Custom Type Showcase

Nice. Letter Cult is featuring some of the best and brightest, so far anyway, hand tooled type of 2009.

Wojtex Polak

Geonetix

Sarah King

Nate Williams

BU Design

And yes, you are encouraged to submit your own examples!

Mucho Mas: Letter Cult

Happy Monday!

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HMK

Thanks to the smart folks over at Under Consideration.

Wireless Radio!

Look Mom, No Cord!

Wow, the folks at Sony just might be on to something big!

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HMK

Thanks to retro freak Jimm Dunn over at RetroSnark.

Springfield and Beyond!

Genius.

Forget Knight Rider and Hal, thanks to the smart folks at TomTom getting from point A to B just got a lot more fun with the addition of Homer Simpson as your onboard guide!

And priced at only $12.95, you even save yourself some Doh!

Check out the audio samples: TomTom

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HMK

DraWords!

If you're like me and you're a fan of Gary Larson or the New Yorker Caption Contest you'll really dig Craig Frazier’s ongoing, online DraWords project.

Here's the drill - Craig Frazier, a graphic designer whose work has appeared in Time and the Wall Street Journal posts one cartoon a week. Visitors, that means you, have until 5 p.m. Friday to submit your ideas for the caption. The winners are credited immediately online, and in a year or so, when Frazier has enough material for a book, you just might see yourself in print!


Frazier’s drawings are usually simple, trippy and kinda sorta weird, in a good way and are always screaming for an interesting, equally kinda sorta weird, sardonic caption.

I love the fun process. After you sign in and submit your caption you get a weekly email with the best of the submissions that didn't make the cut along with a link to the winner. (These are fun in the same way that the auditions on the first couple of episodes of American Idol are.)

Well, after a few months of submitting my own captions I'm happy to announce that this morning I got the email of last weeks runner ups and was totally stoked to see that I made the book.

Thanks Craig, best of luck with the book!

Here's my submission:

So what are you waiting for? Check out the rest and submit your own - it's fun!

DraWords!

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HMK

It's A Gas!

Graphic and publication designer Dick Sheaff is sharing his amazing collection of ephemera along with some keen insight and history to help put things in context.




All of the above images are examples of the Gaslight Style:

"One pronounced aspect of Victorian design was a great interest in creating the illusion of depth, particularly so with lithographers. Type, vignettes, products and design elements are made to seem multi-layered through the use of shadows, superimposition, dimensional banners and ribbons, turned-up faux page corners and choice of colors.

Some have labeled this the Gaslight Style approach to design, for example Maurice Rickards: "Said to have derived from the play of lamps on three-dimensional street lettering, i.e. storefront signage, etc. The style appears to have originated in Germany, spreading, through the influence of German printing skills, throughout the world."

Chief features of the style are heavily three-dimensional lettering with a vigorous rendering of tonal gradation and shadow effects. A characteristic treatment involved the use of a vignetted 'cloud-work' background against which lettering appeared in lighter tone, with heavy shadowing to hold outlines where these overlapped on to plain paper. A wealth of heavy scroll- and strap-work, also rendered in three dimensions, filled in the interstices of the design.

The style, for which at the time no specific name emerged, is thought to have been inspired by the chiaroscuro effects of gas lighting, and has subsequently received the designation Gaslight Style."

And while you're there, don't miss Mr. Sheaff's little side collection of People Holding Fish!

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HMK

Big Gracias to Eric Baker over at Design Observer.

Bad Food, Bad Dog.

Bad Food, Bad Dog. Bad Ass!

Wicked funny stuff for Nutri Balance from agency Prolam Y&R Santiago, Chile.

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HMK

Thanks Freddie!

Shutter Island

Just what we all need - more great stuff from boomerang comeback kid Jackie Earle Haley! This time Jackie is an inmate/patient, George Noyce, at Boston's Shutter Island Ashecliffe Hospital circa 1954... More here: IMDB

And I'm totally digging the fact that Shutter Island opens on my birthday, October 2nd!

Go Jackie!

