...but sometimes it goes the other way too.

You're So Cool.

2011-04-14T21:15:00.002-04:00

If anyone curious about the True Romance prints from Quentin vs. Coen stumbles across this, I'll have the remaining prints up on my site sometime early next week.

Cheers!

BOOF

2011-03-14T22:05:00.002-04:00

So Chae Hawk is a guy I know a bit from Buffalo. Last week he dropped a free album called Blues of a Journeyman. I dig it. Aside from a solid album, Chae is good people. He also seems to have a work ethic that could out-run a horse, so keep an eye out...

Check the album, click the (awesome) artwork linked above.

Cheers.

Mike Dimmer Moves

2011-02-19T14:30:00.002-05:00

Radiohead put a new video out.
In all seriousness, this may be one of the coolest music videos ever.

Smell Your Own Breath

2011-02-09T21:14:00.002-05:00

Several posts ago I wrote about Steve Powers's Love Letter. Well, to my pleasant surprise, the whole thing is being turned into a proper documentary. I've been a fan of ESPO's for a long time and can't wait to see this. Exit Through The Gift Shop, get ready for a fight.

I Used To Pretend I Didn't Have Hands

2011-01-22T15:52:00.002-05:00

Thank you whoever posts stuff on Wikipdedia.

"(Nothing But) Flowers" is a song by the rock band Talking Heads. It appears on the band's final album and was released as a single accompanied by a successful music video, which featured innovative uses of typography by graphic designer Tibor Kalman.

The lyrics describe a post-apocalyptic world in which modern technology has been largely eliminated, and there is "nothing but flowers." The song's protagonist yearns for the disappeared items of his youth such as lawnmowers and fast food restaurants. David Byrne claims to have written the lyrics while admiring flowers in the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden.

June 7

2010-12-16T18:30:00.003-05:00

I was snooping around the internet at some of the compiled lists of Best Albums of 2010. I'm shaky on this. I don't know if I'm getting to an age where I'm losing touch with whats out there or that the internet (piracy) has changed the music industry (and listening experience) so much that I can't keep up with it, but there are only a handful of actual complete albums I listened to this year. It's been that way for several years.

Anyway, in checking around at some of the lists, I found what is at least my favorite album cover of the year. As a designer, I suppose thats a start. I have also since listened to the music and am quite pleased. Put on your best 80's-influenced emo wardrobe and have a listen to Wild Nothing.

The Mall

2010-12-08T23:18:00.002-05:00

I always love seeing footage of John Lennon playing around in Central Park.

Couldn't embed that video, but its nice.

Home Boy

2010-12-07T08:12:00.003-05:00

Paul over at poster site Poster Shizzle has given me a spot on his page. Poster Shizzle is a blog style news site that posts great movie poster art every day. I'm working on lining up some gigs that'll hopefully get posted up there in the coming months. Check him out!

Defensive James Franco

2010-12-07T07:56:00.002-05:00

For the past couple years, approaching award season in the film industry, The Hollywood Reporter has gathered the main contenders in each award category for a roundtable discussion. This years Leading Actor roundtable is great. Its a one hour discussion between Robert Duvall, Ryan Gosling, Mark Ruffalo, Colin Firth, James Franco, and Jesse Eisenberg.

They let out some great great great stories. Robert Duvall seems disgusted to hear that David Fincher regularly does fifty-plus takes on a scene and then says The Shining has terrible acting performances. Ryan Gosling explains how he got kicked off The Lovely Bones. Colin Firth shares some good insight, he's possibly the most reflective of the bunch. And, while interesting and informative, James Franco kind of just comes across as defensive.

Its a great hour long discussion for anyone that admires film and the process of making a movie. More of the roundtables are to come, in the mean time you can check out the writer's roundtable and animator's roundtable. I haven't gotten to those yet, but fully intend to.

Nothing

2010-11-16T09:47:00.001-05:00

I am forever envious of the talent, drive, heart, and process of Steve Powers. Dude is the real thing.

Early Mike Tyson

2010-11-10T08:55:00.002-05:00

Even though it looks fantastic and I haven't heard a single bad thing about it, there's been some controversy surrounding the release of Blue Valentine. Yesterday, /film put up the official poster for the film. The bridge in the background kind of shouts photoshop-y attempt to hit the New York movie tone, but I dig it. Feels like something out of the 50's.

Hit that /film link above for more on the film. The Cannes poster, which I would guess had some sort of screen printed run...? was also awesome, check that here. Official poster and trailer below.

Pedal Posture Pounce

2010-10-31T19:59:00.002-04:00

This coming weeks New York Documentary Festival, has a pretty good slate. Among the group of music docs is Ride, Rise, Roar, a film by David Hillman Curtis about David Byrne's most recent tour.

David Byrne's music has been some of the most important to me in the past couple years, so not only am I excited to see a proper doc about him but Hillman Curtis is an amazing filmmaker that I've admired for a while now as well. I'm excited to see his first full length film. As with most of Hillman's short films, Ben Wolf was behind the camera, so I'd bet it'll look pretty great. Trailer below, click the fest site to check it either Saturday, Nov. 6, or Tuesday, Nov. 9.

My Dear, My Dear

2010-10-27T08:07:00.002-04:00

Further proving himself as one of my favorite artists, Steve Powers brought his Love Letter project to Syracuse. It's an extension from the Love Letter for You project he did for the city of Philadelphia with the city's Mural Arts Program. I hope this tour continues.

Feather and Folly

2010-10-16T10:37:00.002-04:00

I unsuccessfully looked around for who is responsible for the international Black Swan posters. Are they studio creations? Will special prints be made? I would hope so. Everything looks to be headed in the right direction for Darren Aronofsky's new film. These posters are fantastic.

The Shining

2010-09-22T13:16:00.002-04:00

Kansas

2010-09-21T16:24:00.004-04:00

My friend Brett from home visited me this past weekend and we printed a collaboration poster. Brett runs Piece Apparel in Buffalo. We worked out the design over the last week or two, and during his visit we printed posters. Soon he'll be printing some clothes with the design and shortly after that we'll have everything up for purchase.

