JOYENGINE: cause sharing is cool

Vanishing Point from Bonsajo on Vimeo.

We came across Martin Ansin’s work recently when he kindly purchased our C13 LCD Print Set. Based out of Uruguay, Martin’s awesome illustration style and great taste in typography make for some wonderful compositions.

Our latest limited edition, letterpressed print set featuring C13 LCD & C13 LCD Alt are now available for purchase.
Edition of 30.

We couldn’t agree with undesign’s motto more -

Our friend Chris Cox over at Changethethought™ just got some seriously awesome business cards for himself. Foil + Helvetica = Sexy. Foils + Dies is responsible for the print job. High fives all around.

Extremely rough translation of text posted up with video courtesy of Google:
Long ago, the Middle Ages, knights wore badges by going into battle, defend that, Christendom, which Dulcinea. Later or at the same time I do not know, artisans, blacksmiths, carpenters, weavers, printers and engravers had arms which repeated figures of speech of their business to invent the nobility of spirit. Today marks replenish themselves in this ancient heraldic tradition and invade our lives that becomes fully “marked” by the signs of international companies. It was time to take stock of this ancient practice, even at the cost of tarasconnade most facetious. The credits of the film are innumerable, I can mention. I invite you to quietly read the names of countless volunteers who have participated in the creation of this masterpiece.

More work and insights from Peter Gabor can be found on his blog. You can toggle/translate languages on Peter’s blog from the left hand column. Thanks to Alex Henry of Cypher13 for sharing this little piece of wonderlust with me!

The CSS Awards just released their top 25 creative portfolio websites of 2009 and Colorado was well represented. Legwork Studio and independent designer, Justin Cline held it down for Denver while cypher13 represented the Republic.  Sweet, sweet 2009 – we’ll never see you again.

I’d love to know what you all think about this:

A Colorado native accused of replacing Gatorade labels with another unnamed artist’s “pop art” message was in court today. The charges allege that he misbranded and altered food labels with intent to hurt a brand or business. 1,000 bottles were replaced in Denver area stores, with no word on how they pulled off this ballsy feat. The message of this mass misbrand features the word “UNFAITHFUL” next to one of Tiger Woods’s wedding photos.

I’ve been following this story for a few days now, and the more I think about it, the more it leaves a bad taste in my mouth (much like untainted Gatorade). My problem is with using the guise of “pop art” to tamper with food packaging that is available to be purchased. It’s a safety issue. Regardless of how you feel about street art, just don’t fuck with food. The idea that someone can replace 1,000 bottles without being detected is truly frightening. Go cover a billboard, replace some POS materials, make your statement without wasting the government resources that now have to investigate your dumb ass for tampering with food.

That issue completely aside, I’m baffled as to what the “artist” is hoping to achieve. Tiger’s scandals have cost his endorsers billions already. Is that the message? The fact that Nike and Gatorade are now battered and synonymous with infidelity? That Tiger’s amazing legacy is in tatters? Who cares? It’s a travesty that his personal life has harmed so many. I can’t think of a better way to get sued, and for what? The message sucks.

Before you all jump in to tell me how wrong I am, let me say that I love this kind of activist art when it’s done well. I’m a huge detractor of the processed food industry, and was inclined to approve of these shenanigans before I even finished reading about them. I’ve seen countless variations of this common street art technique that are thought provoking and brilliantly conceived. But this is just stupid. Ron English he is not.

Nice job putting an email address on the packaging and getting your partner busted by the way. Better luck next time.

We just got a few sneak peek shots of our the C13 LCD print release from Birks & Birks. Here are the specs:

- 12in x 16in
- Strathmore – 140lb. (300gsm) – paper created using renewable energy (wind)
- 2 editions, each limited to 30 prints
- Printed on a Chandler & Price 10 X 15 from 1898

Available soon!

This pretty much sums it up.

Magical Khufu : 823 was created over a period of three days.  All of the fabrication and craftsmanship was performed by our close friend, designer, fabricator and other-worldly artisan, Kristian Kluver. Our relationship with Kristian has grown and matured over the last decade in a manner that supports an exceptional level of collaboration. It hasn’t always been easy, but it’s very special and we value it highly.  Working with friends can be difficult, we operate a studio comprised of three near and dear, so we know the deal.  But, the potential of working with those closest to you is spectacular, and we’ve found the outcomes tend to far outweigh the pitfalls.  In our trade ideas, concepts, and visions for a piece of art, a chair, a logomark, a typeface, a poster, an installation – countless things that could be made and shared with the world, flutter in and out of our busy little brains all day long.  Rarely does their creation, their ultimate manifestation, live up to our initial vision.  In the case of Magical Khufu : 823, Kristian far surpassed our vision and created a truly beautiful work beyond our imagination.  It’s not often in life that ones dreams, even the little ones, are realized on this sort of level.  And, when it does happen, it’s a wonderful feeling.  While our 11″ x 7″ sculptural creation pays homage to The Great Pyramid of Giza, this blog post, be it meager and simple-minded, pays homage to our friend Kristian and his spectacular abilities.  Below is a truncated visual summary of Kristian’s workflow during the making of Magical Khufu.