Monday, December 28, 2009

My Christmas gift

I hope that you've all had a wonderful Christmas/holiday and received/gave some thoughtful gifts to those who you love and love you. I received a copy of Stefan Sagmeister's - Made you look. I've been wanting this book for months and just never seemed to pick it up. Well, I almost burst into tears when I unraveled this gift! I haven't got into reading it yet, but am planning to do so tonight! When you slide on the red cover the dog is somber and cute, and when you slide it off he gets ferocious. I couldn't find any other pictures of the back or pages for some reason. But overall, it really is beautiful.

Another self-indulgent design monograph (practically everything we have ever designed including the bad stuff) is Stefan Sagmeister's hand-scrawled subtitle for the first book about his work, Made You Look. This, and the book's clear red case and silver-gilded pages, seem contrary to the raw, handwritten style he is known for, already setting us up for a wild and very personal ride through almost the entire corpus of the 39-year-old designer's work. Sagmeister once scratched words into his skin for his own lecture poster at Cranbrook, and this is the book version--sometimes enlightening, sometimes embarrassing, always self-conscious, and ultimately touching. The story is a conversation between Peter Hall's text and Sagmeister's handwritten commentary, a perfect and believable device for an absorbing dialogue. Self-indulgent as Made You Look may be, Sagmeister lays himself open with idealism, irony, and humor, creating one of the most moving books about design.








Has anyone read this book yet? Does anyone like/dislike Sagmeister?

Monday, December 21, 2009

Toast-its!












Here's a cute idea for the holidays. Instead of sending a card, you can send a bottle of wine chosen from their range of label designs, then sign the back yourself for the personal touch.

Go to the website here.

Wednesday, December 16, 2009

Diego Gravinese



No, it's not a picture. It's oil on canvas by Argentinean artist Diego Gravinese. Unfortunately his site's currently under construction, I would definitely see myself having this up in my kitchen.

Like what you see? More about him here.

Insane isn't it?

Monday, December 14, 2009

Teux Deux

What deux yeux have teux deux today?

TeuxDeux is a simple, designy, browser-based to-do app and the first collaboration between studio-mates swissmiss and Fictive Kin.

I've been using this app for the past week and I'm addicted. I am generally a really organized person (with the memory of a goldfish) so I constantly carry an agenda in my purse. For those days when I've somehow managed to forget my agenda, there's Teux Deux to the rescue! Sign-in on any computer into your account and voila, there's your 3 o'clock appointment you almost forgot about!

Whether your disorganized or super organized, this app gets two thumbs up for being beautifully designed, and so easy to use. In the works is Teux Deux for your iphone and hopefully blackberries.

visit the site here, and sign-up!
You can thank me later.

Sunday, December 13, 2009

Micheal Zavros




I came across this artist's stunning work by chance a couple of weeks ago, and have not been able to get it off my mind. Most of his work is done with charcoal, and some with oil on canvas. Most of his art revolves around high fashion and horses. Mixing hyper realism with traditional charcoal and oil techniques this Australian artist has definitely turned many heads.

His work has been included in the Craftsman House publication Awesome! Australian Art for Contemporary Kids, featuring 50 Australian contemporary artists. His work is held in numerous private and public collections, including Artbank, National Portrait Gallery, Collex, ABN AMRO, Gold Coast City Art Gallery, Grafton Regional Art Gallery and TMAG (Tasmanian Museum and Gallery).

More of this artist here

inspired




My apologies for the lack of posts. I really do need to stick to my posting regimen. So much has been going on in my personal and career life. I am hoping to start the new year with a bang. I've been working on getting my website together, as well as working full-time and freelancing, oh and squeeze in Christmas shopping and the ridiculous amount of wrapping paper scraps laying on my living room floor at the moment.
I am hoping to add personal flare to my blogging, and in turn hope that I get more feedback from whoever you are, design lover. Keep your eyes peeled, I plan on surprising you.