One Color New York Subway Map
March 8, 2010 // Design + Transportation



Being a west coast native I’m not very familiar with Massimo Vignelli’s subway map, though I’ve definitely seen it before. Brooklyn based designers Triboro have taken this timeless design and reprinted in nothing but fluorescent red, and I have to say it looks pretty awesome. Triboro is made up of a husband and wife team David Heasty and Stefanie Weigler, who have a great portfolio of work including designing for William Rast (love that flag-esque logo), Knopf, GQ and more.

Going back to the poster, this new design clearly loses some of it’s context without the classic color coded system that Vignelli created, but there’s something quite charming about this new application. It’s almost like the intensity of the color demands your attention, like the maps don’t want you to get lost. Eye-catching at the very least.

Found through Thinking for a Living

Bobby

Redesign Superman #1
March 8, 2010 // Comic Books + Design

At the end of February comic book writer and all around lunatic Warren Ellis asked the readers of his blog to redesign Superman as if it was being released today:

You are an artist/designer. You have to put together the cover for a comic called SUPERMAN. It is issue 1 of this book.

You have been told that Superman is a man who dresses predominantly in a shade of blue, and wears a red S symbol. You know nothing else about the character.

The cover must include a logo and the text THE COMPLETE STORY OF THE DARING EXPLOITS OF THE ONE AND ONLY SUPERMAN.

And that’s it.

It’s up to you what kind of company you’re at. What kind of comics you make. How you translate that description of Superman. What era you’re in. Who you are, even. Go nuts with it.

A lot of the entries were, well, kind of janky, but the cover above by the very talented Tom Muller definitely caught my eye. I’ve posted about Mr. Muller before and I’m sure this won’t be the last time. I love that he didn’t try to go with any kind of superhero motif, he simply made an awesome and interesting cover. If I saw this comic sitting on a shelf I would buy it in a heartbeat. This is exactly the reason why I always say that there needs to be more graphic design in comic books.

Bobby

Skinny Ships x Devicious Tote Bag
March 3, 2010 // Accessories + Design



I got an email the other day from Micah over at Devicious letting me know that they teamed up with Skinny Ships, aka Richard Perez, on a totebag and it turned out pretty rad. It’s got kind of this contemporary, retro design that reminds me of Chris Ware’s work, which is obviously a compliment. I think it’s hysterical that the front says “The Amazing Practical Totebag”, and then smaller on the bottom it has “See Flipside For Details”. Once you flip it over it gives you an owner’s manual on how to properly use your tote… genius! They’re only $18 and you can get one by clicking here.

Also don’t forget that Richard did an awesome desktop wallpaper which you can grab for yourself by clicking here.

Bobby

Nick de Jardine
March 3, 2010 // Design

First impressions are everything, and viewing the opening splash page of Nick de Jardine’s portfolio site you’re immediately confronted with the amazing image above. Honestly he could be trying to sell moldy cakes and I’d click through to see what flavors he had in stock. It’s even better when you see it in your full browser, just this immense redness with some perfect curated typefaces. Excellent work.

Bobby

Five Questions with Kitsune Noir
March 2, 2010 // Design + Illustration + Kitsune Noir

Every now and then I get a student asking me for advice, so I thought instead of those answers never seeing the light of day that I’d share them on here. These questions were sent to me by Rob Hodgson who’s currently an illustration student in the UK. He was writing a report and was curious about the following things:

1) What do you think about the whole blog exposure for artists that has happened the past couple years? Do you think there are pros and cons?

I think this trend has been happening a lot longer than the last few years. When I started getting into blogs like K10K and Design is Kinky about 10 years ago they were doing the same thing. I think the difference nowadays is that it’s a lot easier for anyone to start a blog these days, the tools are out there and easy enough for anyone to understand.

Overall I think it’s a good thing for artists, though I think a lot of people/blogs don’t put any thought or reason to why they’re putting these works on their site. In that case I feel like the artists work doesn’t mean as much, it’s just a pretty image that’s quite disposable and will be gone as soon as something else comes along.

2) I have this super romantic view of living somewhere and being able to work on art stuff in a real community. I’ve read a few posts where you’ve mentioned bridging the gap between internet and real life. What are your thoughts on this, do you have anything lined up?

I think that idea is romantic, but not impossible. It takes a lot of hard work and determination, and well, talent, to really make it work. I’ve personally found a lot of success through reaching out to people and creating friendships. A lot of emphasis these days is put on social networking, which to me is just as bad as getting spam mail. There’s nothing about social networking to me that feels genuine, and that’s a big loss to me.

3) What do you think about the opportunity for illustrators and designers right now? The internet has opened up a lot of new avenues, but are you seeing any new areas for artwork to be commissioned?

A lot of people I know do a ton of personal work and put it out there regularly, which I think is why they’re so successful. These people make a ton of work and thus are now featured in every major magazine out there right now. In short, you need to make your own opportunities and work your ass off or you’re never going to get anywhere.

4) What do you think about illustrators’ websites? Do you think they should get to the point and have a ton of images? Is less more? What about personal stuff like talking about what music they’re listening to, do you think it gets in the way for clients or does is it create a bond with their audience?

I think having large images is a must, as well as clear descriptions of the work. It also bugs me when artists don’t fill out their bio section well. If you have an understanding of the artist you just might understand the art even more.

If you want to create some kind of bond with a potential viewer I’d suggest creating a blog that’s separate from your portfolio. I think it’s an easy way for potential viewers/clients to get a sense of you and your work.

5) Any advice you’ve got for a student graduating this summer??

Work your ass off and never give up on your goals. It’s never going to be easy, no matter how successful you become, so don’t fool yourself that it’s going to be any different. This applies to art and any other career you may choose.

Bobby