Flore Maquin: Movie Poster Mistress

When done well, reimagining movie posters (here and here and here) never gets old. Movie poster design presents a unique challenge to designers… it’s usually one of the first representations of a movie people see, so there’s a tall order to embody an often complex story with a single image. French designer and illustrator Flore…

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Anatomically Correct Hearts of Steel and Other Human Forms

Michigan artist and educator Anne Mondro has a fascination with human anatomy, so pairing that interest with her superb crocheting skills was a natural union. Using thin copper and steel wire, Mondro creates beautifully intricate crocheted sculptures of hearts, lungs, limbs, and even entire bodies. In her own words, Mondro states, “My creative work explores…

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Hidden in Plain Sight

Pointillism, a painting technique in which distinct dots of color are applied in patterns to form an image, dates back some 130 years, though the technique is actually analogous to four-color CMYK printing process and RGB displays we designers are all too familiar with. Some of the most notable artists who have employed this technique…

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The Secret of Nature’s Beautiful Designs… in Color

In an effort to come full circle in recognizing the very polarizing Common Core testing in New York over the past two weeks, we bring you another “math meets art” post. This time it’s the work of Venezuelan architect and illustrator Rafael Araujo, and his very technical approach to capturing the mathematical brilliance of nature.…

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Positively Terrific Use of Negative Space

Negative space as a design device may look simple to the average person, but it’s actually quite complicated to effectively pull off. Few present-day artists know this better than illustrator/designer/artist Tang Yau Hoong. Malaysia-based Hoong has an awesome body of work (see previous post here), a good portion of which explores the interplay of positive…

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Mosaic Master

Exercises in typographic and mosaic compositions bring us back to our early studies as designers. Not because they are novice or effortless, but because they touch on the fundamentals of good design. Italian artist/designer known as Antonio Village9991 is quite adept at both, as exhibited by this sampling of his impressive body of work. For…

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The Fruit Bearing Imagination of Sarah Illenberger

We are particularly taken with artists who revamp and re-envision everyday objects (here and here and here), giving new meaning to something very familiar. Berlin-based multi-disciplinary artist Sarah Illenberger is particularly adept at this approach, and we especially like her work involving food (which is reminiscent of the great Brock Davis). Illenberger’s conceptual and compelling…

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Logo-Recreating Calligraphy King Seb Lester

So, we stumbled upon this viral video recently, and were in complete awe. You will be too, if you haven’t seen it already, guaranteed. It made us ponder the irony of being so taken with corporate logos carefully drawn by hand, even though that’s exactly how they were developed in the not so distant past.…

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The Mind-Blowing Art of Michael Murphy

Some of the best, most thought-provoking art and design is best viewed from a variety of angles. In fact, the work of Brooklyn-based artist Michael Murphy relies on varying vantage points. Murphy’s large-scale, complex structures are profoundly awe-inspiring (these photos surely don’t do them justice, they are best viewed in person). His multi-layered, multi-dimensional sculptures…

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Windows of New York

Full disclosure: we’re having a moment of design envy. And for several reasons. The subject of our aspirational glares is Big Apple-based designer/illustrator José Guizar’s self-initiated, ongoing weekly project Windows of New York. First, we are truly inspired by “daily” projects. We admire the commitment of artists who hone their craft through some sort of…

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