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Animals. Cars. Amazing illustrations. Ok i’m pretty much swooning already. Just in the inbox, Zoom Zoo from Mike Yamada, a designer/illustrator, artist at Dreamworks Animation, and an Art Center Graduate. These flashcards are his take on the classic Richard Scarry’s animals piloting retro 60’s type vehicles. (Anyone else picturing that worm driving an apple?) While sure these could be for kids to learn the alphabet, what adult wouldn’t have fun dreaming up the stories and worlds behind these creatures in their fantastic automobiles while teaching kids the alphabet? As adorable little works of art ~ they are playfully inspiring! I can’t wait to see the full alphabet… You can buy the Zoom Zoo Flashcards here. Take a peek at more details on the next page!
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Here’s the latest from our London-based editor Justine
Naturalists and art lovers are in for a treat with the stunning exhibition Ghosts of Gone Birds. Ghosts is the brainchild of filmmaker Ceri Levy and Chris Aldhouse of Goodpilot and an exhibition which captures and celebrates extinct bird species and raises awareness and funds for conservation. The show includes over 300 pieces created by an army of 120 artists, writers and musicians (see the full list here and all proceeds from the show will aid conservation through Bird Life International.
Those who can’t catch the show in London can still purchase some of the gorgeous prints through the online shop, but I would strongly recommend heading down to see this amazing show in person if you can. The exhibition runs until November 23rd at the Rochelle School in Shoreditch, full details here. In the meantime, take a look at the show through our eyes with our photo gallery of personal highlights and Ghost’s facebook page.
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Our London-based editor Justine catches up with the latest action from the London Design Festival!
I’m a huge fan of the work of Noma Bar, who does wonders with negative space and always achieves so much with clean lined minimalism. So I was very excited to hear about his project ‘Cut-it-Out’ at Outline Editions as part of this year’s London Design Festival, especially when I heard we would have the chance to take part and make our own cut outs with his incredible dog (and cat and rat) shaped cutting machine!
The image making machine is a a 2 m high die cutter that weighs over 750 kg and applies 4 tonnes of pressure when the joysticks (located in the dog’s mouth) and depressed. Visitors during workshops can create their own Noma Bar patterns by selecting an A3 sheet of paper (in any of 36 colors) and their favorite of 8 designs. The paper is then careful set between the die and board and swivels the dog’s head into cutting position. Then, a quick and steady push of the joysticks applies the pressure and cuts the image. Great fun and a beautiful way to create a stunning piece of art. More pics of Noma’s screenprints and cut outs, the stunning machine, and our own die cut experience on the next page!
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On reasons print needs to live on ~ some books are worth owning, and i could flip through the gorgeous new Yuki 7 book by Kevin Dart and Elizabeth Ito for ages. I’ve been following them and falling in love with them one after the other for some time now… from the posters we gave away to their first book ~ and i’m even wearing one of their shirts as i head out for a hike now! So yes, i’m a fan… but then again, who wouldn’t want to live in the magical world of Yuki 7 and her Gadget Girls? It’s that perfect mix of retro-tastic illustration that brings you back to happier place full of mystery and espionage… gorgeous locales, and crazy new technology mixed in… not to mention fabulous outfits?
In her latest adventure and short film ~ Yuki 7: Looks That Kill, she and the gadget girls will take you on quite a ride ~ and the film is beautiful! I can’t wait till they take it further than a short film and go for a full length feature ~ she’s like the ultimate animated Bond Girl ~ only she’s Bond and i guess she has her Yuki-7 Boys… So take a sneak peek in to the new book on the next page… and if you’re in LA, check out the launch party July 16th at Q Pop.
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Beautiful. I couldn’t put the canister and bottle down when i first laid eyes on it ~ the Bruichladdich Organic 2003 Anns An T-Seann Doigh (Gaelic for “In the traditional way”) is a limited edition of 15,000 bottles. Apparently they were the first in the world to have an Organic Islay single malt… and this edition was so delicious, they’ve even created The Organic for full scale release. They have always had such tempting and stunning packaging and typography, but the thin gold illustration (feeling very art deco meets tech styling) on the matte army green bottle is incredible. Coloring free, the whisky itself has a light glow to it ~ and the flavor is definitely on the lighter/fresher side of the spectrum… but even when emptied, this bottle isn’t going anywhere… and that canister would make for an awesome kid’s piggy bank! Ready to take a peek at the packaging details up close? To the next page!
