Oh my stars! Free art prints!

As I was perusing Instagram this afternoon I saw a post that Caravan shoppe was giving away FREE art prints to promote their new space themed printable products! I have been a secret fan girl of Neil DeGrasse Tyson ever since this "stardust" youtube clip came across my desk a few years ago, so I immediately clicked over to download these and you should too! Free art work people!  These would look awesome in your office or filling out a gallery wall, which is what I plan to do with mine!

I have never, ever, been good at any single science class, but I have always had a fascination with space, the stars, and all things astrology related. I love visiting the planetarium, watching documentaries (that honestly I can barely comprehend) on the universe and cosmic discovery, and I even tune into Neil's podcast every once in awhile.

I highly recommend the show Cosmos, hosted by Neil, the reboot of the original hosted by Carl Sagan in the 80's. You can watch them all on Hulu here.

I hope you enjoy this chilly Friday (in the midwest!) and here are more star-related posts:

• This Ted Radio hour called "Peering into Space" is so fascinating, I listened to it twice!

• Best friend astrology prints on Etsy

• what's your sign? Fun necklaces

• Adler After Dark in Chicago is a perfect date night!

• Have you been to an astrology reading? I am fascinated and dying to go...

• Everything wrong with the movie "Gravity" 

Happy Friday!

Happy Friday people! This is just a sneak peak of a fun little Gatsby-themed project I am working on at the moment! I thought it seemed appropriate to use, as this is the LAST SUMMER WEEKEND IN CHICAGO PEOPLE! Even if the weather is warm throughout September, (hahaha) there is a shift in the air in the city when Sept 1st hits. People get into summer recovery mode, (cue the resurface at the gym and juice cleanses) and most of us start to brace ourselves for the cold reality (pun intended!) of the coming months.

Ok so enough Debbie Downer over here, it's Friday, a 3-day weekend and one of the last Sundays to sip champaign and dance on the tables. Well at least on a rooftop anyway.

If you are still at work, here are some 1920's themed links to get you through the day....

• The above typface, Metropolis is free!

• The best secret speakeasies in Chicago

• Do you know where the term "speakeasy" came from? (I learned on the Gangster Tour)

•An oral history The Green Mill (one of Capone's favorite hideouts)

• Alternative Great Gatsby book covers 

• Love these snake drop art deco earrings by Rachel Zoe

Cheers to the weekend! 

Judge a Book by its Cover

One of my favorite things about my job as a designer working in publishing, is designing book covers. It's an entirely new field of design that I am navigating that is both scary and exciting. There are book covers that have certainly captivated me before, but once you become a creator, and you look to others for inspiration, the nuances of the storytelling in a single image or detail are really quite amazing. It's a difficult task for any artist to capture an entire narrative, theme or even genre in a single image as a book cover,  but when done well, like in the images above, the result is truely a masterpiece. What's your favorite book cover? 

Here are some other great links regarding book cover design:

• Great interview with Chip Kidd - Also his Ted Talk is one of my all time favorites 

• The cover archive

• Lovely Collection 

• Best Book Covers on Pinterest

• Redesigns of classics - (the Fahrenheit 451 cover is shockingly clever) 

Out of Office

Two posts in a row! I know, who am I?

I am so excited to be going to Michigan this weekend I just had to share my out of office display.

I haven't been out of the godforsaken lovely state of Illinois since last October. Safe to say I need a vacation. I plan on reading magazine after magazine and book after book (design books of course) whilst the cool waters of "Pure Michigan" wash over me, keeping me refreshed along with my bottomless vodka lemonades.

But apparently it might rain for 72 hours straight, so maybe we will hole up in our cabin with some souvenirs from the nearby wineries, distilleries, and breweries, or visit the one place that distributes all three libations - yes all three liquors are made, apparently in some giant, round barn, tasting mecca.

The s'more ingredients are packed.  I'm psyched.

Have a fantastic weekend and I hope to come back with a fun review of all we saw and did!

My Work...Lately

Hello internet...is this thing still on?! Anyway after a long overdue post of an incredibly busy and life-changing summer I thought I would share some of my recent freelance projects.

First are some marketing materials I put together for Dianne Daleiden, who is running for Alderman in the 40th Ward of Chicago IL. If you would like to check out more about her campaign click here.

The second are some bumper stickers I designed for Senator Dick Durbin of Illinois. Which one did they pick? Keep a look-out on the roads for the winner! :)

links: card / over-size shirt / necklace / pillow / kicks / print 

Indigo, as one of 2014 forecasted trends has been popping up all over the internet lately. It reminds of me childhood camp days,  tye-dying tank tops and scrunchies in scorching heat while I blissfully stained my entire body with colorful dye. I really like this trend for summer. Especially mixed with white jeans and some brown leather sandals.

If you're feeling crafty, check out DesignLoveFest's tutorial on Indigo dying here

GOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAL!

italy, 1934

brazil, 1950

 argentina, 1978

mexico, 1970

spain, 1982

So who is watching the World Cup? I have to admit, even though I played soccer my entire adolosence, I didn't really jump on the bandwagon this year until watching USA v. Portugal game last Sunday. Now I am chanting "USA USA all the way", until perhaps tomorrow. Germany will be tough to beat.

I found a link to the 20 design poster of the World Cup over the years and some really caught my eye. As far as design, they really speak to the trends, style and even historical events of the time. The art deco font and Mussolini-propgranda-style artwork of the 1930's, The WW1 poster-style illustration of the 1950's (keep calm and play football!) The bold colors (and mustache) of the 1970's and of course, the 1980's in black and primary colors, pained by Mr. Miro himself.

There are more interesting details about each poster throughout the years here, though I have to say I am not a fan of the 2014 poster at all. It is seriously a shame that the posters are now plastered with advertisements. Way to ruin the hard-work of careful designs with a McDonalds logo FIFA.

Also,

Can you believe there is a player biting people?!!?

Gap has some cute World Cup gear. 

Now, this World Cup poster is the COOLEST i've ever seen. (Spoiler alert, Harry Potter fans will love this)