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HMK

Blue Lounge Studio Desk

Man, I really dig this sweet little desk designed especially for laptop users.

The Blue Lounge Studio Desk is a clutter free working environment that keeps you connected to all your peripherals.

All peripherals and excess cables are hidden just under the sliding desktop surface. The storage compartment is conveniently accessed from above. An elongated slot across the width of the desktop allows the necessary peripheral & power cables to enter/exit at any point, thereby keeping the desktop clear of clutter.

A bit price at 599US, but sweet non the less.

Blue Lounge

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HMK

Winged Creatures

Winged Creatures opens on Australian screens July 9th, 2009.

Go Jackie Earle Haley!

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HMK

Hmmm. Beer...

More Beer!

Happy Birthday Susan and Tish!

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HMK

Real World Vendor Client Relationship Situations

Genius. Sadly, we've all been there.

The only thing worse is when there's no weasel negotiation/explanation and the scumbag simply refuses to pay for services rendered. All I can say is thank God for that Karma Boomerang!

That's Right, so true and yet oh so wrong...

HMK

Thanks to Swiss Miss

Adam Haynes Paintings & Illustration

Holy cow this is some amazing work!

Nice stuff Mr. Adam Haynes!

And dig these sweet illustrations Mr. Haynes just completed as part of the global Vertigo campaign for Nike.



You know you want to see more: The Adam Haynes Portfolio.

Love it.

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HMK

Strong Dog!

Our dogs Ringo and Dazy love Iams dog food and treats. Here's some living "proof" that Iams truly makes dogs stronger.

Good stuff from Saatchi & Saatchi, Sydney. Photographer: Marc the Phodographer.

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HMK

Gracias to Coloribus.

Which Came First?

Is it just me or does this Fair Trade logo remind anyone else of Brian De Palma's classic Phantom of the Paradise?


Just wondering...

My favorite version of Phantom was actually nominated for both an Oscar and a Golden Globe. I remember seeing this at least 5 or 6 times over the course of a month at the long-gone San Pedro Drive In here in San Antonio. The soundtrack is still as groovy as it was back then and if you've listened to any of my If: Irregular Frequency HMK Mystery Stream podcasts you'll probably recognize a song or two.

If you haven't seen this 1974 gem of a Halloween movie do yourself a favor and check it out. And if you're like me, you may even find yourself asking the question: "Which came first, Kiss or Phantom of the Paradise?" Add this to your Netflix queue and you'll see exactly what I mean...

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HMK

Thanks to Olivier Blanchard for the cool icon of Winslow.

Green Hero

There's nothing like the fresh smell of pillowcases, sheets and clothes that have been dried by the hot Texas sun. Not to mention the fact that things not only dry way faster and are less apt to shrink, it's a no-brainer as far as being a truly green money saver.

That's why I am so stoked to be getting one of these smart and hip looking drying racks! And this equally cool rain collector will work perfect in the back yard and is next on my list. Both are from Hero out of Canada.

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HMK

iPhone New Yorker Cover Art

Wow! Mr. Jorge Colombo drew the above June 1st cover scene, of a late-night gathering around a 42nd Street hot dog stand, entirely with the iPhone application Brushes. Because of the smears and washes of color required by the inexact medium, it comes off as dreamy, not sharp and technological.

“The best feature of it is that it doesn’t feel like something that was done digitally; quite the opposite,” said Françoise Mouly, the art editor for The New Yorker. “All too often the technology is directed in only one direction, which is to make things more tight, and this, what he did very well, is use this technology for something that is free flowing, and I think that’s what makes it so poetic and magical.”

Read the rest over at the New York Times and make sure to check out more of Jorge Colombo's iSketches as well as iPhone artist Xoan Baltar I found over via flickr, they're really pretty amazing.

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HMK

Retro TV Via Telstar

I know what you're probably thinking - yeah sure, that's pretty sweet looking, but seriously, who really wants to invest in an old refurb TV with all the incredible new options like HD, LCD, Plasma, etcetera out there?

This is from the Telstar/Predicta FAQ:

Is This Real?