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There’s more than just the Whale Rodeo! As promised, here are more highlights from Selfridges’ Project Ocean. In addition to the commitment to raise awareness and funds for conservation, Selfridges really carry the theme throughout the store, tying things together with their beautiful illustrations of fish by the very talented Sanna Annukka (check out her commercial portfolio here)! And yes, you may recognize that beautiful style from the Marimekko prints we love so much!
Annukka’s illustrations grace the doors and windows of the store, and can be found throughout the store in mobiles and on the walls (you might have spotted a few in our previous post). They are also the images that feature in Selfridges’ fish guide - the print, web, and app versions! Check out the beautiful illustrations in all their many manifestations on the next page!
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Another london special from Justine! Check out the incredible Mighty Pencil she discovered…
If I could be any sort of artist, I would want to be an illustrator. There’s something just awesome about the medium. Needles to say, when I got back from lunch at the Worship Street Whistling Shop, I was thrilled to find The Mighty Pencil Vol 1 waiting for me and just had to share a sneak peek at it!
The Mighty Pencil is “a somewhat mysterious illustration resource, spreading their words of wisdom” and their first book - truly a fantastic piece of work that brings together so many talented illustrators. Check out a peek inside and some of my favorites on the next page!
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I couldn’t resist. I was totally that girl in the tiny supermarket in the huge line buying 4 jars of Nutella tonight. I mean, these limited edition Nutella Esperienza Italia 150 glasses were cute when they came up on NOTCOT.org, but renders are one thing. These are even more awesome in person! Fun glasses for just about anything… filled with nutella… celebrating Italian unity - specifically DESIGN, Arts, Landscapes & Architecture, and History! On fun design week souveniers, the design themed €1.79 glass of nutella is pretty sweet (even AFTER you eat the nutella)… The story? “Nutella wanted to celebrate the 150th Anniversary of italian Unity together with millions of Italian families and asked ARC’s. to interpretate the project in four themes: Arts, Design, Landscapes & Architecture, Historical topics. Through the “Esperienza Italia 150” limited edition collection, Nutella ideally embraces all italians, from the South to the North, as a sole big family.” Above is a render of the 4 glasses in the set from ARC’s… but on the next page, take a peek at close ups of them all!
p.s.
Don’t mind the bizarre hotel/motel feel of the photos… it’s how it feels in here!
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Becca! From art school roots, to street art, to gallery shows, more street art, to teaching, and back? I love the stylistic/contextual juxtapositions and versatility of her work and experiences! They are very ~ Dick & Jane meet pin ups meet fashion illustrations… in gorgeously refreshing colors… pasted up around the city! I rediscovered her this weekend when popping by the new Street Art Pop Up Store/Gallery… started by Z (who, like many, is part of the Obey Giant family), focusing on creating a space to showcase and sell the works of established street artists. Amongst the work the day after the opening, there was a stack of amazing prints/posters/originals… and i fell in love with a Becca print. No surprise, i suppose, since i even posted the show it came from a show featured on NOTCOT.org ages ago (but i forgot! until i looked it up at home!)… Anyhow, Becca has some amazing work, take a peek at the pics and video on the next page!
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Mmmm, simple amusements. Adorable little design/art bookstore (La Valise in Mexico City) ~ cute little glass case ~ filled with ~ FLIPBOOKS! And not any flipbooks… but adorably cheeky beautifully illustrated ones that end with a twist that makes you giggle, then turn and make anyone around you watch it as you flip it again and again. Silly as they are, these are my favorite little goodies i brought back from the trip, and i’ve been dying to share them with you!
The Deportistas series of 4 flipbooks from Tumbona Ediciones by the awesome creative studio Eramos Tantos. AND, i was absolutely giddy when i found the animated version of all 4 in the series (Diving, Fencing, Hurdling, and Weight Lifting) set to music! (Previously i was trying to figure out how to make videos to show you as i flipped through them.) Truly an awesme homage to Tex Avery ~ we need more of this in our lives! So take a peek at the video, pics of the real flip books, and screen grabs on the next page!