Brett took the picture above during the printing process. For more photos, including one of the green sky of Brooklyn just before a Tasmanian Devil style tornado swept through, check out Piece's blog.

Bev

2010-09-18T14:14:00.001-04:00

These are fantastic.

On The Road

2010-09-16T08:15:00.002-04:00

I really hope I get to make posters for an Alamo Drafthouse screening someday. Their growing collection of commissioned posters for special screenings is fantastic. Below are some by Olly Moss for the Drafthouse's Rolling Roadshow series, check his site or Mondo Tees for more.

Much happier than the Minority Report.

2010-09-07T10:57:00.001-04:00

2010-08-31T12:57:00.000-04:00

1%

2010-08-26T09:15:00.002-04:00

I'm a pretty big fan of the Behance Network and all its little side sections. The 99% particularly stands out. Follow them on twitter, add them to your RSS feed, just stop by the page every couple days; however you do it, work this site into your regular internet diet.

Yesterday I read an article from Freelance Switch, that 99% had tweeted. It was a good little meditation on the artistic struggle within many designers, myself especially included. Check the article, titled How I Learned To Stop Worrying and Love My Job-And Then Leave It.

Moovmint

2010-08-25T09:23:00.001-04:00

Moshun is an animated font by Calango. For more information, email: info@calango.nl

How To Be Alone

2010-08-16T23:11:00.000-04:00

This wonderful short video is about being alone, but is full of nothing but sweet, comforting thoughts. Smile. Create.

Publicity Grunt

2010-08-06T15:55:00.002-04:00

I always feel awkward talking about myself. Um, but here's some press I've gotten this past week from some good people.

Shane from OnlyGoodMovies decided I was interesting enough to interview. Check it out.

And Emma at Creative&Live gave Understate a bump. Check 'em out!

Happy Friday.

Never Let Me Go

2010-07-27T18:21:00.003-04:00

The one sheet for Mark Romanek's new film is beautiful. Movie posters are awesome.

via Mark Romanek's twitter.

Today's Special: Day Old Teeth

2010-07-23T09:49:00.004-04:00

It's been a minute...nice to see you again.

I'm pumped to be going to see Tamra Davis's new documentary Jean-Michel Basquiat: The Radiant Child tonight. Hopefully it's her best film since Billy Madison. Rumor has it Fab 5 Freddy will be in the house.

Lucky

2010-06-20T14:23:00.003-04:00

It was awesome to get to see Louie CK at the Comedy Cellar a few months ago, he's (one of) the best stand up(s) out there. I hope his new show does better and lasts longer than his last one. Be on the lookout for Louie.

Happy Fathers Day, Dad.

Soy Un Tren

2010-06-19T18:26:00.000-04:00

Trade Barbs (Man Is A Crazy Animal)

2010-06-13T11:19:00.009-04:00

I think Dick Cavett's interviews are some of the best talk show interviews ever recorded. I am continually impressed with the natural, sincere, extremely intelligent, and personal tone he has with every guest. Additionally, his unintimidated and witty responses even to guests like Marlon Brando and/or Orson Welles is unmatched by present day shows.

Not only is it his sincerity of character, but also the forum which he presents. Watch the Gore Vidal & Norman Mailer interview below. Nothing like that exists today. Yeah, yeah, Bill Maher has a pretty to-the-point show but there is a filter there that seems to be missing from Dick and his guests.

I also admire that he keeps the show fluid. Most talk shows are strict to the monolog-skit-interview-song formula. Dick seems to be willing to change and be open to mixing things up, going long with the interview and changing the show to reflect and adapt to the personality of the guest. Dick asks questions he seems genuinely interested in knowing the answers to. After watching any of the below clips, imagine what questions Jay Leno would have asked the same person on his show and cringe with me. Thank you Dick Cavett, 40 (or-so) years later...

Thankfully, the New York Times currently has him employed as a blogger, be sure to check that as well.

Focus

2010-06-03T10:50:00.001-04:00

Know You're Rights

2010-06-01T14:27:00.002-04:00

Boy do I wish I had $70 burning a hole in my pocket for this lovely picture of Joe Strummer.

(via ObeyGiant)

Bye Bye Love

2010-05-25T11:04:00.002-04:00

Despite the man above's poor choice in hair styles and wardrobe, I find him genuinely intriguing. He is British comic/actor Russell Brand. I read about a project he is working on from the Obey site.

Russell is opening a pop-up store in Los Angeles that runs on the barter system. The store is to be the center piece of a larger social experiment documentary film that aims to explore the scale of consumer culture and the pursuit of happiness. Granted Yahoo mail resolves its problems and lets me log in, I'll be mailing them a few of my posters.

Check out more about the Buy Love Here project and store on their site.

Ladies and Gentlemen, Ladies and Gentlemen

2010-05-23T17:55:00.001-04:00

Quick One-Two

2010-05-21T09:21:00.003-04:00

Two things I just quickly wanted to direct your attention to. First, I have been printing posters some-what steadily lately, and that is thanks to the Bushwick Print Lab. Coincidence has it that I can walk to this place from my apartment (which is located in near obscurity, for New York at least). Also, thanks to Pearl Paint for screwing up my screens a while back, if it weren't for that I would have never found BPL and would probably not be doing all this printing lately.

Second, check out The Cheap Thriller. Carlos bought a poster I made and was awesome enough to write a little bit about me in a post about the intriguing technological trend of getting to know people without actually meeting them. Cheers.

Pop Cans

2010-05-13T09:27:00.003-04:00

Fin de Cinema has a collection of movie posters from this years Cannes Film Festival. The two below are my favorites. How cool is the Tournee one, straight out of a hand painted alcohol ad from the 30's. Check the rest at Fin.

Fire your clients, up!

2010-05-11T19:32:00.006-04:00

Being a designer is easy. Working with clients isn't. In this video Michael Bierut provides insight on hiring, firing, and inspiring clients. Also if you live close to these "CreativeMornings" held in Brooklyn and organized by swissmiss, then you and your co-workers should be there.

Everything Is Going To Be Alright

2010-05-11T11:35:00.003-04:00

How, how, how, how, how do I get my hands on this?

via collect3D

Lazy dog 6e anniversaire video from lazydog original on Vimeo.

