Let’s talk about copying for a moment. Ripping off someone else’s hard work, and using it as one’s own. Let’s start by me saying that I basically have a hard time taking anyone seriously who says they’ve not been properly credited in these modern times. I don’t believe for a moment that any one person is qualified enough to explore a single idea to the fullest. I believe in the sharing and free distribution of ideas, and the idea that once an idea is freed into the world, it is free. For the betterment of the idea. The following set of images (and the one above) were found and set up by designer / artist / internet person / retired design professor Bob Caruthers.
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Let us now devour the poster works of Minneapolis design team LandLand. They’ve made it their mission to toss out the traditions of rock postermaking and act on instinct. The use the Force. But tossing out that tradition doesn’t mean tossing out the tenants of design and good artmaking. These skills are high and present up on this collection of masterpieces. Look for yourself at a few of em, then take a trip to Minneapolis, rock capitol of the world!
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Oh my goodness I thought the age was complete! I say now nay! The Gorillaz continue on! Five years after their last LP album comes this thing called Plastic Beach, in reference to the terrifying pollution-made floating islands in the ocean. Hope you know about those. Today’s the day the first song gets leaked to the internets. This first single song is called “Stylo” and features the same lead singer as before*, featuring Mos Def and Bobby Womack. Pump it on up! See below and above for the music you set your eyes to!
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The Moldy Peaches are a group that sings lovely music in a very raw way. They sing simple songs, about very average and fabulous things. Sometimes with swearing, sometimes for childrens. And all of it wonderful. What we’ve got here is a full-hilt design for an album and world tour for the Moldy Peaches called Fruits in the Back Yard – New in the Neighborhood. Designed by superstar Petita Pou for Kimya Dawson and Adam Green.
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The stash is here. Cliff Chiang’s sent us in a box of fabulous flats. Prints from the streets of comicdom. Everything we need to start our insane Cliff Chiang collection! First, a set of Atomic Bombshells postcard-sized prints. Then, an insanely colorful signed print of the whole gang from Dr. Thirteen: Architecture and Mortality (fear the Nazi ape.) Next, two more brilliant prints: Batman over Gotham and a totally bad warrior woman battling a minotaur that even if you don’t recognize, you’ll have to love. And the crowning jewels: prints of both the Electra/Flashdance record cover AND my favorite Batgirl/Purple Rain.
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Let me tell you about science manual books. Science manual books are manuals full of science related materials and science related illustrations. Most of the illustrations in science manuals are line-drawings. Since the illustrations in science manuals are line drawings, and on the whole, look basically the same, they’re very viable for super-simple collage. Super-simple collage is what’s going on right here! Super weird compositions by design entity known as Culprit Tech. Main member/illustrator: Matt Pattinson.
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Sometimes you need to design a mark for a Finnish Heavy Metal band. Well you know that the greatest heavy metal logos of all time look basically the same. Metallica and Judas Priest, Slayer and AC/DC, and of course KISS. Look at them all. All basically totally the same. Sharp and shiny, a 3D version and a flatfaced version. And today we’ve got RECKLESS LOVE by designer/artist James White.
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Ohhh! So you like stuff made by Aesthetic Apparatus, huh? Is that what’s this is all about? Well! Then I guess we’ll just have to talk to The Decemberists, Tapes & Tapes, and Andrew Bird about this. Wont we? Yes. We will talk to them about how Aesthetic Apparatus is making stuff that’s just TOO GOOD for the public. Burn em up. All the 18×24 posters. All of em.
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This duo of images is officially part of the “Hero” craze, they being the cover of a “collectable” case for DJ Hero’s Renegade Edition. Eminem and Jay-Z have tracks on this edition of the game, and they hired Studio Number One to whip up a lovely image of these two legendary music making faces. No word on if the images will be produced anywhere else but on the DJ Hero ephemera, but DO expect them to maybe make an appearance in some fine art in the future, as Shepard Fairey like to explore all options with images once he’s done the illustration work. Colors, mediums, rubyliths, everything and anything.
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Oh my scary goodness! Misfits have been making records since before… well not quite as long as KISS, but still, pretty long! And here’s a new one. As nearly always, we’re in on the artwork part of it, and I’m gonna go right ahead and say this is pretty swanky. Full of zazz. The cover is painted / designed by a mister Arthyr Suydam of “Marvel Zombies” fame. Do you recognize the setup? BONUS: the release date is Halloween 2009.
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When you first see an album, note: SEE an album, what do you notice first? The artwork. Even when it’s a CD, or a tape (omfg what’s that?), you notice the artwork. The first version I saw of Jay-Z’s newest work The Blueprint 3? Vinyl. Glorious, 12″ by 12″ of pure amazing fantastic artwork. And The Blueprint III does not disappoint. It has a scrumtrilescent arrangement of instruments that Z says “reminds the the audience that it all comes down to the basics of music, the instruments, which have very recently been forgotten.”

I looked for the artist of this work for weeks, and I found him. Here he is.
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