Do you ever wonder what happened to that kid in your kindergarten class who could make the Taj Mahal out of building blocks? These beautifully arranged illustrations are the handy work of that kid all grown up, Ty Wilkins. When you see his work it makes a lot of sense that he was first a designer, and then migrated into the world of illustration. His uncanny ability to create full illustrations with only the most basic shapes is a big indicator… and he made a note to mention that the same process he went through in making logos, he did for his illustrations. Despite the apparent simplicity, he is able retain a high level of sophistication in his work, which is what really is impressive. [Read more...]
See Scotty Draw: Illustrations for the New Century
How can you not stop to admire Scotty’s colorful, mid-century inspired illustrations? It is abundantly apparent that after seeing his craftily arranged illustration scenes, he also has a solid understanding of design principles. The illustrations are full of carefully planned negative spaces and shapes which give each a balanced texture. Scotty Reifsnyder has an ever-growing portfolio of work in a style he coined: New Century. His background and schooling, both in design and illustration, has made his art win numerous awards, features, and a long line of clients. I was privileged enough to ask him a few questions about his work and aspirations as an artist. Below is our interview: [Read more...]
Interactive: Learn Good French Wines Like a Pro
Have you ever been at a fancy hobb-nobbing party and said something like:
“Today most wines are fully mature. It has proved to be a delicious vintage but perhaps just short of the density, complexity and ultimate longevity for greatness. The whites were probably under-rated because they appeared, on tasting, to have little acidity. In fact it was there, but masked by the tannins from thick skins. This phenomenon, curiously enough, was repeated in both 1995 and 2005. Even so, 1985 whites will now be past their best.”
Ok… neither have I, but if you have ever wanted to sound like a fancy-shmancy wine snob, there has never been an easier time. [Read more...]
Robots and Ray Guns from the Retro Future
Ladies and gentlemen, the future is here, full of exciting advancements in technology, designed to make life better and fighting fiercer… and all of it is decidedly retro. From flame blasting rocket ships, to Atomic Freeze blasting ray guns and helpful autonomous robots, the future is looking pretty exciting… especially if you’re the adventurous Buck Rogers type. [Read more...]
The Solar System: Beautifully Visualized in Scale
If you could get all the planets in the galaxy together for a photo shoot in the studio, it would probably look a lot like these insanely well done illustrations of the planetary crew. That’s right too… these aren’t Photoshopped satellite images, but actually 3D digital illustrations of our most local cosmic neighbors.
Created by freelance designer David Fuhrer, each of the planets is rendered against a white background, much like one would photograph a new car in the studio. The stark background brings out the bright hues of the colorful orbs, unlike the starry black background we are used to seeing. [Read more...]
A Family Tree of Creative Business Neighbors
When you work among nearly 70 creative businesses, individuals and organizations — from a BBC office to a playhouse and even a life drawing school — what do you do to introduce everyone? Create a beautiful infographic of course! Split recently produced a family tree of their very creative neighbors for the first ever Quarry Hill Social, an event designed to not only raise public awareness but also foster relationships between the many highly crafty and cultural businesses tucked into Quarry Hill in Leeds U.K. [Read more...]
Fake Japanese Characters Market Fake Products
Japanese culture is famous for its highly unique character design… from the iconic Hello Kitty, to artistic manhole covers and sometimes totally weird product mascots. To many eyes, these characters don’t even make much sense with what they are selling… but that’s a big part of the charm. Taking his cues from this unusual design sense, Argentinian artist Juan Molinet is creating an entire series of fake Japanese characters marketing equally fake products. The colorful figures are quirky and completely spot-on. [Read more...]
Bringing Back the Pennant
Have you ever wondered what happened to those good-old fashioned pennants of our past? I remember my walls as a child being covered by colorful pennants from all my favorite sports teams. The simple felt triangles were motivational and symbols of dedication to your home team. Now, The Peoples Pennant project is reviving those pennants, but instead of championing your favorite sports teams, they celebrate everyday life. The Peoples Pennant team consists of Jessica K. Heltzel, Tim Hoover and Eric R. Mortensen. To add a little bit more detail to the project, I had the opportunity to interview them, which went as follows: [Read more...]














