From the looks of their crisp, bright white website, Inventory Magazine is absolutely bursting with class and style. A curation of Ideas in Product, Craft & Culture— I like that.

The site is a work of art, from designer Stuart Hobday. His work is consistently intelligent, grid-loyal and always, always fresh as hell.

Saturday, June 12
—
Blackberry, Real Friends (Times Square, NYC)
At Time of Sketch: 90%
Project Status: 95%

The Bagel
6/11/10

Hand-painted letters found on a sign in Uncle Julio’s, an excellent mexican restaurant in Lincoln Park.
7/30/10
—




The triangular patterns created in these ceiling lights are lovely! I could spend some time with this… a tasty bit of geometric design inspiration.
6/23/10
—



The Bagel
6/11/10
—



Exotica window display outside of Macy’s downtown.
June, 2010
—



Eileen Fisher window display outside of Macy’s downtown.
June, 2010
—



Love the neon letterforms, here. “OPEN” especially.
June, 2010
—



One of the best vanity plates I’ve ever seen!
Sometime in early 2010
—



Charming neon outside the House of Blues, Chicago.
June, 2010
—



First time ever in an Old Navy, I come to find out the mannequins from the hilarious commercials are real! A pleasant surprise.
June, 2010
—



They sell snacks in the laundry room—I buy them all.
June, 2010
—



Home Depot sign in the paint department. The details escape this photo, but I enjoyed the overlapping color and subtle nuances in the large numbers.
June, 2010
—



Believe it or not, these windows are a recent addition to a nearby McDonalds. I would normally walk right by, however I think there is something to be said for the arch-inspired stained glass pattern.
June, 2010
—



My office view of the Chicago River, during the Winter. All the broken-up ice in the water is sort of gorgeous!
Winter, 2009
—

Saturday, June 5
—
Six Six Four
At Time of Sketch: 60%
Project Status: 85%

I can’t imagine I have any readers from Berlin, but if you happen to be there during the second week in July—and you kind of like excellent artwork—do yourself a favor and go visit Emil Kozak and his new mini collection of handmade collage pieces. The exhibition is called Small Pencils Big Dreams, and I have a feeling you wouldn’t regret it!

If you aren’t familiar with Emil Kozak’s work, get familiar!

Reading an article in a recent HOW Magazine about designing logos for sports teams, I came across the logo for the Colorado Mammoth, designed in 2003 by Kelley Kocher, of Kroenke Sports Enterprises. I’m probably just extra attracted to the logo, since I’ve developed a recent affection towards (well-designed) sports logos—they’re a curious breed. While most are flat or two-dimensional, this particular mark for the Colorado lacrosse team is much more dynamic with it’s compelling three-dimensional cues.

Apparently mammoths were vegetarians, but lets be honest: the bloody tusks are awesome.

Saturday, May 29
—
Public Media Institute Research Library
At Time of Sketch: 90%
Project Status: 100%

I could barely finish reading this Limité Magazine interview with KDU Principal, David Gensler, because I was so distracted by yet another instance of the KDU’s self branding. Also known as The Keystone Design Union, a global collective of creative forward-thinkers, constant reinvention just seems to be their thing. Branding goes deeper than a logo; it’s the way a brand makes you feel, and the KDU definitely gets it. I’ve been doing some early sketches for my own icon, ready to be stamped, embossed, or drawn on the corners of artwork or invoices. It’s a valuable component to have for yourself, as an active designer and artist.

I truly look up to the KDU; they’ve always been a remarkable source of inspiration for me.

On my way through the O’Hare airport last week, I found myself taking more than a few curious double-takes at what seems to be a stunning rebranding of IBM. The campaign is called A Smarter Planet and is the company’s current effort to contribute to green business. The campaign is being applied through 21 corporate avenues, including Banking, Cities, Education, Energy, Food, Government, Healthcare, Public Safety… and each department receives its own custom ’smarter icon’ so to speak. The collection overall is very compelling; bold, colorful, minimal, charming.

The iconic imagery has influenced the user experience on IBM’s website, reshaping the navigation and providing a really refreshing overall facelift. There’s been skeptical talk about IBM’s efforts as a whole, and what this campaign really stands for, but I’m keeping myself removed from all that. As far as I’m concerned, I think the move is a great one for IBM, and above all I admire the efforts made to maintain the bold, iconic symbolism that Paul Rand set in place for the company, fifty years ago!




Campaign brought to us by Ogilvy & Mather.