Nabokov Box Project

As I drove to work today I thought I knew what I was going to post ... but as always I got side tracked and found these awesome book covers!

21 designers were invited to create a book cover for re-issues of Nabokov's books ... but within the prescribed format of creating a specimen box (Nabokov collected butterflies) with pins and paper to create the cover.

What a great fundraising idea for Te Tai Tamariki.

Check them out here http://observatory.designobserver.com/slideshow.html?view=227&entry=11597&slide=1#slide.
I hope you enjoy!

Animated Sand Illustration

Yay its Thursday! My blog day!

Today I remembered a fantastic sand art video I saw a while ago. I love the way Ilana Yahov's hand movements and the music are intertwined as she draws on a glass table, using only sand.

Take a break and enjoy this inspirational video :) Don't forget to have the sound turned on.

If you would like to find out more about Ilana you can visit www.sandfantasy.com

Have an awesome end of week + weekend :)

Library Books

After visiting the library again this week, I reaslied what a great thing it is to browse for books online and order them to be simply collected from the library – otherwise I could easily spend most of my working day browsing the shelves and need a small trailer to take my selection back to the office.

The library website is fantastic and simple to use. At the start of each month I go through and peruse the list of new books, New Zealand books and any other category that takes my fancy, then pick and choose without getting sidetracked by the book’s shelf neighbour!

Some of the books I have enjoyed this week can be found on http://www.fishpond.co.nz as well:

Thanks Christchurch City Libraries!

Happy reading.

Diane

The big dung out!

It's Tuesday and my turn to Blog today. The temperature is 29°c outside and the brain is just functioning. But achievements for the day are huge.

I've finally beaten the marketing and business plans into shape, which feels good. Masterpieces, even if I do say so myself.

The next big achievement was to clean my desk. It's so tidy it's worth capturing as everyone in here will comment that a miracle has been performed.

Great team, great place, great books. Boring desk!

Libri Artefatti

I recently found an interesting twist on the picture book – a book illustrated after it has been published!

Two italian artists are preparing an exhibition in a bookshop in Naples, featuring artwork created directly on books. Their work is online at:
http://www.urbansketchers.com/2010/02/libri-artefatti-books-as-sketchbooks.html

As a book designer and illustrator, I find this idea fascinating – a book with a life beyond its original intention. This is the artist working within paradigm of the illustrator – to the limitations of existing space, to interpret text, to reinvent page composition and breath new life into an old book.

The book is reinterpreted as an art object. But isn't any illustrated book a vehicle for displaying artwork? And don't most of us see most of the art we experience through reproduction, in books?

Cheers,
Peter

The Future of the Book - it's here!

Mid last year I attended the Future of the Book conference and remember sitting there thinking WOW! this interactive ebook thing could really go somewhere. 

Imagine what would happen to a students' learning experience if they had everything they need at their finger tips. All the reference material and lecture notes on the spot at the lecture they are attending, while they're attending it. Plus it would be content enriched so you had a inspirational viewing experience.

The motivation and enthusiasm this creates would be awesome. Plus as a student you wouldn't be anywhere near as weighed down by carrying a bag of books (that's the tired old ladies thought though, not some young fit thing).

I've now just seen how this can happen with the ipad. Someone was inside my head that day and now they've written an article about it. It's worth checking out the vision.

http://digitalbookworld.com/2010/o-brave-new-ebook/

Now we are looking forward to designing in this medium and being part of making it happen. It's gonna be a great new world.

Here's the first of what I'm told is going to be my weekly blogspot contribution. I wasn't sure what to write about. I didn't think the life of a Mac Operator would interest many people, although I do enjoy my job. But I stumbled on this article the other day on Paper Art and found it really awesome. The amount of patience that would have been involved in creating something like this is amazing. Hope you enjoy it too.

Here are just some examples of what is in the article.

Have a great week!

Maria :)

Yulia Brodskaya

Simon Schubert

Jen Stark

Peter Callesen