Check out these lovely, 100% natural rubber, biodegradable Feelgoodz flip flops on Holstee. Available in four great color combos, and at the end of the summer, just snip them into little pieces, bury them in the yard and soon they’re completely gone. One small hitch: they cost $25. How are you going to convince anyone who can buy a pair of flip flops for $1 from Old Navy that this is the right thing to do? And there you have it: a quick little illustration of the sustainability dilemma. How will it eventually become a viable consumer choice? Wider availability and scale of manufacturing? Consumer willingness to pay more to do good? But 25 times more is a lot to swallow, isn’t it?
Flip Flop
June 9th, 2011Stamp of Approval
April 20th, 2011
Some countries, when they issue new stamps, do it right. Look at this gorgeous series from the UK Royal Mail! The handlettering conveys so much emotion without cheesing it up…seems an unlikely proposition, and yet it works. These are really forward-looking, yet entirely appropriate to a piece of graphic design that has to be used (and hopefully appreciated) by everyone in need of postage.
In some other countries, recently-issued stamps accidentally feature a fake Vegas statue because no one responsible for designing, approving, or signing off on the project knew the difference between a cheesy replica and a meaningful symbol of liberty and freedom. Or worse, they didn’t think it mattered. Of course it matters. Things like this throw pickity graphic designers into full-on curmudgeon mode. Remember that line from a 1980’s teen cult film? I weep for the future. At least the Royal Mail offers a glimmer of hope.
Logos and Fastballs Best Left to Pros
April 11th, 2011
At left, the Air Jordan logo designed in 1988 by revered Nike designer Tinker Hatfield, for the debut of the Air Jordan III. At right, San Francisco Giants ace pitcher Tim Lincecum’s new logo that just made its debut for the 2011 season. Lincecum is well enough known at this point (he’s been on the cover of GQ, Sports Illustrated, and the New York Times T Magazine in the past year alone) that a move into personal branding was inevitable. So let’s not even bitch about the needlessly fussy bits on his logo, too much detail on the hair and laces on the glove. Doesn’t the guy listed first on sportswriter Tom Verducci’s Most Compelling Players for 2011—a two time Cy Young award winner and 2010 World Series champion—deserve a more compelling logo? In attempting to use Lincecum’s unique forward stride—129% of his height, as compared to around 85% of body height for most pitchers—along with a simple full body silhouette as the basis for design, the logo’s similarity to the Air Jordan logo of 23 years ago was unavoidable. More than one blogger has noted the parallel, calling Lincecum’s logo “Jordan-esque.” I’m unable to find out who gets the credit for this graphic fail—nothing was forthcoming from the Giants press office, and Lincecum’s Facebook page says, “I just finished designing my logo…you will be seeing it soon on some new stuff I’m working on.” I doubt he actually is responsible here, but that would explain a great deal. My attempt at a fastball would probably look a lot like this attempt at a logo.
Tigger Skin Rugs
March 16th, 2011
A twist on the classic Teddy Roosevelt-era animal skin rug: artist Agustina Woodgate makes these floorcoverings from the pelts of stuffed animals. Visit her fantastic website here.
Via I’m Revolting
Beautiful People Make Art
March 13th, 2011
Feinstein and Currin at the spring 2010 Costume Institute gala at the MET. Image via the New York Times.
Just wondering: how many times is it necessary to describe sculptor Rachel Feinstein as a “beauty” in an article describing the amazing, superglam lifestyle she enjoys with her husband, painter John Currin? As you can see from the photo above, it’s a well-deployed adjective—no argument there. Both these people are pretty fine human specimens, no? Yet Currin is not called “studly,” “hunky,” or any such adjective. We do learn that he is tall enough to need a custom-made bed. But no further wordage is devoted to his appearance. There are a couple of notes about his suits and his spectacles, to be precise; but that’s all.
Now, let’s just say Feinstein produced exactly the same artwork, but was an absolute troll to look at. Imagine the narrative of the article then, if it would even have been written at all.
