuminate today’s hottest political issues. In her recent exhibition, Alone Together, she focused on matters that have heightened post-election, such as discrimination, climate change, and sexism. The title of the series is shown most clearly in the mural above. Here she conveys a growing disconnect amongst the American public. Shawna explains, “We allow ourselves to stay within our comfort zones—our pools—but we don’t reach out to the other side for more open dialogue and understanding. We’re either thriving or dying. We’re both awake and ignorant. We’re isolated yet we’re next to one another.”
Specializing in character design, Marylou Faure creates colorful worlds filled with fearless fashionistas, tattooed hipsters, and adorable animals. These quirky and emotive characters have led to collaborations with Google and Glow to create stickers for their messaging apps. The success of the stickers inspired her to launch a set of her own titled, The Feels. Here she proves her whimsical approach to illustration is a perfect match for the medium. Her hungry hamburgers and flirtatious pairs of underwear would make anyone respond with an enthusiastic, “LOL”.
Glasfurd & Walker crafts memorable brands that burst with personality. Based in Vancouver, they collaborate with an array of Canadian businesses including salons, retail shops, and dining establishments. I am especially impressed with their identity system for Park, a restaurant and distillery inspired by its unique location in the Banff national forest. As an ode to its surroundings, the system features bold typography and retro color schemes reminiscent of WPA posters of the past. This is further reinforced in the packaging for a line of liquors that features illustrations of the area’s beautiful mountain ranges. For visiting campers, the studio designed a plethora of souvenirs including, mugs, pocketknives, merit badges, and matchboxes. These elements come together to create a whimsical brand that celebrates the town’s rustic lifestyle.
Flipping through Brandon Land’s portfolio, I can’t help but smile at the clever nature of his work. He often creates logos that feature optical illusions and double meanings. I’m particularly impressed with his emblem for the fundraiser Run for Lungs, in which a pair of sneakers resembles a set of lungs. This wit is also present in his personal work and satiric illustrations for Super Deluxe. Referencing politics, pop culture, and sports, these drawings serve as social critiques that shed humor on today’s hot topics.
Jose Mendez’s gangly characters and bright berry color palettes are hard to ignore. His wavy strokes and letterforms derive from his love for graffiti, while his skilled use of contrast stems from his studies in graphic design and animation. Utilizing these signature elements, his illustrations dissect human behavior and explore themes such as consumerism, subcultures, and sexuality. While investigating these topics, Mendez finds himself often drawing food. These illustrations have caught the attention of international culinary publications and led to collaborations with Lucky Peach, Noblerot, and Eat Magazine. Today, Mendez bring his unique aesthetic to an array of clients including, the BBC, Converse, and The New York Times.
Elliot Kruszynski’s illustrations fill me with delight. Using simple shapes, he crafts lively scenes in which everyone, even inanimate objects, proudly sport large toothy grins and are consistently excited. Even when tough situations arise, his characters take them in stride and still find joy. This is often reflected in their amplified expressions that are hilariously relatable and almost emoji-like. Kruszynski’s skill for capturing life’s ups and downs has led to collaborations with a variety of clients including, Anorak Magazine, The Telegraph, and Vice.
Opisso Studio crafts impressive identity and branding work for brands and institutions throughout Spain. Often using geometric forms and bright colors, they create memorable logos, custom typefaces, and striking illustrations. I especially love their logo for Asobal, a Spanish handball association. Using simple flat shapes, they crafted a charming handball player who looks focused and ready for battle.
In addition to their identity work, they often create graphics for some of Spain’s most respected museums. While working with The Centre de Cultura Contemporània de Barcelona, the studio employed a range of typographic styles to convey the spirit of each program. For the museum’s ongoing education series, which encourages experimentation and provides activities for families, Opisso created a robust typeface with playful sensibilities. The letterforms’ modularity expresses the program’s structured curriculum, while the striped patterns and neon colors portray its child-friendly components. In stark contrast, a more somber look was implemented for a retrospective focused on the concept of a “siege” by applying large domineering signage on red and black walls.
UI/UX Designer at WRKSHP (Makers of the game Battle Camp and formerly known as PennyPop)
Are you a talented designer with a passion for entertainment and are looking for a way to break into the mobile games industry? We are currently seeking an UI/UX Designer to join our team of talented game professionals either remotely or in our Studio in San Francisco. This role will work closely with our designers and art directors on all of our game projects, including our hit game “Battle Camp”. Our ideal candidate will be extremely well versed with Illustrator, as that will be their primary (but not only) tool used on the job.
Apply for the UI/UX position Here.
See more job details after the jump
Rico Greb is a German designer who often crafts album covers and posters for bands and music festivals. Employing flat shapes and inviting colors, he creates geometric illustrations filled with subtle nuances. A deep look into his compositions reveals minute details that expose hidden characters and telling symbolism. As faces, landscapes, and other images emerge, so does the full story of each piece. Greb’s affection for geometry can also be seen in his collage work, in which he uses mirroring techniques for a heightened effect. These dynamic arrangements are often vibrant and kaleidoscope-like.
If you’ve recently walked into a record store or flipped through the TV channels, you’ve probably seen the art of Jacob Escobedo. In addition to being the VP of creative design at Cartoon Network and Adult Swim, he immerses himself in a number of side projects. He’s designed album covers for bands, such as The Shins and Broken Bells, and crafted editorial illustrations for The New Yorker, MIT Technology Review, and other prominent publications. Highly influenced by vintage sci-fi book covers and artists like David Pelham and Jean Giraud (AKA Mœbius), his work is filled with galactic scenery and otherworldly characters. These cosmic compositions radiate with pink, blue, and purple rays of light that beautifully glisten against the darkness of outer space. Similar colors are also present in his series of album covers for Adult Swim Singles, a collection of free songs by contemporary musicians. The artwork’s marbled and oozing colors look as though they are dripping before your eyes. This optical illusion is brought to life on the project’s website where the illustrations are transformed into interactive animations.
Lucy Jones is an illustrator, designer, and printmaker based in the UK. She often designs posters for musicians and music festivals and takes on self-initiated projects such as designing book covers for stories in The New Yorker. Brimming with collaged photographs, loose brushstrokes, and handwritten scripts, her work is refreshingly uninhibited. By combining these elements with a small handful of colors and typefaces, Jones creates a signature style that is playful and unabashed.
Are you a fan of design and type related books? If so, these Kickstarter campaigns might be of interest to you. The first supports a stunning reference book on the 1972 Munich Olympic Games’ identity system. The second is a detailed biography on designer W.A. Dwiggins. Learn more after the jump.
I love getting lost in Andrew Fairclough’s illustrations. Not only do they hold the drama and charm of vintage comics, but they also possess “true grit” – an expression he uses to describe his love for halftone patterns and grainy visual noise. These elements add a sense of nostalgia and tactility to his art and were prominently featured in his first solo show, Total Control, at China Heights gallery in Australia. In today’s interview, we discuss the exhibition, as well as his passion for teaching and his latest side project – an online shop for textured Photoshop brushes and vectors.
This is the second part in a two-part interview series in collaboration with our friends at Skillshare. For a limited time, you can take Andrew’s class (as well as many other classes) for free. Click here to learn more and receive 2 months of Skillshare Premium for free.
And now on to the interview…
Kate Bingaman-Burt is a prolific illustrator, educator, and beacon of inspiration. Her passion for encouraging and cultivating creativity shines through her work as an associate professor of graphic design at Portland State University. This love for teaching also extends beyond the classroom, as demonstrated through her many lectures and workshops on drawing and zine production. In these discussions, she highlights the importance of artistic discovery and giving oneself time to explore and create. Additionally, she promotes rule-based projects that allow for a clear set of constraints. These values form the foundation for her latest endeavor, Outlet, a retail/workshop space. In today’s interview, we discuss Outlet as well as her many contributions to the teaching community.
This is the first part in a two-part interview series in collaboration with our friends at Skillshare. For a limited time you can take Kate’s class (as well as many other classes) for free. Click here to learn more and receive 2 months of Skillshare Premium for free.
and now on to the interview..
In our latest round of book picks we feature our favorite titles from Floating World Comics, PIE Books, Gestalten, Unit Editions, Electa, Universe, and more. Included is an enchanting story from our friends at Neighbourgoods, Type explorations from the folks at Spin, and a stunning monograph of the highly underrated Finnish designer Erik Bruun. Enjoy!
Karan Singh is an Australian artist living and working in Tokyo. Drawing inspiration from graphic design and op-art, he crafts illustrations and animations that burst with vibrant colors and bold patterns. His lively work has led to collaborations with an impressive list of clients including Sagmeister & Walsh, The US Open, and American Express. I especially admire his work for group exhibitions such as The Tōkyōiter and the OFFF 2016 Archetype book. To see more of his work and animations in action, visit his Instagram.
Do you want to hone your craft or discover new techniques? Join Skillshare, an online learning community with over 15,000 classes in design, illustration, photography, and more. Courses guide students through a series of hands-on and immersive lessons, each divided into short modules, allowing you to learn at your own pace. Featured teachers include logo design legend Aaron Draplin, renown hand letterer Jessica Hische and illustration experts Kate Bingaman-Burt and Andrew Fairclough (Kindred Studio). Premium membership starts at $10 a month (if paid annually) for unlimited access to the curriculum.
Click here to get 2 months of Skillshare Premium for free.
Formes Vives is a creative collective that focuses on creating politically driven work for the common good. Consisting of three designers, Nicolas Filloque, Geoffroy Pithon, and Adrien Zammit, the trio aims to produce work that is original, demanding, and non-commercial. Often working with non-profits and activist groups, they hold a particular interest in crafting visual identity systems without using “authoritarian, tiresome graphic guidelines” that are often associated with corporate brands. This aspiration for individuality has built a colorful portfolio brimming with playful illustrations, bold collages, and large-scale installations.
There is a charming simplicity to Charlotte Trounce’s illustrations. With loose brush strokes and simple shapes, she crafts compositions that are whimsical yet elegant. Having a love for fashion, she often draws the ensembles of her favorite designers such as Stella McCartney and Max Mara. This passion has led to collaborations with magazines including Elle and InStyle where she crafted opening spreads and spot illustrations. Equally impressive is her ongoing illustrated pop-up travel guide series. Published by Walker Books, the series guides readers through San Francisco, Boston, Australia, and Great Britain.
Inspired by pre-digital animation and illustration, Robert Beatty’s work is reminiscent of sci-fi paperbacks and psychedelic albums from the 1960s and 70s. Brimming with ethereal landscapes and otherworldly creatures, his work transports the viewer into a wonderland of lush color and delicate airbrushed textures.
Originally drawn to art through his interest in music, Beatty has gained recognition for designing album artwork for bands such as Tame Impala and Real Estate. While creating these impressive covers, he also crafted a body of unpublished pieces that are now exhibited within his debut book, Floodgate Companion.
Eleni Debo is an illustrator and visual artist living and working in Ghent, Belgium. With loose brush strokes, she crafts playful illustrations for books, editorials, and campaigns for companies throughout the country. Her personal work tells mysterious stories inspired by the transition between wakefulness and sleep, and the link between intimate spaces and the imagination.
Although I’ve been told not to judge a book by its cover, I want to read every book designed by Wang Zhi-Hong. From typography manuals to Albert Einstein’s Ideas and Opinions, Wang has tackled a range of translated volumes for Asia’s book market. Often employing geometric illustrations and minimal layouts, his work is clean, bold, and intriguing. His approach has earned him international recognition including six of Taiwan’s Golden Butterfly Awards, Kasai Kaoru’s Choice Award, and Excellent Works from the Tokyo Type Directors Club. To see designs from throughout his career, check out his book Design by wangzhihong.com: A Selection of Book Designs 2001-2016.
From Fortune Magazine to restaurants in Croatia, Aleksandar Savić crafts illustrations and infographics for a range of clients around the world. Employing geometric shapes and muted color schemes, he crafts artful compositions that are playful yet refined. I’m especially impressed with his collection of portraits. Although the faces are built with flat shapes, his tactful use of color and striped textures make them dimensional and emotive.
Brimming with puffy clouds and the familiar textures of colored pencils, Gizem Vural’s illustrations are deceptively simple. With a balance of sophistication and naiveté, she tackles serious issues such as education standards, carbon emissions, and mental health. This can be seen in the juxtaposition between colors and textures. Employing black and white wiry lines and loose squiggles, she conveys forms of negativity and loneliness. These chaotic strokes often provide a contrast against her robust and colorful characters. Her work has earned her recognition by the Society of Illustrators and a feature in American Illustration 35.
Bráulio Amado is a graphic designer living and working in New York. From comics to music videos, he takes on a number of creative endeavors and always seems to do so with humor and authenticity in mind. I’m particularly impressed with his ongoing poster work for music venues throughout New York. Abstract and experimental, these designs fuse lush gradients with illustrations and photographs in a collage-like fashion. Adding to these compositions, he layers in expressive typography that accentuates the pieces and acts as an analog counterpoint to the purely digital work.
Kyle Metcalf is a Canadian illustrator whose work has graced the pages of The Walrus, Swerve Magazine, and The New York Times. Using thick black outlines and soft colors, he creates charming characters that are often caught in comical situations. Much of this humor comes from a sense of nostalgia that is present throughout his work. Many of the personalities found in his illustrations seem bewildered by their middle age and yearn for their youth. These themes are also present in his still life compositions that portray novelty toys and articles from the past.
Janne Iivonen is a contemporary devotee of ligne clair, a drawing style made popular by Hergé, the creator of The Adventures of Tintin. Inspired by observing the world around him, Iivonen beautifully captures modern life and the behavioral idiosyncrasies that come with living with today’s technologies. His charming illustrations and relatable characters have helped him accumulate an impressive portfolio of clients including The Guardian, Time Magazine, and GQ.
We’ve received some amazing items in the past few months including books from Unit Editions, Princeton Architectural Press, Flying Eye, and more. If you’re looking for gift ideas, there’s plenty to choose from in here. See the complete collection after the jump.
Steve Scott is a London-based illustrator who often tells multiple stories within a single illustration. Like an author writing a novel, he crafts details that enrich the themes of his narratives and reveal the purpose and motivation of each of his characters. He thoughtfully executes his dense compositions by utilizing only 3 or 4 colors at a time. The brightest colors highlight essential elements and guide the viewer’s eyes throughout the piece.
John F. Malta creates imaginative work inspired by his teenage years in the Midwest. His zines and comics, such as Baboom! and The Junkyard, are filled with humorous (and sometimes existential) stories full of rebellious skateboarding punks, guitar playing monsters, and cosmic jungle tigers. His neon color schemes and the mystifying large dark eyes of his characters create lively scenes that vibrate with excitement and mischief. In addition to his personal work, he also collaborates on pieces for The Washington Post, The New Yorker, and Valley Cruises Press. To learn more about his illustrations and creative influences, make sure to follow him on Instagram and to take a look at his annual art anthology, Universal Slime.
Abbey Lossing is a Brooklyn based illustrator who crafts charming drawings and animated gifs full of lively characters and whimsical narratives. Her pastel color palettes and playful use of halftone patterns give her pieces a warm and lighthearted quality, reminiscent of children’s books and comics. Her work has graced the pages of Variety Magazine and The Magazine of Contemporary Illustration as well as Buzzfeed and Vice News. To see more of her portfolio and to take a peek at her process, make sure to follow her Instagram and blog.
Rune Fisker’s illustrations are vignettes of a curious and surreal land. The blank and emotionless faces of his characters add a dose of mystery to his dreamlike landscapes full of leafy vegetation, flying household items, and geometric accents. By depicting just glimpses of each narrative, he creates scenes that are enticingly ambiguous and bound to spark the viewer’s imagination.
By racking up a list of impressive clients like MTV and Wired, Swedish illustrator, Sara Andreasson, is bringing female empowerment to major audiences. Utilizing traditionally feminine color pallets, she depicts strong characters that don’t conform to traditional ideas of dainty femininity. Her figures ooze confidence as their unconventional clothing and proudly worn body hair stand out in front of minimal backdrops. She portrays women of all backgrounds and body shapes by using irregular skin colors, like blues and reds, and accentuating their curves with thick bright highlights. In addition to her illustrations, she promotes her message of feminism and individualism by editing BBY Magazine, a publication she co-founded to create a community for female and queer artists and writers.
At first glance, Kyle Platts’ work is as colorful and playful as a Schoolhouse Rock! segment, but taking a closer look might make you blush. As seen in his monthly comic, Vibe Consultant, and his book, Megaskull, Platts utilizes absurd characters and dark slapstick humor to point out societal follies. His more lighthearted illustrations can be seen within his collaborations with Moog Music and the Sydney Opera House. To take a look at his daily sketches and animated work check out his Tumblr and Instagram.
Joseph Navarro is a Costa Rican graphic designer with a talent for typeface design and lettering. His 3D typographic compositions are often lit from unique angles, creating highlights that guide the viewer’s eyes throughout each design. In addition to typography, he also has a knack for crafting sophisticated branding systems and vibrant geometric illustrations.
Michael Spitz is a freelance graphic designer based in New York City. From logos to illustrations, he tackles a wide breadth of projects and styles. Having a passion for typeface design, his portfolio is chock-full of innovative lettering and monograms. One exploration that is particularly impressive is a metallic bronze monogram that encases the entire alphabet and blooms from A at its center to Z at its rim. His inventive typographic designs are featured in the books New Graphic Design – The 100 Best Contemporary Graphic Designers and Typism 1 and 2.
When it comes to storytelling, Chinese illustrator and animator, Jun Cen, prefers to veer away from the obvious. His conceptual illustrations portray stories in clever and inventive ways. A wonderful example of this is his work for Plansponsor magazine. In the illustration, a diver is seen searching for obscure pearls in order to highlight the complexities of finding an ideal healthcare plan.
Cen’s innovation is also evident within his cunning use of patterns to represent ice, stone, and fur. Rather than drawing these textures by hand, he employs marbled and blotchy patterns that mimic the lighting and colors of these natural surfaces. To see more of his work and to catch a glimpse of his process, check out his blog and Vimeo.
Erman Yilmaz’s passion for street art highly influences his digital work. Like graffiti, his typographic arrangements intertwine with illustrations in an elaborate and colorful fashion. As the elements converge, he inserts hidden details that add extra significance to the message of each poster. To see more of his work, check out his street art and Instagram.
Josh Cochran’s portfolio is a colorful wonderland that is rich with detail and life. Working with muted tones and hand drawn lines, he creates charming monsters and imaginative environments that one could stare at for hours. His whimsical characters have found their way into conceptual illustrations for The New Yorker and large murals for the U.S. Open and Warby Parker. To keep up with his work, make sure to follow him on Instagram.
Violaine & Jérémy is a French illustration and graphic arts studio founded by Violaine Orsoni and Jérémy Schneider. Unafraid of mixing digital and traditional techniques, the studio often combines custom designed typefaces with impressive pencil drawings. Their projects with Parisian institutions such as the Musée des Arts Décoratifs exude the studio’s talent for creating identity systems that are chic and elegantly edgy.
The illustrations of Spanish artist, Raúl Soria, are filled with vivacious colors, whimsical patterns, and pleasant surprises. Although his work is already lively and often surreal, his use of animated GIFs gives his portfolio an extra dose of charm. Don’t be surprised if one of his characters suddenly gives you a friendly wink or curiously raises an eyebrow.
Maite Franchi is a graphic designer and illustrator based in Lyon, France. As seen within her collaborations with Sony, The Huffington Post, and Vanity Fair she crafts editorial illustrations with a bold emphasis on texture and refined color palettes. Often illustrating for articles about cooking and travel, her portfolio is jam-packed with appetizing food illustrations that beautifully pop behind geometric patterns. If pixels were edible, her work would look good enough to eat.
Looking through the portfolio of Lithuanian illustrator, Karolis Strautniekas, feels like stepping onto the set of a film noir movie. Brimming with dark silhouettes, cool tones, and grainy textures, his illustrations tell stories that are seductively mysterious. His work can be found gracing the pages of The New York Times, Forbes, and on his blog where he posts side projects and works in progress.
David Biskup is a London based artist whose illustrations have graced the pages of prominent publications such as The New York Times and The Guardian. His signature style combines bright colors, playful characters, and a touch of dark and risqué humor. In addition to his freelance work, he also publishes visual novellas inspired by his personal life and man’s relationship with creativity.
Here’s the latest round of books and goods to hit our shelves. Included are impressive new titles from Unit Editions, Princeton Architectural Press, Flying Eye Books, Extracurricular Press, GraphicDesign&, Laurence King and others. See all the items after the jump.
Jeremie Claeys is a Belgian illustrator based in Paris. Highly influenced by comic books, movies, and music, he creates whimsical illustrations that are geometrically-charged. His personal side project, 100 Weird Faces, is a daily creative exercise in which he experiments with using different techniques.
Australian artist, Georgia Hill, couples hand drawn typography with monochromatic textures, marble patterns, and illustrations on large scale murals and smaller paper and ink compositions. She purposefully keeps the messages within the work open for interpretation, with the hope that audiences will reflect on their own personal connection to the words and locations of the piece.
French digital artist, Guillaume Kurkdjian, crafts charming 3D illustrations and looping animations that are imaginative and chuckle-inducing. His jovial creations have caught the eyes of many and have lead to projects with numerous companies including Ikea and Lacoste. Inspired by his interest in various art forms, Kurkdjian runs an online magazine, La Maison Wertn, that focuses on collaborations between artists.
Pedro Veneziano is a graphic artist based in São Paulo, Brazil. His 3D illustrations and animations are beautifully rendered with remarkably realistic textures and lighting. He ingeniously employs a variety of materials and typographic explorations to create a unique universe within each of his compositions.
Having worked for Vogue, Penguin, The New Yorker, and many other prominent names, Malika Favre’s illustrations are in high demand. Aspects of her aesthetic come from her background in both math and design. She credits her use of spot colors and minimalism to her time working as a graphic designer, and her clever use of optical illusions and shadows come from her background in physics. Originally from France, Malika now lives in London.
Tiago Galo is a freelance designer and illustrator based in Lisbon. Influenced by unconventional cinema, comics, and people watching, his series of red and blue illustrations are simply charming no matter what peculiar situation his pudgy characters find themselves in.
From his editorial work to his personal projects, Jeff Östberg’s illustrations are inspired by his love for city life, music, and fashion. With soft color pallets and hints of graphic patterns, he strives to capture the essence of each of his subjects, characters that are often inspired by people he encounters in his everyday life in Stockholm.
Josh McKenna is an East London based illustrator and designer inspired by everything tropical. His bold geometric shapes, bright colors, and voluptuous vacationing characters give his portfolio a whimsical and sultry personality. Only two years out of school, Josh’s success is impressive, having already worked with GQ, The Wall Street Journal, and Wired amongst other prominent publications.
Tyler Deeb is a self-taught designer, based in Louisville, Kentucky, who specializes in print, identity, and product design. His beautiful typography and detailed illustrations have graced the pages of publications such as Entertainment Weekly and Fast Company. Deeb’s successful 2012 Kickstarter campaign to produce a set of playing cards, a side project he designed in between freelance jobs, evolved into Misc. Goods Co., an online shop where he sells his card decks, screen printed posters, and a collection of accessories.
Highly influenced by horror movies and Italian Art Deco, Daniel Zender’s colorful yet eerie illustrations have added some edge to numerous publications including The New York Times and Variety. He has illustrated hard-hitting issues such as war, security, race relations, and water waste, and has published is own comics and zines like Giving In and Nope.
Alec Doherty is an illustrator based in London. In addition to his whimsical labels for Partizan Brewing, Doherty’s colorful and imaginative work can be seen on magazine covers, restaurant walls, and newspaper spreads. Recently, he has been crafting hand painted woodcuts that are just as intricate as his illustrations.
As the art director of Esquire Malaysia, Rebecca Chew employs a variety of techniques to bring a fresh perspective to the magazine’s articles and product styling. Utilizing multiple medias, and unorthodox materials, she creates colorfully imaginative (and often provocative) editorials that lead viewers to further examine the controversial topics and unique merchandise she is presenting.
Here it is, our annual book gift guide! Below you will find over 30 titles from our favorite publishers. Included are our top picks for illustration, graphic design and typography. Enjoy!
We’ve received some wonderful titles this week and i’m excited to share them. Included are entries from Lars Muller, Chronicle Books, Print, Penguin Books, Walker Art Center, Vitra and Silvania Editoriale. See all the books and images after the jump.
I’ve been following the work of Christopher DeLorenzo for sometime now and i’ve always been impressed with his ability to skillfully navigate between illustration, type and design with the slightest of ease. Building on simple forms, he crafts character-driven work that is equally informed by his love for film and passion for literature. A native of Massachusetts, Chris briefly ventured into NY for a stint at Saatchi & Saatchi X. He has since returned, to take on the lead design / art director role at the clothing brand Johnny Cupcakes. We’ve featured Chris’s work on the site in the past, but in today’s interview he grants us a closer look into his work and process.
Here’s the latest round of books and goods to hit our shelves. Included are impressive new titles from Nobrow, Chronicle Books, Lars Muller, Laurence King, F&W Media and Princeton Architectural Press. Especially worth noting is Unit Edition’s latest endeavor – a hearty monograph on Lance Wyman.
Created by the team behind OFF LIFE, Yellow is a celebration of illustration and the artists who’ve made it their own. Through Yellow, OFF LIFE wanted to show that illustration isn’t just a medium of pretty pictures; that it can be as powerful as any photograph or piece of writing. With this in mind, they rounded up 52 of the world’s most exciting artists, allocated them each a week of the year and asked them to illustrate one news story that broke within their seven days. The result is an entire illustrated year from 52 unique perspectives. And with the year nearly up, we’re collecting every piece into a beautiful hardback book that showcases what illustration can bring to the biggest issues of our time.
