This is one that all of us designers can appreciate. Ratatat’s video for their latest song “Drugs” is nothing more than a bunch of stock photos and video strung together. It’s painful to watch much like it’s painful to use stock photography; something we have all done at some point, for better or for worse. Enjoy…. or not…

[via ISO50]

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I have long been a fan of print design and specifically letterpress. I am in love with the idea of being able to see your work in person and touch it; moreover, being able to actually feel the impressions of a letterpressed piece. Today I stumbled upon this new book from Gestalten press titled Impressive. And now I think I need to purchase it.

According to the website:

Inspired by the challenge of hands-on tweaks and unpredictable results as well as the tactile qualities of different inks, papers, and binding techniques, today’s creatives are rediscovering old-fashioned printing methods and crafts. Impressive is a topical exploration of the interplay between current trends in graphic design and traditional handiwork such as letterpress printing, hand-cut linotype, chiselled woodblocks, and embossing. In addition to a rich selection of invitations, business cards, stationery, posters, and other material printed by hand, it offers personal insights from designers who are using old-fashioned techniques to create cutting-edge work.

‘Nuff said.

You can purchase it directly from Gestalten or from Amazon.

Back in the PlayStation 1 days, E3 was a totally happening event, full of game demos, elaborate booth designs and tons of freebies.  Each year since then, it has dwindled in size, finally bottoming out a couple years ago to relatively small airplane hangar in Santa Monica.  Fortunately, E3 has returned to its roots as a sensory overload event.  Each platform had something new to brag about.  The XBOX Kinect motion controller was a big hit, with ridiculous lines to try it.  The new Nintendo DS booth was so jammed with people; you had to wait just to get in and then wait again to play anything.   The PlayStation Move controller will also be a fun addition for PS3 owners, and will be instantly familiar to those familiar with the Wii.  Each exhibitor clearly didn’t cheap out on their booth designs, with special effects, costumes and elaborate architecture.  It was a great time and well worth the time and train ride downtown.  See you next year!

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I came across these funky glasses today while browsing the Upon A Fold web store. I thought they were some weird form of 3D glasses but in fact they are paper glasses for when you are in a bind. Just think of the times when you’ve broken your eye glasses or can’t find them because you are too blind to see without them! Kami-Megane are paper glasses with holes punched in such a way that they make the wearer focus their eyes clearly for emergency situations. According to Upon A Fold they actually work quite well. They are the genius of Japanese designer Azumi Mitsuboshi and come in a set of three — gold, red, and black. You can purchase them here for $16.50 AUD.

The iPhone 4. Does it even need an introduction? Probably not. If you didn’t know it was out or even know what it is, then you are living under a rock and I can’t help you. Humorously, some people had no idea why I, and hundreds others, were standing in line at the Grove on June 24th for over three hours to get the phone. Some guessed the new “Twilight” movie. Um, as if. (Quick, what movie is that from?)

Within the first three days of hitting the market, the new iPhone 4 sold more than 1.7 million units according to Apple’s press release. By now I’m sure it’s well over 2 million. That is “the most successful product launch in Apple’s history,” according to Apple CEO, Steve Jobs. And we’re talking about a phone that you can’t even make calls with your bare hands, apparently.

So what’s all the hype about? Is it worth it? Should you run, not walk, to your nearest Apple store? What follows is my humble opinion of the new iPhone 4. There won’t be a lot of tech talk or statements backed with copious amounts of testing. Just an honest opinion with commonplace observations.

When the original iPhone was released some three years ago, I admittedly wasn’t an early adopter. I thought it looked really awesome and seemed to have a lot of great functions, but I didn’t feel like I needed to have all that connectivity just one tap away. I skipped out on the first gen iPhone and even when the second version came out, the 3G, I waited a couple months before buying one. But once I had it in my possession, it was like my whole mobile world had turned itself upside down. So much so that a few months before the announcement of the new iPhone 4, I said to a coworker, “I’m such an Apple fan and I love my iPhone so much, I can’t conceive of a day when I won’t own an iPhone. And if and when that day comes, what kind of phone will I own?” I know, a bit scary huh? Apple has me wrapped around it’s little finger. And you know what, I ain’t lettin’ go! At least not any time soon.

