Design: August 2008 Archives

Alternative Newsweekly Design

I recently gave a presentation to the annual convention of the Association of Alternative Newsweeklies. There's some great design being done at those papers, ranging from super slick to down and dirty, almost all of it being done fast and cheap.… MORE

Dwell Redesign Interview with Kyle Blue

This week Chad Kloepfer from the Walker Art Center published an interview with Dwell Design Director Kyle Blue on their design blog. Chad talks with Kyle about the guiding principles, rejected covers, font choices and more that went into the current magazine.

A good Friday afternoon read.

New Favorite Magazine: FOAM

I'm afraid I'm a little late to the party on this one but Foam: International Photography Magazine based out of Amsterdam is simply amazing.  I was lucky enough to come across it at the NY Photo Fesitval in Dumbo--directed to it by my pal Ryan Mesina in the Real Simple Photo Department.  We were both instant fans.  Each specially themed issue feels like you've stumbled into a little photo gallery on a city street that is filled with gems the likes of which you haven't seen before.  … MORE

"The Stranger" Cover Archive

One of my favorite online publication site trends is the creation of cover and issue archives. So I was very happy to find that the complete collection of Entertainment Weekly covers is now available on their website as part of a complete issue archive. There are over 1,000 covers, art directed by Michael Grossman, John Korpics, Geraldine Hessler, current DD Brian Anstey, and even a couple years art directed by myself. This is very cool stuff, some amazing photography, and it's fun to see how the EW cover has evolved over the years. It's also a wonderful snapshot of popular culture since 1991.
Even better, The Stranger, the alternative weekly based in Seattle, has posted the last 10 years of their covers. The Stranger covers are like the cool punk version of The New Yorker, with illustrations, photographs and graphic design that are stand-alone visual statements, with lots of attitude and passion. Like The New Yorker, The Stranger covers are the visual voice of the publication, a dialogue each week between the paper and its readers.
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Destination: DestinAsian

I was first introduced to DestinAsian magazine about four years ago, when I was with a  photographer friend in Bali, and we had dinner with the editor-in-chief, Christopher Hill. Based in Jakarta, the Asian luxury travel and lifestyle magazine is quite hard to find in the States unless you go to a really on-top-of-it international magazine store, but it is all the rage in big cities across Asia, and well-represented in the SPD design annual.
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Designer's Block

We know visual stimulant is all around us but, when I have designer's block I sometimes need immediate optical motivation for concepts/type treatment. When there's no time to run out to the book store or my fav eccentric magazine stand, I turn to the wondrous world wide web.
So when I'm often asked "where do you get your quick inspiration from online?," one particular design studio's site that comes to mind is www.fwis.com. Not only is their gallery chock full of motivational imagery, but they also feature a blog called "Covers."

Book cover art is featured and updated several times a week and open for commenting. I like to think of it as a virtual wall meeting where random viewers can critique the art director's motive. Check it out, and let me know about your own favorite "quick fix."

Be Careful What You Wish For

Michael Walsh, the art director of the Visual Arts Press, asked me to do the next SVA subway poster this past January. I was completely blown away, and of course, said I'd be honored. The next day, the lovely Ric Grefe from AIGA called to tell me I was getting the 2008 Lifetime Achievement Medal. I assumed that before the end of that glorious week, I'd get clocked by a car on my bike ride home and would linger in a coma that would last beyond both the poster deadline and the big AIGA gala in September. Surprisingly, I've been spared (though I'm still waiting for an anvil to fall on my head). … MORE