Viva La Collobrières!

I miss buying gilders with francs...

I've still got at least 100 francs in both change and bills - as of today worth about 24.00 US or 15.23 Euro...

The franc, as we know was replaced as the national currency by the euro in 2002.

Now Collobrières, a village deep in Provence revives the Franc, and hopes to bring back the good old days: Viva La Collobrières!

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HMK

Thanks to the New York Times and John McConnico for the cool shot.

Type Tester

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.

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HMK

Retro Eye Candy

You can thank Pop Kulture for this smattering of pulp fiction, mapbacks, sleaze and sci-fi... among other things. The cover art in this cool flickr set ranges from the ambitious to the pulpish, from the surreal and photomontage, all the way to the simply absurd!: Vintage Paperbacks.

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HMK

Thanks to Pop Kulture.

Hey! Ho! Let's Vote!

This just in, it appears that Barack Obama is officially a Ramones Fan!

CHICAGO, Illinois (CNN) – Presumptive Democratic nominee Barack Obama sat down in Chicago Friday morning to discuss the economy with visiting Democratic governors, but all eyes were on the Illinois senator’s podium bearing, what might be described as, a quasi-presidential seal – a new Obama campaign logo.

The seal includes the same bald eagle as the actual presidential seal clutching an olive branch and arrows in its talons, but instead of a shield covering the center of the eagle’s body, the Obama version displays the campaign’s trademark “O.” Unlike the Presidential seal, which includes the words “Seal of the President of the United States” around the circumference, “Obama for America” and “www.barackobama.com” grace the top and bottom of Obama's.

Finally, just above the eagle, in Latin, are the words – “vero possumus” – which translates to “yes we can,” the oft-heard chant at Obama rallies.

"Do you remember lying bed
With your covers pulled up over your head?

Radio playin' so no one can see
We need change, we need it fast

Before rock's just part of the past
'Cause lately it all sounds the same to me"

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HMK

Moving Titles

I'm always a sucker for smart and visually interesting title design. Equally fascinating to me is the process and thinking behind the creation of these opening and closing sequences. If you're as easily sucked in as I am then you'll dig this amazing source of inspiration for motion graphics and title sequences: Art Of The Title.

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HMK

Thanks to Design Notes.

Juan, Pablo, Jorge & Gringo!

Viva Los Beatles!

Just in time for Summer! Back by popular demand, the reprint of the original 1992 Los Beatles shirts are here! I've got a limited number of Large and XL @ $15US each. Add $5US for shipping within the United States.

More info: Viva Los Beatles!

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HMK

Radio Island Poolside Vibes!

It's On! Grab a towel, a cold one and tune in!

HMK Mystery Stream: Irregular Frequency Episode 142: Radio Island.

Some material might not be appropriate for the young ones...

Click Hear: hmk.podomatic.com

Make It Louder!

HMK

New Stamps! Charles and Ray Eames

The U.S. Postal Service has just issued 42–cent Charles and Ray Eames stamps in a commemorative sheet featuring 16 different designs.

In recognition of their groundbreaking contributions to architecture, furniture design, manufacturing and photographic arts, designers Charles and Ray Eames will be honored this summer with a pane of 16 stamps designed by Derry Noyes of Washington, DC.

If you’ve ever sat in a stackable molded chair, you’ve experienced their creativity. Perhaps best known for their furniture, the Eameses were husband and wife as well as design partners. Their extraordinary body of creative work — which reflected the nation’s youthful and inventive outlook after World War II — also included architecture, films and exhibits. Without abandoning tradition, Charles and Ray Eames used new materials and technology to create high-quality products that addressed everyday problems and made modern design available to the American public.

Go get yoursover at The U.S. Postal Service.

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HMK

Thanks to Swiss Miss.

700 Palms

Wow. This is really a sweet casa!

The stunning 700 Palms Residence is a prime example of some wicked nice green and site-specific architecture.

Designed by Steven Ehrlich Architects, the striking structure mixes raw industrial materials with a polished modern aesthetic, making it a monument to eponymous SoCal style and a sustainable marvel in its own right. Its breezy construction seamlessly integrates outdoor spaces with a flowing interior floor plan that was carefully considered to address the freedoms and constraints of residential design in Venice, Los Angeles.

More: 700 Palms via Inhabitat.

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HMK

Thanks to Mike Chinco

Get Schooled

As the Learnlist website states: We're a simple resource for graphic designers, illustrators, web designers, developers, basically anyone creative! It lists the best websites and books available to help you learn something new!

Far from being super comprehensive, the LearnList is a nice resourse and not a bad place to start/contiune one's quest for knowledge.

Get schooled: The LearnList.

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HMK

Thanks to The LearnList.

Price War!

Really digging the art direction and especially the illustrations for these ads.

Copy: "As our competitors bombard you with explosive offers, our only weapon is building materials at constantly low prices."

Nice work for ByggMax from art directors Ole Henrik Stubberud and Björn Andreassen from an agency called Kitchen in Norway. Illustrator: Björn Nordberg.

Click the ads to check out the detail!

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HMK

Thanks to Ads Of The World

Professional Amateurs

I'm totally digging Tim Leberecht's take on the mystique of Big Branding and the concept of shrinking and fragmenting a brand.

It is acknowledged that brands have to deal with what John Moore, the author of “Brand Autopsy,” dubs “the Growth Paradox”: “The smaller you are, the bigger you must look. The bigger you are, the smaller you must get.” And yet, the bewildering disruptions in the realm of social media, in conjunction with significant changes in consumer behavior, raise many new questions for marketers that go beyond sporadic, anecdotal smallness.

Q: What are the strategic implications for brands and branding? And what are the vehicles in the micro-marketer’s arsenal?

A: Read the rest from the smart folks over at Frog Design's Act Like An Amateur.

