There is little doubt that Edward Gorey is one of the premier illustrators of the late 20th Century. His images are instantly recognizable. His pen and ink illustrations have appeared in the country's top publications and he has authored over 100 books. He has also contributed set and costume designs to numerous theatrical productions.Currently on view at the Cartoon Museum is an" exhibition of the master cartoonist's original set and costume designs, rare production photographs and memorabilia from the Tony Award-winning Broadway production," of Dracula. The exhibit also features "a unique behind-the-scenes look at the creative process, from Gorey's initial...
The Life Tree
You Are Here40" x 60"2 color screen printGreat typographical poster that "was originally meant to be a tongue-in-cheek, semi autobiographical but mainly fictional guide to graphic design for students. It soon spiralled (sic) out of control and became a bittersweet journey through the many different lives of a graphic designer."Created by the design firm johnson banksHere's a close-up of the top left section: Thanks to Lu Terceiro for the lead
Married M’s: A Logo Questioned
The Metropolitan Market is Seattle's upscale grocery chain. Aram Saroyan is an internationally known concrete poet.In a recent blog post poet Ron Silliman claims that the logo for the Metropolitan Market "appears to be have been stolen from Aram Saroyan."I am not sure if Silliman is simply making light of the similarities or is being accusatory.Here is the logo and Saroyan's creation. Yes, they are similar but if he is indeed serious I believe it is a bit of a stretch to claim that it might be stolen. At minimum the fonts are very different. I would have to think...
Maurice Sendak’s First Pop-Up Book
Harry Potter isn't the only thing Scholastic is doing right. Late last year they published the first pop-up book illustrated by Maurice Sendak. Mommy! was a collaboration between Sendak, author Arthur Yorinks and the noted paper engineer Matthew Reinhart. The book's beginnings can be traced to a play written and directed by Arthur Yorinks called It's Alive for the Night Kitchen Radio Theater Company (which was founded by Yorinks and Sendak). The story is about a baby's search for his mother in a haunted house. "Unlike a traditional picture book, a pop-up book requires that a great deal more original...
Censored Book
Censored BookBarton Lidice Benes26.7 x 20.3 12.71974Book Tied in Rope, nailed, gessoed and painted"I was once on a train to Philadelphia reading a biography of Nixon, and I started scratching it out as I read it, and by the time I got to Philadelphia I had scratched the whole book out. After that I started nailing books shut and tying them up."The piece appeared in the 1990 traveling exhibition Book Arts in the USA curated by Richard Minsky.Thanks to Deeplinking and his post Book Art All-Stars