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General Dynamics Ads and Annual Reports (Vintage)

Eric Nitsche is posting (Flickr) the graphically stunning design work done for General Dynamics’ ads and annual reports.

Power for Peace advertisement

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RISD Alumni Art Sale

This Saturday, 03 May 2008, is the Rhode Island School of Design’s Spring Alumni Art Sale (whew, say that 10 times). Since I live in Alaska I won’t be going, but am delighted to be able to look through some of the work that will be for sale by visiting their Flickr set. The great thing is that each item on Flickr links out the the artists’ web sites.

There are a couple pieces that definitely catch my eye:

Joel Greeb’s Illuminated Ballistic lamp. [more info on his site]
Mike Libby’s clockwork beetle [visit the InsectLab gallery]

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Yo Gabba Gabba

While reading this month’s issue of Print, or some magazine of similar content, an article about the new kids’ show Yo Gabba Gabba caught my eye. Not being a kid, or even having any can be a huge disadvantage, particularly when it comes to keeping up with cool stuff - and this show looks pretty cool, which is why I’m just now hearing about it.

With the vibrant colors, high-energy songs, regular appearances by Biz Markie and Mark Mothersbaugh, and guest appearances by the likes of Tonk Hawk, The Aquabats, and the Paul Frank Monkey I can only imagine the uber-generation of future designers, marketers, and entertainers that are being brought up on this show right now.

It looks like a beautiful show. Thankfully, there’s YouTube to fill in the gaps for us oldbies:
Yo Gabba Gabba intro
The Party in My Tummy song
An appearance by the Aquabats

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Super Happy Funtime Friday

I’m seriously thinking about changing the Funtime Friday post to Super Silly Saturdays seeing as how I have rarely managed to actually make a Funtime Friday post on a Friday. On the other hand, Fridays are becoming fun again now that we’ve made it through the really busy season at work. Maybe I’ll give it a little more time.

60+ Places for Design Inspiration - a great collection of sites, magazines, and books. While there are many things on this list that I already read regularly, I some new sites and book recommendations that are great.

Superuse - A site dedicated to reuse and recycling. [via]

If you’re into reuse design you may also enjoy Emotionally Durable Design (isbn: 1844071812) - my best read yet this year.

The Serif - A design inspiration blog that is heavy on typography.

I’ve often wondered if the characters on those futuristic shows like StarTrek ever enjoyed Fridays or if they simply didn’t follow the convention of the traditional “Earth” calendar. I’m not much of a fan, but it seems I can’t really recall them ever making reference to weekly events, and why would they need to with star dates and all that? So, do they just relegate themselves to living at work and committing their lives dutifully to some remote federation light years from their duty stations? Are their crew quarrels over those who hog the holodeck schedule? Maybe I’m just not idealistic enough for intergalactic space exploration yet.

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The Design Within Reach Airstream

Design Within Reach is now selling an Airstream model with its own brand of design flair. When I first read about it I was irritated. To me, RVs of all shapes and sizes represent everything that is wrong with consumers and our culture of convenience. Why do people feel the need to cart their earthly possessions around behind them when they vacation? What is the attraction in creating a microcosm of one’s home life in the pursuit of “getting away from it all”?

To my horror, the more I think on the DWR Airstream design the more I find myself appreciating its clean efficient use of space and tasteful decor. Somehow it seems to appeal to my design sensibilities, curses! Nevertheless, I will not allow myself to be lulled by its siren song of materialism - and remain resolute that my vacationing and enjoyment of the outdoors remain free of a portable kitchen, recessed halogen lights, and Nelson Ball Clock.

When it comes down to it, for $50k I can travel to so many places not reachable by the National Highway System, without buying something that most closely resembles a ball and chain - bouncing along behind my vehicle.

An Airstream spotted in the wild, not far from home

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DWR Announces Champagne Winners

Design Within Reach has announced the winners of their Champagne Chair design contest. Entrants were asked to design a chair using the components of a champagne bottle. The winners are posted and there is a link to runners up there too.

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Noteable: TutorialBlog

TutorialBlog has notoriously resource-rich posts, and the latest one is no exception. If you have an eye out for vector resources for graphics then look no further.

There are similar posts on this site for things like Photoshop brushes and fonts, so it’s worth the time to dig a little deeper on this site.

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