Isaac Tobin is senior designer at the University of Chicago Press. That’s his title. What he really does is create book covers so succinct, so pleasing, so enticingly balanced and sparsely enigmatic, that you won’t know whether to read it or hang it on your wall.
Personally, I’d go with the latter.
Via The Post Family
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Summer’s almost here, and if you’re a guy like me that means it’s time to buy a ridiculous amount of tee shirts. Artsy tee shirts are design-geek crack. Not douchebag hipsteronic wannabe tee shirts, I’m talking about the real shit. High design, with illustrations hot enough to be created on cotton or canvas. You know it when you see it, and if you don’t know the difference then you don’t know what I’m talking about.
Throwing some spice into the hunt is Format’s Nu Nouveau Lookbook for Spring/Summer ’09. Inspired by art nouveau (and with a Lookbook as hot as the goods, designed by Moxy Creative), shirts by heavyweights like MWM Graphics, Blaine Fontana, Brand Nu, Eepmon, Lemar & Dauley, and Mishka are only being produced in runs of 300 per design. So you won’t only have better taste that the other guys, you likely won’t run into anyone with the same tee. Unless you do, in which case some sort of font-identification face off may be required to determine design-saavy dominance…
Chicago has a crazy good art/music scene that’s leading to amazing work from artists who are not only creating music but directing vids, designing posters, and creating their own visual identities to match with the sonic ones. Alongside the work of one of my Chicago faves, Chandeliers, comes music from artist/designer Nigel Evan Dennis (aka Electric Heat) who on top of all his design work is also a member of A Lull, who are getting ready to drop their first EP “Ice Cream Bones” on May 19.
The vid for their first single, “Skinny Fingers”, illustrated and animated by Dennis, is nothing less than incredible. Chromatic, slow-shifting, and graphic. Loves it. Needs more of it.
Vodpod videos no longer available.
Via Computerlove™
NoPattern (a.k.a. Chuck Anderson) is one of my fave artists ever. One of his prints, “Places You Can’t Imagine”, hangs above my bed.
Now, his website has (huzzah!) a promo for a new book of art, design, illustration, and photography he’s releasing, called “Wandering Off Into Space”,with (boo!) absolutely no details other than it’s coming in December 2008. It’s already the 17th. I need it now. I don’t need to know anything about it. If it’s from Chuck Anderson, then it’s awesomeness is guaranteed.
UPDATE: The book is now totally up for sale for the crazy reasonable price of only $25. Considering the quality of his work, Chuck is basically giving thie shit away for free. I’ve already ordered mine, and so should you. Right now. Plus there are some gorgeous new pics of the book as well. As if this wasn’t already all incentive enough, it’s been announced that a portion of the proceeds from the book are going to Invisible Children.
I’m going through a big German illustration fan-boy phase, and today is no exception. The Rainbowmonkey is the online portfolio site of German-born, currently New Zealand-based designer, musician, and artist Markus Hofko. Chock full of design goodness, his stuff ranges from graphic design to illustration to photography to brand identity work to music videos. And all of it is completely kick ass.
I’m digging the bright, bubbly, but socially bang-on illustrations from L.A.-based Kyle Cummings. Even better – his online store is up. So you can get the whole cute/satirical vibe going right on your walls…
I love beautifully shot landscape photography. I love cute little round-faced Kidrobot-esque alien characters. So, really, what’s not to double love about cute little round-faced Kidrobot-esque alien characters that have been lovingly given a home inside beautifully shot landscape photography? It’s like a three way. Both are awesome on their own, but all together it’s a whole new experience. Yeah son.
Russian designer, painter, and illustrator Dmitry Maksimov takes photographs and inserts his own subject, creating a whole new world of experience and viewpoint. A field of grass is pretty, but once you notice the little aliens walking, almost tentatively, though it the story changes. His work is stellar. Each piece isn’t just an mixture of media and creators, but an enhancement. An elevation. He deftly gives a personality and mood to each altered photo, and each is imbued with a sense of discovery in the moment. Something is always being felt by these l’il creatures…
His site is entirely in Russian, but luckily for me, one of the designers in my office is from Russia. Spaceba Alina! Anyway – she read it over for me and apparently people send Maksimov photos they’ve taken for him to work on and when completed he posts them on his site. Sick looking results and an interactive experience with other artists. Done and done.
Via Design:Related via NOTCOT
Brothers Michael and Johny Kelly are designers, illustrators, and filmmakers from Dublin, Ireland. Working both independently and sometimes in collaboration, their site, Mickey and Johnny, is a grab bag of goodness. From short film to photography to illustration to tee shirt design, they’ve got a bright, colourful, minimalist style that they’ve translated beautifully across all the media they work in.
One of my faves is their short film procrastination. Visually kick ass with cut to the bone insights about just how lazy we get sometimes. The voiceover, by Bryan Quinn, is equally awesome. There’s something about frustrated yelling that just sounds so much better when it’s done with an Irish accent. Canadian yelling completely pales in comparison.
Johnny has a whole bunch of of varied works, including an animated short about a lobster named Shelly that falls in love with vinyl records, and this sweet tee, “Body Shirt”, that he did for Airside in 2006.
Michael has a few series of photgraphic works, mostly simple and straightforward crowd, outdoor, and people pics. They’re well composed and pleasing. My favourite is this one from the series “Abstract”. I can see their faces, but they just look so content:
Thanks to Five Husbands for the tip
I love this piece from illustrator and designer Jonathan Haggard. It’s got that dusty 70s feel I enjoy, plus it’s called “Roygbiv”. It’s one of my favourite words. Well, it’s really an acronym. But if Milf can be a word, so can Roygbiv.
I want it on my wall, but he doesn’t have it produced for sale. So if you feel like writing him a harrassing encouraging email asking him to produce some, feel free.
Via Why Me?
shape+colour 
