Ten Dollar Fonts

© Ten Dollar Fonts


"Ten Dollar Fonts" is the name of a group of designers from around the world that does exactly that; sell fonts for ten dollars. What you may not know is that their experimental fonts are absolutely stunning!"WOW!" is right!

http://www.tendollarfonts.com

Shirotokuro

© Shirotokuro

Shiroi means white in Japanese and kuroi means black, so literally it means white and black not black and white!  Here is a very nice curated gallery of different forms of design all in B&W. Although color is an important element of design, I always think that it is best to think first without. If a design is to work it should first work in black and white otherwise if it doesn't, adding color won't help.

http://shirotokuro.com

Julien Priez

© Julien Priez

 Julien Priez finished his studies at l'Ecole Supérieure Estienne in Paris,  with more than deserved honors in june 2010. His resumé is already very impressive, and it's obviously just the beginning. As he says it so well, you had better know the rules before you start breaking them! This is definitely a "must-see" designer.

http://www.julienpriez.com
http://en.etapes.com/julien-priez

Links

Following are some very interesting typography links (in french or english) that you may want to check out! 

http://mashable.com/2011/12/08/typeface-font-history-infographic/
http://www.theoriedesigngraphique.org
http://www.typeworkshop.com/index.php?id1=type-basics&id2=&id3=&id4=&id5=&idpic=01#pictloader 
http://www.hongkiat.com/blog/quick-guide-to-typography-learn-and-be-inspired/
http://www.ironicsans.com/helvarialquiz/index.php 
http://webdesign.tutsplus.com/articles/typography-articles/a-beginners-guide-to-pairing-fonts/ 
http://ilovetypography.com/2008/02/28/a-guide-to-web-typography/ 
http://weddingphotography.com.ph/7427/guide-typefaces-life-quotes-creative-typography/
http://ruskhasanov.com/8719/395861/home/liquid-calligraphy
http://letyposcope.wordpress.com/ 
http://opentype.info/blog/ 
http://www.colourlovers.com/web/blog/2012/02/16/bold-justified-the-huge-world-of-typography-infographic
http://www.100besttypefaces.com/
http://www.myfonts.com/WhatTheFont/
http://www.typographicposters.com/
http://typographyshop.com/ 

Les Puces

© Nelly Charbonneaux

These two pictures were taken somewhere in the Paris flea market porte de Clignancourt. They both look like art work, but actually the left one is a detail of a rusted pillar (not a painting!), and the one the right is a bunch of old stacked radiators (not a sculpture!). They both have someything in common. First the color harmony, and second something random about them. Nature and weather did their work on the first and some employees of the antique dealer must have stacked the radiators as well as possible, not thinking about making a work of art. My point is there is something about random accidents which can be most interesting in art and also design.

Le Bon Marché

Last month there was a very interesting exhibit at "Le Bon Marché", actually 2! The first was on Aristide Boucicaut who created what is considered the first department store 160 years ago. The second exhibit above, showed 160 years of graphic design done for the store, which I would say was characterized by amazing creativity and variety. Click to blow up!
Uh Oh... just checked and saw that the picture above was ridiculously tiny, sorry about that!
You can always drag the document on your desktop then click on cmd and + until it is big enough to see in detail.

A quote by Seymour Chwast

Oh my it's been donkey's years as they say in Great Britain!!!
Nothing to see today, but a quote to meditate from one of my favourite designers!

"If you dig a hole and it's in the wrong place, digging it deeper isn't going to help." (Seymour Chwast)

Emotions

© Nelly Charbonneaux

As it's been raining a lot lately, I noticed the gutter in front of my house was clogged; so I went upstairs to see what to do about it and this what I found! I usually don't post ugly things but this is the most disgusting thing I ever saw and wanted to share it with you! Yes this is a child's teddy bear! How it got up there, I do not know. Heavens! What I do know however is that usually such toys are cute, soft, and cuddly, which makes this one, that much more horrible. Communicating visually includes striking the viewers' emotions.

Mark Laita

© Mark Laita

Mark Laita is a commercial photographer originally from Detroit, who is based in L.A. His work is both straightforward and witty. His animals caught my eye, and when I saw these snakes posing in the most calligraphic positions I thought, "Oh! I absolutely have to show you these!" Look at the way they draw their beautiful curves like chinese and japanese calligraphers; truly wonderful!

http://marklaita.com/serpentine.html

http://www.marklaita.com

Nancy Fouts

© Nancy Fouts

Nancy Fouts is an American born-London based fine artist. Her visual puns are both whimsical and unexpected. She is a self-proclaimed hoarder, and her work reminds me of surrealists like Dali and his lobster telephone! You might think the recipe is easy, but it simply isn't! She really has a knack for marrying unrelated, ordinary objects. Absolutely astonishing!

http://www.nancyfouts.com

Why your passion is not enough

"Passion lights the spark; it's what keeps you going when times get hard but in the end of the day it's your skills, ideas, hard work and commitment that make you successful." says Maggie Doyne, a young extraordinary woman who got envolved in an incredible humanitarian project in Nepal. It's not often that I find something to post that has nothing to do with design and yet...

