Note—

I've been busy, hence a lack of new posts on Labor&Curse. Soon, though!

Jan C. Almquist

Jan C. Almquist, a partner at Allemann Almquist & Jones, has just launched a new site showcasing some of his absolutely stunning photography work. I am grateful to have had Jan as a teacher in my final year of study at The University of the Arts in Philadelphia, where his unique insights into not just design but all modes of thinking were a constant source of motivation.

Carine Collin

Carine Collin from Belgium got in touch to share her beautifully minimal publication work. Also of note are her drawings. While her site is a bit clumsy navigation-wise, it is definitely worth checking out!

Allemann Almquist & Jones

 

A hearty congratulations goes out to Philadelphia's Allemann Almquist & Jones for not only their new site (though I still wish the images were bigger!), but for being featured in the new Graphis anthology DesignersUSA3. (Download PDF here)

I was lucky enough to have a summer internship at AA&J back in 2008, and the invaluable critiques and advice I received still resonate to this day. 

so+ba

 

  

Not much information on this "Swiss made in Japan" studio so+ba, but that's okay, because it won't stop me from gawking at their work.

Bisgràfic

Barcelona-based Bisgràfic has a portfolio of beautifully minimal design work. Along with the projects pictured above, I really love this logo for Waterfilter.

Wojciech Kubrakiewicz

 

I discovered the incredible work of Wojciech Kubrakiewicz, an artist/printmaker from Poland, today via flickr. He uses both linocuts and screenprinting (with old photos/etchings as source material) to great effect.

From the artist's statement:

"My graphics depict war without literal representation. Years of excessive exposure to suffering images have not changed anything. In the context of war atrocities it is far more important to show something unobtrusive and trivial. It helps us to understand that evil resides in reality and that it is present in everyday life."

Inspiring work.

Büro Uebele

Büro Uebele is the visual communications agency of Andreas Uebele, located in Stuttgart, Germany. Pictured above is the new identity for Deutscher Bundestag, based on the original three-dimensional form created by artist Ludwig Gies.
The project descriptions on Uebele's site are actually worth reading (such as this one, about the work for Parrotta Contemporary Art):
"art writes its own laws. familiar everyday things are removed from reality. in the wordmark for the gallery for contemporary art the letters are removed as well. abandoning themselves to the rhythm of a siren song, they have sailed away from their standard spacing. through the apparently random blacking of the counters – the white spaces in the letters – the wordmark with its irregular spacing seems somehow syncopated. plain information is transformed into contemporary art."
Sehr gut!

League

Some beautiful posters by Swiss studio League. Be sure to check out their type design, too.

(discovered via OriginalLinkage)

Friends on Etsy

Since most people are in full-blown holiday consumer mode these days, I thought I'd post a few links to some friends who have made their goods available on Etsy.

First up is Dete Clothing, my mother-in-law's line of children's clothing/toys hand-knitted in Serbia (pictured above). This is high-quality stuff...

My friend Dee Duncan, a designer/artist living in Chicago, has these awesome multi-colored screen prints available in his shop.

Durham's own Bigwig&Silver has a ton of paper goods on his shop, including these great "Thanks from space" cards (pictured above).

The Big Harumph is my friend Georgia's shop, full of hand carved linoleum prints. Pictured above is a print entitled "Too Many Buttons".

And last but not least, my friend JT Yost, a Brooklyn-based illustrator, has a shop called Peculiar Pet Portraits, which despite the name, also has non-pet items like the beautiful accordion lino cut pictured above.

Matthew Leibowitz

I consider Matthew Leibowitz one of my design heroes. I was lucky enough to see the exhibition in 2007 at The University of the Arts, Philadelphia.  The playfulness and tension in his work is a continued source of inspiration. YOU WILL browse the archive of his work, and YOU WILL get excited.

Mission Design

Excellent identity work from Norwegian studio Mission Design. (Browse their work a bit quicker at Behance...)

Happycentro

Some great work from Italian studio Happycentro... the Alphaposter series is wonderful!

COÖP

Coöp is a design studio based in Melbourne, Australia. Pictured above is some of the identity work they did for 1:1 Architects. So, so good.
via FPO

New work from Notter+Vigne

Looks like Notter+Vigne (who I featured here before) have a new site up, with some new work as well. Not really a fan of the navigation, as it takes a bit of effort just to browse through the projects, but the work is top notch, as always.

William Longhauser

From his site:
"William Longhauser received a BFA degree in graphic design from the College of Design, Art, and Architecture at the University of Cincinnati, and an MFA in design from Indiana University. He has also  completed two years of post-graduate study at the School of Design, in Basel, Switzerland. Before moving to Los Angeles in June, 2000, he was a tenured professor at the University of the Arts, Philadelphia, where he taught in the graphic design department since 1977 and was chairman of the department for three years."

His site has a ton of incredible work, so prepare to spend some time!

Brendan Monroe Show in LA

Brendan Monroe (who I featured previously here) emailed to let me know of his show that is up until November 14th in Los Angeles at the Richard Heller Gallery. I would love to be able to see it in person, but I suppose this slideshow will have to do! Amazing work, Brendan!