Visivo Projects///Words and Pictures and Colors and Shapes///

Mobile Party Unit: And Then There Was Film

2012-02-08T13:13:00.000-08:00

Y'all thought these would never see the light of day and neither did I, but here they are. I selected rolls at random to drop off so these aren't in any sort of order except for the first few. As you can tell, we're pretty darn awesome at eating and having a good time. Click and scroll through, they look better that way.

More soon

My Top Songs of 2011 That Aren't Necessarily From 2011

2011-12-08T09:43:00.001-08:00

Since everyone has their year end lists coming out, I've decided to put my own list together. But, since I don't have labels telling me what to do, and since the site's "indie cred" isn't riding on how high I rate certain songs or albums of the year, I've come up with my own list that has nothing to do with a release date. Some are from 2011 and some are from 30 years ago, but they all have the underlying factor of awesomeness that I've enjoyed thoroughly this year.

Air France_Collapsing At Your Door
"Sort of like a dream, isn't it? No, Better."

Animal Collective_Mr. Fingers
The opening song/scene from the film Oddsac. This song needs more credit than it gets as it's one of their best. Layered upon layered vocals that build, and the last three minutes are pure gold.

Atlas Sound_Criminals
Sure Atlas Sound came out with a new album this year, but I find myself going back to this one fairly often.

The Beatles_I'm Only Sleeping

Black Lips_Mad Dog
Adding to the saxophone craze of 2011, Black Lips style.

Broadcast_Come On Let's Go
RIP Trish.

Cam'ron_Pass Da Dutchie
This YouTube comment says it all: "i listen to this song once a day and shake my big fat ass too cuz i got real kim kakes killa"

Caribou_Odessa
Not dancing to this song is impossible, plus that sample is undeniably almost too catchy. Pretty much made me appreciate dancey music as well (as you'll see in my next two choices).

Cut Copy_Saturdays

David Lynch_Good Day Today

Deerhunter_Helicopter
Always a sucker for a good outro.

Devo_Be Stiff

Destroyer_Bay of Pigs
There's a 7 minute foreplay of a journey to get to the meat of this song, but if you just turn it loud and wait for it, it's well worth it. And only Dan Bejar can get away with admitting he "was 20 years old in 1992" and still be the shit.

Eddie Murphy_Party All The Time
The driving motivation behind wanting to DJ at bars is the slim possibility that I'll be able to play this jam at some point.

El Guincho_Bombay
Can't not get into this song when it comes on. Amazing video as well.

Harry Nilsson_Jump Into The Fire
Woke up to this song every day for a good two months.

The Hollies_Bus Stop

John Maus_Do Your Best
Making the big city seem small and lonely.

Juelz Santana_Oh Yes
Didn't see this one coming, did you? Neither did I.

Memory Tapes_Stop Talking
Such a jam, but what made me really appreciate it was seeing it live. Believe it or not, it's very reminiscent of Modest Mouse when there's live drums and that guitar comes in.

Nico_60/40
So simple, so good.

Nurses_Fever Dreams
File this one under "Stuff to listen to until Animal Collective release a new album." Great song though.

Paul McCartney_Check My Machine
Speaking of jams--holy crap. This will undoubtedly make my list every year. You crazy for this one, Paul.

The Psychadelic Furs_Love My Way

Talking Heads_Girlfriend Is Better
Although this whole list was alphabetical, this is actually my top song of the year as well. Whattyaknow.

Mobile Party Unit: Digital Dump #2 aka Man Make Fire aka Fisheye Faux Pas aka My First Fisheye

2011-12-02T09:55:00.000-08:00

Sorry I got a little ranty on the last one. The majority of these photos are campfire photos from ohhh, let's say from nights 2, 4 and 6 of the trip. It's actually freaking me out a little that these aren't in exact order, but I guess that's what makes em dumpy. Props to ma man Pad for the ill headlamp precision on these first fewtaahhhhh. Oh, and did you know? You can click on any photo to view them all as a slide show and skip my dumb commentary.

A man reflects on his place in the world amidst the madness of a late summer evening.

Yep

Not sure what was going on with Vin Mo at this point in the trip.

Open Container

Pad being awesome

Graham being awesome

Shawn has the most insane radar for picking out weirdos to talk to in random towns.

Helped drained this pool one day. Andy could tell you the specifics with all their nicknames or whatever, I just know this pool as the one where Dillon took back all of the beer we brought them in return for skating it.

Graham went pee pee.

Willy no land but whatevs. Who's countin!?!

Can't remember if the following photo is related to this bail, but yeesh.

Mobile Party Unit: Digital Dump #1 aka "My First Skate Photo"

2011-11-29T08:00:00.000-08:00

So, since going on my skate photography hiatus (or as some have called it, "falling off"), I've been getting the itch to shoot again. Luckily our annual Pile Out New England trip came about so I was able to scratch that itch, but I didn't wanna do the whole "set up flashes, focus, time things correctly, etc." thing. You know, actually give a crap. Because who am I kidding? Even if a mag did run these I'd get paid in Twizzlers (which sounds awesome btw). And in my opinion, everything just looks the same anyway. Heck, even magazines run the same articles they ran in the year 2000 (another "night skating" feature? really?). Plus, kids with their iPhones can shoot photos just as well as my $2000 of blood, sweat, and tears. There's probably an Instagram filter called "TWS 2011" for all I know ("Thrasher 2007" is better though, the exposure is all off. Zing!). So here's my new take on photography, design, and art. It's called the "Un Movement".

