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Studio Makgill

Studio Makgill

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.

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Ill Studio

Ill Studio

Ill Studio is a Parisian design studio with an incredibly experimental edge. They have just released a massive update featuring some beautiful typography-based projects. I’ve been a fan of theirs for years, and love their effortless propensity for creating an inspiring and very new set of work. With each new iteration of their portfolio they get better & better at honing their craft, while maintaining a very specific nod to the past with classic styling and type choices.

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Josh Brill Studio Visit

josh brill

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.

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Sneak Peek at Rilla Alexander’s Studio

rilla alexander

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.

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Run Studio Run

Run studio run book

Building and sustaining a design firm is a massive endeavor and until recently there has been a lack of material on the subject. In Run Studio Run, a new book published by Extracurricular Press, Eli Altman sheds light on the topic and shares valuable insights that help to shape his naming/branding agency A Hundred Monkeys. With stories and personal commentary, Eli digs into the nitty gritty of running a business and the challenges along the way. Joining him are a diverse cast of studio owners and freelancers including Aaron Draplin, Kate Bingaman-Burt and Brent Couchman that provide advice and tips throughout the book. Run Studio Run is still in fundraising mode, but should be released this coming Spring. To support production costs and secure a copy please visit the Kickstarter campaign. Prints, pins and notebooks designed by the team at Moniker are also available as special rewards for backers.

 

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Fol Studio

Fol Studio

Fol Studio is a multidisciplinary design firm that strives to be a “brand development partner” for their clients. Their strong branding skills are especially evident in their poster work for exhibitions and film festivals throughout Turkey. I’m particularly fond of their work for the art space Arter. For a retrospective on the controversial artwork of Jake and Dinos Chapman, the studio crafted eye-catching posters that feature mutated letterforms and bright splashes of color. These elements characterize the brands of both the gallery and the artists by featuring the bright hues of Arter’s identity system and signifying the audacity of the Chapman’s portfolio.

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Opisso Studio

Opisso Studio

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.

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Get 2 Months of Skillshare Premium for Free

Skillshare

Looking to expand your creative knowledge? Learn new techniques with Skillshare. The online community offers classes with top artists including prolific designer Paula Scher, logo legend Aaron Draplin, hand-letterer Jessica Hische, typography expert Ellen Lupton, illustrator and designer Jon Contino and more. Lessons cover a number of subjects including, branding, pattern making, and Photoshop fundamentals. In addition, courses are divided into short segments so you can learn at your own pace. For a limited time, Grain Edit readers can receive 2 months of Skillshare Premium for free. Don’t miss this opportunity to learn from some of the best in the industry.

Click here to receive 2 months of Skillshare Premium for free. 

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Studio Proba

Studio Proba

Studio Proba is a multidisciplinary studio founded by Alex Proba in 2013. From designing furniture to painting murals, she immerses herself in a variety of projects including collaborations with stores such as Print All Over Me and Aelfie. For the latter, she created two rug collections that feature playful geometric patterns and pastel color pallets.

Another project I’m drawn to is her “A Poster A Day” series. Each day she designs a poster by visually interpreting questions and stories submitted to her website, all of which fall into the given theme of that year. In her own words, “The first year of ‘A Poster A Day’ was about my life, the second year was about Yours and the third about Ours. The next 365 days are going to be Hers.” The project has turned into a beautiful series of photographs and abstract compositions, including the image above, which answers the question, “What is the most important global challenge right now?” To participate in the project, see submission guidelines at StudioProba.com/Hers.

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Try Skillshare Premium for Free

Skillshare

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.

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2016 Holiday Gift Guide: Design & Illustration Books

Grain Edit's 2016 Holiday Gift Guide

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.

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2016 Holiday Gift Guide: Design Objects for the Studio & Home

Five Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Looking for gifts for your fellow design-minded friends and family members? Check out our Gift Guide on Canopy where we have organized our gifts into five fun categories – For the StudioHome, Design Books, Under $20, and For the Kids, but Kinda for Me. See a small sample of the guide after the jump.

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Estudio Pum

Estudio Pum

Estudio Pum proudly states, “In order to find new solutions, we must leave our comfort zone.” This passion for exploration and innovation is evident through the variety of illustrative and typographic styles utilized within their body of work. From playful paper cutouts to refined type-driven websites, Pum proves that they aren’t afraid to tackle a diverse range of projects and visual aesthetics. To expand their creativity and learn how to work with different tools, the studio takes on a number of passion projects including a Risograph printed zine and a line of wooden toys and rattles.

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Kindred Studio

Kindred Studio

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.

 

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Interview with Shillington School graduate Hannah Tomlinson

Hannah Tomlinson

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.

 

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Interview with Shillington School graduate Catherine Adreani

Catherine Adreani's studio

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.

 

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Want to turn your passion into your new career? You can at Shillington School

Shillington School

Shillington prides itself on providing its students with an up-to-date and relevant education with a focus on practical skills that are essential in the workplace. Established in 1997, the school offers a three-month immersive and hands-on course in graphic design catered to students with little to no experience in the field. In addition, they offer a week-long intensive program in web development targeted at existing designers looking to develop coding experience. Both courses are overseen by instructors currently working in the field. In today’s interview, we chat with Holly Karlsson, Shillington’s NY campus director. She fills us in on the school’s history and how it rises to the challenges its students face.

 

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Chad Michael Studio

Chad Michael Studio on grainedit.com

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.

 

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Anymade Studio

Anymade studio on grainedit.com

Anymade is a multidisciplinary design firm based in the Czech Republic. Founded in 2007, the studio’s portfolio is filled with work exploding in color and type.

 

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Sponsor // 81K Designers Shaping The Website Design Industry With Webydo’s Professional Code-Free Design Studio.

Webydo

Appealing to the professional and savvy designer, Webydo is the leading online design studio that enables designers to create, manage and publish their client’s websites completely code-free. The cloud-based, online website design platform is revolutionizing the professional web design industry and putting designers in the driver’s seat. Webydo enables web and graphic designers to create fresh, dynamic HTML websites without writing having to manually write code. Saving designer’s time and money, Webydo appeals to the professional designer and helps them to create successful and long lasting designer-client relationships. This is apparent through their integrated cloud hosting, efficient content management system (CMS), and the Webydo Dashboard that allows for intuitive management of thousands of client sites. The Dashboard also allows designers to bill their clients directly using the “Bill Your Client” feature, and, with the White Label feature, designers can put their company logo front and center on the login screen.

 

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Novel Design Studio

Novel Design via grainedit.com

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.

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Brian Edward Miller AKA Orlin Culture Shop

Orlin Culture shop #grainedit

Brian Edward Miller is a talented illustrator with a knack for creating lush landscapes inspired by his eighties-driven childhood and a family legacy of artists and craftsman. With stints at gaming and design studios, he recently ventured out on his own with the launch of Orlin Culture Shop, a studio based in Erie, Colorado.

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Image of the Studio: A Portrait of NYC Graphic Design

image of the studio

Mark your calendars: a new exhibition entitled Image of the Studio will be on display at The Herb Lubalin Study Center of Design and Typography starting in October. Featuring over 75 design studios, the show will highlight original work as well as data visualizations and information graphics to draw connections between each studio and show how New York as a geography brings their diverse philosophies together.

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Vicente García Morillo

vicente garcia morillo

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.

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Will Miller

will miller

Will Miller is the creative director and lead designer of Firebelly design studio in Chicago, IL. Miller takes creativity to another level, and doesn’t rule out any possibilities when it comes to his design process. Taking no shortcuts, his passion is evident in his work.

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Studio Patten

studio patten

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.

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Telegramme Studio

telegramme studio

Interesting concept behind Telegramme Studio, this fantastic UK-based studio. It started as a collab between two designer/illustrators sending work and things back and forth in the post. Eventually this mutual love for design and mail sprang up a fully-functional studio, which we now enjoy here.

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DKNG Studios

DKNG

This Black Keys Radio Flyer inspired poster was made by DKNG, the LA-based design crew. They do great work, and are also (awesomely) the resident poster artists for the world famous Troubadour in Hollywood. What a great gig.

I love the concepts and especially the detail within their work. The posters tend to be bold and straightforward concept-wise, but they really pull everything together with fine-tuned details.

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Studiofolk — Denis Carrier

Dennis Carrier

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.

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Will Staehle

Will Staehle

The work of Will Staehle is inventive with an incredible range of style and content. You might know of him because of his artwork aptly named the Silhouette Masterpiece Theatre, using silhouettes and some delightfully snarky text. Most of his design and type work is with his studio, Lone Wolf Black Sheep—producing iconic book covers, recognizable as some of the best selling books in recent years. He also has a really interesting blog of sorts, called the Dollar Dreadful Family Library, featuring amazing Victorian display type.

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Mike Perry Pop-up Shop / Studio Sale!

Mike Perry, Jim Datz, New York

Prepare yourselves: Grain Edit pal Mike Perry is transforming his Brooklyn studio into a pop-up shop and open gallery from November 27 through December 1. This year’s sale will be overflowing with amazing prints, zines, books, tee shirts, original drawings, and so much more from good folks like Jim Datz, Josh Cochran, Jim Stoten, Hugo & Marie, and others.

If you happen to be in the New York area around this time, this is one event you cannot miss!

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Sparrow v. Swallow / Phillip Fivel Nessen

Sparrow v. Swallow, Phillip Fivel Nessen, illustration

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.

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The Tree House Press: Illustration

tree house press

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 »

Studio MPLS

grain edit studio MPLS

Plain and simple, Studio MPLS does great work. It seems like a lot of studios have that big, exciting, one-hit-wonder type piece in their portfolio, and the rest is less than compelling. Often times the client plays into the quality as well; bringing down work rather than elevating it.

It’s nice to see Studio MPLS working with a range of clients and still managing to create smart, fun, engaging design. I really appreciate those firms that can elevate and add meaning to the everyday business or idea, and not just make a flashy gig-poster.

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Design For You: A Herman Miller Contest

design for you
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.

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enormouschampion Studio Visit


enormous champion

This past weekend, I had the privilege of visiting Jordan Provost and Jason Wong, the dynamite duo behind Brooklyn based stationery and gift line enormouschampion. Their incredible collection of letterpressed cards, screenprinted cloth, and wooden goods features images of animals, love, and nature, as well as bold type. In this studio visit, Jordan and Jason show us some of their favorite things and offer a couple of handy hints on organizing and collecting.

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Miguel Calatayud: 70s Comic Book Illustration

miguel calatayud

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.

miguel calatayud

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Dan Matutina: Design & Illustration

dan matutina, twisted fork, status and shapes, philippines, design,   illustration

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.

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Studio EMMI

Studio EMMI

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!

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Hey Studio

Hey Studio

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.

