Emil Kozak & Skateboard Design

Here's the thing. I hate winter. I suffer from the lack of sun and there is no amount of clothing that could keep me warm. For a while now I have been looking then for the winter to end, but I think there's at least a couple of months left. Lates take it with dignity then.

This piece was already featured on the facebook profile (have you already visited to Say Hi?), when I looked outside the window and saw more snow piling up. I have already posted some work by Emil Kozak in the past (check it out here), this time lets indulge in his crazy skateboard design.

Fabirkk Restaurant - Visual Identity

Salih Kucukaga sent us this visual identity for a Fabrikk Restaurant in Istanbul. I like the original shape of the business cards, with triangular cut outs, emphasizing the industrial origins of the place (at least I assume that's was Salih was aiming for). It reminds me of the visual identity for the MOCAK (Museum of Contemporary Arts in Krakow) that also plays on the triangular shape of the building's roof (if you want to see it again, check out the whole post here).


Salih is a graphic designer from Turkey and apart from desigining he also writes for The Dieline (which I used to do in the past as well). When I visited his website the last time, I noticed some Istanbul photos in the Photo Diary section. They present a different view of Istanbul than the usual, colourful one. They are a little murky, but very intriguing. I adore Istanbul and have been planning on going back there for a few years now, these photos make me miss it even more...

Wallstreet's Corporate Identity for Argo

Last night I participated in an event dedicated to interactive design - Interactive Day, organised by a Krakow based agency Pride&Glory and Tischner European University. I watched two parts of it and will probably write about both. The first one was a short lecture by Wallstreet Different Creature, showcasing their design work, mostly examples of corporate identity. Some of them were really interesting, including their CI for Argo, landscaping company. Part of the message from Wallstreet to young students was to try finding an interesting idea while working on logos and corporate identity, rather than simply focusing on good looking elements an typography. The idea for Argo was to combine the name with elements of nature and landscape. In the end the name of the company is composed of shapes cut out of leaves. You may argue over the originality of the idea but the overall effect is very aesthetic. Which means I am approaching this from a graphic point of view, rather than the creative aspect.

I am going to post one more example of their work later on, but in general I had the impression that while they had some really (really) interesting design ideas while given absolute freedom, it wasn't always as convincing when they had to work with a demanding client. What I mean is that very often graphic designers have to work with clients who operate on the market and there are number of factors that have to be included in the design work. So you're not entirely free to go ahead with the most crazy and creative ideas, you are somewhat tamed by the reality. But I do admire the work that pushes the limits or expresses one's point of view. And Wallstreet's work often does just that.

Lady Gaga Papercut by Lobulo

 

Before I'm off for a weekend in the mountains, here's a nice papercut illustration by Lobulo. I received the link from my cousin, who provides me with links even when I'm too busy or too tired to switch on my laptop and check what's going on in the worl. So thanks for that :)Speaking of papercuts, check out the papergraphics by Yulia Brodskaya, Zim And Zou and Peter Callesen.

Oh, and have fun tonight everyone!

Illustration by Lobulo, via visual therapy.

Calendar Design By Kameleon

Last week we sent off to print our calendar for 2011. Our studio makes one every year for the present (and future) clients, as well as clients of the printing house we work with. This year's theme was.... Well, it's actually hard to catch one. My friend just used all the crazy photos we had "in stock" and let her imagination run wild...

Milimbo - Little Red Riding Hood

I ♥ the beautiful prints of Little Red Riding Hoodby Milimbo. Judging by the first picture, that little girl is somewhat evil, hiding in the forest with an axe... If you want her in your livingroom, you can order a print at their Etsy shop. via blackeiffel.

Little Red Riding Hood of Grimm brothers told in pictures (no text). In the introduction, there are an explaining about the meaning of the story.

Daily Typography Project By Jessica Hische

he Daily Drop Cap is an ongoing project by typographer and illustrator Jessica Hische. It's a very short descrpition of the beautiful typography treats above. Jessica Hische, a wonderful illustrator, decided to follow a daily challenge of designing and posting one design of illustrated initial cap a day. Not only can you admire them at her blog, Jessica also provides a link to each cap, enabling you to embed it to your own blog or website. Just like the beautiful T at the beginning of this post!

Peter Callesen And The Bodies Exhibition

Have you seen The Bodies Exhibition? I have. We went to see it with my ex, during our stay in New York this summer. My feelings about it were mixed, to say the least. Even though it is advertised as your chance to see the real human bodies, stripped to bones and flesh, nothing there seemed like human body to me. More like plastic, unnatural figures from a strange version of Madame Tussauds. Anyways, I was just thinking about it while looking at Peter Callesen papergraphics. They move me and make me think about the nature of human bodies much much more.