Artists include Jean Jullien, Hattie Stewart, Supermundane, Malika Favre, Ian Stevenson, Stanley Chow, Grace Wilson, Pete Fowler, Martin Rowson, Matthew the Horse, Charlotte Mei, Jamie Coe, Chris Riddell, Martina Paukova, Chris SimpsonsArtist and (literally) dozens more.
OFF LIFE will be taking orders over the next few days through their Kickstarter campaign. Pick up your copy now!
Grain Edit friend and fave, Josh Brill recently updated his shop with a sophisticated collection of canine prints. Included in the series are illustrations of Labrador Retrievers. Boxers and French Bulldogs. See the complete collection here.
Dock 57 is the online moniker of designers Sveta Shubina and Manar Shajri. Hailing from Russia, the dynamic duo specialize in creating logotypes, corporate branding and illustrations.
I’m excited to discover the work of nju:comunicazione, a multidisclipnary studio from the South of Italy. With a diverse portfolio that spans branding, illustration and packaging, they easily transition between work that is sparse and restrained to projects that are highly expressive. See more here.
Lovely work from Marijke Buurlage, an artist living and working in the Netherlands. With a love for animals and plants she crafts vibrant landscapes and precious moments that appear to be frozen in time. Many of her illustrations can be found gracing the covers of books and magazines along with posters and prints. Explore her world further at marijkebuurlage.com
Amazing work from Cruschiform, a creative studio based in Paris with a focus on design and illustration. Founded by Marie-laure Cruschi in 2007, the studio has made a name for itself through it’s thoughtful explorations in color and shape. Building from simple modular forms, Cruschiform creates intricate and visually striking landscapes that demand a closer look. Images from her recent collaboration with Taschen and Philip Jodidio can be found on her website and are well worth a visit.
Michael Driver is a freelance illustrator based in the UK with a knack for crafting colorful and often character-driven work. I’m especially fond of the piece above, which was the winning entry in the D&AD Wetransfer brief ‘Draw Yourself in Ten Years’. In the illustration Michael envisions his future self with a cushy London pad, a slick Eames chair and a noticeable lack of hair.
Kindred Studio is the online moniker and artistic alter ego of Designer and Art Director Andrew Fairclough. Working with a minimal yet refined color palette, he crafts highly detailed imagery that pays homage to spot illustrations of the past and the textural wonders of degraded print. Based in Sydney his client list includes: Penguin, American Express, GQ, Random House, Jack Daniels The Globe & Mail, ESPN, Little White Lies and more.
I am thrilled to discover the work of Gracia Lam. Born in Hong Kong and raised in Toronto, she crafts clever illustrations that reinvent and uplift the everyday and mundane.
I was excited to discover the work of Joseph Veazey. A graduate of the Savannah College of Art and Design, he has since moved onto positions at Adult Swim and Azede Jean-Pierre – an upcoming fashion label based in New York. His illustrations have been featured in American Illustration, Creative Quarterly, CMYK Magazine and Print.
In our latest round of book finds we feature titles from William Wondriska, Friends of Type, Veritas and Princeton Architectural Press. It’s a brief. but solid list filled with solid additions to any library. See all the books after the jump.
It’s hard to deny the allure of Peter Judson’s illustrations. With skill and precision he crafts vibrant landscapes brimming with architectual elements, primary colors and playful patterns.
Today, I have the pleasure of introducing Hannah Tomlinson, a designer living and working in Manchester. A former account executive, she stumbled upon the world of graphic design while working for an advertising agency. This new found interest sparked a desire to adjust her current career path and pursue an education at Shillington – a design school with campuses in the U.K., Australia and the United States. There, she received invaluable guidance from teachers such as Sarah McHugh and grain edit fave Jeffery Bowman. By honing her skills through a series of internships after graduation, she eventually landed a full-time gig at the multidisciplinary firm RetroFuzz. Today Hannah shares insight into the types of projects that drive her and how her experiences at Shillington better prepared her to enter a competitive work force.
02.04.15 | Dave | sponsors | Comments closed
After years of working in the field of education, Veronica Grech decided to pursue her true calling, illustration. Inspired by her love for folk art and the age of exploration, she creates whimsical works brimming with color and life.
Senior Designer – Hybrid Design (San Francisco, CA)
Graphic Designer – Hybrid Design (San Francisco, CA)
Faculty Position for the Illustration Practice MFA program – MICA (Baltimore, MD)
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12.18.14 | Dave | Jobs | Comments closed
Continuing on in our interview series we chat with Catherine Adreani. A recent graduate of Shillington, she has quickly established herself as a thoughtful and capable designer with a well-polished portfolio. Today we discuss how her previous work in the film industry shaped her approach to design and what factors led to her decision to attend Shillington.
12.16.14 | Dave | sponsors | Comments closed
If you’re looking for last-minute gift ideas, we’ve got you covered. We received some exciting new titles this week, just in time for the holidays. Included in the list below are titles from Gestalten, Lars Muller, Kat Ran Press and Metropolis Books. These titles along with many others can be seen in the full version of our Holiday Book Gift Guide.
12.05.14 | Dave | Off Our Bookshelves | Comments closed
Here’s our picks for home and office gifts! Included are prints, desk sets and plenty of stocking stuffers. See all the goods after the jump.
11.26.14 | Dave | Found design | Comments closed
Here it is, our annual book gift guide! Below you will find over 30 titles from our favorite publishers. Included are our top picks for illustration, graphic design and typography. Enjoy!
11.25.14 | Dave | Off Our Bookshelves | Comments closed
Powerless by Andy Westface
The holidays are approaching and with it the hustle and bustle of the shopping season. To help you the navigate the plethora of products that were produced over the past year we’ve prepared a series of gift guides aimed at designers and creative types. In this first guide we’ve teamed up with Redbubble, a creative community and marketplace, to create a curated list of prints and posters. Many of the illustrations featured in the list are available as t-shirts and tote bags as well. Happy shopping!
11.24.14 | Dave | sponsors | Comments closed
Morphoria is a collaboration of seven designers working within a variety of creative fields including photography, illustration, editorial design and interactive media. Their portfolio is filled with impressive work, but i’m especially fond of their identity and exhibition design for DIE GROSSE Kunstausstellung NRW.
11.19.14 | Dave | Found design | Comments closed
We’ve received some wonderful titles this week and i’m excited to share them. Included are entries from Pointed Leaf Press, Moleskine, Kat Ran Press, Buro Destruct, Princeton Architectural Press and Chronicle Books. See all the books and images after the jump.
11.13.14 | Dave | Off Our Bookshelves | Comments closed
After years of grinding away at various design agencies, Austin-based Jose Canales has left to launch his own studio. His portfolio, which can be seen here, showcases his ability to skillfully navigate between type, packaging, illustration and design all with ease.
11.07.14 | Dave | Found design | 3 comments
Continuing our series of process related interviews, we chat with illustrator and designer Justin Pervorse. A Bay Area transplant via Atlanta, Justin has been relentlessly perfecting his craft over the last decade.
I first caught wind of Justin’s talents during his tenure at Mailchimp, where he injected his infectious personality into a series of slick illustrations and campaigns for the email giant. He has since moved on to Dropbox’s internal design department, a position that has allowed him to further expand his creative capabilities. Through the support of his peers, Justin and his team have created a series of self-initiated projects that explore and uplift the spirit of the brand. In today’s interview we highlight one of these projects, delve into his workflow and discuss his earliest days as a designer.
10.14.14 | Dave | Features | 2 comments
Jeremiah Britton’s website recently caught my eye. With a diverse portfolio that spans branding, illustration and type, he easily transitions between fluid line work to projects with a more structured framework. An Oregonian by birth, he now calls Brooklyn his home where he can be found honing his chops at WeWork.
10.13.14 | Dave | Found design | Comments closed
It’s rare that I come across a designer whose work has as much personality and charm as Ty Wilkins. Hailing from Austin, Ty’s portfolio is filled with character-driven projects that showcase his mastery of color, texture and repetition.
Prior to launching his own studio, Ty worked for Gardner Design, where he developed branding, packaging, signage and redesigned LogoLounge. He also traveled extensively, which had a profound impact on his aesthetic sensibilities. Currently, Ty can be found developing advertising campaigns, editorial illustrations and identity work for a wide range of clients including Target, Monocle and Wired UK. In today’s interview, Ty graciously shares his beginnings as a designer and grants us a glimpse into his creative process.
10.06.14 | Dave | Features | 1 comment
I was first introduced to Josh Brill and his work though through his Flora Fauna collection. With nature serving both as a catalyst and a muse, the ongoing series explores and catalogs the identities of plants and animals from around the world. To illustrate these explorations Josh chose to eschew conventional realism in favor of a style that echoes cubist techniques. The end result is vibrant, bold and visually intoxicating.
In addition to sharing the same passion for illustration and design, I was excited to discover that Josh and I shared a similar upbringing. We unknowingly haunted the same swimming holes and drank from the same slush puppy wells while growing up. This served as fodder to fuel our friendship and with this in mind, i’m delighted to present today’s interview with him.
09.29.14 | Dave | Features | 3 comments
The folks over at Daylight, an award-winning moving image company based in Manchester have been working on a series of interviews with local creatives. In their 2nd installment they grant us a rare glimpse into the process, history and inspiration of illustrator Stanley Chow.
09.25.14 | Dave | Found design | Comments closed
The mailman has been good to us this week and we’ve received an impressive list of titles. Included are new books from Lars Muller, Princeton Architectural Press, Laurence King, Chronicle Books, Rizzoli, Thames & Hudson and Nobrow. See all the goodies after the jump.
09.15.14 | Dave | Off Our Bookshelves | Comments closed
I’m loving the retro stylings of Goncalo Viana. A native of Lisbon, he originally studied architecture, but discovered his true passion lies with illustration. His portfolio is filled with dense, layered compositions brimming with geometric shapes and brilliant imagery.
09.10.14 | Dave | Found design | 5 comments
Here’s the latest round of books and goods to hit our shelves. This week’s entries include items from Nobrow, Chronicle Books, Universe, Korero Press, Ryan Gillett and Mid Century Magazine.
09.02.14 | Dave | Off Our Bookshelves | 3 comments
Chad Michael is a designer & illustrator specializing in package design and unique branding. A recent graduate of the University of North Texas, he has already received numerous awards and accolades including the DSVC Top Design Portfolio and the Gary Baseman Illustration award.
08.20.14 | Dave | Found design | 4 comments
Maxime Francout is a French designer based in Montreal. With a love for hip-hop, plants, minerals and black coffee, he creates colorful illustrations that are youthful and fun. Recently he updated his website with some exciting new personal projects as well as work for publishing clients.
08.12.14 | Dave | Found design | Comments closed
08.05.14 | Dave | Found design | Comments closed
07.23.14 | Dave | Found design | 3 comments
Fans of architecture and the World Cup games will appreciate this poster series by Portuguese architect Andre Chiote.
07.03.14 | Dave | Found design | 5 comments
It’s hard not to get lost in the vibrant landscapes of Brad Woodard’s work. His colorful illustrations beckon a response of thought and feeling and invite us to view the world in a more gentle and naive way. A native of the Pacific Northwest, he migrated south to Austin (via Boston) where along with his wife, he set up shop as Brave the Woods – a small but dynamic creative studio. With a burgeoning product line and an impressive client list that includes Target and Old Navy, the gifted duo have established themselves as an emerging force in design. In today’s interview we chat with Brad about the software that drives his workflow, his passions outside of design and more. Enjoy!
06.30.14 | Dave | Features | 3 comments
Born and raised in Japan, Ayaka Ito is talented designer that now calls New York her home. Her portfolio is a refreshing mix of identity work and hand drawn typography, but I especially appreciate her quirky yet playful illustrations.
06.20.14 | Dave | Found design | 1 comment
Christina Magnussen is an Oslo-based illustrator and designer. Along with Hans Christian Oren, she was a founding member of the prolific and much-loved Oh Yeah Studio. In 2013 she went on to establish Gala, an illustration agency that that uses analog and digital techniques to thoughtfully push the boundaries of the medium.
Prints are available of her work at Society6 and the Oh Yeah Studio shop.
06.09.14 | Dave | Found design | 2 comments
Here’s the latest round of books and goods to hit our shelves. This week’s entries include items from Nobrow, Chronicle Books, Lars Muller, The Walt Disney Family Foundation Press and Princeton Architectural Press.
05.21.14 | Dave | Off Our Bookshelves | 1 comment
Public Access Design Fellow – The Center of Urban Pedagogy (Broooklyn, NY)
The Center for Urban Pedagogy (CUP) is looking for designers to join its Public Access Design program as 2014-2015 Design Fellows. They’re looking for NYC-based visual thinkers working in print, ux/ui design, motion graphics, animation, and illustration who are interested in bringing playful visual solutions to the challenges of design for social change.
Visit our job board to learn more.
You can subscribe to our job listings via RSS, Email or follow at Twitterand Facebook.
05.19.14 | Dave | Jobs | Comments closed
Minneapolis-based Werner Design Werks recently gave their website a fresh makeover. With the update comes a slew of new projects, bios (with childhood photos!) and an archive section that features all their classic work. Also included is an awesome case study section that gives readers a sneak peek into their design process. The section is still in development, but they’ve already uploaded sketches and images for their work with the Mrs. Meyers brand.
05.07.14 | Dave | Found design | 2 comments
I first discovered Ed Nacional at the end of 2009 as he was completing his studies at Parsons. He had recently taken on a design internship for the New York Times and was beginning to explore his capabilities as an illustrator. I was instantly attracted to his his bold no-nonsense use of type and stylish yet minimal use of color. Since then, I have enjoyed watching Ed grow as a designer and seeing the projects that have resulted from his efforts. Others have taken notice as well, as popular brands and platforms like Skillshare and Wanelo have sought Ed’s expertise and artistic sensibilities in developing their identities. In today’s installment of the Design in Process series we chat with Ed about his workflow, his passions outside of the office and more!
05.05.14 | Dave | Features | 5 comments
Bernd Kuchenbeiser’s 61 books with black type on white cover lovingly pays homage to the printed word in all it’s glory. Created for a recent event at Vitsoe’s Reading Room, the book also serves as an analog companion to his impressive blog. Contained within is a cohesive collection of titles bound initially by the color (or lack of) of their cover. Accompanying each entry is a brief paragraph that details the qualities whether physical or conceptual that have attracted Bernd’s attention. Available at select Vitsoe shops, the book is free while supplies last.
04.18.14 | Dave | Off Our Bookshelves | Comments closed
This week we’re excited to feature titles from Princeton Architectural Press, Laurence King and Sing Statistics. See all the books after the jump.
04.15.14 | Dave | Off Our Bookshelves | 1 comment
Lovely work from Toronto-based illustrator Mike Ellis. Using multicoloured LEDs the illustrations come to life within a three-dimensional house, exposing things that may not be seen under normal circumstances.
04.14.14 | Dave | Found design | Comments closed
Remember playing the game Telephone as a child? The game that consisted of people passing around a phrase and then laughing at how the phrase gets distorted from one person to the other? Illustration project Exquisite Corpse is like the visual version of Telephone. The collaborative project invites illustrators to participate in a “never-ending” abstract illustration. Each illustrator adds to the piece in sequence while only being allowed to see a small part of what the previous illustrator contributed. The effect is a single, unifying illustration that seamlessly morphs into different ideas and interpretations.
04.11.14 | Dave | Found design | 2 comments
Born and bred in the Lone-Star state, Brent Couchman is a designer and illustrator that now calls San Francisco his home. Noted for his generous use of color, he employs vibrant yet sophisticated palettes that elevate and accentuate the playfulness and meticulous nature of his work. He has received awards and accolades from distinguished publications including Graphis and Print and has established himself as an accomplished designer with a distinct visual voice. After stints at Fossil and Hatch Design he recently decided to venture out on his own with the launching of Moniker – a design and branding studio focused on timeless work and strong client relationships. In our latest addition to the Design in Process series we chat with Brent on his creative process and the challenges of managing a studio.
04.09.14 | Dave | Features | 3 comments
Established in 2001, Kokoro & Moi is a multidisciplinary design studio with a focus on brand identity and interactive work. With a penchant for the curious and the extraordinary; they love asking questions, challenging accepted explanations and inferring possible new worlds.
04.07.14 | Dave | Found design | 2 comments
John Soat is a skilled multidiscplinary designer and recent transplant to New York City. With a diverse portfolio that spans illustration, type and motion graphics he easily transitions between fluid line work to projects with a more structured framework.
03.26.14 | Dave | Found design | Comments closed
Grain Edit fave Janine Rewell recently updated her portfolio with these outstanding ads for Minna Parikka. With bodypaint work by Saara Sarvas & Riina Laine, Janine’s designs come to life in a celebration of Minna Parikka’s spring line.
03.21.14 | Dave | Found design | 2 comments
This week we’re excited to feature titles from Laurence King, Chronicle Books and Baron Fig. See all the books after the jump.
03.19.14 | Dave | Off Our Bookshelves | 1 comment
Josh Emrich is an illustrator and designer based out of Colorado. A former principal at Tenfold, in 2013 he broke off to form his own studio focused on branding and packaging design for craft brewers and artisanal entrepreneurs. His portfolio is filled with outstanding work, but i’m especially fond of his packaging design for Grimm Brothers Brewhouse. Through a series of labels he seamlessly merges slick illustrations, compelling typography and strong visual storytelling. Think Mary Blair with a twist of German macabre.
03.13.14 | Dave | Found design | 1 comment
I was first introduced to Javier Garcia through his intoxicating blog, No Barcode, where he posts his latest vintage finds. It was here that I discovered that he is an accomplished illustrator and designer in addition to having an amazing collection of design related ephemera. A resident of the Bay Area via Mexico he has developed an audience for his highly expressive and colorful illustrations. In today’s interview, the 4th part of our ongoing design in process series, Javier speaks on his passions outside of design, his workflow and more. Enjoy!
03.11.14 | Dave | Features | 7 comments
Infographics take stuffy, boring ol’ data and present it all in a fun, entertaining and easy-to-understand manner. Visuals make all the difference. And with this incredible bundle from Ingimage, your data will never be happier! You’ll get 100 high-quality, premium infographics, all provided in EPS format for super easy customization and editing!
03.10.14 | Dave | sponsors | Comments closed
Novel is a multidisciplinary design firm based in Colorado. Operating out of a dome studio near Denver, they craft unique design solutions with clarity and confidence.
02.28.14 | Dave | Found design | 2 comments
It’s hard not to smile when viewing Danielle Kroll’s latest project. Inspired by vintage flash cards and picture books, the Brooklyn-based designer has created a series of “word recipes” as a way to add some art and whimsy into children’s education. Each recipe features images on the left that illustrate the syllables of the word on the right. The illustrations are silly and fun and always feature Danielle’s signature whimsical style.
02.25.14 | Dave | Found design | 1 comment
Tim Easley is a designer and illustrator from London. A self-professed fan of daydreaming and doodling, he creates bold works brimming with rich textures and vibrant illustrations.
02.10.14 | Dave | Found design | 1 comment
Our friend Nate Burgos has teamed up with Stephanie Di Biase for an exciting new book aimed at working creatives. Featuring illustrations by Lucy Engelman, Broken: Navigating the Ups and Downs of the Circus Called Work, addresses the challenges of toxic work environments and other barriers to getting things done.
01.31.14 | Dave | Found design | Comments closed
Browsing through the portfolio of Mattson Creative, an award-winning design studio based in Southern California, can prove to be a daunting task. It’s easy to be overwhelmed by the quantity and consistent quality of work. I’ve long admired their expressive illustrative style and am especially smitten with their self-initiated projects for popular TV shows including Dexter, Lost and more recently Breaking Bad. We’ve profiled the studio in the past, but in today’s interview we talk with Ty Mattson, the studio’s founder and creative director.
01.29.14 | Dave | Features | 2 comments
Merijn Hos is an Illustrator and Visual Artist based in Utrecht, the Netherlands. Splitting his time between personal and commercial projects he creates rich illustrations where mischievous characters and fantastical machines dot whimsical yet slightly eerie worlds.
01.27.14 | Dave | Found design | Comments closed
If you’re looking to spread some Christmas cheer around, either through holiday cards, flyers, T-shirts, ads or various websites, then you’ll want to jingle all the way with this offer. This Mighty Deal is a collection of 7 deals in one! In fact, you’re not just getting a ton of Christmas-themed resources at once, you’re also getting $880-worth of awesomeness for a mere $19! Included are Christmas related icons, illustrations and typographic designs.
12.18.13 | Dave | sponsors | Comments closed
This post is brought to you by Design Faves. The image above is by Tycho AKA ISO50
As designers, we are constantly seeking new sources of inspiration and often that means looking beyond our discipline. For some of us, this might mean a glance at the latest items in our Pinterest feed, while others will find inspiration in travels or an enlightening book. To add to that list, our friends recently launched Design Faves – a curated collection of art and design work. With frequent updates, the site features posts on architecture, photography, fashion, furniture as well as illustration and graphic design. Included below is a small sampling of what the site has to offer.
12.13.13 | Dave | sponsors | 2 comments
Eight Hour day is the online home and moniker of Katie Kirk and Nathan Strandberg, a husband and wife design duo based out of Minneapolis. Their client list includes The New York Times, Chronicle Books, Williams Sonoma, Random House, among others. Driven by their belief that process and collaboration should be as exciting and fun as the end result, they create work that is honest, smart and succinct. In today’s interview, the 2nd part of our ongoing design in process series, Katie shares some of the challenges of working with a significant other, her workflow for a recent project and much more.
12.10.13 | Dave | Features | 4 comments
If you’re looking for holiday gift ideas, here are a few suggestions. We’ve compiled our favorite books from the past year into one giant list. Included are titles focused on editorial design, typography, identity work and brainstorming.
12.06.13 | Dave | Found design | 4 comments
Moderne Werbe und Gebrauchs Grafik by Hans Neuburg
For those of you that missed the preview, the shop is now live and open to the public. Here’s a few of the items you’ll find inside.
12.05.13 | Dave | Grain Edit News | 1 comment
Set during the political uprising in Cairo, Egypt, during 2011, It’s Time to Move marries Peter Wieben’s text and pencil and gouache illustrations with documentary photography by Dominic Nahr. Part fiction and part truth, the resulting work explores the fears, hopes and unique observations of a small pocket of witnesses living through these extraordinary times.
12.04.13 | Dave | Found design | 1 comment
Today’s post brings us to Madison, WI, the workplace and home of freelance designer Nate Koehler. With an emphasis on illustration and bold typography, Nate creates work that is smart and engaging with a touch of whimsy.
11.18.13 | Dave | Found design | 2 comments
I love giving and receiving books and with the holidays approaching I find myself reviewing my own wish list as well as preparing shopping lists for others. Recently, Chronicle books asked if I would like to take part in their #GiveBooks campaign and in the process gift nine books to family and friends. I gladly accepted the challenge and I’m excited to announce that in the spirit of the holidays one lucky winner will win my gift picks.
11.06.13 | Dave | Contests and giveaways | 8 comments
In this week’s round of books we feature new items from Princeton Architectural Press, Chronicle Books, Lark Crafts, Abrams, Pavilion Books, Universe and Laurence King.
10.23.13 | Dave | Uncategorized | Comments closed
UI/UX Designer + Illustration position – PennyPop (SF,CA)
Design Collaborator – The Center for Urban Pedagogy (CUP)
You can subscribe to our job listings via RSS, Email or follow at Twitter and Facebook.
10.10.13 | Dave | Jobs | Comments closed
Beautiful illustration work from Aurelien Debat, a graduate of the School of Decorative Arts in Strasbourg.
09.09.13 | Dave | Found design | Comments closed
Unit Editions’ latest release, Type Only, explores a current trend in typography: type unsupported by illustration or photography. Featuring designers from around the world the book showcases the power of type when used in isolation.
Tiny Pencil: Issue One – The Forest Issue
64 pages / 21cm x 27.5cm
Filled with lush, monochromatic landscapes, the Tiny Pencil is a new artzine that celebrates graphite-based illustration in all its glory. Founded by Amber Hsu and Katriona Chapman, the inaugural issue explores the theme of “Forests” and features sketches of fantastical funghi, wizards and eerie woodland creatures. Included are contributions by Raymond Lemstra, Kristyna Baczynski, Nick Sheehy, Luke Pearson, Lizzie Stewart. Ward Zwart, Liam Stevens and many others.
Pick up a copy here. Also Tiny Pencil issue 2 is now available for pre-order.
More book picks after the jump.
To commemorate the 50th anniversary of Josef Albers’ Interaction of Color, Yale University Press has released an interactive iPad app for the now classic book on the subject. Beautifully designed by Potion, the app features the original set of over 140 color studies as well as the full text. In addition, a variety of experts and scholars provide commentary on Albers’ theories and work.
08.05.13 | Dave | Found design | Comments closed
Here’s the latest round of books and goods to hit our shelves. This week’s entries include items from MidCentury Magazine, Chronicle Books, Corraini Edizioni, Sappi, Milkfed Press and Princeton Architectural Press.
07.18.13 | Dave | Off Our Bookshelves | Comments closed
Charming work from the talented Christine Rosch, a German illustrator currently living in Scotland.
