A New Year, An Awesome Book, and the Candy-O-Matic…
For whatever reason, there comes a point when our logic and experiences take over. To put it frankly: our internal grown-up wins the war against our imagination. Which brings me to just a few words about an amazing book, rather, an awesome book, as in: An Awesome Book by Dallas Clayton. The book, in the style of all the books many loved as a kid, was a huge hit when the first edition was published and because of its success of course, it’s being printed again, to be made available to ship some time in January (if you want a copy you should probably grab one now). The illustrations are detailed and magical, reminiscent of drawings that a child would make or one’s own early mock-ups of inventions that were never developed as planned… like the mansion made entirely of bubble gum… or the ray gun that turned enemies into a goldfish. And much like the beloved Dr. Suess books, it’s needless to say that not only is it inspiring but it rhymes too… and rhyming is always fun whether you like to admit it or not.
Here are a few images from the book:
[Images from http://www.veryawesomeworld.com/awesomebook/inside.html ]
More can be found about the book from http://radder.bigcartel.com/product/an-awesome-book and http://dallasclayton.com/products/
Confrontations with Esquire
For those of you who have not yet seen it, the MoMA in NYC is providing the public a look at what great communication design really is. George Lois: The Esquire Covers exhibition is a collection of the most though provoking, controversial magazine covers designed by Lois. For anyone interested in the communication arts, or just politics or subjects that are… well… controversial, this is an excellent exhibition to see. And though it’ll be around until March 30th, it’s always good to beat the closing-exhibition crowds.
George Lois: The Esquire Covers
[Photos from: http://www.lostateminor.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/03/george-lois-8.jpg, http://www.thenewyorkcitytraveler.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/04/6804-esquire-ali-stsebastian.jpg, http://media.newtimes.com/2175166.47.jpg, http://cache.gawker.com/assets/images/gawker/2008/04/22858553.jpg.]
Once Upon a Wall…
The Cooper-Hewitt is featuring “Wall Stories: Children’s Wallpapers and Books” through April 5th, 2009. It is a collection that keeps us all in touch with fairy tales and the child within, and for those of us who can recall the nostalgia of having inspirational wallpaper in their rooms when they were growing up, or their favorite book to read through nap time at school. From the Cooper-Hewitt’s own description:
“Works on view will include papers illustrated with nursery rhymes and designs inspired by works of fiction and adventure, such as Peter Rabbit, Alice in Wonderland, and Cinderella. The exhibition also will trace the evolution of children’s books from instructional to fictional and include developments such as movable and pop-up books, which added an interactive element to children’s reading.”
For anyone interested in designing or illustrating, or writing children’s books this is a good exhibition to see. Read more about Wall Stories and get more exhibition information at http://cooperhewitt.org/EXHIBITIONS/wallstories/
