Dblog is the interwebositry for all things creative, inspirational and elegant from D's world of art, design, cinema, T.V., comics, toys and pop culture. Drop me line or an interesting link any time...

31.5.13

Convos With My 2 Year Old

Actual conversations with his 2 year old daughter, as re-enacted by him and another full grown man. A new series.

30.5.13

Movie Trailers

Maniac
Don Jon
Ain't Them Bodies Saints
The Act of Killing (a VERY confronting Doco)
Scenic Route

27.5.13

Illustration & Design

A 1993 re-imagining of Winnie the Poo by V. Chizhikov on Book Graphics

 Minimalist Movie Posters by Michal Krasnopolski  

 Beautiful vectorish posters (and prints) by Argijale

Some wonderful typography at Adriane Spainer Design


Arrested Development



Six years ago, I along with other fans, lamented the cancellation of the simply brilliant Arrested Development... Until now!

Season 4 has arrived with 15 new episodes, all debuting simultaneously on Netflix (and all good bit torrent provider).

If you don't want to watch the whole series again (but why wouldn't you- I'm gonna start as soon as I hit publish...) check out the 55 AD jokes you missed and a nice summary of where our heroes all left off in Season 3.

Love that theme song...






Webby Awards

 

The Webby Awards


Next time you're bored, or have say, a billion hours to spend, check out the Webby's. I won't recommend anything because it's just way to damned diverse but it's all damned good stuff... Didn't see Dsend there... oh well... maybe next year!

The Webby Awards is the leading international award honoring excellence on the Internet. Established in 1996 presented by the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences (IADAS) — a 1,000+ member judging body that includes Executive Members comprised of leading Web experts, business figures, luminaries, visionaries and creative celebrities, and Associate Members who are former Webby Award Winners and Nominees and other Internet professionals from David Bowie to Twitter Co-founder Biz Stone. The 16th Annual Webby Awards received nearly 10,000 entries from over 60 countries and all 50 states and generated over 2.2 billion media impressions worldwide.

Photography


Spectacular decay by Niki Feijen

23.5.13

Movie Trailers

Berberian Sound Studio
Stalingrad
As I Lay Dying
The Congress
Europa Report
The Young and Prodigious Spivet
Jimmy P
Blood Ties
The Kings of Summer
A Field in England
The Wolverine
Almost Human
(New JJA T.V. Series with the great Karl Urban)

Illustration

Eragon illustrator: the covers of  John Jude Palencar


The Poop Deck Project: a set of piratical playing cards and prints.

22.5.13

Photography

NASA public photo archive


The disappearing face of New York also avaialble in print.


Some Of The 68 Million People McDonald’s Serves Every Day

21.5.13

The Office


As you may know, after 8 years and 9 seasons, the U.S. version of The Office has reached it's conclusion. A lot has been written and said about this seminal series, so much, by others more informed than I, so I will say only this to those that have somehow avoided indulging this hilarious, endearing journey; skip the first episode (the second is one of the whole series' best!) and remember that the drama is a much slower burn than the equally brilliant Britsh source material. I was very impressed by the final season which found a way to bring back old friends and round out all the losse ends without feeling forced. We just watched the whole thing from start to finish and I recommend you do too...

8.5.13

Movie Trailers

Enders Game

Populaire
Inside Llewyn Davis

Gravity

The World's End

Odd Thomas

Violet & Daisy

Unforgiven (Japanese reimagining of the original Western as a Samurai film)

The Butler

Goodbye Ray Harryhausen




Jeebuz those Skeleton's still scare me...

Raymond Frederick Harryhausen
Born: Los Angeles 29th June 1920
Died: London 7th May 2013.

The Harryhausen family regret to announce the death of Ray Harryhausen, Visual Effects pioneer and stop-motion model animator. He was a multi-award winner which includes a special Oscar and BAFTA. Ray’s influence on today’s film makers was enormous, with luminaries; Steven Spielberg, James Cameron, Peter Jackson, George Lucas, John Landis and the UK’s own Nick Park have cited Harryhausen as being the man whose work inspired their own creations. 


