Faces

I really like these illustrations because I find them to have some abstract qualities but also to be very realistic. They are almost in the style of comics. The two males faces in particular are interesting to me. They have a lot of character and cause me to wonder what's going on in their heads. Turning a photo into something looking similar to this may be somewhat simple to do on the computer, but this artist used ink on rice paper. It was found in the July- August issue of "Communication Arts." The illustrator is Kagan Mcleod. These images were used in an international film festival yearbook. What a new take on yearbook images!

As I'm posting this, my mind is in the gutter and I can envision other interpretations of this design...

This design immediately caught my eye because of its bright colors and uniqueness. Reading the accompanying article provided me with information that made the design even more impressive and intriguing. Apparently there are many advances being made in skateboarding. This board is for "freeriding," which is characterized by high speeds, spins, and slides. Comet, the company that produced the longboard actually let its users design it. The internet was used as a means to share ideas regarding the design. This board is named "the Flying Spaghetti Monster." After reading this I could totally see the reference, however it was not obvious to me prior to that. I probably would not have been in favor of that name but I think the designer(s) did a good job of making something that I find unattractive, look cool. I guess maybe I do like spaghetti monsters...
This design was found in the October, 2009 issue of I.D.

Count me in

I'm going to Las Vegas on Thursday to celebrate my 21st birthday. I thought that this was an appropriate image for this post. I really like that the cards in the deck are each unique from one another. Seeing one card would not tell you what the whole deck looked like. They are also very non-traditional in other ways. The illustrations on all of the cards are very original but the face cards in particular send messages. I found this in Communication Arts magazine.

playground

This is a somewhat atypical choice for this blog but I think it definitely illustrates good design. The design that is used to store the play pieces is very accessible and organized. The pieces seem durable, creative, and kid-friendly. An article accompanying the pictures revealed that the park was designed following the September 11th attacks in New York. The picture of the stored pieces makes me want to play with them. I found these images in the 2009 September/October issue of I.D. magazine.

Beards and Moustaches Compete

I found these posters in the October 2009 issue of "How Design." They were designed by Neel Williams and Jason Nitti for the South Central Alaskan Beard & Moustache Club. I thought that these designs were very clever. Two of them use representations of what we may expect to see in a competition. The way in which the type fits into a square is really nice. The posters are eye catching and well done.

Some fruit for your nose...

I found this image in the most recent issue of "Communication Arts." I'll have to check back at the library to find out the exact issue. These Kleenex boxes caught my eye. They are cute and refreshing. The colors are bright and very representative of ripe and juicy fruit. I'm not sure what fruit has to do with tissues, but I've noticed Kleenex has been making some decorative tissue boxes for some time now. These have got to be attractive to some of the many with the swine. I think that their shape saves space in addition to requiring less material. I would appreciate a grapefruit Kleenex box as well.

I decided to do a google search on the Kleenex fruit boxes and found that they were exclusive to Target and designed by Hiroko Sanders. From the comments I have read, they were well received, marketed towards college students within dorm decorations.

"When everyday movements seem impossible"

I found these images in an issue of "Communication Arts." They were used for an advertising campaign for a product effective at reducing pain in both hand and knee joints when applied directly. Their headline reads, "When everyday movements seem impossible." I was intrigued when I saw these images and it made me wonder why they were using such extreme perspectives. I think the advertisements look great and playful.