Why is it that everything Damien Hirst creates I really, really like. On Other Criteria there isn't any one thing that I would not want of his. There are a lot of great artists on the site but something about it makes me gravitate towards his pieces. Does he have the midas touch? Anything he touches turns to (consumer) gold.

Cooper Union has a fresh new look. Dimensional, colorful and full of new life. Am I a fan of it? Not yet, but maybe it will grow on me. There's a good overview on The New York Times by Steven Heller pointing Doyle Partners as the creator.

"to design a logo that "transcends history, tradition and culture; and to embrace the future."

I'm unsure about the "embrace the future" portion because decades ago the public made some pretty odd predictions about the future which we are now living in and they were, well ... wrong. So is this the future of Cooper Union?

I agree that the logo works very well, it's a good design and they made it work in still and motion versions (see video above). But I really miss good ol' typography and that leaves me yearning for something a bit more traditional. Something like the type design by Herb Lubalin shown above.

Thanks to DO for the insight

A very well written article is now available over on the FontFeed (the blog of FontShop) about the various weights and styles that can come in any type family by Yves Peters. Styles, Weights, Widths; It's All in The (Type) Family focuses on several things, one being the mention of difference between obliqued and italicized type:

While an oblique looks like a slanted version of the roman weight, an italic has a different design. Most notably the double-storey lowercase "a" and "g" turn into single-storey forms, although some designs preserve the double-storey "g".

Don't miss the handy list of typography-related abbreviations on Unzipped, something that can be useful!

When you have a 5-year old and are trying to think of how to infuse some creativity, I always find that someone has beat me to it. The Official Tooth Fairy Kit is so adorable and looks so official that I immediately bought one for smy son. He's been talking a lot about the tooth fairy and tooth loss although he doesn't have any loose teeth yet. He sees other kids who are missing some of their pearly whites and questions what has happened to them, usually he thinks they were in a hockey fight being a fan of the sport but lately we've been able to inform him otherwise.

The Official Tooth Fairy Kit contains one letterpress Certificate of Record for filing with your local Tooth Fairy and one reusable silkscreened cloth deposit bag for your first and all subsequent transactions. The official certificate keeps record of name, age, tooth lost, method of extraction and compensation information.

So when the time comes, I will be prepared!

Here's a notebook spread of beautifully made blackletter letterforms. Pretty, dark and I love them! First seen on FFFFOUND! and then again on Flickr. This image is from the user Depression Press photostream that has lots of lettering and more.

Yesterday at 8:00am I boarded a Bieber bus with my sister Deanna, and her girlfriend Chimae, heading towards New York City to take our first ever letterpress workshop at The Arm NYC in Brooklyn. I can't begin to tell you how great of an experience this was, Daniel Morris (the owner of The Arm) was an excellent teacher. First showing us a little demonstration on the press and then allowing us to jump right in to print and then experiment on our own.

The experience I gained proved that my obsession over letterpress for the past few years is exactly what I thought, it's something I always wanted to learn and I want to learn more. The shop itself is like a letterpress wonderland filled with machinery that would make any craftsperson or creative swoon over the possibilites. Dan showed his eight students (myself included), how the polymer plates work, registration of those plates, setting wood type and printing on a Vandercook, setting metal type and printing on a Platen press and so much more. Getting familiar with the case that holds type was a challenge but with time I'm sure it comes naturally.

When struggling with composing my metal type Dan took over like a pilot behind the wheel of a plane. I asked him if it was second nature now (he comes from a family of printers) and his response was "I don't know, I don't really think about it when I do it..." all the while with a smile on his face. Dan knows his stuff and it is a pleasure to witness someone in a position of doing what they were meant to do. He let each team do their own thing and was available if you needed help along the way. He didn't fill your head with all of the technical aspects (unless asked) and really made it fun to learn this art.

A big thank you to Dan and his lovely helper, Henry the dalmation who was the most well behaved dog I've ever met and if you are considering taking a workshop...go to Dan at The Arm, you won't regret it!

A very nice quote over on Andy Rutledge's site, I couldn't not share it.

I love when an article, book, blog post, podcast focuses on a designer and what they have gone through to get to where they are now. I especially like this article, Drawing Board to Desktop: A Designer's Path on the New York Times where Michael Bierut remembers the days where his career began.

Like a chef, I brought my knives with me.

I didn't begin my career in the way that Mr. Bierut did, but that is how my study in the field of design began. In tenth grade I opted to enroll in the Commercial Art program which was part of the Vo-Tech program in our county that allowed me to pursue a field of interest. We did paste-ups, color theory and much more. We dabbled on the computer but it wasn't the sole tool that we relied on like today. I too, have my T-square (although it's stored in a cabinet) and I still enjoy my sketch book to avoid a complete overload on my brain from the glow of the monitor. Great article, highly recommended reading!

Still, I wonder if we haven't lost something in the process: the deliberation that comes with a slower pace, the attention to detail required when mistakes can't be undone with the click of a mouse.

Did I ever tell you folks that my family used to take me spelunking? That's right, we used to go adventuring into caverns. The first time I went spelunking I was probably 12 or 13 along with my dad and his friend Gary. Once we were inside the opening of the cave I freaked out and couldn't go any further. I never experienced that feeling before. Then again, a year or two later we went inside of a cave in West Virginia with the whole family. We all went inside and man was it an experience I'll never forget, I don't know if I could do it again (as much as I want to) but I know I'll never forget it.