07.14.13 | Dave | Found design | Comments closed
ICE CREAM FOR FREE is a berlin-based design and illustration studio founded in 2005 by solo artist Oliver Wiegner. Often working with contrasting materials, Oliver creates dense, layered compositions brimming with marbled textures, geometric shapes and sharp typography.
07.12.13 | Dave | Found design | Comments closed
Self-described as an “Italian curly designer”, Elsa Jenna is living and working in New York via Milan. With a portfolio that is steadily growing, her website highlights her ability to comfortably work in a variety of illustration styles. I especially appreciate her contributions to IL Magazine which stand out even amongst an already impressive body of work.
Over one-thousand creative minds are set to descend upon Cleveland for three days in August to see 20 speakers, 20 designers, and over 40 bands at the Weapons of Mass Creation Fest 2013. Will you be one of them?
Now in its fourth year, WMC Fest is the premier art, design, and music event in the Midwest. Founded by the Cleveland based creative agency Go Media designer and partner Jeff Finley, Weapons of Mass Creation Fest inspires, motivates and celebrates those who live to create.
Running August 16 through 18, this year’s Weapons of Mass Creation Fest will feature over 70 performances and will include inspiring talks on topics such as graphic design, art, entrepreneurship, leadership, productivity and creativity. Jaw-dropping art and design shows will highlight both local and regional talent including album art, t-shirt design, typography, poster art, toy design, fashion design and illustration. Over 40 bands will hit WMC’s intimate stages, and attendees will also be treated to epic breakdancing battles from bboys and bgirls from all around the country.
Attendees can look forward to speeches from Jon Contino, Brandon Rike, Kern and Burn and These are Things as well as the design work from Derek Hess, Strawberry Luna, Derrick Castle and Lauren Marx.
Those interested in attending WMC Fest are encouraged to purchase tickets online before they sell out!
Inspiration guaranteed!
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Margherita Urbani is an Italian born graphic designer whose work spans illustration, editorial and interactive. Now living in Philadelphia and working at an advertising agency, Urbani continues to create pieces that are light-hearted and eye-catching. When she isn’t designing, she is flexing her creative muscles by drawing and making zines.
06.14.13 | Dave | Found design | Comments closed
Specializing in vector-based illustration, Longa025 has created a stunning portfolio of infographics, icons, and maps for well-known clients including Monocle, GQ and Rolling Stone Magazine.
06.11.13 | Dave | Found design | Comments closed
Meet Peter Grundy and Tilly Northedge, the creative collaborators behind Grundini. Working with bold colors and simple shapes they create informative illustrations that perfectly marry form and function.
Tres Tipos Graficos is a studio founded in Madrid in 2004 with a focus on branding and editorial design. Although recent work has been for larger-scale clients, they still manage to maintain the energy and personality of a smaller firm. With a strong attention to detail they create work thats stands out from the crowd.
06.07.13 | Dave | Uncategorized | Comments closed
MUTI is a three-man studio out of Cape Town, South Africa with a rich and diverse portfolio. Working with muted tones and hand-drawn typography they create stunning work that evokes a sense of nostalgia.
06.06.13 | Dave | Found design | 2 comments
Blksmith Design Co. is the online home of David Smith, a talented young designer out of Southern California. Specializing in lettering and illustration, he’s built a body of work that has a playful spirit and a vintage edge. Check out his full portfolio here.
06.03.13 | Dave | Found design | 1 comment
Meet Vicente Garcia Morillo, an established designer out of Madrid whose client list includes Adidas, Urban Outfitters and Wired Magazine. His uninhibited style is fresh and unexpected, integrating typography and illustration elements with ease. Keep an eye out for more work to come, as Morillo has recently founded his own studio.
05.31.13 | Dave | Found design | 1 comment
Grain Edit recently launched on Instagram, and one of our most exciting discoveries was the the Spanish illustrator and photographer Argijale. Using Instagram as his personal portfolio, he posts his artistic explorations with colorful characters and intricate pattern work. Hopefully a more formal web presence will be in his future as we look to explore his work in more detail. Catch his updates here.
05.29.13 | Dave | Found design | 1 comment
I really love Jeremy Pruitt’s (aka Thinkmule) contribution to the AIGA Bordo Bello event. The skateboard art show, which runs now through July 3 features a gaggle of hot design talent and celebrates the Colorado lifestyle. Jeremy’s deck features seventeen custom logos, each loosely paying homage to a different aspect of Colorado’s rich and vibrant history. To see all the boards, visit the Bordo Bello website.
Also, be sure to check out Jeremy’s portfolio. Recently updated, the site hosts a curated collection of personal illustration and lettering work.
05.14.13 | Dave | Found design | 1 comment
Fresh picks from our favorite publishers! Here’s the latest books to hit our shelves.
04.29.13 | Dave | Off Our Bookshelves | 7 comments
Today I’m excited to present our very own Grace Danico. Over the last couple of years, I’ve gotten to know Grace as someone who is very fun-loving, warm and personable. These same qualities are reflected in her illustrations. With colored pencils and crayons as her guide, her work flourishes within the constraints of the deceptively simple lines and charming doodles.
I especially appreciate her illustrations of food. Her portfolio is adorned with lemons with mustaches, blushing oranges, pizza slides and other characters laced with Grace’s contagious sense of humor. All of these await your perusal here.
04.26.13 | Dave | Found design | 4 comments
Ricardo Leite is an accomplished graphic designer and art director out of Amsterdam. While juggling a passion for typography and illustration, Leite manages to maintain an extremely clean style without being overly stark.
04.25.13 | Dave | Found design | Comments closed
Marco Romano is a designer and illustrator out of Milan whose designs are both fun and unpretentious. With a portfolio thats steadily growing, Romano has already created illustrations for notable clients such as ESPN and Wired Magazine.
04.19.13 | Dave | Found design | 1 comment
La Tigre is an independent design studio based in Milan and a recent recipient of an ADC Young Guns Award. While their focus is mostly on editorial design, with illustration and infographics being the stars of the show, they also dabble in motion graphics and interactive mediums.
04.16.13 | Dave | Found design | Comments closed
Fresh goods from the field! Here’s the latest batch of items to hit our shelves.
03.29.13 | Dave | recently received | 3 comments
Woodcum is the monikor for one Philip Igumnov. Similar to the Jetpack image, his flickr stream is full of this vintage, 50s style ephemera. While the work is inspired and nostalgic, his take is decidedly more surreal and abstract. I love the use of collage and the sense of humor and play found in this collection.
03.27.13 | Ethan | Found design | Comments closed
Jefferson Cheng is a San Francisco based designer and illustrator with a clear, thoughtful, and playful aesthetic. He uses simple forms and limited colors to create striking images, and his latest zine, Houses, depicts just that in its images related to various domestic activities.
03.18.13 | Grace Danico | Found design, Illustration | 1 comment
Caleb Heisey is a print designer and illustrator out of Philadelphia. Currently working on his MFA in Graphic Design, Caleb has produced several eye catching pieces that showcase his talents in illustration, branding and editorial design.
03.12.13 | Dave | Found design | 1 comment
Work hard and have fun. That’s the motto of Stoëmp, a Brussels based design studio focused on multi-disciplinary branding and web solutions. Their work for Pairi Daiza includes whimsical illustrations, font design and icons and signage.
03.05.13 | Dave | Found design | Comments closed
What better way to start off the week than with some exciting new releases from our favorite publishers? Our latest installment includes whimsical architectural renderings by James Gulliver Hancock, reissues of obscure illustration classics by William Wondriska and Robinson and much more!
03.04.13 | Dave | Off Our Bookshelves | Comments closed
Area 22 is composed of the work of Sonia Chan, a UK transplant now making her living in San Francisco. Chan’s designs are a mix of identity and interactive projects, each one with its own unique character. Chan distinguishes herself by producing designs that are rustic but relevant.
02.28.13 | Dave | Found design | Comments closed
From books on vintage record cover art to typographic notecards, here’s the latest batch of items to hit our shelves.
02.18.13 | Dave | Off Our Bookshelves | 1 comment
Hannah Waldron is an artist and designer that shuffles her time between Stockholm and London. Her work is clean, bright, and filled with geometric forms juxtaposed against loose lines, and varied patterns and textures. The print above is just a taste of her work, and was commissioned by the Victoria and Albert museum in London.
02.07.13 | Grace Danico | Found design | 1 comment
Meet Amber Asay, an up and coming BYU graduate whose designs consist of a combination of clean illustrations and elegant typography. Although her portfolio consists primarily of student work, Asay is currently working in Orlando, Florida as an intern with the Disney Design Group, and will undoubtedly continue to produce intriguing designs.
01.29.13 | Dave | Found design, Uncategorized | 10 comments
Erin Jang is a New York based designer and illustrator with an incredible body of work that pops with color and elegant simplicity. Under the moniker The Indigo Bunting (a small and vibrant bird), she most recently signed on as a partner with Paperless Post, where her cheerful stationery designs are available for every occasion. She also chronicles her love for food through her illustration project titled Food Sketches, where she creates abstract drawings of food eaten and shared with family and friends.
No matter what project she tackles, Erin’s bright and fun personality shines through her work. Be sure to visit her website and blog, and be sure to pick up a calendar (as seen above) and more from her shop.
01.17.13 | Grace Danico | Found design, Illustration | 8 comments
Mr. Chris Rushing is a designer/illustrator/art director working in NYC, at Time Warner. He has a great number of interesting projects and a nice site with which to neatly house them. It looks as though while working at TW Chris has had the chance to create some great web and interactive experiences — these projects are interesting, and well worth a look. What really attracted me to his work, though, was his skill in lettering and illustration. I love the pinache and wit throughout his portfolio. In general, I’d say his work is smart and succinct; interesting and engaging without being overstated.
01.16.13 | Ethan | Found design | 5 comments
Welcome to the light, airy world of Leah Goren. Her illustration style is perfectly California, with bright yet washy shades of yellows, oranges and blues. Leah is one of the very few young illustrators to break the mould of paper and explore other mediums—namely textiles. You can see her work gracing the dresses and iPhones of girls on city streets everywhere.
01.11.13 | Liz Meyer | Found design, Illustration, USA | 1 comment
Early last year, we featured the Olle Eksell tribute site. Johan Anderson, the driving force behind the site, has just announced his latest project – a documentary on Olle’s life and work. The film plans to highlight Eksell’s contributions to Swedish design as well as generate international awareness for this underappreciated visionary. To achieve this, they are seeking additional funding to shoot and edit conversations with respected designers both within Sweden and abroad. If you would like to donate to this effort, please visit their fundraising page.
*Note: The fundraising amounts are in Swedish Krona. I believe if you use Paypal it will handle the conversion from Dollars/Pounds/Euros etc. to Krona for you.
01.08.13 | Dave | Uncategorized | 3 comments
Our good friend Matte Stephens recently completed a beautiful set of illustrations for a Tiffany & Co. iPad app. Through simple animations Matte’s artwork is brought to life in two games that children (and adults!) can play while in-store.
In the first game you decorate a gingerbread house with gems and a cast of Matte’s favorite characters. In addition, you can change the scene from day to night. The second game features Rupert the bear and a little red bandit squirrel catching falling gems. Both games look like a blast!
Mi Diccionario Ilustrado – Illustrations by Acosta Moro
If you’re looking for a fun gift for the holidays, we still have a few copies of Mi Diccionario Ilustrado in our Etsy store. Any remaining copies after the 23rd of December will be taken down in preparation of our new online shop.
It’s here! Our annual giveaway bash is just one way for us to thank all of our awesome readers for another amazing year. For our 2012 Holiday Bash we’ve put together incredible lineup including items from Herbert Matter.net, House Industries, Chronicle Books, Gestalten, Princeton Architectural Press, Matte Stephens and many more.
12.12.12 | Dave | Contests and giveaways | 569 comments
If you’re looking for holiday gift ideas, here are a few suggestions. We’ve compiled our favorite books into one giant list which include illustration and design titles from larger publishers, as well as privately pressed items.
12.07.12 | Dave | Found design | 22 comments
With the holidays just around the corner we’ve been busy gathering the latest books from the designers and publishers we love. Here’s a few of our favorites with more too come soon!
11.12.12 | Dave | recently received | 10 comments
As the saying goes, everything is bigger in Texas. This is true for native Texan Paul Windle‘s illustrations. Now based in New York, Paul manages to create clever and often times hilarious illustrations. I thoroughly enjoy his portraits of mid ’70s baseball dudes, especially this one of New York Yankees catcher Thurman Munson. This is the first from a series titled “Baseball Dudes Around the House,” where we get a glimpse into what Mr. Munson possibly does with his spare time.
11.08.12 | Grace Danico | Found design, Illustration | 7 comments
Laura Carlin has a knack for creating the most interesting projects with a completely new sort of illustration. In fact, I wouldn’t even know how to relate her work to anyone else’s, since her style is so uniquely eccentric and lovely at the same time. I especially love her animals on ceramics, and the textures that she creates on paper with translucent paint and rough paper.
Read the rest of this entry »
11.05.12 | Liz Meyer | Designers, Found design, graphic-design, Illustration | 4 comments
Cultural anthropology fascinates me, so it’s no surprise that I would also be fascinated by the illustrations of Bristol based illustrator Rob Hodgson. His style is unique as he utilizes rough pencil line work and textures with earthy color palettes. These illustrations provide snapshots into an imaginary world of primitive peoples, and the collection of his work on his site further explores themes of botany, astronomy, and human behavior in a symbolic and exciting way. I’m looking forward to seeing what else this gent comes up with.
To keep up to date on Rob’s work, be sure to also visit his blog and follow him on Twitter. Also, pick up a few prints from his shop (save one for me).
11.02.12 | Grace Danico | Found design, Illustration | Comments closed
Walking the fine line between design, illustration and collage, is Stone and Spear, aka Simon Cook. His pairing bright colored shapes with simple allusions to photomontage, he creates intricate compositions that are slightly crazy but really entertaining. I am most drawn to the intense color schemes and how he designs each piece with a graphic designer’s eye, which makes his work quite unique.
10.19.12 | Liz Meyer | Designers, Found design, Illustration | 3 comments
Graphic designer & pattern maker Mansi Shah really has a wondeful grasp on what playful design really looks like. She manages to create a sunny outlook throughout her whole body of work—whether by using interesting, undulating lettering, or by creating bright and quirky vector-based compositions. Her latest venture is really inspiring—Shah Editions, where she creates limited edition products, turning them into small-run works of art. Keep up with the latest from Mansi by visiting her site and her amazing (& sort of secret!) illustration portfolio.
10.12.12 | Liz Meyer | Designers, Found design, graphic-design, USA | 3 comments
Raymond Biesinger, who was one of the first editorial illustrators that I learned about when I got out of college, has some lovely new work on his freshly updated website. One of my personal favorites, Raymond seems to take the most simple of concepts to an entirely new level by creating intricate, complex worlds by using minimal color palettes and impressive line work. You can see Raymond’s influence on many current editorial illustrators, which makes him an important part of the industry’s foundation. He also has several great side projects, including his band, The Famines, & a book which comes out in November called Black & White Illustrations.
10.05.12 | Liz Meyer | Designers, Found design, graphic-design, Illustration | 3 comments
Very cool minimal geometric composition/illustration project from Tilman, a Nuremberg, Germany-based designer. Overall, the collection here is strong and I love how spare these compositions are while still being playful.
10.03.12 | Ethan | Found design | 5 comments
The increasingly amazing & expressive art from Daniel Frost has kept me a fan since the first time I stumbled upon his site a few months ago. While dabbling in the minimalist space, he creates complex stories using simple methods and shapes. My favorite work is from his latest series, called Frostville—a lovely show depicting the fictional world of Daniel Frost.
09.28.12 | Liz Meyer | Found design, Illustration, modern | 10 comments
Cool daily poster project from Anna Kövecses. Aside from being a wonderful creative exercise, the intent is to highlight successful color palettes and provide inspiration.
09.26.12 | Ethan | Found design | 1 comment
Scrawl is a new digital magazine about comics & illustration created solely for the iPad. Scrawl was created as an independent platform for artists, which enables freedom and the opportunity to create and share their work with others. The pilot issue, which is now available as a free download, won both the best in the comics category and the first prize at the “Magnify your world” contest held by Mag+.
09.11.12 | Dave | Found design | 6 comments
We’ve seen some amazing talent emerging from Spain recently and Sergio Membrilas is no exception. Sergio is a freelance illustrator from Valencia that possesses a keen eye for color, a wonderful sense of composition and a large writing utensil (see his profile picture). His portfolio is filled with editorial and advertising pieces that showcase his incredible skills in hand-lettering and character illustration. To keep up with all of his latest, follow this link.
08.28.12 | Dave | Found design | 1 comment
Joohee Yoon is an talented print maker with a fun colorful aesthetic. I was first introduced to her work a while ago through a friend that happened to have an amazing promo she created. Since then, I’ve been following her work closely and am always impressed by her meticulous eye for details. The textures she creates through layering are beautiful, as are the various patterns in her work. This illustration for NPR’s 2013 calendar captures everything I love about her work.
08.02.12 | Grace Danico | Found design, Illustration, Uncategorized | 4 comments
I always enjoys seeing studios diverse in clients and in style. Madrid’s Patten does this very well, with their hands in many different areas. Stylistically they are bold and minimal, clever and catchy. Their work in fashion and design spans photography, illustration, lettering and poster design.
08.01.12 | Ethan | Found design | 10 comments
Halfpastwelve is the online home of Milan-based designer Laura Cattaneo. Currently she works as a journalist for Il Sole 24 Ore, art-directs for la vita nòva and collaborates with IL — Intelligence in Lifestyle magazine.
After browsing her portfolio, I was impressed with the range and quality of her work. She easily transitions from editorial design and illustration to information graphics all while consistently creating work that is visually stunning. I’m especially drawn to her redesign of La Domenica, a cultural supplement of Il Sole 24. Along with team members Adraino Attus, Francesco Narracci and Luca Pitoni, she has created a layout that is minimal yet bold and beckons the reader to explore it’s contents.
07.24.12 | Dave | Found design | 13 comments
While most Grain Edit readers know Lotta Nieminen for her extraordinary illustration styles, but she also has an incredibly rich and beautiful design portfolio. Her keen eye for typography and layout design is relatively unmatched, and each project somehow manages to out-do the last. Together, her two portfolios create an exciting mix of work & almost a perfect dichotomy of truly minimal vs. extremely detailed.
07.20.12 | Liz Meyer | Designers, Found design, graphic-design, Illustration, modern, Typography, USA | 3 comments
Photos by Nobrow
It’s no secret that French illustrator Blexbolex has an affinity for hard-boiled detectives and crime drama. His latest work, No Man’s Land, continues in the narrative style of his previous books Dog Crime and Abecederia, and takes us on a wild journey through one man’s psyche in a quest to retrace the steps he took in taking his own life. At 140 pages, No Man’s Land is an epic graphic novel, chock full of beautiful energetic images. His style is incredibly visually arresting with its limited color overlays and heavy attention to the tiniest of details.
This is definitely a must-have book for any Blexbolex fan or illustration enthusiast, and is available via Nobrow.
07.19.12 | Grace Danico | Product Reviews | 3 comments
Forma&Co is a collaborative Barcelona-based studio. What really caught my eye with this studio were their large-scale programs promoting various happenings in Barcelona. The scope of the programs themselves are interesting: neurobiology and dusk-’til-dawn free museum accessibility. The visual design of the work is great; F&Co have a bold, fun, boisterous style that attracts attention and translates well to bus signs, banners, and city-specific substrates.
They do a lot of fun illustration work as well; check their site for more.
07.18.12 | Ethan | Found design | 1 comment
I’ve been following the work of Glasgow based illustrator and animator Lesley Barnes for quite sometime now. Her illustrations continue to surprise and delight me in their bright colors, geometric shapes, and often magical and mythical subject matter. Her use of patterns and repetition is extraordinary, and is a true visual treat.
06.28.12 | Grace Danico | Found design, Illustration | 8 comments
I love the portfolio of Tomi Um. Her work is clever and thoughtful—just so perfectly editorial—and yet retains such an artful feeling, that she takes the idea of conceptual/op-ed illustration to a different level. I’m consistently impressed at her ability to bring a vibrant visual life to news articles, and makes me hope that I can bring the same sort of excitement to my own work. Tomi has rightly won several awards and accolades over the past few years (such as ADC Young Guns & Print Magazine’s NVA), and here’s to many more for this great young illustrator.
06.08.12 | Liz Meyer | Found design, Illustration, USA | 9 comments
Julianna Brion is a Baltimore, MD based illustrator with a wonderful eye for details and beauty. She creates memorable images, such as this book cover illustration for Roald Dahl’s James and the Giant Peach. I love the way she uses pencil in all of her work, which has a nice textural quality that I can’t get enough of.
05.17.12 | Grace Danico | Found design, Illustration | 8 comments
Fresh work coming from Mr. Brad Woodard in sunny Southern California. Brad’s an accomplished designer/illustrator and an info-graphics whiz to boot. I love his color palettes, form-making and how deliciously his illustration style bleeds into his information graphics. The two play very nicely together.
05.16.12 | Ethan | Found design | 4 comments
I’ve been a fan of Washington D.C.’s Matt Chase for quite a while now. Matt has a lot of versatility as a designer/illustrator and I’m always impressed with his ability to work with a gamut of styles. He transitions so well between smart identity work, engaging, colorful illustration and on-point lettering.
05.09.12 | Ethan | Found design | 4 comments
Photo: Nobrow Press
Ping Zhu is an illustrator from Los Angeles, now calling London her happy abode. Most recently, she released a beautiful Swan Lake concertina published by Nobrow Press, which features images of the performance and all the happenings behind the scenes as well.
The concertina is just one of the many wonderful projects Ping has worked on. Some of her other clients include the New York Times, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, The New Yorker, and Jamie Magazine. Her playful and colorful style shines through in everything she creates, especially in her defined dry brushstrokes and mark making. I can’t wait to see what she comes up with next!
Here’s the latest round of books/guides to hit our mail box.
04.23.12 | Dave | Off Our Bookshelves, Uncategorized | 3 comments
Of the twenty-six letters in the English alphabet, the letter “Q” seems to be to be the quirkiest as it masquerades as a “K” sound, squiggly tail and all. To gain a better understanding and appreciation of all things “Q” related, Berlin based illustrator Katja Spitzer and writer Sebastian Gievert have teamed up to create Quodlibet – a carefully curated illustrated encyclopedia of Q-words inspired by French novelist Georges Perec, who made a book centered around letter “E”.
04.19.12 | Grace Danico | Off Our Bookshelves | 3 comments
Lovely work out of America’s heartland from designer/illustrator Alex Perez. The multi-talented Mr. Perez ably navigates between type, packaging, illustration and design.
04.18.12 | Ethan | Found design, Uncategorized | 8 comments
The portfolio of Oscar Bolton Green is sort of a wonderland of strange and dreamy imagery. I love the simple forms that he works with, but how he manages to create complex scenes and stories out of beautiful bright shapes. He also experiments with lettering, that fits his style of illustration perfectly—slightly amorphous and experimental. If you find yourself loving Oscar’s work as much as I do, he has a book that has just come out, Bird Beak Book, as well as a shop so that you can buy some of his lovely goods.
04.06.12 | Liz Meyer | Found design, Illustration | 4 comments
Santtu Mustonen is a Finnish illustrator currently based in New York. He creates sophisticated and colorful works using three-dimensional techniques. The results are quite stunning and captivating, as you can see from these illustrations created for Flow Festival last year. The marbled patterns in these works are vibrant and lovely, as are the rest of the pieces in his portfolio.
04.05.12 | Grace Danico | Found design, Illustration | 6 comments
Jon Wong is a Bay-Area based designer working at San Francisco’s esteemed Office. His take and design of a Seijun Suzuki film festival is pretty rad. So inspired and well thought-out. There’s so much punch to a system that carries out successfully over multiple pieces and formats (like the wood engraving and deck of cards).
03.27.12 | Ethan | Found design | 6 comments
Parko Polo is the alter ego of Edinburgh based illustrator Edward McGowan. As Parko Polo, Edward pairs bright cheerful colors with bold geometric lines to create images of wonder and exploration. This illustration, titled “Age of Adventure,” depicts just that with a dapper gent in a top hat soaring over craggly mountain tops in his fancy hot air balloon.
03.23.12 | Grace Danico | Found design, Illustration | 13 comments
Thanks to Johan Anderson for notifying me of the brand new Olle Eksell tribute site! Included on the website are videos, suggested links, a timeline, as well as rare photos of Olle with his wife and peers. In addition, Johan worked with the Eksell family to release a small collection of products which feature Olle’s stunning illustration work.
03.19.12 | Dave | Seen Elsewhere | 7 comments
Sam Vanallemeersch is an Antwerp based illustrator with an impressive collection of graphic work featuring a puzzling amount of sharp and fluid shapes. This illustration, created for Pazuzu Illustration Agency, is done entirely with gouache. The colorful arrangement of the flat abstracted shapes creates subtle nuances that are pleasing to the eye.
03.01.12 | Grace Danico | Found design | 3 comments
I recently received a wonderful set of books from Pixar artists Jennifer C. Chang, Daniela Stijleva and CinderBiter art director Katy Wu. The collaborative illustration project entitled Round Robin consists of three books, each centered on a series of fifteen illustrations that are connected through an “add-on” word game. Each artist took a turn in providing a word inspired by the one previously supplied, until 15 two-word combinations were completed.
For the next two weeks the artists involved will take turns revealing the process within each illustration. The first post in this ongoing series is now online.
