NOTES
A place for musings on design, culture, & inspiration.
I like a wide variety of music and pride myself on having an eclectic taste. However, there are certain bands from certain eras that I must confess have had a profound impact on me. This is …
Growing up in the 1980s and liking art, I was easily influenced by pop art super heroes like Keith Haring. His super identifiable line art style and iconographic symbols makes his work unique and simple. However, …
If you live in the Chicagoland area and ever need a day trip idea to get out of the city and clear the mind and soul — I highly recommend the Anderson Japanese Gardens in Rockford, …
In a past life I wanted to be a dj. Growing up in and around Chicago, I would often find myself seeking out stores that sold (vinyl) records to play and mix. One of the best …
I have been a fan of (and inspired by) Jennifer Sterling's work for as long as I have known of her. I believe it was way back in the late 1990s (or possibly into the early …
To say Steve Jobs was a complicated man is an understatement. The world of course knows of his business acumen, marketing savvy, and technological innovations. We all also now know how difficult of a personality and …
I love beverages—especially sparkling water; and I am always looking for new brands and flavors to taste test. One such water brand I discovered a few years ago from New Zealand that caught my attention is …
I am always on the prowl for design inspiration — especially new type foundries and faces. I recently ran across this tiny little foundry called "Blaze Type" based out of France. Their font offerings are pretty …
If you know nothing about art, you still probably know of the name Andy Warhol. If you do like art, particularly pop art, then you know Andy Warhol is the best known and admired of this …
David Carson is a well know graphic designer and one of my earliest inspirations. He got his start art directing magazines such as Beach Culture, Transworld Skateboarding, Raygun, amongst others. He has also dabbled with designing …
Mark Gonzales (born June 1, 1968), also known as "Gonz" and "The Gonz", is an American professional skateboarder and artist. He is known as a pioneer of modern street skateboarding and was named the "Most Influential …
ICONS, published by TASCHEN, is a dynamic retrospective of the extensive collaborative project between NIKE, Inc. and Virgil Abloh. ICONS explores how the partnership works to unify all the intangible cultural threads connected to sneakers. The …
The "Jean-Michel Basquiat: King Pleasure" exhibit presented by the family of JMB opens April 9, 2022. The exhibition is located on the ground level of the Starrett-Lehigh Building. Entry is on 27th Street, near 11th Avenue …
A little collage series I made dedicated to China Machado. She was a Chinese-born American fashion model, editor, and television producer. She was the first model of color to appear in a major American fashion magazine, …
The Graphic Design Club of Chicago has an open call to designers. Their description goes like this: "We’re asking you to submit a poster using the official Chicago typeface, Big Shoulders, that communicates what Chicago means …
Plastikcomb is an art publication that breaks the mold of typical magazine formats with experimental editorial design, and features a diverse line-up of visual content makers. For issue no. 3 (Winter 21/22) they had a call …
