General Projects | Ben Pieratt
General Projects is the working name of designer Ben Pieratt, the mind behind Svpply, The Egotist Network, Book Cover Archive, and more. Yes, I’ve featured him here a few times – what can I say, I dig his work.
Elysse Ricci
I was stoked today to discover the work of another great Philadelphia-based designer, Elysse Ricci. You may be familiar with Elysse’s work for Urban Outfitters, where she’s currently an in-house designer. I love her use of color and type, often combined with a subtle mix of elements made by hand, which gives her work a great personal quality.
Mike McQuade | MCQ
One of my main cohorts, Mike McQuade, just launched his new site and it’s loaded with a grip of incredible new work. Originally from Philadelphia and currently working as an art director at Energy BBDO in Chicago, Mike considers himself an artist, designer, and illustrator. I’ve always admired his drawing skills and hand-lettering, and it’s great to see these talents crossing over into his advertising work for big brands. Mike and I formed National Record Holders a few years ago, and although we haven’t done much with it lately, we are currently working together on a poster for The Infantree’s Help Haiti Heal poster project, as well as plotting our next move with NRH. Stay tuned.
Michael Freimuth
Some people just have it. New York City based art director, designer and illustrator Michael Freimuth is one of those people. His work seems effortless, his range is endless, and every approach he takes has a very considered purpose. Currently working at Tender in Manhattan, Freimuth is also the creative director for Proximity Magazine and design journal Matériel.
Tim Gough
Tim Gough is a Philadelphia based illustrator, designer, and publisher of a limited edition zine called Cut and Paste. He’s also Art Director for the Philadelphia Weekly. Tim was recently interviewed at the always inspiring Grain Edit, which uncovers Tim’s creative process, talks about his history, and offers some great advice for up and coming illustrators. He also just revamped his site with the help of interactive design studio, WellFed, also based in Philadelphia.
The Bold Italics
The Bold Italics is a boutique multidisciplinary design studio operating out of Sydney, Australia. Headed by like minded trio Daryl Orillaza, Nic Chua and Paul Principe. The Bold Italics specialize in art direction & design for print. (via Ravi Vasavan)
Mikey Burton
Currently based in Philadelphia, Mikey Burton is a self-proclaimed “hard-working creative person from the Midwest with a passion for design. There is letterpress ink on my blue collar and I wear my Ohio-shaped heart on my sleeve.” He also started a company with two friends called Little Jacket which has worked for such clients as The Sundance Channel, Wilco, Spoon (the band), MTV2, and the Cleveland RTA. Very impressive work from this dude, which I’m sure you’ve seen around quite a bit lately, and deservedly so – but I had to post him here as well.
Journey To Zero
Journey to Zero – A beautiful, immersive experience detailing Nissan’s dedication to making zero emission travel a reality. This journey will be conducted under the watchful tutelage of Richard Saul Wurman, TED conference founder, author, and information architect. The initiative engages the imagination of some leading creative minds from architects, designers, and artists including the designer of the site, Nessim Higson, as well as Marcus Eriksson, Universal Everything, and PSFK among others. Beautiful.
EBSL | Erik Kiesewetter
Great work and site from New Orleans based designer Erik Kiesewetter.
Graphic Design: A User’s Manual
Adrian Shaughnessy is a London based graphic designer and art director who spent 15 years as the Creative Director of Intro. He now spends his time focused on design and editorial direction, and writing extensively about visual communication, including (among others) Look At This as well as How to be a Graphic Designer Without Losing Your Soul which, in itself, has established Shaughnessy as a leading voice within the design community.
I have several of Shaughnessy’s books and just picked up his latest, Graphic Design: A User’s Manual which offers students, novice designers, and battle-toughened professionals alike an insider’s guide to the complexities of current graphic design practice and thinking. Set out in A-Z style and written in a realistic, conversational, and insightful way, the book provides advice on the fundamental topics and issues that face designers in their daily lives. It looks at everything from kerning to presenting, from budgeting to dealing with rejection, from annual reports to interface design. Not to mention a forward by Michael Bierut.
Check out Fast Company’s recent Q&A with Adrian about his newest book, and be sure to grab a copy. I highly recommend it.