The Un Movement, because "Undoing Is Better Than Doing". Yup, that's a tagline made of gold right there (any employers reading this? Hire me. Seriously). And before you give me your opinion on it all (the movement, not the tagline), here's my rebuttal: It's the innovative way to be lazy, not an excuse to suck at things. It's the movement of our generation. 30 years from now, critics everywhere will say "Oh my, look at that use of Comic Sans, must be from the Un Movement" and "Ahhh, he must not have metered, that has Un photo written all over it". Anyway, here are my photos from the trip, all Unned out and everything right from the start. Flash on camera, shutter too slow, you name it, it's in there. I didn't even use Photoshop to color correct or resize these, I did it in Preview. And come to think of it, I didn't even color correct these at all, so take that. How much more "un" can I get you ask? Well, I have 10 rolls of film that I shot on this trip and I'm not even going to develop them, that's how "un" I am. Alright, enough. Enjoy!

The bestest crew in the whole world!

Nick, the rook of the trip. Half in frame, half who knows what.

Jess Dog round the corner. Ass shot.

Bill tailsliding out of darkness. I promise I won't walk you through every photo, I'm just getting you used to the Un style of things.

Not an Un photo of Dillon's nosegrind you say? Pfft. I had an edited version that was very Skateboard Mag 2008 but I edit-undid it.

This is Willy Akers. He killed it this trip both in the van and out.

Another thing about Un skate photography, which is frowned upon in regular skate photography, is having yourself in the shot. Even the foot of your god damn light stand can't be in the frame. You know how many hours I've wasted photoshopping out crap like that? I can't even come up with a clever metaphor to begin describing it to you.

No flash, finger on the lens. What.

And now for some cool hangout pics, because that's what we're best at and that's why we go on these trips, right?

Check out the file name of this pic: "dan pad me". Old Nick would've wrote "Dan_pad_fun.jpg" but this is un nick talking and it's time to get selfish for once.

!

That's all for now. This is only from about 2 hours from one day of a week-long trip, so there will probably be about 19 more entries. I promise I won't rant on every one though, this post made me tired.

The Creators Project: Jonathan Glazer and J. Spaceman

2011-10-17T13:49:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I made my way down to Dumbo to check out the light installations and pieces at The Creators Project. A huge standout and well worth waiting on line was this piece by Jonathan Glazer and J. Spaceman from the band Spiritualized. To say the least, it was really incredible. There was fog and speakers lining the floor, and depending on where you stood, heard different parts of the song playing. Pretty much instantly took you to another world. There was a very cathedral-like atmosphere to it, from waiting in line, to the girl at the entrance telling me "It's okay to go in now", to people just spacing out staring at the ceiling. The video below was taken from by someone who saw it at Coachella and isn't that great, but it was the best I could find.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, We Are Floating In Space" by Spiritualized:

Behind the scenes video:

2011-10-06T18:49:00.000-07:00

"Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart. Stay hungry. Stay foolish."
-Steve Jobs

John Baldessari and Jason Schwartzman: The Meaning of Art

2011-10-03T14:14:00.000-07:00

Made by TWBWA for Pacific Standard Time

DR005: The 19 Curses/Smolder SPLIT

2011-09-22T11:09:00.000-07:00

Chris and I finally finished our split and we're pretty happy about it! Check it out and don't forget to like Visivo and Smolder on the fbook for updates on shows. Thanks!
The 19 Curses/Smolder SPLIT by The 19 Curses/Smolder

NY Art Book Fair Is Back

2011-09-21T19:30:00.000-07:00

Very excited. Although I plan on spreading my visits across a few days. Too much awesome in one day is exhausting.

NY Art Book Fair

Currently Listening: Starfawn

2011-09-21T19:25:00.000-07:00

In an electronic mode. Digging it.

Miyata 70th Anniversary Poster

2011-08-18T12:43:00.000-07:00

I recently got myself a Miyata road bike and thought I'd do some research on it since I know absolutely nothing about bikes. During my search I came across this poster designed by Hiroshi Ohchi from Japan. A large print of this would definitely look sweet.

Currently Listening: Eric Copeland and David Lynch

2011-08-17T08:51:00.000-07:00

Some odd 1950s-esque weirdness from Black Dice's Eric Copeland. From the aptly titled "Whorehouse Blues" 7"

And a track from David Lynch's upcoming weird experimental electro-pop album. Older artists still staying relevant and killing it is one of my favorite things and gets me so psyched for some reason. Play it loud.

Film Stills: Panic In Needle Park

2011-08-08T14:12:00.001-07:00

Al Pacino
Dir: Jerry Schatzberg
1971

Fritjof Pedersen

2011-08-08T14:07:00.000-07:00

Some ads by Fritjof Pedersen from the 1950's. Love these illustrations.

