Friday, August 31, 2007

Book Trade Labels


Anyone who handles old books will have come across these small and sometimes beautiful labels pasted more or less discreetly into the endpapers.


Publishers, printers, binders, importers, distributors and sellers of books -- new, second-hand and antiquarian -- used to advertise in this way their contribution to bringing the book to market.


Grab some fresh coffee and check out the gallery over at Seven Roads.

Have a great weekend!

That's Right,

HMK

Thanks to the smart folks over at Design Observer.

Thursday, August 30, 2007

NFL Logo Revamp


The National Football League is launching a makeover of its red, white and blue "NFL Shield" logo that adorns everything from player jerseys to fan T-shirts and hats.

The league is creating a leaner, meaner version of the iconic logo that will debut at the NFL draft in April, 2008. The revamped shield will be slightly taller and thinner, with a new football, fewer stars and darker colors, says Lisa Baird, the NFL's senior vice president of marketing. The redesign marks the first changes to the shield since 1980.

At the NFL's annual meeting this spring, commissioner Roger Goodell talked about the NFL Shield as the "envy of the sports world." The league has been careful to make an "evolutionary, not a radical change," says Baird.

Whhew. That's actually pretty sweet, Thank God! And exactly what it needed, an evolutionary update.

More over at USAToday.

That's Right,

HMK

Tuesday, August 28, 2007

Hip To Be Square


As much as I dig my moleskin notebooks for on-the-fly quick sketches and note taking, I'm always on the look out and kind of a freak when it comes to nice, small squared graph paper. Which, it turns out, can be hard to find.

Thanks to the cool folks over at Incompetec, my search is over.

These guys graciously offer a multitude of custom graph paper options ranging from Semi-bisected Trapezoids, Chinese Character Guides to Guitar/Bass Fretboard Diagrams and even advertising Storyboards - whatever your sketch book needs, these guys have got you covered - and dig this, it's totally free.

Downloadable and very printable. Now, go create your own custom Graph Paper!

That's Right,

HMK

Monday, August 27, 2007

Perfect 10!


Click here and listen to Miss Teenage South Carolina waxing on maps...

Huh?

This girl's IQ is a perfect 10!

That's Right,

HMK

Thanks to Amelia for this one!

Sunday, August 26, 2007

One More Reason To Love France



According to this chart from the New York Times, these are the legally required paid annual leave days from countries around the world.

That's Right,

HMK

Thanks to the New York Times and Charles m. Blow for the graphic.
Source: Center for Economic and Policy Research, May 2007.

Friday, August 24, 2007

Virgin Atlantic


Nice full page ad for Virgin Atlanitic's in-flight movie offerings.

Agency: NetWork BBDO
Creative Director: Julian Watt
Art Directors: Brent Singer, Mariana O’Kelly
Executive Creative Director: Julian Watt
Copywriter: Gary du Toit

That's Right,

HMK

Thanks to the good folks atAd Goodness.

Thursday, August 23, 2007

TypeTester


Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit. Typetester lacus felis, euismod at, pulvinar sit amet, dapibus eu, eros. Etiam tellus. Nam vestibulum porttitor urna. Phasellus aliquet pretium quam. Proin pharetra, wisi nec tristique accumsan, magna sapien pulvinar purus, vel hendrerit ipsum tellus at ante.

Typetester is an online application for comparison of the fonts for the screen, specifically designed to make the life of any web designer easier.

So, if you have anything to do with designing for the web you'll appreciate Typetester.

That's Right,

HMK

Wednesday, August 22, 2007

Copywriting At It's Finest


The Bum.

I found this in the September issue of an old Sunset magazine from 1964, page 206 to be exact.

I just totally dig the copy for this BBQ ad from the Columbus Iron Works Company.

Now that's copywriting at it's finest.

That's Right,

HMK

Tuesday, August 21, 2007

Get It Going!


Here's to getting things done.

I've always believed that the best way to get something done, regardless of the task at hand, is to simply begin. This goes for just about everything from mowing the lawn or exercising to billing clients or just getting out of bed. (With that said, I also believe that if it weren't for the last minute, nothing would get done!)

When it comes to exercise, the hardest part about running, for me anyway, is putting on my shoes. It's always that first step that always the seems the hardest. Then, once I get past the shoes and some light stretching, I'm out there and feeling better just to be moving. This same first step concept also works nicely for work as well. After a couple of cups of coffee and checking the news feeds and email, I get away from the computer, pull out the pen and paper, and the true work finally begins.

If you can relate to any of the above, and even if you're not a designer, you might want to check out the Tutorial Blog, and get some motivation in the form of productivity tips over at their excellent post: 30 Productivity Tips For Designers.

