And the Lord said to Noah, "Let there be THINGS! – It'll be floody sound!" And it was good

It’s been a particularly busy week this week as we raced headlong into the jaws of In Progress. And as the team wipe their collective brows flinging perspiration in the wake of the weekend, let’s all settle down and have a look at what brightened up the studio, alleviating tensions like a much-needed biscuit. So, what will we be offering your beady, yearning eyes this week? I hear you people, and let’s just say it’ll involve a roam through day jobs, a collection of trendy fashion, naked illustrated bodies, A VINYL TO DIE FOR and some killer stories accompanied by some rather dashing photography. Let’s get it on.

Joscha Bruckert/Benedikt Bock: Romka magazine #7

First up this week is Romka Magazine #7 which brings together 58 professionals and amateurs from 21 countries, who all share their favourite photos and explain the story behind them. There’s also a reflective look into extraordinary photo albums and this issue features some impressive shots of 1950s Germany. The clincher for my love of this issue is the inclusion of “the five worst photos ever”, adding a rounded depth to the story of photography. From the photographer, the photo itself and the story behind the captured image, this magazine has it covered, alluding to the importance photography has in all our lives whether we are Rankin or not.
www.romkamagazine.com

DR. Me: D/R/U/G/S – The Source of Light

The first thing you’ll notice about this eclectic vinyl is the design courtesy of DR.ME I know right, wow will do! Things get better when we take a rather vivid trip into the electronic, euphoric world of 22-year-old Mancunian Callum Wright (a.k.a D/R/U/G/S). Combined, both music and design sit together pleasingly, promoting all the highs without so much as a sniff of any dirty little comedown. Lovely stuff and a fittinbg time to mention DR.ME have an ace new website – check it out NOW.
www.dr-me.com

Mahrenholz: Spring & Summer 2013

This one is for the trendy folk among you! I assure you, the only reason I sit at the table of such “trend talk” in this instance is purely because I’m writing about Mahrenholz: Spring & Summer, otherwise I’d be skulking about outside in a cold fashion wilderness. Anyway, this is quite the trendy mag, showcasing Nicole Mahrenholz’s Spring & Summer womenswear collection of 2013 which “communicates an interplay between mature elements of ballroom dancing and functional sportiness.”

Full of vibrant images of women clad in all the latest glittering crystals, sheer nets with popping topstitches and plastic zippers, this Berlin-based brand seems set to be styling a rather hip scene this summer, and may I just offer a nod to the use of typeface throughout this publication. It fits the brands edginess like a foot in a sock.
www.nicolemahrenholz.com

Benjamin Phillips: Birds Eye Evolution

Welcome to the wild imagination of Benjamin Phillips, an illustrator who has worked for Virgin Media and Top Man as well as a host of others. Flicking through Bird’s Eye Evolution is like flicking through the story of a world that includes a staggering variety of things such as “petrol, prepubescent spit, sugar puffs and stagnant puddles.” The illustrations take you on this journey, twisting visual imagery with clever, witty quips – on top of this, there’s a shed load of nakedness illustrated which uncovers a "beauty which is in the eye of the beholder. And remember, “the eye of the beholder is in the beholder’s eye socket which is in the beholder’s head”, and so on until we realise that we all live on the same planet and pretty much do the same things like brushing our teeth! Nice one Benjamin, Bird’s Eye Evolution is a joy!
www.benjaminphillips.co.uk

Day Job

There isn’t a better way to finish things off this week than sharing with you a risographed zine, illustrated and printed by ten recently graduated illustrators from Camberwell. The illustrations within Day Job explore a range of work environments as varied in style as the multitude of jobs students rack up while battling to pay those pesky fees. From the very beginning, this zine sets out its stall with a rather poetic observation on the randomness found in these environments. Everyone will recognise what’s found within and everyone will love the illustrations.
www.dayjob.tictail.com