Via

Small Cups Of Coffee

2011-07-20T08:10:00.001-07:00

I have a new-ish blog going on Tumblr. It's an image based blog of vintage furniture, girls, ads and other things that I wouldn't normally post here. There's definitely a little bit of a crossover except for all of the photos of 50s gals.
Thanks for following!
Small Cups Of Coffee

Film Stills: The Conversation

2011-07-15T11:04:00.001-07:00

Here are some stills from Francis Ford Coppola's The Conversation from 1974. I've been trying to watch more movies lately and have been specifically drawn to movies from the 70s for one reason or another. I came across this one and immediately loved how amazing the shots are and how awesome the audio is as well. (There's a lot of tape splicing sounds, rewinding, street noises, etc. Stuff that I've often tried to incorporate into my music.) While watching it I said to myself several times that I should be taking screen shots of some of these, but today I took the easy way out as Filmgrab has done all of the dirty work on this one. I plan on taking more film stills to post, but figured this would be a good starting point. Thanks Filmgrab!

The Conversation stars Gene Hackman and is available on Netflix instant. I highly recommend it. There's also a lot of cool analog tape equipment in here if you're a gear nerd.

Currently Listening: Memoryhouse

2011-07-06T11:42:00.000-07:00

I've never been a huge fan of remixes of songs, but this one is pretty great. Million Young came through with a great one and I've been playing it almost every time when I DJ. Both are beautiful in their own right.

Original:

Remix:

Black Swan Posters by LaBoca

2011-07-06T11:29:00.000-07:00

Today's post on ISO50 brought my attention to these Black Swan posters from a few months ago and figured it was worth a re-post. Why aren't all movie posters treated like this? It seems like it's a lost art as it's very rare to see clever or well designed movie posters these days. Lately the winning formula for movie posters seems to be an actors face, type that's racing off a page, and an explosion or car in the background or something.

Milton Glaser

2011-07-03T09:39:00.000-07:00

Been on a bit of a Milton Glaser kick lately. I recently came across this lecture from Creative Mornings and this blog post from Container List that I love. There's some other really awesome stuff on that site so browse around it.

2011/01 Milton Glaser from CreativeMornings on Vimeo.

Armin Vit For Stupidity

2011-06-23T13:29:00.001-07:00

Ordinary, by Amber B Dianda

2011-06-06T18:48:00.000-07:00

Ordinary from Amber B Dianda on Vimeo.

Shot on iPhone 8mm. Digging it.

DR004: Smolder, A Glance A Word

2011-06-01T09:53:00.001-07:00

Here are the first two songs from the full-length I'm planning on putting out later in the month. It was time to just put them out there instead of changing them every week like I've been doing. I'm pretty happy with them though and I hope you enjoy them as well. Originally I felt like they had a winter feel to them, but now that I finished them in the early summer, listening to them at night with the AC going just sounds right for them. Have a listen below and you can also download it here.

Tracklist:

1. A Glance, A Word

2. You're Mine

<a href="http://smolder.bandcamp.com/album/a-glance-a-word">A Glance, A Word by Smolder</a>

IBM Smarter Planet

2011-05-17T15:36:00.000-07:00

Sweet work by Ogilvy Paris for IBM.

Via

Creative Week NYC/ICFF

2011-05-11T16:26:00.000-07:00

Sort of a few days late on posting this, but this week is Creative Week in NYC. Not only is the ONE Show awards going down, there's also plenty of lectures, discussion panels, cocktail what-have-you's, and exhibits to go to. I'll be attending this tomorrow:
"7×7 is a creative ideas show featuring seven experts from seven fields presenting for seven minutes. It’s fast. It’s insightful. It’s fun. We have a fantastic lineup, so prepare yourself for an awesome night."

So if you like looking at stuff, hearing people talk about ideas or like taking advantage of free drinks, then you'll probably find something to go to. Something tells me I'll be nerding out by myself on this, but maybe I'll come across one of yous there.

More info:
Creative Week NYC
7x7 Show

ALSO, although unrelated to Creative Week, Sunday is the first day of the International Contemporary Furniture Fair. Although it's $50, it seems like it's awesome.
ICFF

A Grotesk Love Affair

2011-05-09T19:32:00.000-07:00

Good stuff. More here.
Via typetoken.

Remember, They Never Got You

2011-04-29T11:45:00.000-07:00

I'm not saying that this is a rip-off, but I just wanted to give some food for thought regarding these two songs--"Remember" by John Lennon and "They Never Got You" by Spoon. I love both of these songs and the albums they appear on are major favorites of mine. You could always hear a little Beatles influence in a lot of Spoon songs, but it's most apparent here. The chorus and tempo aren't alike, but in the verses, chord progression and style of singing you can really hear it. Who knows if the similarities are intentional, but I like thinking about things like this. Have a listen:

Found Fridays: Those Things Called Books

2011-04-28T20:15:00.000-07:00

Every time I'm back at my parents house I always find more things to bring back to Brooklyn to clutter up my own apartment. Clothes, records, knick knacks, what-have-you's--anything. This time was no different as I found a few books in the basement. My mom has been a copywriter for years, and now that I'm taking that same route it was cool to see what writing books she used to use while at work.

This one is designed by Rupert Finegold. I couldn't find much info on him, but there's some stuff about him scattered around the internet.

Proofreading symbols!

More proofreading symbols!