Yes! Color Predicta TV is a reality. Believe it or not, this is the most commonly asked question we receive at Telstar, and we are ecstatic there are so many people out there who want more from their TV than the generic black box offered by other TV manufacturers. The science and romance of the Predicta legend has been resurrected and continued by Telstar.

We realize with the help of software programs such as Photoshop, it is very easy to "fake" a company or product over the Internet. Every unit pictured on our website is a production TV, currently manufactured with new parts. None of the pictures have been doctored in Photoshop or other editing software to create the illusion that we make colors or options that have never been built. As we continue the line of Predicta models, check out our concepts page which has various units in either development stages or concept stages, such as an artist's rendition. These units are appropriately labeled.

So, there you have it. These killer looking TVs are real deal, brand new sets - check 'em out: Color Predicta TV.

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HMK

Human Target Trailer

Finally! Fox has just released a 3 minute trailer for Human Target which includes the ridiculously talented Mr. Jackie Earle Haley - complete with hair! And dude, it looks pretty badass!



Stay tuned for my upcoming brief yet exclusive interview with the man!

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HMK

The Real Thing Summer 2009

I'm digging these limited edition Coca-Cola can designs for Summer 2009, not exactly sure who's responsible for them yet...

Nice.

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HMK

Gracias: Sub-Studio

Vintage Bicycle Logos

I've been putting some milage on my bike lately, a great way to exercise both body and mind. So, with bikes on the brain I thought I'd share this small gruppo of truly awesome classic type and script-based old bicycle logos, many of which are still in use, courtesy of One+One=Three.

Gotta love those Italians and their attention to detail, simplicity and elegance regarding food, wine and foot ware, but also for the top shelf engineering of their bikes and their brilliant identities as well.

Ok, got some brainstorming to do - time for a quick 45 minute ride!

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HMK

What Goes Around...

Smart stuff for Global Coalition for Peace from Big Ant International. As part of the "What Goes Around" campaign to end the war in Iraq, each one of these posters is designed to wrap around poles and pillars.

Very cool concept, copy with a nice execution.

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HMK

Thanks to Oberholtzer Creative.

Apple Packing Material Chandelier

Mac freak Eric Lawrence crafted this chandelier from the molded Styrofoam packing material Apple uses to ship it's laptops. What once cradled MacBooks now lights up with 16 bulbs (5W compact fluorescents) that generate little heat but produce the same light as 20W incandescents.

Nice.

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HMK

Thanks to Leander over at Cult of Mac.

Silhouette Masterpiece Theatre

Absolutely brilliant.

Ladies and Gentlemen, Silhouette Masterpiece Theatre.

Bravo Mr Wilhelm Staehle! Bravo!

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HMK

You rock Designer Observer, thanks again.

Milton Glaser: Ten Things I Have Learned

This is part of an AIGA series called Talk In London from one of my personal design heros Mr. Milton Glaser from back in November 22, 2001.

#3 SOME PEOPLE ARE TOXIC AVOID THEM.

This is a subtext of number one. There was in the sixties a man named Fritz Perls who was a gestalt therapist. Gestalt therapy derives from art history, it proposes you must understand the ‘whole’ before you can understand the details. What you have to look at is the entire culture, the entire family and community and so on. Perls proposed that in all relationships people could be either toxic or nourishing towards one another. It is not necessarily true that the same person will be toxic or nourishing in every relationship, but the combination of any two people in a relationship produces toxic or nourishing consequences. And the important thing that I can tell you is that there is a test to determine whether someone is toxic or nourishing in your relationship with them.

Here is the test: You have spent some time with this person, either you have a drink or go for dinner or you go to a ball game. It doesn’t matter very much but at the end of that time you observe whether you are more energised or less energised. Whether you are tired or whether you are exhilarated. If you are more tired then you have been poisoned. If you have more energy you have been nourished.

The test is almost infallible and I suggest that you use it for the rest of your life.

Done. Love it. Awesome words of wisdom - my other favorites are 1, 2 and 9 - go get inspired by all ten over at: Ten Things I Have Learned

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HMK

Thought For The Week

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HMK