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Jessica Hische Studio Visit

jessica hische studio visit

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…

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Matte Stephens Studio Visit

matte stephens

I’m excited to announce that I will be writing for Herman Miller’s Lifework blog from time to time. The blog which recently launched in December, explores issues that arise around working from home.  For my first contribution, I spoke with artist Matte Stephens about his inspiring workspace. You can see the full piece here.

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Jonny Wan Illustration

jonny wan

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.

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Mark Giglio Studio Visit

mark giglio studio

Pen Pencil Stencil is the online home and physical workspace of Mark Giglio. Mark is an amazing illustrator/ designer who’s worked on projects with a diverse mix of companies including: 2k by Gingham, Apple, Dwell, GSP, Nike, Tolleson Design, and others. Recently I had the pleasure of hanging out with Mark at his Oakland based studio.

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Supercinq Design & Illustration

Supercinq

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.

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Grain’s Eye View: The Mountain Label / Chris Bettig Studio Visit

Christopher Bettig, The Mountain Label

Chris Bettig runs a studio out of his home in Los Angeles, CA called The Mountain Label. He has an impressive amount of work consisting of laser etched wood, collages, paintings, and lovely prints. Over the weekend, I had the pleasure of visiting with him. In today’s Grain’s Eye View, Chris gives us some handy advice on collecting and an interesting glimpse into the future.

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Grain’s Eye View: A Glimpse into Wayne Pate’s Studio

Wayne Pate

Wayne Pate runs a whimsical design studio in Brooklyn, NY called GoodShapeDesign. He has the best doodles, and also sells playful prints on his website. Today, we have the pleasure of getting the Grain’s Eye View on Wayne’s studio, including info on his favorite objects and some handy organizing advice.

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Milkfed Press Studio Visit

Milkfed Press

A few weeks ago, we had the pleasure of hanging out with Victoria of Milkfed Press, a letterpress and bindery studio based in Oakland. Her space is large and bright, filled with a wonderful collection of equipment and type, and was originally a grocery store where the owners used to stash cash within the walls.
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Dan Reisinger Design & Illustration

dan reisinger design

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.

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Odopod Design Studio Visit

odopod design studio visit

Thanks to Tim Barber and the rest of the gang at Odopod for inviting me  to their studio last Friday. They regularly meet to discuss design and Tim asked if I would like to join them and bring in some of the things that inspire me.

While I was there I was able to take a few photos of the studio. It’s a beautiful space filled with exposed brick, concrete floors and Eames Chairs. When I walked in the main entrance on the first floor, the first thing I noticed was an Odopod sign that looked like it was ripped straight off a Motel 6. It was hot in San Francisco on Friday so, I was lucky that Odopod came with AC, Free WIFI and HBO (I gotta get one of these signs). The rest of the first floor includes meeting rooms and the company parking lot (What is a design studio without atleast one vintage fixie?). The second floor houses the designers, the book collection and a big letter “O”.

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Rad Mountain Studio Visit

[pictobrowser 10159078@N03 72157606455745289]

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.

Studio Telegramme

Telegramme Design

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.

Charles Goslin – graphic designer and illustrator

charles goslin graphic design

Bedside Nurse magazine design from 1968, 1969 and 1970

Charles Goslin (1932-2007) began his career at Lester Beall’s studio in 1954 and left to pursue work at corporate identity firm Lippincott & Margulies in 1958. Three years later he parted ways again, but this time to begin what would be a lengthy career as a freelance designer and illustrator. During this time he started teaching at Pratt Institute as well, where he became known for unique assignments.

For those interested in learning more about Charles Goslin, former student Scott Santoro has written a lovely piece about him here.

Also of interest:

Graphic designer Clarence Lee – He worked at Lester Beall’s studio in 1958, possibly at the same time as Charles Goslin.

Mick Marston / The Futile Vignette illustration

mick_marston graphic design and illustration

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!

Ralph Caplan design notes for Herman Miller

Ralph Caplan design notes and booklets for Herman Miller

BarryBlog has posted a rare glimpse of some in-house publications for Herman Miller. They were produced in conjunction with the great design thinker Ralph Caplan, and designed by John Massey of Container Corporation of America fame. I’m drooling! I’d love to read these. Maybe we can get the good people at Barry Blog to make photo copies.

Enjoy!

Recently Received Books

This is Miroslav Sasek

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.

 

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A’ Design Awards & Competition – Last Call for Entries

“Module” Calendar by Katsumi Tamura
“Module” Calendar by Katsumi Tamura

The deadline for submissions to the A’ Design Awards is quickly approaching. Entries must be received before February 28th. The renowned event which is held each year Como, Italy honors exemplary design work from a variety of categories including PrintPackaging, Photography, Visual Communication, and more. In addition to the A’Design trophy, winners receive marketing assistance, valuable feedback and networking opportunities at the prestigious gala event. Don’t miss your chance to have your work recognized on an international level. Register now.

 

 
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A’ Design Awards & Competition – Call for Entries

Motif Wine by En Garde Interdisciplinary GmbH

Motif Wine by En Garde Interdisciplinary GmbH

 

Do you have a project you’re really proud of? Do you think it could win an award? Start off the New Year by taking a chance and entering the A’Design Awards, the largest design competition in the world. The annual event is held in Como, Italy and accepts entries for both conceptual and realized projects. Celebrating all areas of design, the competition is organized into 100 categories including Print Design, Visual Communication, Packaging, UI and UX, Photography and more. Entries will be evaluated by a grand jury panel composed of design professionals, academics, and members of the press from across the globe. Whether you’re a student or a professional, this contest is a unique opportunity to receive feedback on your work and obtain access to services that can help foster your career. To participate, register your designs before the deadline on February 28th.

 

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Stéréo Buro

Stereo Buro

Stéréo Buro is a Parisian multidisciplinary studio founded by Diane Boivin, Christelle Ménage, and Silvia Dore. After working at prominent agencies throughout Europe, the trio joined forces to create a new studio and combine their unique and complementary skills. Today they craft compelling work for music festivals, workshops, and exhibitions throughout France. While designing promotional posters and brochures, they explore a wide variety of styles and often push the boundaries of unconventional type.

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Casmic Lab

Casmic Lab

Casmic Lab is a versatile design studio based in Valencia, Spain. I am enthralled by their collection of illustrated portraits. Comprised of geometric forms, marbled textures, and lively patterns, the faces are bold and striking. As I look over the drawings, each character’s hypnotic gaze pulls me deeper into the composition and I can’t help but want to study every detail.

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A’Design Award Winners: Packaging

Saana Hellsten
Basik Packaging by Saana Hellsten

Present your packaging skills to the international design community by submitting a project to the A’Design Award & Competition. From wine bottles to tubes of mascara, the contest reviews packages of all kinds. The jury panel judges each design based on criteria such as form, innovation, material choice, functionality, and more. Winners will receive an A’Design Prize, which includes invitations to the award ceremony in Como Italy, PR support, guaranteed publications of their work, and other services. If packaging isn’t your bag, the event offers other categories such as Visual CommunicationUI and UXPhotography and more. To participate, register and submit your work here.

 

 

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ITAL/C

Italic Studio

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.

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A’ Design Awards & Competition – Call for Submissions

A'Design Awards
Chris Cran Exhibition Catalogue by Stefan Canuel, RGD

Do you have a design, photograph, or rendering that you are really proud of? Submit it to the A’Design Award & Competition! The renowned event is held in Como, Italy and accepts applications for both conceptual and realized projects. Organized into 100 categories, the competition judges all areas of design including PrintVisual CommunicationPackaging, and Photography. Entries will be reviewed by a respected panel of designers, academics, and members of the media from countries around the world. In addition to the A’Design trophy, winners will receive marketing assistance, certification support, and other services to help advance their careers. Whether you are a student or a professional, don’t miss this chance to share your work with the international design community. Register now before the upcoming deadline.

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Recently Received

Release the Hounds

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!

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Masquespacio

Masquespacio

Masquespacio is an award-winning creative consultancy that focuses on graphic and interior design. Their skill for integrating the two art forms is especially evident in their collaboration with the furniture company Missana. To celebrate Missana’s 20th anniversary, the studio revamped the brand with contemporary colors, materials, and textures. These elements were incorporated into the website, catalog, and a new line of furniture called The Novelties Collection. To display the new assortment of products, they designed vibrant exhibition spaces like the one seen above. Finally, Masquespacio crafted The Toadstool Collection, their own line of furniture that features mushroom-like seats, a table, and a sofa bench. The pieces were highly inspired by the Memphis movement of the 1980s and the architecture of Michael Graves.

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Bohuy Kim

Bohuy Kim

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.

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Perky Bros

Perky Bros

Perky Bros crafted a quirky identity system for Forgotten Boardwalk Brewing. Inspired by beachside folklore, the beer’s packaging illustrates legends of pickpocketing magicians, the invention of the funnel cake, and more. Hidden within the imagery are humorous details and cryptic messages that are a joy to discover as you sip the contents of each can. Sitting front and center is the brand’s mascot; a mystifying three-eyed cat that serves as an ode to the notorious feral felines that lived under New Jersey’s piers.

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Raffinerie

Raffinerie

Raffinerie is an award-winning design studio based in Zürich. A favorite project of mine is their collaboration with the Solothurner Film Festival. Building from an established visual language, the studio developed a flexible identity system that they adapt each year. For this year’s event, they created a comprehensive campaign that included posters, invitations, and a program booklet. The promotional pieces highlight the festival’s energetic atmosphere and simultaneously promote its diverse collection of motion pictures. Prominently featured in the materials is a rectangular “O” which represents the screens the movies are projected on. This “O” is manipulated and morphed into a series of dynamic speech bubbles that interact with the film stills featured throughout the system.

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XYZ Type

XYZ Type

XYZ Type is a new independent type foundry established by Ben Kiel and Jesse Ragan. They currently offer three beautiful typefaces – Cortado, Aglet Slab, and Export. I am especially impressed with Cortado, an elegant script inspired by the lettering of illustrator Cecilia Carlstedt. Designed to look as much like handwriting as possible, the typeface’s OpenType programming subtly changes the shapes of repeated letters and ends words with organic brushstrokes.

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Büro 146

Buro 146

Büro 146 is an accomplished design studio that collaborates with theaters, schools, and other cultural associations throughout Switzerland. Especially impressive is their work for the Pavillon Le Corbusier, a museum dedicated to the famed Swiss architect. Over the past three years, Büro has crafted promotional materials that beautifully display the institution’s collection. Pulling from the gallery’s iconic multicolored walls, the studio developed a lush tapestry of posters and brochures that highlight the eccentric nature of Le Corbusier’s structures.

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Glasfurd & Walker

Glasfurd & Walker

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.

