Thursday, May 29, 2008

Illustration | Eric Lister

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Yes, I'm biased, because I went to college with Eric, but it's long overdue to give him a proper shout-out. Check out his awesome drawings at Ink for Brains or just go read his blog where lots of new sketches and such are on view.

Tuesday, May 27, 2008

Culture | Site | "See My Grill"

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Yay! It's a "hot or not" for grills.

Illustration | Serge Seidlitz

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I absolutely love the illustration of Serge Seidlitz. In looking over the vast array of drawings on his site, it's obvious many an ad agency and company does as well. Go there and enjoy lots and lots and lots of fun, detailed, quirky eye candy.

Tuesday, May 20, 2008

Website | Astronomy | Picture of the Day

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I've been enjoying NASA's Picture of the Day site, where there's a lovely, compelling photo of our heavens posted along with some information and description. Looking at pictures of the sky always reminds me of one of my favourite poems, "Te deshojé como una rosa" by Juan Ramón Jiménez.

Te dehojé, como una rosa,
para verte tu alma,
y no la vi.

Mas todo en torno
--horizontes de tierras y de mares--,
todo, hasta el infinito,
se colmó de una esencia
inmensa y viva


(I took off petal after petal, as if you were a rose,
in order to see your soul,
and I didn't see it.

However, everything around-
horizons of fields and oceans-
everything, even what was infinite,
was filled with a perfume,
immense and living.)

Friday, May 16, 2008

Advertising | 1950s - 1970s Set

This fabulous set of 1950s - 1970s advertisements (posters, magazine ads, booklets, etc.) on Flickr is both fascinating and inspiring. Some of the ads are dated from a social perspective, but the design and much of the writing remains timeless and iconic.

Like this ad from Volkswagon ...

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... I don't think its correct to use Native American stereotypes when selling cars anymore (thus the dated part of the ad) but overall the ad is striking and compelling. If I could write copy a fraction as 0s succinct, elegant, fluid and sharp as what's on this ad, I'd be a happy copywriter.

And this ad, from the Italian Art Directors' Club ...

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... is not just visually a treat, but understandable to anyone, regardless of their mother tongue.

I think very often advertising creatives lose sight of the main task at hand -- communication. Deciding what needs to be said, and saying it -- through words, pictures or both -- as simply, singularly and memorably as possible.

These are old ads, but will you remember them? I will.

Blog | Ace Jet 170

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I've really been enjoying design blog Ace Jet 170, especially for its devotion to found type and graphic images, all nicely collected in sets that showcase a the fine craftsmanship of these various disciplines, in all their slightly vintage glory. Such as this collection of stamps, shown above.

Blog | Ice Cream People

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Yay, an entire blog dedicated to the arts and crafts of ice cream people. Like this yummy sculpture by Jenny Harada.

Art/Graffiti | Cans Festival London

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Forget where I saw this link originally, but the graffiti art lovers amongst you will appreciate this excellent Flickr set of images taken at the Cans Festival in London back in April.