Secret Still

Having, myself, spent hours in Illustrator trying to trace a line drawing (don’t even get me started about LiveTrace), I can tell you that it ranks pretty high up on my list of things that make me want to angrily skullfuck all the cats in my neighborhood. Why cats? Because I don’t like their smug, knowing looks is why. I’d have to say that it amazes me that Detroit illustrator Christopher Gideon isn’t locked up somewhere for running amok. His crazily intricate vectors make me think that he is either incredibly enlightened, possibly the 805th incarnation of the Buddha, or he’s a powder keg just waiting for something to set him off. I think I’ll play it safe and post his work like he asked me to. Hey Chris, hey buddy, who’s your friend? That’s right, I am. Just remember that.

Christopher Gideon

Really fantastic and simple design work from Dom Murphy. His web design has me itching to try out a couple of ideas. Maybe when I get through with the 30 other projects in line before it. I wouldn’t hold my breath if I were you, website. No, shh shh, it’s ok….you’re pretty, too. Who’s my special website?

Dom Murphy

Nothing ruins a great weekend like a Monday. You wake up with a mouth that tastes like old onions, the cat licks the mayonnaise on your sandwich when your back is turned, the hops that you’ve been drying (what?) in the food dehydrator are almost dust, and a guy riding the wrong way in the bike lane clips you as you ride past. He doesn’t apologize or even look back. Gearing up to be one of those days I try and hide under my desk. Thank you, Julian Baker, for being a nice little island of goodness for me to look at in what will likely be an otherwise shitty day. Now if you’ll all excuse me, I’ve got to go grab some fruit to hoard in my new desk-fort.

Julian Baker

Some days I don’t have much to say, which is fine, because my words are usually pretty superfluous compared to the visual talent of the artists I post. Such is the case with New Zealand illustrator Andrew Archer, who’s analog/digital work is definitely better than my babble.

Andrew Archer

For some people art is work — there are all kinds of reference photos, and layers, and sketches upon sketches — but Sam McKenzie is clearly one of those rare breed that can just draw whatever they see in their heads directly, and it will look perfect every time. He is also one of those people who’s work makes me think of Mountain Dew fueled speed metal jam sessions with friends, where one of the guys just bangs on an overly distorted guitar with a screwdriver. Hot chicks, surly dudes, and a bunch of non-sequitur phrases…and who am I kidding, he had me at hot chicks. Thank you, Sam McKenzie for amping up my rock n’ roll spirit through the heavy, gray fog of morning. And in case you are ever interested in having a jam, I play a mean fucking screwdriver.

Sam McKenzie

UK designer Paul Tebbott wins for the best abstractions I’ve seen in a while, subtle but fantastic. And of course you can never go wrong with the slightly washed out hues of the 1970’s. I could throw a lot more words at you — minimal, quiet, soothing, intriguing, and probably even cathartic, because I feel like anything can be a catharsis with the right perspective — but I respect you all too much to pander like that. Yeah, let’s go with that.

Paul Tebbott

Maybe there is something special about the icier parts of the Midwest, but there are some fantastic designers there. Is it the oppressive Winters? You get trapped in the house for months at a time because of inclimate weather, and there’s nothing else to do but get really really good at something? I’ve noticed there are some great artists/designers in Portland, too where it rains like a bastard for most of the year. Damn the pleasant environs I’ve lived in throughout my life, no wonder I’m not very good at anything. Whatever the reason, the results are still clear, and Allan Peters is a great example. The Minnesota-based designer is as talented as they come, and within the first five seconds I had already added his site to my “inspiration” bookmarks. Lots of ideas zooming around the old brain box after combing through his portfolio. Simple design, great color pairings, excellent font choices, and a classic aesthetic; plus he’s been shot before. Apparently I need to think about living somewhere a little more challenging.

Allan Peters

More than a few years ago, when I was still in college, I was home from school for the weekend and me and my friends, as usual, were taking extremely high doses of LSD and seeing how long we could survive. For some reason a consensus was reached that we should go to a house party where there were people we knew. I drove at night in the rain and only avoided crashing because the lines on the road reflected the light back so severely that I thought the road was on fire and I was trying not to melt the tires. We walked in to a breakdance battle where I believe someone mimed throwing a Street Fighter style fireball at their opponent. It cemented my understanding of the innate ridiculousness of being anything at all. One good thing to come out of that party was that we re-met Staci Janik. We knew her from high school, but she was there and she UNDERSTOOD us; not easily done by a many people at that point. We adopted her into our group (whether she wanted it or not) right then and there. She became The Girl. We already had The Little Girl, and Staci is too tall for that name anyway. We all loved her (did you know that, Staci?) in our individual ways, and she brought us new ideas in return. You would think that after all that, I would be biased, but luckily for me I’m too much of an asshole to ever be biased by love.

SO. It gives me nothing but joy to tell you about the design work of Staci Janik, a person who can never stop being a part of my family. Her work is simple, uncluttered, and beautiful. I can nerd out on her type choices, I can sit back and enjoy her layout, and more than that I can see her style in every stitch. It’s all classy yet playful and beguiling, like an Audrey Hepburn smile or that one little cloud sailing all by itself in miles of empty, bright blue sky. I don’t need to say much more than that. The Girl understands.

Staci Janik

I woke up this morning with a burning fever, and the only thing that could cure it was some great design. Cristiana Couceiro floated in like a wartime nurse and soothed my sweaty brow with the cool simplicity of her graphic design work. She’s captured a perfect vintage aesthetic and coupled it with modern lines and shapes in a way that is seamless and perfect, right down to her type choices. You want to see really great design, then look no further.

Cristiana Couceiro

Just look at that monster. The hand and mind that created that has to be one of the most patient and devious duos ever to grace this planet. That kind of intricacy can only come from the mind of a Swiss watchmaker on speed, hellbent on slow, precise world domination. Clearly Tweed Tom is a threat to humanity as a whole. How am I going to combat this menace? I’m not. I’m probably going to end up funding his planetary takeover by buying one of his prints. I for one welcome our new graphic design overlord, long may he reign.

Tweed Tom