Our near—classic, beginning—of—decade Archinect shirts get another print run, this time in almost CMYK colorways. (more…)

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Schooly D’s packaging from the 80s really captures his stripped down tracks. I suspect being from Philly allowed for a bit of creative freedom in that expectations where somewhat different had he been living in Brooklyn or The Bronx. Classic releases regardless.

This morning a few of us were admiring the Obama logo and identity system and were wondering who the masterminds behind this well conceived identity were. While tracking down the author of the official Obama logo we were joking around in the studio and kicked out the above mark for the fun of it. Below is a bit of what we found about the mark and a nice interview with Michael Bierut of Pentagram. 

Sender LLC, a Chicago based brand consultancy and design studio developed the logomark and brand system for Barack Obama’s historic bid for the White House. Sender were awarded the project through mo/de, a motion design studio working with AKP Message & Media of Chicago. Political consultant David Axelrod, who is working on Obama’s campaign and worked on his 2004 U.S. Senate campaign, is a partner with AKP Message & Media.

“We were looking at the “o” of his name and had the idea of a rising sun and a new day,” Mr. Sender said. “The sun rising over the horizon evoked a new sense of hope.” via http://www.chicagobusiness.com/cgi-bin/news.pl?id=23974

[...]Obama’s success owes a lot, of course, to his message–the promise to pass Democratic policies by rallying a “coalition for change.” But watching Obamamania over the past few weeks, I’ve become convinced that there’s something more subtle at work, too. It’s not just the message and the man and the speeches that are swaying Democratic voters–though they are. It’s the way the campaign has folded the man and the message and the speeches into a systemic branding effort. Reinforced with a coherent, comprehensive program of fonts, logos, slogans and web design, Obama is the first presidential candidate to be marketed like a high-end consumer brand.* [...] via Expertinent: Why the Obama “Brand” Is Working by Andrew Romano of Newsweek

Stefan Sagmeister’s exhibition, Things I Have Learned In My Life So Far, opens at the Deitch Gallery on January 31, 2008 and will run through February 23, 2008.

“Things I Have Learned In My Life So Far, an interactive exhibition by Stefan Sagmeister, opens at Deitch Projects on January 31, 2008. The exhibition will include works that have a life of their own, transforming throughout the exhibition as viewers engage with them. Things I Have Learned In My Life So Far is timed to coincide with the release of a new book of the same title, which surveys Sagmeister’s illustrious career.”

via www.deitch.com

Stefán Kjartansson has a new display face available called Black Slabbath. We had a chance to use a dub plate / cdr last summer on a poster and felt like it handled very well, getting the crowd at PS1 and agnes b. jumping. (thanks Israel)  It really is the heaviest typeface in the world and has razor thin lines cutting through geometric shapes. Nigel says to turn it up to 11 in adobe illustrator for best results.

We are happy to announce that powerHouse books has been given a Lucie award for its new book on Darfur, art directed and designed by GH avisualagency.
IPA awards Lucies to those in the creative community who are an integral part of crafting an image.

The IPA members and Photographers Advisory Board have awarded powerHouse Books – Darfur: Twenty Years of War and Genocide as Photography Book Publisher of the Year at The 5th Annual Lucie Awards.

Anatomy of a Murder

Seconds

Cape Fear

Grand Prix

Walk on the Wild Side

It’s a Mad Mad Mad Mad World

Bunny Lake is Missing

Bonjour Tristesse

Casino

West Side Story

The War of the Roses

Vertigo

Exodus

Why Man Creates - A Short film by Saul Bass