VIRB is social networking for people who like nice looking things. Ever found your self bothered by how ugly your myspace page is. Social networking sites like MySpace and FaceBook get all the press, Virb is on its way. The tools they have built to allow their users the freedom to customize their pages is unsurpassed. They are built in such a way that you can’t make an ugly Virb page. Their slogan “Virb makes your favorite things easy to publish and easy to find” is pretty much true. The polish feels genuine. There is no sense of corporate gloss. Does this bring in folks with better taste? Maybe. I might just give it a try.
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I’ve been a big fan Mike Perry for longer than I’ve known who he was. Organic aesthetic is really hard to pull off without looking cheap. His client list should be the envy of any designer. MTV, Dwell Magazine, Saatchi & Saatchi, Nylon Mag, Polyvinyl records. He’s got a new book coming out called Hand Job, a catalogue of hand drawn typography which I’m itching to get my hands on.
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Some Ecards has been posted all over the place, BUT it’s too hilarious to pass up. Created by Brook Lundy and Duncan Mitchell, and designed by Jerry Tamburro, Some Ecards takes what has become a pretty banal idea and breathed a little life into it. Perfect for everyone you know, except for maybe your grandmother. The cards range from mildly lewd to totally inappropriate. Send em to your loved ones.
Found via Josh Spear + CoolHunting
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Curbly is a community based web site for ‘people who love where they live.’ The community seems uber friendly with users asking, and answering all types of home improvement questions. It’s got a slew of articles and interviews featuring interesting happenings in the design community, and how-tos ranging from grilling tips to wall hangings and image transfers.
Their get inspired section is particularly appealing, but be careful, you’ll have ripped apart your living room before you know what hit you. The best part about Curbly is it was founded right here in our little city that could: St. Paul.
Check it out, and support a couple of local st. pauli’s with fine taste.
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Hint Magazine is a great site for staying on top of the fashion industry. The multimedia pictorials are filled with top notch photography and design. Come for the photography and stay for the book + music + art reviews. Right now they’ve got an interview with Harold Koda, chief of the Metropolitan Museum’s Costume Institute, and MR. the cooky Japanese artist. It’s that range and diversity that makes Hint a delight to read. The articles are well researched and the darn thing is just pretty to look at.
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Urban Dirty is my favorite kind of website.
1.) It has a specific purpose and focus.
2.) It’s well built, and it always works.
3.) It provides great content for FREE.
A must resource for visual designers and artists, Urban Dirty is a free grunge-texture stock photography site. Download all the great grunge textures you want and go to town.
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Mother’s Day comes every year, and for those of you with mothers and perhaps an inability to remember to pick up the floral bouquet, an e-card can be an extremely lame way to tell your mother that you love her. This site provides the prettiest darn e-cards you’ve ever seen. Is it a good way to express your feelings? Absolutely not you jackass. http://sprintsweets.com/
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Sweet politco shirts for the tiny ones in your family. Find em at http://www.lowercasetee.com/
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A greener apple. So this little manifesto popped up on the Apple site the other day. Before I get too far into this, a little disclosure. I own a mac. Actually I own three macs, two ipods, a ton of apple software. I even find the commercials kinda funny.
That being said: A Greener Apple. Mr. Jobs posted this up on the web, and it should be a lesson to all big corporations out there. Transparency, and honesty WILL get you everywhere. He owns up to Apple’s products being bad for the environment. He spells out (even if it is a bit technical) the actual environmental breakdown of the the ingredients inside the pretty white box. Now, did they do this out of the goodness of their hearts, or is it a ploy to appeal to our enviro-conscious pangs? Did Jobs even right this? Turns out… I don’t care. Whatever the motivation it’s a good thing.
For those of you with busted ipods out there…http://www.beyondthepod.com/ will buy your busted ipod. Recycling + cash money = the sweetness. I’ve never used their service, this is not an endorsement.
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Mother’s Day comes every year, and for those of you with mothers and perhaps an inability to remember to pick up the floral bouquet, an e-card can be an extremely lame way to tell your mother that you love her. This site provides the prettiest darn e-cards you’ve ever seen. Is it a good way to express your feelings? Absolutely not you jackass. http://sprintsweets.com/
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The Elements of Typographic Style by Robert Bringhurst
Book One: Work, 1986-2006 by Chip Kidd
Trek: David Carson, Recent Werk by David Carson
Hand Job: A Catalog of Type by Michael Perry
The End of Print by Lewis Blackwell
Making and Breaking the Grid: A Graphic Design Layout Workshop by Timothy Samara