This next one I picked up while visiting Mike down in Philly. We were at a vintage furniture shop/warehouse and one of the workers overheard me saying I liked it. It was covered in dust and you could tell he really didn't want it in his shop anymore because he gave it to me for free in two seconds. It looks like it's pocket sized but this thing is thick and heavy as heck.

I always like taking the book jackets off to see if there's a cool hidden design that's beneath it. Most of the time it's not the case but I got lucky with this one.

Some Recents

2011-04-22T09:46:00.000-07:00

Memorable Mags

2011-04-14T09:51:00.000-07:00

I was recently looking through covers and ads by The Economist and came across this cover from September 2008:

Looking back, I realize how awesome of a cover this is and I wish I picked it up when it came out. Not only for aesthetic purposes, but it's great commentary for what was going on at the time, and because it would be nice to remember a significant event or a moment in time with something like a magazine. You know, something you can pull from your shelf 10 years from now and look back on. I said to myself that whenever a new epic magazine would come out, I wouldn’t hesitate to buy it. So, about a week later, this amazing issue of the New Yorker comes out:
Low and behold, I waited a few days and before I knew it, it was taken off shelves. Now I’m stuck looking for back issues online. Damn you procrastination, you’ve got the best of me again. Luckily, it’s a recent issue, so I won’t be spending much to have it, but it’s covers like this that reminds me how much of an impact print and good design can still have on people.

I'm considering making this a regular thing on the blog. Anyone else have memorable magazine covers? I know plenty of skate ones that I'm even considering scanning.

"Crowd Sourcing"

2011-04-14T08:43:00.000-07:00

Crowd Sourcing from CPB Canada on Vimeo.

Funny video by CP+B to promote the Bessie Awards. Good stuff.

It's Nice That/From The Desk Of...

2011-04-13T14:27:00.000-07:00

I've always been a huge nerd about other peoples work spaces, and just my luck I came across both of these today.

UK magazine It's Nice That has a nice section on their site call Bookshelf. Which is pictures and words about, well, artists bookshelves. This one makes me want a rod hockey table again like I was 8.
View here.

From The Desk Of... is a little more expansive. Longer interviews and what have you. It dates back to a year now so there's plenty to look at.
View here.

Now excuse me while I go clean my room.

Dieter Rams: Less and More

2011-04-13T10:05:00.000-07:00

Dieter Rams: Less and More Interview from Gestalten on Vimeo.

A great short on Dieter Rams.

This Friday

2011-04-12T12:53:00.000-07:00

Flyer says it all. I’ll be showing some photos and will be selling a zine titled “Poor Traits Of My Friends”, featuring drawings from our van trip last summer. Come out, drink stuff, buy stuff.

How To Steal Like An Artist by Austin Kleon

2011-04-08T10:54:00.000-07:00

I was going to try and highlight one thing about this article in order to pique your interest and get you to read it, but really, the whole thing is damn good. It's the sort of thing that you should read weekly for inspiration.
Read it here.

Via Post Family

ANZ Centre, Australia

2011-03-31T17:17:00.000-07:00

Been on a bit of an architecture and interiors kick lately. Love all of the rooms and the overall idea of this place.

Read and view more here.

A Graphic Odyssey

2011-03-31T10:26:00.000-07:00

Wish I lived in London so I could go to this. The Design Museum is celebrating the prolific career of the Dutch graphic designer Wim Crouwel in his first UK retrospective. Also, some amazing posters, by some of my favorite studios, over at the Design Museum shop. Now to decide which one to buy...

LBi & Mother Studios

2011-03-26T11:45:00.000-07:00

Some real neat interior shots of the LBi and Mother studios in London. Specifically digging the wood paneling in the meeting rooms and the coffee bar.
More: Jack Daw Studio

How To Build An Eames Chair

2011-03-23T06:31:00.000-07:00

As the first YouTube comment says: "Industrial design porn!" It's 9 minutes long and worth every second.

Via Dwell

Pretty Fucking Awesome

2011-03-19T10:48:00.000-07:00

Good Fucking Design Advice

Mercury Tainted Salmon Steaks

2011-03-09T06:35:00.000-08:00

Much like Mother did in NY, San Francisco's Division of Labor caused a little bit of attention to themselves with some storefront "ads".

Sort of digging their logo too:

We Recco Recco

2011-03-07T09:22:00.000-08:00

Formed by creatives Peter Cortez, Joe Sayaman and Jason Culbertson, Recco is an iPhone app in the same vein as Yelp or Menu Pages, but more community oriented and friendly. This way, instead of reading how Joe Smith from Ontario can flex his writing muscles about a bar in Brooklyn he's been to once on a monday, you can take your actual friends word for it and read their reviews, or take their advice from the simple "Recco" or "Meh" button. You can also ask for Recco's via Facebook or Twitter, and follow what your friends have been Recco-ing from their profiles. It launched pretty recently so there's not so many users as of yet, but it's well designed and it always feels good to support other peoples endeavors.
Some screenshots:

Download it here and look me up. I'm all alone in this as of now :(

Behind The Scenes At Hort

2011-03-03T19:11:00.000-08:00

I love looking at people's work spaces and studios. This one is a good one. Love the sign above the printer, I'm sure we've all been there at one point or another. In fact, I'm probably overdue for a good old fashioned war with mine.

