Crafts for a Cause is an effort started by Binki Shapiro to rally artists together to raise money for Haiti by contributing custom-made artwork. Among the participating artists, Spike Jonze, Davendra Banhart, Cedric Bixler of The Mars Volta (pictured above with the skate deck he made), Conner Oberst of Bright Eyes, No Doubt, and the list goes on…
There will be an online auction, beginning on March 15. For more information and updates, follow the Crafts for a Cause website.
I first discovered Unearthen here in NYC at New York Adorned and pretty much fell in love. My desire is to have more than one of these necklaces to represent different goals, in varying sizes. The way the rough crystals in bullet casing maintain delicacy without looking overly dainty is really what captured my heart. Not to mention, the packaging is stunning.
Here is what designer Gia Bahm has to say about her one-of-a-kind necklaces:
Unearthen intuitively selects crystals that help focus on the goals you struggle to achieve, center your thoughts on what you need, provide comfort in times of strain, or simply remind you of why you are here. The bullet casing balances and harmonizes to the crystal it holds, because destruction is a necessary phase in the cycle of creation. Each crystal carries its own distinct properties. A crystal’s energy engages its carrier to maintain consciousness of the stone’s specific properties. The stone with the right properties will inherently attract you, and your connection with the crystal is intrinsic. Please choose your Unearthen piece with care.
You can order from Gia at Unearthen online here, or through New York Adorned by contacting simone@nyajewelry.com.
Finally, the Love! Roundup I’ve been talking about. These are some of my favorite things from the Love! folder that resides on my Mac’s desktop:
1. Serif Tote by Little Factory
For Typophiles and anyone who simply wants a classy, green shopper for transporting groceries and nearly anything else.
2. Crosley Keepsake USB Turntable
In addition to my affinity for skateboarding and street art, I have a deep love for records. This turntable has been on my Wish List for a while now.
3. Lever & Lumber Table by Robert Ogden
I have been searching for a simple reclaimed wood coffee table for almost two years now to replace my current hand-me-down coffee table, and this one immediately went right into my Love! folder the second I saw it.
4. Graph Paper Napkins by Colin O’Dowd
These napkins are an adorable and fun addition to any artist’s place setting.
5. Pebble Coasters by Little Factory
Simple, elegant, and an appealing way to keep surfaces dry when company comes calling and the wine starts flowing.
6. Ampersand Tee by House Industries
Another item for Typophiles and those, like myself, who just can’t get enough of ampersands. Cool? Definitely. Necessary? Maybe!
7. Magic: 1400′s – 1950′s from Taschen
Stunning visuals and fascinating information send this book right to the top of my Design Library Wish List.
8. Ninja Umbrella
Let’s be honest, who on Earth wouldn’t want a Ninja Umbrella? Just imagine how much fun it would be to unsheathe this when stepping out on a rainy day!
9. Polaroid Mirror by Colin O’Dowd
A cool twist on a basic household decor item that mixes modern with classic.
10. Etre Touchy Gloves
Perfectly useful (while still being attractive) for those of us who can’t keep our fingers off of our iPhones, even during the cold winter months.
11. SLR Camera Diagram Towel
If you are for one, a photographer and two, have a red-accented kitchen, these are absolutely the perfect towels for you.
And that wraps up this Love! Roundup. I empty my Love! folder monthly, so check back when I post next month’s roundup to see more fun, design-y items!
I think I’ve mentioned before that I keep a “Love!” folder on my Mac’s desktop. This is where I drag photos and keep links to wonderful design-y things I find online and have fallen in love with. I periodically empty this folder in order to start fresh again and as I do, I will post a roundup of some of the things I’ve saved there.
Stay tuned for a new Love! Roundup tomorrow. But to tide you over, I’d like to share this favorite: BookBook by Twelve South—”a novel way to cover your MacBook.” So basically, you can disguise your MacBook as a real book. Not only do I like the hardback cover for added protection, the design is totally Love! worthy.
You can read more about BookBook and order online here.
Today’s Favorite comes from a link I’ve had kicking around my Twitter Favorites tab for almost two weeks now, via Electric Literature (@electriclit).
BookInscriptions.com is a collection of found books with personal inscriptions. A favorite because of the sentimental value an inscribed book holds—or at least would hold for me—and I’ve found reading others’ sentiments to be charming. I, myself, have never been the recipient of an inscribed book but I imagine if I ever had, it would be something I would continue to cherish and would keep forever.
Those who know me are already aware of my affinity for things like skateboarding (I love deck artwork) and street art. And over the past two weeks, I’ve been out and about in my Brooklyn neighborhood snapping photos of the phenomenal local street art with my iPhone. I began doing this simply to gather inspiration for a new design project I’m working on but wound up turning many of the photos I took into a collection of iPhone wallpapers for you to download right here and here. So, I have street art on the brain.
Coincidentally, today’s Daily Heller from Print magazine arrived in my inbox this morning and it’s about… Street art! Specifically, New York Street Artists Gaia and NOHjCOLEY.
