Friday Apr 27, 2012 by mike
Philately Fridays: Germany, 1979
Two stamps from the German Democratic Republic, celebrating the International Year of the Child.
Wednesday Feb 29, 2012 by mike
Sketchbook for Owen & Keith
We were recently contacted by Austin-based art director Rob Story about designing and printing a poster for an event he's helping organize (more on that in the months to come). Rob told us about a project he started a few years ago. He began passing around a blank sketchbook to different artists to have them draw something for his two sons, Owen and Keith. It has blossomed into a stunning collection of art from some of today's greatest living illustrators and graphic artists - a truly incredible gift for his kids. It reminded me of Aye Jay's The Rest Is Up To You project. Here are some of the pages from the collection and here's a link to see the rest.
Monday Jan 30, 2012 by mike
1970's Comic Book Ads
Growing up, I was never much of a comic book fan the way a lot of my friends were (and still are in some cases), but I was always drawn to the artwork in the ads. Maybe there was something about the layout and graphic qualities that spoke to me more than the actual stories did. Here are a few great ads I scanned out of some old comics. I'll be putting more of these online soon!
Wednesday Dec 14, 2011 by mike
Hlava Rezatá, Noha Strakatá
Super shoutout to my designer / drummer / film enthusiast friend Sam Smith (Sam's Myth) for putting me up on this incredible children's book from the Czech Republic. He came across a copy in Japan and showed it to me when we were nerding out over design books during Thanksgiving break. This book, written by Vera Provazníková and illustrated by Jan Kubícek, was released in 1983 but has a distinct early '70s feel to it. Maybe it's because they weren't able to easily keep up with new design trends in the rest of the world or maybe it's because they loved these styles, but alot of Eastern European designers held onto the popular design and illustration styles from the early 1970s all throughout the '80s and I don't have a problem with that at all.
OK, now sit back and enjoy just a few samples from this great book:
Saturday Nov 26, 2011 by mike
BRLSQ Fan Art
We were pretty excited to receive this photo in our inbox recently. Our friend Sandra over in Ireland sent us this pic of her daughter Anna Mae's drawing of our Sunshine Hot Dog graphic. This gets our full support and we'd love to see more reinterpretations of our work in this style. If your youngster happens to be doodling their own version of an Arcade Fire poster, Alphabet print, or even a certain R. Kelly shirt, send us a photo and we'll share it on our blog!
Monday Oct 17, 2011 by mike
Eli, no!
This is so cool... Friend-of-Burlesque Katie Kirk wrote and illustrated a gorgeous children's book about her unconditional love for Eli, her Chocolate Labrador. A few years ago, some prototypes were produced, but now the book has been officially published by Abrams Books and can be purchased by anyone just about anywhere! We've been a fan of Katie's work for quite some time. She and her husband Nathan run the fantastic Eight Hour Day design studio here in Minneapolis. Together they've been featured in Communication Arts and HOW magazines and you may have seen some of the great work they've created for Target, The New York Times, Wired, or the Minnesota Orchestra.
