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