When Bad Design Meets Cuteness!

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Let it be known: I'm a sucker for animals and kitschy design. With that said, despite the horrendous design and that god-awful yellow border – the animals and kitsch still win out! I'm typically left staring and smiling at this cover every single time I see it. Cuteness always prevails, apparently.

The album, named by Rainn Wilson of "Dwight/The Office" fame, features a photo taken by amateur photographer, Jason Neely. Jason's photo won National Geographic Magazine's reader-submitted photo contest, which apparently Weezer frontman Rivers Cuomo reads.

I haven't liked much of anything from Weezer past the Green Album (Pinkerton remains my favorite, of course) but I did get to go on the road for a few dates back in '96 when Placebo opened for the band in the U.S. Good times, especially the conversation Rivers and I had over the catering table in Chicago about the Japanese girl who inspired "Across the Sea."

Going Vintage For Sally Jane

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Occasionally Jennifer likes to update both her vintage clothing blog and Etsy store with new graphics. This typically occurs every 12 months or so, mind you. With that said, I've done at least two prior to October's revamping.

I took a vintage piece of art, mid-century favorites like Futura and Clarendon and tossed in a little sampling of color (0:C, 78:M, 74:Y, 0:K) and came up with a new set of banners for her blog ("The Fashion Pages"), store ("The Etsy Boutique") and avatar/button for Etsy ("SJV").

Alvin Lustig: Born Modern

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Very few artists can ever be at the forefront of an actual movement in their lifetime; a visual representation of a new cultural aesthetic. Alvin Lustig is one of those select few.

"Alvin Lustig's contributions to the design of books and book jackets, magazines, interiors, and textiles as well as his teachings would have made him a credible candidate for the AIGA Lifetime Achievement award when he was alive. By the time he died at the age of forty in 1955, he had already introduced principles of Modern art to graphic design that have had a long-term influence on contemporary practice. He was in the vanguard of a relatively small group who fervently, indeed religiously, believed in the curative power of good design when applied to all aspects of American life." – Steven Heller

For more, go here.

"She Said, Now Stop That Jivin'…"

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"…Now Whip Out Your Big 10 Inch!"

Ah, remember when Aerosmith had fire in their souls (and pants, apparently)? I know, it's been a long, long time! However, not as long as it's been since the 78 rpm 10" record dominated the music industry. By 1910 the 10" record was by far the most popular standard, holding about three minutes of music on a side. Because of both that and the fact that the 10" size was the standard size for popular music, almost all popular recordings were limited to around three minutes in length. This limitation in length of playing time persisted until the invention of the LP (long playing record) in 1948. From that moment on, the 10" began its fade into obscurity until seeing its end in the late 1950s.

By enlarge these records aren't worth very much money but they are fun to look at for all of their "label" graphics. I flip through hundreds of old 45s and LPs in the thrift store racks looking at the old artwork and labels. From the great colors and typography to seeing how one label like Capitol or Columbia changed their look from one decade to the other. Classic stuff and something worth checking out.

The Icing On The Cake…

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Well, the Mosaic Project has officially launched! It's an incredible show, an incredibly packed show and one I'm happy to have played a part in. Congratulations to Michelle Fogel, Heidi Leitzke, Matthew Cherry and everyone at PCA&D for a fantastic debut.

As an added bonus, I was able to talk to one of the exhibiting artists, Rudy Gutierrez. I'm a fan and it was very cool to chat briefly about the world of album art.

Finally, have I ever seen a logo I've designed literally become part of a cake?!?! I think not. Am I a fan of this concept? Indeed, I am.

This Will Make You Smile…

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… And not solely because Ed gives a nod to "Tomb" and "Tom"! (laughs) Enjoy.

Rosanne Cash: The Good Intent EP

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When my friend Susan, Art Director-extraordinaire, called me and asked if I'd be up for designing both cover art and a digital booklet for a Rosanne Cash digital-only EP, I naturally said "yes" and got to work right quick on this 2-weeks-from-start-to-finish turnaround project.

Rosanne, by birth alone, is country royalty but it's the fact that she's been doing her own thing for decades now that's earned my respect. And now she's releasing The Good Intent EP prior to her full-length, conceptual covers album in October called The List. Above, you'll see the EP cover (top) followed by 1 of the 4 panels from the digital booklet that comes with each purchase from iTunes.

Factoid #1: The Good Intent was the name of the boat that came to America from Scotland in 1653 with the very first Cash family member aboard.

Factoid #2: The List is titled after a list of 100 essential country songs her dad, Johnny, told her she must learn in order to truly know and appreciate the music itself.

For more on the fantastic story surrounding this conceptual covers album, go here.

For Your Hi-Balls (A Coaster Set)

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Another find at the Root's Country Market & Auction. Believe me when I say that I had no idea that the "coasters" were a combination mini-jockstrap and drink cozy! That sealed the deal, for sure, and the "set of pick me ups" immediately became mine. Regretfully there's no date or company information whatsoever while a Google search for "kings hi jockstrap coasters" revealed nothing!

For the history and list of highball drinks, go here. For typography and illustrations that make you yearn for Sinatra and a Salty Dog, go here.

Labas Lietuva!

While Jerry Lewis had France and Yngwie Malmsteen (still) has Japan, ManAlive is busting out in Lithuania! Panevezys, Lithuania that is. You see, you never know what you're going to find on the interwebs and my site's analytics program's discovered someone in Panevezys has visited this site 62 times in the last month while averaging nearly nine minutes per visit! I'm both flattered and intrigued, I must admit. With that said…

If you're checking out my blog from Panevezys, drop me a line (the email link is under the "welcome" section to the right) and let me know how you came to find this site, what brings you back and if you're a designer as well.

Oh, and of course – thanks for stopping by! Į sveikatą!

The Shape Of The Earth

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With a title inspired by T.S. Eliot's poem, "The Love Song Of J. Alfred Prufrock" and band members who study neurology and history – the artwork for The Shape of the Earth's new EP simply had to take on an intellectual, academic, artistic and yet somewhat ambiguous nature.

The core concept and color scheme of the space was inspired by a photograph I took while exploring the Richmond Power Plant in Philadelphia. The eye itself brought science and history together, while meshing with the background itself in an homage to the shape of the earth itself.

For more on The Shape of the Earth, please check out the band's website and MySpace for more. Also, mark your calendars for the EPs release date on October 6th.