Notebook Entries on {category_name}

December 8, 2009

Indonesian Sets Sky Lantern World Record •

Beautiful video of 10,000+ sky lanterns floating and glowing across the night sky.

October 8, 2009

Maya Lin’s Original Competition Submission for the Vietnam Veterans Memorial •

Maya Lin’s original submission for the Vietnam Veterans Memorial included architectural drawings and a one page description. Her entry was chosen out of 1,421 submisions.

A reminder that with strong design, less is often more.

September 2, 2009

Well Openers •

Celebrating the past 5 years, T Magazine presents the best “well” openers - the iconic T’s created by contemporary artists and designers.

August 12, 2009

It’s a Medium, Not a Grande •

Brooklyn Fare rolls out a clever line of food packaging that conveys a smart-though-cheeky brand that’s not afraid to jab at the competition.

August 1, 2009

Surf Logos •

Rip huge. Surfboard Logo Library curates a collection of logos waxed into the identity of surfing.

July 4, 2009

Michael Tyznik Redesigns the Dollar •

Functional and visually striking redesign of US paper currency crafted by Michael Tyznik as part of the Dollar ReDe$ign Project.

June 10, 2009

2009 Logo Trends •

An look back at the logo design trends of 2009.

June 9, 2009

Crumpling as Identity •

Swanswell commits to making life’s wrinkles well with an innovative identity that’s part clever word mark, part creative texturing.

June 8, 2009

Studio Moe •

Beautiful and rustic, handmade furniture crafted from reclaimed lumber by Studio Moe.

June 5, 2009

Lunch Bag Art •

Hand-drawn illustrations by a dad who makes a new piece of lunch bag art each day for his kids during his lunch break at work. Incredibly fun.

June 4, 2009

Airline Logos •

A collection of 150 vintage airline logos from around the world, courtesy of the Museum of Flight.

Facestape •

Moustaches, googley-eyes, schnozes - oh my! Children’s store Our Childrens Gorilla takes mundane packing tape to new heights of expression.

Flags of Imaginary Nations •

A collection of photos that would make apt banners for yet-to-be-founded nations.

June 3, 2009

Subway Systems of the World, Presented on the Same Scale •

As the name implies, a visual collection of the world’s subway systems drawn to the same scale. Great for eyeballing the sprawling size of Seoul compared to the relative simplicity of Vancouver.

The Xerox Star UI •

The Ministry of Type takes a squinty-eyed look at the pixel-perfect attention to detail in the Xerox Star UI.

June 2, 2009

40 Excellent Logos Created with Helvetica •

A collection of heavy-hitter logos, all designed with the ubiquitous Helvetica.

May 18, 2009

Mantras: Joe Lertola’s maps •

Infographics from Time’s Joe Lertola featuring 3D cartography.

May 7, 2009

Jacek Utko: Can design save the newspaper? •

Jacek Utko opines about the role design can take in revitalizing the modern newspaper at TED.

May 6, 2009

Paper-Made Typography •

Intricate paper typography made by hand (via Coudal).

May 5, 2009

50 Totally Free Lessons in Graphic Design Theory •

A collection of articles and tutorials on graphic design, including some previously linked to from this site.

April 13, 2009

All 120 Crayon Names, Color Codes and Fun Facts •

For the five-year-old designer inside all of us, ColourLovers nails down the Crayola color palette for onscreen design. Now you can design your links in Burnt Sienna, Carnation Pink, Cornflower or traditional Blue.

April 8, 2009

A Horse of a Different Color •

Lexington, Kentucky sports a logo of a different color for the World Equestrian Games, courtesy of Pentagram.

To me, this is what branding is all about. It’s iconic; it’s creative while keeping true to the client; and I love the saddle-blanket-as-event-banner concept.

March 27, 2009

Coudal Partners’ Layer Tennis Week 5 | Layer 1 •

Layer Tennis luchador Armin Vit puts five typographic terms in an illustrative headlock in round one of the March 20, 2009, Coudal Partners’ Layer Tennis match.

March 19, 2009

Ignacio Macri Logo Design •

Inspiring set of logos from Argentinean designer Ignacio Macri (via Simplebits)

March 11, 2009

Infographias Sobre Tauromaquia •

While bullfighting elicits a range of emotions from fans and critics, these infografias sobre tauromaquia (infographics on bullfighting) from Spain garner cheers of “Olé!” for their creative spreads diagramming the ritual and pageantry of bullfighting. Also worth applauding, these bullfighting infographics from countries beyond the Iberian Penninsula.