The video above is about the amazing photography by Stephen Alvarez who has a team, and together take unimaginable photos of these below-ground wonderlands.

I'm an art enthusiast. I can honestly say I don't know all my art history, but any mention of art perks my ears up. I've even considered pursuing a degree in Art History, the courses at Kutztown University with art history were my favorite. I regret not getting a minor in it and took several courses and then some but just didn't have the time between working several jobs and working on my Communication Design degree.

Well, ome smART people put together a text book website on art and it's history over at smarthistory.org. Started by Dr. Beth Harris and Dr. Steven Zucker the site is a free multi-media web-book as a dynamic enhancement or substitue for the traditional favored textbook.

"an old model of closed and protected content, eliminating Web 2.0 possibilities for the open collaboration and open communities that our students now use and expect."

I like that they are taking the web and making it an accessible place for students and artists who want to know more about the art that they love and it's history. When working at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, one of my favorite things while walking through the back corridor which is closed from the public, was being able to occasionally sneak a peek into the rooms where they inspect and restore the pieces in the collection. It always fascinated me and I think that is what the web is providing these days, a transparency to industries from those on the inside wanting to share it with the world.

There is an artist inside of me dying to revisit my interest in art history and I think smART history might make that happen a little sooner.

Not sure where to begin? Try the "Where Should I Start" button on the site. Looking to dive right in? There is an interactive timeline on the home page, over 200 artworks and over 140 podcasts!

Studio on Fire has an interesting slideshow available on their blog, Beast Pieces showing the platemaking process in several steps. Three more days until my letterpress workshop at The ArmNYC !!!!

I can't even remember how I found the videos on Vimeo from A Bryan Photo, but I just love them and want to share them. Their work for weddings is gorgeous, especially their 8mm films and the Polaroid books. Check them out on Vimeo or on their official website.

An Elevator Ride from A Bryan Photo on Vimeo.

The architects of Iconstrux Architecture have taken on the Vancouver Special, a style of home produced quickly and inexpensively from 1965-1985 and have transformed it into a beautiful new home. Using the existing framework of the previous home they took this challenge head-on and made an amazing transformation. I would love to live in a home as wonderful as this. It has great structure, many windows for great natural lighting, open spaces on the inside and an overall simplicity that is ever-so appealing.

View the post about the transformation and the before photos on contemporist.com

A new site has surfaced dedicated the life and career of Paul Rand. Who is Paul Rand? Shame on you if you're a designer, but if you're not a designer he is one of the most well known American graphic designers.

He is most known for his corporate logo designs for IBM, ABC, UPS, and many more. Under the link Thoughts on Design you can read articles, view videos, and find information on events and exhibitions having to do with Mr. Rand.

A great site for a man with a great career in design.

I am loving these adorable clips that incorporate animated monsters into real scenes from illustrator Volstok Telefunken. Check out the website for more of these fun-loving clips!

Monsters: 040 Ballenbad from Volstok Telefunken on Vimeo.

Thanks to Drawn! for the great link!

Design Auction St. Bride is an auction featuring reknowned designers and artists to benefit the St. Bride library in London. Scheduled to take place on March 19 (my sister's birthday!) at 5pm and the includes works by Paula Scher, Studio 8, Magma, johnson banks and more. The auction is being conducted by Lincoln School of Art & Design (they have a great logo, by the way; see below) and half of the proceeds from the auction will go to the St. Bride library which depends on donations to provide the community with lectures, performances, lessons and]]> Thu, 29 Jan 2009 22:45:23 -0800 http://virb.com/fayeandco/posts/text/1060419 http://virb.com/fayeandco/posts/text/1060418

Combine illustration and type and you'll get the work of Craig Ward. He resides in London and spends his time creating outstanding typography and designs at Chi & Partners and through his own Freelance opportunities. His website Words Are Pictures showcases his commissioned and self-initiated work mostly in the editorial and publishing fields. He's received accolades from the likes of the ADC Young Guns and his work appears in many books and magazines from all around the world.

His work displays his knowledge of type and how to combine letterforms with illustration. I was really impressed with is work for the Art Director's Club, Germany with the Ace of Spades (shown below), a set of playing cards by Sushi 9. Yummy!

Studio Ten and a Half has quite the impressive portfolio with strong graphic designs using type and color. It is a london-based studio started by two designers who met while working at Pentagram London, who further on down the line began this new studio with strong work as the foundation. The studio is run by it's founders, Jessie Earle and Charlotte Bolton

Who? What? Where?

Guerilla Girls is a fierce group of women exposing unfair treatment with facts, humor and ... gorilla masks.

Guerrilla Girls, Inc., www.guerrillagirls.com, was established by two founding Guerrilla Girls and other members to continue the use of provocative text, visuals and humor in the service of feminism and social change. They have written several books and create projects about the art world, film, politics and pop culture. They travel the world, talking about the issues and their experiences as feminist masked avengers, reinventing the "f" word into the 21st century.

They may wear masks (and for good reasons) but their words and messages should not be taken any less seriously. For more information visit their website.

Thanks to FFFFOUND!