For Now, Down Here

2010-05-10T11:24:00.003-04:00

Please find 12 minutes in your day to watch Up There. It's a short film on advertisement mural painters. As the guys say outside of LA and New York now it's pretty much a lost art.

It could be about...horse trainers, or... cashiers, or... baggage handlers... whenever I see filmmaking that captures sincerity so perfectly, I'll watch every time. I don't think it's quite passion with these guys, but the sincerity in them, in their work. It's also amazing to see New York shot so amazingly. When you live here it's easy to turn off the wonder for the city after a while. Anyone want to go to SoHo for the afternoon?

Everything about this is beautiful. I hope you find a minute for it.

May Day 1

2010-05-05T21:15:00.005-04:00

Here's a video my sister chopped together of Shepard Fairey's May Day exhibit, the final exhibit at Jeffery Deitch's gallery. It's mostly my sister being a fool, but Mark and I are in shortly and I shot a bunch of it too...on my sister's weird camera-phone camera thing. I hope she gives me the footage so I can put something together too...

Also, I want to say how impressed I am when I get to meet someone I admire and their personality absolutely lives up to their talent, whether it be artistically or whatever. In this case, legendary New York graffiti artist Lee Quinones was more than happy to speak with us. He had no reservation about us running up (interrupting a phone call actually), sticking a fake video camera in his face and asking questions. His bit in the video is short, but he talked with us a bit longer and was unbelievably friendly from start to finish. Cheers Lee, a true gent.

My only regret is forgetting to ask him to scribble something in my book, damn. Next time.

Pressed

2010-04-27T14:47:00.001-04:00

To Have & To Hold - Taster Tape from Jony Lyle on Vimeo.

Back Door

2010-04-15T09:53:00.002-04:00

This is awesome. Exit Through The Gift Shop, the Banksy movie, opens in New York tomorrow. Amazing, but I doubt it's opening will be as cool as the clip from the LA premiere, below. Some of the graffiti blogs say he's supposed to be in New York this weekend though...

3 MC's

2010-04-13T17:33:00.002-04:00

Some amazing work in the Lyrics and Type: Verse 2 show. Check out the site, all the prints are amazing and for sale. I don't know anyone in England, otherwise I'd say go see it.

Self Representation

2010-04-12T14:17:00.002-04:00

I have been a fan of We Are Scientists for quite a while. I've always enjoyed their sincere but consistently witty tone. They regularly post silly video's online that I have yet to be disappointed by. Below is their new (proper) music video, for the new single titled "Rules Don't Stop."

The video was made by a studio in Brooklyn called Labour. Watch the video for "Rules Don't Stop" and check out Labour's other work. They are awesome. The second and last shot in RDS are classic.

The Noun King Series

2010-04-08T21:00:00.000-04:00

American.

2010-03-27T18:34:00.000-04:00

Whilst I Can, It Will Always Make Me Happy

2010-02-07T11:32:00.004-05:00

I forget where I saw this video, sometime last week. Might have been on swiss-miss. But its great. While I was in Buffalo last December, I went through all my Grandfather's old 8mm films, mostly from the 50's and 60's. It was cool to play with the film and figure out all the parts and how they work on the projector. It's disappointing that this stuff is fading toward non-existence. Oh well, keep calm and carry on.

Also, I started a tumblr account so I can post images from wherever I may be in the world. I hope to get in one post every day, hopefully I keep up with creative things to post... we'll see. Check it out.

Subway.

2010-01-29T16:35:00.002-05:00

Mister Mister

2010-01-29T15:48:00.002-05:00

UK designer, Matt Needle's blog has taken up a fair amount of my time the past day or two. Check it.

Requiem

2010-01-27T14:53:00.002-05:00

Today Steve Jobs announced the iPad. I bid a fond farewell to my career and the rest of the print industry. Here's photo's, via Gizmodo, from his presentation.

I'll Carry These

2010-01-26T15:24:00.002-05:00

Various amazingly inspiring videos from various places over the last two days:

Still Bill Trailer from B-Side Entertainment on Vimeo.

Open Heart

2010-01-23T16:45:00.002-05:00

I saw the image above in my Twitter feed this afternoon. Posted by the always inspiring 99% group. The full article by Adam Bryant, on Cristóbal Conde, CEO for SunGard, an I.T. company, is a pretty interesting take on work environments and business interaction in general.

In-house design is tough. Having spent a fair amount of time doing exactly that, I think in-house designers may find some sympathy with Cristóbal. Check the full article, but my favorite part comes from what the 99 percent mentioned:

"...Yes, it was a huge disagreement with somebody who worked for me directly, and he ended up quitting shortly thereafter. And it wasn’t that the decision that we disagreed on was so big. It was more that, to him, it just wasn’t as much fun anymore. He felt he could do more, and I was in his way. I was chasing away somebody extremely valuable, and that is when I realized I never would have put up with that myself. If you start micromanaging people, then the very best ones leave.

If the very best people leave, then the people you’ve got left actually require more micromanagement. Eventually, they get chased away, and then you’ve got to invest in a whole apparatus of micromanagement. Pretty soon, you’re running a police state. So micromanagement doesn’t scale because it spirals down, and you end up with below-average employees in terms of motivation and ability.

Instead, the trick is to get truly world-class people working directly for you so you don’t have to spend a lot of time managing them. I think there’s very little value I can add to my direct reports. So I try to spend time with people two and three levels below because I think I can add value to them."

There is only so many ways you can say So We Meet Again...

2010-01-13T11:09:00.003-05:00

I love the World War II propoganda posters created by the Works Progress Administration (so much so, that I dedicated a fair sized post to them last summer). Thanks to OMG Posters, I see that Brian Moore has flipped em for 2010.

Looks like Brian did to the WPA posters what superhero Shepard Fairey did to constructivist graphics. Killer work. I hope this keeps up. The inspiration is below.

Back Again

2009-12-21T11:03:00.002-05:00

Again, it's been a while, that being said, check out the amazing holiday gift facebook is sending out, that even Larry David couldn't find fault with. Via FPO.

Happy Holidays.