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From the Grain Edit Job Board

wrkshp job opening

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

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828

828

828 is a design collective that is proud to live and work in Austin. Collaborating with small businesses and large events like South by Southwest, the studio crafts exciting designs for institutions that make Austin a vibrant city. Inspired by the local culture, their illustrative work often features traditional southern imagery. This is evident in their poster for the Austin-based electro-rock band, Ghostland Observatory. As a valiant eagle rises towards a sky lit with laser beams, it flashes its colorful wings covered in Tex-Mex-inspired patterns. Cleverly representing the band’s Texan roots, funky music, and wild laser shows, the poster was awarded Gold in the 2016 Graphis Poster Annual.

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Raphael Schoen

Raphael Schoen

Raphael Schoen is a Swiss graphic designer and co-founder of Präsens Büro, a studio based in Lucerne. Often designing for creative events and organizations, he’s produced a wide collection of posters that employ abstract collages and bold typography. In his poster for the dance performance, Ritual Warriors, he created an intricate composition that injected warmth and energy into the otherwise black and white photography. The fluid shapes of the photos further enhance the performers’ movements and create the illusion that they are dancing around the type.

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Book Kickstarters

Munchen Collected 1972

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.

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Andrew Fairclough Interview

Andrew Fairclough

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…

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Spassky Fischer

Spassky Fischer

Spassky Fischer is a graphic design studio based in Paris. Focusing on identity, photography, and print, they often collaborate with museums and festivals throughout France. Last year, they created stunning work for MuCEM, the Museum of European and Mediterranean Civilization in Marseille. Layering blocks of color, large typography, and a slew of photographs, the studio crafted an assortment of posters, signage, and brochures that beautifully display the museum’s content. The dynamic collage-like layouts radiate with energy and attract museum-goers, pedestrians, and subway riders.

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Kate Bingaman-Burt Interview

Kate Bingaman-Burt

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..

 

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Recently Received

Recently Received

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!

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Ward Heirwegh

Ward Heirwegh 3

Ward Heirwegh, is a Belgian designer that runs an independent practice in Antwerp. Often designing for cultural and creative institutions, he created promotional materials for the Bâtard Festival and Bozar, Brussel’s Center for Fine Arts. Bold and intriguing, his work features dynamic typography coupled with abstract patterns and striking photographs. Leaving little room for white space, his layouts are filled with large type that is often fragmented, tilted, or stretched.

In addition to his studio work, Heirwegh teaches at St Lucas School of Arts and gives lectures and workshops across Europe. He also founded Sleeperhold Publications, an experimental research-based platform that has released books, posters, and vinyl records.

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Registration Now Open For A’ Design Awards & Competition

A'Design Award & Competition

Creteleon Bottle by Tasos Polydorou

Do you have a project you’re really proud of? Do you think it could win an award? Start off the New Year by taking a chance and entering the A’Design Awards, the largest design competition in the world. The annual event is held in Como, Italy and accepts entries for both conceptual and realized projects. Celebrating all areas of design, the competition is organized into 100 categories including Print Design, Visual Communication, Packaging, UI and UX, Photography and more. Entries will be evaluated by a grand jury panel composed of design professionals, academics, and members of the press from across the globe. Whether you’re a student or a professional, this contest is a unique opportunity to receive feedback on your work and obtain access to services that can help foster your career. To participate, register your designs before the deadline on February 28th.

 

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A’ Design Awards & Competition

A'Design Award & Competition

Amur Tiger Vodka Bottle by Guilherme Jardim

The world’s largest design competition, the A’ Design Awards, is now accepting entries. The renowned event is held in Italy each year and features a wide range of creative categories including Print Design, Visual Communication, Packaging, UI and UX, Photography and more. In addition to global recognition, winners gain access to services to further develop their career as well as feedback on their presentation. All entries will be judged by an international jury panel composed of design professionals, scholars, and members of the media. To take part, register your work before the February 28th submission deadline.

 

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Aleksandar Savić

Aleksandar Savić

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.

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Artists For Education

Artists For Education

 

 

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.

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Maxim Leurentop

Maxim Leurentop

Maxim Leurentop is a Belgian graphic designer who formerly worked under the alias Studio Turbo Turbo and with the Antwerp-based studio Mirror Mirror. A passionate photographer, he often couples his photographs with typographic arrangements that are playful and intriguing, yet still easily read.

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Ghost Book Launch!

Ghost Book illustratus

I have been anxiously awaiting the release of Ghost – a chilling new collection of short stories from a team of writers and illustrators with roots at Pixar, Disney and Paramount. Through word of mouth and cryptic Facebook updates, I have been tracking the book’s progress and this week I was excited to finally get my hands on a copy.

Produced by Illustratus, Ghost marks the studio’s first foray into publishing. If the book is indicative of future releases, then they are off to a very good start. Sizing in at 9.25” x 12”, this mighty tome (or should I say tomb?) contains 13 hair-raising vignettes told through the voice of a reclusive groundskeeper. In each tale, the author meticulously summons the spirit of campfire nights of a youthful past through vivid storytelling that is equally engaging as it is terrifying. Interacting with and shaping the words are a series of dense and haunting visuals. Employing snow-bleached landscapes, speckled textures and muted tones, the images take on an ephemeral and otherworldly quality. The end result is aesthetically stunning and will serve as a worthy benchmark for a new generation of ghost stories.

Ghost is available for pre-orders today, with books shipping out as early as November 1st. In addition, you can pick up a copy at a special book launch, art auction and Halloween party this weekend in LA. Included in the auction will be original art works by Pete Docter, Sanjay Patel, Chris Sasaki, Jeff Turley, Daniela Strijleva, Albert Lozano and many others. Tickets for the event can be purchased here.

 

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Franklyn

Franklyn

Franklyn in a Brooklyn-based creative studio founded by Michael Freimuth and Patrick Richardson. While designing for a wide range of clients, they strive to “stay trill” and create eye-catching designs that genuinely represent the companies they work with.

Their talent for creating alluring and authentic brands can be seen within their work for Marz Brewing, a collective of brewers and artists. The studio created a flexible branding system in order to easily collaborate with the artists to craft distinctly different labels for each flavor of beer. This innovative approach to branding has led to an alluring packaging system that beautifully symbolizes the diverse personalities of each brewer.

Having a passion for expanding their imaginations and showcasing the creativity of others has led to charming self-initiated projects. They create official Franklyn swag, like toothbrushes and skateboards, and collaborate with designer Kyle Poff to create Matérial Magazine.

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Okay

Okay

The work of Carl Bender’s design studio, Okay, holds far more merit than its name implies. Having a strong sense of narrative, he creates distinct and memorable brands by integrating his client’s stories into his designs. I’m especially fond of his work for Bender’s Whiskey Co. Inspired by the company’s location on San Francisco’s Treasure Island, the whiskey’s quirky illustrative packaging pays homage to the island’s nautical history and the swashbuckling sailors who have spent time there.

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Violaine & Jérémy

Violaine & Jeremy

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.

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David Biskup

David Biskup

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.

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Recently Received

graphic design books @grainedit

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.

 

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Dieter Rams Documentary

Dieter Rams

Gary Hustwit, the director of the documentaries Helvetica, Objectified, and Urbanized, has started working on his new movie, Rams. This will be the first feature documentary about Dieter Rams, an iconic industrial designer best known for his designs for Braun and Vitsoe. The project will explore the untold stories behind his process, philosophies, and inspirations. In order to fund the film, Hustwit has created a Kickstarter campaign that will also help support efforts to preserve Rams’s design archive. If you would like to contribute to the campaign, visit the Kickstarter site before it expires on July 22.

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Damien Poulain

Damien Poulain

Splitting his time between London and Paris, designer and illustrator Damien Poulain focuses on both commercial and artistic work. A man of many mediums, he uses a mix of colorful materials to create bold simple shapes and charming characters. Through his art, he strives to explore ideas behind fragility, balance, and cultural phenomena.

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Ludovic Balland

Ludovic Balland

Ludovic Balland is a Swiss designer based in Basel. His studio, Ludovic Balland Typography Cabinet, specializes in editorial layout, typeface design, and photography. The studio has created intricate typographic compositions and clever visual identities for many cultural institutions including Warsaw’s Museum of Modern Art and the Festival Antigel in Geneva. This past March, Switzerland’s Federal Office of Culture (BAK) awarded Balland the Jan Tschichold Award for outstanding achievements in book design.

 

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Peter Tarka

Peter Tarka

Although he is busy working with clients such as Honda, Adobe, and Verizon, Polish graphic artist Peter Tarka (AKA Grate Studio) still focuses on self-initiated projects to explore different techniques and hone his skills. Using a mix of programs such as Cinema 4D, Photoshop, and V-Ray, he molds textures and patterns into three-dimensional forms to create abstract compositions and unique typographic structures.

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Jeremie Claeys

Jeremie Claeys

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.

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Rejane Dal Bello

Rejane Dal Bello

Rejane Dal Bello is an award-winning Brazilian designer and illustrator currently based in London. After having previously worked for Studio Dumbar in Rotterdam and Wolf Olins in London, she now runs her own firm that specializes in corporate, nonprofit, and cultural sectors. She currently teaches at St Joost Art School and often volunteers her creative services to underprivileged communities and charitable organizations.

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Recently Received

Design Books

In our latest installment of book picks we highlight new and exciting titles from Unit Editions, Princeton Architectural Press, Metropolis, Flying Eye and many others. All are worth noting, but we highly recommend TD 63-73, Very Graphic: Polish Designers of the 20th Century and Design for People.

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2015 Holiday Gift Guide: Design Books

Design book gift guide

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!

 

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Recently Received

ladislavsutnar-visual-1

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.

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Chris DeLorenzo Interview

Chris DeLorenzo

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.

 

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Super Super

super super

Brillant work from Super Super, a Warsaw-based creative studio specialising in connecting ideas with design and technology.

 

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Brand Guide: Singapore Edition

Foreign Policy

Brand Guide: Singapore Edition rounds up the iconic homegrown brands that attest to the current golden age of design in Singapore. Conceived by local design think-tank studio, Foreign Policy Design Group, this publication goes in-depth, featuring the brains behind some of Singapore’s most well-known and well-loved brands, such as Unlisted Collection:, The Lo & Behold Group, Papa Palheta, Ong Shunmugam, GOODSTUPH, DrGL, Supermama, BooksActually,and Plain Vanilla. Doubling as an alternative travel guide for the modern design traveller, Brand Guide: Singapore Edition hopes to share their appreciation for local brands and to inspire that in their readers.

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nju:comunicazione

 nju:comunicazione

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.

 

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Recently Received

Design Books

Here’s the latest round of books and goods to hit our shelves. This week’s entries include items from Nobrow, Chronicle Books, powerHouse Books, Unit Editions and Princeton Architectural Press. See all the books after the jump.

 

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Cruschiform

Cruschiform

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.

