Kinetic Typography

Do you remember that Men At Work "Land Down Under" video that literally acted out every verse of the song? Well, these videos take it one step further by literally spelling out the lyrics. As a type aficionado, one could imagine how excited I was when I found this link on computerlove. I've been really into kinetic typography since a professor of mine introduced me to the term five years ago. And as some know, I did my senior project on Saul Bass, the man who kinda started it all with his kick-ass film title sequences for the likes of Alfred Hitchcock and Otto Preminger. More kinetic type videos here. Really nice collection of film title sequences there.

Kinetic Typography

Me fail English? That's unpossible.

Another Simpsons shtik! I almost fell off the treadmill this morning when I saw this Harper's Bazaar spread. Homer in the background with Karl Lagerfeld is the best.

Me fail English? That's unpossible.

ABC's

I love all things macabre. Blame it on my latent goth tendencies. Hence my love for The Gashlycrumb Tinies by Edward Gorey. It is an illustrated story of 26 children, one for each letter of the alphabet, and how each meet his or her ghastly demise. Though produced in 1963 in the U.S., it definitely has a European, Edwardian-era feel. According to Wikipedia, Gorey is recognized for an array of work, including set and costume design, screenplays, book illustration, and surrealist art. The The Edward Gorey House in Yarmouthport Massachusetts celebrates all things Gorey. Plus, some LA horror band recording a song called "A Gorey Demise" in his honor!

ABC's

The snozzberries taste like snozzberries

I love tongue-in-check design, and though in most instances design of this sort is cast off as low-brow, the Glasgow textile and wallpaper design studio Timorous Beasties has gained much praise even amongst the snootiest of critics. They were even shortlisted for the 2005 Designer of the Year award. They quite cleverly describe their design style as "William Morris on Acid". Nice! I reallllly would like their Toile de Jouy wallpaper which initially looks like a traditional toile scene until a closer look reveals crack addicts, whores, and rif raff. It's all done quite well. You can see more of their whimsy here.

The snozzberries taste like snozzberries

2012 Olympic Logo

So London's 2012 Olympic logo (designed by Wolff Olins) has been unveiled and wow people pissed. Apparently it cost £400,000 (which my pound-to-dollar converter tells me is $796,879), took a year to develop, and was inspired by graffiti art. Though intended to be "vibrant" and "youthful", the general consensus is that it is completely overpriced and an artistic flop. There is even a petition to change it! I don't hate it, but I'm far from impressed. It seems that the placement of "London" and the Olympic rings was a complete afterthought. However, the best comment I've yet to read is from The Daily Telegraph:
"What it reminds me of, and you will have to forgive me if you consider this lewd, is Lisa Simpson performing an unnatural act upon her brother Bart."
I will NEVER be able to see that logo again without thinking the same.

2012 Olympic Logo

"Quotation Mark" Abuse

Quotation mark abuse is "running rampant" throughout "society". Here's a pool of photos on Flickr that documents the atrocity. I think I first found this link on boing boing... just to give credit where credit is due. Great time killer!

"Quotation Mark" Abuse

(Terran) Pan Galactic Gargle Blaster

Since it's Friday and rainy and I'm sure many of our minds are already at the pub (did I just turn British?), I think an appropriate posting would be the recipe for the (Earthly Version) Pan Galactic Gargle Blaster, the best alcoholic drink in existence (according to the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy) and the namesake of this blog. If anyone ever actually makes this, and (gasp!) then drinks it, please document and send my way!
//Recipe:
1 oz. EverClear
4 oz. Bombay Sapphire or Jeremiah Weed
4 oz. Cold Wild Turkey
2 oz. Herredura Tequila
5 oz. Rum
1 worm from bottle of Mezcal
2 oz. Gatorade

You can find the original recipe here

(Terran) Pan Galactic Gargle Blaster

Estudio de Diseño // Zoveck

So I have been doing a lot of research looking for inspiring imagery for an impending tattoo (appointment is June 29th with Stephanie from New York Adorned, more to come!) and came across this fantastic group of designers from Mexico named Zoveck. They create the most incredible vintage/kitsch/mexicana imagery for an array of projects ranging from print and animation to individual art work. Check out their site which is fun in and of itself. I am currently trying to obtain a copy of their book called Manual Ilustrado de Magia Blanca but have had no luck as of yet; if anyone knows of a foreign/hard-to-find book distributor that may be able to help me, perhaps you could pass along their contact info? Though it may turn out that it's just a limited edition monograph, in which case I'm out of luck, but my Spanish is quite limited so I can't decipher from what I've found thus far!

Estudio de Diseño // Zoveck

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