Try and translate this article about Hort, and then visit the Hort website.

2011-03-02T06:42:00.000-08:00

Eric got the Photo of the Day on Fecal Face! Miss you pal. Check out more photos from his recent excursion at the Crypt Trip. Some exquisite ones in there. And speaking of Eric, we did a Smolder/Gold Mold(eric) split last summer. Download it here. Good stuff, we promise.

Found Fridays: Matchbooks

2011-02-25T10:06:00.001-08:00

The Mermaid Inn:

The Standard (Chris Johanson Illustration):

Vintage Chester Ferry:

Love the map on the inside:

Vintage Watch Ads

2011-02-25T09:20:00.001-08:00

Came across these gems today while sifting around the internet. Leave it to the Swiss to make even the best watch ads.

Recently Purchased: Help, I Have Allergies

2011-02-23T16:26:00.000-08:00

So there I was--my second time to Duane Reade in 20 minutes. Nose running, eyes watering, nervous about wether or not my co-workers have noticed me wiping my nose for the past hour. I had just bought Sudafed for my sinuses but I realized that I was just having allergies from something in the office building, possibly from the paint they’re using at the new office across the hall. Being an intern, I definitely didn't want to be perceived as the "sick guy" at work who uses the same tissue over and over again, so I needed to do something. So I returned, grabbed a travel pack of Zyrtec for an over priced 8 dollars and searched for a single travel pack of tissues. (For some reason the travel size tissues come in what seems like an 18 pack or something--all I needed was one. This is something I will never understand.) Not giving in to their sales ploy I decided to just use toilet paper for the rest of the day. I didn’t care about the soon to be chapped discomfort my nose would soon be feeling, I refuse to buy 18 of anything besides beer. Defeated and soon to be broke, I made my way towards the cashier when I came across this:

I didn’t want to get my hopes up though. Was it possible that there’s such a thing as a well designed, cleverly written, personable pharmaceutical product that seems like it’s made for art nerds? And for under 4 dollars? Am I seeing things? So I reached for it and thankfully, I was not hallucinating from the Sudafed--this product was real. I was as happy and thankful as an allergenic nerd with a new inhaler. I clenched it tight and walked towards the cashier. Upon placing my new product on the counter I even found a single pack of travel tissues. It was like Help was seemingly helping me with everything. I was overjoyed and it seemed like my allergies had already been lifted out of my face already. I returned to the office, proud to place my newly purchased allergy medicine on my desk. I popped a pill, and let it help me get through the rest of my day. And as it turns out, not only do they make a good product, they have a good website too. Cleverly written, fun stuff to do, t-shirts to buy, etc. Check it out and see what other products they have as well.
Thanks, help.

Visit Help.
Become a fan on Facebook.

What is Graphic Design?

2011-02-23T16:07:00.000-08:00

What is graphic design? from Design Council on Vimeo.

From the British Design Council. Good Watch.

Adios LA

2011-02-23T15:54:00.000-08:00

Designer Jon Jackson announces his departure from LA in a unique way of billboards:

Adios LA from Christopher Szadkowski on Vimeo.

From Jon's site:
“Adios LA is a visual goodbye to the city Jon Jackson has called home for years as the artist heads east making New York his new home. Not wanting to string LA along, he has decided to firmly break it off through a graphic billboard series posted on the famous streets of his first love.Jon Jackson has spent nearly his entire life wearing shorts living in LA. He is now zipping the pant legs back on and moving east. Jon is leaving Los Angeles to work for HUGE as a Creative DIrector in Brooklyn”

Currently Listening: Destroyer

2011-02-03T13:34:00.000-08:00

Listening to the new Destroyer album a lot. One word: sexy.

Subway Sounds

2011-02-02T08:19:00.000-08:00

Thought of this today while I was waiting for the J train for too long in the freezing rain. Hate the J train. Be patient.

Google Creative Lab's Alexander Chen turned the train paths of the New York subway into an interactive instrument at mta.me. Chen used the MTA's real subway schedule, so trains start their journey in real-time.

Via Creativity Online.

New Faces At MoMA

2011-01-27T09:54:00.000-08:00

Hey type nerds, MoMA recently added 23 new digital typefaces to its Architecture and Design Collection. OCR-A (above) was was introduced in 1966 as the first machine-readable typeface. Check out the rest here.

Things From My Face

2011-01-25T10:55:00.001-08:00

Joe Scordo is one of my favorite people and he's quite the eccentric person. He takes a good photograph, is a rad illustrator, dabbles in field recordings, does art stuff for Shindig, and is a supporter of the blog. I've been wanting to post a link to his stuff for a while now so here it is. He updates pretty regularly and there's plenty of treats in the audio section as well. He also left a sweet jacket at my apartment a few months back and just to let you know Joe, it's hanging safe in my closet away from Brooklyn filth.
Things From My Face.

Currently Listening: Telepathe

2011-01-25T06:12:00.000-08:00

10 Laws of Productivity

2011-01-14T11:18:00.000-08:00

More great advice from 99%.