That's Right,

HMK

Sunday, August 19, 2007

The Flap


I'm totally digging this storage unit, The Flap Designed by Massimo Bonetti.

Check out more over at Lago.

That's Right,

HMK

Thanks to the cool kids over atDesign Milk.

Saturday, August 18, 2007

Supernatural Bologna

Did you know that each week's HMK Mystery Stream comes with it's own custom, hi-rez cover that LOOKS, by design of course, alot like it SOUNDS?

Now you do!

Tune In: HEAR!

Click Hear and you'll be taken directly to the HMK Mystery Stream in iTunes!
That's Right,

HMK

Friday, August 17, 2007

EA Games to Incorporate Real-Time Weather


At the click of a button, the video game screen shows current weather conditions for the real-world stadium, giving gameplay some extra realism.

Get the full scoop over at Wired.

That's Right,

HMK

Thanks to Electronic Arts and Wired for the Screenshot.

Conservatives and Creativity


A recent study published in "Personality and Individual Differences" claims that conservatives are less creative than liberals.

The creativity of 422 American college students was measured with questionnaires and exercises such as drawing and photo essays. The findings appear in an article by Stephen J. Dollinger and cites many previous suspicions for the same conclusions-here are three of them from G.D. Wilson:

First, individuals who are threatened by uncertainty may be disposed to focus on lower order needs to increase their safety and security.

Second, conformity to what is conventionally accepted focuses the individual on traditions (what is old), whereas all definitions of creativity include a focus on what is new.

Third, the authoritarian and anti-hedonistic elements of the construct would lead conservatives to devalue imagination.

Devalue the imagination?! Maybe that's why our clients hesitate when we ask them to join us outside of the box. And then again, isn't their hesitation a part of what drives creativity in the first place?

In my experience, the extent of ones creativity is almost always in direct proportion to their personality or lack there of. The more outgoing, curious and passionate one is about life in general the more interesting, creative and comfortable they seem.

It's really a matter of self confidence and self esteem. When you're confident and comfortable with yourself and your capabilities, you're less likely to feel threatened or be insecure about sharing your thoughts and ideas.

But be careful. This can be dangerous. Especially when the higher ups feel threatened by your creativity and self confidence. Once they realize that you in fact have true talent and question their half ass attempt at being creative, your days are numbered.

But, when you really think about it, they're the real losers. Because life must really suck when, after they've spent their lives faking it, living the lie and convincing everyone that they're something they're not, only to find themselves in a position where they actually have to perform and there's no one to blame but themselves when they eventually and inevidably fail.

Then what are they going to do, fire themselves?

Anyway, unfortunately, the entire article is not yet available online. But the abstract is here, and if you want more you'll have to take it up with your local librarian.

That's Right,

HMK

Thanks to Xanthe Matychak over at Core 77

Thursday, August 16, 2007

Right Now in San Antonio




That's Right,

HMK

A Skull A Day


The above Skull of the day comes complete with a downloadable template so you can make your very own.

Dig: Skull A Day.

That's Right,

HMK

Tuesday, August 14, 2007

Simply Brilliant Spot


Now this is a smart ad.

This spot just gets better every time I watch it! Excellent work.

Le Vent. Simplement Brillant.

C'est Exact.

HMK

Monday, August 13, 2007

Hand Painted Type

The above is one of my contributions, a dentista sign I shot in beautiful Cuernavaca, Mexico.

I'm a member of a few groups over at flickr that share the desire to share. I've recently joined a new group that I've got to pass along - check out this awesome, ever-growing, slide show entitled Signpaintr.

If you're into hand painted signs you 'll love it - and if you'ld like to share some shots of your own, please join the group!.

Take me to: Signpaintr!

And if you're looking for more eye candy and type related stimuli, check out this older post: Inspirational Slide Shows!

Enjoy!

That's Right,

HMK

Sunday, August 12, 2007

Meteor Shower Tonight!



Above: A Perseid fireball photographed August 12, 2006, by Pierre Martin of Arnprior, Ontario, Canada.

That's Right. Tonight, Sunday, August 12th is the peak of the 2007 Perseid meteor shower.

UPDATE: I only got about 3 hours of sleep on Sunday night and it was way worth it! It was a perfectly clear, moonless evening, about 71 degrees for the meteor shower. There were a few long tails that streaked for 2-3 seconds, and one really big bright one that appeared a little after 4am that really lit up the sky. I quit counting after seeing more than 120. Tired, but so happy we stayed up.