The iPhone 4 is a definite upgrade from my old 3G. I can’t speak to those who have 3GSs, but the speed difference alone between my old model and this one is enough for me to want to upgrade. I used to have a lot of lag with certain larger apps and now everything opens really fast and responds quickly. The folders are also a Godsend if I ever saw one. No more clutter! Perfect for an OCD person like myself. And given that the 3G doesn’t support new iOS4 very well (ie. it lags a bunch), if you want that function you basically have to upgrade. Also the multi-tasking is great. Lots of apps still need to be optimized to support that still but keep checking your updates often as I’m sure many apps are going through the approval process as we speak. And one tip for ya. If you are like me and hate reading instructions, you might wonder why your phone’s battery dies out really fast without even doing much. That’s because when you open an app, it never “closes” since it gets sent down to the multi-task bar. It then runs in the background. For some apps that’s not a big power drain but for others it can be. So make sure to close out your unnecessary apps down in the multi-task bar. That’ll help a lot!

The new retina display with double the resolution as the old phone is also really sharp. I compared the two and the difference is quite noticeable. It really plays off the beauty of the entire phone. It pains me to think I will be covering up such a gorgeous design with a case. But it must be done. And not because of the antenna issue. Though that is apparent in most, if not all, phones its seems. I have honestly not been able to replicate the problem with regular use. I did once hold the phone awkwardly for a solid minute or two to test that out and watched the reception go down to zero. But while making calls and sending emails, texts and such, I haven’t had a problem yet. Maybe I hold my phone the “correct” way according to Apple. Who knows?

I also haven’t used the Facetime feature on the phone because the idea of people looking at me while I’m on the phone kind of creeps me out. But I will try and use it when I’m out and about, making a call and wanting to show someone what I see since you are able to flip to the lens on the other side of the camera. Which brings me to the other feature I like about this new phone — the camera. It now comes with a lens on both sides for being able to take pictures of yourself as well as those around you. I just downloaded a new photo booth app from the makers of the awesome Hipstamatic and Swankolab apps. (If you don’t have those, make sure to get them as well!) It’s called IncrediBooth and it makes use of the front facing camera. It’s like a photo booth in your pocket and it’s probably my favorite app out there. The camera also has a built in flash which works quite well for low light situations. You can even use the flash when filming video. That’s pretty awesome. It does kind of have that “Blair Witch” tunnel night vision kind of feel to it I think (minus the green coloring), but in a pinch at a bar or other dark location, it will do.

So am I happy with my new iPhone 4? Emphatically, yes. It is totally over hyped? Absolutely. But Would I recommend people to get the phone? You betcha!

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After seven fantastic years, the UK design magazine Grafik is shutting its doors. In a statement released by the mag on their blog on Tuesday, the team cites that the current owners of Adventures in Publishing have decided to liquidate the company. As a result there is no means which to continue printing Grafik for the foreseeable future.

This is such a sad representation of how the publishing business is dying. I loved loved LOVED Grafik. I would buy it periodically for a hefty imported pricetag just because it was so awesome. And now it’s just another magazine that’s died out due to the digital age.

Thanks to the Nation Magazine Cover Archive, I was able to post nearly all the magazine covers from the past seven years. Have a look at them all. There are 80 posted but they are all worth looking at. You can see how the style changed over the years. Now I wish there was a way I could own them all. RIP Grafik. RIP…

Happy iPhone 4 day!

For you grid fans out there like myself, UK-based design firm Effektive has come up with 4 different colored grid wallpapers that you can place on your iPhone home screen to “align” your apps. It doesn’t help with function really, but it’s a nice touch if you want to showcase the grid on the phone.

To download the grid wallpapers, go here.

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The typophile in me just loves these. Some favorites:

Comic Sans: I am the hand of God
Arial: I am the devil
Curlz MT: I am the taste of puke in your mouth
Edwardian Script: I am a wanker
Papyrus: I am eating your brains

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Designed by Roeland Otten this set of 26 chairs each spelling out one letter of the alphabet are just cool. Named the ABCChairs they can be arranged so you can relax on your favorite word, or send a message to the person sitting across the room.