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Exploring La Roma, stumbled upon Guru ~ a gallery and shop filled with low brow/surrealist/playful art, it was filled with so many NOTCOT favorites (both artists and products!) So, as i hunted to learn more about similar mexican artists, i discovered them putting up some beautiful black vinyl sticker silhouettes for an opening tonight by a Mexican creative collective, Cría Cuervos, in the back room. Being only two blocks away, i couldn’t resist popping by tonight to check it out ~ and it was beautiful! And packed! There was even a cop on the corner across the way watching/waiting… as people overflowed into the street. But about the show… Amor des Amor is an exposition of tshirts ~ each of the 11 artists (Ángeles Barajas, Cristina Medrano, Alejandra Aguirre, Ernesto Alcántara, Luis Flores, Jonathan López, Allan G. Ramírez, Miguel A. Cárdenas, Alejandro Gómez, Erick Knobl and Abraham Solís) designed a tshirt, which is hung in a gilded frame over the black vinyl stickers on the white walls… with the love/valentine’s day theme, it was the perfect shopping opportunity and people were snapping up the shirts quickly! Take a peek at the scene and designs on the next page!
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The most incredible pop up book penthouse of a surprise arrived last week. And like a little kid, i still have it opened up on my kitchen table, and i can’t help poking at it, constantly finding new details, and pulling the tabs. This surprise came from Chandelier Creative - the bright pink box greets you with a COME SPARKLE… and the book cover has a bold OMG! It’s Christmas again! Step inside the Chandelier Creative Penthouse and Drink more Champagne than Joan Collins… Anyhow, the details and illustrations are so much fun, you have to explore the pictures on the next page, excuse me for going a little overboard, but there was far too much awesome to share!
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Illustrator, Eli Neugeboren facebooked me about his latest project, and it is just that perfect combination of adorably creepy and beautiful! He says on his blog, “Fashion Monster was a project conceived with photographer Dustin Cohen to combine his photographs and my “monster” illustrations. We set out to create a noir feel, knowing that the monsters would upend that with their absurd placement and bright colors. Shot on location around lower Manhattan at the beginning of Fall, the light was great and the team Dustin put together created wonderful images for me to work with.” The fashion is Edelweiss by Sarah, model is Mirielle from APM Models, hair & makeup by Angelique Velez, styling by Matthew Simonelli, ahoto assistant/stunt driver is Andrew Hanenberg, photo assistant is Winfield Foster, and producers, Kids With Candy, Casey Levine & Monique Perreault.
There’s something so incredibly fun about the whole series, and will make you peer around buildings and over your shoulder as you saunter through New York… i’d love to see an animated version of this look book! See more on the next page!
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I love when beautifully packaged delicious liqueurs come with nicely illustrated stories around their necks… like the Art in The Age of Mechanical Reproduction SNAP ~ a ginger snap spirit, from the makers of ROOT. Previously i showed you ROOT as well as a sample of Snap in a glass jar we tasted… since the production bottles were not yet ready… This time you can see the finished product! Popping the cork on this bottle, it smells like gingerbread houses wafting out, perfect for this wintry holiday season… the mix of blackstrap molasses, cloves, brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, rooibos tea and vanilla is just irresistible! Perfect for getting creative with cocktails playing with everything from apple cider to toasty fireside drinks. The story was so cute (and educational!) had to share the booklet details with you… lovely illustrations… check it all out on the next page!
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Mesmerizing isn’t it? The most amazing things come through from the CIA - just discovered this in my email from their newsletter! The beauty and simplicity of these gifs are sucking me in tonight. So so beautiful, and Richard Wilkinson basically captures his work flow in photoshop - saving them into high res animated gifs you can view on his blog! It’s as if you’re watching the image paint itself… yes, it’s nearly 3am, and you’ll see why i’ve gone quiet the last few days as i’ve been obsessively working on the giveaways and gift guides launching this week… but for now… aren’t these incredible? These beautiful illustrations were for a 5 page spread for The Telegraph Magazine’s ‘Luxury’ supplement. See a few more of my favorites and a peek at the spread on the next page…
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Half awake, ready to crash, browsing the internet ~ and i felt like i was dreaming when i stumbled upon these oh so lovely images over at Materialiste ~ Fashion illustrator, Kareem Iliya, shows off the “Dandy Ball” a la Perrier Jouët, in a gorgeous pink and green silhouetted look ~ with stunning champagne botles in every image, and their signature flowers glowing radiantly across the woman’s dress and the man’s boutonnière. As Materialiste describes so eloquently - “The ball is brought to life thanks to the esteemed fashion illustrator Kareem Iliya, who depicts, with her usual ephemeral style, a meeting between a couple of high society champagne-lovers.” Also a very dreamworthy image to fall asleep to… the muse relaxing in her bath, sipping an elegant glass of Perrier Jouët… see them all on the next page!
p.s.