Read the rest of this entry »
02.21.12 | Dave | Off Our Bookshelves, Uncategorized | 2 comments
I love the work coming from Rifle Paper Co., the small studio of husband & wife team, Anna & Nathan Bond. Sweet and charming, they make work that speaks well to the sentimentality of their illustration style, and embodies the idea of nuanced design.
02.17.12 | Liz Meyer | Designers, Found design, Illustration, USA | 4 comments
Mark Gowing is an Australian-based designer. His work encompasses a variety of media, but I find his poster design to be especially compelling. With a Swiss-oriented reference point, Gowing effectively utilizes simple, geometric shapes with engaging results.
02.15.12 | Ethan | Found design | 9 comments
Mitch Blunt is a UK based illustrator with an interesting straightforward style that pairs vibrant colors with flat textured shapes. His work is thoughtful in its execution and composition with compelling and often playful concepts. This image, titled “The Science of Love” created for Benhealth Magazine, cleverly shows an intricate (and quite possibly explosive) formula for love.
02.09.12 | Grace Danico | Found design, Illustration | 18 comments
Illustration superstar, Damien Correll, has been building up quite a portfolio of work in the past few years. Between his solo career as a freelance illustrator and designer, and his joint design-firm venture with Garrett Morin, Part & Parcel, Damien has taken the editorial and advertising world by storm. His most recent project is an art show at Raised By Wolves in Greenpoint, NY, where he features his newest hand-printed works.
02.03.12 | Liz Meyer | Designers, Found design, Illustration, USA | 4 comments
I recently stumbled upon the charming work of Danielle Davis. Her lettering work pulls from both traditional typography and entirely modern calligraphic styles and she always puts a unique spin on each project. I especially love the small personal illustration touches on each of her projects. Keep up to date with Danielle’s work on her blog and be on the look out for her note card line, Local No. 633, hopefully coming out soon!
01.30.12 | Liz Meyer | Found design | 7 comments
Ted Parker is an international man of mystery, whose work exhibits extreme joy in the most strange and comical of situations. This illustration, titled Jungle Coffee, was created to promote The Village Coffee and Music in Utrecht, Netherlands. Regardless of the subject matter, whether it be dogs smoking, lions dancing, or people and animals engaging in pure rowdiness together, one thing is for sure – Ted’s work is sure to put a big smile on your face.
01.26.12 | Grace Danico | Found design, Illustration | 9 comments
Here’s the latest titles to hit our shelves. This week’s entry includes pieces from Nieves, Pie Books, Nobrow, Chronicle Books, and Lars Muller.
01.23.12 | Dave | Off Our Bookshelves | 7 comments
San Francisco based illustrator Hannah K. Lee offers some sage advice through beautiful hand-drawn type, taken from her zine Issues #1: Lessons of Adulthood. Not only does her portfolio boast wonderful lettering, but it also features an impressive collection of portraits done in a loose gestural style with bold line work and intricate mark making that’s hard to ignore.
Read the rest of this entry »
01.13.12 | Grace Danico | Found design | Comments closed
Column Five is a SoCal-based design studio with a knack for creating eye-catching and persuasive infographics. Their client list boasts well-established magazines and firms that respect and appreciate good design. If you’re fans of their work, you will be excited to know that they’re currently hiring for the following positions:
Graphic Designer – Must be proficient in Adobe Illustrator, InDesign and Photoshop. Must have strong typographic skills and use of space.
Art Director – See job post for full details.
You can subscribe to our job listings via RSS, Email or follow at Twitter and Facebook.
01.10.12 | Dave | Jobs | 3 comments
The work of McBess has been a source of illustrated inspiration for many new artists over the course of his half-decade-long career. A signature part of style that sets him apart with his natural ability to bring out shadows and highlights predominantly using thin tipped felt pens, a very big feat when working monochromatically. I love the use of lettering to give his illustrations more context, and the flowing, style gives another layer to already unique and intricate pieces.
01.09.12 | Liz Meyer | Found design | 7 comments
Jing Wei is a Brooklyn based illustrator with a simple and playful aesthetic that I can’t get enough of. She creates her illustrations through woodblock printing and has a meticulous hand and eye for details. This illustration, created for Lucky Peach Magazine, displays the many varieties of miso and their characteristics such as “miso pale” and “miso funky.” The concept for this piece is well thought out and nicely executed, as is the rest of Jing’s portfolio.
12.22.11 | Grace Danico | Found design, Illustration | 11 comments
Jacqueline Casey – Thirty Years of Design at MIT
If you’re looking for some last minute gifts we still have a few items left in the grain edit shop.
*All U.S. based orders received before 11 am on Tuesday Dec. 21, 2011 will ship priority mail.
12.16.11 | Dave | Off Our Bookshelves | 1 comment
Communal Table is a publication of recipes, illustrations and photographs curated and illustrated by the talented Caroline Hwang and designed by friend of Grain Edit, Joel Speasmaker of Forest. I love the lovely quality of her work, which integrates so well with the casual flowing feeling of this cookbook. I’ve tried out a couple of recipes and they are all quite tasty (the ‘arugula salad’ is awesome). To pick up a copy, you can find it here, & bonus points go to the fact that proceeds go to the Farm to School charity!
12.16.11 | Liz Meyer | Found design | 3 comments
Todd Oldham who put together an excellent monograph on Charles Harper and Kiera Coffee recently released an exciting new book chronicling the work of the late Alexander Girard. This 672-page beast published by Ammo covers virtually every aspect of Girard’s distinctive career. As one of the most prolific and versatile mid-20th century designers, Girard’s work spanned many disciplines, including textile design, graphic design, typography, illustration, furniture design, interior design, product design, exhibit design, and architecture. Exhaustively researched and lovingly assembled by Oldham, this tome is a must-have book on Girard’s oeuvre.
12.12.11 | Dave | Found design, Uncategorized | 5 comments
The portfolio of Jen Mussari is an refreshing mix of quirky handrawn lettering and illustration. What I really enjoy about her style is that it seems very personal and focuses on art-making rather than the production of a commercial product. Jen, with some of her friends, recently launched a really cool project, S Magazine, featuring a lovely cover illustration. Read the rest of this entry »
12.02.11 | Liz Meyer | Designers, Found design, Illustration, Typography, USA | 3 comments
Recently Added to the Grain Edit Job Board:
Designer – GOOD (Los Angeles, CA)
Senior Brand Writer – Fossil (Dallas/Richardson, TX)
Senior Designer / Art Director – Fossil (Dallas/Richardson, TX)
You can subscribe to our job listings via RSS, Email or follow at Twitter and Facebook.
Fun work from the Denver/Dallas group Foundry Collective. These guys have a steady hand in Americana-vintage that translates really well to their identity, packaging and typography. I love their use of color, texture and illustration — their work has loads of personality.
11.30.11 | Ethan | Found design | 4 comments
Here’s the latest round of books/guides to hit our shelves. This batch includes exciting new reads and beautiful work from B.u.l.b Comix, Chronicle Books, Plazm Magazine, Princeton Architectural Press, Laurence King Publishing, Herb Lester, Nobrow and AVA Academia.
11.28.11 | Dave | Off Our Bookshelves | 8 comments
Raymond Lemstra is a Dutch illustrator based in Amsterdam with a unique and playful aesthetic that thematically explores primitivism through character design and masks. He takes great care in every illustration he creates, which is evident in the assiduous details of his line work and compositions. Raymond plays with soft colors, geometric figures, and crosshatching techniques to create strikingly peculiar images that I can’t get enough of.
11.23.11 | Grace Danico | Found design, Illustration | 4 comments
Saul Bass: A Life in Film & Design is the first book to be published on one of the greatest American designers of the 20th century, who was as famous for his work in film as for his corporate identity and graphic work. Saul created some of the most compelling images of American postwar visual culture. Having extended the remit of graphic design to include film titles, he went on to transform the genre. His best-known works include a series of unforgettable posters and title sequences for films such as Alfred Hitchcock’s Vertigo and Otto Preminger’s The Man with the Golden Arm and Anatomy of a Murder. He also created some of the most famous logos and corporate identity campaigns of the century, including those for major companies such as AT&T, Quaker Oats, United Airlines and Minolta.
11.21.11 | Dave | Uncategorized | 10 comments
Château Vacant is Yannick Calvez, Lémuel Malicoutis and Baptiste Alchourroun, a group of French creatives who have hopped the Atlantic and set up their collective in Montréal, QC. As it states on their website, “We create images and videos thinking with objects and spaces.” Their work is eclectic, cutting edge, and slick, with media ranging from graphics and video to photography, illustration, and installation.
11.15.11 | Dave | Found design | 1 comment
Though I’ve been a fan of Jesse Lefkowitz for some time now by sheer chance of spotting his editorial illustrations in publications like Money, Village Voice and Fortune, I’ve only recently discovered his portfolio. His full body of work has a seriously cohesive style that embraces both digital and traditional illustration, but has such a unique updated twist that allows it to fit beautifully as conceptual editorial work. For more of Jesse’s work visit his site & check out his shop to get a few pieces for your own!
11.11.11 | Liz Meyer | Found design, Illustration, USA | 1 comment
2011 has proven to be quite the busy year for our friend Andy J. Miller. This year, he’s taken on a new and exciting personal project with a simple premise: create a new character, every weekday, for one year. The resulting project is Day-After-Day in NOD. As of today, 104 different characters with a variety of emotions and personalities have been created, each one of them representing an aspect of human nature we can all relate to.
11.04.11 | Grace Danico | Illustration | 4 comments
I recently stumbled upon a poster series by a group of four friends who run an illustration studio, Familytree Design. Besides these posters being extremely cute, I really like the way they use lettering as a story-telling device alternate to the actual illustrations. Each of the posters in the series are illustrated and lettered by a different studio mates, which makes for really great variations in style while maintaining the same color palette to keep the look consistent.
10.28.11 | Liz Meyer | Found design | 7 comments
Vesa Sammalisto is a Finnish illustrator based in Berlin with a knack for fine details and playful compositions. A recent winner of the ADC Young Guns 9, Vesa’s work is chock full of cheery color and subtle textures that are extremely delightful to look at.
10.20.11 | Grace Danico | Illustration | 10 comments
Matt Lehman, everyone! That is, if you’re not already acquainted. Matt’s got a wonderfully warm, lovely style that’s hard to resist. In the piece above, like much of Matt’s work, I’m drawn to the combination of color, texture, layout and wit.
10.19.11 | Ethan | Found design | 23 comments
Welcome to the wonderful world of work from Adam Hill (aka Velcro Suit). Aside from having a cool working moniker (Velcro Suit!), Adam’s work is a real pleasure to look at. He gets a lot of mileage from great color palettes and nice, tight typography.
10.12.11 | Ethan | Found design | 4 comments
Autumn is in full swing, and Brooklyn based illustrator Jon Han nicely illustrates the unfolding of my favorite season in this illustration for the New York Sun. Bringing together a melange of lively colors and textures in a unique painterly style, Jon’s work thoughtfully displays a community of people engaging in some of the activities ubiquitous with the season. Jon has a captivating ability to draw his viewers into his illustrations, making them feel like active participants rather than mere observers of scenes like this that transcend into everyday life.
10.10.11 | Grace Danico | Found design, Illustration | 3 comments
You’ve probably seen the work of Carson Ellis on street posts and at record stores everywhere, as she has been the artist representing The Decemberists for the past several years. Her illustration has that magical quality of making you want to pick up a pencil and draw something beautiful, even if you have no drawing ability whatsoever. Her charming work interestingly seems to capture the greys and faded quality of her surroundings in Portland, giving everything a calm and quiet tone. Carson has just recently released a book called “Wildwood Chronicles” with Colin Meloy (of the Decemberists), so be sure to pick that up!
09.23.11 | Liz Meyer | Found design | 7 comments
Forming Vol.1 featuring the illustration work of Jesse Moynihan
Fresh from the mailman, here’s the latest titles to hit our shelves.
09.19.11 | Dave | Off Our Bookshelves | 2 comments
The work of Patrick Macomber (aka South Yall) is pretty dang terrific. I’m always drawn to those designers that operate within a more minimal framework — it’s exciting to see someone arrive at a solution with the fewest moves possible.
09.14.11 | Ethan | Found design | 7 comments
Roman Klonek is a Polish illustrator in Dusseldorf, Germany. His Eastern European roots are very evident in his work, which is often colorful woodcuts of natural scenes full of interesting characters. As Roman states about his work, “You will find a bizarre balancing act between propaganda, folklore and pop.”
09.12.11 | Dave | Found design | 4 comments
I was excited to receive a package from Hans Harthman’s daughter, Fanny Hartmann last week. Contained within was a copy of Hans Hartmann: Ein Lebenfur die Grafik, a 1991 monograph compiled by Fanny with contributions from Joseph Marti and Fred Zaugg. The book is filled with full-color illustrations and photos from Hans’s prolific career as a designer and artist that spanned over 5 decades. Hans Hartmann’s name is often absent from design history books, so most of the pieces are new to me. I’m surprised by the breadth and depth of is work. I’ve seen examples of his posters and logos in the past, but I was unaware that he had ventured into sculpture, stained glass windows and exhibition design.
09.12.11 | Dave | Off Our Bookshelves | 13 comments
I’m a sucker for maps and all things travel related, so it’s no wonder that these postcards by Cape Town’s Radio are so appealing. Each postcard features a map of one of the nine provinces in South Africa, and is chock full of buildings, landmarks, animals, and agriculture representative of each region. Currently a work in progress, the completion of this postcard series will provide a most excellent pictorial view of the entire country.
09.08.11 | Grace Danico | Found design, Illustration | 12 comments
Numbers sure are powerful, and it’s evident in this print by Seattle based illustrator Matthew Hollister. This print, created for the Chicago Art Department’s Power in Numbers show, stacks magic, bad luck, and high times in a fresh and direct style. Matthew’s portfolio is chock full of editorial illustrations employing an array of grainy textures and straightforward imagery, reminiscent of vintage Czech matchbook labels and folk art. Read the rest of this entry »
08.25.11 | Grace Danico | Found design, Illustration | 9 comments
Portland,OR based painter and illustrator Betsy Walton has a knack for creating captivating and dreamy landscapes. Some of my favorite pieces include “Gold” and “Paradise” which also happens to be this week’s poster pick. These works explore the idea/ideal of paradise while working with an aesthetic rooted in American folk art and contemporary figurative illustration.
Giclee prints of the original paintings are available at the Poster Cabaret.
08.22.11 | Dave | Poster Picks | 2 comments
Gwenola Carrere is an illustrator from Brussels, Belgium. She creates intricate and playfully crafted images. Some of my favorite works of hers are from a series of illustrations for Revue Dada titled “Made in Russia”. Influenced from 1920s & 30s Soviet illustration, she borrows attributes from this period while adding a bit of her own contemporary European twist.
08.16.11 | Dave | Found design, Illustration | 6 comments
Finland based artist and illustrator Sac Magique’s bold and direct style is comical and entertaining. He has a way with pairing bright and sometimes unusual color combinations with rich textures to create whimsical images of people and animals. Sac describes his style as “playful aggression, like a delicious custard pie in the face”. I couldn’t think of anything more fun and refreshing!
08.11.11 | Grace Danico | Found design, Illustration | 11 comments
Condiment-loving illustrator, typographer and designer Jaime Van Wart creates some fantastically delicious work. Under the studio moniker Ketchup-Mustard, it’s very fitting that some of her most identifiable pieces were made for a beverage company named Tasty. Van Wart may well be one of the most well-rounded designers to have appeared on Grain Edit. When not creating outstanding typography and identities, she is a software designer for IBM.
08.10.11 | Ethan | Found design | 10 comments
Josh Cochran’s work continually blows my mind. His concepts are thoughtfully executed, as he constructs images with filled with intricate details and pleasing color palettes. This particular piece, created with Cactus Communication for Charter Media, is filled to the brim with all sorts of characters. Some of my favorites include the cake head, dignified bird man, and the dude mowing the sidewalk. Can you spot them? It’s all the fun of “Where’s Waldo” without having to find Waldo.
08.05.11 | Grace Danico | Found design, Illustration | 3 comments
Graphic Design’s hometown, the Netherlands, has no shortage of fantastic designers, illustrators, or artists. Tim Boelaars is one of the many standouts from that fine country.
08.03.11 | Ethan | Found design | 15 comments
Hailing from Arizona, Chaz Russo, also known by his studio moniker ReckerHouse, creates some really nice visuals. The image above is an illustration depicting the bombing of Hiroshima for the wonderful Momentus Project. His works which showcase a use of faceted geometry combined with a muted and restrained palette are my favorites of his. Take some time today to check out more of Chaz’s imagery.
08.02.11 | Dave | Found design | 4 comments
Justin Gabbard is an illustrator operating out of the East Village in NYC. He has a great sense of self in his work, and it seems that everything he does is entirely natural. Justin has been fortunate enough to work on major advertising campaigns (for companies like Kiehl’s & Microsoft) and is featured in some of the nations top magazines (such as Wired, The New Yorker & Businessweek). And while his lettering is impressive in itself, he also has an amazing illustration portfolio which compliments his personal style perfectly. Read the rest of this entry »
07.29.11 | Liz Meyer | Found design | 6 comments
The Modernist / Published by Gestalten
Looking for some new inspiration or something to add to your summer reading list? Here’s a few of the titles that we’ve received within the last month or so.
07.28.11 | Dave | Off Our Bookshelves | 20 comments
Daddy worked hard and Mama didn’t raise no chicken.
Such is the quote that opens Kirk’s portfolio. Delightfully, following sections of the site contain equally awkward colloquial articulations.
07.27.11 | Ethan | Found design | 17 comments
Denis Carrier, working under the moniker Studiofolk, is an Illustrator from France who makes images that are full of good feelings. His work is a great balance of both digital and analog approaches to illustration and exists 50/50 in vector and hand-drawn formats. Denis is also a co-founder of design studio PNTS.
07.26.11 | Dave | Found design | 1 comment
Ana Albero has an incredible illustration style that I can’t get enough of. Working primarily in graphite and colored pencil, Ana creates vibrant textured images of fine ladies and gents from a distantly familiar era often intermingling in an unknown time setting. This particular illustration for the German publication LE MONDE Diplomatique perfectly displays this style, with a dapper man stepping into an eerie office setting where women are steadfastly working with strange stamps. Ana carefully weaves many details in this piece, and successfully does so throughout her portfolio of work, creating memorable and often times humorous images.
07.25.11 | Grace Danico | Found design, Illustration | 2 comments
Looks that Kill is the latest installment in the Yuki 7 book series created by one of our contemporary illustration favorites, Kevin Dart. In this new adventure book written by story artist Elizabeth Ito, we get the opportunity to tag along with Yuki 7 and the Gadget Girls, her special task force of ladies, on one of their missions, immersing us in their thrilling world of seduction, espionage, and glamour. Accompanying the fantastic story are new and energetic illustrations by Kevin and 14 other talented artists, such as Meg Hunt and Matthew Lyons. This book is definitely one worth adding to your collection!
07.15.11 | Grace Danico | Product Reviews | 4 comments
The beginning of the 1960s saw one of the most important steps in the development of corporate communication. Lufthansa employed the designer Otl Aicher and his Gruppe E5 student group to develop a visual identity for for the airline. It was substantially realized in 1963 and up until the present day counts as one of the most groundbreaking corporate design solutions of the 20th century. With a focus on the famous brand identity, the design and advertising history of Deutsche Lufthansa from the 1920s to today is comprehensively documented here for the first time. This volume contains numerous illustrations from the corporate archive and background articles and interviews.
07.11.11 | Dave | Found design | 16 comments
On a recent and most adventurous trip to the South of France, I had the pleasure of visiting the small village of Montolieu. Known as the “Village of Books,” Montolieu has a grand array of artisans that specialize in book binding and printing as well as antiquarian bookstores specializing in everything from vintage periodicals and antiquities to comics, art and kids books.
Today’s post will unearth some of my favorite finds from my trip, including books illustrated by J.P. Miller, Charley Harper, and Alain Gree.
07.08.11 | Grace Danico | Off Our Bookshelves | 10 comments
The name Grady McFerrin should be easily recognizable if you’re a reader of The New Yorker or New York Times, where his illustration work shows up frequently. But, what I like to (of course) focus on is his lovely lettering style. The thing that makes Grady’s work unique is the un-rendered, folk quality of his text; paired with his minimal color palette, he manages to create pieces that could have come straight out of early Americana. What Grady does is highlight the old and oft-forgotten, and sends the viewer a beautifully nostalgic feeling of the past.
07.01.11 | Liz Meyer | Found design, Illustration, Typography, USA | 6 comments
Multi-media designer Justin Harder produces mainly motion graphics for music videos and commercials, but his online portfolio also boasts a rather nice collection of static images. From geometric throwback typography and thick black logotypes, to illustrations and more experimental computer graphics, this LA based creative has a lot of hard work under his belt.
Read the rest of this entry »
06.14.11 | Dave | Found design | 8 comments
This week’s poster pick, Hack & Saw, is by the Dutch illustrator and designer Mara Piccione. The piece appears to be an innocent Autumn medley. However after a closer inspection at the chopped wood and sinister-looking characters, a more devious image begins to surface. Is this the aftermath of a woodland massacre? are these guys constructing a giant slingshot? who knows, but I love how Mara’s work challenges the viewer and often requires a second glance.
You can pick up Hack & Saw at the Poster Cabaret.
06.09.11 | Dave | Poster Picks | 2 comments
Great work from designer Colin Dunn. While still in the design program at MICA, Colin is designing work one would expect to see from someone with more experience. Also, in addition to being enrolled at MICA, Colin is a designer at Pentagram. I love the boldness and clarity of his portfolio — he makes good use of simple typography and a clean layout.
06.08.11 | Ethan | Found design | 5 comments
Our latest addition to the Grain Edit interview series takes us to London, home to the Mum and Dad of Anorak Magazine – Cathy Olmedillas and Rob Lowe (aka Supermundane). Anorak Magazine is “The Happy Mag for Kids” that features imaginative stories, engaging games, and activities illustrated by talented illustrators such as Adrian Johnson, Marcus Walters, Sasha Barr, Clayton Junior, even Grain Edit’s own Liam Devowski. In this interview, Cathy and Rob discuss the origins of Anorak magazine and take us behind the scenes of making the publication. They also drop some BIG news that you don’t want to miss!
06.02.11 | Grace Danico | Features | 8 comments
Traveling is one of my favorite past times, and it’s always exciting for me to see illustrated maps like these created by UK based illustrator Owen Gatley. He’s created a handful of city maps for Ling magazine, Vueling Airlines’ inflight magazine, depicting some of their many destinations. Each map is colorful and thoughtfully composed with its collection of intricate and sometimes humorous imagery, capturing some of my favorite things about traveling, including food and drink, cultural landmarks, and activities. It makes me want to hop on a plane somewhere and discover these little treasures on my own.
05.26.11 | Grace Danico | Found design | 12 comments
A while back, Grain Edit pal Sanjay Patel enthusiastically showed us a comic titled Ouroboros by British illustrator Ben Newman. In addition, he also showed us an awesome vinyl toy based on the comic. I was completely smitten with what I saw, and have had a major illustrator-crush on Ben’s work since then. His style is fresh and unique with its fun characters, bright colors, fuzzy textures and complex layering of shapes, and this piece from a developing print series “Masks” is no exception.
05.19.11 | Grace Danico | Found design | 27 comments
Valero Doval is a Spanish artist that combines hand drawn elements with collage, often cleverly piecing together objects with similar themes, which is evident in this illustration for Elephant magazine. Combining a bird with a plane is a simple yet elegant concept, and Valero executes it in a stunning way.
05.12.11 | Grace Danico | Found design | 6 comments
Jamie Cullen is a Brighton based illustrator with a flair for symmetrical compositions of mind bending proportions. Citing Pop Art and M.C. Escher as influences, Jamie’s work is vivid and elaborate in its multiple layers of color and pattern, as well as enigmatic imagery.
05.06.11 | Grace Danico | Found design | 9 comments
Emmanuel Romeuf is a talented French designer and illustrator with a knack for creating fun and whimsical illustrations. In the past, he’s designed shirts for Human Empire, and today we’re featuring a collection of communications he’s created for Gites de France. This collection is thoughtful in its execution from beginning to end, with its logo design and stationary to its travel brochures and postcards. With colorful details and playful images, these ephemeral items are definitely worth seeking.
04.14.11 | Grace Danico | Found design, Illustration | 3 comments
We’re excited to announce that Invisible Creature will be showing a collection of work at Super7 in San Francisco, opening on April 23rd at 6PM. Included in the collection will be a number of illustrations from their late grandfather, Alfred Paulsen. In addition, they will debut the first colorway of Leroy C., the newest member of Super7’s Monster Family!
04.11.11 | Dave | Events | 4 comments
Timbuktu is the first iPad based magazine specifically designed for children. The magazine combines imagination and technology to engage youngsters in news and stories centered around interesting topics. With a bold and brave graphic style and clear and focused interaction design, Timbuktu is on the cutting edge of educating kids in a fun and informative way.
Art Director Olimpia Zagnoli, whose work we’ve featured previously on the site, chats with us today about her latest project, giving us insight to her new role as well as some juicy tidbits about the magazine.
04.07.11 | Grace Danico | Found design | 10 comments
Jordan Gray is a designer and illustrator living in Missouri. Currently he’s an art director at Berstein-Rein, and on the side creates some real gems, like the album packaging shown above and below. As a designer, Jordan posseses the illustration skills for the a project like this to succeed – the composition, illustration style, palettes and concept all fit together so nicely.
