Martijn Maas

This Is Where I Draw the Line (poster series from Translating Language) by graphic designer and art director Martjin Maas (Netherlands).  I found this to be very, very funny!

TSTO Agency

Very Classic Concentration!  

TSTO created this for Vuoden Huiput (VH) 2010.  VH is Finland's yearly design awards for best in advertising and graphics.

Best if I let them describe the process of creating this: "Together with a programmer we created an application that transformed any written word or sentence into a rebus, an allusional device that uses pictures to represent words or parts of words. In English, a rebus often uses homonyms, as seen in the classic IBM logo consisting of a picture of an eye, a picture of a bee and the letter M. However, homonyms are rare in Finnish language, therefore a rebus was constructed from a list of some 5000 words with the most used syllables and matched with an image search result from Google."  Interesting, huh?

via September Industry Journal.  TSTO is represented by PEKKA Agency.

Stratigraphie by HELMO!

HELMO.  
Graphic design team: Thomas Couderc & Clément Vauchez

Stratigraphie exhibition through June 1 at Monkey Gallery, France.

sorry, if the graphic is making you a little bit queasy...
go to their site to see a collection of their amazing work

Bell(s)

Bells poster available by Christopher Gray.

bells, bells, bells, bells, bells, bells, bells 

BAVARIA in 30

Bavarian icons by Human Empire for Neuland magazine.

Just the word Bavaria seems magical to me.  Ancient forests, wooden houses and a BMW after the same name.  I mean c'mon!  These icons certainly feed in to that imagery.  Although Americans are notorious for romanticizing anything European, I love these smart little icons!  I will chop wood and eat bratwurst any day.

link via Coralia Lopez blog.

the office of Sir Paul Smith

I have always loved  Paul Smith.  Today, after learning that he recently designed a collection of stamps for the 2012 Olympic games in London, I started thinking about his amazing office.  Filled with books, oddities, color and objects sent by fans......it has always been a place that I would like to visit.  And of course, meet the man himself!  Hmmm....perhaps, I should send him a gift.

Stamps available through Isle of Man.

I remember these photos from Domino mag, but have no idea who the originator was.

What's Your Shape

Geometry - Form - Symbols and Meaning.  I often wonder if shapes simply have meaning based upon how we have assigned their use or if their is something deeper...some intrinsic quality that governs them.  I am leaning towards the latter.

What's Your Shape 5 piece card set from RK Shop/Finland.   

RK is run by Riikka Kantinkoski who also has a lovely blog called Week Day Carnival.

Motto for the day.............................

from Things I Have Learned in My Life So Far - Sagmeister

SWISSTED

Mike Joyce of Stereotype Design has an ongoing project called Swissted.  The objective was to take Swiss-style graphics/typography and re-make famous punk flyers. The people I have shown this to so far have lost their minds at what an awesome idea this is.

 

 

Unfortunately, I was a few years too young to actually go to many of these shows.  The entire site is a playlist of my life.  Here is a sampling of the music that filtered through my life and many of those around me.  Oh, and the graphics are great too!

via Grain Edit

Update: posters now for sale at Print Process.  Can someone please by me the Necros?  IQ32!

Chateau-Vacant

The creation of images, objects and space: Chateu-Vacant  

                                                                       for KIBLIND MAGAZINE 11/10

Paris vs New York

French graphic designer, Vahram Muratyan, tells us the tale of 2 cities in his collection Paris vs NYC. Prints available here . As well, Paris vs New York book is also available for pre-order.

RBG6

RBG6- Swedish design studio.
via The Science of Creativity

haw-lin

Sometimes I miss Germany and sometimes I don't. These pictures make me miss Germany.



Duo Nathan Cowen and Jacob Klein (of haw-lin) interview and photos over on Freunde von Freunden.

Bruno Munari

Like most, I am obsessed with Bruno Munari. His book, Speak Italian (1958), is just another example of his creative endeavors.
Actual images from the book shown above are taken from Mrs Easton blog - a very delightful blog!!!

PENTAGRAM

In the spirit of Halloween, what better to feature than something from Pentagram.

Michael Beirut, a design partner for the NY design firm Pentagram, has an exhibition of his personal notebooks (1982-2008) at the Esther Massry Gallery at the College of Saint Rose . The exhibition entitled 26 YEARS, 90 NOTEBOOKS is not only impressive, but very inspiring. Filled with sketches, notes and doodles, these notebooks show the creative mind at work day after day, year after year.

Albe Steiner

Albe Steiner - Italian graphic designer 1913-1974. Images from the Albe Steiner archive. Collages di Immagini.

 

I have many, many thoughts.