Stretch

2009-12-01T10:25:00.001-05:00

Between holiday/travel events and an insane workload, I haven't had time to post here in a while. Hopefully I'll be back soon.

In the mean time, check out Debbie Millman interview Stefan Sagmeister and an article from Slash Film about the common trend of using orange and blue in movie posters.

Primetime Minimalist Posters

2009-11-16T14:14:00.005-05:00

I wish I would have thought of this for an exhibit.

http://exergian.tumblr.com/

Did You Want To Be A Designer?

2009-11-10T15:26:00.002-05:00

I have been absolutely locked into everything on Design Observer since I stumbled upon it a few days ago.

It's a great collective of constantly evolving creativity, much in the vein of where Under Consideration left off. Give it a look.

Krunk

2009-11-08T16:18:00.002-05:00

This should probably be a Josh post... Krink meets MINI.

Found at Wooster Collective.

My Life Has Surpassed

2009-11-06T18:52:00.002-05:00

It's Friday night and I'm still at the office. I've had a browser window opened the entire week so far and haven't read the article yet. Beat me to it, it's from the wonderful Behance Network and one of my favorite artist/designers Piet Parra. Check the article here.

MV

2009-11-04T12:35:00.002-05:00

What a beautiful little article from the Design Observer.

So North

2009-11-02T14:23:00.001-05:00

A few months ago, between hidden clanks of a dying Georgi bottle before a mid-week showing of the Hangover, a Levi's commercial played on the screen. To the soundtrack of a faded and scratchy telling of a Walt Whitman poem, came images of America. Subtle, free and aggressive, they perfectly complimented the poem and rough hand written letters on the screen.

"Wow, that was really cool." I said to the friend next to me.

I didn't want to rush to the Levi's store before it closed, but definitely wanted to see more. The campaign is really cool. I could go over all that garbage of its intent and objectives on branding itself as original and relating to the greater meaning of 'America', but who cares. Over the next weeks I saw another commercial and several printed pieces for the campaign, which all worked great together. After some research I found out that Wieden+Kennedy were responsible for the work. Great job, I wish I could work for them, they really show good ideas tremendous respect.

I think most importantly, the campaign was photographed (brilliantly) by Ryan McGinley. To my interest, that wikipedia article I linked to his name says that Days Of Heaven is one of his favorite movies, and to anyone that has seen it, thats pretty obvious. It's a Terrance Malick movie from the 70's that has probably the most beautiful shots of middle America ever put to film.

Creative Review has a good article about the campaign that shows a bunch of the print ads, check that to see. That article also points out the similarity to a Wrangler campaign that won a top Press prize at the Cannes Lions festival.

The Levi's campaign is better. There are definitely similarities, but only two of them. They are ads for jeans, and they were photographed by Ryan McGinley. The Levi's ad is better because W+K collaborated with McGinley and developed the ads where the Wrangler ones (below) seem to have just put their logo and tagline in the corner of Ryan's photos.

As a designer I'm constantly torn between my voice and the voice of whoever is employing me. I think it's great to see a commercial collaboration work out so well, as this one has. Cheer's to Levi's for letting artists and designers do their thing and W+K and Ryan McGinley for delivering.

Also of note, the campaign is included in the latest issue of Communication Arts magazine, as part of their Design Annual. Check the commercials below.

EMS Refresh

2009-10-28T00:17:00.007-04:00

Eastern Mountain Sports latest branding is hardly news, but my local store front points out a serious flaw in their efforts. The logo type is unreadable from a distance and needs Helvetica to let people know where it is. There is a reason why the surrounding stores such as Target, Panera Bread, and GameStop do not require 3 signs. As a result, the mess of typography makes it look like it should be next a Dollar Store, and a Party USA.

It is easy to get wrapped up in the creative process and oversee the obvious. As designers we need to set standards and remember what it is re are designing for. Bottom line, the signage is most likely not injuring sales, but it certainly ruins the purpose of rolling out a new brand. In my opinion the logo is original, and a nice evolution of the brand but it did not solve the design problem.

Misconception

2009-10-27T15:54:00.002-04:00

From Gigposters, I just stumbled across amazing work from Conception Studios. Their Jack's Mannequin posters are fantastic. Check em.

Can't Not Never

2009-10-27T11:52:00.002-04:00

CNN just redesigned their website and I can't get enough of it. It's modern, clean, definitely a news site...meaning lots of information, but it plays in all the right ways that a modern news site should.

I emphasize modern in the sense that it is adaptable. There are plenty of areas for user contribution and constantly updated information. And lastly, the grid structure of the entire site is phenomenal. Check it.

Sweet X-ray Saves Woman

2009-10-20T14:52:00.002-04:00

indieWIRE posted today an awesome little story about next years South by Southwest (SXSW) Film Conference and Festival. SXSW will be incorporating a new competition for title design which will be part of their film design awards. Also included, will be excellence in poster design. So cool!

The festival takes place March 12-20 in Austin, TX. Check indieWIRE's article for more info.

What I'm Into

2009-10-18T11:54:00.004-04:00

...hand turkeys. They're so hot right now.

Positive press is everywhere for Where The Wild Things Are. Here is another awesome featurette:

I got to see it yesterday. My opinion seems to follow the trend. It's an absolutely beautiful film, in every aspect. For me, the first ten minutes or so were the most striking. Every adult in the full audience was 10 years old again. It's perfect.

Ryan Gosling put together a pretty good record with his band Dead Man's Bones. Check out their record, and heres a video of one of their songs performed with a childrens choir:

Also, regarding Wild Things... I would like to thank my parents and family for being silly and creative people, and staying silly and creative people. Thanks.

Thats all for now, folks!

Y Control

2009-10-13T16:16:00.002-04:00

Really pumped for this weekend, check this:

And, in preparation for the release of Where The Wild Things Are, the Museum of Modern Art played several collections of Spike Jonze's short films, music videos and commercials. I caught one on Saturday and it was great. I hadn't seen his video for the Yeah Yeah Yeah's 'Y Control' but it is now one of my favorite videos. Silly YouTube won't let me embed, so watch the video here.