 

 

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Future Classic

futureclassic-4

Neenah paper celebrates the relationship between destination and design in their latest promotion entitled Future Classic. In a collaboration with Washington D.C.-based creative studio Design Army, Neenah Paper asked seven emerging artists to interpret the cities they live in, through design. The end result will be available in a soon-to-be released book.

 

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Strom & Jag

Strom & Jag via grainedit.com

Ström & Jag is a new design studio founded by Hampus Jageland and Malin Holmström. After stints in Sydney and Paris, the two have decided to set up shop in Stockholm, where they will continue to craft unique and engaging work for their clients.

 

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Kelly Thorn

Kelly Thorn

Kelly Thorn’s playful type arrangements never fail to delight. A graduate of the Tyler School of Art, she now fills her days creating intricate yet elegant work for the fine folks at Louise Fili’s studio.

 

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Sponsor // Webydo

Your web design canvas. Made for designers.

Webydo is a professional website design platform that empowers graphic and
web designers to create and manage pixel-perfect responsive websites for
their clients, completely code-free.

Led by a community of over 130K professional designers, design studios and
agencies, Webydo helps creative professionals concentrate on what is most
important to them – the creative element of web building. With advanced
features like a built-in CMS, a full white label solution and the ability to
bill clients directly from the dashboard, designers can truly create their
web design empire.

 

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One and Done

One and Done Studio

One and Done is the online home and moniker of Lorin Brown. Hailing fro Wayne, PA, Lorin currently resides in Brooklyn, NY, where he has amassed an impressive client list for his highly expressive design work. Arkitip, 2K by Gingham, Band Of Outsiders, Beautiful/Decay and Anthology are just a few of the names he’s worked with over the years.

 

 

 

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Damien Gautier

Damien Gautier

 

Bureau 205 is a multidisciplinary design studio based in Villeurbanne, France. Founded in 2010 by Damien Gautier, the studio provides comprehensive design solutions with a special focus in type design and type-driven work.

 

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New Additions to our Holiday Book Gift Guide

Hello I am Erik

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.

 

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Gift Guide: Home & Office

Gift Guide

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.

 

 

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2014 Holiday Gift Guide: Books

Design book gift guide

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!

 

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Recently Received

John Alcorn: Evolution of Design

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.

 

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Martin Azambuja

Martin Azambuja

I’m really enjoying the work of Martin Azambuja, a designer and illustrator working in Montevideo, Uruguay. Through fluid lines and rich textures he crafts vibrant landscapes pulsating with life and energy.  You can see more of his work on Behance as well as at Mundial, a small studio he recently formed with friend and fellow designer Francisco Cunha.

 

 

 

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Jose Canales

Jose Canales

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.

 

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Recently Received

Type Plus by Unit Editions

This week’s book picks include entries from Unit Editions, Princeton Architectural Press and Ridinghouse. See all the books and images after the jump.

 

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Ty Wilkins Interview

Ty Wilkins interview

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.

 

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Caitlin Keegan

Caitlin Keegan on grainedit.com

 

Caitlin Keegan recently updated her website with some some stellar new projects including this 2015 lunar calendar. In addition’s to her hand-drawn typography, the calendar features vegetable-based inks, space to write important dates and a charming moon illustrated in Caitlin’s signature style.

 

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NYC Transit Authority Graphics Standards Manual Reissue

NYC Transit Authority Graphics Standards Manual

 

After discovering a copy of the NYC Transit Authority Graphics Standards Manual in the basement of Pentagram, designers Jesse Reed and Hamish Smyth have set out to reissue this unique piece of history. For a limited time you can support their efforts through a Kickstarter campaign that has been set up. Starting at the $118 level, each backer will receive a copy of the reproduction which will include an intro by Michael Beirut. After this campaign, the book will never be reissued again. See all the details here.

 

 

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Recently Received

100 Years of Swiss Design on grainedit.com

 

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.

 

 

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Goncalo Viana

Goncalo Viana on grainedit.com

 

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.

 

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Recently Received: NAVA

Nava Superbag

NAVA is an Italian brand that has strong roots in the design community. Established in 1970, they have a long history of working with the leading designers of the day. Nendo Projects, Massimo Vignelli, Enzo Mari, Naoto Fukasawa and Max Huber are just a few of the designers that NAVA has collaborated with over the years. The success of these partnerships has allowed NAVA to craft a functional yet undeniably stylish product line that supercedes vain fashion.  Many of these products have gone on to become icons that are still displayed in museums and galleries around the world.

We recently received a package from NAVA which contained items from the latest Michel Charlot collaboration as well as a classic notepad/daily planner designed by Max Huber during the early stages of the company. We explore these products in words and pictures after the jump.

 

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Blok Design

Blok Design on grainedit.com

Blok Design created this spirited campaign for Lucky 21, a film production company based in Dallas and LA. . Tapping into the company’s humor and passion, Blok crafted an identity system that is bold, yet still allows the brand’s playful voice to shine.

 

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Helmo

Helmo on grainedit.com

Thomas Couderc and Clément Vauchez are the creative minds behind the French design studio Helmo. The two met during their studies in Besançon before pursuing separate careers in Paris.  They later reunited at the design collective La Bonne Merveille before launching their own studio.

 

 

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World Cup Posters by Andre Chiote

World Cup posters by Andre Chiote on grainedit.com

Fans of architecture and the World Cup games will appreciate this poster series by Portuguese architect Andre Chiote.

 

 

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Brad Woodard Interview

Brave the Woods interview on grainedt.com

 

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!

 

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Christina Magnussen AKA Gala

Christina Magnussen on grainedit.com

 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.

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Vicki Turner

Vicki Turner on grainedit.com

Vicki Turner is a British Designer, Illustrator and Maker with a passion for the natural world.  From her new studio in Devon she crafts whimsical works exploding with repetition and rhythm.

 

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Brent Couchman Interview

Brent Couchman Interview #designinprocess

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.

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Kokoro & Moi

Kokoro & Moi via grainedit.com

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.

 

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Josh Emrich

Josh Emrich via grainedit.com

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.

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Valentine’s Day for the Design-Minded

House Industries Love Hearts Blocks

House Industries Love Heart Blocks

With Valentine’s Day just around the corner, we’ve compiled a small list of gift ideas for the design-inclined. Included are items from House Industries, Wieden + Kennedy, Braun and more. In addition, you will find some fun items that fit within the sprit of the holiday. See the full list here.

 

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Ty Mattson Interview

tymattson-interview-913

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.

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Recently Received

Italo Lupi via #grainedit

This week we’re excited to feature titles from Corraini Edizioni, Nobrow, Laurence King and Princeton Architectural Press. See all the books after the jump.

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Recently Received

Graphic Icons  via #grainedit

This week we’re excited to feature titles from Flying Eye Books, Laurence King, Peach Pit Press, PA Press, Kat Ran Press and more. See all the books after the jump.

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Eight Hour Day Interview

Eight Hour Day Interview via #grainedit #designinprocess

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.

 

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Mike Cina Interview

Mike Cina Interview #grainedit #designinprocess #newcreatives

Today we’re excited to announce a new series of process related interviews with our favorite artists and designers. In the first installment  we head to to Minneapolis, MN, the home of Michael Cina who is an award-winning creative director and skilled artist. Bridging the gap between music, photography, art and design, he creates work that is innovative and often unconventional in its approach. Here Mike discusses the role of intuition in design, his workflow for a recent Ghostly International project, his passions outside of the studio and much more. Enjoy!

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/Sponsor/ Verb: 72-Font Super Family – the complete series

There’s no better way to get your next project moving than with the awesomely active (and actively awesome) Verb font family. We’ve actually run a Mighty Deal on the Verb font from Yellow Design Studio before and it got so many of our fans pumped up that we’ve decided to bring it back. Even if you took advantage of our previous Verb Deal, you’ll want to stick around.

This time, you can get the entire Verb Font Family from Yellow Design Studio, or even just pick up the Verb fonts you don’t have yet.

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And Atelier

And Atelier via grainedit.com

Brilliant work from And Atelier, a Portuguese multidisciplinary studio run by João Araújo & Rita Huet.

 

 

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Rick Berkelmans AKA Hedof

hedof

Rick Berkelmans is the man behind Hedof, a oneman design studio based in Breda, Netherlands.  Drawing from a wide range of influences and a love for traditional printing techniques, he creates work that is a vibrant mix of images, typography and color. Many of his pieces are humorous in nature and feature a playful cast of characters that morph in and out of each other. Immerse yourself in his world at the recently revamped Hedof.com.

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Recently Received

tiny pencil

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.

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Mattson Creative is Hiring

mattson creative

We were first introduced to Mattson Creative through their brilliant series of tribute posters for Showtime’s Dexter and have become big fans ever since. In addition to the studio’s inspiring side projects, they’ve created award-winning work for an impressive client list including Apple, CBS, Cartoon Network, Hasbro, DreamWorks and Target. We just received word that they currently have a position open for a Senior Graphic Designer in their Southern California office. This could be an amazing opportunity for one lucky designer!

For more details and to apply for the position, please visit their website.

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MADE Quarterly Edition Two

made quarterly

MADE Quarterly is a publication that documents the workings of the modern maker, including but not limited to industrial design, architecture, fashion, interior design, photography and the culinary world. MADE aims to get inside the heads of those individuals to find out how they do what they do, and what inspires them to create. Each issue will take a peek behind the scenes and offer the reader a rare opportunity to glimpse inside the minds of these inspiring individuals.

The second edition of MADE Quarterly features: Mast Brothers (USA), Best Made Co (USA), Huet Brothers (NLD), Stevie Gee (GBR), Earth Tu Face (USA), March Studio (AUS), Uniform Wares (GBR), Henry Wilson (AUS), Ben Huff (USA) and Minimalux (GBR). MADE Edition Two also features four individual covers, each displaying chosen works from our esteemed contributors. Please note covers are distributed randomly.

Pick up a copy here.

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Recently Received

design books

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.

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ICE CREAM FOR FREE

ice cream for free

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.

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Tres Tipos Graficos

Tres Tipos Graficos

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.

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MUTI

muti

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.

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La Tigre

la tigre

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.

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Irving Harper: Works in Paper

irving harper

Irving Harper: Works In Paper is a recent monograph from Skira Rizzoli celebrating the multi-faceted designer, Irving Harper, with a focus on his incredible collection of paperboard sculptures.

As the director of design at George Nelson Associates in the 1960s, Harper contributed to numerous mid-century creations, namely the Marshmallow Sofa for Herman Miller furniture and the Ball and Sunburst clocks for Howard Miller, and also leading the design of the Chrysler pavilion for the 1964 New York World Fair. According to Julie Lasky who penned an essay for the book, the pressure of work ‘almost drove him to knit’, yet with his skills in building client presentation models in cardboard, he soon eased his way into sculpting with paper. Inspired by Picasso, African Art, Surrealism and de Stijl, Harper constructed whimsical characters and breathtaking abstracts mostly out of paper in addition to straws, wood, toothpicks, twigs, spare materials from his office and discarded doll parts from his daughter. His collection numbered close to 300 when he ran out of display space in 2000. He completed his stunning final piece which appropriately graced the book cover – an owl with glass eyeballs and draped in folded brown paper feathers.

