Christopher Silas Neal

I'm digging these prints and drawings by Christopher Silas Neal. Christopher is an illustrator and designer, born in Texas, but now lives in Brooklyn and teaches at Pratt Institute. He blogs about his creative process and current projects on his website, redsilas.com.

Would You or Wouldn't You?

Viktor and Rolf Fall/Winter 08' Collection, Paris Fashion Week.

Yum

Some tasty typography found on Evening Tweed.

Trend Then, Trend Now

Since I work in the wonderful world of e-commerce, I get to (guilt-free) spend time on other retailers websites - naturally it's purely professional and for the betterment of our site (right). Well during some of our daily comp shopping my co-worker, Alexandra, stumbled upon this awesome section on the Saks Fifth Avenue site: Decades of Style. They have merchandised modern clothes, shoes, and accessories to correspond to the decade in which they were inspired by. Just goes to show that great fashion never goes out of style.

i heart you

I just threw up a little in my mouth.

Robert Kuo at Gump's

Gump's is the legendary San Francisco destination for luxury gifts, jewelry and home decor. Basically, it's where happy people shop. And yes, I mean "happy" in the monetary sense. And it also happens to be where I am currently employed as a graphic designer. Beyond all of the over-priced gifts, furniture, china and crystal, Gump's offers a wide assortment of unique pieces from artisans and designers around the world. One of my favorite collections at Gump's is by the artist Robert Kuo. This evening Robert Kuo will be presenting his 2008 collection of decorative objects and furniture (I love when we get to have cocktail parties! Definite perk to working here!). Robert Kuo's pieces blend ancient techniques with a modern sensibility. He uses a wide range of materials such as copper, crystal, colored lacquer, bronze and more. But my favorite pieces are the over-sized lacquer fruits and vegetables (featured above). Unfortunately, photographs don't do his work any justice, but if you happen to be in San Francisco this evening swing by Gump's for a truly magnificent show. And a maybe a glass or two of wine...

Wishful Thinking

Amazing new ad campaign and spring line for Dolce & Gabbana. I guess I just need to hurry up and become rich to purchase one of these.

My Colorstrology? Pantone 16-5112

If you are a designer on the path to self-knowledge, turns out that the folks at Pantone can help get you there! Colorstrology is an incredibly fun (and well designed!) Flash website that can tell you what Pantone you are, and then interpret the significance of this color in your life. Apparantly being "Canton" means that I am Powerful, Dynamic, and Introspective. Who knew?

While I'm not sure that I trust colorstrology any more than astrology, here's something I can definitely get behind: Colorstrology has an e-card feature, allowing you to send the designer in your life a really awesome birthday wish tailored to their big day. Or use it to simply brighten up a dreary February afternoon with some color!

Recommended Reading

Identity Crisis: 100 Redesigns that Transformed Stale Identities into Successful Brands by Jeff Fisher is going on my reading list. This book takes a look at successful before-and-after case studies of businesses that have updated and rebranded their images. The right branding and positioning helps businesses find success in the marketplace and eases the communication with customers.

Make Your Own Path

I've been thinking about picking up one of these letterpressed maps from Keep Calm Ltd for some time now, and I honestly don't think I'm able to resist much longer. The artist, Douglas Wilson, has printed a second edition due to popular demand— each poster is unique, from his own personal collection of vintage maps. 22 British pounds, plus postage (time to google a currency converter).

Favorite Things: Austin #1

Lets get one thing straight. I do not and have never liked antiques. My general stereotype is that they are decayed, often smelly, and belong in a junkyard...that is, until now.
Uncommon Objects was one of the first places in Austin that was recommended to me as "a place to see." Located on the hip, bohemian south side of Congress street, nestled nest door to a Texas staple, Allen Boots, it is hard to resist peeking in this quirky store. It is easy to get lost in this maze of eclectic, vintage finds.
The layout of store is particularly unique; I found that there appears to be an order and system to the chaos of objects. While a vintage kewpie doll may be placed on top of a slightly worn bureau, next to a group of banjos, they seem to fit with each other because of some unifying trait, whether that be color, general era, or just plain humor.
Its impossible to leave Uncommon Objects without feeling a hint of nostalgia from some past time.