04.05.11 | Ethan | Found design | 15 comments
Maria Corte is a Spanish illustrator with a flair for bright colors, textural accents, and engaging compositions. This illustration, created for the project “100 Cities for Peace,” demonstrates her knack for communicating essential details in an interesting way. She has a diverse collection of work, ranging from editorial and children illustrations for print to vibrant paintings and moving images.
04.01.11 | Grace Danico | Found design, Illustration | 15 comments
Some of the work from Lamosca is pretty familiar, but I became reacquainted with them through a weave of who-did-what for a recent IBM campaign. One of the things they handle quite nicely is the combination of layout and illustration. Their colorful and bold illustrations give the work an immediate pop, but it’s paired nicely with legible, insightful layout. It’s nice when those two can live together in harmony.
Their work feels consistent and jives as a whole, without feeling bored, tired or expected. Among their standout work is their info graphics — which have a quirky, colorful liveliness that isn’t often seen in that area of design.
03.30.11 | Ethan | Found design | 2 comments
I love the range of work from Oakland, CA based designer Carl DeTorres. With multiple projects from Wired and IBM (among others), Carl’s work communicates very clearly. His directness and visual viewpoint, combined with his inventive form making and interesting palettes make for consistently compelling design.
03.24.11 | Ethan | Found design | 9 comments
I recently re-stumbled upon the the work of I Love Dust, and thought I’d share some of their newer work with the Grain Edit family. This interdisciplinary studio creates a wonderful mix of design and illustration, & they have a knack for creating dynamic environments by filling a page with striking colors and texture. I really enjoy their diverse use of type, which is always really tailored to the purpose of the project. On top of their amazingly extensive portfolio, their client roster is just as impressive. Be sure to check out the rest of their portfolio for some serious illustration & design inspiration!
03.11.11 | Liz Meyer | Found design | 9 comments
Our latest Grain Edit interview takes us to Kansas City, Missouri–the City of Fountains, headquarters to Hallmark Cards, and home to illustrator and designer Tad Carpenter. Tad’s has the clarity of a designer with the artfulness of an illustrator. His work is whimsical, fun, and smart as he uses a colorful lovable style to create a myriad of characters and illustrations. In this interview, Tad discusses some of his favorite aspects of his hometown, his influences and creative process, and provides a glimpse into his studio as well as something not many folks know about him.
03.07.11 | Grace Danico | Features | 88 comments
Brighton University Graphic Design student Dan Mountford has an incredible series of portraits titled The Worlds Inside of Us. Dan describes this series as “a visual journey through our minds by calm and tidy means which the reality of everyday life does not show.” He explores the use of double exposure in his photographs, successfully isolating parts of an image in camera with no help from our friend Photoshop. His images are captivating with their thoughtful execution and composition, and there’s no doubt that we will be seeing more exciting work from him in the future.
03.03.11 | Grace Danico | Found design | 23 comments
Portland based design and illustration duo Josh Kenyon and Colby Nichols, better known as Jolby, have published a new children’s book titled The King’s 6th Finger. A collaborative effort between Jolby and Rachel Roellke, the book revolves around King Mortimer and his obsessive compulsion around the number five. Everything in his kingdom revolves around this cardinal number, until the day he grows a 6th finger. His world is then turned upside down, and he is left decide the fate of not only his finger, but his kingdom.
02.25.11 | Grace Danico | Product Reviews | 7 comments
I’m really digging the deceptively minimal work of Mark Brooks. The illustrations are sparse and the images full of contrast, and I feel that the concept quality is top notch. For example, whatever is happening with the exploding — or shattering — giraffe below is amazing.
02.23.11 | Ethan | Found design | 9 comments
Brecht Vandenbroucke is a Belgian based artist and illustrator that I can’t get enough of. His narrative work is bright, bold, humorous, and torturous at times. This print, titled “Sounds to Learn…,” is incredibly captivating with its vibrant colors and images of a hurly burly gentleman nervously rocking out on guitar. Originally created for the Finnish comic art studio Kuti Kuti, this print is absolutely drool-worthy, much like Brecht’s other work.
02.17.11 | Grace Danico | Found design | 11 comments
Trademark™ is the design studio of New York based artist Tim Lahan. With an eye for bright colors, junk food, and witty puns, Tim’s simple straightforward illustrations, letters, and logos are captivating, humorous, and sure to brighten your spirits. His work is versatile as he experiments in an array of formats including clay and moving images. Bottom line: for a fun time, count on Tim.
02.10.11 | Grace Danico | Found design | 17 comments
Los Angeles based illustrator Patrick Hruby has created a new series of work based on an unpublished short story titled “The Archipelago,” written by his boyfriend Seth Stewart. “The Archipelago” tells the story of a strange phenomenon called The Forgetting affecting the chain of islands that make up the archipelago. In order to prevent The Forgetting, each island tells a tale to preserve its artifacts, history, and memory. Patrick illustrates this story beautifully with his signature use of punchy colors and geometric forms, creating his interpretations of islands, its wayward inhabitants, and their belongings.
02.10.11 | Grace Danico | Found design | 8 comments
The above (and below) typographic wizardry is brought to you by Simon Walker. I’m a total sucker for typographic compositions of this nature, and Simon has them in spades. Viewing his typographic and compositional skills paired with his bold, grungy take on Americana is an absolute delight.
02.09.11 | Ethan | Found design | 22 comments
Zurich, Switzerland based Philipp Dornbierer, a.k.a. Yehteh, is a digital illustrator and designer. Philipp has a great way of basing his work around rather doomy symbolism, such as swords and hooded executioners, but juxtaposes them with bright colors, pleasing patterns, and some friendlier icons to create joyfully accessible imagery. Some of my favorites include his collaborations with stateside’s Andy J. Miller. With a client list including Carhartt, IBM, and 55DSL, I think we can expect to see a lot more great things from this guy in the near future.
02.04.11 | Dave | Found design | 9 comments
Hvass & Hannibal is a Copenhagen based multi-disciplinary arts and design studio founded by Nan Na Hvass and Sofie Hannibal. Their work is highly imaginative as it creates alternate environments featuring multitudes of patterns paired with geometric shapes, colorful forms and enchanting creatures. Not only does the dynamic duo create illustrations and graphics, but they also immerse themselves in a spectrum of mediums ranging from three-dimensional work ranging from interior and set design to intricate artworks made up of various materials such as painted wood.
Read the rest of this entry »
02.03.11 | Grace Danico | Found design | 2 comments
Ohio based image-maker Andrew Neyer displays a wonderful portfolio featuring a myriad of colorful illustrations and artwork, as well as well designed items such as zines and shirts. His work feels like snapshots; peeking into the inner workings of an everyday world in motion.
Read the rest of this entry »
01.25.11 | Dave | Found design | 11 comments
I found the happiest illustrations of little monsters while thumbing through my latest issue of Virgin’s Roger magazine. Sure enough, these small creatures were created by none other than UK based illustrator Brett Wilkinson, better known by his pseudonym Onesidezero. Brett creates imaginative worlds by incorporating geometric patterns and forms, vibrant colors, and mythical creatures. This piece, titled “Busy Doing Nothing,” clearly depicts this world with its It’s clean shapes, complementary color palette, and fun patterns.
01.20.11 | Grace Danico | Found design, Illustration | 9 comments
Helm Workshop, an Austin, Texas based studio, does some gorgeous work. I love the variety of their poster art and typography — alongside their composition and illustrations.
01.19.11 | Ethan | Found design | 14 comments
Wucius Wong’s 1976 release, Principles of Three-Dimensional Design, is an educational book aimed at helping designers and artists wrap their heads around the physical space of objects. Concentrating on the use of simple planes and lines in geometric constructions combined with a thorough breakdown of our understanding of three-dimensional objects, Wong demonstrates how seemingly complex configurations can be easy to plan and construct. What I really want to share with you, however, are the tremendous images of models and diagrams created for the pages of this publication. Read the rest of this entry »
01.18.11 | Dave | Off Our Bookshelves | 5 comments
I’m a big fan of Rilla Alexander’s work, so I was super excited to hear about her new book, Her Idea. Through beautiful illustrations and fun rhymes Rilla chronicles the journey of a little girl named Sozi who struggles to put her concepts into reality. Although the story is presented in a picture book format, I’m hesitant to call this a “children’s book” as I believe the message resonates with all of us. This tale is especially timely as many of us are seeking to change our procrastinating ways as part of our new year’s resolutions.
In this interview, Rilla shares the inspiration for the book and some of the challenges she faced along the way. Here we go!
01.17.11 | Dave | Interviews | 3 comments
Milan based illustrator Olimpia Zagnoli has a zest for creating fun and colorful illustrations that are thoughtful in their approach and execution. Inspired by illustrators from Spain and France, as well as Italian illustrator Bruno Munari, Olimpia creates a style all her own, melding modern simplicity with bursts of color and fanciful shapes and lines.
01.13.11 | Grace Danico | Found design | 23 comments
The work of Christopher Silas Neal is a lovely break from the chaotic mess that is the internet. It’s not often that you come across beautiful hand drawn type, mixed with completely original illustration, so it is a really great treat for the eyes. Also interesting is that his work always has a sense of movement to it. Even his typography, which is predominantly script, seems like it’s rushing across the page.
12.24.10 | Liz Meyer | Found design, Typography | 14 comments
Design Coordination and Corporate Image by FHK Henrion
New items have been added to the vintage kid’s books and graphic design sections of the grain edit shop.
Dear Holiday Spirit(s):
We’re approaching the end of 2010, a year filled with work, work…and did we mention, more work? Seeing as we’ve all been on our best behavior, please take a look at the wish list we’ve compiled with some of our favorite artists and friends. It’s much BIGGER than last year’s list and excited to share it with you. Please say you’ll bring some of these goodies our way!
Yours Truly,
Grain Edit + Friends
12.10.10 | Grace Danico | Guides | 4 comments
Malota is the pseudonym of Spain based illustrator and designer Mar Hernandez. Mar’s work uses a lot of punchy colors, varied textures and gradients, as well as sharp geometric shapes, which is evident in this illustration of a cat in boots. I really love the way she depicts the cat’s fur and kooky tail. Its facial expression and whiskers are really fun too!
12.02.10 | Grace Danico | Found design | 6 comments
I had a good time flipping through Blake Suárez’s portfolio – there’s quite a lot of fun, eye-catching work to be seen. There is a lot of enthusiasm in this work as well, which is refreshing and exciting to see.
Throughout his experience, Blake has had the opportunity to work with clients like Warner Music and Patagonia, as well as a variety of musicians.
11.24.10 | Ethan | Found design | 5 comments
This fine fez wearing gentleman has a lot on his mind, and it’s evident in the trail of intricate patterns he’s leaving behind. Tennessee based artist Hollie Chastain nicely collages vintage paper with colorful painted elements in this piece entitled Afterthought. As the pondering man moves forward, his figure slowly fades into the background, nicely displaying lingering fleeting thoughts. A print of this piece as well as others by Hollie are available for purchase at Poster Cabaret.
11.18.10 | Grace Danico | Found design | 8 comments
Jonathan Zawada is a graphic designer who lives & works in Australia. I first discovered Jonathan on flickr, and was completely taken by his collection of amazingly rendered pencil drawings. Over the years he has made his way into the world of hand-drawn typography, implementing his style into branding, editorial illustrations and major campaigns for incredible clients. His very polished but still whimsical style really stands out, and I’m excited to see how his art evolves in years to come.
11.12.10 | Liz Meyer | Found design, Typography | 6 comments
Scotty Reifsnyder updates his portfolio & shop with the Heroes of Folk, a series of letterpress cards featuring illustrations of American Folk legends like Paul Bunyan and Johnny Appleseed. The cards are available for $30 a piece or $150 for the complete collection. Pick them up here.
Head nods and handshakes go out to Scott McClelland of Two Paper Dolls for doing such a wonderful job with the printing.
11.08.10 | Dave | Found design | 13 comments
Today’s Grain Edit interview series takes us to Brooklyn, New York, home to illustrator Julia Rothman. I remember first being introduced to Julia’s work through her repeat pattern tutorial on Design*Sponge. The process blew me away, and caused me to fall in love with the multitudes of energetic inventive patterns and fresh illustrations she creates.
In this interview, Julia discusses being a native New Yorker, the influence of Sweet Pickles books (YES!), and the process behind the creation of her latest book, The Exquisite Book. She also reveals something that most people don’t know about her…find out more after the jump!
11.02.10 | Grace Danico | Features | 16 comments
Massachusetts-based illustrator and designer Nate Duval is a busy man. Over the past year he has created concert posters for Phish, Spoon, Wilco, Tortoise and the Black Keys as well as a collaborated with Jen Skelley and Mother NYC on an re-branding campaign for Sweet ‘N Low. Nate’s work often pairs playful imagery with hand-drawn type as seen in this city skyline poster for M. Ward. I love how he’s able to present a potentially chaotic situation in a way that looks innocent and fun. This poster as well as others designed by Nate are available for purchase at the Poster Cabaret.
11.02.10 | Dave | Poster Picks | 3 comments
Robert Murdock is Postmammal. As the pseudonym suggests, Robert’s work is sophisticated and evolved — illustrating the efforts of years of experience. Within the portfolio is variety, depth and style. There are large campaigns, small personal projects, identity systems, illustration, custom typography, and more.
10.27.10 | Dave | Found design | Comments closed
Untitled painting casually referred to as White Block Quadrupeds
Jim Flora was a fine artist/illustrator best known for his album cover art for RCA Victor and Columbia Records, as well as his illustrations for children’s books. In this uncirculated and untitled early 1940s painting, he presents us with a (literally) twisted cast of characters. As mentioned on the Jim Flora website, the work “depicts an inscrutable panorama of disconnected facial features, headless quadrupeds, and someone’s nightmare of a fanged horse”. This piece along with select paintings from the Jim Flora collection are now available as limited edition prints for purchase over at the Poster Cabaret.
10.19.10 | Dave | Poster Picks | 7 comments
Check out the gams on that couch! Phillip Fivel Nessen, also known as Sparrow v. Swallow, is a Brooklyn based illustrator with a flair for abstracted forms and thoughtful color palettes. Reminiscent of early work by Push Pin Studios and Milton Glaser, Phillip’s illustrations are conceptually thought provoking, smart, and often humorous.
10.14.10 | Grace Danico | Found design | 1 comment
This week’s poster pick is a chilling landscape entitled Villages I by Adam Hancher. Adam is a talented illustrator based in Bristol, England whose work is often inspired by folk tales and legends. You can read about his process in this interview with Ape on the Moon where he explains his methods of layering scanned textures to create the look and mood he is aiming for. Villages I is available for purchase at the Poster Cabaret.
10.01.10 | Dave | Poster Picks | 2 comments
San Francisco based artist and illustrator Lisa Congdon has always been fascinated with with collecting, arranging, and organizing her collections. On January 1, 2010, Lisa took it upon herself to photograph, draw, and occasionally paint these collections for the entire year, and thus, the Collection a Day 2010 project was born.
Documenting objects ranging from vintage books and matchbox labels to colorful bits and bobbles, each collection is well curated and carefully composed. Recently, Uppercase announced that these incredible collections will be made into a book, available Spring 2011.
09.23.10 | Grace Danico | Found design | 2 comments
Herman Miller has just launched Design For You: an exciting contest powered by collective participation. Each prize requires a certain number of people to unlock it. As more people enter the contest, more prizes will be unlocked. For the grand prize, you could win one of five hand-painted Eames Rockers created by Andrew Holder, Philip Lumbang, Christopher Lee, Mark Giglio, and Josh Cochran. Each chair is one-of-a-kind.
In addition to the weekly prizes, the person who gets the most people to enter the contest will win an Aeron chair.
For more information, including a full list of prizes, visit the Design For You home page.
09.10.10 | Dave | Found design | 15 comments
Poland based artist and illustrator, Wojciech Kolacz (aka Otecki), has an eclectic mix of work that ranges from colorfully patterned sculptures to colossal murals and vibrant illustrations. His sculptures, as seen above, are hidden amongst the urban environments we inhabit, adding a playful imaginative element to an often mundane world.
09.09.10 | Grace Danico | Found design | 3 comments
Tomingekijo Music Circle concert pamphlets from 1963
In a prolific career that spanned over 5 decades, Japanese designer Ayao Yamana left behind a rich body of work that few could duplicate. He is mainly known for his elegant and delicate illustrations of women which graced the packaging and printed advertisements for Shiseido cosmetics. These concert pamphlet covers for the Tomingekijo Music Circle represent a side of Yamana that is less familiar, but equally as impressive.
09.08.10 | Dave | Off Our Bookshelves | 4 comments
Our good friends at Chronicle Books recently released Creative, Inc.: The Ultimate Guide to Running a Successful Freelance Business
I’m excited to welcome both Meg and Joy to Grain Edit today for a special Q&A session. Ok, here we go!
09.05.10 | Dave | Off Our Bookshelves | 2 comments
Fantastic new work in the form of Ferocious Quarterly, a curated publication featuring art, illustration, design, short fiction and writing. In the words of publisher Nate Utesch, FQ is “somewhere between an art and culture magazine, a coffee table art book, and an art journal.”
09.03.10 | Ethan | Books | 6 comments
I love these nesting dolls by Swedish Illustrator Ingela Arrhenius. You can choose from an animal set or circus set, both of which are available for purchase at Swedishness.
08.31.10 | Dave | Found design | 2 comments
Crafty 2010 will explore the artistry and process behind disciplines from design to art, fashion to film and advertising to specialized print techniques. Held at the Lasalle College of the Arts in Singapore, the project is produced by design think tank Anonymous and curated by art director Felix Ng.
08.30.10 | Dave | Events | 3 comments
Job Wouters is a designer, illustrator, typographer and massive doodler based in Amsterdam. The sheer range of his work is astounding; it’s been a long time since I’ve seen this kind of variety put out by a designer.
08.27.10 | Ethan | Found design | 2 comments
Octoberama by Charley Harper / 30 inches x 30 inches
The Poster Cabaret is now carrying select pieces by the late Charley Harper, including this print entitled Octoberama: a fitting title for the approaching Fall season. Harper was a master in his use of color and ability to reduce elements to their simplest form. These are reflected in the warm, subdued shades of orange, yellow and red seen in the leaves above.
08.26.10 | Dave | Poster Picks | 3 comments
Justin Fuller (aka Pencil + Paper) has been dishing out some pretty sweet work. He has a fun, comfortable and easy way with typography — blending it well with illustration, identity, and corporate design.
08.20.10 | Ethan | Found design | 11 comments
Christopher David Ryan describes himself as a “a graphic artist, illustrator, daydreamer, pseudo-scientist, wanna-be astronaut and untrained intellectual.” Recently, he published the third installment to his As Overheard in the Back of My Mind series of books, which features a collection of thoughts and images from the depths of his psyche. Chock full of peppy people and inspirational adages, this book is a great addition to your bookshelf.
08.17.10 | Grace Danico | Found design | 4 comments
Timba Smits, what a name! He also happens to be a very accomplished illustrator, designer, and maker of fine typography. It’s pretty fun looking through his’s work—everything is so juicy! From the textures to the unique typography, to the presentation, to the icons, I was definitely engaged clicking and looking.
08.06.10 | Ethan | Found design | 20 comments
Josh Kenyon and Colby Nichols are the dynamic duo behind Portland based illustration and design studio Jolby. Inspired by elements found in nature and the sea, the twosome collaborate on everything from original artwork, patterns, album covers, and t-shirts.
08.03.10 | Grace Danico | Found design | 11 comments
“This is my website. There are many like it. But this one is mine.”
So goes the headline at Curtis Jinkins’s website. Curtis’s website is fairly standard: links to work on the left-hand side, and a lot of white space. What’s unique and nice to see is the repeating logo and background images; they make you look twice at what you’re viewing. It’s a small but subtle touch that adds a bit of dimension to the site.
07.30.10 | Ethan | Found design | 12 comments
Paul Tebbott, a designer and illustrator based in the UK, has a very nicely curated portfolio. Aside from having flat-out awesome work, it’s nice to see a consistency and thoughtfulness within his group of work.
I love the quiet minimalism and soft color palette, as well as the smartness contained in each piece. Everything works together nicely, but also functions well on its own.
07.23.10 | Ethan | Found design | 11 comments
Trey Anastasio & Classic Tab at the House of Blues | 18″ x 24″ Print
For this week’s poster pick A. Micah Smith (@amicahsmith for the twitter peeps) serves up a slice of 80s retro-ness. Forget the 1980s, he’s taking back to the 1780s. The illustration features a character with all the proper colonial trimmings marinated in a tasty tan background glaze. If it catches your fancy, you can pick up a copy right here.
07.22.10 | Dave | Poster Picks | 4 comments
Amazing illustration work by the uber-talented folks at KHUAN + KTRON. The Belgian based design firm was commissioned by Weekend Knack Magazine to create a series of weekly covers. You can see the first five here.
07.19.10 | Dave | Found design | 17 comments
Travis Cain is a man of many talents. In a time where we seem to be flooded with posters and poster designers, it’s nice to see a range of work that’s more unique and imaginative. Travis’s portfolio doesn’t feel like a one-hit wonder, but instead feels considered piece by piece.
07.16.10 | Ethan | Found design | 2 comments
Summer is here, and tis’ the season for road trips! This illustration, created by Russian illustrator Iv Orlov, depicts some folks out for an evening drive along a line of colorful trees. Entitled “Night Rio,” this piece uses combines cool blues and greens with bright corals and yellows for a nice tropical feeling. Orlov uses some great shapes throughout this piece, evident in the various cars and leaves of the trees.
07.13.10 | Grace Danico | Found design | 12 comments
Really looking forward to the release of The Visual Language of Herbert Matter. It’s due to hit theaters this summer. The film was a finalist in the SXSW title design competition and the poster (designed by Cristiana Couceiro) just won a Merit Award at the 3 x 3 Professional Illustration Show.
07.07.10 | Dave | Uncategorized | 4 comments
Obscure children’s game juego del buen comportamiento
New items such as vintage kid’s books & games from Spain and educational charts/prints from the U.S have been added to the shop.
06.29.10 | Dave | Off Our Bookshelves | Comments closed
In 1964 United States Steel called upon the nation’s electric utility companies to reconsider the current look of our power stations and transmission towers to be both functional and beautiful. Two years later, Henry Dreyfuss and Associates were commissioned to investigate possible design alternatives, and I believe they were documented in a book entitled “Power Styling” which was produced by United States Steel in the mid-to-late 1960s. I discovered a copy not long ago, and the inside illustrations are absolutely amazing. Unfortunately, there is very little information listed, so I can’t say for sure if the concepts belong to Henry Dreyfuss and his team. I contacted the office of Syd Mead, who did several illustration projects for US Steel, to confirm the artwork, and sadly he was unfamiliar with this piece. If anyone has information on the Power Stylings project or the mysterious illustrator, please drop a note in the comments.
More images after the jump. Don’t miss this one!
06.28.10 | Dave | Off Our Bookshelves | 21 comments
Recent exhibition of Rogerio Duarte’s work at the Narrows Gallery.
Rogerio Duarte is a Brazilian graphic designer, musician, poet and philosopher. He is also considered to be one of the founding fathers and the main intellectual force behind the Tropicalia movement in the late 1960s. During this period he designed album covers for many of the great names of Brazilian popular music, such as Caetano Veloso, Gilberto Gil, Gal Costa, João Gilberto and Jorge Ben. If you have access to idea magazine, I recommend picking up the March issue (#339). It features a 24 page article on Duarte and includes a nice selection of his work.
06.23.10 | Dave | Found design | 7 comments
Today Grain Edit is proud to present Blanca Gómez of Cosas Minimas. Blanca is a Graphic Designer and Illustrator based in Madrid, Spain. You may remember her work as featured on Grain Edit’s on-going poster pick series. We like her clean and simple style and took some time to talk to Blanca about her work and creative process. We hope you’ll enjoy it.
06.16.10 | Dave | Features | 55 comments
Intelligence in Lifestyle, an Italian magazine and supplement to the Il Sole 24 ORE newspaper, is one tasty piece of work. That striking cover above initially grabbed my attention, but inside is just as compelling.
05.28.10 | Ethan | Found design | 23 comments
Photo: Kate Bingaman-Burt
Did you buy something today? Do you remember things you’ve purchased within the last week, let alone within the last year?
For the past four years, Portland based illustrator and educator Kate Bingaman-Burt has documented all of her purchases with daily drawings. The end result of this documentation: a new book published by Princeton Architectural Press, entitled Obsessive Consumption: What Did You Buy Today?
Started as a break from drawing credit card statements, Kate’s ink drawings are entertaining and intimate as they put a face on ordinary objects that we consume on daily basis and often don’t think twice about. From sunglasses and snacks to wedding bands and a dog, these objects tell a personal story we can all connect with as members of consumer culture.
05.25.10 | Grace Danico | Product Reviews | 15 comments
I got a surprise package in the mail the other day from Nobrow. Included in the package was Micah Lidberg’s Rise & Fall: A Concertina of Life. This might be my favorite Nobrow release to date. It’s an accordian style book that folds out to a stunning 53 inch panorama. Each panel is filled with prehistoric creatures dodging fire, climbing trees or sipping on slimey goop. His illustration style and composition for the piece remind me of traditional Japanese woodblock prints. Lovely stuff.
You can pick up a copy at Amazon.