Recently Purchased: Chemex Coffeemaker

2011-01-14T09:58:00.001-08:00

The kitchen appliance I'm most proud of owning, which is also the only thing in my kitchen that I've ever purchased, is the Chemex Coffeemaker (That's steam in the photo. It's not dirty, I swear). Designed in 1941 by Peter Schlumbohm, the Chemex Coffeemaker was named one of the "Best Designed Products of Modern Times" and is still pretty darn sexy. Below are some manuals I snapped photos of at the MoMA.

This bottom one I'm confused about. It reads "In this age of CANNIBALLISTICS these 100 products are one hundred rays of hope for the World's Youth." If you know what the heck that means, please comment. I don't get it.

Tears In The Typing Pool

2011-01-14T08:55:00.000-08:00

Very saddened to hear that Trish from Broadcast died from pneumonia this morning. While a lot of girl indie acts tend to sound cutesy and playful, Trish had such a full, amazing voice that sounded like it could've been pulled from a 1960s psychedelic basement party. Truly a sad day.
Some favorites:

Read our previous post about Broadcast here.

Currently Listening: Ducktails

2011-01-12T09:59:00.000-08:00

2011-01-07T07:34:00.000-08:00

Historic design office Pentagram finally updated their website, making it way easier to browse through their enormous portfolio of work. I know what I'll be doing for the next hour...

DR003: Smolder, The Cup Of Kindness

2011-01-03T06:38:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year, pals. Here's a new song I recorded recently. It has a definite structure and is more of a straight forward song than previous stuff. Picture it more of a goodbye to 2010 than a downer way to start 2011. It doesn't really fit with whatever else I've been doing so I figured this was the best way to do it. I have a full release I've been working on titled "Circadian Rhythm" that Mike and I have been collaborating on the artwork for. No release date yet, but more info soon. We're excited for this one.

10 Online Tools for Better Attention & Focus

2010-12-21T16:02:00.000-08:00

I've been enjoying the content on 99% very much lately. It's sort of like they're patting you on the back or rubbing your shoulders and saying "It's OK, you're not the only one screwing up and not concentrating enough. Here's some help." Also, this Dot Grid Book is great for those of you who like drawing on grids but don't dig the sometimes interfering lines.

10 Online Tools for Better Attention & Focus

2010-12-15T11:36:00.000-08:00

Our pal Anthony Villa got the Photo of the Day on Fecal Face yesterday. Nice one. Very reminiscent of the Honda ads we posted in October.

2010-12-10T09:01:00.000-08:00

Fuck yes.

Currently Listening: Monade

2010-12-02T12:53:00.001-08:00

Listen to more from Latetia Sadier here.

Forever November Until December: Visivo Fall/Winter Mixtape

2010-11-30T15:26:00.000-08:00

We're proud to announce that our newest mixtape is now available to stream and download! Mixed by John Madden Sex Tape, this mixtape features some colder song selections that we've been listening to a lot this fall, and either remind us of the cold or just plain sound like they're cold. There's new indie, classic indie, some 80s jams, dancey stuff, and even some Beatles in there. I'm really psyched to be able to meld this group of songs together. Check out the set list below and have a listen, it's our best one yet.

Forever November Until December
Running Time_39:53

The Walkmen_New Year's Eve
Cults_Go Outside
Avey Tare_Oliver Twist
Pinback_Penelope
Caribou_Odessa
Yaz_Situation
The Beatles_Michelle
Pet Shop Boys_What Have I Done To Deserve This?
Tacks the Boy Disaster_Frozen Feet
Memory Tapes_Bicycle
Modest Mouse_Tiny Cities Made Of Ashes
Bear In Heaven_Wholehearted Mess
Fops_Solid Copper Huntress

Enjoy and stay warm!

Forever November Until December (fall/winter mix) by John Madden Sex Tape

(If you'd like to remember the warmer times, our midsummer mixtape is still available to download here)

Paula Scher

2010-11-23T15:22:00.000-08:00

"I drew the Citibank logo after the first meeting. I drew it on a napkin and walked out."

Currently Listening: Jane, Agg Report

2010-11-23T09:56:00.000-08:00

Side project from Animal Collective's Panda Bear and Scott Mou from 2005.

Pantone Hotel

2010-11-15T20:44:00.000-08:00

I thought Pantone was being pretty awesome when they started making notepads and mugs, but a hotel? Totally stepping it up quite a few notches. Located in Brussels, hotel fares are €149 a night, or €99 a night for the "Romantic Escape" package.

For more info visit Pantone Hotel.

Via Dwell.

Recently Purchased: People Who Deserve It (Socially Responsible Reasons To Punch Someone In The Face)

2010-11-11T11:12:00.000-08:00

Just received this book in the mail this morning and it's been keeping me occupied all day. Written by copywriters Casey Rand and Tim Gordon, the book is full of illustrations and short blurbs about people who deserve to get punched in the face. Such as: "Impatient Subway Boarder". "Slow-Ass ATM User", "Faulty Coffee Lid", "Cries At Anything Girl", "Incessant Facebook Status Updater" and more. Personal favorite of mine is "Digital Camera Viewer Stealer", aka the guy who you show one picture to on your camera and then they wind up going through your whole life and never give the camera back. Good stuff. Oder the book here, and peep their blog.