More..

Adobe: 5 Reasons We Killed The Creative Suite



If you haven't heard, Adobe is moving from a Software model to a Cloud. On Co.Design, here's 5 reasons why.

7.5.13

TV: The Thick Of It


I've just finished and thoroughly enjoyed the wonderful British comedy T.V. series The Thick of It, a behind the scenes satire of British government and the spindoctory that ensues. Created by Alan Partridge mastermind Armando Iannucci it begins it's first two (strangely) 3 episode seasons as a kind of People Like Us style ultra dry comedy through the masterful third and fourth seasons with a wicked mix of black humour and genuine high drama. There is an Enquiry that is truly breathtaking. Iannucci's own description that it is "Yes Minister meets Larry Sanders" really sums it up best.
Stealing the show is Government director of communications Malcom Tucker who would scare Deadwood's Al Swearingen.

There is a feature film spin-off, In the Loop and a new HBO series, also by Armando Iannucci called VEEP with an unusually successful translation of the formula over to U.S. politics, which I would also recommend.

This scene doesn't really some up the series but I couldn't resist, see if you can guess the movie he's referencing.

Art and Illustration

A bit of heavymetalesque cheesecake by Rafael Gallur

Stunning combinations of colour, texture and shape by illustrator Johny Wan
 
Another dynsamic 3D typographer, David McLeod.

Simon Oxley, designer of the original istock illustration used by Twitter.

Papercraft Birds by Johan Scherft 

Cassandre inspired Denmark Illustrator Mads Berg


DIY Screenprintining Kit

DIY Screenprintining Kit

Videos

Aussie Star Wars

Cargo
A 2013 Tropfest highlight, this honestly blew me away

The Unusual Suspects
And a 2012 Tropfest finalist that really cracked me up.

Biting Elbows - Bad Motherfucker NSFW Violence and Parkour

2.5.13

Movie Trailers

Love Sick Love (The Loved Ones inspired horror/thriller)

Only God Forgives (Director and star of Drive)

Mood Indigo (Michel Gondry)

Prince Avalanche

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (book 2 of the triology)

Thor: The Dark World

A Hijacking

1.5.13

Derek

Ricky Gervais' latest series Derek has quietly slipped in under the radar, but I would highly recommend that you get out there and check it out. Centered around it's title character Derek Noakes; a possibly autistic care worker in a home for the elderly, it is possessed of the same tropes, actors and characters that Gervaisophiles have come to love, but is also simultaneously, very different. The humour is as clever and awkward as ever but it is used sparingly. It is the drama that stands at the fore and stands out. The character of Derek is handled beautifully and without malice, as is the plight of both the elderly and the centre. It is something of a special and emotional journey that is well worth the effort (and might even draw a tear from even the coldest of hearts).

The Designer Says




From the book The Designer Says featured on Co. Design some inspiring words of wisdom from some of the worlds greatest designers...

"The nature of process, to one degree or another, involves failure. You have at it. It doesn’t work. You keep pushing. It gets better. But it’s not good. It gets worse. You got at it again. Then you desperately stab at it, believing “this isn’t going to work.” And it does!"
Saul Bass 

"It is important to use your hands. This is what distinguishes you from a cow or a computer operator."
Paul Rand


"I have a bunch of calendars I used before I went digital. Every once in a while, I’ll open up one from 1991 and look at all the names and appointments and things that, at the time, seemed so important. Meetings that I was really worried about, things that I was getting calls four times a day about, and I wonder, “Where did it all go? Where are they now?” It’s so strange, everything has disappeared. The only thing that stays behind is the work."
Michael Bierut 


"My work is play. And I play when I design. I even looked it up in the dictionary, to make sure that I actually do that, and the definition of “play,” number one, was “engaging in a childlike activity or endeavor,” and number two was “gambling.” And I realize I do both when I’m designing."
Paula Scher 


"My dream is to have people working on useless projects. These have the germ of new concepts."
Charles Eames