The piece closes with what I believe is the most sound approach: Be eye-to-eye with your customers instead of bigger than life. Make your brand the water and not the rock. Be around your customers, at all stages of the customer life cycle, and surround them with meaningful conversations. Every interaction with the customer is a referendum on the brand. Re-create your brand every day and make it the fabric that embeds your customers’ micro-verses. Do everything as if you did it the first time.

In other words: Act like an amateur!

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HMK

Thanks again to Frog Design.

Crisps For Snobs

I say! If you're a crisp aficionado and you like your crisps to taste scrummy... you've jolly well come to the right place!

My mouth is watering over the Paul Baker illustrations used for the cheeky packaging and web design of Johnathan Crisp, the Crisps For Snobs.

Wicked nice!

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HMK

Mitch Webb & The Swindles CD Release Shindig!

Finally! Ok, it's official! This Friday, June 13th at Casbeers down here in San Antonio is the spot for the official release shindig celebrating the brand new and highly anticipated Mitch Webb & The Swindles "Lonely Kind" CD!

6 Bux gets you in the door and 15 gets you in + your very own copy of "Lonely Kind" CD!

Don't miss this last historic show at the old Casbeers at 1719 Blanco Rd.

More Info: Mitch Webb & The Swindles.

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HMK

Hennie Haworth

Focusing on the every day objects of this thing we call life, do yourself a favor and check out the awesomely fresh and stylish sketches of London based illustrator Hennie Haworth.

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HMK

Thanks to Another Company.

Enough Already!

"Four-dollar-a-gallon gasoline may be a cause for outrage. But it pales next to the righteous fury provoked by five-dollar-a-pint beer.

Beer prices at bars and restaurants have risen over the past few months, as prices of hops and barley have skyrocketed and retail business has slowed alongside the economy.

Some restaurants have replaced 16-ounce pint glasses with 14 ouncers -- a type of glassware one bartender called a "falsie."

And customers are complaining that bartenders are increasingly putting less than 16 ounces of beer in a pint glass, filling up the extra space with foam."

Outrageous!

Read the rest of Nancy Keates' piece over at The Wall Street Journal.

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HMK

I forget who shot these beers, sorry!

Hip To Be Square

Behold the Minox DCC Rolleiflex AF 5.0.

I used to shoot with a similar twin reflex, a Yashica-D to be specific, back in high school in the late 70's. I loved the big, upside-down preview window as well as the large square format negatives.

As one of the most recognized cameras in the world, the Rolleiflex now returns with modern digital technology.

With this fully functioning, high precision replica of the world famous Rolleiflex 6x6 camera (scale 1:2) Minox presents yet another exclusive design and technical highlight in an outstanding pocket camera.

Many functions and details reproduced to scale create that true Rolleiflex feeling when shooting photos. Just like the square negatives produced using the original Rolleiflex, with the Minox Rolleiflex AF 5.0 the photographer has square format digital photos with a resolution of up to 5 million pixels.

More info at Let's Go Digital.

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HMK

Silver Joe's Coffee

I'm really digging the functional packaging C3 BrandWorks out of Fort Smith, Arkansas, created for Silver Joe's Coffee.

The front end and both sides of the can display key information about the brand and coffee flavor so it’s functional in three directions and stackable in any number of ways.

The embossed graphics, satin finish and streamlined shape (not surprisingly, it’s the official coffee of Airstream™) create a connection that compels shoppers to pick it up, hold it, turn it around and look at it from all angles.

Interestingly, during the initial design phase, a prototype was tested among focus groups and 99 percent of the people tested stated they would buy the product at least once—just to own the can.

Designer: Cameron Clement, Manufacturer: Planet Canit.

Thanks to Communication Arts.

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HMK

Go Ape!

That's Right - Go Ape! What are you waiting for? Check out the trippy bizzaro Cinerama Set from Dr. Odio...

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HMK

Thanks again to the Easy Dreamer Freaks...

Free iPod + iPhone Book 4

Well, they've done it again!

Normally, when you get something for free, it's usually worth exactly what you paid for it, right? Well, the smart folks over at iLounge have just released the 4th and ever improving version of their Free iPod + iPhone Book.

With over 20 world exclusive Sneak Peeks and complete tutorials to all things iPod, iPhone, iTunes, and Apple TV, I just have to extend a big personal gracias once again to iLounge Editor-in-Chief Jeremy Horwitz for another awesome "must have" resource.

So what are you waiting for? Head over to iLounge and grab your Free iPod + iPhone Book 4!

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HMK

McNay Art Museum Stieren Center

As proud members of the McNay Art Museum down here in beautiful San Antonio, Texas, my wife and I can harldy wait until this Friday night's grand Opening of the new Stieren Center!

With the opening of the Jane and Arthur Stieren Center for Exhibitions, the McNay Art Museum can claim the best of two worlds, retaining the cozy intimacy of founder Marion Koogler McNay's 1920s Spanish Colonial Revival mansion while gaining a sleek new wing specially designed for large-scale modern and contemporary art.


The Marion Koogler McNay Art Museum, pictured above, or simply the McNay as the locals refer to her, is the state's first private art museum, and now can be mentioned in the same breath with the Menil Collection in Houston and the Kimbell Art Museum in Fort Worth.

Designed by French architect Jean-Paul Viguier, the center has about 45,000 square feet of floor space, including the 7,500-square-foot Tobin Exhibition Galleries for large shows. A state-of-the-art lecture hall, high-tech learning centers, a new gift shop, a works-on-paper gallery and an outdoor sculpture garden are the icing on the cake.

The public opening will be preceded by a black-tie gala Thursday night for donors who gave at least $5,000 to the McNay capital campaign, and a private members opening on Friday night.

Continue Reading: New Stieren Center.


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HMK