Off to Chicago!

Well, I'm off to the first-ever Creative Freelancer Conference put on by the fine folks at F+W Publications (who publish HOW magazine and also put on the fantastic HOW Design Conference each year). Not sure what to expect, but I am excited to see be one of the first designers to experience this conference, meetup with old friends, meet new friends, learn more about being an independent designer, and having a great time!

Cool Packaging: Aquadeco Water

I love pretty much anything Art Deco. Something about the streamlined lines, the muted colors and the furture-forward aesthetic really just fascinate me. Whether it was created in the 30s and 40s or in the 2000s, Art Deco works still seem up-to-date and cool.

Whoever designed the Aquadeco Water packaging really did it right. I believe that they took their tagline "The Art of Water" very seriously, and the results are fantastic.

Cool Movie Titles

Thanks to my friends at HOW, I can enjoy and re-enjoy the Mummy 3 end titles whenever I wish! I personally really enjoyed the Mummy series of movies: they have just the right balance of humor, adventure, story and characterization. To me, I think this is what the Indiana Jones sequels should have been (with the exception of the Last Crusade). Imaginary Forces did a bang up job on these titles, there is so much depth, texture and detail…enjoy!

Confused Packaging

I've been buying the Uncle Ben's instant microwave rice for years. It is a wonderful product for an ADD creative like me: tear the top of the package open, pop it into the microwave and 90 seconds later, you have steaming hot rice. For whatever reason, I ended up actually reading the back of the package the other day. It's made in the US, wait, maybe it's from Canada...does this mean I just pick where I'd like it to be from?

Geo Goofed?

I love National Geographic magazine. I've been a subscriber for about six years now and I really appreciate the diversity of stories and how they manage to astound me with the beauty of the planet we all live on. Their indepth stories and wonderful photography really bring the far reaches of the world right into my living room. That's why I was a bit baffled by a photo taken by George Stienmetz that ran in the July 2008 issue:

Is it just me or does the shadow of that mountain appear to be, well, very perfect and straight on the sides. And look at how the tip of the mountain's "shadow" goes out onto the clouds, flat. Now, I have never been to Bolivia's Altiplano region, but I'm fairly certain that shadows usually follow the contours of whatever object they fall on to. I'm hoping that I'm wrong, maybe there is an explanation for such a phenomena. But for now, I have to wonder, is it real or is it Photoshop?

You Get What You Pay For: Logo Edition

The folks over at R29 decided to host their own "logo Olympics" to see how 4 inexpensive online logo design sites would perform on a side-by-side comparison. It's a long read, but well worth your time.

It's That Simple…Or Is it?

What the heck is up with advertising these days? I just saw a commercial for a local chain (Elder-Beerman) and the ad was for their "Virtually Everything on Sale" sale. What the? So they couldn't put everything on sale? Did they not have enough employees to mark every item down?

That commercial reminded me of this pic I snapped in Boston:


So how is it simple if you're adding exclusions? That's ridiculous. If you're going to have a "simple" sale, have it, don't half-ass it!

Hatch Show Print

I recently had the privilege of traveling to Nashville (a mere 5 hour drive from me) to meetup with some friend from the HOW Design Forum and tour Hatch Show Print. Hatch is one of the oldest Letterpress shops in the US, and they still do things the old-fashioned way. No computers, no layout programs. Every poster is set meticulously by HAND. And when they need a piece of art and don't have it, they CARVE it.

It was amazing to be reminding of the craftsmanship and dedication that used to go into every single print job, no matter how big or small. It was also great to see my HOW design friends again.

A huge thank you to the staff of Hatch and to our tour guide, Jim Sherraden, who spend his Saturday with us before leaving for a family event that evening. And to Dafi, who rocks the letterpress. Be sure to check out my photos of Nashville and Hatch. And of course, I came back home with some Hatch swag, check the last few pics to see my haul. Enjoy!

TBS Gets Annoying

TBS debuting a new interstitial. As if the ads that pop up at the bottom of the screen aren't annoying enough, they go and fully interrupt the show you're watching! I hope this idea dies a quick death. Via Kottke.org.

Cool Type!

Thanks for the folks at HOW for the heads up on Axel Peemoeller, who created these very cool perspective type wayfinding graphics.