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Wood & Pulp is a Brooklyn-based exhibition of new work by Scotty Albrecht and Damion Silver. Featuring collage, assemblages and works on paper, the collection shows, "…intricate use of found objects and carefully wrought wood and paper". The work of both artists display a strong influence of their design backgrounds. It's Albrecht's work you can see here but take a look at their individual websites for more from both.
We've been working with Storehouse for a few years now. A foodbank, Storehouse take in donations of none perishable food stuffs and redistribute them amongst those that need it most. It's amazing (and quite sad) to realise there are people just down the road from you that really need basic help like this. So Storehouse encourages supporters to buy a bit extra when they shop and to leave it at predetermined collection points (lots are in churches).
There's probably a foodbank near you, it's a concept that's been applied all over the place and is a great way for anyone to make a difference to the lives of people in need within your community. I suppose that's "the thing", they're in your neighbourhood. There's more specifically about Storehouse here.
My colleagure Al is the main man for Storehouse; he's designed most of the stuff we've done. So when Jack from Oomph! got in touch and asked if we had any idea for their cards it occurred to us that a major challenge with Storehouse can be getting supporters to remember, long term, to pick up something to donate.
So Al designed a card and Oomph! produced it for us. It's a great use of the format and Oomph! make it really easy to use the credit card format in new and original way.
Find out more about Oomph! here.
Our boys were delighted to get hold of an advance copy of The Extraordinaires Design Studio, the new game from The Creativity Hub (of the award-winning Rory's Story Cubes fame). It's brilliant fun and great for channeling their creativity.
We were lucky enough to play test it during the development stage. You can find out more about the game here or watch the video:
We all love him don't we? David Gentleman is a national treasure, like Searle or Steadman or Blake. His work is woven into the fabric of the UK, it's part of the country's DNA. Hardly surprising that Penguin got him to illustrate Shakespeare's entire works back in the sixties/seventies.
I recently picked up a copy of the Gentleman covered edition of Macbeth and it struck me that I haven't been looking closely enough. You need to scrutinise these covers at super-close-quarters to really appreciate their beauty I think; to really appreciate his workmanship; the way the line work interacts with the colour work. It's masterful.
My Flickr set is in need of an update but this is most of my collection.
Another Escape sets out to capture the enthusiasm of others. Investigating the lives and pastimes of individuals who throw themselves, with zeal, headlong into the endeavours that they find the greatest affinity with. I get that. For a long time I've felt there's little difference between someone obsessed with, for example, the micro details of type and typography and those preoccupied with the intricacies of craft ales or the plummage of our feathered friends.
One man's nerdy obsession is another's passion and who are we to judge the validity of another's fixation. As the Another Escape team says themselves, "We can take away from these energetic individuals fuel for our own motivation".
In Volume One you'll meet, amongst many others: Jim and Lou from Brighton Miniclick, Amy and Claire from Super + Super, Ace Jet favourites Jane and Ben from Herb Lester, James from Boneshaker and Mike, from his allotment.
Best you go and buy it. From here.
Do designers like an aphorism more than most? I'm not sure. We certainly do love a pithy truth about the nature of our work don't we? Whether it provides valuable insight into the inner workings of design practice and principles or reassurance of the validity of our most treasured points-of-view, a few carefully chosen words from a pier or hero can resonate. Letterpress it and hang it on a wall.
Handsomely bound and stylishly typeset (using a generous selection of Hoefler and Frere-Jones' Knockout) "The Designer Says" is packed to the rafters with the wit and wisdom of luminaries from design disciplines. Thoughtfully paired, each spread presents ideas either in tune with one another or at opposite poles.
If it were close to Christmas I'd say this is the ideal Yuletide gift for the designer you love. But it's obviously not so just buy yourself a copy – or surprise the creative you treasure most.
I was ever so slightly bowled over by this package that arrived last week. Superbly packaged in a bespoke printed envelope and wrapped in it's own unique tissue paper, my special letter forms part of Pauline Clancy's Wood Type project. You can find out more about it here. While you're over there, check out Pauline's other work. You might remember Pauline from this piece she did last year.
It was my birthday on Monday. No, please, there's no need to apologies, when you get to my ages, you know…something, something. Anyway, got some nice presents. A sea fishing rod, Iron Man on DVD, a four-pack of Cadbury's DoubleDeckers, a part-used pack of crayons that was actually given to us last month on the ferry to Scotland (special thanks to Seth for that one).
I also got a rather lovely mini Dufle — for my pocket-sized device — from super-talented/would-be-nothing-without-her Edie Sloane, aka Karen, my wife.