Food, graphic design and drugs (kidding) are just a few of the things on our agenda for this week’s edition of Things. Been searching for that long lost Apple Pie Kool-Aid recipe, or scratching your head over how to bring more diversity to Macdonald’s? Then look no further, this week’s round-up is a smokin’ slow cooker of hot, bubbly, fall-off-the-bone goodness. Carry on then!
100 Ideas That Changed Graphic Design Steven Heller and Vernique Vienne
We love anyone who puts big ideas and big images all in one place, and such is the value of this hefty tome, in which Heller and Vienne set about identitify the 100 “big bangs” which have shaped the world of graphic design as we know it. Identifying the influence of trends like collage, pictograms and found typography, turning the pages is like having one revelatory ice-cold cocktail after another thrown in your face. A must-read for anyone who enjoys deftly balanced visuals and analysis.
www.laurenceking.com
Jotta Issue #1 Millie Ross
Aside from having one of my favorite format briefs ever (“A4 pack of posters bound by a bellyband”), Jotta: Issue #1 is a wonderful thing. Formed in partnership with Central St. Martins, Jotta is a digital home-base for creative portfolios, project spaces and art/design blogging. Now they’re putting one foot out of the digital world and into “reality” with this unusual publication featuring large format photography, profiles and interviews that all build upon the Jotta manifesto – providing platforms for emerging artists and designers to develop their practice.
www.jotta.com
The Runcible Spoon Issue #7 Malaka Gharib/Claire O’Neill
Founded by Washington D.C. dwelling “longtime zinester” Malaka Gharib, this issue’s called Mad Science and it’s chock-a-block with excellent tips, recipes and interviews with some of the food world’s cleverest players (Bompas & Parr this time). A life lived without The Runcible Spoon would be a life lived without occult jam, mooncakes or crepe suzette, and that would be a sad, sad thing.
www.therunciblespoon.info
DR.ME: D/R/U/G/S
Behold the new EP for D/R/U/G/S. Looking at the album cover is kind of like being on drugs – which I suppose was the point. It an attractive thing with slice-y impact that looks lovely from a distance and vaguely sexual up close. Design by the excellent collage artist DR.ME, the band’s signature “/” acts as a practical motif, a clever bit of visual handiwork that gets the job done.
www.dr-me.com
Prints Page Pedlar
We’re glad Page Pedlar found us this week because his mega-bright illustrations added a mega-sweet flush to the final days of our week. We especially loved his Mcdonalds re-brand which sees a range of people of all walks of life come together under one burger-lovin’ roof, and by “a range of people” he means an astronaut, a chef and a judge. Here are some prints he sent us featuring his wonderful characters, aptly self-described as "life in a crisp colourful perspective with humorous undertones. "
www.carcoll.pagepedlar.com