And folks, you can't Tivo this...

"It's going to be a great show," says Bill Cooke of NASA's Meteoroid Environment Office at the Marshall Space Flight Center. "The Moon is new on August 12th which means no moonlight, dark skies and plenty of meteors."

How many? Cooke estimates one or two Perseids per minute at the shower's peak.

Tonight's show is scheduled to peak about 2:45AM down here in Texas where we'll be hangin' in the beautifully dark Teaxs Hill Country, floating in the pool at the awesome Flag Creek Inn.

It's going to be a perfect summer night for checking out the Perseids, drinking some wine and test driving this week's HMK Mystery Stream, (which goes live on Tuesday.)

The source of the shower is Comet Swift-Tuttle. Although the comet is nowhere near Earth, the comet's tail does intersect Earth's orbit. We glide through it every year in August. Tiny bits of comet dust hit Earth's atmosphere traveling 132,000 mph. At that speed, even a smidgen of dust makes a vivid streak of light--a meteor--when it disintegrates. Because Swift-Tuttle's meteors fly out of the constellation Perseus, they are called "Perseids."

More here: Perseid Meteor Shower.

Find someplace dark and have fun tonight!

That's Right,

HMK

DMP CD MP3 Player


Check out the trippy DMP by designer Yong-Seong Kim.

This portable eye candy music player supports both CD and MP3 files.

No word on availability but I'd love to see one of these in action.

That's Right,

HMK

Thanks to Yanko Design

Saturday, August 11, 2007

Big Ben Takes A Holiday


The London landmark is undergoing maintenance work ahead of its 150th anniversary in 2009.

LONDON, England (Reuters) -- The "bongs" of London's Big Ben stopped on Saturday for up to six weeks as the clock's chimes were shut down for maintenance work.

At 8 a.m. (0700 GMT) the bells of the landmark Westminster clock tower were silenced for the final phase of a program of work ahead of the clock's 150th anniversary in 2009.

An hour later, Londoners and tourists saw the unusual spectacle of workers abseiling down the south clock face to clean and repair it. Both hands of the clock were turned to 12.

An electric system will keep the clock moving while work takes place on the mechanism.

The stoppage will be the longest suspension of Big Ben since 1990. There were previous stoppages of both the hour and quarter bells in 1956 and 1934.

The 96 meter (315 ft) clock tower of Britain's parliament is popularly known as Big Ben, although the name actually refers to the 13.5 tonne Great Bell inside.

The awesome shot of Big Ben at Dusk is from the amazing eye of Adam Cathro.

That's Right,

HMK

One In A Million!


The Bridge Of Stolen Bicycles - Amazing videos are here

Just as an experiment, I'm trying to get a million people to watch this super short video, The Bridge Of Stolen Bicycles, I put together for the Grammy nominated Best Alternative Album 2007 for the amazingly talented John Dufilho.

C'mon, be One In A Million!

Thanks!

Warning: This video might stick with you for a while...

Bonus Video!

That's Right,

HMK

Thursday, August 09, 2007

The Bento Box


Here's a cool alternative to the usual lunch box - although you can't nuke anything in it, I'm still digging the Bento Box from Plastica.

That's Right,

HMK

Thaks to Core 77

Tuesday, August 07, 2007

The 25 Best Typographic Title Sequences You've Ever Read

Part One:


Pssst. Hey, got 19 and a half minutes to kill and soak up some type awesomeness?

Well, grab some Milk Duds and enjoy!

Mark Klaverstijn and Roel Wouters have put together a 2 Part, best of Typographic Title Sequences that are sure to inspire you to either come up with some great new typographic ideas or perhaps take a long lunch and go check out the new Bourne Ultimatum movie.

Part Two:


Shhhh. the movie is fixin' to start...

That's Right,

HMK

Thanks to the Design Observer.

Monday, August 06, 2007

Selling A Concept With A Song

Nice Sounds 029

Here's a cool article about developers in New York saying they're better able to convey the vibe of a particular building by commissioning or licensing (or illegally using) music for their Web sites and sales offices.

The concept of using music as an effective way to announce a building’s intended demographic without ever saying a word is a great idea.

“Certain types of people generally have an affinity for one type of music more than another,” said Shaun Osher, the chief executive of CORE Group Marketing, which has worked on a number of music-infused campaigns.

Read the rest over at The New York Times Real Estate Section.

I'm doing the same sort of thing with the covers of my weekly HMK Mystery Stream podcasts.

Click Hear if you're interested in what the above illustration sounds like...

That's Right,

HMK

DO NOT CLICK!

Get It Together!