"Modern Design Deck" - Design Periodic Table

Scientists have the Mendeleev's periodic table - why shouldn't designers have their own one? Great illustrator Jen Renniger from pleasebestill decided to take the matters in her own hands. She created a beautiful illustrated deck of design classics and replaced the elements with her favourite design pieces. She called it the Modern Design Deck: Home Furnishing Icons From The First Half Of The 20th Century.

In 2007, during a creative funk, my husband suggested I work on a painting of his favorite chair (the Eames' RAR Chair) as a way to spark some creative flow. About the same time I found an old flash card set and it occurred to me that the two would make a wonderful combination. The Modern design Deck was born out of that little series of events. The deck includes 30 images of different iconic mid-century designs paired with their designers names.

Self Promotion Materials by Kanella

Many studios try to steal their clinets' hearts, but I especially like these cards I found at Graphic-Exchange by a Greek designer Kanella. Four hand stiched cards convey the message: DESIGN is the KEY to the PATH towards the SUN. Isn't that adorable? I also like the way Kanella talks about herself, how the studio was established by accident as a way to pursue side projects - KANELLA / MY BASE IS MY LAPTOP AND I. Well, good way to use your laptop, Kanella!

Four hand-crafted, embossed and woven cards that reveal a secret. The idea behind the project is based on the story of Ariadne and her thread which has been adapted and now it focuses on the importance of good taste. The main goal was to praise design by actually using a yellow thread.

Pop-up Card By Daniel Baer

This week seems to be all about amazing paper designs! I don't know what got into me. I should be looking for inspiration in furniture and house decorating, as I'm moving to my new apartment new week. And I haven't even picked out my sofa yet... OK, I found these these beautiful pop-up cards by Daniel Baer at the Grafik Magazine blog.

Yulia Brodskaya

I was talking a lot about papergraphics lately and so I had to check out what's new with Yulia Brodskaya. It seems like she's doing a lot of advertising these days, but I'm glad there's opportunities for amazing projects to be comissioned and paid for by someone.

Peter Callesen

Couple of posts below I wrote about papergraphics by Zim And Zou. Searching for more examples of work based on paper, I found the amazing works by a Danish artist Peter Callesen. Callesen creates his papercuts from a single sheet of paper and all shapes are glued or folded from the scraps he cut out of that one sheet. Three dimensional figures seem to come to live from two dimensional, flat surfaces of the paper, sometimes they are accompanied by modest use of colours or sketches.

Jonny Wan

Last week I went to see the Imaginarium Of Dr Parnassus, but I wasn't that impressed. I thought I would see an explosion of imagination, incredible ideas and visually stunning scenes. There were few, I have to admit, but all in all it left me wanting more. Anyways, speaking of imagnation, here's a few collages by Jonny Wan who has fascination with shapes, facial expressions and hand drawn freeform lettering. There are many more collages after the break, so continue reading!

Oh, and if you're interested in Jonny's background, check out this article on him at Counterfeit Magazine.

Zim And Zou Papergraphics

Do you remember the amazing papergraphics from Yulia Brodskaya? I posted them a while ago and you should have a look here if you've never seen any of her work. And the beautiful designs above, cut out of paper as well, are by Zim And Zou, from the portfolio on Behance. There's more full size photos after the break. Check the out to see if you can come up with anything like this in your free time, with scissors, paper, time and a big kitchen table... via Zamas People.

Uppercase on Issuu

What a great thing for those, who don't live in Canada or US and cannot get their copy of the ever so inspiring UPPERCASE magazine. Issuu has half of their issue on their website, to read, watch and admire.

Air Design - Art Wrapping

Airdesign from Moscow - explosion of colours in every design.

TV Posters

Winter is coming along and I am sure I will spend a big part of it watching my favourtie tv shows. A much as TV can wash your brain out, the advertisement for it is not always that bad. I ♥ these posters by Exergian - they prove the thought should always come first before the design. Make sure you see them all and continue reading after the break!

Czarodziejska Kura

Do you know the famous Thomas Mann book "The Magic Mountain"? In Polish it's called "Czarodziejska Góra". The authors of the magazine for children pictured above played on that title and called their project "Czarodziejska Kura" - The Magic Hen. It even rhymes. The magazine is filled with beautiful illustrations, original stories and manual challenges for the kids. The design by Robert Czajka and Mateusz Kaniewski won silver at the 2009 Ed-Awards, in the Self Initiated Project category.

Studio Otwarte For Ski Resort Zarabie

Another interesting piece of corporate identity work by the Krakow based Studio Otwarte. This time for a skiing resort in Zarabie - a winter and summer version.