NY Art Book Fair Is Back

2010-11-04T12:17:00.000-07:00

"Printed Matter presents the fifth annual NY Art Book Fair, November 5–7 at MoMA PS1, Long Island City, Queens. Free and open to the public, the Fair hosts over 200 international presses, booksellers, antiquarian dealers, artists and publishers from twenty countries, offering the best in contemporary art book publishing."

Well, I know what I'm doing this weekend. Last year I went back to PS1 a few times to take it all in. So much cool and inspiring stuff to look at. It would be cool to have a booth there one year. Let's make more stuff!

NY Art Book Fair

2010-11-04T11:32:00.000-07:00

Sore Eros "Giraffe's Kiss" from Lizzie Boredom on Vimeo.

Great song. Sore Eros is playing Saturday night at Shea Stadium and Saturday Nov. 27th at Johnny Brenda's in Philly.

2010-11-02T09:10:00.000-07:00

Just updated my website with a new layout some new work. Check it out here.

2010-11-01T22:30:00.000-07:00

2010-10-30T14:51:00.000-07:00

Paris vs New York
Thanks for the link Jen

DR002: Smolder, Wind Collar

2010-10-28T13:37:00.000-07:00

Here's a short instrumental track I recorded a while back that I sort of put on the back burner. Figured I'd just post it up instead of letting it collect digital dust. It has more of a steady beat and I've considered dabbling with this style for future songs but we'll see. It's also a good excuse to use this photo I shot of my friend Deandra one hazy morning.

Vintage Honda CB-350 Ads

2010-10-28T09:14:00.000-07:00

Sue me. I might be a little late on the motorcycle thing, but I think it hit me now. I've seen these motorcycles around lately and for one reason or another I'm drawn to them. The flat seat and the overall lines of them have a lot to do with it though. I don't know anything about motorcycles so the way I described it to my motorcycle friends was "the bike with the flat seat that's from the 70s". Turns out it's the Honda CB cafe racer, and sure enough I want one. Seeing these vintage ads pretty much sealed the deal for me as well, especially the first one. So if get one of these bikes, that means I'll get a hot 70s looking girl too? Not sure if Honda intended on the ad working like this 40 years later, but sign me up.

2010-10-27T13:09:00.000-07:00

Inspiring project utilizing oil from the BP spill:

"Oil from the BP Gulf of Mexico disaster makes its way onto a limited edition series of screenprinted posters designed by U.K. graphic artist Anthony Burrill and commissioned by Belgian agency Happiness Brussels. The agency gathered leaked oil from Grand Isle, Louisiana, which was then used to create the limited run of 200 screen prints. The posters are being sold online for €150 each, with all proceeds going to CRCL (Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana), a non-profit dedicated to restoring the Gulf's coastal wetlands."

Via Creativity Online.

Strange Powers

2010-10-22T11:48:00.000-07:00

Really looking forward to this Magnetic Fields documentary:

Two favorites of mine:

This made me smile

2010-10-21T11:09:00.001-07:00

I Have PSD from Hyperakt on Vimeo.

Designers, you should appreciate this. Great work by Brooklyn based Hyperakt.

Mother

2010-10-15T17:19:00.000-07:00

Mother is by far one of my favorite creative agencies around. It's sort of like being into a band that with every release you slowly realize they can do no wrong. They seem to always have fun with whatever they're doing and I like that. "Make great work, have fun and make money. Always in that order."

Mother New York moves their offices to the Upper West Side:

Mother London doing awesome stuff for Stella:

2010-10-15T09:10:00.000-07:00

The Post Family put up a pretty lengthy interview with friend and New York native Viktor Timofeev. I haven't seen him in a while so it's good to see him doing well. Viktor contributed to one of the first zines we did a while ago, wish I knew where my copy was. Also, you might've seen these posters floating around the city that Viktor did for the band NIHITI. I've been meaning to post about it so now is a good time. Good stuff.

Read the interview here.

Currently Listening: FOPS

2010-10-14T13:56:00.000-07:00

Yellow Jacket Corpse - by Fops from monotreme records on Vimeo.

FINALLY. It may not be new Thee More Shallows, but it's close enough. Frontman, Dee Kesler has a new project called FOPS and it's awesome. He still has the ability to sound joyous but also creepy as hell at the same time...not really sure how else to describe it. You can also download a free track here.

Via Fecal Face.

Currently Listening:

2010-10-12T08:33:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday John Lennon

2010-10-08T10:49:00.000-07:00

Nice little illustration on Google's homepage.

2010-10-07T11:03:00.000-07:00

Follow the redux.

In Discussion: Gap's hurtin New Logo

2010-10-07T09:10:00.000-07:00

Not that I wear any clothes from the Gap (or is it just "Gap"?), but I feel this is worth discussing...

After decades of having this logo, which has become a staple in American consumerism, the Gap went ahead and changed their logo to this:

Now, it's not like my loyalty to the Gap will go from "non existent" to "really non existent" (or will it?), but I like keeping track of these sort of things, especially when it's a major retailer or company. Why try and fix something like this if it isn't broken? Who knows, but this is the part where I link to an article about Tropicana changing their logo and how it highly resembles this situation. So, as with Tropicana, there has been a huge backlash about the new Gap logo. ISO50 has a Gap Redesign Contest, Fast Company's Co.Design has an interview with the new logo, and the new Gap logo itself went ahead and got its own Twitter account.