Guyliner

2009-10-07T17:26:00.002-04:00

On a busy and rather uninspired day I (thankfully) stumbled across the work of Red Bucket Films. They do creative and commercial art of all sorts, including graphic design, television commercials and music videos, short and feature films and really the execution of any weird creative idea they apparently can think up.

Their logo, traditional, or even good, by the standards of probably very few people, is a perfect example of their creativity. Please check their work.

Goin' back to Cali

2009-10-05T16:36:00.002-04:00

Saw this on Swiss Miss...

Sagmeister is back.

2009-09-29T15:09:00.003-04:00

I have been inactive for a couple weeks that had me traveling, entertaining guests, creating, watching tv, buying dvd's and eating a lot.

Now I'll be returning to the well.

This water doesn't taste very clean.

Last night I attended an AIGA/NY event called Dog and Pony 2. The aim of the presentation series(?) is to re-create the atmosphere of a first time campaign pitch. Last nights presenters were Jonathan Alger (C&G Partners), Debbie Millman (Sterling Brands), Michael Beirut (Pentagram), Liz Danzico (Bobulate) and Jessi Arrington (Workshop).

Jonathan Alger re-enacted his pitch for the new Yankee Stadium branding. Debbie Millman went over her trials and tribulations doing the Tropicana re-branding, which was famously dropped for its previous version. Liz Danzico and Jessi Arrington re-pitched their Compassion campaign and Michael Beirut made dick jokes about Pentagram's Museum of Art and Design logo.

It was great to see, and continued the recent trend of me realizing that compared to most working designers, I don't know a damn thing (which actually just inspires me to work harder). It also further validated my belief that I could never ever be a "pitch person" like these people. Speeches full of bad puns and jokes just aren't something I can do. They all had amazing ideas and amazing design work, but the salesman face they put on for these presentations just isn't in my arsenal.

Soooooooo, now I have to be depressed for a week about how behind the design world I am and eventually work my way out of it. I think I have a thing or two up my sleeve.

In the mean time, enjoy the soundtrack for a movie a lot of people are very eager to see.

Coffee Maker

2009-09-11T17:39:00.002-04:00

I just got my email conformation that I will be attending next week's Creative Morning. More info here. The speaker is Hillman Curtis, a Brooklyn based filmmaker and designer that I've posted about in the past. Absolutely look through his company's site if you haven't seen it before.

I'm really excited to attend something meant as a creative meeting of the minds. This is really the first time I'm attending something like this. I hope I can keep up.

Daryl

2009-09-11T10:50:00.002-04:00

I really like seeing different artists take on the same idea. It's so cool to see the different results that different minds produce. New York Magazine had a piece recently giving 30 artists a small plastic bag to do whatever they want with. Check it here.

Stocking Stuffer.

2009-09-08T15:06:00.002-04:00

Slash Film has a little write-up about the art of movie posters and features an unused Inglorious Basterds poster. Check it.

Fighting Weight:

2009-09-01T14:33:00.003-04:00

On my first visit to look for a job in New York City, the head of a design studio that specialized in marketing films said "Oh, Steven Soderbergh would love this one!" about one of the mock posters I had created during college. I didn't get the job.

Recalling that is a somewhat sobering experience after seeing this article. It's short and offers no real critique, but just means to say that Steven Soderbergh's movies have good design. Hm.

I really gotta try and get myself back in the ring.

I Bet He Was In The Middle Of Saying The Words 'Totally Organic.'

2009-08-27T16:27:00.003-04:00

Last night I saw the movie It Might Get Loud. It is a documentary that brings together three generations of influential guitar players for a conversation on their craft. Davis Guggenheim (director) brought Jimmy Page (Led Zeppelin), The Edge (U2) and Jack White (the White Stripes) together for them to tell their stories and see how they relate.

I loved it from the second it started. From the very beginning it is so much more than just three rock legends talking about guitars. Most times they address the larger picture of general creativity instead, thats what makes the film so interesting.

Jack White explains that he prefers to play old guitars, plastic guitars, guitars with the neck bent, that might not be completely tuned, because he "likes it to be a struggle." He does an amazing and inspiring job at describing his creative approach. He illustrates it like a battle. He doesn't show the creative process any respect. I think many people consider it a gift, to be able to create, but he explains it more as something that torments him and that he struggles with. Not that he struggles to find the notes, but meaning his drive for the music is something he cannot escape, even if he wanted to. He was my favorite part of the film.

There were a handful of other amazing parts. Seeing Jimmy Page back at the house where Led Zeppelin recorded their fourth album and describing why and how they recorded the drum parts in the foyer of the house is classic. It was also pretty funny watching them try to figure out how to sing a song together and after a while of practice The Edge admitting he had been playing the wrong chords the entire time. And when Jimmy Page plays the opening riff of "Whole Lotta Love" seeing the restrain in Jack White's smile and The Edge as he gets out of his chair because he isn't quite facing Jimmy straight on is priceless. They look like little kids at a magic show. You don't see that sort of amazement in adults, let alone Jack White and The Edge.

Theres a whole bunch more that just escapes me at the moment, so please visit the films website and find when it's playing wherever you are because it's worth seeing if you have event the smallest amount of respect for music or creativity. Check the trailer below.

Keep Calm & Carry On

2009-08-26T15:59:00.004-04:00

This past weekend I got locked into a solid block of Antiques Roadshow. It had the stupidest stuff you could ever imagine. Old cufflinks, paint brushes, child-size cowboy chaps which came complete with boots and spurs (hand made in by the finest turn-of-the-century chap maker in Texas, they estimated at $900), an old telephone, table cloth and the most sought after item of the afternoon, a wheel barrow. I'm pretty certain most of the United States has lost at least one afternoon to the glorified garbage pick that is the Antiques Roadshow.

In this lost afternoon, I was lucky enough to see a woman that brought on a small collection of WPA poster prints. The posters were marvelous. I don't recall exactly, but I think her group of five posters, all in good condition, was estimated around $15,000 total. That's amazing. What struggling commercial artist in the 30's would ever have thought a single piece of theirs could sell for thousands of dollars. Sad to think that other than from whatever pennies the WPA shelled out, those artists probably never got any recognition at all.

