Internet Soul Portraits (I.S.P.)

I love this project by Mazza Media that takes popular web sites and strips them down to their basics. We get to see the bones of the site without all the guts. (who could have imagined myspace without all the farkles?)

Seeing Red

Seeing Red is a poster exhibit and fund raiser formed by two Carnegie Mellon alumni and one Art Institute alumna. This is the type of communication design that I find truly inspirational. Design that challenges perceptions.

"The title, Seeing Red, refers to the artists' unrest with contemporary issues as well as the common visual theme of the show: red and black. More than a venue or even a dialogue, Seeing Red is also a fundraiser, as all profits from poster sales benefit a charity of the designer's choice.

Our attempt is to create more than a dialogue. We are attempting to create a tangible method of bettering the world.

The posters at Seeing Red have been printed by hand in a traditional form of printmaking called silkscreening. This method allows the printer to use two pure inks, making the red and black extremely rich and vibrant. Screenprints have a textural quality not found in other methods of printing. All posters in this exhibit have been printed on archival quality paper. As only 15 prints of each poster have been made, this is a very unique opportunity to own an original piece of artwork."

Julie Blackmon

I love these photographs by Julie Blackmon. The subject matter is so familiar yet the compositions make the images quirky. I love her use of space. There are a lot of small bits to look at and in many of the images there is something just peeking onto the frame. You can learn more or purchase her images here.

Death to Helvetica

This shirt angers me, not because it is anti-helvetica, but because it is terrible design. There is a thoughtless use of ornaments and alternates. Also, it is $60. Gross.

Makeshift Design & Illustration

I absolutely love the painted quality and use of type in this poster by Pascal Tremblay.

Kinetic Typography

This is a motion graphics piece done by a student from Carnegie Mellon University, Heebok Lee. The video takes a powerful poem by Edna St. Vincent Millay and gives it life with motion and sound. You really have to see this one for yourself.

Type Humor via Veer

I love this shirt from Veer. Not crazy about the cut, but the punchline is perfect.

Stephen Baden Photography

These photos by Stephen Baden caught my eye because of striking composition and the attention to color and detail in the second image.

"Hide That Can" by Big Active

"Hide That Can" by Big Active is a great example of good photography meets good design. The composition of the images and white space control and strengthen one another.

I am also very excited by the way the title is treated. The title is letter pressed into the back cover of the book, subtle and striking.

Buck 'n Jims

I love these Buck 'n Jims packages, via Capsule Shak. Lovely colors + a sense of humor. You can also download the desktop wallpaper pictured above, I know I couldn't resist.

Vintage Album Covers

Here are a couple great vintage album covers. I am often inspired by the pre-computer age of design. The final pieces just seem so much more genuine, knowing that photoshop was not involved. They are also simply great fun. I found these images here.

Helvetica's Birthday

This poster was designed Experimental Jetset, an Amsterdam-based design team.


The typeface Helvetica is turning 50 this year. The celebration is complete with a documentary by Gary Hustwit. Designers everywhere are giving a nod to the typeface staple.


Veer has this great notebook for sale. They have a knack for selling products geared toward lovers of everything graphic design. It is a gift and a curse to find jokes about typography so, so funny.


When Microsoft first created Arial they heavily based the design (stole?) from Helvetica. Here is a great article about Helvetica vs. Arial, by Mark Simonson, and also a quiz to test your knowledge of the two. If you still want more of this type fight you can even play a flash game, by Engage.


For those who really, really love Helvetica here are wall panels that showcase Helvetica numerals. The panels come in 11 different colors, my favorites are the white and the chocolate pear.



Helvetica, normally seen as a very conservative typeface, gets a sexy makeover with this poster designed at the School of Visual Arts for the cover of CMYK magazine.

Mustard Gas Party Photography

These images are brought to you by Mustard Gas Party. After discovering them a few years ago, I have been continually inspired. There are many amazing images in their portfolio and these are some of my favorites. The use of color and light makes abandoned, dirty, rundown spaces look beautiful.

Great Vintage Package

This is a package for a hair net from the 1940's that I found on ebay. I love the golden color and simplicity of the design. My favorite part about the package is that it does not actually depict a hair net, a rarity for this time period.