Anyone claiming to “provide typographic optimism in this age of the lowest aesthetic common denominator” should be on your short list of folks you’d make time to hang out with. You’re in luck, because the Art Directors Club of Metropolitan Washington has seen fit to host a Talkin’ Type lecture at the Center for Digital Imaging Arts at Boston University in downtown DC, and they’ve invited Delaware based House Industries to join in. These guys don’t just make type – they love type, and it shows in every nook and cranny of their lavish packaging and amazing products to each delicately curved figure or expertly brushed form. This should be an awesome event for young designers, Creative Directors, and lifelong typophiles alike, and is a rare treat for the Washington design community. Tickets are still available here, but get them before they’re gone!

{ 0 comments }

As if the idea of working for Herman Miller wasn’t alluring enough, western Michigan’s Fairly Painless Advertising created this gorgeous animated piece to not only tell people about a brilliant place to work, but remind Herman Miller employees they’ve already found one. Who needs an HR department when you have content like this?

{ 0 comments }

I don’t think I saw the 1926 ”Man As Industrial Palace” poster until I was in college, but I remember looking at those cogs, cables, and conveyor belts for a very long time, loving the industrial connections. Illustrator Fritz Kahn drew direct functional analogy between human physiology and the operation of contemporary technologies, especially industrial machines and commonly encountered household items. His correlations between human anatomy and a chemical plant, were inspired by and conceived in a period when the German chemical industry was the world’s most advanced. Well, animator Henning Lederer must have fell in love as well, because he has been kind enough to bring this iconic image to life in a way that honors the original’s intent from top to bottom so brilliantly that I’d be shocked if it doesn’t mirror Kahn’s own imaginings while creating the artwork. Check out the video below, learn more about the project here, or see the classic poster after the jump.

[click to continue…]

{ 0 comments }

Created by the good folks at InfoGraphicWorld, this towering design does a great job of detailing the facts, events, and projections that continue to develop in the Gulf of Mexico. It’s a beautiful look at something that is becoming indescribably gross. Were I to begin spouting off about my feelings on the disaster, this post would likely spiral into a madman’s rant, so I’ll limit myself to two short sentences. The combination of blind greed and systemic (corporate and political) incompetence is in the process of creating a catastrophic situation for an ecosystem and an economy, and to a large degree we are all to blame. Please try to make one decision this year that will reduce your dependence on oil. You can see the complete infographic after the jump. [click to continue…]

{ 0 comments }

Have you ever wondered where the trusty Pantone book on your desk was born? This rare, behind the scenes video from Pantone not only shows the development of the new Pantone Plus Series, but offers up a tantalizing glimpse of the one of a kind printing press responsible for every swatch book on the market. A modern marvel capable of printing 28 colors in a single impression through the press makes this piece of kit almost as beautiful to behold as it’s pitch perfect output.

{ 0 comments }

I’m a sucker for a phenomenal infographic, and this one from Wired UK illustrating the outcome of next month’s World Cup as predicted by a formula based on the GDP of each country is a real beauty. While SectionDesign‘s (always brilliant) work is fundamentally rooted in statistical fact, I’m pretty sure everybody knows that the Americans have this tournament in the bag. I predict the US getting another shot at Spain in the final, with the Yanks shocking the world in a 2-1 victory. By the way, where’s the Infographic awarding championships based on a country’s BMI or Average MPG… Complete image and a World Cup poll after the jump. [click to continue…]

{ 0 comments }

Beautifully filmed during the three week making of Stella Artois’ ’Ritual Project‘, Malcolm Murray’s Up There reveals the artistry, sacrifice and passion of hand-painted advertising. This dying craft, and the incredible artists that struggle to keep it alive are revealed in this amazing documentary that painstakingly captures the creation of a 20 x 50 foot stop-frame animation of the Belgian Pouring Ritual. Seeing the skill and passion of these men as they attempt to preserve a trade that’s equal parts big-picture precision and back-breaking labor is inspiring to say the least. Simply gorgeous.

{ 0 comments }

Maybe, it’s just the wave of adolescent nostalgia that washes over me whenever I see Donkey Kong, but this short film from motion graphics master Patrick Jean really made me happy. I think it’s much more likely that this is simply wonderful work from a visual effects company with a reputation for top-tier execution. Paris based One More Production is a dynamic, young VFX powerhouse that’s been earning high profile business and positive press since Benjamin Darras brought the company online in 2004. This little piece of magic even caught the attention of Hollywood, with it’s concept tentatively slated for a feature film adaptation as an action-comedy following the antics of video game characters as they are unleashed on the real world.  [click to continue…]

{ 0 comments }