Wonderful New Stop-Action Short from PES

A little outside the usual box, but this is so perfectly done it’ll just make you smile all over. Thanks to PES for creating such wonderful things…

New York Street Artist Creates Creatures from Trash Bags

I absolutely love street art–it’s artistic expression in a very pure and unbridled form. However, this guy beats anything I’ve seen yet. Using trash bags mounted over subway grates, he creates animals that inflate each time a train passes through. It’s just mesmerizing… NY Magazine has a behind-the-scenes look at how he does it, here. Thanks to BoingBoing for the find.

Random: Fun with Kittens!

On vacation this week, but this little tidbit crossed my desk from boingboing…  if you know anything about cats, this will make you laff out loud… Enjoy!

Author Sues Bookstores for Selling His Book

COPYRIGHT FOOLISHNESS that defies logic reported this week in Publishers Weekly: several bookstores (including Amazon and Barnes & Noble) are named in a lawsuit filed by an author for selling his book. Nice way to make friends and influence people.

Shakespeare was right. About the lawyers.

Cool Old Collections Stickers for Those Really Stubborn Accounts

Ran across some very nifty old collections stickers in an article about collecting past due payments. With the economy getting rockier by the day, even some of your best paying clients may be getting a little slow, or even downright late.

Their advice in a nutshell: stay after your slow accounts, as the squeaky wheel tends to get the oil. People in the business of collections say starting out nice is always your best bet, and become gradually more aggressive as time goes along. Stay away from threatening language as long as possible, and always be open to some sort of payment plan so you’re at least receiving some money. Remember, these people are your clients, and you’re all in the soup together.

Heck, if nothing else works, maybe plastering one of these old reminders on your letter will get someone’s attention. Certainly can’t hurt to try!

1930s Marriage Test: a Blueprint for Happiness

Great fun, kids:  Rate your spouse by 1930s-era standards!

husbandwifetest.pdf

“A psychologist’s attempt to improve marriages provides an interesting glimpse into the social norms of the 1930s—and into one of the first scientific matchmaking services.” A hell of a good read for anyone who’s married, been married, or not the least interested in getting married! Note the icy gaze of the presumed Dr. Crane–difficult to say whether he’s dealing with wayward adults or a nasty clutch of errant school children…  a sure bet to put you in the appropriately somber mood for the Serious Business about to follow.

Side note: I’m not sure it’s fair for men to be whacked for a whole demerit for “Rolls in bed covers–pulls them off wife.” (#41, husband’s test)  Seems like a fairly minor crime.

If you’re looking for a bit more info on the source, go here. 

Peep Hole Marketing Gimmick is Hilarious

I gather from the comments on BB that this isn’t the first time the world has seen this visual trick.  Oh sure, it probably doesn’t really get any new business, and it very probably annoys the dickens out of a lot of people… but it’s STILL remarkably clever–and absolutely hilarious!  Bound to be lots of other clever/funny images you could put to similar use. Adding it to my list of things to do to torment my neighbors who have peep holes.

 

In Case You Need a New Design Trick…

…this one’s already been used. And used, and used, and USED. The “A-Frame” it’s called. Human legs, spread in the foreground, usually viewed from behind, framing the greater scene in the distance. Some excellent images in this group.

Another Talented Illustrator

Yet another fine talent, who’s work I somehow haven’t run across before. May not be everyone’s cup o’ tea, but I just love his stuff… Brian Taylor, aka, CandyKiller… working across the pond in Scotland, I believe.

“Inspired by : b-movies, bazooka joe, cheap novelties, cult sci-fi television, early Mad comic books, famous monsters of filmland, fireworks packaging, freakshows, horror comics, hula girl kitsch, japanese pop culture”, etc., etc. You get the idea. Also produces some fine original art that he sells as well. Keep up the good work, Brian.

Have You Been “keming” Correctly?

This dandy gem came across my email recently:

It took me a minute to get it, but when I got it, I loved it! One of those inside joke things that you can flaunt in front of all your non-designer friends… or designer friends too, for that matter. Thanks to David at Ironic Sans for an excellent little quip, AND a cool t-shirt to boot!

Multi-Talented

Every once in a great while, I stumble across an artist who is so effortlessly talented and truly original that it’s awe-inspiring, and I become a bit star-struck. These are trying moments for me: on the one hand, I want to immediately call them up and gush with appreciation for the sheer existance of their remarkable talent. On the other hand, I am saddened that my own tiny efforts seem to pale so miserably in comparison, after which I want to throw rocks at everything I’ve ever done.

Such is the case with a gentleman named Ross MacDonald. An exceedingly talented illustrator & designer, a wonderful eye for humor, a Hollywood prop-maker, and a printer of fine letterpress work to boot. A long list of well-deserved A-list clients grace his wonderful web site, along with an abundance of excellent work. A veritable renaissance man of sorts, unafraid of tackling whatever sort of challenge or thought that crosses his path–and apparently succeeding quite well at all of them. I enjoyed making my way through every bit of it (especially the letterpress section), turning greener with envy at every click of the mouse. Very fine stuff here–I think you’ll really enjoy it.

The Woody Allen Font

An interesting bit on Woody Allen’s constant and endless use of the Windsor font for almost all of his movie titles and credits… the Woody Allen “brand”? Uggh. I’m starting to hate that word.

Thanks to Kit•Blog for an interesting piece nonetheless… here.