studiotwentysix2

This Is The End, Sort Of...

2009-07-03T12:00:00.000-04:00

The studiotwentysix2 redesign is complete and functioning.

Although this blog has served me well for over three years, I will no longer be posting here. This blog will remain live, however the studiotwentysix2 blog will now be located within the main site. I have uploaded all of the content from this site to the new blog, and hope you decide to continue following my musings at the new location. Please update your bookmark and join me on the dark side.

The new studiotwentysix2 blog

Site News

2009-06-30T12:00:00.002-04:00

The posting will probably be minimal this week, as I am working on a major overhaul to the studiotwentysix2 main site. The site hasn’t been updated in quite some time, and there hasn’t been a redesign since 2006...so I am currently in the process of rebuilding the site from scratch.

Things to expect:

There will be less work overall on the new site, as I’m concerned more with quality than quantity at this point. However, there will be a nice batch of new work, and the work carrying over from the current site has been rephotographed.

Image size will increase significantly, and multiple views and close-ups will be utilized. I was using a 366 x 366 px image size previously, and that will now change to 1000 x 600 px.

The new site will be entirely Dreamweaver HTML / XHTML / CSS. On the current site, I have the type as image — it will now use CSS. This will certainly help bring it up to current web standards, and with loading time and translation sites.

I am looking into integrating the blog into the main site to make it one cohesive unit. I will see what Blogger and Wordpress have to offer before I decide on anything drastic.

The homepage will consist of several rotating welcome images; this should add some spice and help add a little interactivity to the experience.

I will keep you updated as the switchover is made.

Tom

1958 – 2009

2009-06-26T12:00:00.001-04:00

Michael Jackson - New Music - More Music Videos

San Alfonso Del Mar

2009-06-25T12:00:00.002-04:00

I can’t deny its beauty or design, but I’ve never quite grasped the concept of building a swimming pool 50 feet away from the ocean. Nevertheless, the next time I’m in the mood to sit by a huge pool that is directly adjacent to the Pacific Ocean, I’ll be heading to Chile’s San Alfonso del mar resort.

Big ass pool

Sleevage

2009-06-24T12:00:00.000-04:00

Sleevage is a blog / archive dedicated to album cover art.

Accompanying each cover is detailed information about the band, the artist (if known) and any historical art or design references that may have influenced the cover art. It’s a quality site and definitely worth a bookmark.

Sleevage

Vintage Neon Signs

2009-06-23T12:00:00.000-04:00

Outdoorsman and photographer Tom Spaulding has put together a fabulous flickr set of over 800 vintage neon signs. The collection has a nice mix of day and night images, stylistic variety and the overall image quality is quite good.

The signs were located and photographed throughout Northern California.

Just Vintage Neon

Are Mokkelbost

2009-06-22T12:00:00.001-04:00

Norwegian artist and musician Are Mokkelbost has created an elaborate series of paper collages titled ION.

ION

Si Scott

2009-06-19T12:00:00.002-04:00

Although the site is under construction, the work is still interesting. Si Scott has has a nice organic illustration style, and the way it translates into the typographic pieces is quite impressive.

Si Scott

Secret Bansky Exhibition

2009-06-18T12:00:00.001-04:00

British guerrilla and graffiti artist Bansky has just opened a secret exhibition of 100 works at Bristol’s City Museum and Art Gallery (the artist’s hometown).

A nice article with images from the Daily Mail can be viewed at the link below.

Bansky Exhibition

Painting the Gender Divide

2009-06-17T12:00:00.002-04:00

I thought this was an interesting article about the under-representation of contemporary female artists among prominent museums.

Painting the gender divide via McGill Daily

Art Institute of Chicago, The Modern Wing

2009-06-16T12:00:00.000-04:00

I’m a few weeks late with the announcement, but nevertheless, my alma mater has opened a brand new Modern Art wing...

Designed by Pritzker Prize–winning architect Renzo Piano, the Modern Wing will provide a new home for the museum’s collection of 20th- and 21st-century art. Now a decade in the making, this 264,000 square-foot building makes the Art Institute the second largest art museum in the United States. The building will house the museum’s world-renowned collections of modern European painting and sculpture, contemporary art, architecture and design, and photography. The extraordinary scope and quality of these collections will be a revelation; each will be displayed more comprehensively than ever before. The opening of the Modern Wing will allow the Art Institute to take its rightful place as one of the world’s great collections of modern and contemporary art.

Art Institute of Chicago, The Modern Wing

BMW Art Cars

2009-06-15T12:00:00.000-04:00

Since the 1970s, BMW has commissioned a variety of famed artists to create a unique work of car art. While I certainly don’t love them all, it’s a pretty interesting collection of varying styles and artistic approaches.