Here's a great way to start your week - get yourself organized!

The smart folks over at Mashable have a nice beefy resource list of 30+ Productivity Tools.

This online productivity toolbox is sure to help you get things done.

Although I still prefer the old school pen and notebook, I'm really digging the cool customizable start page, iGoogle.

That's Right,

HMK

And thanks to J.S. Wright for the cool photo.

Sunday, August 05, 2007

Barry "BALCO" Bonds



San Francisco's Barry BALCO Bonds tied Hammerin' Hank Aaron's home run mark of 755 last night against The Padres.

Yawn.

I read this morning over at Sports Illustrated that Bonds drew a mixed reaction from the crowd at Petco Park after he homered off Clay Hensley. And it's no surprise to this baseball fan that several fans held up asterisk signs and Bonds was booed as he headed to left field at the end of the inning.

On a more postive note - the real baseball news of the day happened earlier when NY Yankee Alex Rodriguez hit his 500th home run, becoming the youngest player to reach the 500 mark.

I was playing with some anagrams for Barry Lamar Bonds and found it interesting that these almost sound like headlines...

BAN BARRY. ARM SOLD.

BORN A SLY DRAB ARM

BARNYARD ARM SLOB

DRAB BARRY SALMON - Yeah, there's something fishy about that guy...

LARD MAN BARRY - SOB

It's also interesting to note that Bonds hit the tying homer off a former Giants draft pick who was suspended in 2005 for violating baseball's minor league steroids policy. Perfect. I can hear Bonds now claiming that since he was hitting against another cheatin', drug usin' liar that that should cancel out any fowl play. Nice.

Aaron considered his career record for total bases, and not the home run mark, the best measure of him as a ballplayer.

Go Hank!

As Hall of Fame slugger Reggie Jackson put it "I guess you can call him (Hank) the people's home run king."

I think one of the posters in the crowd put it best: "Babe Ruth did it on Hot Dogs and Beer!"

That's Right!

HMK

And by the way, Padres won 3-2 in 12 innings and the Red Sox have the best record in baseball right now with 67 wins.

Saturday, August 04, 2007

Journal da Tarde Newspaper: Circle

Click To Enlarge.

Smart stuff from Leo Burnett, Brazil. Creative Director: Ruy Lindenberg Art Director: Paulo Areas Copywriter: Guilherme Facci

That's Right,

HMK

Thanks to: Ads of The World.

Friday, August 03, 2007

La Bibliochaise


Man, I really, really want these chairs.

La Bibliochaise comes veneered in oak tinted wengé or black, with a wax finish and leather cushions with removable covers in a wide range of colours.

Holds 5 metres, or about 16 feet of books.

Have a great weekend!

That's Right,

HMK

Thursday, August 02, 2007

Belkin N1 Vision


I've been researching routers for my studio for a few months now and I stumbled upon one of the coolest looking (not to mention flat out smart!) new products I've seen since, well, the iPhone.

Dig the Belkin N1 Vision router. Easy on the eyes and it only takes a quick glance at the large digital display or using the large button to navigate through its quick screen that displays everything from your speed, upload/download usage, devices connected, and even the date and time.

I think I've found my new router!

That's Right,

HMK

Thanks to the smart folks at NotCot.com

Wednesday, August 01, 2007

100 Tips To Improve Your Life


Ok y'all, this one's a keeper - bookmark this!

Not just because it's bursting with tons of great insight, which it certainly is, but because it's something I'm sure you'll find yourself refering to as often as you share it with others.

Behance is collaborating with a group of fourteen established blogs, all very different, but all with a shared interest in helping people increase productivity (among other self-improvements). They're calling this collaboration LifeRemix.

The Behance team sees this as a great opportunity to share tips for productivity beyond the creative professional community.

Collaborations between organizations with different backgrounds often result in great realizations. To kick off LifeRemix, their group of bloggers collected a list of our 100 best "tips to improve your life." Leo Babauta, author of Zen Habits and member of LifeRemix, compiled the list.

Enjoy and Share: 100 Tips To Improve Your Life.

My favorite so far is What Google Can Teach Us About Self-Image.

That's Right,

HMK

Thanks to Josh Spear.

Come Fly With Me!


SAS Scandinavian Airlines: Denmark, Sweden and Norway.

This is an awesome visual vault of stewardess uniforms from around the globe. More than 640 different stewardess uniforms from 292 airlines courtesy of the Uniform Freak.

Click Hear: Ladies and Gentlemen...

Enjoy your trip!

That's Right,

HMK

And, just so you know, today is the 213th day of 2007 with 52 Days Until the first day of Fall.