March 2, 2009

KÄSCH In-Floor Bathtubs Keep Luxury On the Down-Low •

In-floor bathtubs bring openness and the vibe of jacuzzi luxury to European homes. I just hope they come with a cover so that you don’t accidently fall in.

Fuego Modular •

Red-hot modular outdoor kitchen by Fuego (via Coudal).

February 23, 2009

26 Years, 85 Notebooks •

Graphic designer Michael Bierut on the importance of notebooks.

The notebooks function like a security blanket for me. I can’t go into a meeting unless I have my current notebook in my hand, even if I never open it.

I agree. More how Michael Bierut use of design notebooks (via 43 Folders).

Drawing Board to the Desktop: A Designer’s Path •

A New York Times profile by Pentagram partner and graphic designer Michael Bierut:

When I arrived for class on Monday, my poster was in every hallway, in every stairwell and on every bulletin board in school. Among my peers, I was considered a good artist, but the miracle of mass production took things to a different level. More people saw my poster than would see the play. It was then that I decided to become a graphic designer.

February 17, 2009

Inside the Graphic Design Archives at RIT •

An amazing photo-field trip inside the Graphic Design Archives at the Rochester Institute of Technology. The Graphic Design Archives includes one of the most complete collections of the work of American graphic designers from 1950–1980 including works by Paul Rand, Lester Beall, Saul Bass and others.

New Work: The Museum of Modern Art •

MoMA’s Creative Director for Graphics and Advertising Julia Hoffmann reapplies the iconic MoMA logotype with the help of Pentagram, bringing a much more modern feel to the museum’s printed collateral.

February 11, 2009

MoMA Atlantic/Pacific •

Breathtaking, in a good way: MoMA’s takeover of the Atlantic Avenue/Pacific Street subway station.

In a gift to the city’s subway riders, MoMA takes over Brooklyn’s Atlantic Avenue/Pacific Street subway station, filling the station with reproductions of over 50 works of art in the MoMA collection. 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, walk through the station to see images of works by Pablo Picasso, Vincent van Gogh, Charles Eames, Cindy Sherman, Andy Warhol, and many other great artists, filmmakers, and designers.

In Brief: The Wrong Kind of Breathtaking •

Brand New on the justification behind Pepsi’s new identity system:

The contents are at once hilarious, pretentious and delirious as they try to establish Pepsi as the center of the universe.

Considering the time and effort that went into the creation of this document will literally take your breath away.

February 9, 2009

Paul-Rand.com •

An incredibly dense resource for all things Paul Rand including a gallery of work, biography and overview of the designer’s philosophy.

Saul Bass: Jack of All Trades •

A great collection of movie poster and logo designs by the eminent Saul Bass.

January 16, 2009

Redesigned: New York Philharmonic •

Redesigned by Pentagram partner Paula Scher, the new identity for the New York Philharmonic challenged my preconceptions about italic text. I love the simplicity, the clarity of message and the attention to typographic detail, but what really blew me away were the branding applications for products and collateral. With this success, Scher completes a typographic trifecta including her logos for The Metropolitan Opera and the New York City Ballet.

The United States of Logos •

Identities from all 50 states.

December 15, 2008

Illustrated by Yulia •

Computerlove links up a set of arrestingly gorgeous illustrations by Russian graphic artist Yulia Brodskaya.

December 2, 2008

The Grid System •

Billed as “the ultimate resource in grid systems,” The Grid System offers articles, tutorials and other resources for designers needing help getting their ducks in a row.

November 21, 2008

Pentagram’s New Work: Quantum of Solace •

Pentagram’s stunning and intricately detailed cover design for Penguin Books’ Quantum of Solace: The Complete James Bond Short Stories.

November 14, 2008

Postage Stamps by Type Designers •

Frutiger, Spiekermann and other typography legends exhibit their skill on the small canvas of the postage stamp.

Virgil O. Stamps Letterpress Laboratory •

From recycled books to stick on nametags, Virgil O. Stamps is not afraid to letterpress anything, and the results are inspiring.

Pantone Rubik’s Cube •

Rubik + Pantone = Rubikone. Clever and gorgeous.

October 30, 2008

Finds from the NYPL •

Inspiring typography unearthed from the collections of the New York Public Library by Hoefler & Frere Jones.

Hand Made Font •

At once warm and whimsical, organic and off-the-wall, browse the treasure trove of hand-crafted typography by the folks at Hand Made Font.

