If you are not aware of Louise Fili’s work then you are in for a real treat. Louise specializes in logo, package, restaurant, type, book and book jacket design (her three loves are Type, Food, and Italy).

A bit of history
From 1976 to 1978 Louise was senior designer for Herb Lubalin. As Art Director for Pantheon Books (1978 to 1989), she designed over 2000 book jackets. Louise also has won numerous awards and medals and has taught and lectured on graphic design and typography. And as if she that’s not enough she has also co-authored (with Steven Heller, Lise Apatoff) and written several books. Her award winning designs and achievements have gained her an induction into the Art Directors Hall of Fame.

Her inspiration
She’s considered a Design Archaeologist because she searches and hunts down hard to find old typefaces, old books, tins, and other old packaging at flea markets. She’s inspired by 1920s and 1930s design and she masterfully blends these old styles into new simplistic, contemporary designs which have given her a world renowned reputation.

Her office and collections
You can find photos of Louise’s office and collections at Design*Sponge. If you haven’t been to Design*Sponge yet then I suggest calendaring some time for this site because it’s a given that you’re going to spend hours looking at all the cool and helpful stuff.

My own small efforts
Inspired by Louise Fili, I designed a label for a batch of homemade coffee liqueur. These bottled treats were given away as Season’s Greetings gifts.

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MY DOODLES

You know, those little drawings that you do while talking on the phone, sitting on a bus or train or while you’re in a meeting. Sometimes those doodles are just nonsensical scribbles and sometimes they are masterpieces of art.

I recently joined a group of creative individuals who in like-mind wanted to exchange these little works of doodle art. Within weeks doodles were doodled and mailed out by the deadline April 15th.

I have since received many doodles from across the US and from Canada. The thrill of getting small art pieces from people that I’ve never met face-to-face has been a blast and a not to say the least an inspiration and jolt to my own creativity.

For more information about how it all started check out the Doodle Swap Blog. Contact Mary, she’s the head mistress of the Doodle Swap.

Here’s the original thread started at the HOW Magazine Lounge Forum.

You can also see all the cool doodles that we have exchanged with each other at the Doodle Swap Group Flickr account.

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I came across Jared Tarbell’s beautiful art by chance and was shockingly surprised that he does it all with code. He uses algorithmic methods and manipulates the code to craft the semantics of each program. The results are remarkable.

He became interested in computers in 1987 and has since grown in direct relation to his interest in computation. He says ” I write computer programs to create graphic images.” I think they are brilliant works of art.

Along with artistic talent Jared seems to have a since of humor too. He says he’s one part Magical Mystery Tour, one part Brandenburg Concerto, and one part Somnium (Robert Rich).

Visit his site to find many more examples. His creativity is truly amazing, beautiful and thought provoking.

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These wonderful posters use limited color and simple, bold shapes to get their message out. During this era, Constructivism (a geometric abstract art movement in Russia) design was heavily used in commercial art. Constructivism was influenced by Bauhaus in Germany, De Stijl in the Netherlands and Abstraction-Creation in France.

Yuri has kindly accepted my invitation for a interview and below is a bit about him and his collection.

Tell me about yourself. Are you an artist, designer, photographer, etc.?
I am designer and dilettante (as in hobby) photographer.

What inspired you to start collecting these posters?
Actually I just happened to lay a hand on a small propaganda pack of anti-alcohol society. We had one in the Perestroika era. Here’s the badge of this society. Later I started to collect anti-alcohol posters and as soon as I started developing websites I decided to put my small collection online.

Do you have a favorite one?
I can’t pick out just one: I think every third poster in my collection is a treasure (also some of posters unfortunately is slapdash).

Do you have any stories about any of the posters?
No, I don’t think so.

Do you collect anything else?
Nothing really special, just usual stuff: small classic car replicas, interesting coins, etc.

What inspires you? Some people are inspired by music, nature, loved ones, animals, color combinations, etc.
I think traveling and sightseeing inspires me most.

When you are unmotivated what types of things do you do to get yourself motivated?
Nothing, really. If there’s a thing I don’t want to do but I have to, I just do it. And if I don’t want to do something I can avoid, I just don’t do it until I am motivited somehow.

Is there a person who has inspired you at some point in your life (relative, friend, etc.)?
I don’t really know, what it means: everyone is affected by someone every time.

When you were a child, what was your favorite game to play?
I believe it was some kind of Lego.

Thank you Yuri!

Please visit Yuri’s other site. He can be reached on Facebook as well.

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History
Pop-up books were first called Volvelles and predate the print culture. Ramon Llull (c.1235-1316), a Catalan mystic and poet, created interactive mechanisms (Volvelles) to illustrate his complex philosophical search for truth.

Volvelles were used through the eighteenth century for manuscripts and in printed books. They were used for a variety of topics, including natural science, astronomy, mathematics, mysticism, fortune telling, navigation, and medicine.