Please let’s leave looks out of it when discussing work—sculpture, literature, film, painting, writing—produced by a woman. Or at least mention it in passing, but don’t carry on foaming about it.
The answer to the original question is: 3 times. The word “creamy” is also repeated twice in describing Feinstein; once it refers to her party dress and the other time, to herself.
Marker Multiples
March 12th, 2011
Love this: Toronto-based artist Allister Lee’s (Studio B.I.B) hand-drawn print showing the complete historical and international spectrum of his 500 black magic markers.
Via Coolhunting
The Power of Ten, in One Photo
March 5th, 2011
Cheers to photographer Phil Hart who documented bioluminescent algae in Australia’s Gippsland Lakes in a remarkable series of images shot in the summer of 2008-2009. This picture, showing both the movement of the stars in the universe and the tiny glimmer of glowing aquatic plants, took my breath away. Click here for the rest of the story and Phil’s gallery of astonishing work.
Color my Hotel
February 27th, 2011
Photographs courtesy of Pantone Hotel/via NYTimes
Extending the brand awareness of a specialized industry-specific standard—the Pantone Color Matching System—out into the general population strikes me as a little weird, if unsurprising. (There’s money to be made here, after all.) You can update your Facebook status by specifying which PMS color most closely matches your mood, or buy coffee mugs imprinted with Pantone color swatches and groovy Pantone shoulder bags. Or storage boxes, folding chairs, and friendship bracelets. And now: the Pantone Hotel in Brussels. From its beginnings as a reliable method to specify the perfect shade for your design project, Pantone expanded first into the 3-dimensional everyday world via a range of consumer products, and now into immersive experience design. The hotel is not a bad-looking joint, kinda cool even. But will designers on holiday stay there? Or might they want a break from their swatches?
Monkey Business
February 27th, 2011
You may have read some of the recent and overall positive reviews of the new novel The Evolution of Bruno Littlemore, by Benjamin Hale (Twelve; February 2011). Hale’s website showcases many links to glittering praise for his debut. The book’s premise seems coolly calculated to grab attention with its whiff of scandal: laboratory chimp evolves, learns to speak, falls in love with the female human scientist who raised him. They have sex, a lot, raising issues like: bestiality? Incest? Neither? A crime is committed (more than one, actually). Literary allusions abound, from Nabokov to Shakespeare to Kafka to Curious George. There is much debate about what it means to be human. Sex, murder, literature, existential musings….what’s the problem? Hint: it isn’t the inter-species lovin. The talking monkey is an absolute bore.
He’s Got Shoes
February 24th, 2011
Since last summer I’ve been sticking to Facebook to post observations about design and interesting/beautiful things that I want other people to see. News flash: isn’t that kind of the point of having a blog? Let’s get on with it then.
Today I saw this teenager (right) at the Columbus Circle subway station, and immediately noticed that he had JACK DAVIS FEET! See example at left. Jack Davis, comic book artist extraordinaire, helped shape my design consciousness from an early age—I started reading MAD Magazine when I was in 4th grade, and even then I absolutely adored the way Davis depicted men’s feet in their dress shoes. (Lest this sound a little fetish-y, I also loved his beautiful, assured line work and the way his drawings sparkled with life and action.) Sure, I spent hours trying to draw hands like animated rubber gloves in the fabulously goofy style of Don Martin, and I was fascinated by Antonio Prohías big beaky-faced spies locked in their dance of death, but poring over anything illustrated by Davis continues to make me unaccountably happy. The now 87-year old artist was well-known for his speed and accuracy, and at one time was the highest paid illustrator in the world. He has created countless album covers:
as well as comics, advertising and editorial illustrations, and even this logo for the Bee-line buses from New York City to Westchester:
For me, hands-down, Jack is the man—the guy that draws the most awesome shoes, ever. It was amazing to find a living, breathing Jack Davis drawing waiting for the A train.