FLIP BOOK FINESSE

I love this video. It is an incredible flip book featuring an awesome street performer. Trust me, you will love it!

Made by saggyarmpit, first seen here.

IN THE CLASSROOM

I am starting a new (roughly) weekly column entitled "In the Classroom". I will be writing this piece to share the artists and designers I learn about in my graduate school colloquium 'Topics in Graphic Design Since 1950' taught by my brilliant Professor Thomas Crow. Any thoughts, comments, or suggestions about this new column would be greatly appreciated!

Alvin Lustig was a famous magazine, promotional and book jacket designer. He is most famous for his work on the "New Classics" book series sold by the publishing company New Directions. His work played off the tradition of bold, graphic poster design in Europe. Lustig was incredibly canny, occasionally designing black and white covers to stand out in a market that was completely color saturated. Tragically Lustig died at the early age of 40, but his work lives on through his website here.

Alex Steinweiss is best known for his complete reinvention of record covers. In the early 1950s records were still played at 78 rates per minutes, meaning that only a few songs could be put on each record and thus albums were packaged in big bulky sets. Noting the bland impersonal designs on these cases--usually containing small explanatory type on the front and nothing else--Steinweiss decided to use this free "ad space" to make covers that were eye-catching and alluded to the style and feeling of the music inside. When the 32rpm record came out, Steinweiss rewrote the book on package printing to be able to produce his brightly colored and inventive designs on a new, slim cardboard sleeve. He worked in various positions over several decades for Columbia Records while doing freelance in various other media. These two covers, however, are even today understood as two of the first and best works by this graphic master. Learn more about his work here.

UNCOMMON CASES

In keeping with the Apple craziness, I wanted to feature some awesome iPhone cases that were recently brought to my attention (thank you Laura!). Sold by 'Uncommon' these are available for $39.95 here. Even better? 100% of the proceeds go to Haiti relief through the Red Cross!

I have struggled with whether or not to talk about the crisis in Haiti on this blog. On the one hand this blog is about bright, shiny, happy things--graphic design, home goods, artwork etc. On the other hand, the tragedy in Haiti is unspeakable and we should all be doing what we can to establish healthy stable conditions there as soon as possible. So, when the lovely reader Laura sent these cases my way, I knew it was a win-win. Cool product for a cool cause. Go check it out here.

APPLE TABLET

"Last time there was this much buzz about a tablet there were some commandments written on it."

-The Wall Street Journal

If you are as much of an Apple geek as I am, you have been waiting all week on pins and needles for Apple's latest announcement. Well yesterday it came with a bang! Introducing the iPad (terrible name- why couldn't it have been called the iTab?), Apple launched this beautiful tablet computer--a cross between the best qualities of the iPhone and the iMac. It is completely touch screen controlled and can be held in landscape or portrait format depending on your preference. It is about 7.5 by 9.5 inches (and only 0.5 inch thick!), has a stunningly vivid screen, and a battery life of up to 10 hours. In keeping with Apple go-big-or-go-home style, the designers have completely reinvented the basic applications from the iPhone to fit the iPad. They also expect application developers to follow suit in the coming months. My personal favorite is the calendar; I love the reinvented 'day' page with its clean lines and bright color blocks for appointments. They have also made maps, contacts, and mail look pretty darn sexy.

I looks like prices for these babies range from $499 to $829 (depending on the GB size and whether you want it to be wireless or 3G like the iPhone) and won't be available for another 60 days at least. Gah!

Until then you can learn more here. I highly suggest that you watch the introductory video to see it in action.

p.s. Lots of people are already talking about how the iPad (cringe) will be change the publishing industry with its iBooks feature where you can download and read all kinds of books through Apple's iTunes-like book store. See a great article about this will effect magazine design here.

A LITTLE BIT OF LUCK

You feeling lucky punk? Well with these sweet, small pendant necklaces, featuring a 14k gold-plated horseshoe or wishbone, you will be! At $72 and $68 (top to bottom respectively) these are a little pricey, but would make a lovely Valentine's Day gift for the special someone (hint hint!).

Made by 'Dogeared' jewelry and sold at Neiman Marcus here.

INSPIRATION BOARD

I wanted to do a quick post to share some of the artwork that served as inspiration for my blog header makeover. I have been pondering the idea of incorporating a color chart for some time (see this post), but always felt too attached to my old hexagon version.

From top to bottom:

Damien Hirst, Pharmacy Series, 2000s

Ellsworth Kelly, Spectrum Colors Arranged by Chance II, 1951

Marcel Duchamp, Tu M', 1918

Robert Rauschenberg, Small Rebus, 1956

THE THOUGHTFUL VALENTINE (STAMPS INCLUDED)

My grandfather was a big-time philatelist. During the 1960s, when stamp collecting was still a common hobby, he owned a small store which sold collectible American stamps. His passion, however, was always European stamps and to this day his collection from the tiny country Liechtenstein is one of the best anywhere.