The Works Progress (or Projects) Administration was part of Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal that ran from 1935-1943 with the aim to put much of the nation back to work. A significant part of the program was in the arts. For more on the WPA read this Wikipedia page. After a bit more research I stumbled upon a flickr collection full of WPA posters. Below are five of my favorites, but see the rest here.

You just don't see support for artists like this much anymore... This stuff is brilliant.

Tax Reductions

2009-08-24T10:19:00.003-04:00

I came across this on Swiss Miss in my daily blog rounds. Quotes on Design is your one stop shop for quick creative inspiration. Enjoy.

Michael Vick:

2009-08-13T15:42:00.003-04:00

Aesthetic Apparatus created three posters recently for the Dead Weather and they are phenomenal.

Untamed Youth:

2009-08-11T23:35:00.005-04:00

Untamed Youth is described on IMDb as a 50's Rockabilly B-movie. Judging by the official trailer for it I would have to agree. Over the weekend though, I sliced up some clips from a dance scene in the movie and cut it together to match with the Strokes song "Last Night." It reminds me of many late nights me and my friends have had that looked nearly identical to this, and that makes me happy.

Additionally, I'd like to note that while right now is not especially a great time to be making money for creative efforts (undercutting has gone wild, the evolution of digital media has made many forms of entertainment near free with the rapid developments of piracy, print publications nearing extinction, etc...), it is an unbelievable time to be a creative person. Because of youtube and some free video capture software I found, I could access clips from this film on youtube and edit them as much as I wanted. That is amazing. People even 10 years ago didn't have this many resources right at their fingertips. Literally.

Please enjoy "Untamed Youth" and also check out "Astaire In My Blood" a video with a similar theme I did about a year ago. It's available on my Vimeo page.

Untamed Youth from Derek Gabryszak on Vimeo.

Motion Picture:

2009-08-09T17:56:00.003-04:00

Here are some amazing videos that I've seen recently and decided it would be better to post as a group instead of individually. They are all unbelievably creative. I really hope you enjoy them as much as I do.

Where The Wild Things Are, Trailer 2:

New York, I Love You, Trailer 1:

The next two are commercials for Sony Bravio televisions:

And lastly, the trailer for The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus:

Wacko:

2009-08-05T12:16:00.002-04:00

Thank god for good type. I love Jack in the Box's new(ish) logo.
That is all.

Happiness Only Real When Shared

2009-07-30T17:24:00.003-04:00

I should probably start posting this stuff before it happens, but last night I saw a screening of Dog Day Afternoon at the Brooklyn Academy of Music. The film was preceded by an HBO Films documentary called I Knew It Was You: Rediscovering John Cazale. The doc is about the career of John Cazale one of the most forgotten about actors in all film history. BAM is playing all five of his films, starting yesterday with Dog Day Afternoon. His other film credits include The Godfather, Godfather II, The Conversation and The Deer Hunter. An interview with the documentaries director is below.

Seeing films like Dog Day Afternoon in a theater was one of the things I was really looking forward to in moving to New York and it met every expectation I had. Seeing those performances on a huge screen with an audience that was just as eager to see the film as me, and in a theater like BAM's was amazing. What a great way to celebrate living in New York for one year. I'll be rounding out this weekend with True Romance, the Deer Hunter and Jules and Jim. All in theater. Watching a scene like the one below in a real theater really is profound.

Cheers New York.

For Publicity Only

2009-07-28T14:25:00.002-04:00

Big thanks to Bryony and Armin at Under Consideration for posting a print that I did recently. For Print Only is a section of Under Consideration that in their words, "is a blog dedicated to both the visual stimulus and the detailing of the development and production of printed matter."

Please check out their site and my entry.

South by South Mid West

2009-07-26T14:12:00.002-04:00

Last week I went to see a documentary by filmmaker Eileen Yaghoobian about the practice of my affection. Screen printing and the design of the modern rock poster. I'm still getting used to amazing, under-the-radar movies like this actually playing in theaters where I live. It's so cool.

The movie tries to pinpoint the interest in the slowly growing community of rock poster designers and collectors. It's focus is more on the originators of this modern movement. Most of which seem to be based in the southern and mid-west United States. And one place that is still don't understand, Minneapolis, Minnesota. Why are there so many amazing design studios there?

Anyways, this was one thing about the film I wasn't really expecting. That the origins of the modern rock poster are mostly in the southern and mid-western US. I was introduced to the genre in 2005 or 2006, or at least noticed it as a trend around that time. Mostly as I was looking for an internship and the only cool place in my town was a design studio who mainly did gig posters. The film points the origins to a handful of designers that became an integral part of the website Gigposters.com, which was started in 2001 by Clay Hayes.

They go through these artists and let them describe their work, their approach, the attraction to the medium, life, amongst other things... For most of them, the approach, or drive for this work seemed relatively survivalist, or primitive. They were all fairly hard edged and had a certain degree of I-don't-give-a-shit-ness about them. They do what they do, and really don't care what anyone else has to think. It's just by chance that their movement has risen and gained momentum.

To that point, I concluded that I am not portrayed in this film. The type of designer I am, is very different from the designers in the film. They are (as I interpreted at least) stubborn artists (which is a good thing, for the art) in a commercial medium. Where as, I feel more like a commercial artist in a commercial medium. That, I believe, is the contrast. My drive for this medium starts in a very different place.

I would guess that their knowledge of rock music history and culture is greater than their knowledge of art and design history. Which in no way do I mean to discredit them. Their work is amazing and they deserve to be recognized for it. I just can't really say where their ambition for this work starts, even having seen the film. Perhaps they are the punk equivalent of graphic design. Ironically enough though, a quote from the film is "Who wants to be in a punk band anymore? That's like being a hippy in 1984."

While the movie, for me, created a clear disconnect in generation, it was also very entertaining, informational and inspiring. I encourage you to visit some of the artists featured in the film, including: Print Mafia, Ames Brothers, Methane Studios, Tyler Stout, Jay Ryan and Patent Pending Industries. And please watch the trailer below:

Purple Hearts and Lost Wonder:

2009-07-21T13:21:00.004-04:00

There's a postcard on my desk says "It's getting worse" across it. It was sent as a sympathetic jab from a friend who understands day-to-day inconveniences I live with. I wonder what the significance of that catching my attention over the course of the day so far is. I've noticed it again and again while I've been reading article after article on AIGA's website in effort to maintain creative and professional sharpness.

