Botanical Rap

I have been fascinated by botanical illustrations since I was a young child and even spent 8 hours of my London vacation one year in the archive library at The V&A Museum poring over countless original botanical watercolor paintings and drawings. When I saw this recent poster for a concert Snoop Dogg held in Richmond, VA, I burst out laughing. Beautifully designed by Tricia Kleinot and originally printed on hemp paper, it is available in a limited run of 50 prints from GigPosters.com for $30.

Top Chef Tats

Love Top Chef's Michael Voltaggio's spoon and skull tattoo! Classic and bad-ass at the same time. There's a great slide show called Chef d’Oeuvres over at the NYTimes of imagery & words chefs have chosen for their tattoos. Bad to the bone.

Slot Machine Graphics

I dare you to start playing with the Nonsek Machine that generates rare and random graphic remixes with a simple click of a button and not get engrossed letting the software design t-shirts. They have many artists’ designs to choose from and just like playing the slots, you never know what imagery will pop up next. When you come upon a design combo you like, you can purchase the t-shirt knowing probably no else will ever have one like it. Hours of fun! Via: SFgirlbybay

When Worlds Collide

I love it when the worlds of architecture and graphic design collide and this stunning library in Alexandria is a great example of that kind of vision. Designed by Snøhetta, a Norwegian architectural firm that has been making quite a statement with their building projects. At the library in Alexandria, a huge cylinder with concrete plating is covered with typographical elements in non-western languages, mostly hieroglyphs. So beautiful.

Listening In

Great type treatment & cover design on this new album release from M. Ward, and a beautiful website too. Get it on iTunes.

By Invitation Only

New York Fashion Week has spawned some very imaginative invitations, my favorite being the oven mitt for Betsy Johnson’s show. See more examples at the NYTimes The Moment blog. Photos: Tony Cenicola/The New York Times

True Design Gangstas

For all us graphic designers out there, from Kyle T. Webster. (Thanks La Blogda!)

Call on Me

Being a graphic designer and fickle as to one design, I am prone to change up my business cards from time to time. This summer I’ve been using my Moo mini-cards and while I dig their size and versatility, I kind of miss something more traditional. So, like having many pairs of shoes, I like having many styles of business/callings cards. The Mandate Press now offers beautiful personalized letterpress calling cards that you can choose from 7 designs, or best yet, your own design. You get 250 cards for $95, which is a great deal. I’d better get busy and design a new card now!

Dark Type

Great poster series for upcoming film The Spirit, designed by Ignition/Print. See more of the series at IMP Awards.

Block Party

Limited edition art comes in all forms. Years ago I acquired a copy of the special edition Talking Heads album designed by Robert Rauschenberg  and have never opened it, but it’s beautiful in it’s package. This Gravenhurst’s Nightwatchman’s Blues/Farewell, Farewell  CD is a limited edition (1300 only) and includes a handprinted, numbered, fold-out poster created by Thomas Hicks.  Hicks has recently completed a new stopframe animated promo for a Gravenhurst track on Nightwatchman’s Blues. In fact, each of the 1300 limited edition poster sleeves displays the handprinted artwork of one frame of the promo. “I made a series of hand block prints,” explains Hicks,” each one would be folded to make a sleeve for one of the singles. So cool, so collectible. 

The Call of the Wild

Prairie Vodka, a newly launched organic and kosher vodka, is the product of a unique partnership between Phillips Distilling and a co-op of over 900 Minnesota farmers who are stake-holders in the brand. I truly love the photography, website, and branding. The Prairie meets the City theme on the website is visually stunning with these breathtaking images of a woman on her NY patio with the city behind and wolves at her side, the gentleman in his chair at his fireplace with a buffalo. I have yet to imbibe in the pleasures of this vodka, but the design and branding is tasty enough!

(Via Notcot)

Bits & Pieces

What an inspiring and creative typographic approach for a CD cover design! See more work from Berlin-based illustrator and graphic designer Julia Guther. (Via Design Dust)

The Notebook

Came across these very covetable Field Notes memo books brought to you by Coudal Partners/Draplin Design Company, inspired by “vintage farmers’ planting books and other practical, historic, mostly-midwestern American design.” They have a great website, a blog and a Flicker photo groups of the Field Notes in action/usage. Love the typography and the price, 3 for $9.95.