05.17.10 | Dave | Found design | 9 comments
Long time Grain Edit friends and all-around swell studio, MINE™, has a sweet gig going. Each year, the city of San Francisco puts on a free music festival in Stern Grove — and MINE™ is given creative and curatorial license over the promotional poster. Over the years a visual language has been established; the poster contains repeating themes and elements (a tree, a grassy hill, etc). The catch is that each year a different artist or designer is hired to create the main image.
05.14.10 | Ethan | Found design | 3 comments
Fun work from Kansas-based designer/illustrator, Luke Bott. (And a cool last name!) Luke’s work has a playful/whimsical feel to it, as well as solid composition, typography and color choices.
05.07.10 | Ethan | Found design | 5 comments
Wow! Great collection of European book covers from A Journey Round My Skull. So fun to look through. I love the balance of naiveté and compositional sophistication throughout these jackets. It’s amazing the depth that is achieved through simple illustrations and good color choices.
05.05.10 | Ethan | Found design | 12 comments
The latest installment to the Grain Edit interview series takes us to Seattle, birthplace of grunge music and home to illustrator and designer, Sasha Barr. I was first introduced to Sasha’s work a few years ago when I stumbled upon his website, positively titled “This is the New Year.” His work often employs rough textures, intricately drawn patterns featuring elements from nature and little creatures, and cool color palettes.
In this interview, Sasha discusses how he made the trek from Tennessee to Seattle, his influences and creative process, how he landed an awesome gig working at Sub Pop Records, and also shares incredible views of his awesome home.
Let’s dive on in!
05.04.10 | Grace Danico | Features | 26 comments
Great work from ilovedust, a UK-based design studio. The above work is a promo, which (I believe) references the fact one of their offices is located in a former butcher shop. (It sounds like they have the two coolest work spaces in all of graphic design.)
04.30.10 | Ethan | Found design | 2 comments
Wonderful illustration from Barcelona and Warsaw based designer Jan Feliks Kallwejt. The piece was created for a Polish daily newspaper that is devoted to business and economic issues. The white buildings form a jumping gazelle. I’m not sure how the newspaper used the illustration. Could some of our Polish readers fill us in? Can’t say I would want to live near the rear end, it would bring new meaning to living in the “ass end ” of town.
04.29.10 | Dave | Found design | 11 comments
Typographics is where it’s at!
This illustration, designed for Computer Arts Projects, is by Moscow based artist Aske. Created for his personal art project titled Sicksystems, Aske playfully shows the various levels of typography…literally! He has a real knack for using interesting forms, bright colors, and celestial details in his work.
04.20.10 | Grace Danico | Found design | 3 comments
Love these cutout illustrations and typography from Germany-based Julia Guther. Her work is minimal, colorful, and she uses a wide (and interesting) range of media.
04.09.10 | Ethan | Found design | 6 comments
Architectuur werk van leden poster c1959
Wim Crouwel fans rejoice!
The Het Geheugen van Nederland (The Memory of the Netherlands) is a dutch website that contains an extensive collection of illustrations, photographs, texts, film and audio fragments, all of Dutch making. They have an impressive archive of work by Wim Crouwel. Over 500 original designs by Wim and his partners at Total Design lay in wait for your perusing pleasure. Enjoy!
Huge thanks to Antonio at Aisleone for sharing this gem.
03.31.10 | Dave | Found design | 7 comments
Portland based illustrators, Aaron Piland and Ayumi Kajikawa Piland, are the dynamic husband-wife duo behind APAK. This particular work, created for Tinlark’s 3rd Anniversary Show, nicely juxtaposes a geometric structure against the lush organic blue and green forms. Their work is very much a fantasy, with mythical creatures and animals coexisting in a dreamy imaginative world.
03.25.10 | Grace Danico | Found design | 6 comments
Noma Bar is a man of few strokes. But don’t let the simplicity fool you. His talent lies in his efficiency in depicting characters and social issues. With bold colors, shapes and one or two icons he captures the spirit of a person. Other times he communicates a message on a social issue with amazing clarity while adding a bit of humor to everything. Whether the message is about violence or equality, his straight-forward visual approach is refreshing.
03.17.10 | Dave | Features | 39 comments
London designer and illustrator Emily Alston, better known by her moniker Emily Forgot, takes us on quite the journey in this illustration for Design Week.
She features a cascade of chairs, lamps, and other household accessories layered upon each other to create a surreal environment. The colors in this piece play with light, with its soft tints of cyan and salmon juxtaposed against a dark chocolate background. The really sparse patterns hidden intermittently within the shapes are a real treat too!
03.16.10 | Grace Danico | Found design | 3 comments
Aerial wonder! These birds-eye illustrations from Philippe Nicolas are pretty fun. Simple, colorful, and oblique—I love how angular and well composed these pieces are.
03.12.10 | Ethan | Found design | 5 comments
Mi Diccionario Ilustrado – Illustrations by Acosta Moro
Mi Diccionario Ilustrado is a fun little dictionary for kids. Each page is filled with colorful illustrations of animals, musical instruments and various modes of transportation. I was able to get my hands on a couple copies of this hard to find book from the 1970s. If your interested in purchasing a copy, stop by the grain edit shop.
03.10.10 | Dave | Found design, Off Our Bookshelves | 4 comments
London based illustrator and animator, Celyn Brazier, sure has a way with color! Reminiscent of George Dunning’s psychedelic Yellow Submarine, this particular image depicts the sea and earth with its abundance of creatures, homes, and people. The composition is positioned so that everything feels connected. The images of floating jellyfish, zooming cyclists, and carefree birds also provide a nice natural rhythm within the imagined landscape.
03.02.10 | Grace Danico | Found design, Illustration | 8 comments
I love this set of ads put together by Goodby, Silverstein & Partners for the HP Retail Publishing group. The illustrations were created by Ryan Meis (also of Lab Partners fame) and later rendered in 3d by Australian design firm Electric Art.
03.01.10 | Dave | Found design | 15 comments
Chronicle Books has just released Ramayana: Divine Loophole the latest book from Pixar animator and illustrator Sanjay Patel. As one of the core legends of Hindu mythology, Ramayana recounts a tale of Rama, a god-turned-prince, and his quest to rescue his wife Sita after she was kidnapped by a demon king. Sanjay is able to breath new life into this 2500-year-old epic tale with over 150 pages of lush, detailed illustrations.
In this interview, he gives us a glimpse into the making of the book and some of the challenges he faced along the way.
02.26.10 | Dave | Features | 72 comments
East London design group, Studio EMMI, has a fantastic selection of work. The work shown above was designed for The Prince’s Foundation for Children & the Arts, and was also a recipient for Sappi’s 2009 Ideas That Matter award. The illustrations by Lucy Vigrass are wonderful — I want to jump in to any classroom scene with a typewriter!
02.25.10 | Ethan | Found design | 5 comments
Pakistani International Airlines poster (1960)
English artist and designer, Tom Eckersley (1914-1997), created numerous posters from the 1940s to the 1980s. Eckersley’s work communicates strong messages by employing bold overlaid colors, simplified forms, and informative text.
This poster, created for Pakistan International Airlines, depicts a dapper looking gentleman in Swiss garb. His playful image is simple, clean, bright and colorful; a stark contrast from the dark turquoise background. The composition is pleasing to the eye; as the figure gazes at the distant aircraft, we too are gazing at his cheerful image. Let’s all go to Geneva!
02.23.10 | Grace Danico | Found design | 8 comments
If you’re interested in the artists featured on grain edit, I think you will appreciate today’s book. Naive: Modernism and Folklore in Contemporary Graphic Design documents the recent wave of design work inspired by Classic Modernism. I received a copy in the mail not too long ago and was impressed by the roster of artists featured in the book. We’ve covered many of the artists including Matte Stephens, Helen Dardik, Scotty Reifsnyder, Spike Press, Tes One, Adrian Johnson, Doublenaut, Darling Clementine, Andrio Abero, Methane Studios and Tad Carpenter on grain edit over the last couple of years, but there were still many I was unfamiliar with. My only complaint is the lack of a proper introduction as it would be nice to know more about the selection process. There are several artists in the book that seem out of place. I had a hard time seeing a connection between their work and modern design from the 1940- 1960s. But overall it is a solid addition to any designer’s library. More info + pictures available at the publisher’s website.
02.22.10 | Dave | Off Our Bookshelves | 12 comments
Barcelena design studio Hey has a swath of cool projects. One of their latest, Calendar, features stylized illustrations of some of our favorite cultural and historical icons. Mr. Miyagi, Hulk Hogan, Poseidon, and Inspector Gadget are just a few. Like a good icon, these illustrations are minimal — leaving only the bare essentials to reference their counterparts.
02.19.10 | Ethan | Uncategorized | 4 comments
This week’s poster pick was done by Aesthetic Apparatus. The owl has enjoyed a lot of attention from artists in recent years, and this owl will undoubtedly hold yours. Note the eyes, this guy is an infinitely hypnotizing character. The greens used here are nice and bold and add an excellent touch of color. You can pick up this poster at postercabaret.com!
02.18.10 | Dave | Uncategorized | 5 comments
In the fall, we featured Portland, Maine based artist and designer Josh Brill’s Flora Fauna series. The series included a colorful collection of bird illustrations, and was well received on grain edit as well other sites across the blogosphere. So, what’s Josh been up to lately? I traveled to Portland over the Christmas break and had the chance to catch up with Josh. We talked about living in Portland, his awesome collection of records from the Blue Note label as well as projects he’s currently working on.
02.17.10 | Dave | Features | 23 comments
Image from The Seed
London based animator and illustrator, Johnny Kelly, has an impressive body of work. This particular image, from his short animation The Seed, depicts the journey of an apple seed through its natural cycle of life. The Seed features stop motion and 2D animation, with faceted paper cut forms, vibrant colors, and a lot of attention to detail.
02.16.10 | Grace Danico | Found design | 6 comments
Sweet birds! I’m really digging this work from Buenos Aires designer / illustrator Leandro Castelao.
The illustrations of animals seem to have a Charley Harper-esque quality to them, but I love how they’re taken to a new “exploded-view” type level.
02.11.10 | Ethan | Found design, Uncategorized | 10 comments
The latest addition to our interview series takes us to the lush green mountainsides of Portland, OR, home to Powell’s Books, incredibly delicious food carts, and one of my favorite illustrators, S.britt. I originally found his work in 2002, and it piqued my interest in the illustration we feature on Grain Edit today.
Inspired by artists such as Ed Emberley and Richard Scarry, S.britt’s work employs playful images, bright colors, and a sense of humor (aka FUN). In today’s interview, S.britt discusses some of his favorite things about Portland, his education, and reveals his interesting creative process. This is one interview you don’t want to miss!
02.10.10 | Grace Danico | Features, Uncategorized | 46 comments
Friend of Grain Edit and all around good guy, Eric Smith, recently emailed to say that his Live Now project has been updated. Live Now is a collection of designers, illustrators and (most importantly) friends—collaboratively pursuing the idea of “living now.” Communicating through artwork, literature, relationships, exhibitions and more, the project attempts to engage participants to live conscious and happy lives.
02.05.10 | Ethan | Found design | 7 comments
I just received some sad news. Edie Harper, the wife of the late Charles Harper passed away last week. Edie, a talented artist in her own right, was known for her beautiful illustrations of biblical stories.
The official announcement from the Harper Estate after the jump
02.01.10 | Dave | Found design | 9 comments
During a recent trip to New York, I had the pleasure of visiting the illustrious designer, Jessica Hische. In addition to creating wonderfully precise type, such as her Daily Drop Cap series, Jess carefully curates her incredible studio / home that I’m proud to feature on the site today. In today’s studio visit, she gives us advice on collecting furniture, and has a pretty awesome surprise at the end! Take a peep…
01.27.10 | Grace Danico | Features | 11 comments
Grain Edition #01 – Limited Edition Grain Edit T-Shirt designed by Invisible Creature
We are excited to announce the Limited Edition Galaxy Blue Grain Edit T-Shirt is now available. The shirt was designed by Seattle’s own Invisible Creature. We love the design and hope you do too! The 5 color t-shirt features a gaggle of cool creatures sitting down for story time (my favorite is the little guy with the red and blue eyes). Each shirt is lovingly screen-printed by the guys and gals over at Blue Collar Press right here in the good ole USA.
You can order the Limited Edition Galaxy Blue Grain Edit Shirt here.
For More Details:
01.26.10 | Dave | Grain Edit News | 12 comments
For quite a while I’ve noticed Fossil‘s excellent collateral and identity — I just never knew that the man responsible for much of that work was the one-and-only, Brent Couchman. That is, until now. Brent has a great eye for mixing the clean with the colorful. His bold, bright work is engaging and historically-informed, a real pleasure to look at.
01.22.10 | Ethan | Found design | 18 comments
If your in the Bay Area, there’s a cool exihbition over at Gallery 16. The exhibition celebrates the 25th Anniversary of Emigre, and will present artwork from Emigre as well as the new Gingko Press publication Emigre No. 70: The Look Back Issue – 25 Years in Graphic Design. The 512 page book covers the best of a quarter century of Emigre magazine.
01.21.10 | Dave | Events | 4 comments
2010 Calendar by SeeSaw Designs.
Having trouble remembering what day it is? Still stuck on 2009? Well friends, the future is today!
This particular calendar, designed by SeeSaw Designs, nicely juxtaposes organic forms and geometric shapes. The pairing of the corals with the varied blue hues is pretty dandy too.
We’ve compiled a list of some of our favorite calendars of 2010 for all you procrastinators out there. Check it out!
01.13.10 | Grace Danico | Found design, Uncategorized | 26 comments
Grain Edit friend and design champ Chad Kouri, of Long Live Analog and The Post Family, has a wonderful solo show opening this Friday at Chicago’s Rotofugi Gallery. Chad’s work, like his moniker, is based in the analog. It’s a compelling collage of found images, hand drawn elements, and textures.
01.07.10 | Ethan | Found design | 12 comments
2009 International Year of Astronomy Poster designed by Simon C Page
Simon Page is a self-taught graphic design whiz with a mathematics background. He takes shapes and morphs them into cerebral abstractions. His style shifts around futuristic digital designs and 1960s minimalism, trotting the delicate line between simplicity and detail. His International Year of Astronomy 2009 poster designs caught the eyes of discerning design writers, including the New York Times and Creative Review. It may be the year for Astronomy but its equally a big year for Page, his posters got a boost in sales from all the acknowledgment he’s been getting in print and on the web.
01.03.10 | Dave | Features | 20 comments
Take a look at these adorable smiling faces filled with holiday cheer!
J.P. Miller’s illustrations for Kathleen N. Daly’s Jingle Bells (1964) are just so festive and inspirational! The story is a nice twist on the old holiday tune, and is about a sleigh full of animals that help Santa when he needs it the most. I love Miller’s use of color and texture to achieve different values, and his depiction of animals are always so whimsical. Did you notice they’re all smiling with sweaters on?
12.23.09 | Grace Danico | Off Our Bookshelves | 16 comments
1962 Denmark Christmas Seals designed by Erik Petersen
Glædelig Jul! In the early 1900s, a Danish postal clerk came up with the idea of selling Christmas seals to raise money for children with tuberculosis. Over 100 years later, these “cinderella” (unofficial postage) stamps have become a worldwide holiday tradition. In 1962, Erik Petersen designed this sheet of Christmas seals, depicting the gamle håndværk (“old trades”) of Denmark. I want to live inside this illustration; I’d stop by the pipe maker’s shop on my way to pick up some candles and clogs.
12.22.09 | Dave | Off Our Bookshelves, Uncategorized | 26 comments
Grain Edition #01 – Limited Edition Grain Edit T-Shirt designed by Invisible Creature
We are excited to announce the Limited Edition Galaxy Blue Grain Edit T-Shirt designed by Seattle’s own Invisible Creature. We love the design and hope you do too! The 5 color t-shirt features a gaggle of cool creatures sitting down for story time (my favorite is the little guy with the red and blue eyes). Each shirt is lovingly screen-printed by the guys and gals over at Blue Collar Press right here in the good ole USA.
The shirts will be $20 till this Friday at Midnight (PST). After that the price jumps up to $25. Also for every t-shirt you purchase you will receive 1 entry in the 2009 Grain Edit Holiday Giveaway Bash.
*** Please note this is a PRE-ORDER. We will be receiving the shirts at the end of Dec and shipping orders the first week of January. ******
You can PRE-ORDER the Limited Edition Galaxy Blue Grain Edit Shirt here.
For more details + pictures etc.
12.16.09 | Dave | Grain Edit News | 15 comments
Hybrid Design was formed by the husband and wife design team of Brian Flynn and Dora Drimalas. The San Francisco based firm has worked with a diverse body of clients including Nike, Upper Playground and Vans. The dynamic duo are also the brains behind Super 7 and Hybrid Home.
In today’s interview Brian reveals some of his influences, shares insights on managing a design firm, and even manages to squeeze in a somewhat obscure reference to Cameo.
12.10.09 | Dave | Features | 25 comments
Beautiful tourist map from Czechoslovakia (now the Czech Republic) dating back 1966. I love the bold colors and simple line work. I’m guessing that the illustration inside the red square on the left side is a beer. Look at that foamy top! Sweet mother of beverages!
11.23.09 | Dave | Off Our Bookshelves | 17 comments
lisez, jouez et decouvrez La Scandinavie avec Andersen -by Paul de Roujoux, Pamela Labonnelie and Mireille Ballero. Illustrations by Martine Bourre c1975 editions des deux coqs d’or
La Scandinavie avec Andersen is a beautiful children’s book about Scandinavian culture. The book is filled with stories, games and activities. Just think, your child could be making his/her very own Nils Holgersson costume right now! For the budding young history buff, there’s a section on the Drakkars and Vikings. If your child is too scared to look at tough guys with helmets, head straight to the fuzzy Nordic animals in chapter one. Have a four year old that’s into logging? No problem, this book has you covered. There’s a section on the Scandinavian timber industry in the middle of the book. Soon your young one will be able to turn raw material into fine Danish furniture!
More pictures after the jump.
11.16.09 | Dave | Off Our Bookshelves | 7 comments
1. Come to Africa – Designed by Gerard van de Voort – c1975
How about virtual tour around the world to start off the week? I dug up a handful of travel related posters from 1950s -1970s for all the desk jockeys that are itching to get out of town. Enjoy!
11.09.09 | Dave | Found design | 29 comments
A few days ago Twitter rolled out a new feature called “lists”. This feature is still in Beta, so it appears it’s only available to a small group of users right now. Lists are a way to organize the people you follow and to discover new and interesting Twitter accounts. We set up a handful of lists in different catergories, so you can easily find new designers & artists to follow.
Our lists include some of our favorites to follow in graphic design, typography and illustration. We also set up lists for web design, blogs and stores, but these lists need alot of work. You can find all of our lists on the right hand side of our Twitter profile page. These lists are far from comprehensive, so if you have any suggestions of people to add please let us know in the comments.
10.30.09 | Dave | Grain Edit News | Comments closed
YES! Our wall decals from the Poketo and Kitsune Noir collaboration, SPACETIME, finally arrived! This collaboration features four of our favorite illustrators: Mike Perry, Damien Correll, Cody Hudson, and Andy Miller. These gents each designed wall decals, shirts, and wallets.
10.23.09 | Grace Danico | Found design | 8 comments
Very fun work from Brazilian illustrator Fernando Volken Togni. The color palettes for these illustrations are perfect — they draw me right in. I love Fernando’s simple, super graphic, super bold, and super tasty illustration style. That peacock is dying to be made into a print.
I’ve been a fan for a while now — can’t wait to see more.
10.16.09 | Ethan | Found design | 15 comments
Cutie Bear by Delicious Design League. 18″ x 24″
The best part about bringing you the poster pick series is reading your responses to our selections. This week can’t disappoint because it is virtually impossible to see the work of the designers at Delicious Design League and not be smitten.
Delicious Design League is based in Chicago and commandeered by Billy Baumann and Jason Teegarden-Downs. The firm focuses on designing for the music industry but leaves room for all things design. ‘Cutie Bear’ feels right at home here at Grain Edit. Clean lines and smart color combos never go out of style. The trick is to make it look effortless, but it’s obvious a great deal of thought goes into something so, well, cute.
Cutie Bear is available for purchase here.
10.08.09 | Dave | Poster Picks | 6 comments
(Photo by Anna Wolf)
Let’s travel to the boogie down borough of Brooklyn, New York — home to the colossal rides and hot dogs at Coney Island, the beautiful Central Library, and one of my favorite illustrators Jim Datz.
For those who are in the know, Jim goes by the moniker Neither Fish Nor Fowl. His work is reminiscent of olden times, with images of sailors, explorers, keystone cops, and mustached men in bowler caps.
In this interview, he discusses his transition from architecture to illustration, dapper gents and hippies, his creative process, and reveals something that most folks don’t know about him.
Let’s dive right in, shall we?
10.06.09 | Grace Danico | Features, Interviews | 35 comments
A while back we posted the first issue of Nobrow’s fabulous illustration zine, Gods & Monsters. Said the Computer to the Specialist continues in the Nobrow screenprinted zine tradition, with this conceptually dark body of work from Tom Rowe.
10.02.09 | Ethan | Found design | 6 comments
Being a fan of Monocle magazine, I’m excited about our next guest. Ken Leung is a London based freelance designer who helped launch Monocle magazine and until recently served as it’s art director. In today’s interview, Ken shares his love for Textas (marker pens), some of his influences and a few of his favorite books.
Ok, here we go..
09.22.09 | Dave | Features | 24 comments
Celestino Piatti and dtv: The Unity of the Program – Edited by Jens Muller
I can’t wait to get my hands on these books.
Lars Muller has just launched the A5 series of books. The series is intended as a growing archive on graphic design. Each volume introduces outstanding personalities and important themes from the history of international graphic design, with numerous illustrations, essays and interviews. The series kicks off with books focused on Celestino Piatti, Philips-Twen and Hans Hillmann.
I’m really excited about the Celestino Piatti book. For more than 30 years, he endowed the covers of books published by dtv with a singular look. With more than 6300 covers to his credit, amounting collectively to a total of 200 million volumes, Piatti was one of the most productive designers of all time.
09.01.09 | Dave | Uncategorized | 6 comments
This second edition of Sing Statistics, “We Are the Friction” looks to be quite spectacular. I really, really can’t wait to get my hands on it.
08.14.09 | Ethan | Found design | 5 comments
15″ HunterGatherer Laptop Sleeve
For our latest giveaway we’ve teamed up with Incase. Incase recently released the HunterGatherer Laptop Sleeve and iphone slider case. This is a part of a series of projects curated by Arkitip. To celebrate we’re giving away a 15″ Hunter Gatherer laptop sleeve to one lucky winner.
08.13.09 | Dave | Contests and giveaways | 188 comments
If only travel posters still looked this good!
American illustrator, David Klein (1918-2005), created numerous travel posters for Howard Hughes’ Trans World Airlines (TWA) in the 1950s and 1960s. His posters use eye-popping colors, iconic landmarks, and scenic images to advertise global travel.
The composition of this particular poster is fantastic, as Klein sets the St. Louis Gateway Arch against a festively patterned background, emphasizing its momentous size. The analogous colors of the type, airplane, and old courthouse are a warm treat too!
08.05.09 | Grace Danico | Found design | 34 comments
Le Vaillant Petit Tailleur – Illustrations by E. Probest c1963
I’d like to thank Burgin over at Vintage Kids’ Books My Kid Loves for inviting me to guest post on her wonderful blog. If you haven’t been to her site before your in for a real treat. She often features kid’s books from the 1950’s-1970’s and from some of my favorite illustrators including Abner Graboff and Ed Emberley. For my post, I decided to share a french book entitled Le Vaillant Petit Tailleur. You can see all the mages here.
07.30.09 | Dave | Grain Edit News | 1 comment
Cover illustration by Stuart Kolakovic
Nowbrow Press‘ recently sent over their spectacular first issue, Gods and Monsters. Twenty four talented illustrators and designers have been carefully selected to create work around a specific theme. I love all the pieces exhibited in the issue, and a few of my favorites come from Alex Spiro, Reuben Rude, Toby Leigh, Jordan Crane, and Sarah King.
07.10.09 | Ethan | Books | 5 comments
Mr. Angelo by Marjory Schwalje – Illustrations by Abner Graboff c1960
Ward Jenkins has an excellent interview with Jon Graboff over at the Ward-O-Matic. Jon is the son of the uber talented Abner Graboff, an American artist who illustrated a slew of amazing children’s books during the 1950s and 60s. In one part of the interview Jon mentions that his brother informed him that their dad had designed the CBS “eye” logo but didn’t receive credit for it. The credit went instead to the chief art director at the network. That art director would be William Golden. Is it possible that Abner Graboff designed the CBS eye logo?
07.02.09 | Dave | Found design | 10 comments
Innovations – Illustrations by Syd Mead
The last time we mentioned Sam Grawe on grain edit we were drooling over his collection of ceramic owls. Sam is the Editor-in-Chief of Dwell and member of the ultra cool nu balearic cosmic disco band Windsurf. Here for grain edit readers Sam shares pictures of some of his favorite books and the stories behind his finds. Enjoy!
06.10.09 | Dave | Designers Bookshelf | 9 comments
Original Soundtrack from Yuki 7 film, Roman Rendezvous
The latest addition to our Grain Edit interview series takes us to the sunny, pigeon littered streets of Los Angeles: home to Hollywood – movie capital of the world, and artist Kevin Dart. Heavily inspired by films and artwork from the ’60s, Kevin beautifully creates the dazzling, glamorous, exciting world of Yuki 7: a gorgeous feisty international globe-trotting spy.