The articles that seem to be screaming my name have all been within the In-House Design section. Specifically, the article titled In-house Everyman seems to know every move of my work week and how it relates to my personal life. The more I'm reading on the topic, the more ashamed I begin to feel. Because I'm part of this game. Part of possibly the worst part of the in-house design game, one within a non-profit company.

There's no glory, as these articles seem to support, in this work. Nobody willing to give you a pat on the back or gold star on your shirt collar. So any drive towards a better existence must come from within. And that is my final relieving thought. The belief that some day, it won't be getting worse, it will be getting better and that will be a result of my hard work.

Epilogue: Sorry if this seems a bit ambiguous, if it's caught your attention, please follow through and read an article or two from the AIGA site linked above.

IRAK:

2009-07-14T17:37:00.003-04:00

Grain Edit points out that Justin Thomas Kay has posted an amazing collection of photos from the Herb Lubalin archive at Cooper Union in New York City. A must see for any legit designer. Be sure to check out the Cooper Union site too. Over and out.

The internets are also a-buzz that Dash Snow died last night at age 27 of a heroin overdose. In the words of my sister: "Ew."

The Shit Inspiration Is Made Of:

2009-07-08T22:27:00.002-04:00

Ladies and Gentlemen, I've taken a little break but am up to some hopefully exciting things. In the mean time, I'm glad to bring you the first installment of what I call "The Shit Inspiration Is Made Of." It simply is something I've seen, heard, read...whatever, that stood out and inspired me in one way or another. Maybe you'll get something out of it too.

Below is the video for "Cellphone's Dead" by Beck. The video was directed by Michel Gondry. Never before have I thought doors were so cool. I suppose that goes for anything Michel gets his hands on though... The second video is another for the same song that is just as cool. Not exactly sure who directed that one...anyone? Regardless, it's silly, it's fun, it makes me want to create. Enjoy.

It's Weird.

2009-06-18T10:53:00.001-04:00

Is On Fire:

2009-06-03T12:08:00.002-04:00

This is completely un-design related, but too awesome not to mention. While the Roots are Jimmy Fallon's Late Night band, they also have a residency at the Highline Ballroom in New York. They play every Tuesday at midnight. And it far exceeds the value of the $10 ticket you will buy to get in.

The show is properly title The Roots present: The Jam. Questlove comes out and starts a subtle breakbeat that slowly builds as the rest of the instruments join in and literally do not stop for about 2 hours. There is a constant stream of guest musicians coming and going from the stage. The May show I went to featured Tom Morello (Rage Against the Machine) and last nights had a spot for Q-Tip (A Tribe Called Quest), those are in addition to the other equally impressive guests constantly joining the show.

If you like the Roots even a little, you must see this show. Cheers to the hardest working band in show business.

Endless Nameless (The Screen Print Post):

2009-06-01T20:56:00.002-04:00

I have some exciting things I hope to accomplish over this summer. My interest in screen printing continues to grow and I am slowly putting my ideas into action. First though, I would like to point your attention elsewhere. Sending your attention elsewhere probably shouldn't be first on my list, but whatever. I recently picked up a book titled Gig Posters: Rock Show Art of the 21st Century, Volume 1.

Gig Posters started as a website for poster artists to share and sell their work. The book, by Clay Hayes of gigposters.com, is a collection of some of their best work. Each page comes perforated and ready to frame (two of which are proudly displayed on the walls in my office). If you have any interest in screen printing and/or poster art, I suggest picking it up. And congrats to my friends Mark and Beth at Hero in Buffalo for making it in the book (and into the current issue of Spin magazine). I'll leave you with the nicely put words of Clay Hayes:

"Gig posters are enjoyed and collected for various reasons. Some people appreciate the illustrations and design, others love the bands, and still others want the poster as a souvenir from a great concert. Plus, in this era of MP3 files and other digital music, traditional album art has become a relic of the past—so more and more music lovers are turning to gig posters to get their visual fix."

Now that I have your proper attention, I would like to announce that I will soon be printing my first, completely independent, original screen print. Mark and Beth taught me how to print during my internship at Hero and it was only a matter of time before I got up on my own two feet and printed something for myself. Printing should be happening soon (I picked up the screens today) and as soon as I finish I'll have a proper post on how to get your hands on one. I'm really excited to finally be doing some printing for myself. The print really sort of represents all my growth since leaving everything I was taught while in Buffalo as a young adult. I'll leave you with a sneak preview of one of the colors.

Sweet Dream:

2009-05-28T12:29:00.002-04:00

Thanks to Fleuron, I found an amazing visit to the FAILE studios. The work is amazing, everything hand painted. I can not wait for their next New York show, and I can not wait to own something of theirs. It's stuff like this that drives my creativity, but also embarrasses me because I'll never ever be able to make work this amazing. How awesome are those prayer wheels....damn.

Credits: Fleuron for the heads up and Fecal Face for the reporting.

Let's Turn 50:

2009-05-22T13:09:00.002-04:00

Check out HillmanCurtis. Their artist series is amazing. Short films, wonderfully shot and executed, about some of the most influential creative people in the world. For any designer lacking inspiration, a half hour on this page will certainly set you straight.

Cheers HillmanCurtis, and thanks.

99%

2009-05-15T12:19:00.005-04:00

I can't believe I missed this. I'll certainly be going to it next year. In general, any event at the Times Center is pretty cool. Their tagline is "It's not about ideas, it's about making ideas happen." This is so important for creative people. Being a creative thinker is a prerequisite. This conference isn't about maintaining that sharp edge. Even your (or my) best idea wouldn't impress them.

It's soooooooooooooooooooooooo easy to spit out every cool idea that comes in to your head and be satisfied with the notion that it'll happen some day, we're all dreamers... Most times it won't. Most times USA will be playing both Kill Bills and your Sunday afternoon will be shot. The 99% Conference is here to remind you that the television version of those movies suck and that simply having the idea doesn't command anyones respect. This is inspiring and motivating. Please check out their cause and make something happen.

