Want to know more about design? Read some design books. On his new site The Designers Review of Books, designer Andy Polaine reviews only design-related books.
As Andy suggests, The Little Know-It-All could be a good place to start, and a good Christmas gift for the bathroom-reading designer in your life.
(Shout-out for the nice use of Ale Paul's Buffet Script in the masthead, too.)
It seems nothing is more magnetic (at least to us humans) than another face. A weird, distorted one? Even better. The endlessly amusing Unusual Suspects face builder app proves it (witness a few amazing contributions), as does Chris Ro's Efface book project, which achieves a similar effect on the printed page. Says Ro:
“Fourteen faces were constructed, de-constructed and fused in the hopes of assembling experiences that are simultaneously simple and yet very complex. The objective was to encounter the human face as one previously may not have encountered before.”
Via QBN
Next Thursday, November 13, Under Consideration's Opposites Attract series concludes at the Art Directors Club in NYC, and it promises to be a good one:
"The final event brings together Gail Anderson (of famed Broadway designers SpotNYC) and Robynne Raye (of famed agency Modern Dog), two designers with a range of work that, in spirit, is endlessly adventurous, entertainingly boisterous, and disarmingly witty — all with decidedly opposite results."
If you'll be in NYC, don't delay, as these events are very well attended. Tickets range from $15 to $30 at the ADC site.
But, since the series is sponsored by Veer, I happen to have a few free tickets. To win, be the first to answer this skill-testing question:
Who designed the typeface that Gail Anderson used in the Chris Rock poster spread (above)?
E-mail your answer to Jon at Veer dot com.
Finding magic in the everyday is such an art. I get the same feeling from looking at Matt Stuart’s photographs that I get from reading David Foster Wallace’s essays: I just want to go out on the street and really see things.
Says Matt:
I can’t hide behind lights and technology, I am reliant on a small Leica camera, patience and lots of optimism. But what I get in return is the chance to make an honest picture which people know immediately is a genuine moment and which hopefully burrows deep into their memories.
Thanks Joe!
Above: © Matt Stuart
New Yorkers: sorry for the late notice, but there’s an Opposites Attract event in NYC tonight at the Art Directors Club:
“The third event in the series brings together Dana Arnett [of VSA Partners] and Carin Goldberg, two designers with a characteristic flair for fusing sophisticated typography, arresting imagery and thoughtful concepts into imaginative projects — all with decidedly opposite results. As they share their work and talk about their background in a moderated discussion, we presume the differences and similarities will quickly be apparent.”
Get tickets at the ADC site or just drop by – get there early, this event may sell out.
Designers and agencies deal with critique, debate, and rejection on a daily basis — that’s the reality of being part of this industry. We’ve all had an amazing idea die in a meeting, sometimes for a very good reason. Project Never is a no-fee, designer-focused awards competition which ressurects those rejects and shares the stories behind the conceptual smackdown. Submissions are being accepted until December 1, 2008 — lots of time for you to revive and document those painful memories of crushed hopes, dreams (and designs).
Australian writer Andy Polaine interviews type designer (aka script genius) Alejandro Paul of Sudtipos/Umbrella.
“I love the idea of a font surprising its user. With Affair the surprises I made were mostly ligatures, tons of them. With Burgues, the surprises had more to do with ornamentation, where a letter, or a combination of letters, would flare itself into different strange and beautiful calligraphic shapes.”
See all of Alejandro’s faces in Veer’s Umbrella collection.
Above: Adios Script (coming soon to Veer), Compendium, Burgues Script
The photographs of Andy Taylor Smith imbue even the bleakest landscape with mystery and drama. Through elaborate staging and lighting, ultra-long exposures, and possibly mystical techniques, he draws you into his epic visions.
See his images for Solus at Veer (Flash, non-Flash). Visit his own site for more.
Earlier this summer we posted about Creativity magazine's Penguin Books cover design competition. The 25 finalists have been chosen from over 300 entries, and they’re a pretty impressive waddle. The winner will be announced on September 25th. Which design would get your vote?
It's not something you'd spec for a print job very often, but in this case it makes perfect sense. The latest project by NYC designer Roger Bova is a book of Bob Gruen's photographs of glam/punk godfathers the New York Dolls. Get a sneak peek on Roger's web site.
