Timo Kuilder is a Dutch designer who works under the moniker Zwartekoffie. Utilizing simple shapes, he creates elegant figures and landscapes that pop with color. To add depth and texture, he finesses his pieces with delicate gradient-like shading and soft halftones. Although his characters lack facial expressions, they appear active and energetic as their personalities shine through their exaggerated actions and oversized accessories.
Drawing from Egyptian and Japanese folk art, illustrator Lili des Bellons crafts space-aged versions of ancient beasts and samurai warriors. Set amongst barren landscapes, these haunting portraits are glimpses into the everyday lives of these majestic creatures. Adding to the mystery of his work is the strange juxtaposition of the archaic characters and their modern clothing. In each portrait, they proudly sport patterned polo shirts and neon jumpsuits indicative of ‘80 fashion.
America’s public schools are underfunded and teachers are often lacking essential tools to effectively do their job. To address this, Brad and Krystal Woodard of the design studio, Brave the Woods, created Artists For Education (AFE). The artist-led initiative aims to produce posters that educate and inspire students. To support these efforts, a fundraising campaign has been launched as well as an open call for designers to submit art. Submissions that are accepted will be available for teachers to download free of charge. In addition, giclée prints of the designs can be purchased, with a portion of profits benefiting educational programs. Participating artists include: Invisible Creature, Eight Hour Day, Mary Kate McDevitt, Justin Pervorse, Tuesday Bassen and many more.
To contribute to AFE, please visit their Indiegogo campaign.
Vanja Golubovic is a graphic designer that splits her time between Geneva and Berlin. Having an affection for music, film, and theater, she often collaborates with cultural institutions. I’m especially fond of her work for Tresor, a Berlin-based techno club and recording label. Fusing dynamic photography, neon colors, and dense textures, she creates posters that express the music’s pulsating rhythms and the venue’s lively ambiance. Uniting these elements is a rigid grid system that provides a visual hierarchy and represents the illustrious cage that the DJs perform in.
Seoul-based graphic designer, Joonghyun Cho, crafts inventive and highly conceptual posters that capture the essence of the institutions that they promote. This can easily be seen within his vibrant series for the Asia Lighting Design Forum. In each poster, he spells out the event’s acronym with layered gradients that beautifully represent the movement of light and the effects of its properties. Clever and alluring, his work has been recognized by numerous publications including, Communication Arts Korea, Nylon Korea, and Notefolio Magazine.
Now you can whip up a product mockup/screenshot in less than 10 seconds, all without even using Photoshop. Yep, it’s a snap with the Smartmockup app. Available for MacOS, Windows and Linux, this simple-to-use app features more than 300 stunning mockup templates. Each template allows you to easily upload and incorporate your product image into the mockup and thus saving you loads of time and money!
For a limited time you can purchase Smartmockup for 50% off at Mighty Deals.
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.
Founded by Lupi Asensio and Martin Lorenz, TwoPoints.Net is a design studio known for their flexible visual identities (FVI). Rather than being static and repetitive, the studio believes that an identity system should be adaptable. This can easily be seen in their work for ADI’s Delta Awards. Using a series of icons, they created a versatile system that could be incorporated into the event’s branding, typeface, and awards.
Two Points’ appreciation for the efficiency of FVIs also fueled the studio to develop a program that helps their clients create designs on their own. While working with Tonangeber, a website for sharing playlists, Two Points created “supertool” — a program that guides DJs through the design process while maintaining the constraints of Tonangeber’s identity system.
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.