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/marianne-elliott/why-your-passion-is-not-e_b_1256424.html

http://blinknow.org

... something else I'd like to quote from the article: "Starting small is surely no barrier to progressing professionally." Sound advice! Click on the first link to read the article that made me want to know more.

The Neighborhood Studio

© The Neighborhood Studio

The Neighborhood Studio is a design studio that does the most appetizing packaging design (among other things), whether it be camembert or fertilizer! Mmmmm... is right!

http://www.neighborhood-studio.com

Matthew Haysom

© Matthew Haysom

Matthew Haysom is another recent graduate from Bournemouth, now working for London based studio Camber Group. He has a gift for minimalism, with a keen eye for simplicity and detail. His portfolio is simply slick and chic. What's interesting about this piece is that is spite of the spelling mistake, you can still read the word "make"; a nice use of semantics. I'd like to add for those of you in fear of failing, that not only do we all make mistakes but we also learn from them!

http://www.matthewhaysom.co.uk

Julian Hansen

© Julian Hansen

Julian Hansen is a young danish graphic designer, recently graduated from the Danish School of Media and Journalism in Copenhagen. This project, which sort of looks like a mind map or flowchart around the idea that "you need a typeface" is quite clever. The question is , how do you choose one that works? Most beginners have the hardest time choosing an appropriate typeface for their layouts as there is no real recipe for that, so perhaps this poster will help some. I would say that whichever you choose it's got to be legible and it should enhance the overall design. Most designers limit their palette of typefaces to a dozen or less, and as the saying goes: "Less is more."

http://julianhansen.com

Yann Legendre

© Yann Legendre

Yann Legendre is a graphic designer from France, who studied at l'IAV in Orléans, where he was born. He is extremely eclectic and multifaceted. Choosing this poster certainly doesn't summarize the variety of his work but it's a good example of his talent for playing around with shapes and concepts. I bet you will never look at potatoes again like you used to!

http://www.yannlegendre.com

Super Bowl Ads

Last sunday, the day before yesterday, february the 5th, was the Super Bowl, the final game of the NFL playoffs, which is probably the most watched American television broadcast of the year. Last year 111 million people watched the number one annual football game! Because of the very high cost of advertising during this broadcast, companies pay huge amounts of money and develop their most expensive advertisements for the occasion. I probably shoudn't be saying this but here goes anyway! The commercials are what I like best; they are absolutely extraordinary. You should go and see some of them.

http://superbowl-ads.com/article_archive/

The Holstee Manifesto

© Holstee

Sometimes it's interesting to see type covering the whole surface of the format like here; it doesn't have to be systematic however. I always tell you to use white or negative space as an element of design. It shoudn't feel like emptiness that you ought to be afraid of. Please read this sensible and refreshing manifesto too and check out the company while you're at it and how it all started in 2009.

http://shop.holstee.com

http://shop.holstee.com/pages/about

http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/on-small-business/how-the-holstee-manifesto-became-the-new-just-do-it/2011/11/17/gIQA2AYyUN_story.html

Wayne Thiebaud

Sorry, no picture! I wanted to post the four cupcakes painted by Wayne Thiebaud, a key figure in Amercian contemporary art, known for his paintings primarily of food like cakes, pastry, ice cream cones (absolutely mouth watering!), land and cityscapes (simply exquisite!) and portraits. There is a very distinctive and personal touch to the way he paints and interprets his subjects, a beautiful sense of color. Art critics have often catalogued him somewhere between Pop Art and Morandi.Well, go see for youselves!

I tried to contact him for permission to use one or more of his visuals but my request was transfered to the ADAGP here in France, who agreed if I paid 7€ plus tax a month! This is the reason why I always ask beforehand, so as not to get into any copyright trouble!!! So my advice would be, always ask for written permission before posting anyone's work on a blog, and type "Wayne Thiebaud" on google image to see some of his work. There's plenty to see. Truly inspiring!

