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Finally, FINALLY, I’ve started that poster collection I’ve been talking about. I decided to go with a couple prints from Methane Studios- I discovered the shop during my search for letterpress and silkscreen work and I love the variety of their work- great prices too! I decided to go with a Cat Power print that I thought would add nice accent color to the black and white decor of one of my rooms. I also chose an Iron and Wine print because I love the colors and composition of the piece.
One of the reasons I’ve held off on the posters is the expense of framing, but once I searched for frame shops online, I found an awesome, cheap (but great quality) shop! It’s called American Frame- they will cut your frame the exact size you need, there are tons of frame colors to choose from, and you can get plexiglass, mat board and foam backing cut to size. The only catch is that you have to put the frame together yourself, but it took me 10 minutes to put both frames together- it was seriously dummy-proof. I highly recommend this store- I got my posters and everything I needed for framing for just over $100- it usually costs more than that just to get a piece framed. Ok, enough of my American Frame love fest.
With the impending move, I’m trying to keep this phrase in mind. I have yet to start my new poster collection, but I think it’s imperative that this piece be a part of it, especially with school starting in the fall.
Apparently it’s a replication of an old WWII poster and I love it. Simplicity in design is my thing.
This interview was just posted today on the Design*Sponge guest blog- fitting, since I only just discovered Yee-Haw. The photos of the shop look so interesting and it looks like they have an awesome type foundry! It would be really cool to see their studio in person. I will definitely have to see what I can pursue in the area of printmaking; it’s something I’d like to try my hand at, even if I have to rig up my own little print studio or revert back to lino-cuts.
Lately, I’ve become somewhat enticed by letterpress and printmaking. I think it’s something that I would like to look into in grad school and maybe carry into my career. At my school interview, they said that they have a new printmaking studio, but no one ever has time to use it (hmmm… well I’d at least like to check it out before the craziness begins).
The only printmaking I’ve ever done was in high school with linoleum blocks, but I really enjoyed it. (Interesting, given my later summer stint at the Speedball factory.)
I was googling letterpress looking for some companies that work in the field and hoping to find some artwork for my future home office, when I ran across Yee-Haw Industries. I really like their prints- so many of them, in fact, that I can’t decide which one I want to purchase.
My new font-love: Whitney by Tobias Frere-Jones. We just purchased it for a new publication I’m working on and I’m especially excited to use the Numeric range for all the tables and figures that will be involved. You would never guess what kinds of things a slightly out of line number chart will make people do. Let’s just say I’ve encountered scenes that could have come straight from 28 Days Later. I’m sure the designers for Zagat’s breathed a huge sigh of relief at the discovery of such an eye-catching yet user-friendly element.
The other morning while I was walking to work I saw a discarded Safeway soda can. I’d noticed that the Safeway soda line had recently been redesigned, but I hadn’t really taken a look at the new cans. So last night I made my way over to my neighborhood Safeway and spent a little time in the soda aisle.
I like the new designs – they’re much more interesting than the old Safeway Select design. They have a pop art feel to them and the design is simple enough that it can be altered according to flavor. I like the way that the name of each soda is presented in a straightforward way. The designs are so simplistic, but they emit such a fun vibe of “try me, i’m fruity and delicious.” The bright color blocks really tie the whole lighthearted design together.
I got to thinking, wouldn’t it be interesting to repurpose empty cans into a some sort of pop art piece – maybe a sculpture? Or what about a series of prints, each featuring a single flavor, a la Andy Warhol’s Campbell’s soup print? How about a play on a Rembrant-esque still life featuring a can placed beside the actual fruit it represents on a bare wooden table? I think that’s my favorite.
The folks at Safeway have included some pretty interesting flavors in the mix, grapefruit being the one that caught my eye. Then again, that may be because the grapefruit soda was the only flavor still fully stocked on a Wednesday night at 8:00. They don’t call it Soviet Safeway for nothing.
One of my favorite artists is illustrator Grady Mcferrin. I first came across his work in an illustration issue of Communication Arts magazine a few years ago. The issue showcased a few of his music posters for the Fillmore. I’m planning on starting an artistic poster collection soon, and a Grady McFerrin will definitely be among my first purchases. I haven’t yet decided which of his works I like best yet but “Blind Boys” is definitely one of my favorites.
