Living Lichtenstein

What a great Halloween costume -- a woman transforms into a living version of a pop art comic strip character. Roy Lichtenstein come to life, CMYK and all.

Blik Wall Graphic Halloween Sale

Blik, one of the original makers of cheeky, non-committal wall graphics, is having a Halloween sale. Save 31% this week on all online orders by entering code SPOOKY at checkout. Discount does not apply to custom orders. Blik has come a long way since their first tiny collection and now has an expansive line of imaginative wall decals -- what can I say, I'm a sucker for the Super Mario Bros. [Thanks *g!]

Keep Calm: Grow Your Greens

This "Grow Your Greens" poster is part of a new collection by Keep Calm Gallery called Garden Organic -- three limited edition hand-screened prints are being sold to benefit the UK's leading organic growing charity. Whether you are in a position to actually grow your own greens or no, a typographic nudge towards eating more vegetables is always appreciated.

El Vetica

Mike Monteiro's new El Vetica shirt for Mule Designs (where he is the Design Director) celebrates both typography and luchadors... and why not? What began as a type joke on Flickr (see here) progressed to version 2 after some comments from the community. Monteiro ultimately went with the opinion of Daring Fireball's Dave Gruber to create the final version (though not all agree with these changes). Always nice to watch evolution happen.

GDBar is Back!

Yes, I've returned from my year of technological burnout. For months, I was completely uninspired and creatively blocked. The causes and cures were many, but -- long story short -- I'm getting back on the horse. Things have shifted behind the scenes here at GDBar. First, I'm no longer in New York City and part of that uber-competitive design scene. Having spent the last five years working in virtual offices with the internet as my main playground, physical location starts to matter less. I'm now based in the US Midwest and enjoying that... for now. Second, from here on out I'll be posting when I find things that I enjoy, rather than commit to a daily post. If you're still reading this blog, I thank you. Also many thanks to those of you who have emailed and continued to browse the GDBar archives -- you guys are a part of what has brought me back. Here's to you, readers! Now, on with the posts!

Kenji Hirata

I'm enjoying the flow and colors within the work of Brooklyn artist Kenji Hirata. Hirata says that his art is "strongly inspired by nature, billboards and hand painted signage of Southeast Asia, and futurism" and that he's developed his own language of icons and symbols that mix to form different meanings. The different galleries on his website are well worth exploring -- for example, the vibrant dragon in gallery 10 is quite different than musical abstracts of gallery 5. Enjoy!

Graphic Designer vs. Client

A short YouTube gem called Graphic Designer vs. Client sums up the professional experience for many, sadly enough. Says the client needing a brochure for practically pennies and in the next seventeen minutes: "Are you going to do it Microsoft Word? I have a friend who says that it is all you need for really nice looking professional publications. In fact, he could give you some tips on layout, as he's done a course on interior design." NSFW, because the designer gives a series of honest and appropriately profane responses.

Oh, and there is also a sequel!

The Thames and the Tube

Last month the River Thames was one of the details erased from the map of the London Underground in an attempt to make the 75-year-old info graphic less cluttered. After public outrage, the Thames will be restored to the map when the next version is printed in December. Thames-less tube maps may become collectible design oddities! In the meantime, Ian Baldwin muses on the history of the map and the significance of the change (and correction) over at Design Observer. [via Patrick Bell on Twitter]

Writing Machines on Flickr

The Writing Machines group on Flickr showcases photos of old typewriters and computers... some that capture these relics in unexpectedly beautiful ways. There are plenty of shots of typewriter key typography that too, Shown above: Typewriter front view by Pedro Fonseca photography

GDBar Will Be Back Soon!

GDBar's extended hiatus will be ending soon as things revive behind the scenes. Thanks so much for continuing to comment and for sending emails during these months of silence. You, readers, have inspired me to fight burnout and take up the reigns again, and I really appreciate that. More coming soon!

Cool Hunter: Creative Office Space

Take a look at some of the world's most creative office environments—and, while you're at it, enter your own for consideration in the Cool Hunter's book on the subject!

Sans Serif Type Tee at Target

Randomly spotted at Target.com: a t-shirt showcasing sans serif typefaces. From the oh-so-cheesy product description: Dreaming of page layouts? This tee from Turn Nocturnal is the answer to your graphic-design dreams. The T-shirt line features the best of the sans-serif bunch, including Helvetica, Myriad, and Futura. Write on!

New Prints at Keep Calm

Some exciting developments over at Keep Calm, including the inclusion of cinema-inspired prints by London-based Richard Roberts and the launch of an accessories store for printed mugs and tea towels. The Keep Calm team has done a wonderful job expanding from their original "Keep Calm and Carry On" reproductions, growing in unexpected directions and working with different artists. As always, I look forward to what they do next!

Summer Vacation

GDBar is on summer vacation! Back after Labor Day—I hope everyone is having a contented and colorful summer!

Rosemary Laing

Fun for Friday: Check out the work of Australian photographer Rosemary Laing. From staged shots with flying brides to powerful landscapes (that are sometimes on fire!), her photos are full of tension and motion and clearly influenced by her training as a painter. Laing is also currently one of the artists showcased in the 2008 Biennale of Sydney. [via Artkrush]

Obauhaus: Obama in Berlin

Meaningful Distraction showcases (and refutes any controversy surrounding) Barack Obama's campaign poster for his Berlin address, which pays cool tribute to the Bauhaus and is yet another nicely designed move by his creative team. The poster is available to download on the Obama site. [via The Daily Heller]

Photographs from Beijing

There are some wonderful photographs emerging from the current spotlight on Beijing and the upcoming Olympics. I noticed one (above right) in July's Vanity Fair, and the other (above left) popped up in my weekly Activate email. More than just another look at Beijing's architecture, these photos are studies in scale, capturing everyday people prepping for chaos against fascinating landscapes of texture.

ILT: Getting started with Letterpress

Benjamin Brundell has a nice post over at ILT called Letterpress From Scratch: "This article looks briefly at this resurgence of interest in letterpress, why you might like it and some help to begin enjoying this fascinating pastime."

Banksy

Controversy seems to follow infamous British street artist Banksy wherever he goes—and whoever he is. Rumors that the artist, who is known for his anti-establishment satirical style, was once a "nice middle-class schoolboy" are causing a surprising and somewhat ridiculous stir, and the mainstream media are gleefully crying "Banksy Revealed!" and conjuring up an art world Deep Throat. If you've never heard of Banksy, you can read up on Wikipedia or see some of his work on the official Banksy site—current hype and fuss aside, he's been doing some cool stuff for years.

Sushi vs. Gehry

"Japanese architect Kengo Kuma has criticised the architecture of Frank Gehry and other contemporary architects, and claimed they could learn a lot from how sushi is made." Kuma makes an interesting parallel between design and sushi, saying that success in both areas involves choosing the best seasonal materials and keeping things simple so that the journey isn't compromised by becoming too long or overly complex. Meanwhile, Gehry is being praised for his Serpentine Gallery Pavillion, the ninth in the gallery’s series of temporary architectural installations.