Things Magazine bring you The Pelican Project, hard to pick a favourite decade or cover, the 60’s and 70’s are where most of the superb graphic solutions are. My favourite changes everytime I visit the site, some are above, but today it’s ‘How Children Fail’
Dave Brown
Posted on Wednesday, 30th of January 2008 Permalink
If you fashion a beard and work in the creative industries then Mark Brereton would like to hear from you. Mark is working on “How to get ahead with a beard in the creative industries” – a book that will explore whether a beard adds more success within a creative role and career.
I’ve had a beard for ten years (that’s not my beard above btw) and I can confirm that a warm chin is definitely a more creative one.
Anyway, if you would like more info or you would like to help out by appearing in the book please contact Mark directly.
David Rainbird
Posted on Tuesday, 25th of September 2007 Permalink
...can be very rewarding sometimes, a German student named Lisa Rienermann looked up in Barcelona and found letterforms in the sky created by the negative space of buildings. The projects called ‘Type the Sky’ link (via Slanted)
Dave Brown
Posted on Thursday, 12th of July 2007 Permalink
… I would go to the ‘If you could’ book launch exhibition at Exposure, boasting a pretty cool line up of designers, illustrators and trendy so and so’s. The issue 2 book contains most of the pieces on show and takes the form of a 160pp full colour, perfect bound book, hand-stamped and numbered in a very limited edition of 1,000, buy your book here. Pics of last weeks launch will be found here and the exhibition will be found on , exposure’ on Little Portland st., London, W1. The exhibition runs until 27th July so there’s no excuse not to go.
Vikesh Bhatt
Posted on Wednesday, 11th of July 2007 Permalink
Someguy is some guy working across the studio from me who has turned an fascination for bathroom wall graffiti into one of the most engaging collaborative art projects I’ve seen. Back in August 2000 he distributed 1000 blank journals around San Francisco, leaving them in bars, on the bus and handing them to friends and strangers. Inside were instructions to contribute something to the pages of the journal and pass it on. The journals made their away around the world, like some sort of global ‘exquisite corpse’ they became a product of the groups collective consciousness. What has happened to the journals is as compelling as the content found therein. They’ve been stolen at gunpoint (#949), taken to remote mountaintops (#323) and in journal #587 someone wrote a heartfelt apology and sent the journal to the friend they had wronged. The apology was not accepted.
The journals are catalogued online at 1000journals.com and in a book. If you’re not fortunate enough to find one or be passed one then that kind Someguy has created 1001 journals just for you.
Gary Butcher
Posted on Tuesday, 8th of May 2007 Permalink
What is it that makes porn ‘porn’? Does Paul Davis hate the human race? Does Rem Koolhaus enjoy shopping? Just a sample of the questions that vex Rick Poyner in his latest collection of essays Designing Pornotopia.
Pornotopia is a term coined by American literary critic Steven Marcus to describe “that vision which regards all of human experience as a series of exclusively sexual events or conveniences”. Rick Poyner uses the word to encompass all the obscenity in contemporary culture such as lads mags, makeover TV and extreme cosmetic surgery. At a time when pornography has become part of mainstream culture Poyner is refreshingly, unfashionably critical of it. Many will find his arguments slightly prude-ish but they are a valuable reminder of the dangers of unconscious consumption of sexist, violent or degrading imagery.
As with his previous collection Obey The Giant the essays are all “Travels in Visual Culture” even if they don’t all fit the book’s theme. Virtually all of the essays have been published but unless you religiously read Eye and Print magazine there will be plenty of interesting reads. Highlights include JG Ballard’s opinion of the many Crash book cover designs; the story of how three lads from the same Manchester art class became famous record industry designers (Saville, Garrett and some other chap named Breeden) and a visit to Terezín – the setting for W.G Sebald’s novel Austerlitz.
David Rainbird
Posted on Thursday, 21st of December 2006 Permalink
Only a couple of weeks left to enter Vormator, not a 50’s B-movie film but a book project by Delft group Booreiland and Groningen based Zeptonn. The challenge is to create artwork using only the supplied set of 8 shapes and following a strict rulebook. It’s a pretty tight brief although I think they have been generous with 8 shapes but hey, don’t argue with the Vormator.
The best submissions get published in the book (like a website only made of paper).
David Rainbird
Posted on Friday, 17th of November 2006 Permalink
Who knew a Chandy was a punk rock chandelier made of crystals and metal rings and not a summer beverage drunk in the UK. That’s just one of the fine things which can be discovered – and made – with the help of “Craftivity — 40 Projects for the DIY Lifestyle.” Now in the name of full disclosure Jen and I both have projects in there: page 78 the Moth Embroidered Sweater and page 136 our Glass Dining Table, while I also lay out instructions on how to weave your own quasi-legal baskets from Tyvek envelopes (just don’t upset any international courier companies).
Craftivity was edited by Tsia Carson, the person behind the excellent crafting blog Supernaturale as well as partner in the excellent NY design firm Flat. Naturally they designed the beautiful book.
Perfect for closet crafters (like me and Jen) Craftivity sports projects from the Bag o’ Bags (woven from plastic bags) to the Knit Lampshade and the Embroidered Screen Door. With primers on key skills such as crochet, silk screen and ceramic slip molding, there’s no excuse not to get your hands on a copy, get your hands dirty and start crafting. Buy it here.
David Rainbird
Posted on Tuesday, 7th of November 2006 Permalink
I often think the back of something is more interesting than it’s front. Käi Juenemann thinks so too, his online micro book “FLOWERS” is a small collection of photographs showing us the back of road signs against a natural backdrop. Also, while you’re on Pierre Hourquet’s booksonline site check out “PING PONG”, Laurent Perbos’ wry meditation on the table tennis table.
David Rainbird
Posted on Tuesday, 7th of November 2006 Permalink
Who has the most stylish Ice-cream vans? Where can you eat the most Rock ’n’ Roll breakfast? What’s the Yorkshireman’s Yorkshire Pudding? All these questions and 98 more are answered in The BMW 1 Series Good Food Ride – 101 Great British Food Adventures. Edited by Richard Benson (best-selling author of The Farm), designed by Fibre and beautifully illustrated by Stephane Kardos – and it’s free. 2,000 copies are available from www.1seriesgfr.co.uk. It’s our pleasure.
(Answers: Fredericks of Chesterfield, Hotel Pellirocco in Brighton and The Gait Inn at Millington.)
David Rainbird
Posted on Thursday, 26th of October 2006 Permalink