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Stoemp

stoemp

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.

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Recently Received

Paris line by line

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!

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Shed Labs

Shed Labs
Lovely work from Shed Labs, the Greenville, SC-based design and screenprinting studio. Their aesthetic is bold and textural, and their work is very lively. The wit and sense of humor found in the work functions nicely with their colorful, playful style.

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Founded

founded

Founded is a Newcastle-based studio specializing in branding, packaging and environmental projects among other things. To me, their strong suit are their branding and identity projects. They do a great job of making subtle references and effectively using restrained typography while still managing to be witty — all within a very clean, minimal style.

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Recently Received

mati klarwein

From books on vintage record cover art to typographic notecards, here’s the latest batch of items to hit our shelves.

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Strohl for Lekerlee

strohl design

I have been an avid consumer of this German treat for years, but I can guarantee you that it was never the packaging that drew me in. SF Based Strohl took Lekerlee to the next level by creating packaging that is sleek and modern, a sharp contrast to the traditional gothic type and overly-illustrated german villages that usually adorn the cookies’ container.

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Poster Pick: Curtis Jinkins

Curtis Jinkins

Austin, Texas is a hotbed of design talent and Curtis Jinkins is one of our favorites to emerge from the scene. In this week’s poster pick, Curtis pays homage to home state with this bull print. Black and gold are prominently featured, which makes perfect sense given the history of this oil rich land. In the background, a blood red setting sun illuminates the derricks and windmills that dot the landscape.

This print as well as other works by Curtis are now available at the Poster Cabaret.

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From the Job Board

Graphic Designer – Ceci New York (NY, NY)
You will be working with a small group of talented designers, coordinating with the Project Manager to ensure the project stays within its budget and timelines, and presenting solutions to clients in a beautiful, open, dynamic studio. This is a fast paced and highly creative environment. A deep passion for paper and design as well as a willingness to learn new trends and techniques is essential.

You can subscribe to our job listings via RSSEmail or follow at Twitterand Facebook.

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Matte Stephens iPad Game

matte stephens

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!

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2012 Grain Edit Holiday Giveaway Bash

herbert matter

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.netHouse IndustriesChronicle BooksGestaltenPrinceton Architectural PressMatte Stephens and many more.

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Bluerock Design Co.

bluerock design co

I like the scope and style of this branding project from Boston-based Bluerock Design Co. With the honorable aim of introducing kids to cycling and nutrition, the cleanliness, simplicity and boldness of this campaign are spot on. It feels like the overall aim of this project is inform and inspire, and the bright, crisp graphics really help in that cause. They’ve obviously had some fun in applying the concept to jerseys, bottles, shirts and tickets. A lot of times it feels like branding projects cover a familiar gamut of surfaces: letterheads, cards and websites. It’s nice to see this work on something a little more unique.

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/Sponsor/ Chronicle Books

A Huge thanks to Chronicle Books for sponsoring this week’s RSS Feed!

Jim Henson’s iconic puppet characters, fantastic worlds, and warm humor have delighted millions of people of all ages. His incredibly diverse body of work, from the Muppets to the world of The Dark Crystal, reveals his charm and genius to fans old and new.

Now, fans can journey through Henson’s life with Imagination Illustrated, The Jim Henson Journal. The book,  a visual experience compiled directly from the private notes that Jim faithfully kept throughout his career, features hand-written entries and a trove of little-seen visual material from The Jim Henson Company archives, including rare sketches, personal and production photographs, storyboards, doodles, and much more. Read an excerpt here!

Save 25% and get free US Ground shipping on Imagination Illustrated when you use promo code JIMHENSON at chroniclebooks.com.

Interested in sponsoring the Grain Edit Feed? Visit our sponsorship page for more info.

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Matte Stephens Selected Works

matte stephens

Through his whimsical gouche paintings, Matte Stephens has created a world filled with friendly characters and warm moments that are flavored with nostalgia. Dapper foxes, chirping birds, pipe smoking penguins, turn of the century explorers all inhabit a space on his canvas. Even Monsieur Hulot stops by for the fun. The entire cast make an appearance in Matte’s new book, Matte Stephens Selected Works (Oeuvres choisies). Published by Editions Alto in Quebec, the stunning cloth-bound book highlights many of his most cherished paintings as well as his lesser known works.

Copies of Matte Stephens Selected Works (Oeuvres choisies) are available at Matte’s Etsy shop and Editions Alto.

Details:
96 pages /  7.5″x10.5″
Text set in Farao with captions in French & English.

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Stone and Spear

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.

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2012 Print Set Giveaway

poster cabaret

Our good friends at the Poster Cabaret recently launched a new set of prints and to celebrate we’re having a giveaway.

The 20 piece collection includes work from Dirk Fowler, Sonnenzimmer, Diana Sudyka, Blanca Gomez, Jason Munn, Evan B Harris, Methane Studios, Matte Stephens, Amanda Blake, Andy Kehoe, Dan McCarthy, Jennifer Davis, Scott C, Camilla Engman, Hollie Chastain, Leah Giberson, Jess Seamans, Dan Black, Jeremy MIranda and Jay Ryan. Nine of the prints are up for grabs today.

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Why Design

why design

At Herman Miller design is the language they use to ask questions and seek answers to the problems their customers face. The design process is a journey into the unknown—or as George Nelson once quipped, “I have never met a designer who was retained to keep things the same as they were.” Before we decide what we do and how we do it, we like to begin by asking the question “Why?” In Why Design, a new film series, Herman Miller explores the world through the eyes of their designers, and shares something of why we value their point of view.

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Typozon

typozon

Nice selection of work from Bogota, Colombia based design studio Typozon.

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Ze Cardoso

ze cardoso

Ze Cardoso is a designer, illustrator and artist hailing from Oporto, Portugal. Recently graduated, Ze has a number of interesting self-initiated projects on his site. I really like the colors and personality in this stamp project, a collaborative effort for CTT, Portugal’s national postal service. They’re bold and playful, and would make sending letters much more enjoyable.

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Recently Received

ganesha's sweet tooth

Here’s the latest batch of goodies to hit our shelves! Fresh picks from Chronicle Books, Neighbourgoods and Lumadessa.

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Elena Giavaldi

Talented designer and illustrator Elena Giavaldi really knows how to make judging a book by its cover easy. As a book cover designer, she creates very cool, contemporary compositions for some of the best publishing houses in the business. She also manages to put very personal touches on each project, and add a bit of extra interest with unique type choices and very modern, experimental lettering. Other than her expansive covers archive, her portfolio runs the gamut of graphic design, making her an incredibly versatile designer. To keep up with Elena, look for her work in a bookstore near you!

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Forma&Co

forma&co

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.

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Atipus

atipus

We’ve posted a number of great Barcelona-based designers and illustrators in the past, and the work from Atipus is no exception. Atipus is a studio doing really sharp branding, art direction and general design for print and web. What really struck me was the distinctiveness and personality throughout their portfolio. The work is clean and accessible as well as smart and well thought out.

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Graphic Modern

graphic modern

Greg and Patricia of Display have curated an amazing collection of design work that embodies the spirit and ideology of Modernism. The exhibition which features pieces from the U.S., Italy and Switzerland is on view from now through July 26, 2012 at Fordham University. If you’re in the NY area, I highly recommend checking this out.

More details after the jump.

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Brad Woodard

brad woodard

brad woodard

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.

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From The Job Board: Jonathan Adler

graphic design jobs

Product Designer – Jonathan Adler Design Studio (New York)

Jonathan Adler is looking for a versatile designer with strong graphic capabilities to work with the Head Design Manager and himself on full extensions of the Jonathan Adler hard good product line. This position will offer the opportunity to design and develop a wide range of product from decorative accessories, hard tabletop, gift and games to lighting and decorative objects.

You can subscribe to our job listings via RSS, Email or follow at Twitter and Facebook.

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Jon Wong

jon wong

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).

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Highway by Dan Cassaro

As users of an ever-changing internet, it’s amazing to see large project come together by someone that we’ve been following for years. In this case, I was lucky enough to get a sneak preview of a really great new typeface by Dan Cassaro, called Highway. Easily manipulated to create the look of lettering, but tight enough to use as ready-to-go typography, Highway fills the gap of versatility that many will find just perfect for their next project.

To get a bit more insight into the process and how the idea began to come together, I asked Dan a couple of questions.

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Rifle Paper Co.

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.

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Brighten The Corners

brighten the corners

Brighten The Corners is an independent, multi-disciplined design and strategy consultancy with offices in London and Stuttgart. It is also the title of the fourth studio album recorded by indie rock behemoth, Pavement. As an out-and-out fan of Pavement I find this connection quite interesting.

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Damien Correll

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.

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From the Job Board: Column Five Media

column five media

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.

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Jing Wei

Jing Wei Illustration

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.

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Familytree Design

Familytree Design

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.

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Matt Lehman

matt lehman studio

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.

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George McCalman Interview

george mccalman

As a young design student at California College of the Arts I had the wonderful opportunity of interning for ReadyMade magazine — way back in its hip Berkeley headquarters heyday.

It was a fantastically unique experience and my first in a bustling design office. Under the guidance of art director George McCalman, the office’s art department was a lively, collaborative, ambitious and (extremely) entertaining place to work — and home to the best design office music jams I have had the pleasure to groove to (courtesy of Mr. McCalman himself).

George is a magazine veteran, having art-directed Mother Jones, ReadyMade and Afar to name a few. He is responsible for relevant, thoughtful editorial design as well as some very compelling branding, packaging and identity work. Recently, I was able to catch up with George and find out about his past, present and future. And of course, his opinions regarding his favorite magazines.

George, take it away:

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Function, Restraint, and Subversion in Typography

grain edit

We recently received this title on contemporary typography from the friendly folks at Princeton Architectural Press. The book takes a look at the minimalistic typographic work of a variety of well-known and not-so-well-known designers.

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Jaime Van Wart

jaime van wart

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.

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ReckerHouse

ReckerHouse

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.

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Raise No Chicken

raise no chicken

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.

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Everything-Type-Company

everything-type-company

Everything-Type-Company is a new design studio collaboration between Geoff Halber (Brooklyn) and Kyle Blue (San Francisco). Their portfolio boasts a nice variety of work for clients such as Yale School of Art, Arkitip, Dwell magazine, and the Walker Art Center.

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Anorak Magazine Interview

Anorak Magazine

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!

