≥ notes

A minimalist music video poster by Federico Mancosu. (Via...

Thu, 26 Aug 2010 10:03:58 +0100

A minimalist music video poster by Federico Mancosu.

(Via yay!everyday)

By Penguin China for their fifth anniversary. Designed by Martin...

Wed, 25 Aug 2010 15:53:00 +0100

By Penguin China for their fifth anniversary. Designed by Martin Barnes.

Geometric hints of 35 films in two minutes. (via Curved White)

Mon, 09 Aug 2010 13:44:00 +0100

Geometric hints of 35 films in two minutes.

(via Curved White)

Allen Lane, Penguin’s founder, reads with a friend. Via...

Sun, 08 Aug 2010 12:53:00 +0100

Allen Lane, Penguin’s founder, reads with a friend. Via BBC News. That bird’s got good taste.

Via Book Worship. I think it’s the black space and the...

Wed, 04 Aug 2010 11:33:04 +0100

Via Book Worship.

I think it’s the black space and the bright blue but I find this very pleasing. (Also, as noted at Book Worship, the pleasure of seeing a good, simple idea well executed.)

Well, this just made my day. (Via If Charlie Parker Was a...

Fri, 30 Jul 2010 11:56:48 +0100

Well, this just made my day.

(Via If Charlie Parker Was a Gunslinger,There’d Be a Whole Lot of Dead Copycats)

A great designer on why design is not art

Thu, 22 Jul 2010 14:07:00 +0100

Peter Mendelsund seems created to inspire jealousy, the sort of guy who you suspect has so many strings to his bow he may be secreting other bows around his person. He may have my bow: I’m not sure I’ve seen it for a while. One of the very best book designers currently working, he’s intelligent and reflective, and his blog is always worth reading.

Here he is on the ‘The ways in which design is not art’.

I came across this in the Wittgenstein:

“Taste makes things acceptable.” Der geschmack macht annehmbar.
“Taste can be charming, but not gripping.” Geschmack kann entzücken, aber nicht ergreifen.

Due to many factors (the mechanisms of the approval process; design’s fundamentally commercial aspects…) when one examines the field of design, one cannot help but come to the conclusion that good design must be, above all, likeable.

Design is too intimately entangled with matters of taste (to use Wittgenstein’s word) to be demanding enough to be Art. I have to say that in my years in the field, I’ve yet to be made to cry by a work of design. I’ve yet to be forced to view the world differently due to a work of design. I’ve yet to be really, truly gripped by a work of design. I know it’s deeply self-defeating to say this, yet, the best design has only ever evoked in me the feeling of “that’s cool.”

…

I’m fairly content to view design as a field that fosters contentment. It certainly fosters my own.

Darwin's Library

Thu, 22 Jul 2010 13:51:01 +0100

There’s a fairly new blog of thoughtful writing about the development of the book, called Darwin’s Library. Have a look at the comparison between the different versions of Alice in Wonderland currently available.

Clay Shirky talking about his new book Cognitive Surplus. (I...

Wed, 14 Jul 2010 18:24:56 +0100

Clay Shirky talking about his new book Cognitive Surplus. (I filmed/edited it, but it’s an interesting concept too.)

Roberto de Vicq de Cumptich’s design for Little Bee by...

Fri, 09 Jul 2010 12:04:07 +0100

Roberto de Vicq de Cumptich’s design for Little Bee by Chris Cleave.

(via bookcoverdesign)

José Saramago

Fri, 18 Jun 2010 18:25:54 +0100

José Saramago, author of Blindness, Seeing, The Double and many other books has died aged 87. I haven’t read much Saramago, but what I have was very well written, intelligent and absolutely entertaining. It’s true that an author’s death is a sad but effective mechanism for bringing attention to their work – but don’t let that prevent you from picking up one of his books.

And is there another Nobel Laureate anywhere published to look as much fun to read?

Currently listening to this. It’s helping a...

Tue, 08 Jun 2010 16:03:15 +0100

Currently listening to this. It’s helping a bit.

‘Billie Holiday’ from Exquisite Corpse by Warpaint. Hosted by The Fader.

The excellent Pictures for Sad Children goes street art.

Mon, 07 Jun 2010 21:35:38 +0100

The excellent Pictures for Sad Children goes street art.

Up There – a beautifully filmed and touching short documentary...

Sun, 16 May 2010 11:23:50 +0100

Up There – a beautifully filmed and touching short documentary on the dying art of hand-painting advertising murals. via The Casual Optimist.

Pogo, who usually samples small fragments of films and puts them...

Sun, 09 May 2010 12:45:41 +0100

Pogo, who usually samples small fragments of films and puts them together into delightful things like ‘Alice‘ and ’Expialidocious’, gives the same treatment to his mum and her garden. That’s a good kid.

Illustrations by Peter Taylor, found via Lookwork.

Thu, 22 Apr 2010 09:02:08 +0100

Illustrations by Peter Taylor, found via Lookwork.

Speaking of impressive, artistically-polygonal animation,...

Fri, 16 Apr 2010 10:36:21 +0100

Speaking of impressive, artistically-polygonal animation, here’s a video for Massive Attack’s ‘Splitting the Atom’ directed by Edouard Salier.

via Kitsune Noir.

Pivot, a short film with a unique animation style and some...

Thu, 15 Apr 2010 15:09:20 +0100

Pivot, a short film with a unique animation style and some brilliant sound design, all in service of a gripping little story. Take the five minutes.

http://pivotthemovie.com/

via Coudal

Robert Heinlein’s correspondence checklist, via Maud...

Tue, 13 Apr 2010 17:52:27 +0100

Robert Heinlein’s correspondence checklist, via Maud Newton.

Run, Jesus, Run! An extremely blasphemous and very funny flash game.

Sun, 28 Mar 2010 22:28:00 +0100

Run, Jesus, Run! An extremely blasphemous and very funny flash game.