Pentagram Designs 100% Design •

Pentagram designs the identity and brand structure for 100% Design, an international series of architecture and design showcases, featuring tightly-executed geometric sans-serif typography.

October 22, 2008

Multicolr Search Lab •

Idée’s Multicolr Search Lab (via Kottke) looks like another must-have tool for the designers arsenal. Pick up to ten colors, and you’ll get back a gallery of the most interesting Flickr photos that match.

Here’s a sample gallery that matches this site’s pallette. Addictive.

October 21, 2008

Design Classics: The London Underground Map •

Comprehensive BBC documentary of Harry Beck’s iconic London Underground Map.

Mad Men Illustrated •

Great illustrations inspired by Mad Men.

Photogravure.com •

The comprehensive resource dedicated to photogravure (via Coudal).

Garamond Powerline •

Elements of the power infrastructure converge in silhouette to form this remake of the 16th century classic typeface.

Sherwood Forest Treehouse by Make Architects •

The whimsical, winning entry for the new Sherwood Forest Visitor Complex, from Make.

Fifty Inspiring Vintage Advertisements •

A great collection of vintage ads from the Mad Men era of the 1950s and 1960s.

October 17, 2008

Way-Finding: West London Academy •

Modern, yet whimsical, way-finding signs designed for the West London Academy (via Coudal). I love the use of silhouettes and the natural way they add meaning to the signs they accompany.

October 15, 2008

Poster and Artwork Collection from the London Transport Museum •

Amazing collection of posters commissioned and collected by the London Underground (via Coudal). My favorite: The Tate Gallery by Tube.

Mac-O-Lanterns •

Halloween fun for bringing an old Mac Classic back from the dead.

October 10, 2008

National Theatre Posters •

Vast collection of posters from the National Theatre’s archives (via Coudal). The ebb and flow between illustration and photography is great as well as decoding the sometimes tangential relationship between poster and plot.

An Introduction to Information Design •

A great overview of information design with a bent toward advocacy marketing from Tactical Technology Collective.

October 8, 2008

Evolution of 50 Logos •

A visual history of 50 well-known logo designs from Adobe to Yamaha.

Mad Men, Mad Props •

I have a penchant for typography and a newly-found obsession with Mad Men. Mark Simonson’s typographic scrutiny of AMC‘s hit TV show combines both. Outta sight.

Cabel Sasser on Wedding Design •

Pixel-perfect wedding invitations self-designed by Panic’s Cabel Sasser, beautifully letter-pressed and complete with matching website for RSVP’s.

October 6, 2008

Vancouver 2010 Identity: Transmoflection •

The team behind the identity for the Vancouver 2010 winter Olympic Games reflects on the research and creative process used to create the branding. Although the use of the coined-to-be-catch-word transmoflection is over-the-top, I really like the concept of visually blending natural and man-made elements into a kind of bio-urban fusion used throughout the identity.

October 3, 2008

Vintage Logos •

Flickr set of logos from the mid-1970s.

Inspiration: Logos by Saul Bass •

Twelve of the most iconic logos designed by the legendary Saul Bass.

Thirty Fonts that All Designers Must Own •

Thirty fonts for every designer’s arsenal from Jacob Cass at Just Creative Design.

Vintage Poison Labels •

Skull and crossbones adorn this exhibition of vintage poison labels.

October 1, 2008

CNN Returns Historic Poster Maker to Spotlight •

CNN hired legendary letterpress shop Hatch Show Print to design and print promotional materials for the upcoming debate, because you can’t beat the real thing. Awesome.

September 30, 2008

Bento Gallery •

Flickr gallery of bento, the traditional Japanese box lunch.

Christopher Doyle™ •

Sydney-based designer Christopher Doyle created a set of identity guidelines — for himself — and then entered them in an Australian design competition.

If you’ve ever worked with identity guidelines, it’s a great joke at the expense of control-obsessed designers.

Do Not Touch •

5 pine planks (each 6 feet), 5 metal brackets, tools and materials from the gallery utility closet or found on the gallery grounds. Each of the five shelves that comprise this work is balanced on a single bracket. All maintain their level balance by the precise placement of the objects they bear.

Very cool installation of counterbalanced shelves. Do not touch, indeed.

September 16, 2008

The Creative Personality •

Of all human activities, creativity comes closest to providing the fulfillment we all hope to get in our lives. Call it full-blast living.

Psychology Today reviews their ten paradoxical traits of the creative personality.