... But a sometimes simple-minded time

After reading Colvin's post, I couldn't resist sharing this vintage advertisement for Schlitz beer. We may have a nostalgia for the cheery hand-drawn 50s graphics, but the copy is just so wrong, in so many way...

Blog headers. Thought? Comments? Ideas?

Here are a few of my initial designs for the headers. Leaning toward #4 on the list. Very Very interested in hearing your comments and suggestions. I thought it was important to stress the coast to coast designers.

Also...Taglines! Help.

What do you want this blog to look like?

Classic? Quirky? Fun? Cute? Ever Changing?

If you're in Reykjavík anytime soon...

Pick me up one of these. Some terrific Icelandic textiles from Vík Prjónsdóttir.

Colored Tights. No? Yes.

I have been quite skeptical of this trend in the past, and you may be too, but hear me out. Distress all the denim and collared shirts you want, Abercrombie & Fitch, but being BOLD is here to stay. You can't beat the brilliant colors seen in Zac Posen and Proenza Schouler's Fall 2008 lines! Why not stock up for next fall or finish this winter in style? If you haven't heard of Sri Lankan musician M.I.A by now, then you've been living under a rock and need to come out from under it to call your friends to tell them you're okay. While you're out here, appreciate her boldness and ability to rock any tight that is thrown her way. She is a fashion icon and my most recent guilty pleasure.


Ready to be bold? We Love Colors can help you there. Offering 45 terrific hues along with fresh patterns like zig-zag and tie-dye, the colors just bring a smile to my face. "Hey, I want an Olive Green pair." Yeah, they've got that! I have a pair of neon yellow, purple and grey...they are delightful.

A simpler time...

The 80th Academy Awards were on last night - something I look forward to every year - and while I found Jon Stewart to be his usual hilarious self (btw, I think the man is a genius) the show was a bit boring. However, it made me think of the art of the movie poster. Unfortunately, the wonderful world of air-brushing and marketing efforts seem to have taken all creativity out of movie posters. Here a few entertaining movie posters from the 1950's. I love the use of illustration instead of digitally enhanced photos of overrated lead characters. The colorful illustrations emphasize the artists' touch and get back to the hands-on roots of design. And seriously after seeing these posters, who doesn't want to root for the damsel in distress, or follow the 'Seven savage punks on a weekend binge of violence' ?

Chelsea James

I am not sure how I came across Chelsea James' portfolio, but I am in love with her work. Her still lifes are so subtle and breathtaking. I thought for sure she must have studied at Boston University's College of Fine Art because her technique is so classic and wellll very 'BU'.

These paintings make me want to be back in painting class...mixing colors for hours, studying the highlights and shadows, the smell of linseed oil masking the air. Then having your dreams crushed when the professor rips it apart in critique. Good thing I became a graphic designer.

Election '08: Logo Coverage

2008's historic election has the country pondering some very important issues, from our time frame for withdrawal from Iraq to the future of American health insurance. But maybe most interestingly from a designer's perspective, this particular election has us thinking about the our perception of candidates: how relatable are they, how progressive do they seem, how comfortable are we with them in the Oval Office? Food for thought: how much does a candidate's branding effect this perception? We might like to believe we are focused on the issues alone, but as any good designer is aware, image can be deceptively important. There have been some interesting discussions circulating the web on this very subject, so let's now take a look at the logos and wordmarks of candidates past and present to decide for ourselves!


If you were forced to choose a party on their graphics alone, I submit that the Democrats would be hands-down winners, with Obama as the clear front-runner for a candidate. His logo and wordmark are clean and graphic (I have also seen his logo printed without the gradient around the rising sun, something I could do without). Hillary's logo, on the other hand, could use some sprucing up— the waving flag and dull serif font unfortunately say nothing about her or what she promises. Is Hillary's conservative branding part of the reason she is losing the young vote? Finally, the ill-fated Edwards campaign sported the only san-serif logo in the bunch! I personally am a fan of the strong, utilitarian typeface, but find the shooting star a tad generic.


