Test Prints from Aesthetic Apparatus

Aesthetic Apparatus is a screen-printing design studio in Minneapolis. You may have heard of them, because their work rocks. And they do a lot of gig posters that you may have seen around. They offer the test prints from their screens for sale on their website, and in their own way, they might be more interesting than the finished prints.

These are my faves (though already sold out)

This last one, I’m pretty sure, uses a very similar Grey’s Anatomy source image to the one I pulled for my own “Save Yourself” screen printed posters.

Catia Chien

I think I’ve been in a nostalgic mood lately because I’ve been drawn to whimsical, fanciful imagery lately. I found Catia’s illustrations at the Renegade Craft Fair last year in Chicago, and I love the whimsical, fragile quality her work has. Like a dream you had as a child, that you just almost remember.

Check out more (and buy prints!) at catiachien.com.

Ira Glass on being a creative person

Most everybody I know who does interesting creative work…went through a period of years…where they could tell what they were making wasn’t what they wanted it to be. Everybody goes through that…The most important thing you can do is do a lot of work…and eventually [the work] you do will live up to your ambitions.

It’s also a bit reassuring that Peabody Award winning Ira Glass has that “like, you know” filler word speaking quirk that I just can’t seem to shake. It is possible to say “like” too often and still be well respected!

i think my ipod has a sense of humor

Out of 2376 songs, it decided to follow up “Shut Your Eyes,” by the Shout Out Louds, with Snow Patrol’s “Open Your Eyes.” Well played iPod, well played.

pure michigan

Happy Memorial Day

children’s artwork in real life

Yeondoo Jung translates children’s images to photographs. Love it!

via swissmiss

london

I’m always inspired by the work over at Graphic Exchange. I’m loving these recent prints of my favorite city in the world.

the combinations rule

via acejet170

I love this. This is essentially what I love about design, the constant search to learn more about everything, and be able to combine and create something that communicates in a clear and interesting way.

I wonder if I’ll ever be satisfied enough with the amount of stuff I know (about everything) to be satisfied about the combinations I create. Somehow, I don’t think so. And I think I like it that way.

designing for yourself

When you start a design project, you begin by finding out all you can about the client. What they’re about, how they want to be portrayed, what they want the design to do for them. Which makes it easy to see why we’re so often thrown for a loop when the client is ourselves.

I’ve never been one of those people who has been blessed with unwavering confidence about exactly who they are and what they stand for. I have a working theory that maybe no one is, maybe some people are better at faking it. (But then, I may be telling myself that to make myself feel better.)

I’ve come to see this as not necessarily a bad thing. I enjoy the journey, as much stress as it causes me, and if we’re to believe the Sunscreen Song, “The most interesting people I know didn’t know at 22 what they wanted to do with their lives, some of the most interesting 40 year olds I know still don’t.” But it poses a problem when I have to design anything that’s supposed to represent who I am, exactly. I don’t really know who I am, “exactly.” What I want, “exactly.” I know what I who I am, what I want, “partially.” On good days, “mostly.” But it’s hard to feel confident about a “partially” inspired design.

Really, this is all just a roundabout way of saying that I will eventually stop using this standard wordpress theme and figure out one of my own, I promise.