Flicking the Switch •

Des Traynor at Contrast:

It’s the second you stop thinking about what the problem you’re attempting to solve, and start mindlessly doing what the client wants…I call it flicking the switch.

Don’t do it.

September 11, 2008

What Your Global Neighbors are Buying •

Geo-tree map illustrating worldwide consumer spending habits, from the New York Times interactive team.

Umbrella Today? •

Billed as “the simplest weather report ever,” this site is made for today’s deluge.

September 10, 2008

On the Importance of Noticing •

AIGA’s dialogue between Steve Portigal and Dan Soltzberg on the importance of noticing and the proclivity of designers to ‘super-notice’ their surroundings.

September 9, 2008

Bass on Film Titles •

Saul Bass takes an in-depth look at some of his most memorable film title sequences.

iPhone Interface Elements •

Free GUI elements for creating iPhone design prototypes in Photoshop.

August 25, 2008

Porsche Design Kitchen •

Poggenpohl and Porsche team up for a sleek, minimalist redesign of the kitchen. The attention to detail is even more amazing than you expect.

How Design Can Save Democracy •

Unfortunately, because of technical limitations in voting equipment, misguided local laws, short time frames and tight budgets, many ballots will repeat design mistakes made in past elections. But with access to new ballot design guidelines, officials can now make significant improvements in election accuracy and voter confidence.

AIGA redesigns the traditionally dense American ballot and demonstrates the potential impact of design on democratic society.

Inside JetBlue’s Food Court at JFK •

As if you needed another reason to travel to NYC, here’s a sneak-peek at JetBlue’s redesigned food court at JFK’s Terminal 5, opening October 1.

August 21, 2008

Design and Branding Trends from the Olympic Games •

Colour Lovers explores the design of the Olympic Games and the colors used to brand them with a collection of posters from 1896 and accompanying color palettes derived from the images.

The Vexed Question of Punctuation •

Artemy Lebedev speaks to some common typographical issues surrounding punctuation. Required reading for typophiles, designers, writers and even desktop publishers.

August 18, 2008

Black and White Ball Identity •

Black, white and beautiful. Masterfully monochrome identity designed by Pentagram for the San Francisco Symphony’s 2008 Black and White Ball.

Olympic Medal Gallery •

Photos of every Olympic medal made — summer and winter.

August 12, 2008

Why Apple Doesn’t Release Concepts •

Kontra explains why don’t we see concept products from Apple?

Because, to paraphrase Jobs, real artists ship.

(via Gruber)

August 8, 2008

Smart Car, Smart Design •

Simple site design, engaging interactive features and a solid case for Smart Car ownership. I watched all the way through; too bad they’re sold only in the UK.

Pictograms from the Beijing Olympics •

Soon-to-become iconic pictograms from the Beijing Olympics. I love the elegance of the joint-less, abstract figures.

August 4, 2008

The Economist Style Guide •

The replete style book given to all writers at The Economist — in online form.

NYT: A Collection of Olympic Torches •

Another well-designed interactive feature from the New York Times covering the history of the Olympic torch.

August 1, 2008

Boulton on Signage •

Mark Boulton turns his 20/20 typographic vision to the art of sign design. His advice: don’t screw with conventions.

July 28, 2008

Metro Logos Around the World •

More than 150 metro logos from around the world.

July 16, 2008

Western Spaghetti •

Really cool stop-motion animation by PES (via 37signals). Incredible.

July 8, 2008

Ira Glass on Storytelling •

Ira Glass:

Most everybody I know, who does interesting creative work, went through a phase of years where they had really good taste and they could tell that what they were making wasn’t as good as they wanted it to be…It’s totally normal.

An honest and reassuring look at the creative process from NPR’s Ira Glass.

On Content and Design •

Zeldman nails the relationship between content and design, in 14 words.

June 30, 2008

BBC Web Identity Guidelines •

Interesting collection of corporate Web identity guidelines to correspond with the redesign of the BBC Web site.

May 29, 2008

Free Vector World maps •

Assorted world maps from Web Resources Depot.

April 4, 2008

NYT: Mad Fold-Ins Past and Present •

Addictively intuitive Mad magazine fold-ins from 1960 to the present.

Another great online interactive feature from the New York Times.

March 14, 2008

Awareness Test •

The fast-becoming-classic illustration of change blindness — the phenomena that we only see what we’re looking for, regardless of what else may be going on around us.

January 11, 2008

24 Ways: Boulton on Typsetting Tables •

24 ways continues their web design-themed advent celebration with Mark Boulton’s introduction to the proper use of typography for tabular information.