And onto the Republicans... where to start? All three use stodgy typefaces and played-out graphics. McCain's logo makes use of Optima, a wishy-washy font a former design teacher of mine challenged any designer to use successfully. However, of the three it makes the boldest, most graphic statement. Huckabee's color scheme and type treatment appear dated, and Romney's logo is slick, but almost too slick, with its serif all-caps letter treatment and Photoshopped flag. All three are, probably intentionally, more conservative to appeal to a more conservative audience.

Related:
Obama and Clinton are your Bicycles,
Is Hillary's website a PC, while Obama's is a MAC? the NYT says yes! (and what does that make McCain?)
Shepard Fairey for Obama
The Boston Globe asks: What font says "change"?

UPDATED! Leading graphic designer Michael Bierut on Obama's brand.

Wicked Cool City Screen Prints

Currently obsessed with these screen prints, from OrkPosters.com. I am secretly wishing I had come up with this idea on my own.

The only cities available to purchase are Brooklyn, Boston, Chicago, Manhattan, and San Francisco. They are 18" x 24" and come in different colors depending on the city you choose. Have no fear, you can make requests for your own city on the website. I am putting my request in for an Austin print, but also feeling ambitious on creating my own!

Napcena Handbags

San Francisco fashion designer, Karen Nepacena, designs vibrant and sophisticated handbags suited for every woman, in every age range. Her handbags combine vibrant patterns with durable, rich leather accents. Nepacena's ability to combine unlikely pattern combinations with unique shapes and forms make the Nepacena line truly incomparable. With a growing presence in small boutiques across the country, and a strong online presence, the Nepacena line is set to evolve into the next big thing. Her latest collection includes a weekender tote bag suited for the adventurous woman who likes to travel in style. Equally as chic is the new work tote/baby bag appropriately named after her newest addition and first child, Sebastian. See the entire Nepacena collection by visiting www.nepacena.com.

When you care enough to send an e-card.

Although I prefer the lost art of a fine, hand-written letter over an impersonal e-card, I have found one site that makes me second guess my old fashioned tendencies. Someecards offers amazingly witty, sarcastic and down right hilarious electronic cards. Not only do I love the dry humor and straight-forward messages, but the simple designs and perfectly paired illustrations are genius. So before you jump to send a standard e-card with corny music, floating hearts, and cutesy teddy bears take a look through the many hilarious messages on Someecards - you just might find the perfect message to make someone's day. But beware...some cards tend to be a bit "off-color" so be careful not to offend any sensitive souls. I had to add this one...it just hit too close to home for me. As a person who was tragically born smack dab between Christmas and New Years, I often felt overshadowed by the holiday season. Nice to know there are others out there with the same issues.

Cover Design in Boston

I'm going to get the ball rolling here by sharing a little bit about what's going on in the world of cover design in the chilly city of Boston today. There are two really exciting events happening tonight: renowned designer Chip Kidd will be at the Borders on Boylston street this evening at 6PM to promote his new book, The Learners, a follow up to his highly-acclaimed novel The Cheese Monkeys. Chip's website goodisdead also just informed me that he will be coming to see our Texan contributor Sarah Martin in Austin in just a few days! Click here for some more information on both appearances. Luckily, I work just above the Borders location (in the same building!) so I will be heading down shortly to pick up a copy and listen to Chip speak. He is supposedly quite the character, so this is definitely worth checking out if you are also in the area tonight, or if you plan to be in Austin next Monday.


And continuing with the book design theme for this evening, the AIGA's selections for the 2007 50 Books/50 Covers show are currently on exhibit at The Art Institute of Boston! The opening reception is tonight from 5PM-7PM, but if you can't make it this evening it will be up until March 8th. The show will feature 100 examples of outstanding book and cover designs from 2007. The exhibit opened in New York back in September and has now come to AIB for a short while. A must see for anyone interested in publishing at its best— I'll definitely be stopping in later this week! Here for a list of the winners.

the back story.

Crew Design is the joint collaboration of four young graphic designers living across the United States. Sarah, Tess, Meghan and Meghan (yes, there are two Meghan's) met in 2002 in the College of Fine Arts, at Boston University. Among the crazy artist types that populated the school these four girls met and soon became friends sharing the common interest of art and design. Years of critiques, interesting professors, travels abroad, and stressful nights ending in x-acto knife injuries bonded these girls for life. In 2006, they graduated and set out to pursue careers in graphic design. Adult life kicked in and soon enough the four girls were living and working all across the United States. Tess and Meghan (B) decided to set down some roots in Boston, Sarah (aka Martin) followed her cowboy down to Austin, Texas, and California native Meghan (aka Colvin) couldn't handle the cold Boston winters and made her way back to San Francisco.