You can view Mr. Heller’s brief write-up, as well as click to view a video taken by his son, Nicolas Heller, here.
And I second Mr. Heller’s statement: “Why go to a museum when you can check out street art in your city this weekend.” Get out and about in your ‘hood, you never know what sort of wonderful art and inspiration you might find!
“Bad clients lead to more bad clients… Doing good work for good clients will lead to more good clients!” — Michael Bierut
This morning I forced myself to get out-and-about very early for January’s CreativeMornings event hosted by Tina Roth Eisenberg, also know to bloggers and designers as Swissmiss, the “Swiss designer gone NYC”. Tina hosts the CreativeMornings breakfast lecture series each month right here in NYC but this month particularly interested me. The speaker was Michael Bierut, partner in Pentagram’s New York office.
Mr. Bierut gave an invigorating talk about clients. And we’re not just talking client horror stories, here. Today’s discussion touched on how clients can be the best part of the design process, what makes a client good or bad, how to effectively profile and work with clients, and finding the right designer/client fit. But given the current economic state and some very real issues I’ve been noticing, what really struck me about this point of discussion was the declaration that in order to do good work and continue getting the opportunity to do more good work, designers should only work on good projects with good clients.
As a freelancer who is fairly new on the scene, coming from a 9-5 full-time job, it is painfully obvious to me that right now many of the jobs I come across or am presented with are coming from a client who wants quality design work for their not-so-quality project from an educated graphic designer for one-third of that designer’s price. Because things are tough right now. I get it. But what most non-creative potential clients don’t seem to get is that this business of graphic design is our livelihood. Not only do we not want to spend our time doing bad work that will not represent us well in our portfolios; we especially don’t want to spend our time doing bad work for a fraction of the market value. And yet, given the economy and the current struggle to land any client, many designers may be considering taking on bad work for bad clients at whatever value!
Mr. Bierut advises against it. “Bad clients lead to more bad clients,” he says. “[And] doing good work for good clients will lead to more good clients!”
In other words, while it may be tempting to take on a crappy project for some extra cash, or even for a large paycheck, resist the urge. If you want to do good work and keep doing good work for the right kinds of clients, you need to avoid the crappy stuff — no matter what. There will never be an instance where a crappy job will lead to a good job. Crappy jobs only lead to more crappy jobs.
So it’s up to you: Do you want to be a designer who gets by doing crappy jobs, or do you want to be the kind of designer who is asked to speak at an event like CreativeMornings? The choice is yours. And I know the economy is making it difficult for us, but still: if you want to be doing good work, don’t succumb to the pressure to take on bad work just because work seems hard to come by right now. It will only hurt you in the long run.
“Five good clients,” says Mr. Bierut. All you need is five and you’ll be set for life. Do you have your five? If not, what are you waiting for? Go get them!
For more about CreativeMornings (which, by the way are free), visit creativemornings.com and for more about Tina Roth Eisenberg, visit swiss-miss.com. This month’s sponsors were Behance and Blurb, so a big Thank You goes out to them for helping to keep this event free for NYC’s graphic design community. For more on today’s speaker, Michael Bierut, and Pentagram, visit pentagram.com.
Do you know about 8 Days a Week? This “premier event calendar for the New York City design community and all those who work, think and dream design 8 Days a Week” is a valuable tool for learning about upcoming events in one simple, easy to navigate spot. Valuable for all designers but especially for those in the NYC area who like to frequent local industry events. Bookmark it, if you haven’t already!
I’ve been scouting iPhone cases like a madwoman over the past few days. Because I finally traded in my trusty old Motorolla for an iPhone. And while practicality and functionality ultimately guided my case purchase, the designer in me found these cases I came across yesterday by tovicorrie for sale at the Beautiful Skin Etsy store to be irresistible. I, myself, opted for a case that protects the phone while still allowing me access to all ports and functions but if you prefer a beautiful protective case to simply slide your phone in and out of, these may be a perfect fit for you!
Handpicked by me! These are some great gift and stocking stuffer ideas for creative family members and friends. Starting from the top left in the photo above, left to right:
Ork Neighborhood Posters | Natural History Glasses | PixelBlocks |
15 Uses for Newsprint | Greetings from Greenpoint Postcards (For my fellow Greenpointers!) | Type Tote | Preening Pen | Katrina LaPenne Snake Hoops in Vermeil | Message in a Bottle | Pictorial Webster’s: A Visual Dictionary of Curiosities | Naïve: Modernism and Folklore in Contemporary Graphic Design | Animal illustrations by Ryan Berkley (Urban Outfitters sells framed versions here, or purchase from the Etsy store and get creative with framing on your own!) | Type Coasters | Well, if you’re going to use them, might as well be honest about it: Trees Were Killed Sticky Pads | Eskucheme Headphones | Ultraviolet: 69 Classic Blacklight Posters from the Aquarian Age and Beyond | Gig Posters Volume I: Rock Show Art of the 21st Century | 3-D DRAWING PAD | Hand Embroidered Tiger Hat, for the mini creative-in-training | Liquid Bookmark
