My friend/designer guy Patrick Truby made me these awesome business cards for the upcoming NESCBWI conference:
When I was at SCBWI in January I didn’t have any business cards and felt kind of silly writing out information to give to people. Now I’m excited to network with these.
Note: The weird squiggly lines in the picture are from where I blocked out some of the contact info. Not a design choice!
Most libraries have online databases now, but that doesn’t mean you can’t still have fun with card catalogs. Check out this delightful video from Sterling Memorial Library at Yale University:
A little part of me hopes this was created in an effort to procrastinate studying for finals.
(H/T Noa Wheeler)
This feels like something that should be part of an awesome middle grade novel: 9-year-old Caine Monroy made his own arcade:
Caine is pretty much the coolest kid ever. He’s so creative and hard-working! And I love that Nirvan inspired so much support for Caine, both through the flash mob and through this video. This totally warmed my heart.
A few more fun links for the day:
A little fun for your Friday: typographic matchmaking!
Designer Aura Seltzer has created Type Connection as her MFA thesis project. It lets you learn the design history of particular fonts and explore the potential connections between two different sets. A fun game, typographical design, and print history? Coolest thesis ever!
Get started here. Are you bold with your matches, or would you rather play it safe with similar styles?
A beautiful video by Glen Milner about the making of a book with traditional printing methods.
It might sound silly, but I’m reminded of segments on Sesame Street that showed how things like crayons or peanut butter were made. This is more sophisticated, but it’s still so cool to see the creation process of something you enjoy.
(via bookshelves of doom)
Mo Willems is the coolest. Also I really want a Pigeon stuffed animal now.
Reminder, Bostonians: Mo Williems will be at Brookline Booksmith on April 1!
(HT: Wellesley Booksmith)
Art and innovation doesn’t just come from someone working happily away on their project. Part of creative work involves frustration and failure. This video by Flash Rosenberg examines the agony of art and how that can lead us to imagining and creating the impossible:
Definitely something to bookmark and watch again when you feel like an artistic failure.
(via Brain Pickings)
A really arresting take on Little Red Riding Hood:
Between the silhouetted animation, the intense music, and the take on violence in the fairy tale, I found it captivating. Even though it’s a somewhat gruesome take, I’m very intrigued by the idea of how the hero doesn’t necessarily live happily ever after, even if she’s survived. Kudos to directors Jorge Jaramillo and Carlo Guillot.
(via Alyssa at Think Progress–more on fairy tales there too)
It’s hard to imagine The Hunger Games without that iconic mockingjay pin image. But, as with most cover art, I didn’t know exactly who created this image. Turns out it’s Tim O’Brien, artist and professor of illustration at University of the Arts. About the image, he says:
“It’s elegant because of the way the wings are displayed…The head bowed is a less proud position. He is turned back into the circle.”
It’s interesting to think of that description as a reflection of Katniss and the Districts of Panem. There’s a combination of strength and acquiescence, and the potential for sudden movement.
Make sure to click through for more about O’Brien and his illustration.
(image: The Hunger Games Wiki)