Given all that, I have a special place in my heart for a well-designed and thoughtfully used stamp. And as hand-written notes slowly start to disappear (the possibility of a future with no snail mail at all is absolutely horrifying to me), I feel that receiving a pretty note in the mail is all the more exciting and meaningful. Mara's offer of hand-calligraphed valentines mailed with these lovely vintage stamps thus makes me very very happy. I love her stamp combinations, making up mini "narratives", and know that they would look wonderful paired with her beautiful script (which I posted about here).

Learn more about this awesome offer here, check out the 'neither snow' blog here and website here.

ALPHADOT

In keeping with my love of alphabet products, I wanted to share this lovely "Alphadot" print by Robin Rosenthal. I am swooning over the dotted font she has used-it looks modern and playful at the same time. Who says this has to be a kids poster (well Robin does, but that's just a way to market it . . .)?

Check it out, and get your own for $48, here.

DRESS FOR DINNER

These napkins made me giggle. Sold in packs of twenty by The Spoon Sisters ($5.95), they poke fun at the "casual" guy in your life. Can't get him to dress appropriately for dinner? Slap a napkin tie on him!

I can imagine this would look pretty adorable on a bunch of little kids at a birthday party, no?

Check them out (and lots of other cool things!) here.

ICOEYE DESIGN

In reading about Igor "Rodix" Udushlivy's design portfolio--Icoeye--on swissmiss yesterday, I couldn't resist giving you all a second look. I love his idea for book design: matching bold and graphic dust jackets with a thematic bookmark. So clever! My personal favorites are 'Moby Dick' and 'Alice in Wonderland'. Absolutely awesome!

See more Icoeye here (Rodix has a great eye for color!), the book project here, and the original swissmiss post here.

FROM THE ARCHIVES: CLOUD GATE

Since I am feeling a little under the weather, I thought I would do a 'From the Archives' post. These photos were taken last January in Chicago and feature Anish Kapoor's 'Cloud Gate' sculpture in Millennium Park. I love the way the sculpture captivates the imagination of everyone who walks by it, reflecting and bending the city skyline in fun ways. When I was there, despite the bitter cold, people were crowding the piece, taking lots of pictures and touching it all over.

Want to see more Kapoor? There is a great piece by the artist, entitled 'Memory', on view at the Guggenheim Museum in New York until March 28. Check out the exhibition website here. And check out more of my photographs here.

THIS AMERICAN (GRAPHIC) LIFE

I am a huge 'This American Life' nerd. I listen to a lot of NPR shows, but 'This American Life' is by far my favorite. Ira Glass may be dorky, but he feels like a old friend and I could listen to him tell stories all day.

That said, I was pretty excited to come across a website that has devoted itself to representing, in graphic form, every 'This American Life' episode ever made. I love it.

Check out the goodness here.

(Update: all graphs are researched and designed by E. J. Fox. Thanks for the heads up Elizabeth!)

PAWLING TOTES

I have a serious addiction to tote bags. Really serious. Going back and forth to school each day with a bunch of books means that a purse just won't cut it. Thus, I have an organizer on the back of my closet door that is so full of bags that the door barely closes. So, when I spied these BEAUTIFUL tote bags made by Pawling print studio I knew my collection was going to have to make room for a couple more. I love them! The designs are wonderfully simple and elegant.

See all the bags, including some other lovely screen-printed products, here.

SHANA FAUST INSPIRATION

I love this inspiration board created by Shana Faust. It is always great to see an talented artist/designer's work but even better to see what inspires that work. This board is absolutely beautiful . . . check it out here.

COLOR WHEEL LOVE

In browsing through my "inspiration" folder I have noticed a certain trend: color wheels. Not surprising given my undying interest in bright colors and geometric patterns. So what could be better than a big (almost 40" x 40") brilliant color wheel decal to put on your wall? Designed by Ich&Kar and sold at greener grass design, I think this wall sticker would look absolutely lovely over a sleek, modern bed or desk.

Check it out here.

TRAVEL THE WORLD OF HERMES

Just like the glories to be found at the Kate Spade website, the corporate website at Hermes is an absolute joy to explore. There are lots of wonderful and playful parts here and there, designed in a splendid array of colors. I highly suggest, if you have a couple of minutes to kill, to go check it out here.

PLANS FOR 2010

I am taking the opportunity of the new year to set some goals for 2010. I usually don't like new year's resolutions, but 2009 was so icky I want to make sure to take 2010 by the horns. Do you guys have any plans or goals for 2010?

SUBTLE SHEETS

With this wintery chill in the air it has been harder and harder to tear myself out of bed in the morning. I have to say that my bed is super comfy and my collection of linens has been carefully accumulated over the years. My favorite sheet set is currently this one. But recently I have been thinking about getting something more subtle and elegant and quiet--just like these 'Moroccan Tile' sheets offered at Anthropologie. They are, like everything at Anthro, a bit expensive for my student budget, but a girl can dream (word play fully intended) right?

Buy a set of your own, for $148-$168, here.

CITIZEN SCHOLAR

I have been eyeing this bright funky print by Citizen Scholar Inc. for a while. I love the way they have used eyes and mouths to create an abstracted typography--in this case spelling 'You are beautiful'. I also love the orangey yellow background and think it could be a sunny way to spruce up an office or hallway.

Pick up your own Citizen Scholar print (also in different colors and different sayings) for $40 at Supermarket here.