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Dana Tanamachi

Dana Tanamachi

I (like many other typophiles) first heard of Dana Tanamachi a couple of months ago and was really impressed by her amazing chalk lettering projects. The other day, I saw a couple of time-lapse videos of the projects being created, and was completely blown away by how quickly and well it all comes together. Since she doesn’t use stencils or a projector to aid her drawings, it maintains an almost-perfect notion that this is a one of a kind, fleeting moment in the life of a word, which will probably be soon erased (how poetic!). She is also a part of Louise Fili Ltd., the amazingly prolific lettering studio, where she helps to create some of the world’s most lovely type work.

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We Have Our Winners

Thanks to everyone who took part in the 2011 Poster Cabaret Bike Print Set Giveaway!  We randomly selected our winners this weekend. The winners will be listed at the bottom of the Grain Edit Email Update and Grain Edit RSS Feed.  For those of you who subscribe to the email updates, the email should arrive tomorrow morning.

The winners were also announced via our twitter stream and facebook page earlier today.

Individual posters from the 2011 Bike Print set are now available for purchase at the Poster Cabaret. Photos from the gallery show have been uploaded to the site as well.

——————————————————

Special thanks goes out to:

Poster Cabaret

Leandro Castelao | Brent Couchman | Dirk Fowler | Invisible CreatureTad Carpenter | Mark McDevitt/Methane Studios | Sonnenzimmer | Diana Sudyka | Blanca Gomez | Jay Ryan | Mara Piccione | Delicious Design League | Jason Munn | DKNG Studios | Will Bryant | Evan B Harris | Ty Wilkins | Alberto Cerriteño | Doublenaut

Please take time to visit their sites.

——————————————————

Eric Ellis

Eric Ellis

Chicago, Illinois based designer Eric Ellis produces clean and colorful graphics via a mixup of classic and contemporary influences. A recent graduate of Columbia College, and now an employee of Ogilvy & Mather, Eric is steadily continuing to create a plethora of awe-inducing imagery for us. For more of Ellis’ work, dig around through his site a bit, and be sure to also check out his great collection of #2 pencil sketches, Noon Studio.

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Doyald Young Poster

Doyald Young poster

At the end of last year, Josh Higgins started a collaborative poster with Doyald Young that was to be a gift to a mutual friend. Sadly, Doyald passed away before the project was completed. The day after his passing, Josh contacted Jessica Hische who graciously brought the project back to life. A limited number of these  letterpressed posters are now available and proceeds will be used to set up a type scholarship in Doyald’s name.

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Timbuktu Magazine

Timbuktu Magazine, Olimpia Zagnoli

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.

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Introducing Liz Meyer

Liz Meyer

As you may have noticed, a new name has been covering all things typography related on Grain Edit. The name’s Liz Meyer, and it should ring a bell. Liz is a talented designer and illustrator based in Brooklyn, one half of Script & Seal, and the newest addition to our Grain Edit crew.

There’s more to Liz than just her love for Thanksgiving, as evidenced by the photo above. To give you a better feel for our East Coast correspondent, we’ve conducted a little interview with her that you’re sure to enjoy! Without further a do, please welcome Liz…

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Christopher Gray

christopher gray

Christopher Gray is a modern day Renaissance man that works as a designer, illustrator, photographer, and writer. His personal poster work features amalgamated geometric shapes in sophisticated compositions and color schemes.  Christopher is setting the bar high on this project, and writes on his blog that he’s aiming to get 100 posters in the middle of [the] year all of which will be for sale. There’s no doubt that we will be seeing more exciting work from him in the future!

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I Love Dust

i love dust

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!

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Tad Carpenter Interview

tad carpenter

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.

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Brecht Vandenbroucke

Brecht Vandenbroucke, illustration, Belgium

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.

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Trademark™ / Tim Lahan

Tim Lahan, illustration, USA

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.

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Yehteh

yehteh

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.

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Hvass & Hannibal

Hvass&Hannibal, contemporary, illustration

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.
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Helms Workshop

grain edit / helms workshop

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.

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Meet Sozi & Her Idea

sozi

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!

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Olimpia Zagnoli

Olimpia Zagnoli

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.

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House Industries at Heath Los Angeles

house heath

Letters, numbers, ceramics and craftsmanship collide in a month-long House Industries exhibition at the Heath Los Angeles studio and store. House will transform the legendary tile and tableware maker’s airy Beverly Boulevard space into an unprecedented emulsion of clay, metal, ink, cotton, wood, lacquer, lithography and letterforms.

The exhibition will feature several new objects including custom-fired House-Heath tiles, reclaimed wood end-grain tiles, hand-printed folding plywood divider screens, tree ornaments, letterpressed greeting cards and much more. Heath also stocks hard-to-find House classics such as the Eames House blocks and the Alexander Girard Nativity.


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Kelli Anderson



In the era of the slick, white, one-dimensional portfolio site, one quickly glazes over after clicking through multiple nearly identical sites. The flip side being that tedious, overly constructed sites become more frustrating and conceptual than actually useful for seeing a designer’s portfolio.

Kelli Anderson has a great site on her hands. It’s unique, fun and easy to use, and it doesn’t get fussy. Her work is exceptional as well. I noticed a nice balance of smart thinking and great hand skills. Kelli has a letterpress in her apartment, so much of her work has a very hands-on, tactile, cared-for feel.

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Julia Rothman Interview

julia rothman

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!

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Jon Contino

jon contino

For my first post I am honored to bring to you Jon Contino. He is a designer, illustrator and a self-proclaimed ‘Alphastructuaesthetitologist’ (which sounds wonderful & incredibly hard to say) living in Brooklyn. His completely unique hand lettering style uses a rich mix of nostalgia and vaguely modern touches, making his particular brand of typography stand out. I particularly love his use of old sailor songs, sea life and of course the New York whaling-era ephemera. Along with his freelance career, Jon lives a crazy life as a partner at OneTwentySix design studio and owner of a men’s clothing line, CXXVI.

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Postmammal

postmammal

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.

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Commonwealth Stacks

commonwealth stacks skateboarding

Commonwealth Stacks, a newly launched skateboard line recently sent up some sweet decks. Since 2000 Stacks has existed as the creative outlet for designer and art director Michael Leon, creating Tees and the occasional deck. The Spring of this year saw Michael pursue Stacks full time, partnering with skate legend Reese Forbes to create a brand focusing on quality, style, attention to detail, and authenticity.

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Creative, Inc. Book Tour

creative inc

Our good friends at Chronicle Books recently released Creative, Inc.: The Ultimate Guide to Running a Successful Freelance Business. Co-written by Joy Cho and Meg Mateo Ilasco, this helpful guide is packed with expert advice on finding agents, negotiating fees, licensing work and dealing with taxes. Also included are useful resources and interviews with experienced designers and illustrators.

I’m excited to welcome both Meg and Joy to Grain Edit today for a special Q&A session. Ok, here we go!

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Recently Added to the Grain Edit Job Board

graphic design jobs

Recently Added to the Grain Edit Job Board:

Print/Retail Designer Intern – TOMS Shoes (Santa Monica/LA)
Web Developer Intern – TOMS Shoes (Santa Monica/LA)
Graphic Design Intern – Jonathan Adler (New York)
Senior Art Director – Target (Minneapolis)

You can subscribe to our job listings via RSS, Email or follow at Twitter and Facebook.

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The National Concert Poster by Doublenaut

doublenaut poster

The National at Massey Hall / 18″ x 24″ print

Doublenaut serves up a haunting piece of imagery for this concert poster created for the National’s recent show in Toronto. The artwork was inspired by  “Anyone’s Ghost” and “Terrible Love”, two songs found on the group’s latest release. The poster sold out fairly quickly at Doublenaut’s shop, but there are still a few available over at the Poster Cabaret.

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Jolby

contemporary, illustration, portland, jolby, josh kenyon, colby nichols

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.

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Q & A with Jason Munn of the Small Stakes

jason munn

The Small Stakes Music Posters by Jason Munn ©2010

Not too long ago we asked you, the readers, for questions to pass along to Jason Munn regarding his recent book published by Chronicle. In today’s Q + A session he shares his answers to some of the questions we received.

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Rupert and Leonard Print by Matte Stephens

matte stephens
Rupert and Leonard wait for the tram on their Swedish holiday – 13″ x19″ print

This week’s poster pick was created by the ever playful Matte Stephens. In this scene a young boy and his distinguished bear colleague attempt to board a cable car (tram) filled with mod haircuts and big smiles. This seems like a bad move as it appears that mister snazzy bear’s umbrella is holding up the cable car wire. If this painting was animated, I would love to see the next frame. Catch the tram here.

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Recently Added to the Grain Edit Job Board

sebastiaan bremer

I received an email earlier this week from the nice folks at Jonathan Adler. They are currently looking for a product designer to help design soft and hard goods for new business partnerships. Other recent additions to the grain edit job board include positions at Apple and MTV Networks.

You can subscribe to our job listings via RSS, Email or follow at Twitter and Facebook.

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Blanca Gomez Interview

blanca gomez

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.

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Dan Stiles Interview

grain edit / dan stiles

For the latest Grain Edit interview, we head to the beautiful Pacific Northwest city of Portland, Oregon. While Portland is known for it’s drizzly rain, recent influx of people, and amazing food cart scene, it is also the home of many talented designers. We here at Grain Edit had the chance to visit PDX and catch up with one of it’s very accomplished residents, Dan Stiles.

Dan is a long time designer and contributor to the contemporary gig poster scene. His work is always very fresh, energetic, engaging and fun. Dan is very successful at creating dramatic work while using minimal colors and patterns. In this interview we chat with Dan about his history as a designer, his thoughts on running a solo studio, working in Portland, and much more.

Enjoy!

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Yulia Brodskaya

Grain Edit / Yulia Brodskaya / Stern Grove poster

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.

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Sasha Barr Interview

Sasha Barr, Grain Edit, illustration, design, This is the New Year

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!

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ilovedust

ilovedust / grain edit

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.)

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The Silent Giants

silent giants / grain edit

The Silent Giants, a two-man Michigan-based studio cooks up some sweet silent awesomeness. Although, given the fact that most of their work is music related, the name is more than a little ironic. If you’re like me, you’ve seen the Giants’ work before and not known it — in the form of the popular and stylish Ra Ra Riot album cover.

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Mike Perry Interview

Mike Perry / Grain Edit

This Grain Edit interview takes us to New York’s largest burough—Brooklyn—and to the office of Mike Perry! I’m sure most here are quite familiar with his work. The style is very specific; you definitely know it when you see it. With the help of the fancy-shmancy Internet, Mike’s work seems often imitated, but never duplicated. There is only one Mike Perry, folks.