Art Car slideshow via New York Times

Art Car gallery via US Auto Parts

Skip James

2009-06-12T12:00:00.000-04:00

If you are into Blues, then you will dig these fantastic Skip James acoustic recordings from 1966 & 1967 respectively.

New Blog Feature

2009-06-11T12:01:00.000-04:00

I just added a brand new feature for your enjoyment and my benefit.

As of today, you can now rate your interest level in the studiotwentysix2 blog content. In the time it takes to click a button, you can help determine what types of posts you would like to see more of, and which kind you would rather do without.

It’s anonymous and easy — simply click the box next to “Good Stuff” for the posts you really enjoy, “OK” for the posts you like (or least find tolerable) or “Not The Best” for those entries which you think are a waste of time.

As always, comments are welcomed and appreciated, but if you aren’t into commenting, perhaps this new feature will suit you better.

Tom

For Print Only

2009-06-11T12:00:00.000-04:00

The UnderConsideration team has launched a new blog focused entirely on print design...

FPO is a blog dedicated to both the visual stimulus and the detailing of the development and production of printed matter: Annual reports, books, business cards, stationery suites, collateral materials, posters, packaging and anything else where ink meets substrate. A subject matter we know, love and understand. A process that, despite numerous eulogies, is still alive.

For Print Only

Jim Lambie

2009-06-10T12:00:00.001-04:00

Here are a couple of links for the well-respected Scottish artist Jim Lambie. He’s best known for his use of everyday objects as part of large installation works.

I find his pieces using vinyl floor tape the most interesting. The way it integrates and redefines the existing architecture is quite impressive.

via Anton Kern Gallery

via The Modern Institute

Corporate Logo Redesigns

2009-06-09T12:00:00.003-04:00

A friend sent me this article from the New York Times about recent corporate logo redesigns.

The article implies that the current US recession has directly influenced the trend of softer, happier, more inviting logo treatments. This may in fact be true, but the trend I am more concerned about...naming the individual parts of your logo. “Spark” and “Flavor burst” are pretty sweet, but I would have recommended “Spirit fingers” and “Jazz hands” instead. Unfortunately, I don’t have a MBA, so my opinion is virtually worthless when it comes to these decisions.

The Refreshed Logo

The Meth Project

2009-06-08T12:00:00.000-04:00

The Montana Meth Project will have publications bending-over-backwards to fill their pages with these wholesome, family-friendly print ads. I bet the folks at Ladies Home Journal, Better Homes and Garden, Woman’s Day and Good Housekeeping can barely contain their excitement.

The Meth Project print ads

90s Hip Hop

2009-06-05T12:01:00.003-04:00

I’m officially old.

The realization came while watching the new Wieden+Kennedy created Heineken commercial titled Let A Stranger Drive You Home. It’s clear that the music I listened to in school has skipped a generation and been packed-away long enough that it’s now retro cool. I’m sure Biz Markie is quite pleased with the result; I on the other hand am not.

On a side note, here are two of the best flows that 90s Hip Hop has to offer — Pete Rock and Buckshot Shorty in da’ house.

National Donut Day

2009-06-05T12:00:00.002-04:00

Free donuts today at participating Dunkin’ Donuts and Krispy Kreme locations. Word.

National Donut Day via The Consumerist

Phil Frost

2009-06-04T12:00:00.000-04:00

Self-taught artist and Beautiful Losers contributor Phil Frost created some killer work for his recent exhibition at NYC’s Jonathan LeVine Gallery. Good stuff.

Phil Frost at Jonathan LeVine Gallery

Esquire Cover, July 2009

2009-06-03T12:00:00.001-04:00

Nice use of hand-written text...seriously.

I have a feeling some middle-aged chubby guy will parody this pose and type treatment in the not-too-distant future. It’s unfortunate that Chris Farley is no longer with us; he would have made for a perfect candidate.

Bar Refaeli

The Princess and the Frog

2009-06-02T12:00:00.001-04:00

Opening in December, Disney’s “The Princess and the Frog” will feature the first animated black princess in the company’s distinguished history. The New York Times has put together an interesting article discussing the cultural significance of the character, as well as early praise and criticism of the film.

Her Prince Has Come. Critics, Too.

(Photo copyright Walt Disney Pictures)

The Book Cover Archive

2009-05-29T12:00:00.001-04:00

This is an outstanding resource for all things book cover design related.

In addition to providing a database of well-designed covers, each archive entry also lists the designer, studio and font usage. Quite a fantastic bookmark for anyone interested in graphic or literature design — the archive is edited and maintained by Ben Pieratt of General Projects and Eric Jacobsen of Whisky Van Gogh Go.

The Book Cover Archive

Henry Gunderson

2009-05-28T12:00:00.001-04:00

Be sure to check out the interview and work of 18-year-old Henry Gunderson — he just completed his first year at The San Francisco Art Institute, and is preparing for his first solo exhibition later this Summer.

Henry Gunderson via Fecal Face