In today’s interview, Kevin transports us to the year 30,000, discusses his adventurous background, and of course his inspiration for creating the Yuki 7 character. Before we get started, here are a few examples of Kevin’s work…
06.03.09 | Grace Danico | Features | 30 comments
Vacation home designed by Bay Area architect Henrik Bull – illustration by Bob Wandesforde
The image above is from a promotional booklet entitled Second homes for leisure living. The booklet was produced by the Douglas Fir Plywood Association and features floor plans and dimensions for 18 vacation homes built with fir plywood. Included are plans for homes designed by modern architects such as George Matsumoto, Frederick Liebhardt, David George and Henrik Bull.
05.25.09 | Dave | Off Our Bookshelves | 42 comments
#1 Loto de Socorrismo produced by didacia – Made in Spain
Umm not sure what to think of this one. This has to be the craziest kid’s board game I’ve ever seen. Someone has to translate the text.
WE NEED YOU. HELP US WRITE CAPTIONS FOR EACH IMAGE
In the comments – write a caption for one or more of the images. Include the picture # with your caption. We’ll pick our favorites and one lucky person will WIN A PRIZE.
05.05.09 | Dave | Off Our Bookshelves | 51 comments
I’m really impressed by this work from Richard Perez. His typographic and illustration work is super fancy. He seems to have no problem navigating styles as well as tackling a variety of design projects — his work ranges from hand drawn type and illustration, to identity and traditional design. All of his work is direct, and compelling with great execution and color palettes.
It’s really refreshing to see the enthusiasm and personality in all of Richard’s work. It’s also nice to see that we share a few things in common, including VHS tapes, Lincoln, and kittens.
04.22.09 | Ethan | Found design | 34 comments
Rilla Alexander is a member of the well known and respected art and design collective, Rinzen. The group’s posters and album covers have been exhibited at the Louvre and their large scale artwork installed in Tokyo’s Zero Gate and Copenhagen’s Hotel Fox. Today she gives Grain Edit readers a sneak peek into her studio and shares some of her favorite objects.
04.22.09 | Dave | studio visits | 15 comments
Mein Erster Brockhaus – Ein Buntes Bilder – ABC c1963 Published by F.A Brockhaus Wiesbaden Germany
What young German boy wouldn’t want a book filled with Spargel, Spatz, Specht and Schwable? (most of those were birds..but one was asparagus. I’ll let you guess which one.) This alphabet book is filled with those little dudes. If I ever go to Germany, I’m taking this book with me. I’ll be name dropping German nouns all day. This is the OG way to learn a language. Watch out Rosetta Stone!
04.21.09 | Dave | Off Our Bookshelves | 8 comments
(Photo credit: Adam Wallacavage)
The next addition to the Grain Edit interview series takes us to Philadelphia: City of Brotherly Love, home of founding father Ben Franklin and the Liberty Bell, and double agent Tim Gough. A man of mystery, by day, Tim works as the Art Director for the Philadelphia Weekly. By night, he emerges from the cheese steak littered streets of Philly to do one thing: rid the world of dull illustrations.
Tim successfully melds images of spies and monstrous creatures with bursts of color, densely clustered patterns and rough textures, creating dynamically rich works. In this interview, he discusses his hometown and background, perplexing experiences after college, influences, and his creative process.
And now to reveal the enigma…
04.08.09 | Grace Danico | Features | 33 comments
Corporate Diversity- Swiss Graphic Design and Advertising by Geigy 1940-1970. Published by Lars Muller +Museum fur Gestaltung Zurich – Back cover image of Acaralate canister designed by Markus Low in 1967
The fine folks at Lars Muller have just published an excellent book titled Corporate Diversity: Swiss Graphic Design and Advertising by Geigy. I know alot of designers (myself included) that are extremely excited over the release of this book. It chronicles the work of the design studio J.R Geigy AG which was a launching pad for one of the great periods of Swiss graphic design, in the 1950s and 1960s. It’s amazing to see the quantity and quality of the designers associated with Geigy. Under the leadership of Max Schmid for many years, the studio employed Roland Aeschlimann, Karl Gerstner, Jörg Hamburger, Steff Geissbuhler, Andreas His, Toshihiro Katayama, and Nelly Rudin, among others. Freelance designers such as Michael Engelmann, Gottfried Honegger, Armin Hofmann, Herbert Leupin, Warja Lavater, Numa Rick, and Niklaus Stoecklin were also used. In the 1960s, the Basel office, most especially George Giusti and Fred Troller, was involved in developing the studios of the subsidiaries in the United States and the United Kingdom, placing more emphasis on advertising. This is the first comprehensive presentation of Geigy design, an important Swiss contribution to the international history of design.
04.06.09 | Dave | Off Our Bookshelves | 31 comments
Wow! Super snappy new work from Wink. Wink is always on-point design-wise, and this is no different. Their latest work is for Rebel Green, a new aesthetically conscious and eco-friendly company with products aimed at reducing and reusing.
I love the illustration and typographic work throughout the product line — it harkens back to a simpler and more honest time. I’ll admit I’m not the best at washing before ingesting fruit, so this very well might be what I need. How about them apples!
04.03.09 | Ethan | Found design | 14 comments
One of our favorite illustrators from the Pacific Northwest is Ward Jenkins. He has to be one of the busiest guys in the biz. He creates amazing illustrations, chats it up on twitter, contributes to Drawn!, maintains several flickr groups (here and here), runs a fantastic blog (his blog is one of the first blogs I started reading) and on top of all this he just completed his first children’s book, which will be published by Simon & Schuster in June 2009. I’m starting to think that Ward is not one person, but rather a small organization with one heck of a cool name.
Ward just released 7 new prints in his Ward-O -Matic Etsy Shop (I know, he has a shop too, where does get the time?) To celebrate he’s holding a giveaway. To enter you have to leave a comment on this post by 11:59 midnight PST on Wednesday, April 1st, 2009. The winners will be announced on Friday, April 3rd.
Visit Ward’s blog to enter the giveaway.
04.01.09 | Dave | Found design | 8 comments
House Industries is not your typical type foundry. Unlike most foundries that strictly focus on type design, House take things one step further. Their fonts become springboards to new ideas and products that are often integrated into themed experiences complete with lush packaging and slick catalogs. A great example of this is their work on the 2004 release of Neutraface. They created a reproduction of Richard Neutra’s Boomerang chair and pillows to coincide with the release of the font collection. In addition, they created limited edition packaging (with die cuts and metallic inks) to accompany the hard copy of the fonts. In an age when people more and more seek cheap and immediate goods, I cherish these premium experiences.
House Industries most recent project pays tribute to the modernist designer Alexander Girard. In my opinion it is their most impressive collection to date. It includes a Type Family, a Nativity Set, t shirts, alphabet blocks, lettering, Marilyn Neuhart designed Casa dolls and more. We spoke with Andy Cruz (Co-owner and art director) about the research and development of the products.
03.31.09 | Dave | Features | 33 comments
Fontfabric is an awesome independent type foundry run by Svetoslav Simov. All of the faces have great concepts and personality to them. I like the balance between experimentation with dimension and geometry and the playfulness of the faces. Each one is so unique and specific, they seem to be the perfect fit for that “one project.”
03.20.09 | Ethan | Found design | 5 comments
Alright, so Twitter is the hot thing right now. Somewhere in-between blogging and instant messaging, it’s a super addicting way to see what the design community is up to. Frank Chimero just ate a muffin? It’s crepe day at Chronicle Books? @gogograce just blipped The Style Council? I’m in!
03.19.09 | Ethan | Found design | 94 comments
I want to thank Michelle Mccormick for inviting me to contribute to her wonderful blog Inspiration Resource. I’ve been a fan of her site for a while, so I was excited when she asked if I would be willing to share a few pictures of how I organize and collect inspiration. I happily agreed and broke out the camera. In the post you’ll see a few pictures of the folders I use to store labels and the mylar envelopes I use to store brochures and maps.
You can see all the pictures here.
03.18.09 | Dave | Grain Edit News | 4 comments
We’re super excited to present this wallpaper designed exclusively for Grain Edit by one of our favorite illustrators…. Maxim Dalton. We approached Maxim about the wallpaper a few weeks ago and was thrilled when he agreed. Since he is based in Buenos Aires, I asked if he would include the Buenos Aires National Library in the illustration. This beautiful, spaceship looking, brutalist beast was designed in 1961 by the architectural team of Clorindo Testa, Francisco Bullrich, and Alicia Cazzaniga. The library is the large building on the left hand side of the illustration.
03.16.09 | Dave | wallpapers | 11 comments
Amy Cartwright is a talented illustrator who designs and illustrates cards, books, and other products for clients including: Hallmark, 3M, Scholastic, and Proctor & Gamble. In her spare time she curates one of our favorite blogs, Stickers and Stuff. The blog showcases vintage kids books and wonderful examples of modern design. Here for grain edit readers Amy shares pictures of some of her favorite books and the stories behind some of her finds. Enjoy!
And now over to you Amy…
03.13.09 | Grace Danico | Designers Bookshelf | 20 comments
Love, love love! this work from Spain-based Borja Bonaque. I’m a huge fan of city-scape illustration (à la Evan Hecox and Andrew Holder) — so I was pretty enamored with Borja’s work to say the least. The texture, composition, and (superb!) color choice all work together to give these illustrations that heavy punch. That city above reminds me a little of Sin City, and those other comic book-to film adaptations.
Read the rest of this entry »
03.13.09 | Ethan | Found design | 10 comments
I’m very excited about our next addition to the Grain Edit interview series. When the gigantic Grain Edit interview arrow landed on Springfield, MO we knew just who to call: Frank Chimero.
You’ve likely seen Frank’s designs and illustrations making the rounds on the design blog circuit lately. And with good reason; Frank’s work effortlessly combines humor, wit, and style with a fresh and honest point of view.
Frank opens up and shares some of his thoughts and insights regarding his design background, his influences and teaching experiences, and of course his famed process. If you’re a fan of the States’ series, then there’s also a super surprise waiting for you further down in the interview.
OK, enough. Here we go:
03.12.09 | Ethan | Designers, Features | 74 comments
Beautiful Cityscapes designed and illustrated by the German couple Sigrid and Hans Lammle. These illustrations were for a calendar published in 1957. Really amazing details and the colors are super bright and saturated. I need more of this! Any guesses as to what city this might be?
03.02.09 | Dave | Off Our Bookshelves | 22 comments
Really fun illustrations found in this brochure for the USSR pavilion at the 1958 World Fair.
02.23.09 | Dave | Found design | 7 comments
Dan Reisinger: Zurich – 125 years Perpetual Calendar.
I’m drooling over these pictures of the Perpetual Calendar that Barry of the Studio Smith blog just sent me. The calendar was designed by Dan Reisinger for the Museum of the Modern Art in New York. Great score mate!
02.19.09 | Dave | Found design | 2 comments
Recently dug up this deck of El Al Israel Airlines playing cards. El Al commissioned Israeli artist and designer Jean David to design the set which portrays the Kings, Queens and heroes of Israel’s past. Love the design of the joker. He looks like some crazy elf with danish modern candle holders on his head and a speed bump for an arm.
02.17.09 | Dave | Off Our Bookshelves, Uncategorized | 18 comments
A simple, yet striking album cover designed by Human Empire. The head is constructed out of pure wood, and is reminiscent of the PBS logo from the early 1970s. The three dimensional strands of blocks on the side of the head look like stab wounds oozing with multicolored blood. If only our blood was that interesting!
02.11.09 | Grace Danico | Found design | 7 comments
Wildsville : The art of Derek Yaniger – Published by Korero Books
I first found out about Derek Yaniger through Otto von Stroheim’s Tiki newsletter. His art harks back to the sketchy, loose line illustrations often found in cookbooks, maps, pamphlets and packages of the 1950s and 60s. It’s filled with references to hot rods, beatniks and tiki culture. It’s colorful, fun and always full of suprises.
02.03.09 | Dave | Off Our Bookshelves | 11 comments
This illustration spent some quality time as the desktop background on my laptop, and was the subject of many rave comments. London based illustrator/designer Jean Jullien did the illustration for Kitsune Noir‘s very cool desktop wallpaper project. I really love these dimensional illustrations, very bright, playful and quirky.
01.30.09 | Ethan | Found design | 5 comments
+++Recommended viewing +++
“New won’t stay still. It finds us, ready or not.” These words lead us into this beautiful video by Berkeley based Tomorrow Partners. Really nice short celebrating the power of “new”. Illustrations by Sarah Labieniec, who also creates really nice things over at Lab Partners. Take a second out of your day, to watch this. Enjoy!
01.28.09 | Dave | Found design | 2 comments
Love the pattern and texture in this awesome illustration from Max Dalton. Max is a Buenos Aires (by way of Barcelona, Paris, and New York), based illustrator and animator. His work reflects his diverse background nicely. I love how he’s able to capture the feeling and aesthetic of a certain time, and make it his own. And his type is super snappy.
01.23.09 | Ethan | Found design | 8 comments
My #1 resolution for 2009 was to post a new 2009 calendar. Thank you to Airside for making it happen! Their sweet type-befriends-bird ’09 calendar is a real beauty. I love how each month is displayed and presented. It includes 27 illustrations, and is printed on recycled paper made from 100% post-consumer waste using bio-vegetable-oil-based inks. Not too shabby.
Order it! Airside blog! Airside!
Via Ilike.
01.16.09 | Ethan | Found design | 5 comments
Love the variety from Kansas City designer/illustrator Tad Carpenter. His character illustrations are super imaginative and unique. It’s nice to see the range of his work as well: traditional design, installations, posters, identity, packaging, painting, and more. Lots of fun type poking out here and there as well.
In addition to his personal work Tad ropes steers at Design Ranch during the day, and co-runs Vahalla Studios, a screen printing super shop.
Vahalla recently had a gallery show. See the highlights video on Tad’s blog.
01.09.09 | Ethan | Found design | 9 comments
Really, really into these lovely illustrations from Andrew Bannecker. Definitely the best beer and shoe prints I’ve seen in a long time. I love how he mixes flat graphics with intricate details. His work has a nice depth to it as well, thanks in part to those great rough textures.
A few (we want more!) of his prints are available from Charming Wall.
12.19.08 | Ethan | Found design | 10 comments
One person we adore at Grain Edit is Japanese illustrator Rica Takada. Beauty and whimsy meet simplicity in each of her works. She uses natural vibrant colors and textured shapes to create depth, and also meticulously plays with clean and often rhythmic lines. Some of her work includes designing decorative pieces for the home, illustrating CD covers featuring wide eyed dreamy mod gals, and publishing books including Un Coin de Soleil and Moi Saison Préférée. Find out more by visiting her site, www.weekendstroll.com.
12.17.08 | Grace Danico | Found design | 6 comments
I first stumbled upon Eleanor’s work while out shoe shopping a few years ago. I found a menagerie of Keds slip-on shoes with the loveliest animal patterns ever-imaginable…doves, giraffes, camels, and even cows! It was love at first sight!
Since that shopping extravaganza, I came to learn that the wonderful Ms. Grosch was behind those whimsical designs. Her work incorporates carefully chosen color palettes with geometric shapes and attentive lines, much in the style of her hero, Charley Harper.
In addition to designing for Keds, Eleanor has also designed for Alien Workshop, Urban Outfitters, and Chronicle Books. Her work diversely appears on rock posters, skateboards, apparel, and various publications. This past April, Print Magazine honored Eleanor as one of their New Visual Artists of 2008.
Before we bite into the meat of this interview, I’ve gathered a few nibbles and goodies of Eleanor’s work from the past years:
12.10.08 | Grace Danico | Features | 61 comments
Late start today. We’ve been as busy as a bunch of mid-century bees over here. Gettin’ that bees milk.
The Post Family is a design and cool people collective based collectively in Chicago, the largest city in Illinois. Their collection of prints for sale is really wonderful — I want every one of them. Love that flat, bold, sketchy illustration style. Each of the seven Family members contributes to their blog, and they’ve just started a monthly Studio Tour feature that looks like fun.
But in my opinon, the best feature of the site are the family member bios. I read and chuckled at each one.
The above image with the yummy type was snagged from their Flickr page.
11.26.08 | Ethan | Found design | 6 comments
Toronto-based Doublenaut sent over some prints recently, including this Wolf Parade gem. I’m loving their type, texture, illustration, and color combinations. Bonus points for a great gargoyle as well!
Also, I believe that ‘R’ belongs in my personal collection.
11.14.08 | Ethan | Found design | 4 comments
Miroslav Sasek: This is the United Nations c1968
Its about time that we have a little Miroslav Sasek love up in here.The Czechoslovakian born illustrator is well known for his This Is Series of children’s books. Most of the books in the This is series are centered around a certain city, for example This is San Franscisco or This is Paris, but in this case it’s an international organization. Through Sasek’s playful ink and gouache illustrations, he guides us through the building. I wish I had books like these when I was a kid. I could stare at this for hours.
11.11.08 | Dave | Uncategorized | 26 comments
Love, love, love these cover illustrations by Cristóbal Schmal! So good. All of his work has this same great texture and quality to it. Makes me want to touch everything! His type is super snappy as well, and integrates nicely with the illustrations. Check his site out, he’s got lots interesting projects and experiments going on.
Via the never-let-you-down Ffffound.
11.07.08 | Ethan | Found design | 9 comments
Thomas and the Twig giving me the stare down.
Sorry everyone, I’m running a little late today on my posts. If you missed this, I posted this gem of a kids book by Mary Harris ( illustrations by Cliff Roberts) over at Design Sponge.
10.09.08 | Dave | Uncategorized | 13 comments
YouWorkForThem just launched a brand new site this week. If you are unfamiliar with YWFT, it’s an online store that carries books, t-shirts, posters, stock images and more.
We love books at Grain Edit so, we took some time to browse through the book section and select some of our top picks.
We’ve included links below each description, so you can get more info/purchase the book if you want to.
Dave’s picks
Charley Harper – An Illustrated Life
This mammoth 420 page book put together by Top Designer Todd Oldham is a wonderful tribute to Charley Harper. The book is filled with full color examples of Charley’s stunning work.
Click here for more for more info/ purchase a copy.
Steven Harrington: Our Mountain
I love Steven Harrington’s illustration style and this book serves as a wonderful overview of his work. This copy is signed and drawn on by Steven Harrington himself!
Click here for more for more info/ purchase a copy.
Pino Tovaglia: The Rule That Corrects Emotion
We received a copy of this book from the publisher a few months back and loved it. You can see our review of the book here. YWFT got in some copies and now you can own a copy of this hard to find Italian import too.
Click here for more for more info/ purchase a copy.
Grid Systems in Graphic Design
Josef Muller Brockmann’s magnum dopest. The definitive book on grid systems. Every designer should be required to own this.
Click here for more for more info/ purchase a copy.
Wim Crouwel Alphabets
I really want a copy of the Wim Crouwel monograph: Mode En Module, but this book will have to due for now. Mode en Module has been out of print for a while and now goes for crazy cash. Wim Crouwel Alphabets (as seen above) is now of out of print as well and I’m sure it won’t be long before it increases in value. YWFT them still has a few copies, get your hands on one while you still can.
Click here for more for more info/ purchase a copy.
——
Ethan’s Picks
How To Be a Graphic Designer Without Losing Your Soul
As a design student, I am constantly looking for that juicy “tell-all” graphic design book. The one where you learn everything about being a real designer before actually getting a job. I love hearing different tips and tricks from seasoned designers. But my quest is over, because that book is here.
Adrian Shaughnessy breaks the process down into the necessary steps: how to find a job, being freelance, setting up a studio, running a studio, the creative process, etc. All of my burning questions answered in one book! Adrian also includes interviews with Neville Brody, Rudy VanderLans, Andy Cruz, and Natalie Hunter, among others, plus a forward by Stefan Sagmeister.
Click here for more for more info/ purchase a copy.
Beautiful Losers
One summer I spent a month attempting to learn how to skateboard. In the three years since then I’ve probably only landed two tricks successfully. I either got hurt or was too intimidated. Beautiful Losers is a way for me to vicariously live out my 1990s street and skate culture fascinations, without having to get on a skateboard.
Beautiful Losers tells the story of how artists and designers like Shepard Fairey, Spike Jonze, Mike Mills, Barry McGee, and others built their own art community independent of the mainstream art institution.
10.08.08 | Dave | Found design | 6 comments
In the midst of Grain Edit’s one year anniversary, we’re super excited to bring you this interview with Adrian Johnson. Mr. Johnson is a UK-based designer/illustrator whose work spans editorial, print, motion, and his own self-initiated projects. He has designed for Mastercard, Giant Robot, Vodafone, and Stussy, to name a few. In the interview, Adrian talks about his background, inspirations, creative process, and of course, zeitgeist.
A lot of work nowadays is stylish, and fun, and cool, but can ultimately become irrelevant due to poorly executed ideas, or lack of decent concepts. I see Adrian’s work as a nice balance between kick-butt graphics and style, and smart ideas that get through to people.
10.02.08 | Ethan | Features | 67 comments
Tomorrow we will be celebrating the 1 year anniversary of Grain Edit and we’ve got a big giveaway planned, so be sure to stop by! We’ve had a great year and want to thank all our awesome readers for their wonderful comments and for making Grain Edit a frequent destination.
I’d especially like to thank all of the designers and illustrators that took time out of their busy schedules to share with us.
Some of the highlights of the past year include:
Matte Stephens showed us his awesome home. Don Clark of Invisible Creature schooled us on his “family portrait”. Scott Thares of Wink broke out the KISS drawings. Bo Lundberg took us behind the scenes of Barefoot in the Park and Jason Munn of the Small Stakes showed us his Horse Chest.
Ben Butcher of Pixar gave us a sneak a peek into the making of the Wall-E picture book Lots of Bots. Sean and Nicole Flores shared their insane book collection. Ian Follett showed us some amazing stamps. Small studio, Odopod and Chronicle Books all graciously opened up their spaces for us and Mike Davis of Burlesque served us up a tight mix.
We created some new groups:
Modern Sticker, Stamp and label club
Some of the most popular posts (besides the interviews and studio visits) of the past year include:
Publicity and graphic design in the chemical industry – Hans Neuburg 1967
Giant Golden Book of Biology – An Introduction to the Science of Life c1961
Henri’s Walk to Paris- c1962- illustrations and design Saul Bass
Alain Gree – l’electricitie c1969
Israeli Environment stamps designed by Eliezer Weishoff in 1975
53 Years of Jauna Gaita Magazine
Issues of Icographic magazine 1971-1978 produced by ICOGRADA
Concepts – Promotional book for US Steel c1961
Giovanni Pintori exhibition catalog c2003
Vette Annonce type specimen sheet late – Netherlands 1950s/ early 60s
Lastly we’d like send thank you’s to: Coudal, Design Related and Julia Rothman for allowing us to contribute to each of their sites. How magazine for naming us one of the top 10 Sites for Designers for the month of December. David Airey for including us in the Top 50 Graphic Design Blogs and for all the great sites that featured us in their posts.
We have some exciting things planned for the next few weeks and months, so stay tuned. Thanks again everyone!
If you haven’t already, consider subscribing to the Grain Edit RSS. and join us tomorrow for our 1 year anniversary giveaway!
09.29.08 | Dave | Grain Edit News | 19 comments
Grady McFerrin moving announcement circa 2001
This one goes out to all the Grady Mcferrin fans up in this piece!
With the recent release of Grady’s line of products on Chronicle books, I dug up this golden corn from my nugget bank. This moving announcement dates back to 2001 and marks his transition to San Francisco (I think he lives in Brooklyn now). It’s hard to believe, but I found this at a yard sale a few years ago. I have no idea how many he printed, but my guess is that it’s pretty limited.
The announcement looks like it was silkscreened. The dimensions are 7.25″ x 5″. To the Gocco experts out there: are those dimensions achievable with the large Gocco model?
Holla if you love Grady, Holla if you love Gocco, Holla if just love hollaring!
**Note – I erased the address and phone number, so all you McFerrin stalkers couldn’t go to the SF address looking for his old clothes and used pencil shavings.
09.23.08 | Dave | Off Our Bookshelves | 19 comments
Fosforos Del Pirineo – Abcdario Animal (Animal Alphabet) Spain 1970s?
I found these recently. Super cool matchbox covers designed by Cruz Novillo + Olmos. The matchboxes feature an illustration of an animal for each letter of the alphabet. Hard to pick a favorite, but I think I have to go with the yellow oso (bear) loco. I think he cloned himself, because I notice I have two of the letter “O”.
Animal roll call. What’s your favorite matchbook cover from the set?
09.16.08 | Dave | Off Our Bookshelves | 28 comments
09.05.08 | Ethan | Found design | 2 comments
Going to be in Hawaii sometime this month? The Nuuanu Gallery in Honolulu is hosting an exhibition called Dirty Laundry: The Art of the Stain in Modern T-Shirt Design. The basic concept is that they asked designers to stain t-shirts with a medium of their choice (grass, wine, lipstick, etc.) and then design custom artwork that uses the stain as an integral design element. Lots of cool artists and designers are participating including Mike Perry, Damien Correll, Frank Chimero, Kris Chau, Wyeth Hansen and Tim Gough.
You can check out the full roster and get details about the show at the Dirty Laundry website.
09.03.08 | Dave | Events | 4 comments
Which? magazine offers reviews and advice for various products and services. It looks like it’s a British version of Consumer Reports magazine. In addition, to the cool cover each issue features interesting information graphics and illustrations. Some of the illustrations remind me of the work of Bill Sokol. Anyone know who the art director for the magazine was?