I became most familiar with Mike’s work with the publication of his first book, Hand Job: A Catalog of Type. While still in school I preordered it, as did many of my classmates. But I had my first real hands-on looks at it over at the studio where I was interning — they had an advance copy. I remember the smell, especially, as well as the general office ogling.

One of the things that strikes me the most about Mike’s work is that he can be making a zine or an object, putting on a show, or designing a typeface, or just doodling—all of his work feels consistent. With whatever he’s doing, you’re always entering the world of Mike Perry.

After the jump, Mike talks about various aspects of his work, his work history, and his favorite Brooklyn restaurant. Let’s get into it!

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APAK

APAK, illustration, wood panel, Portland

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.

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Noma Bar Interview

noma bar

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.

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2010 California Design Biennial

california design biennial

2010 California Design Biennial – Call for Entries

Between now and April 2010 Louise Sandhaus and Derrick Schultz will be seeking graphic/communications design projects to include in the 2010 California Design Biennial that will be held at the Pasadena Museum of California Art in the Summer of 2010.

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Naive: Modernism and Folklore in Graphic Design

naive modern

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.

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Up in the Air- Opening sequence

up in the air

The opening film sequence for Up in the Air (2009) takes the viewer on a journey through the clouds and across the abstract landscapes of America. Each still is like a vintage postcard. The moving sequence is inter-cut with slides of lush greenery, dusty canyons, and intricate cityscapes. And the cherry on top? Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings’ “This land is your land” is the soundtrack behind the film edits that make the images float, glide, spin across the screen. It kicks the sleepiness out of the aerial footage and gives it a boost of vibrancy. The studio responsible for this, Shadowplay Studio, also made film titles for Juno (2007) and Thank you for Smoking (2005).

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Win a tour of the Eames House

eames house

Just got word of an awesome giveaway over at House Industries.

Win an Exclusive Eames House Sunset Tour
Tours by Eames Demetrios and Lucia Atwood, grandson and granddaughter of Charles and Ray Eames.
Date: March 11, 2010
Time: 5:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

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Edie Harper

edie harper

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

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Vintage Calendars

vintage calendars

1970 Self promotional calendar designed by Terzostudio (Giorgio Tramontini)

Two weeks ago we posted some of our favorite calendars for 2010. Today lets look at some calendars of the past.

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The Future is Today: 2010 Calendars

2010 calendar seesaw press

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!

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Kitsune Noir Poster Club

kitsune noir poster club

Jez Burrows – Walden (Part of the Kitsune Noir Poster Club)

Over the next several months, several design blogs (including grain edit) will be collaborating with the stellar art & design social network Society 6. First up is the Kitsune Noir Poster Club. Bobby of the excellent Kitsune Noir asked five of his favorite artists to interpret books they really enjoy into a print that will be a lasting work of art.

The project includes:

Jez Burrows – Henry David Thoreau’s Walden

Mark Weaver –  Herman Melville’s Moby Dick

Frank Chimero – Kurt Vonnegut’s Slaughter House Five

Cody Hoyt – David Foster Wallace’s Infinite Jest

Garrett Vander Leun – Cormac McCarthy’s The Road

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2009 Holiday Wish Lists (UPDATED)

holiday list

Dear Santa, Hanukkah Harry, and Kwanzaa Ken:

Searching high and low across the vast realm of the interwebs, we’ve collectively compiled probably one of the hugest lists imaginable with some of our favorite artists! We’ve all been on our best behavior, assisting elderly ladies and gents across the street and working our fannies off. Please take a moment to give this list a good read, and say you’ll bring some of these things our way!

Sincerely,
Grain Edit & Friends

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Introducing the Grain Edit Job Board

grain edit job board

Introducing the grain edit job board. For job seekers, we already have some listings posted plus on the main page of the job board you can sign up for job alerts or subscribe to the job listings RSS feed. We’ve also created a twitter account for the job board , so you can follow listings there as well. We’ve added a link to the new section in our top navigation, so you can easily access the listings whenever you want.

For companies interested in posting a listing to our job board, we offering a special discount. Use the coupon code ‘promo’ to receive 50% off.

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ISO50 Interview

Scott Hansen ISO50

For this exciting addition to the Grain Edit interview series, we kept it local — seeking out one of San Francisco’s finest, Scott Hansen, aka ISO50. My first acquaintance with Scott came in the spring of 2005. The pre-Grain Edit crew had headed up to a lecture in Sacramento featuring Scott discussing his work and process.

I love the work of ISO50 just as much now as I did way back in ’05. It has a great historical reference, while still remaining contemporary. Scott does a nice job of combining clean, graphic forms alongside texture and pattern.

In this interview Scott talks about his entrance into graphic design, his creative process, his interest and involvement in music and photography, and, among many other things, his top 5 favorite albums.

So, pull up a chair in one of your favorite Dolores Park cafes (or imagine yourself there), and take look:

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Hybrid Design interview

Hybrid Design studio

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.

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Vintage Audi Poster

vintage audi poster

Just found this vintage Audi poster over at AisleOne. Looks like it was created sometime between 1968 and 1972 by Armin Hofmann. Simple and elegant.

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Kurokawa Nakagin Capsule Hotel

nakagin capsule

Nakagin Capsule Tower (AKA The BC25 Capsule) designed by Kisho Kurokawa

The 60s and 70s were an exciting period for Japanese architecture. In particular, the Metabolist Movement which was founded by a group of futuristic visionaries, including late architect Kisho Kurokawa, puts forth ideas of “large scale, flexible and extensible structures that facilitate an organic growth process”. Perhaps the most exemplary metabolist building is the Nakagin Capsule Tower built to accommodate bachelor salarymen in downtown Tokyo.

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Vintage Travel Posters

vintage travel posters

1. Come to AfricaDesigned 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!

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Poketo + Kitsune Noir = SPACETIME!

poketo wall decals

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.

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Neither Fish Nor Fowl interview

jim datz neither fish nor fowl anna wolf photography

(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?

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Celestino Piatti + dtv Book: The Unity of the Program

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Celestino Piatti + dtv: The Unity of the program – Edited by Jens Muller

Two weeks ago we featured the Philips-Twen book from Lars Muller’s new A5 series. Celestino Piatti + dtv is the third title to be released in the series and my favorite of the bunch.

Celestino Piatti was born in the little Swiss village of Dietlikon on January 5,1922. Early on his parents recognized his talent and secured him training at the Kunstgewerbeschule (School of Applied Arts) in Zurich and later a graphic design internship with fellow Swiss designer Fritz Buhler. After four years with Buhler he left to start his own studio and eventually landed the job of a lifetime. In 1961 Deutscher Taschenbuch Verlag (dtv) hired Piatti to design their bookjackets. A comission that lasted up to his death in 2007. For over thirty years, he endowed the books published by dtv with a singular and unique look. He became the most productive book designer of all times, producing covers for over 6300 books that sold in a total print run of over 200 million copies.

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Geoff Mcfetridge: Where the Wild Things Are Title Design

geoff mcfetridge

Geoff Mcfetridge and some of the concepts for the final credits for the upcoming “Where the Wild Things Are” film.

I know i’m not the only one excited about the upcoming Where the Wild Things Are film directed by Spike Jonze. The film is based on a book of the same name published in 1963 by author/illustrator Maurice Sendak. I remember staring at the book for hours when I was a kid. It’s still one of my all time faves.

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Little Friends of Printmaking interview

Little Friends of Printmaking

(Photo credit: C. Taylor)
The latest installment to the Grain Edit interviews takes us to Milwaukee, Wisconsin: home to big name breweries, delicious Gouda, and husband-wife design duo…The Little Friends of Printmaking!

Melissa and JW Buchanan are the brains behind the Little Friends, and they are best known for their often outrageously intricate prints that explore everything from the complexities of the mind, fun-loving animals, to leisure time activities.

In this interview, they discuss the perks about working with their significant other, the highs and lows of attending art school, and their creative process.

And now, let the fun commence!

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HunterGatherer Laptop Sleeve Giveaway

huntergatherer

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.

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Hatch interview

jaqk cellars

JAQK Cellars wine shippers designed by Hatch

This is part 2 of a 2 part interview. You can view part 1 at the excellent iso50.

Hatch is a San Francisco design firm founded by Joel Templin and Katie Jain. In part one of our interview, Alex spoke with Katie and Joel about the firm and their design process. In part two we take a look around the studio and talk with Katie about the packaging for JAQK cellars.

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A Quick Interview with Christopher Simmons

The Good Design Book

Examining some possible layouts.

We recently received news from long-time Grain Edit friends, MINE™, about their new book in the works, tentatively titled The Good Design Book. This book is aimed at those with a critical eye and an interest in how design can affect the greater good.

Combining essays from designers as well as showcasing approximately 70 projects, the book takes a current look this expanding movement, and offers resources for those looking to get involved.

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Jazzin’ the Black Forest: The Guide to Saba/MPS Jazz Records

jazzin the black forest

Jazzin the Black Forest – The Complete Guide to Saba/MPS Jazz Records -Published by Crippled Library c1999

Jazzin´the Black Forest is the story of the SABA/MPS jazz label. It was established during the early 1960s  and is considered to be Germany´s first independent label. From the label’s beginnings up to its sale to Polygram in 1983, SABA/MPS released over 700 LPs. This book features full color images of all the LPs, a complete index as well as poster reproductions.

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Lost Charley Harper Paintings Rediscovered

Charles Harper

I’d like to thank Rena Hopkins of the Charley Harper Art Studio for passing on the good news that a lost trove of original Charley Harper paintings have been rediscovered. These paintings were commissioned for the Ford Times and Lincoln Mercury Times Magazines and include many pieces from Charley’s beloved bird series. You can find out more info at the studio’s exciting new blog. Original Harper prints for Ford Times magazine are available for purchase here.

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Kevin Dart interview

kevin dart

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…

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Grain Edit & Poster Cabaret

poster cabaret

poster cabaret

You may have noticed our new poster picks section in the right column. We’ve teamed up with our friend Lad at Poster Cabaret and every few weeks we will be highlighting a piece from the the online store’s collection of limited edition gig posters and hard to find art prints. Poster Cabaret carries posters by many of the artists we feature on grain edit including: The Small Stakes, Aesthetic Apparatus, Matte Stephens, Vahalla Studios, Delicious Design League, Doublenaut, Invisible Creature and more.

Our first poster pick is the Beck Concert poster designed by Jason Munn of The Small Stakes

poster cabaret

Dress Code interview

Dress Code

Welcome to the latest addition to the Grain Edit interview series. But wait, there’s a twist! We sneaked a book review into the mix as well. I know, very tricky.

Our latest interviewees are Andre Andreev and Dan Covert. They’re from New York City, and they’re known as Dress Code. They recently published a book entitled Never Sleep, which details their experience and transition from design students to design professionals. Never Sleep is a practical and vital guide for design graduates wondering what to do after school.