When Turn-Up or Lift-The-Flap mechanisms were introduced in the early fourteenth century they were extensively used to illustrate anatomy. At that time movable books were specifically designed only for adults. It wasn’t until the early nineteenth century that movable books were available for children.

Pop-up Artists
Robert Sabuda and Matthew Reinhart
Robert and Matthew are master paper engineer partners and have published many children’s pop-up books. Their most recent pop-up book The Chronicles of Narnia (published in 2007) is richly detailed and has amazing movable elements. Both Robert and Matthew designed an Encyclopedia Prehistorica series that showcases Mega-Beasts, Sharks and Other Sea Monsters, and Dinosaurs: The Definitive Pop-Up. Robert’s visionary adaptation of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland leaves you in awe and admiration.

Robert’s favorite pop-ups are those that are created with white paper. He has been fascinated with how shadows play with paper and his America The Beautiful, Winter’s Tale: An Original Pop-up Journey, and Winter in White: A Mini Pop-up Treat are all based on his shadow play.

Gary Greenberg and Matthew Reinhart
Of all the books that crack me up, The Pop-Up Book of Phobias and The Pop-Up Book of Nightmares are my favorites. Both books poke fun at phobias and nightmares and are enhanced with macabre artwork (illustrator Balvis Rubess) that suits each topic perfectly. Gary is a nationally touring stand-up comedian and writer and Matthew is a paper sculptor and modelmaker who has created three-dimensional work for hit children’s shows and for other published books.

David A. Carter and James Diaz
When I first saw the book The Elements of Pop-up: A Pop-Up Book for Aspiring Paper Engineers, I couldn’t get my hands on it quick enough. This book is the definitive book on how to make pop-ups (paper engineering). It covers a wide range of movable elements along with easy, step-by-step instructions and working examples. I love manipulating each example and being in awe at how easy these mechanisms can work such amazing visual magic.

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Dan has a national award winning background in caricature, painting and illustration. He also is an improvisational artist and does these incredible performances.

When I first saw this show I was amazed at the ending. Wonderful!

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For more wacky fun check out Improv Everywhere’s Missions page. They’ve been very busy.

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The book in general has a bunch of good advice, experiences, stories, wisdoms and exercises to help you work through different stages and mastering challenges so you can reach your goal of being creative.

For the most part, a lot of it, for me, I already know or as I read had affirmed things that I had wondered about. But for someone who needs encouragement to step out of their comfort zone, to take a leap of faith, to do what they have always dreamed of doing, this book is for you.

The book is sectioned into 3 Gateways. Each Gateway has subsections pertaining to the Gateways theme. The first Gateway is called “Engaging Your Creativity” and is about acknowledging your creative self, honoring your inspirations, following your fascinations and surrendering to creative cycles. The second “Mastering Your Challenges as a Creative Woman” is about committing to self-focus, conquering saboteurs, consulting with guides, selecting empowering partnerships and alliances, and transcending rejections and roadblocks. The third is “Actualizing Creative Results: The Power of Positive Priorities” and is about living in abundance with positive priorities, subtracting serenity stealers, and plans to achieve your goals.

I thought the “self-focus” advice was great. It really gave me permission to just focus on my own self. To be selfish in a way. Yeah, I’m digging it. In general, as women, we have been taught to please others, to take care of everyone else and always our personal needs came last. We were honored for being self sacrificing, for being there for everyone else, to make sure everyone’s needs were taken care of first. We were told that we should be happy serving others. And if we tried focusing on ourselves we were put down and told we were bad mothers, cooks, housekeepers, and wives.

This quote really hits home: “People call me a feminist whenever I express sentiments that distinguish me from a doormat” – Rebecca West, Writer

I also liked the support that women shouldn’t sacrifice their creativity. There is lots of advice on how to honor your creativity and conquer saboteurs. There are bits about women and their creative passions and how they work family, partners and everything else around their passion.

Another quote from the book: “As for myself: I have flagrantly disobeyed the either-books-or-babes rule, having had three kids and written about twenty books, thank God it wasn’t the other way around.” – Ursula K. LeGuin, Writer

All in all, this book is about being happy and satisfied with your life. Eliminating all negativity; people, places, and things. Embracing yourself and being comfortable with your creative being.

One last quote: “When you come to a roadblock, take a detour.” – Mary Kay Ash, Entrepreneur

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Then go check out Illustration Friday (brainchild of illustrator Penelope Dullaghan).

This is a weekly illustration challenge. A topic is posted every Friday and then participants have a week to interpret, illustrate and share.

This site is highly inspiring and filled with a wealth of information including a forum where members can share ideas, ask questions and get feedback.

For more information about how to join in on the fun visit their Participate page to get the details.

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