You can check out some of the issues over at the always yummy Delicious Industries.
09.02.08 | Dave | Found design | 10 comments
Seen above: Caesar the Friendly Lion, Dimensions 12.5 x 9
Able a design and branding firm outside of Philadelphia just put together a great animal poster series. The lion poster has a retro feel to it and reminds me of some the children’s book illustrations seen in the late 1970s to early 1980s.
You can see/ purchase the entire series at Able’s Etsy shop.
Also worth checking:
08.21.08 | Dave | Found design, Uncategorized | 4 comments
I’m really excited to present today’s interview. Matte is one of my favorite artists and an all around rad guy. Matte makes amazing art and lives in a house with lots of cool modern furniture. In Matte’s conversation with us he shares some of the people/things that inspire his work, the characters that frequent his paintings as well as a glimpse into his studio and home.
08.05.08 | Dave | Features | 45 comments
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I was in New York a few weeks back and had a chance to stop by the studio of design champ collective Rad Mountain. Rad Mountain is the Brooklyn based collaboration of Damien Correll, Justin Fines, Wyeth Hansen, Garrett Morin, and Ryan Waller. You’ve seen their work in/for Good Magazine, Swindle, Nike, Urban Outfitters, MTV, and the AIGA to name a few. Overall, their work feels very hand-crafted, with lots of illustration and hand-drawn type. They really stand out due to their super attention to detail, which gives the work real personality and makes it so much more interesting.
The studio space is split in two; half design office, half screenprinting studio. It’s open and airy, and complements the Rad Mountain hands-on aesthetic really well. Highlights of the visit included seeing some new prints from Justin and Wyeth, and being introduced to Rambo, the design super cat.
Thanks again to the Rad Mountain crew for opening up their studio, and letting me snap some photos.
07.30.08 | Ethan | studio visits | 7 comments
I love these patterns from Telegramme, a London based design and illustration super duo. They have a nice way of mixing old, worn illustration and imagery into their work. Besides patterns and posters they also specialize in web, identity, print, and redesigning playing cards.
07.25.08 | Ethan | Found design | 1 comment
All around design champ Jez Burrows of It’s Nice That, Evening Tweed, and that cool Destroyer poster you’ve been seeing around is at it again. He and Lizzy Stewart are Sing Statistics, and have just put out a wonderful new book called “I Am The Friction.” The book is a combination of short fiction by Jez, and illustration by Lizzy. It reads front to back, and back to front. So the end is in the middle!
See, buy, or read an excerpt of the book at Sing Statistics.
07.18.08 | Ethan | Found design | 3 comments
Online indie music store Insound announced the release of the Insound 20 project today. The project features limited edition t-shirts, Sweatshirts and posters designed by Jason Munn of The Small Stakes for 20 of Insound’s favorite bands. Only 1000 t-shirts / sweatshirts and 200 posters of each design will be printed.
The band’s featured in the Insound 20 are: Beirut, Black Heart Procession, Built to Spill, Calexico, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, Death Cab for Cutie, Department of Eagles, Grizzly Bear, Jose Gonzalez, Magnolia Electric Co., New Pornographers, Okkervil River, Peter Bjorn & John, She & Him, Spoon, The Constantines, The Decemberists, The Hold Steady, The National, and The Thermals.
There is an additonal design being sold that includes the names of all the bands in the Insound 20 program. 100% of the profits from the sale of this shirt and poster will go to benefit nonprofit literacy organization 826 NYC.
You can purchase the goods here.
Behind the Insound 20 Designs with Jason Munn
07.16.08 | Dave | Found design | 6 comments
We’re really fond of Wayne Pate‘s work over here, and were very excited when he sent over a bundle of prints, including the above “Love Saves the Day” piece. In all of his work Wayne really nails it with simple patterns, bold shapes, and perfect colors.
He combines a nice mix of flat organic shapes with textured images and illustrations really well. On his site there’s a nice range between collage work and more simple graphic work. A lot of the elements feels like they could be found in nature, or translated from found objects.
Thanks again Wayne for sending these are way. Keep an eye on the prints section of his site, as Wayne will be releasing some new prints.
07.15.08 | Ethan | Product Reviews | 2 comments
You may have seen these colorful blocks and the accompanying video where they move, running around on the web lately. It’s the work of Evan Geltosky, a recent Long Beach State graduate. On his site he has some nice typographic work, and a sweet poster/illustration of Mike Tyson!
07.03.08 | Ethan | Found design | 2 comments
Classical album covers from 1954
Finnish illustrator Elina Minn captured these lovely record cover specimens designed for the Haydn Society by Alvin Lustig hiding in her Grandmother’s vinyl collection. I really like the colors of the album on the right. Every time I look at it, it reminds me of this Alexander Girard nativity poster.
After you check out the Vivaldi covers, wander down to Elina’s website. Plenty of great illustration and collage work to look at.
Many thanks to Gina Federico for sending this my way and Kind Company who designed the Alvin Lustig website, for alerting us that these album covers are the work of designer Alvin Lustig.
Other work by Alvin Lustig:
The Collected writings of Alvin Lustig
Alvin Lustig brochure design
06.16.08 | Dave | Found design | 1 comment
Process colors! Animal illustrations! The fantastic pop stylings of Black Kids! Michael Fusco and Co. did a great job of mixing the band’s outgoing, addictive hooks with their literate lyrical side.
In addition to the posters, MFD can also handle your book cover, identity, CD packaging, and wedding invite needs.
06.13.08 | Ethan | Found design | 1 comment
Allison at The Lark posted an amazing collection of vintage travel posters by British artist and illustrator Daphne Padden. Most of the posters in the collection were created for Royal Blue Coach Services (A Bus company located in the UK) during the1950s and 1960s. Her work is fun and filled with little men with big beards! The illustration style reminds me of Tom Eckersley and Abram Games.
06.10.08 | Dave | Uncategorized | 3 comments
Invisible creature is the three-time Grammy-nominated Seattle based design duo of Don and Ryan Clark. Including their work while part of Asterik Studio and current work for Tooth & Nail Records, the two have created hundreds of CD packages and limited edition silk-screened posters. A small sample of their Client list includes: Foo Fighters, Chris Cornell, and Billboard magazine.
Their work is inspiring and fun to look at and they have no problem with experimentation. I’m amazed by their ability to consistently create quality work in a broad range of media.
In this interview, Don Clark shares with us some of the history of Invisible Creature and an exclusive look at the process behind “family portrait”, a piece in their recent gallery exhibition titled Haven.
06.05.08 | Dave | Features | 43 comments
Charley Harper’s ABC’s – published by AMMO Books c2008
Greg over at daddytypes always posts top notch modern design goodies for kids and dads alike. Yesterday he posted this sweet ABC book which features Charley Harper prints. At $10 this is a must for any Charles Harper fan.
You can buy the book here.
Also worth checking:
We posted a bunch of images of the heavily sought after Giant Golden Book of Biology, written by Gerald Ames and illustrations by Charles Harper (Copies sell for $300 +!) Click the link below to see the image gallery.
Charley Harper illustrations – Giant Golden Book of Biology
also see:
Charley Harper Ford Times
06.04.08 | Dave | Uncategorized | 3 comments
After discovering Iain Follett’s stamp collection was featured in Creative Review’s January 2008 issue of Monograph, I decided to contact him and see if he would be interested in sharing some of his favorite stamps on grain edit. He agreed and has graciously provided us with some choice stamps and his comments.
Continuing with our designer’s bookshelf series, grain edit is proud to present Iain Follett.
05.20.08 | Dave | Designers Bookshelf | 14 comments
After discovering Iain Follett’s stamp collection was featured in Creative Review’s January 2008 issue of Monograph, I decided to contact him and see if he would be interested in sharing some of his favorite stamps on grain edit. He agreed and has graciously provided us with some choice stamps and his comments.
Continuing with our designer’s bookshelf series, grain edit is proud to present Iain Follett.
05.20.08 | Dave | Uncategorized | 3 comments
Lots of Bots c2008 – Text by Kiki Thorpe – illustrated by Ben Butcher
Ben Butcher of Pixar recently stopped by to give us a preview of the new WALL-E picture book Lots of Bots which he illustrated. The book is the precursor to the film, which is due to hit screens this summer. In the interview below, Ben discusses his thoughts and process in the making of this beautiful book. Where it was possible, we’ve included Ben’s original artwork alongside images of the finished book.
05.12.08 | Dave | Found design | 32 comments
Wayne Pate runs GoodShapeDesign, a Brooklyn, NY based design shop and all around fun place. I’m really into his “Flock” series — if you’re a fan of our feathered friends, now you can have 18 on a single poster!
Also check out his artwork section for some really inspiring collages.
04.18.08 | Ethan | Found design | 1 comment
Grain edit reader Andreas Samuelsson sent in this sweet image of the Olivetti Divisumma 18 calculator. It was designed by Mario Bellini in 1973.
On a side note, be sure to check out Andreas wonderful illustration work here.
(image via Dentaku Museum)
04.03.08 | Dave | Found design | 4 comments
Leonardo Hss comes to us all the way from Flickr. I couldn’t find any info on him other than what is on his Flickr page. Lots of different styles represented here. Corporate, logo, and some more playful graphic work (like the above image).
Be sure to check out his experimental work as well.
03.21.08 | Ethan | Found design | Comments closed
Mike Davis aka Mike the 2600 King is part of a design collaborative known as Burlesque of North Of America. In addition to their design work they are a full service screenprinting studio.
I first ran into Mike while on a cross country record digging trip in 2003. My friends and I were crashing with some of the cool cats at galapagos 4. They heard that Mike was spinning at one of the local clubs, so we decided to check it out. Mike was laying down some serious funk/ soul heat that night and the club was packed. Later I found out that in addition to be a great dj, he was an excellent designer creating posters for my friends at anticon.
03.18.08 | Dave | Features | 16 comments
In the first part of our new Record Gallery Series Mike Davis (aka MIKE THE 2600 KING) – uber cool designer for Burlesque of North America has put together a gallery of some of his favorite record covers. This well rounded collection includes covers by design heavyweights like Milton Glaser to design unknowns, as in the case of the local/ private press lps.
In addition, he has created an exclusive dj mix for grain edit with songs taken from the records featured in the gallery. We hope you enjoy it.
03.18.08 | Dave | Found design | 21 comments
Hello Freaks are based in Paris, and led by one Jerome Castro (who has a cool blog, in French.) Their illustration work is really impressive, and includes lots of mouth-watering type. Be sure to check the motion work as well. It’s a nice departure from the standard motion reels we’re used to seeing all over.
Thanks to Sharon for the heads up on Hello Freaks.
03.14.08 | Ethan | Found design | 3 comments
Un Sedicesimo issue #2 – Italo Lupi
Last week we looked at the first part of a package I received from Italian publisher Edizioni Corraini, which included a copy of the Pino Tovaglia book. Today we’ll look at the second part of the package.
03.13.08 | Dave | Product Reviews | Comments closed
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Alexander Girard alphabet blocks designed and produced by House Industries
Many thanks to the guys at House Industries for sending over a box of goodies. Included in the box was a set of Alexander Girard alphabet blocks. These blocks were the result of a collaboration with the estate of mid-century designer Alexander Girard, the 28 wood blocks feature alphabets based on the forthcoming Alexander Girard font collection and a cleverly-adapted House Industries factory logo puzzle. I have been jocking these blocks since day 1. They have been on my want list for a while. My wife and I don’t have kids yet, but when we do, I can tell you one thing for sure. There is no way the kids are going to touch these! ha! These are daddy’s blocks!
02.20.08 | Dave | Product Reviews | 5 comments
Christopher David Ryan is a “Brooklyn-based graphic artist, daydreamer, pseudo-scientist, wanna-be astronaut and untrained intellectual.” His work shows a similar range of experimentation — photography, collage, illustration, found images, etc. Why! He even makes pillows! On his personal website, Ryan is posting at least one image of his work per day for every day of the year. Busy, busy.
02.01.08 | Ethan | Found design | 2 comments
My first introduction to Wink was four or five years ago when their packaging for Sunmilk was making the rounds in the design magazines and annuals. Since then, I’ve tried to keep an eye on their work. What has impressed me the most about Wink has been their ability to consistently produce top notch work.
01.30.08 | Dave | Features | 25 comments
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Alain Gree – l’electricitie c1969 vintage kids book
Published by Casterman as part of the Cadet-Rama Collection
Woah! Pastel overload! Someone went crazy with the pink crayons. I love it though. Alain Gree’s illustrations are great. I can’t get enough of the bubble heads, mod clothes, pop colors and psychedelic scenery. In this book, Alain looks at electricity and how its used. It’s filled with teal buses, pink trolleys and mustard colored sewing machines.
On a related note, I have to give a birthday shout out to my friend Sean. Sean introduced me to Alain’s work so this post seemed fitting for today.
01.23.08 | Dave | Off Our Bookshelves | 13 comments
I love when people send me packages, especially when they contain cool design work. Comic artist and designer Jonathan Bennett recently sent me a fat package of goodies including not one, but TWO Gocco prints! In addition, he included several magazines that feature his cartoons. I enjoyed his work, I just wish he had a website so I could see more.
MOME Winter 2006 features one of Jon’s cartoons. You can pick up a copy at Fantagraphics Books.
01.18.08 | Dave | Off Our Bookshelves | 12 comments
In this card designed by mr.mannun, business ties are flying in the wind as this beast rips down a small patch of Christmas trees all while holding a flock of fudgesicle shaped birds. This is great! One of my favorite finds on Flickr. My top pick in the genre of groucy card design.
You can browse the rest of mr.mannun’s design / illustration work on Flickr. He also has a few poster samples on Gig posters.com
01.16.08 | Dave | Found design | 2 comments
In this card designed by mr.mannun, business ties are flying in the wind as this beast rips down a small patch of Christmas trees all while holding a flock of fudgesicle shaped birds. This is great! One of my favorite finds on Flickr. My top pick in the genre of groucy card design.
You can browse the rest of mr.mannun’s design / illustration work on Flickr. He also has a few poster samples on Gig posters.com
01.16.08 | Dave | Uncategorized | 2 comments
Eames demetrios, grandson of Charles and Ray Eames presents a rare glimpse of the Solar Film produced by graphic designer Saul Bass. The film was commissioned in 1980 by Robert Redford. If you listen at the end of the film you can hear Saul Bass speak for a few seconds. He mentions something about pumping hot water to the house.
I’m not sure if the illustrations/ animations in the film were created by Saul Bass or Art Goodman. The film credits Goodman, but it is unclear if he was just involved in the animation process or if he created the illustrations as well.
Cool film and as one person mentions in the later half “If you stop and think about it, the Sun doesn’t send you a bill each month”. So true my friend.
Can’t get enough of Saul?
check these out:
Henri’s Walk to Paris – children’s book illustrated by Saul Bass
San Francisco International Film Festival poster
Saul Bass’s Case study house
01.11.08 | Dave | Seen Elsewhere | 4 comments
One of the notable things that has come out of producing this blog has been the opportunity to speak with designers I respect and admire. Bo Lundberg is one of those designers. Several months ago we posted some of his work. Since then Bo and I have been exchanging emails which eventually led to this interview. Here he shares a few thoughts on inspiration, as well as his creative process.
Bo’s work has been featured in Old Type/ New Type by Steven Heller, Illustration Now! published by Taschen, Illusive: Contemporary Illustration and its Context by Hellige & Klanten, as well as other publications. His clients include Wallpaper magazine, Elle, Vogue, Neiman Marcus and Scandinavian Airlines.
Without further ado, I’m proud to present Bo Lundberg.
12.21.07 | Dave | Features | 6 comments
Damien Correll is a Brooklyn, NY based “designer/maker/illustrator.” I first came across his work in the fabulous book Hand Job, by Mike Perry. I really love seeing the intersection of graphic design with his DIY hand-drawn aesthetic. This work is difficult to pin down, but it’s quirky and full of personality.
12.19.07 | Ethan | Found design | 5 comments
Illustration by Fred Mcnabb c1956
Well here it is, the “house of the future”. Mom’s making oven fresh algae, grand pa is chilling in the living room in his chocolate love suit and grand ma is cleaning up the kitchen in her finest elf garb. For the house of the future it looks a lot like the house of 1956. I realize not every house in 1956 had steel beams and case study furniture or a garbage disposal unit that spits out freshly pressed Victorian lacies. I guess I was expecting something a little more “futuristic”, like some sort of flying magical orb.
(great illustration via Plan59)
12.18.07 | Dave | Found design | 1 comment
I think I’ve found my new favorite illustrator and his name is James Datz. His portfolio of design work found at Neither Fish Nor Fowl is really impressive. Fun and playful material executed really well.
(Via the excellent – Here are things I like)
12.14.07 | Dave | Found design | 1 comment
Spike Press is the moniker for one John Solimine, a Chicago based designer. In a world overrun by gig-poster designers, it’s refreshing to see someone with a little originality and illustration sense. These posters are fun, whimsical, and full of narrative — each poster has a very engaging mini-story that will pull you and your wallet right in. Enjoy!
12.06.07 | Ethan | Found design | 5 comments
While I was researching information on the Hotel Infante Santo, I came across the mural seen above. It is entitled Paredao da Avenida Santo and was completed in 1958. It took artist Maria Keil two years to complete this piece and boy was it worth it. I’m not sure why, but the way she painted the main figure slightly reminds me of the work of Doze Green.
12.05.07 | Dave | Found design | 5 comments
Bruno Bozzetto : Viva Gli Abominevoli Sciatori
Cool cover for this obscure kids book by Mr. Bozzetto from the 1970s. Bruno is mostly know for his contributions to animated film. He has created hundreds of animated shorts and was nominated for an oscar in 1991 for a film entitled “grasshoppers”. You can read his complete biography at the official Bruno Bozzetto website.
11.30.07 | Dave | Off Our Bookshelves | Comments closed
Sticker for Bundesgartenschau Stuttgart – 1961
The post earlier today was inspired by a sticker (seen above) I found over the weekend. I wasn’t sure what to make of this sticker when I first saw it. It looks like a giant albino bird sitting on top of the Toronto Needle. After researching the event (Bundesgartenschau) I now believe its an illustration of a weathervane. Since Bundesgartenschau is a garden/ landscaping show it would make sense that the bird’s tail feathers are flowers.
Visit the previous post (Get your Bundesgartenschau on!) for more information regarding this garden show and the graphics behind it.
11.21.07 | Dave | Off Our Bookshelves | 4 comments
What did they feed these kids in the 60s? Their HUGE! They have no chance of riding the funliner considering their heads are bigger then the whole plane. I don’t think they want to ride in it though, I think they want to eat it.
Cool kids activity book from 1964 produced for United Airlines. Illustrations by Dick Flor. Includes a tragic tale of some campers getting their precious hamburger buns stolen by some juvenile chipmunks. Great stuff!
11.16.07 | Dave | Off Our Bookshelves | 2 comments
What did they feed these kids in the 60s? Their HUGE! They have no chance of riding the funliner considering their heads are bigger then the whole plane. I don’t think they want to ride in it though, I think they want to eat it.
Cool kids activity book from 1964 produced for United Airlines. Illustrations by Dick Flor. Includes a tragic tale of some campers getting their precious hamburger buns stolen by some juvenile chipmunks. Great stuff!
11.16.07 | Dave | Grain Edit News | 1 comment
Several years ago The Finnish Book Arts Committee produced a retrospective entitled 60 Years of Best Finnish Book Design. The online exhibition includes illustrations and layout by Tove Jansson, Erik Bruun, Jukka Pellinen, Timo Sarpaneva, Markku Reunanen, Aleksander Lindeberg and Oili Tanninen amongst others. It only takes a few minutes to click through the slide show and serves as a wonderful introduction to some of Finland’s finest designers.
11.13.07 | Dave | Found design | 2 comments
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The Little Polar Bear who didn’t want to learn to swim c1964. Text by George Theiner with illustrations by Rudolf Lukes. This is one of the tougher kids books to find with illustrations by Mr. lukes. The drawings of the Bears and seals are locked into the book by some sort of sliding paper system. As you you turn the pages the illustrations pop out of the page and bring the characters to life. This book was featured in The San Francisco Center For the Book’s exhibition entitled Show Me a Story: Children’s Books & the Technology of Enchantment.
11.12.07 | Dave | Off Our Bookshelves | 3 comments
Our story with Jason Munn (The Small Stakes) begins in the summer of 2005. We had recently learned that his studio was located near our office so we decided for a little suprise visit. We arrived at his front door and rang his buzzer. When he opened the door we said something along the lines of..
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11.01.07 | Dave | Features | 34 comments
“A work of art is realized when form and content are indistinguishable. When form predominates, meaning is blunted; but when content predominates, interest flags. But the genius comes in when both of these things fuse.†– Paul Rand
Wise words from a design genius. The Paul Rand video above is filled with nice little quotes like this. The video also brings to life some of his well known logos and illustrations. Who wouldn’t want to see Sparkle and Spin animated? nuff said
10.30.07 | Dave | Seen Elsewhere | 2 comments
When grainedit asked us to show our book collection for their blog, we were pretty excited. Getting it done, however, was half the battle. Not that we were lazy, okay, we were a little lazy, but the hard part was figuring out what stuff we liked the most.
It’s not that easy, here’s how it went:
Sean: [Looking though first shelf] “Oh, I like this one, this one too, we should put this one in”
Nicole: [sighs] How many do you plan on doing? That’s too many.
So here you go, a look at our bookshelf and here are some of our favorites.
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10.28.07 | Dave | Designers Bookshelf | 12 comments
Non-Format are a twin-continent based award winning design firm. They also happen to be the kings of super thick and chunky left justified type. They posses the unique ability to seamlessly integrate their big type with organic illustrative elements, with very nice results. In addition to running their studio, they also design Varoom, a journal of illustration and made images, art directed by Adrian Shaughnessy. In addition, they just released a book.
10.24.07 | Ethan | Found design | Comments closed
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Olivier – L’ours Savant – Illustrations by Bernice Myers – c1956
10.15.07 | Dave | Off Our Bookshelves | 1 comment
Marian Bantjes considers herself “independently pursuing a combination of illustration and design.” She really understands how to capture a spirit in typography. Ironically, she designed the Design Matters Live poster, an event we featured earlier this week. Take a look at Marian Bantjes’ website to gain a better understanding of where her organic typography stems from.
10.15.07 | Dave | Found design | Comments closed
Marian Bantjes considers herself “independently pursuing a combination of illustration and design.” She really understands how to capture a spirit in typography. Ironically, she designed the Design Matters Live poster, an event we featured earlier this week. Take a look at Marian Bantjes’ website to gain a better understanding of where her organic typography stems from.
10.15.07 | Dave | Found design | Comments closed
Self described as “Wayne and Garth meets Chermayeff & Geismar,” Post Typography, from Baltimore MD, was originally conceived and founded in 2001 as an avant garde anti-design movement by Nolen Strals and Bruce Willen. They specialize in graphic design, conceptual typography, and custom lettering/illustration with additional forays into art, apparel, music, curatorial work, design theory, and vandalism.
10.12.07 | Ethan | Found design | Comments closed
Self described as “Wayne and Garth meets Chermayeff & Geismar,” Post Typography, from Baltimore MD, was originally conceived and founded in 2001 as an avant garde anti-design movement by Nolen Strals and Bruce Willen. They specialize in graphic design, conceptual typography, and custom lettering/illustration with additional forays into art, apparel, music, curatorial work, design theory, and vandalism.
10.12.07 | Ethan | 1960s, graphic-design, records, Seen Elsewhere, Singapore | Comments closed
I was flipping through the latest (and last) issue of Business 2.0 and I noticed this add for Mastercard. The illustration of the man in the background holding the box looks very samiliar to the work of Ryohei Yanagihara. If anyone knows who created this ad, please contact us. In the meantime check out a small gallery of Ryohei Yanagihara’s works.
Ryohei is an illustrator and animator who along with Yoji Kuri and Hiroshi Manabe is considered a pioneer of the independent animation scene in Japan.
10.04.07 | Dave | Found design | 7 comments
illustration
A Sampler of things
Cartoon Modern
Cartoon Brew
Cartoon Brew
Coudal
IllustrationMundo
Wardomatic
World of Kane
design
50 Watts
Abduzeedo
Abduzeedo
Ace Jet 170
Aisle One
Alvin Lustig
Assembly Line Collective
Beautiful Decay
Book by its cover
Book Design Stories
Booooooom!
Burlesque Design
Container List
Crit
Cp Luv
Creative and Live
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Design Feast
Design Related
Draplin Design
Exquisite Function
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fubiz
Graphic Exchange
Hell Yeah Dude
Hard Feelings
How Design Blog
iBlog
I like
Inspiration Resource
ISO50
It’s nice that
k10k
Kind Company
Kitsune Noir
Ministry of Type
Modern Design 901
mod mom
News Today
Ok Great
Pleat Farm
Print & Pattern
QBN
Record Envelope
Scrubbles
SF Girl By The Bay
Share Some Candy
So Much Pile Up
Subtraction
Swiss Legacy
Swissmiss
Supersonic Electronic
The 99 Percent
The Art Cake
The Post Family
The Small Stakes
The Strange Attractor
Things to Look at
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This is Duty
Under Consideration
Vintage Kid’s Books My Kid Loves
culture
The Scout
music
Controller 7
Milled Pavement Records
Soul Sides
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I Love Typography
Show and tell
Type for you
Typographica
We Love Typography
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