At the combined age of (roughly) 50 Andre and Dan’s work has been recognized by I.D., CommArts, Print, Graphis, Metropolis, The Type Directors Club, The Art Directors Club, CMYK, HOW, Adobe, Steps Field Guide to Emerging Talent and Young Guns. They met while studying graphic design at California College of the Arts and worked at MTV before starting Dress Code.

OK, so get your game on already:

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Tim Gough interview

Tim Gough

(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…

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Corporate Diversity: Swiss Graphic Design by Geigy 1940-1970

corporate diversity

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.

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Upcoming & Ongoing events

CHARLES HARPER EXHIBITION

The Public Trust / Charley Harper Exhibition

Charley Harper fans rejoice! The Public Trust is currently running an exhibition of Mr. Harper’s works throughout April. That massive Charley Harper book is amazing, but man, wouldn’t it be great to see the actual paintings in person? If you’re in the Dallas, TX area and happen to go, let us know how it is!

Thanks to James for passing this along!

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THE PRACTICE SESSIONS APRIL 2 – 4 2009

The Practice Sessions

The Practice Sessions is a workshop and panel discussion by Antonio Carusone, Frank Chimero, Duane King and Matt Owens taking place at the National Student Show & Conference in Dallas, Texas. The Practice Sessions was created by Thinking for a Living, an ever-growing platform dedicated to the concept of open source design education. Through a network of topic specific design sites with a focus on education and resources, we share our thoughts, inspirations, critical analysis, design histories and individual experiences relating to a career in design.

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Thanks to Everyone That Entered the Giveway!

Thanks everyone for taking part in our giveaway! We had over 1,400 people enter. It was great to see all your comments and look forward to another giveaway.

We randomly selected our 4 winners in the Grain Edit Design Stimulus Giveaway earlier this evening. 1st person we randomly picked will receive 1st choice of the 4 prize options. 2nd person picked will receive 2nd choice and so on. From those four winners we then randomly selected a winner for the grand prize.

Our winners will be listed at the bottom of the Grain Edit Email Update and Grain Edit RSS Feed.  For those of you who subscribe to the email updates, the email should arrive soon.

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Many Thanks to all the wonderful designers and stores that sponsored today’s giveaway. Without them this wouldn’t of been possible. Please visit their websites and support their work.

2K Gingham, Aesthetic Apparatus, Arkitip, Tad CarpenterCD Ryan (CD Ryan is currently having a sale so visit his shop), Frank Chimero, Chronicle Books, Damien Correll, Doane PaperEnormous Champion, Brian Gossett/ Quality Goods IncSteven Harrington, Hybrid Design/ Hybrid Home, Morten IvelandSteve Mehallo, Pardon My Hindi, Studio on FireTes One, Thinking for a Living, Tim Gough, You Work for Them,

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Stay tuned for our next giveaway, coming soon!

50+ Designers on Twitter: Our favorites to follow.

Grain Edit / Designers on Twitter

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!

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Frank Chimero interview

Frank Chimero Coffee and Tea

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:

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Jorg Hamburger

jorg Hamburger

Chum mach mit 1962 poster designed by Jorg (jurg) Hamburger / Photograpphy by Hans Peter Muhlemann for Eidg Drucksachen und Materialzentrale – Bern Swirzerland

Beautiful poster by Jorg Hamburger. Swiss minialism at it’s finest. I love the kids climbing in the background and how the poles make for a perfect natural grid.

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Holy Giveaway! The Grain Edit Stimulus Package

grain edit stimulus package

The US Economy is falling apart and people are down. We came up with the “Grain Edit Design Stimulus Package Giveaway” as a way to cheer people up during these rough times and to thank our amazing readers for their continued support.  For the giveaway, we contacted some of our favorite illustrators and designers that we’re featured on Grain Edit within the last 6 months and asked if they would be willing to participate. Thanks to all our sponsors for helping to make this happen!

Sounds Great, but how do I enter?

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Dan Reisinger Perpetual Calendar

dan reisinger calendar

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!

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Human Empire

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!

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Duane King: BBDK & Thinking for a Living

thinking for a living

Duane King is the creator of Thinking for a Living. A well curated collection of recommended readings and online resources. The site is filled with links to top notch design blogs and firms. Many of the resources are available in a special zine that they put together. In addition to Thinking for a Living, Duane is the creative director of Santa Fe based studio BBDK. They recently completed a project for Italian glassware company Luigi Bormioli. We don’t usually cover web design on grain edit, but I think this site is worth checking out. Clean, minimal and elegant. Very nice.

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Tad Carpenter

Tad Carpenter

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.

Eleanor Grosch interview

Eleanor Grosch, Pushmepullyou Design, illustration, interview

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:

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The Post Family

The Post Family

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.

The New YouWorkForThem Site

YWFT-new-site

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

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

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

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.

brockmann-grid

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

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.

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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.

Click here for more for more info/ purchase a copy.

Adrian Johnson interview

Adrian Johnson - Illustration

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.

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Grain Edit’s 1 Year Anniversary Giveaway Shindig Thing!

grain edit anniversary giveaway

We’re proud to announce the Grain Edit 1 year Anniversary Giveaway Shindig Thing!

We’ve had a great year and we want to thank everyone for making the site what it is today. To celebrate, we’re offering up a bunch of goodies from our favorite designers and illustrators.

Sounds great, but how do I enter to win?

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Grain Edit: The Year in Review

grain-edit-one-year

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 stampsSmall 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:

Grain Edit Facebook group

Paul Rand Flickr Group

Modern Sticker, Stamp and label club

Some of the most popular posts (besides the interviews and studio visits) of the past year include:

hans_hartmann_posters

Swiss Designer Hans Hartmann

publicity and graphic design in the chemical industry - hans neuburg

Publicity and graphic design in the chemical industry – Hans Neuburg 1967

charles-harper-book-915

Giant Golden Book of Biology – An Introduction to the Science of Life c1961

Saul_bass-henri_paris-5

Henri’s Walk to Paris- c1962- illustrations and design Saul Bass

alian_gree-kids-book-8

Alain Gree – l’electricitie c1969

israel-stamps-modern

Israeli Environment stamps designed by Eliezer Weishoff in 1975

jauna-gaita-magazine-470W

53 Years of Jauna Gaita Magazine

icographic-magazine-910

Issues of Icographic magazine 1971-1978 produced by ICOGRADA

syd-mead-illustration-6

Concepts – Promotional book for US Steel c1961

giovanni-pintori-book-5

Giovanni Pintori exhibition catalog c2003

Dutch type specimen sheet

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!

Matte Stephens interview

matte stephens interview

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.

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Editor of Dwell Magazine reveals his modern home + his owls

sam grawe editor of dwell house

sam grawe editor of dwell house

Apartment Therapy posted photos of Sam Grawe’s apartment yesterday as part of their 2008 home tour series. Sam is the Editor-in-Chief at the San Francisco based Dwell Magazine. If you are unfamiliar with Dwell, it is a magazine that focuses on modern architecture and design.

Sam has lots of goodies in his house. The place is filled with Danish modern furniture, Bertoia chairs and Scandinavian nic nacs. What did me in was the record covers and the owls. This is a man that loves owls! He has a slew of these Edvard Lindahl looking ceramic miniature birds of prey. Too be fair, it looks he holds no Owl biases. I see examples of Strigidae (Heck yea, I’m name dropping) as well as the barn yard variety. I actually know nothing about Owls. I picked all this up in a two minute search at Wikipedia. Anyways, I’m getting off track. To sum up, just check out the house tour.

Invisible Creature interview

Don  Clark disney pic

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.

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Nikkatsu – Japanese actions films

Nikkatsu studios - cult Japanese actions films
Jerry Fujio and Jo Shishido in A Colt is my Passport c1967

I had a chance to check out a few films from the No Borders, No Limits: 1960s Nikkatsu Action Cinema series this weekend. These super stylized films produced by the Nikkatsu film studio were heavily influenced by Hollywood and the French New Wave. The Seijun Suzuki films re-released by Criterion are part of the Nikkatsu catalog. If you’ve seen any of Suzuki’s films, it will give you an idea of the films featured in the No Borders, No Limits series.

The series focused on some of the more obscure films to come out of the Nikkatsu studio. All 3 films I saw were great. I just wish I could of seen the other 3. You can find out more about these films at Outcast Cinema.

Mike Davis interview

Mike Davis - Burlesque design of North America

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.

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Wink interview

Wink Design - graphic design studio Minneapolis

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.

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Bo Lundberg interview

Bo Lundberg - graphic designer interview

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.

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Say yes! to analog design

yes_studio_design_the_stands.jpg
yes_studio_design_the_stands.jpg
Yes studio hooked up a sweet 12″ cover for the UK band the stand. The album is from 2005. Multiple designs were created, colors were mixed by hand and large format prints produced at K2 Screen, London. The resulting artwork was then re-photographed and used on the lp and poster design.

Looks like the length of this record was longer then the band’s career. The band broke up after 3 years and moved onto other projects and their website is now an internet parking lot. At least, we still have the lp jacket to look at.

Jason Munn interview

jason_munn-small_stakes_posters-interview.jpg

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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Non-Format

Magic Waves

3.jpg

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.

Win graphic designers of the world

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Update 11.02.07
Congratulations to Anne from Oakland!
Last night we randomly pulled her name from a bright orange trash can. Thanks to everyone who entered the drawing.
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Update:
You have until 10pm PST on Nov 1st to enter
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Win this book!
On November 1st, 2007 we will be giving away 1 copy of Book Design of Graphic Designers in Japan. This is the second part of a series that compiles hundreds of examples of book design from the biggest designers of the 1950s, 60s and 70s. This is a japanese import book and has yet to be officially released in the United States. If you were able to find a copy of the 1st installation of this series ( they sold out very quickly), you know your in for a treat. These books are excellent resources. It is printed in a limited run, so once their gone.. their gone.

Designers featured:

Paul Rand, Saul Bass, Wim Crouwel, Push Pin Studios, Olle Eksell, Leo Lionni, Herb Lubalin, Alexey brodovitch, William Wondriska, Antonio Frasconi, Ivan Chermayeff, Herbert Bayer, Lou Dorfsman, Enzo Mari, Tomi Ungerer, Eugenio Carmi, Giovanni Pintori, Alan Fletcher, Stig Lindberg, Karl Gerstner and more.

Details:

213 pages – Full Color – Text is in Japanese ( but there is very little text) and descriptions ( titles, publishers, designers) are in English.

Sounds great, but how do I enter to win?
Fill in the Contact form below with your name, email address and the words “Let me win the book” in the subject line and we will add your name to the drawing. On Nov. 1st we will randomly select one name from a hat and the results will be posted on the site. This person could be then on his/her way to internet stardom with their brand new book!

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so go for it! enter now!

 

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