"Big Surprise, That Sucked..."

2009-05-11T17:02:00.002-04:00

I don't recall the chain of links that led me to this site, but I gave it a chance. The article is titled "How To Design A Movie Poster." I read through without jumping to see the final product, just to see what could possibly validate such a stupid statement.

It's unfortunate to come across someone like this. People who think there is a formula for everything, especially everything creative. They are the ones responsible for ruining a/the process of creativity, exploration and chance. I would be embarrassed to show as much ignorance and arrogance as Jake. It's complete disrespect and invalidation for the design process. But in the end, pays off with terrible design.

In his defense though, he's done a lot of good work and gotten some pretty good recognition for it. His entire portfolio isn't THAT bad. I just hope he doesn't approach every project this way. And maybe toss the glamour shots from the top of every page.

Dork.

2009-05-06T12:25:00.002-04:00

This video is kind of old and really nerdy, but at least a little entertaining for someone like me. This guy really is a tool though. Who knew young Philip Seymour Hoffman was a designer...did he design the posters for his own movies?

Common Themes: Failure.

2009-05-04T11:48:00.005-04:00

As the Tribeca Film Festival ends, I'm finding myself returning to normal life and catching up with the things I was used to. Wonderfully, I've stumbled upon three things from around the web that all deal with the same common theme; failure. Failure is so important to the creative process and something I think most people don't consider enough. It's something you are taught to avoid as a child which I think limits your adult life, myself included. Anyways, these people do a much better job of explaining it than me. Above each is a little quote that'll hopefully spark your interest. Enjoy.

"Rather than learn from the critiques and repeated suggestions to change one thing or another, they leave for another major: All of these changes? My work is bad? Forget it, I’ll go elsewhere. Some will argue that these drop outs play into the natural state of attrition, sorting out the can-do students from the cannot."
How Designers Fail

"...in order to grow, they have to allow themselves to fail. 'Think about the first time you learned how to type, or when you rode a bicycle,' she says. 'As adults, we forget that failing is such an important part of the process because we do most of our learning as a kid. Failing is good.'"
Failing is Good

And lastly, Ken Robinson's great TED talk:
"...what these things have in common is kids will take a chance. If they don't know, they'll still have a go. Am I right? They're not frightened of being wrong. Now, I don't mean to say that being wrong is the same things as being creative. What we do know is, if you're not prepared to be wrong, you'll never come up with anything original. And by the time they get to be adults, most kids have lost this capacity. They have become frightened of being wrong. We run companies by this...we stigmatize mistakes. And we're now running educational systems where mistakes are the worst thing you can make. And the result is that we are educating people out of their creative capacities."

It's Been A Long Time, I Shouldn't Have Left You.

2009-04-19T20:49:00.003-04:00

I haven't posted in a while because I have spent nearly every hour of the past several weeks either working, sleeping, traveling or entertaining guests, which hasn't left me much time to update this thing. So in return I figured I'd let the one or two of you who occasionally stop by here know what I've been working towards.

It's my first festival and I'm really excited to see how all this work I have been doing will come together. The festival runs April 22-May 3. I'm hoping to see a few films and get as much out of this as I can. Exciting.

Other than that, check out Delicious Design League. They are a design studio in Chicago, Ill. Their work is unbelievable and as my print collection has grown I can't believe I still don't own one of their posters... soon enough.

None Sense:

2009-03-30T20:09:00.002-04:00

With assistance and intelligent, or unintelligent conversation lately, I have been able to pinpoint a fascination of mine. Nonsense. Throwaway and nonsense comments of everyday life put into different context or completely taken out of original context can mean the world to me. Parra and Espo stand out off the top of my head as playing with that idea, look em up if that sounds interesting...

A few weeks ago I got to go to a screening of the movie Tokyo! that was introduced by Michel Gondry. He directed one of the three segments of the movie. It's fantastic, see it if you can. Before the screening though me and my sister crossed paths with him in the lobby and totally geeked out and asked for a picture (which he ended up taking). After the fact of this encounter I realized what I wish I would have asked of him. To sign and scribble something in a little notepad I carry around with me everywhere. I thought the idea of having some random scribble of his, amongst all my random and generally meaningless creative thoughts would be...inspiring in some way.

Last night while on my way home I happened to sit next to Daryl Palumbo on the train. Daryl is the singer for one of my favorite bands ever, Glassjaw. He was really friendly and we actually ended up talking about how cool Buffalo is for a while. In this encounter with someone I admire so much though, I did not forget my notebook. He perfectly added to the nonsense I cling to so loyally.

I don't expect you to be able to read that...I couldn't either.... Signature, and:

"It just may be a one shot deal."

Thanks Daryl.

Easy Does It:

2009-03-23T18:41:00.002-04:00

I know at some point as a child I read "Where The Wild Things Are," but I haven't carried it with me through the years. But I absolutely can't wait for Spike Jonze's movie adaptation of the ten sentence long look into a child's imagination. He's chosen costumes over full CG and animation and it looks absolutely genius. Below is the amazing poster and a still from the film. I'll have the trailer up as soon as that is out and you know where I'll be October 16, 2009. That's sooooooooo long away.

Goomba's and Koopa Troopa's

2009-03-07T14:30:00.000-05:00

Unbelievable:

2009-02-25T20:12:00.002-05:00

This doesn't really relate to design, but I suppose is pretty big in the creativity department. I've never been too big on comic book movies. Why, is not really important, but I just read that Michel Gondry is directing Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg's script for Green Hornet.

I don't know anything at all about the Green Hornet character, but this is one of the few combinations of things that will get me excited for a comic book movie. There are always exceptions. Seth Rogen co-wrote the script, is starring in and producing the movie.

MTV has an awesome interview with Seth about it. My favorite part of which, is when he describes entering a meeting with Michel to some studio executives...

"My direct quote to [Gondry] right before he met with the studio was, 'You have to convince them they're not gonna show up on set one day and everything is gonna be made out of cardboard,' " laughed Rogen. "And he said, 'I can definitely do that.' "

I can only imagine them looking like a couple of 7 year olds going to their parents asking if they can build a fort in the living room out of turned over furniture and blankets.... Cheers to the two men below.