But now comes the funny part (is it supposed to be funny?). Gap recently made this Facebook post:

"Thanks for everyone’s input on the new logo! We’ve had the same logo for 20+ years, and this is just one of the things we’re changing. We know this logo created a lot of buzz and we’re thrilled to see passionate debates unfolding! So much so we’re asking you to share your designs. We love our version, but we’d like to see other ideas. Stay tuned for details in the next few days on this crowd sourcing project."

Really, Gap? A "crowd sourcing project"? More like a "Oops we sort of fucked this one up, we noticed you guys hate it so now we're going to embrace it and act like we meant to make a shitty logo so we can use yours!" project. Or, I could be horribly wrong and this was their intention the whole time. What do you guys think? Is it hurtin? Is it actually an OK logo but are we all just afraid to say we like it because other design blogs hate it? What would you do if Gap asked you to redesign their logo? Please share.

Edit: Also, does anyone know if they've changed their store signage yet?

I Seen You @ BTN

2010-10-07T08:11:00.000-07:00

I Seen You is now available at bookthugnation in Williamsburg! They're super nice people and have a great selection of used books and vinyl. They also always have a fresh pot of coffee going so that's pretty awesome too. Support your local book store and pick one up.

bookthugnation

100 N3rd St. between Berry and Wythe

Recently Purchased: New Order "Ceremony" 7"

2010-10-05T11:24:00.001-07:00

Recently picked this up at a small record store for the mere price of $8, which is a steal. I love the type and how it being stamped makes it very reminiscent of a tombstone. Joy Division always had this sort of look to their album covers, but this seems even more fitting being that the song was written by Ian Curtis for Joy Division prior to his death, and then later released as New Order's first single after he died. Also a creepy, but cool addition, it has the words "Watching Forever" etched on the Ceremony side, and "How I Wish You Were Here With Me Now" on side two. The classic Factory Records logo is also present on both sides of the record which is a nice touch.

You can read more about it on the Wiki page.

Documerica Project

2010-10-04T09:48:00.001-07:00

For the Documerica Project (1971-1977), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) hired freelance photographers to capture images relating to environmental problems, EPA activities, and everyday life in the 1970s. Enjoy.

Currently Listening: El Guincho

2010-10-02T11:28:00.000-07:00

No this is not me, and yes this is easily the best video of the year.

Destroy Your Face Part III

2010-09-30T10:14:00.000-07:00

More soon. I have ADD when it comes to sifting through bulk photos. I also bummed myself out when I changed the template of the blog and now I can't change it back. Maybe it's for the best. New site soon?

Currently Listening: Department of Eagles

2010-09-21T10:11:00.000-07:00

Was never much of a Grizzly Bear fan, but this song by Department of Eagles has really been doing it for me lately. The tune is too catchy, plus this video is great. I'm guessing it's the same people who did the video for "Knife"?

2010-09-12T20:29:00.001-07:00

If I ever live somewhere with a dining room, I would like this table to be in it.

DB Fletcher

Destroy Your Face Part II

2010-09-09T20:00:00.000-07:00

(click to enlarge)

I'll be posting more sequences and such shortly.

Destroy Your Face Part I

2010-09-09T11:21:00.001-07:00

Last week 15 of us piled into a van and made our way up through New England to Vermont and back for five days of camping, skating, drinking, and good-time having. Even though your body absolutely hates you by the end of the trip, it's well worth it. I'm pretty sure everyone would agree when I say that I would love to be cramped in the van with everyone again right now. Between here, Open Container, Marino's blog, and Pad's blog, there should be plenty of fun things to look at over the next few days.

(click to enlarge)

2010-09-07T07:37:00.000-07:00

Been digging the work of Todd Proctor. Instantly made this one my desktop background.

2010-08-26T07:11:00.000-07:00

"John's falling asleeep! John's falling asleeep!"

2010-08-24T11:13:00.000-07:00

Let's face it, the PayPal "Buy Now" button is ugly. That being said, you can now buy our goods and other what have yous in one convenient place at the Visivo Storefront. Newest products up there are two screen prints and a tote bag I designed. Printed by our pal Jesse at Derelict Prints.

"Get It Together" Screen Print
Available in several earth tonal colors.
9"x12"
Edition of 22

"Avey Wonder" Screen Print and Tote Bag
Inspired by the Stevie Wonder lyric adapted by Animal Collective's Avey Tare in a rare version of "The Purple Bottle".
15"x22"
SIgned and numbered on thick grey paper.
Edition of 20

Perfect size to fit records, camera, a bottle of wine, and anything else you might need to have a good time.
16.5"x17"
Off white canvas tote.
Comes with a matching pin!

Shop here

Thanks for the support!

2010-08-23T15:01:00.000-07:00

Some recent photos from the month of August.

2010-08-19T16:13:00.000-07:00

Come out and show some support this weekend! Mike and I will be showing some work and so will a few of our other pals. Everything will be priced under $100 and proceeds will go towards the fight against cancer. See you there!

2010-08-19T14:33:00.001-07:00

My eyes won't forgive me after this one.