So here were are - the year 2008 - and what better way to stay connected and share our ideas and inspirations than through a Blog. We hope to make this blog as fun, lively, and creative as we are.

Thanks for visiting us....and enjoy our new BLOG!

-The Crew

Found Across The Globe

9.17.08 All Over China

Read more ••••

7.08.08 Mexico City

Read more ••••

5.20.08 Beijing




Read more ••••

About Us

Who is Crew Design?
Crew Design is the joint collaboration of four young graphic designers living across the United States. Sarah, Tess, Meghan and Meghan (yes, there are two Meghans) met in 2002 in the College of Fine Arts, at Boston University. Among the crazy artist types that populated the school we met and soon became friends sharing the common interest of art and design. Years of critiques, crazy professors, travels abroad, and stressful nights ending in x-acto knife injuries bonded us for life. In 2006, we graduated and set out to pursue careers in graphic design. Adult life kicked in and soon enough we were living and working all across the United States.

Where did the name Crew Design originate from?
Back in our school days the four of us were practically inseparable around the College of Fine Arts. Somewhere along the way the nickname “the Crew” caught on ... and we gladly embraced it. So “Crew Design” just seemed like the natural name for our collaborative blog.

(No, we were not on the Crew team. But that would’ve been cool.)

Which Crew member belongs to which city?
Tess and Meghan B decided to set down some roots in Boston after college. Sarah took a leap and moved to Austin, Texas. And California native Meghan (Colvin) couldn’t handle the cold Boston winters and made her way back to San Francisco.

We are currently all working as graphic designers in each respective city.

Why did you decide to start a blog?
Since graduating from BU the “real world” struck hard and soon we hardly found the time to talk, let alone share any design insights with one another. So one day over a gChat conversation the idea of starting a blog was born. We all read design blogs on a daily basis, so why not write our own? Within about a day our blog was up and running and now we kind of can’t get enough of it (and ourselves).

What is the purpose of the blog?
The purpose of our blog is to serve as a forum and community where designers (not just us) can discuss interesting, relevant design and art. Our emphasis is on graphic design, however, we are not limited to this. We hope to gain a broad perspective on all areas of design – fashion, interior, product design, etc. The world of design has endless possibilities.

I am not a designer. Will I still enjoy reading your blog?
Why yes! We sure hope so. Our ultimate goal is to bring our insights on design to EVERYONE... not just artists and designers. We hope that you’ll come into the office in the morning, sit back with a cup of coffee, and get your morning dose of Crew Design. Oh, but check back in the afternoon, too. With four of us working on this blog we’re fortunate to have multiple posts throughout the day. ••••

Crew Banners

Here at CrewDesign, we like to switch things up every now and again. With so much to see, who can decide on one header? Below, we hope you enjoy our archive of blog headers past and present. ••••

11.14.10 Found in Austin, TX

 

7.25.09 Found in New York, NY 

4.30.09 Found in Rockport, MA

2.25.09 Found in Fort Point, Boston, MA

2.25.09 Found in Austin, TX

2.2.09 Found in San Francisco, CA
12.5.08 Found in Beijing, China

11.4.08 Found in USA
10.26.08 Found in Salem, MA
10.06.08 Found in Palo Alto, CA9.30.08 Found in Boston, MA
9.17.08 Found in Beijing, China
8.24.08 Found in Reims, France
8.13.08 Found in Beijing, China
7.28.08 Found in San Francisco, CA
7.16.08 Found in Mystic, Connecticut
7.08.08 Found in Mexico City, Mexico
6.24.08 Found in Umatilla FL6.16.08 Found in Hayes Valley, San Francisco CA
6.02.08 Found in Austin TX 5.20.08 Found in Beijing
5.14.08 Found on Charles Street, Boston MA
5.05.08 Found in Haight-Ashbury, San Francisco CA4.28.08 Found in SoCo, Austin TX