They are all so stunning ~ i wish they were available as prints!
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Firstly ~ i love that the British Central Illustration Agency goes by CIA. And their first book, License to Inspire just arrived as perfect Monday morning inspiration to share with you ~ (please pardon the mess behind the photos ~ mid move!!!) ~ on first impressions, i barely wanted to open the box, i was so enamored by knight in shining armor on his horse! And then within… the partial dust jacket looks lovely too! The CIA have been representing some of the most amazing illustrators and designers for years ~ (and they do the BEST weekly calendars!) and it’s incredible to see, flip through, hold, and read about their inspiration and see work from some of their stunning artists in print form! To fully appreciate all the goodness, you definitely need to check out a copy yourself, but for a quick preview, take a peek at the pics on the next page!
p.s.
“It’s about allowing the artist the freedom to interpret the concept, to allow them to do what they do best and contribute in such a way that is truly inspirational…” ~ love the introduction of the book going through the history and philosophies of this amazing group!
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Money as art ~ or faux money as art, rather. Spanish illustrator Xavi Garcia created his stunning ‘Handmade’ banknote illustration as a reaction to soulless digital design. “This note pretends to remind the viewer the amount of work, hours, patience and love that artisans put into the handicrafts they produce and stress how valuable they are, replacing currency for the amount of time spent working on it (3 months were given for this project). Entirely drawn by hand, using different printing techniques, it features security measures common in banknotes such as watermarks, tactile elements, see-through images and invisible UV ink.” On the front it says “Tempus Neminem Manet” meaning “Time waits for no one” and on the back it reads “Tempus Fugit” meaning “Time Flees.” As you stare at his work, it makes you wonder about the world it may have come from… and i love the concept of time as currency. After all ~ Time is Money, right? How nice would it be to be paid with one of these 3 month notes? How would you spend it? See the details up close on the next page…
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One of my favorite things about my mom, she’s always cut out comics, pulled magazine articles, cut up newspapers… and now emails me links all the time as well… perhaps she was one of the curators of my world and editors of NOTCOT before it even came to be… one of her recent saves for me, which i couldn’t help sharing, LA Times Magazine has this awesome feature of 50s ~ in this case, 50 Signature Handbags ~ Cachet and carry ~ beautifully illustrated by Jameson Simpson. While i love the way the 50 look on the page (so i had to take a scanner to the mag for you) ~ i love the functionality of the web version ~ it slides along as you hop between numbers… but i’m torn, i do love my visuals more on the ‘overwhelming, all at once, let me choose what i want to see’ side of things… BUT on the web you can see the fun illustrations of our fashion classics up close! Anyhow, browse them all on the next page!
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Oh, W+K Studio Goodness ~ you guys are SO sweet, and awesomely inspiring. On fun surprises to come home to after the latest round of travels ~ firstly, how adorable is it that they made the envelope pattern align perfectly? I almost felt bad to pull the envelope off to read the card… but luckily i did, since i couldn’t stop smiling once i saw all the many fun signatures and notes within!!!
SO ~ here we have the unboxing/close up look of the incredible, hand screened (with love!), limited edition of 75 (but only 50 for sale here) 2010 Goodness Calendar… this is lucky number 37! Other than beautiful graphics, i love the note on the back… and that its a calendar that runs from Feb 2010 - Jan 2011… and i totally agree with them, i often forget i need calendars around until well into january, so why not offset it a little? It’s still totally useful!
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Our London-based editor 
I love when a graphic can transport you to another world… or make you wish you were somewhere else… just got an email from our friends at the 
On shows not to miss ~ 
Gorgeous April Bottle Green bottles available soon in the UK. These stunning bottles for 
Reading 