Bless Design

© Bless Design

Bless is a design studio based in London, specializing in brand identity, print, art direction and illustration. Their work is both witty and refreshing; and very much worth checking if you are interested to see the variety of good work that can be done by a fairly small graphic design team. Truly inspiring.

http://www.blessdesign.com

Caroll Bertin

© Caroll Bertin

Caroll Bertin is a self-taught upcycling fabric sculptor from France. Her work is poetic, charming and full of humor. She has a truly wonderful way of combining colors while using bits and pieces of old fabrics and sorts, which she assembles in a whimsical way. Simply wonderful!

http://www.carollbertin.net

Etienne Gros

© Etienne Gros

Etienne Gros is a fine artist from Clamart, France, very much envolved with life drawing. These sculptures simply made with foam rubber are almost abstract and very unique. It all goes to prove that when it comes to being creative, any material, any technique is possible, if it works!!!

http://www.etiennegros.com

DESIGNerd

© DESIGNerd

Oh wow! Kevin Finn, of Finn Creative in Australia devised a series of design trivia games called DESIGNerd 100+ for design enthousiasts. Each box is filled with questions concerning some of the most outstanding designers in the world. What a wonderful way to learn or check your knowledge about the field!

http://designerd.info

Strohl Thoughtful Craft

© Strohl Thoughtful Craft

"Thoughtful Craft: Charisma, charm, character - the traits that make someone, or something, unforgettable. We specialize in turning an intangible essence into a visible form."

This is how in just a few words, the Strohl design company based in San Francisco, introduces itself. If you go to the "offering" menu, you will find a little extra information concerning their clients' needs, their process and how they work differently. It's very concise and well worth reading as it explains so precisely the firm's design process and philosophy which pretty much boils down to "simplicity".

I also love the way they conclude by writing: "Loosen up! Sometimes the only way to break out of the expected rut is to venture into uncharted waters." Good and sound advice! Specialized in Corporate Identity and Packaging among other things, their work is truly remarkable.

http://strohlsf.com

Kate Bauman

© Kate Bauman

This is not the type of object that I normally care for; yet Kate Bauman who is an enamalist, jeweler and designer manages to repeat the motif in the most wonderful patterns. Get a close-up view and you will see what it is that she manages to repeat so beautifully! It all goes to prove that you can do great design with objects you don't really like. It's not the subject that matters but what you do with it!

http://www.kate-bauman.com/work/design/patterns/

Gee and Chung Design

© Gee and Chung Design

"Taking risks is the safest bet" for the award-winning, multi-disciplinary design firm Gee and Chung. "It's far riskier to look dull and boring... " once said co-founder Earl Gee. Also: "Design is the entirety of a company, not just its packaging or logo." This, I feel, pretty much sums up the philosophy of this very creative and innovative team.

http://www.geechungdesign.com

Marina Sharapova and Igor Kozlovsky

© Marina Sharapova and Igor Kozlovsky

The work of this russian born husband and wife team is absolutely fabulous. "Fusion" is the word that best summarizes their work; a mixture of discordant elements such as past and present, figurative and abstract... I'm totally ecstatic!

http://www.igor-marina.com

Nick Sigler

© Nick Sigler

Nick Sigler is a native from Nashville, Tennessee, with a love for simple, structures design.I accidentally bumped into this project done for Mashable, illustrating a timeline of significant typographic events. Not only is it nicely designed but also very instructive. If this appears too small on your screen click on the second link below.

http://nicksigler.com/

http://mashable.com/2011/12/08/typeface-font-history-infographic/

Printing mistakes

Here is an interesting link to what I would say are 15 (basic) printing mistakes you need to avoid!

http://www.andrewkelsall.com/printing-mistakes-errors-need-avoid/

Cathy Cullis

© Cathy Cullis

Cathy Cullis is a mixed media poet from London. She paints and stiches all sorts of wonderful little characters such as these which represent only one facet of her work. Check it out and see how she mixes words and images. She uses her sewing machine as a drawing tool and you can tell she has a particular love for nostalgia and folk art. You might want to just google her name and admire the wide yet consistent variety of her work by clicking the google image button. "Wow" is right!

http://cathycullis.blogspot.com

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Cathy-Cullis-mixed-media-art-poetry/103569695771?sk=wall&filter=12

http://cathycullis.carbonmade.com

http://folkreveries.blogspot.com/2011/07/ive-long-been-follower-of-artist-and.html

http://www.etsy.com/shop/cathycullis

Yael Miller

© Yael Miller

Yael Miller is editor-at-large of The Dieline and is principal of Miller Creative, a branding and packaging design firm. She is also co-founder of Vanity Barcodes and Share Some Candy. I don't know what my dog thinks, but I personally think that this dog food packaging really stands out compared to the usual brands.

www.yaelmiller.com

http://www.sharesomecandy.com

www.vanitybarcodes.com

http://www.thedieline.com

http://www.designsponge.com/2010/04/biz-ladies-how-to-design-the-perfect-packaging.html

Graphic Design Blender

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http://www.graphicdesignblender.com